Page 7 of The Gift
“It will be late. Won’t that be out of the way?”
“I’ll bring you home,” he repeated, his tone saying the discussion was over.
She narrowed a look at him. “Am I under arrest?”
“Do I have cause?”
“No. Unless dreaming is a crime.”
“It’s not. Get in, Miss Stevens.”
“And if I don’t want to go?”
“It’s your choice,” he said, keeping his voice even. “But suspicion might rise that you’ve got something to hide.”
Knowing this was going to be a long night, she muttered under her breath, “This is what I get for trying to be helpful.”
The SUV didn’t have running boards. In heeled boots and a flowing dress that caught on everything, getting inside wasn’t the graceful ascent she intended. More of an awkward, determined scramble. She braced a hand on the doorframe, hiked the dress out of the way, and tried to hoist herself up without giving the entire neighborhood a show.
“Need a hand?” Coop offered politely, though the amusement in his voice was impossible to miss.
“No. I’ve got it,” she grunted, one foot slipping on the gravel before she finally hauled her butt into the seat. She smoothed her dress as if that somehow restored her dignity.
“You good?” he asked, and she could practicallyhearthe smile he was trying not to show.
“Yes, thank you,” she said through her teeth.
Avoiding eye contact, she settled into the seat, cheeks flushed as he shut the door and came around. Honestly. Did she really think he was attractive? Clearly, she needed to schedule an eye exam first thing in the morning.
“This is Ranger O’Reilly, my partner,” Lt. Cooper said as he slid behind the wheel.
She glanced at the other occupant of the front seat. The younger man put a finger to the brim of his hat. He didn’t say a word, but from his smile, he also found her amusing.
Erica folded her arms. This was going to be as much fun as a root canal.
The ride was silent except for the hum of the engine. Lt. Cooper focused on the road, hands steady on the wheel. She couldn’t read him, not intuitively or with her gift, and that unsettled her more than anything.
The quiet got to her. “I’ve told you all I know,” she said. “I’m not sure what going downtown will accomplish.”
“Just cooperate, and this will go quicker, ma’am,” O’Reilly drawled.
She frowned. His authority exceeded hers, but he was at least fifteen years her junior and more condescending than necessary. Determined to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the ride, she bit the inside of her lip and stared out the window.
It lasted two minutes.
“Why are the Texas Rangers investigating a local murder?” she asked. “I thought you guys handled major crimes and corruption cases.”
“We can’t discuss an ongoing investigation,” O’Reilly said.
“I wasn’t asking you to,” she muttered. “It was a general question.”
Lieutenant Cooper spoke for the first time since they’d left, meeting her eyes in the rearview. “Who said it was a murder?”
She froze. He’d used the word tragedy.
Great. Open mouth, insert foot, become a suspect in a capital crime.
Way to go, Erica.
