She’d been on the run for so long, all the while he’d been close behind her, wanting her. Chasing her. But now, his hand cuffing her wrist in its gentle embrace, there was nowhere left to run.
She didn’t want to run. Not tonight.
She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing his sweet promises of a future she knew she could never have with him. He couldn’t swear she would never go to prison; she was far from innocent. And he couldn’t keep her safe. Not from his friends, and not from her enemies.
But maybe they could have this one night.
Here, far from home, where no one knew who she was.
She grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled his mouth to hers, their first kiss since their last fateful night together, desperate and—
“Finn? You okay?” Nick hovered over me, his brow creased with worry.
I blinked up at him. Then at my hands, which were clutching the front of his apron.
“I’m fine,” I said, clearing my throat. “Just a little light-headed. Probably all the carbs.”
Do not think about dessert. You’re not thinking about dessert. You do not need or want any dessert.
He pressed a hand to my forehead. “Maybe you should sit down. You’re flushed, and your pulse is a little quick.”
“No kidding.”
A door smacked open somewhere in the cafeteria. “Nick!” Joey’s voice echoed through the cafeteria. I let go of Nick’s apron, leaving sudsy, wrinkled handprints on the fabric, still a little weak in the knees as the kitchen door flew open. Joey didn’t even notice me as he made a beeline for the stove. “Smells good. What’s cookin’， partner?”
Nick’s cane clacked hard against the floor as he limped after Joey. “What the hell’s so important?”
Joey shoved a file against Nick’s apron. “Tox reports are in.”
“We can go over them tomorrow,” Nick said, trying to hand them back.
Joey lifted the lid on the saucepan and tested the sauce with a finger, searching the counter for a plate. “Get this … four of the victims had traces of weed, opioids, coke … the usual suspects. But vic number five—”
Nick snatched the lid and dropped it back on the pot. “I said, it can wait until tomorrow.” He tipped his head toward me.
Joey’s swung around, stopping short when he saw me. His eyes raked over the kitchen, taking in the dim spotlights, the tablecloth, and the juice glasses we hadn’t gotten around to cleaning up yet. He turned slowly to Nick. Nick stared back, daring him to say something.
I hitched my thumb toward the exit. “I should probably go.”
“Stay,” Nick said. He shoved the file at Joey. “Detective Balafonte has somewhere he needs to be.”
“Sam can handle it,” Joey argued.
“It’s not Samara’s name on the schedule.”
A muscle worked in Joey’s jaw. He glared at the wet handprints on Nick’s apron. “See you in the morning, partner. The report will be on my desk if you manage to get your head out of your ass before then.” He took the file from Nick, slamming the door into the wall on his way out.
CHAPTER 14
Nick was quiet as we washed our plates and put away the leftovers. Whatever spark had kindled between us during dinner had extinguished the moment Joey had burst in. I could sense Nick’s frustration still simmering under the surface as he gave the kitchen a quick once-over before locking it for the night. I should have been relieved for Joey’s interruption, which had probably saved me from ripping off Nick’s apron and doing unspeakable things in a public place, but I couldn’t deny feeling a little frustrated, too.
My eyes climbed the brick wall of the dormitory as Nick escorted me back to my room. The light was on in our window. I sent Vero a quick text, warning her that I was on my way with Nick, then slipped my phone back in my pocket, hoping Javi was already gone.
Nick stopped at the entrance of the building. We waited through an awkward pause while a group of academy students filed out the door. I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to tease Nick when several of the women in the group （and at least one man） turned to ogle him as they walked by. Max and Riley were the last to exit, and I tucked myself behind Nick, hoping to avoid them.
I cringed when Max spotted me. “Hey, Finlay! Are you and Vero coming to movie night? Officer Roddy’s making popcorn.”
“Movie night?” I asked Nick.
“Silence of the Lambs in the auditorium. Starts in half an hour.”
I shuddered as I called out to Max, “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
Nick bit down on his grin, waiting for the last of their group to disappear from view before reaching for my hand.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” he said in a low voice, probably so we wouldn’t be overheard. “For what it’s worth, I was having a really good time before my partner showed up.”
“I had a nice time, too. Thank you for dinner.”
He pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek, and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to turn my head and catch his lips. He smiled as if he knew. “You’ve got a long day tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
“You, too,” I said, a little breathless as he pulled away.
He watched me scan my lanyard, waiting until I slipped inside and the locks snapped closed behind me before he limped from the building. I raced up the two flights of stairs to our room, listening with an ear to the door before throwing it open.
Vero bolted upright in bed. “Oh, it’s just you.” She dropped facedown against the mattress and used the pillow to cover her head.
“I brought you dinner,” I said, fishing the cookies from my pockets.
“Not hungry.”
“All they had was chocolate chip.”
Vero shot up, the pillow dropping to the mattress beside her. I set both cookies in her lap. “Where’s Javi?” I asked.
“Left,” she said around a mouthful of crumbs. “He said he’ll call when he has the money. Where’d you disappear to?”
“I missed dinner. Nick took me to the kitchen and made us something to eat.”
She stopped chewing, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. “Please tell me that included dessert.”
“Joey came and I lost my appetite.” I kicked off my shoes and flopped down on my bed. “He’s been increasingly hostile to me ever since we got here. It’s like he doesn’t want me anywhere near his partner.”
“More like he doesn’t want you anywhere near his work. Probably because he’s hiding something.”
I stared at the ceiling as I considered that. What if Vero was right and it wasn’t my proximity to Nick that Joey was worried about? What if it was just my being here at the academy?
I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Each of the instructors had been issued a temporary office for the week so they could keep up with their cases and their regular job responsibilities while they were here. “Do you have your schedule?” I asked.
Vero frowned at my sudden urgency. She reached in her backpack and handed me her class schedule. I skimmed it for Joey’s name, remembering what Nick had said in the kitchen about Joey having someplace he was supposed to be this evening. I paused over the listing for movie night. Roddy and Joey were scheduled to staff it.