Page 9 of Kidnapped in Dark Waters
“Oh, of course.” She opened her door wider and as he swept past her, she caught a whiff of his delicious scent. “Would you like anything to drink?” She gestured him toward the sofa.
“No thanks, I’m good.”
He certainly looked good. His jeans fit his long legs perfectly and his navy-blue T-shirt stretched taut across his broad shoulders and chest. His black hair was shiny and his green eyes were bright and alert. The shoulder holster and gun he wore made him look hot and slightly dangerous.
“Am I interrupting your dinner time?” he asked.
“I don’t really have a specific dinner time and no, you aren’t interrupting anything.” She sank down in the chair facing him, still surprised by his presence. “So, are you really here to help me?”
“That’s the plan. Daniel thought it was a good idea that I make sure you don’t get yourself killed and I agreed with him.”
“By the way, thanks a lot for getting Daniel involved in this,” she said with a touch of irritation. “My sisters paid me a visit this afternoon and practically took my head off. They couldn’t believe what I intended to do, and tried their best to talk me out of it.”
“Were they successful?” he asked, an obvious hope in his tone.
“No. Nothing and nobody is going to deter me from doing what I believe will prove that Pierre killed my mother.” A wild grief shot through her. “You don’t understand what it’s like to know somebody is guilty and yet see them walking around freely and continuing to enjoy their life while the person they killed is dead and gone forever.”
“I’m sorry, Dominique. I’m really sorry we haven’t been able to get the justice you need for your mother.” His gaze was so soft, and she wanted to fall into the green depths. He definitely had beautiful eyes. And for just a brief moment she wanted to be held in his big, strong arms as she grieved for the mother she had loved…the woman she had lost to a heinous crime.
“But we will get that justice for your mother and for you, if you could just be patient a little longer.”
“I’ve been patient long enough,” she replied and swallowed hard against her grief. “I know how diligently you all have been working on this, but you have to admit the investigation is going nowhere now.”
“We are at a standstill at the moment,” he slowly admitted. “But have you considered the possibility that maybe Pierre isn’t guilty?”
“Yeah, I considered it and then completely dismissed it,” she replied. “Pierre being the killer is the only thing that makes sense, and I know that he’s your number one suspect, too.”
“What if you follow him for days and days and he never digs up the missing book?” He leaned forward, his gaze once again intent on her.
“Then the only thing I’ll lose is time and time is something I’ve got plenty of.” She was aware of her chin shooting up in a tenacious fashion.
His gaze appeared to attempt to pierce through to her very soul. “Have you always been so stubborn?”
A small laugh escaped her. “If you asked my sisters, they would probably tell you yes. But I’m not stubborn, I’m determined—and there’s a difference.” She pushed a strand of errant hair behind her ear.
“I would beg to differ,” he said.
“What would you know? You don’t know anything about me or my life,” she replied.
“Then tell me about you,” he said.
She looked toward the window where twilight was falling, then looked back at Luke. Was one of his goals to distract her enough with conversation that she would miss the time to go out to tail Pierre? Well, that certainly wasn’t going to happen.
There was no question he could be a big distraction if she allowed him to be. She couldn’t remember when she’d last spent any time with a man, especially one as handsome as Luke.
“Do you have a special somebody in your life?” he asked.
“No…what about you?” If he was going to be her backup, then it wouldn’t hurt for her to know a little bit more about him. Or so she tried to tell herself this was her only reason for asking.
“No, there’s nobody in my life at the moment,” he replied.
For some crazy reason that pleased her. Surely it was just because it meant he would be available every night without having to answer to anyone at home.
“I know you waitress at the café. Do you like your job?” he asked.
“I love it. I really enjoy people and working at the café gives me an opportunity to visit with a lot of the townspeople I wouldn’t ordinarily get to know.”
“How are you going to be able to be awake for half the night and still work at the café?”
