The Puppeteer (9 page)

“I went out last night to blow off some steam and happened to meet him.” She sounded blasé, even to her own ears. But he knew her better.

Drew stared at her for a long time.

“What?” she demanded, on the defense. “I'm a grown woman.”

“Who is stupid enough to go home with some guy she just met. Jesus, Dani what were you thinking? You weren't,” he answered himself. “He could have been a psychopath. And even though he
turned out not to be, didn't you at least talk enough to find out he was a cop?”

Dani opened her mouth to answer but Drew interrupted. “Never mind, I
don't
want to know.”

“The bartender is a friend of Sammy's. I know her from a few years back. She vouched for him.” Even to her ears, this logic sounded lame. It
was
stupid to go home with a guy after meeting him at a bar, but even knowing that, she was hard pressed to feel bad about it. Whatever it was that sparked between them last night was stronger than anything she'd ever felt before.

“Great,” Drew grunted. “I'm glad you had your fun. The Mack Truck strikes again. I'm surprised he could walk this morning.”

Dani felt like she'd been slapped in the face. Why did everyone insist on likening her relationships with men to them being flattened by a truck? As far as she knew, everyone walked away unscarred and unscathed. Her relationships never included any emotion deep enough that would warrant that kind of analogy. On that point, Ty had been spot on. As far as she was concerned, every man she'd ever been with knew the score.

Didn't they?

The little niggling doubt that had been lingering since earlier in the day crept back into her brain and settled uncomfortably.

“Maybe you should be surprised that
I
can walk this morning,” she tried to joke, but it fell flat when Drew leveled his gaze on her.

“That's the problem, Dani. You can always walk. No matter what happens, what you ignore or leave behind, you can always walk. For as smart as you are, Dani, sometimes you don't have a clue.” She opened her mouth to protest but Drew stopped her with his next question. “What happens, Dani, when you find him?”

She didn't need to clarify who ‘him’ was, but the abrupt shift caught her off guard.

“What do you mean what happens?” She was confused. Was Drew asking or was he trying to tell her something?

“I mean just that, Dani. When we find this man—the man who killed your parents—what will you do? And I don't mean at that moment, or even a week later. I mean
with your life
.”

Her heart rate kicked up at the question. She took a deep breath and willed the rising panic to subside. Panic because, truth be told,
she hadn't
ever
thought beyond tracking and catching the man responsible for her parents' murders. It had been her singular goal since the day the fog cleared from her mind after their deaths. She'd been lost for so long after they died and finding the man with the blue eyes—the man she'd watched assassinate her parents in their own living room—became her reason to live. What
would
happen after she found him? And why was Drew bringing it up
now
?

She frowned. “I…I don't—” she searched Drew's eyes for a hint of what he was looking for. She didn't like the sadness staring back at her.

He raised his hand to stop her and shook his head. “Think about it, Dani. If you're as close as you think you are to finding him, I suggest you figure it out soon.”

She tilted her head and studied him. His unusual request that she go on the surveillance field trip, tumbled through her mind. “What does this have to do with Ty?” she asked.

His sigh irritated her, like he knew something she didn't. “Maybe something, maybe nothing.”

“Maybe something? I told you it's fine, there's nothing to worry about.” The words were confident. Thank god she knew how to lie.

Drew made an annoyed, dismissive gesture with his hands as he turned back to the closet and adjusted his shirts. “Sure, fine, whatever, Dani. Just make sure it stays that way.”

Now he was starting to piss her off. “Meaning?” she demanded.

He spun around and stared hard. When he spoke next, his words were deliberate.

“We need Getz in order to close in on Smythe and we need to know if we're going to have a major international incident, not to mention a possible terrorist attack. Whatever the hell is or is not going on between you and the detective, deal with it and make damn sure it doesn't interfere with this investigation. In any way.”

Dani leaned back, stunned by the intensity of Drew's warning, by the fact that he issued the warning at all. Then, something shifted in the room.

“Dani,” he said and took a conciliatory step toward her.

She vaulted off the bed and took a step backward, toward the door, as he took another toward her.

“Fuck you, Drew,” she replied, hoping he didn't hear the quiver in her voice.

Down the hall, Dani slammed the door to her own room behind her. She felt like an unruly teenager, which pissed her off even more. Drew was out of line. He had no right to think her personal life would
ever
interfere with an investigation. It never had before, and it never would. And that Drew thought it might on
this particular
investigation
really
pissed her off. He knew how personal this case was to her, how it might give her a chance for some closure after all these years.
He knew
.

And yet he still felt justified in insinuating she'd let anything interfere with that.

Drew was supposed to be
her
friend. That he seemed more worried about Ty—that she would hurt Ty or do something that might make his working with the team difficult—made her furious.

Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she tugged on her jacket, she paused. Looking at her reflection, she forced herself to be honest. That Drew seemed more worried about Ty didn't make her angry. No, she felt betrayed. She didn't like that he seemed to think she could hurt someone else without a second thought, like she was some kind of machine. And it was clear in Drew's voice that he assumed it would be her fault if things did go wrong. Why didn't he consider that Ty might hurt her? Did he think she wasn't capable of being hurt or worthy of his concern? Did he think she was incapable of emotions, period?

Why?

Dani stilled, and then swallowed as she studied herself in the mirror. She reached out and placed a hand on the dresser, steadying herself and taking a deep breath. Because she knew the answer to that last question. Up until a few moments ago, even she herself wondered if she was capable of having true emotions of any kind. Yes, she loved her sister and her family and yes, she was passionate about her work. But, aside from her family, she'd never been emotionally involved with
anyone
. Ever.

It was possible that Drew and Spanky and all the others didn't think she had it in her to be emotional over anything or anyone for one simple reason. Up until now, she never had.

Chapter 8

TY WATCHED DANI JOG
down the front stairs of the house. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, her fists jammed into her pockets. Her expression was closed. She looked damn good in her leather jacket, but judging by the way she moved, he would guess she was pissed at something.

Good
, he thought, as he smiled to himself. She was too pragmatic to hold a grudge so, when he pushed her, and he intended to push her, if she exploded on him, which he hoped she would, she wouldn't stay mad at him for too long.

It wasn't a very nice plan but he was tired of her ignoring him, ignoring what had happened last night. He wanted more than her professional persona. He wasn't sure how much more. Oh, he wouldn't turn down another night like the one they'd spent together, but he would settle for at least blowing through her professional cool. He didn't think he was asking much, he just wanted her to see him as a person, maybe even a friend—hell, anything other than a cog in her investigation.

“Have you ridden a bike before?” he asked as she came to a stop a few feet away. She fixed him with a look.

“Right, of course you have.” He tossed her a helmet. “There's a voice activated radio system so we can talk during ride,” he explained.

“Great.” She slid the helmet on. Ignoring her mumbled sarcasm, he straddled the bike and she climbed on behind him. He almost laughed when she put her hands behind her rather than wrap her arms around him. Shaking his head, he started the bike up and headed down the drive.

“So what are you so pissed about?” he asked, knowing it would get her back up even more. He shouldn't have fun doing this, but he was. He knew how she reacted physically to him—which was a stark contrast to how she reacted professionally. And the contradiction was intriguing. He wasn't the kind of guy that was interested in being a woman's doormat, but he sensed her quasi-split personality was more a result of the case they were working than a reflection of her. And given how she
had
responded physically to him, he couldn't help but wonder what might unfold if they actually got to know one another.

“Nothing,” she replied.

“Liar.”

“I wouldn't push if I were you, Detective,” she snapped. “Where are we going?”

Ty weighed whether or not to answer or keep pushing. He opted for playing nice, at least for the moment. “Your team is high tech and good, but there are a few things we locals can contribute,” he started explaining. “Getz's peninsula is located in a bay. It's about a mile and a half from the northern tip to the southern tip, and hard to see, but it is a bay. There are a couple of spots where, with a pair of high powered glasses, you should be able to get a good view of Getz's compound.” He leaned into a curve, her body moving with his.

“So what's the deal with you and Drew?” He knew he'd caught her off guard when he heard her let out a little huff. She didn't answer for a long minute and then her voice came through.

“Nothing is going on with me and Drew. Though he does think you want to kick his ass,” she answered. “So what makes you think we haven't already checked out the spots you're taking me to?”

“Because one is on private property and the other is a spot only the locals know, trust me. So you two aren't sleeping together?” he asked, taking heart from the fact that she answered his first question. He didn't think she was the type of woman who would have done the things they'd done last night if she was seeing someone else, but wanted to hear it from her.

She paused again before answering. “That's rather personal, Detective,” she drawled.

“And yet, I ask.”

“No we are not, have never, and never will sleep together,” she answered. “How do you know we haven't been on the private property?”

He breathed a sigh of relief. Not that he and Dani were going anywhere, but if they did, it was nice to know Drew wouldn't be an obstacle.

“Because in order to go on it, you'd have to ask permission from the owner. You haven't done that. Besides, I was up there today after doing a little rock climbing. I'd have known if you were there. So, if you aren't sleeping together, what's the story? You're obviously close.”

“I've known Drew all my life. How do you know we haven't asked permission?”

“Because it's my land, and what do you mean you've known him all your life?”

“I mean just that. Our parents were best friends. When we were born, Drew and his brother were almost the next people to hold us. I told you, his brother and my sister are married. We couldn't get away from each other if we tried. Are you on the take?”

Ty almost lost his grip on the bike. “Why would you ask that? And who is ‘we’?”

“You have an amazing loft and own a tract of waterfront land. It's not something your average cop could do.”

Her failure to answer his second question didn't go unnoticed, but Ty decided to come back to that. After all, she'd admitted to liking his apartment—it was a start wasn't it?

“So you like my place?” he couldn't help the teasing tone.

She sighed. “Answer the question.”

“No,” he laughed. “I'm not on the take, and I wouldn't tell you even if I was. I own a couple of patents that don't bring a ton of money but did give me enough to buy my place.”

“What kind of patents?” she asked.

“So suspicious, Agent,” he clucked at her tone. “Mostly gun safety advances. Some patents that relate to the way a clip moves inside a handgun and a couple that apply only to rifles. Now tell me who ‘we’ is?”

Dani didn't speak for a while and he sensed she was letting this new information sink in. A lot of people were surprised to hear he
owned a few patents, not that he talked about it a lot. But during his time in the Navy, he developed a lot of opinions on what would make a gun better, safer. When he got out, he played around with a couple of ideas, patented them, and then, before he knew it, a couple of gun companies bought licenses. It wasn't big money by any stretch, but having enough to outright buy a place to live was nothing to scoff at, and it made living on a cop's salary a little easier.

“Okay,” she said, almost to herself.

“So who is ‘we’?” he prompted again.