Page 41 of Under Fire

She lifted a brow. “Do you?”

“Not personally. I was just thinking of Striker. He was in jail for killing a cop who raped his younger brother. A cop who volunteered at one of those athletic league-type facilities.”

“Oh, no.” Hollis closed her eyes briefly at the horror of such a thing happening.

“So, that’s another reason I don’t particularly trust law enforcement,” he said.

At that moment, she could only nod in understanding. “Is there anything else, Locke?”

“No, that’s it.”

She stood. “I probably won’t be in tomorrow since I need to check out a few things. Namely, about the murder weapon, and I want to find out what happened to Nick Underwood’s watch.”

“What about the tracker on your car?” he asked. “You don’t want to give whoever is tracking you an idea of the leads you’re looking into.”

“I thought of that, so I’m setting Rexar to decoy mode, which will provide them with the wrong locations. They will assume I’m spending most of my time tomorrow at the spa for a day of beauty, as well as hitting several malls to shop.”

He smiled. “I like the way you think, Hollis.”

She fought back the temptation to say that she liked the way he smelled. Whatever cologne he wore could definitely be considered his signature brand. “I should be out of here in another couple of hours. If that’s okay with you.”

“Take your time,” he said. “I have several more reports to go through, as well as requesting that one on Biggins.”

She nodded and then walked out of his office on wobbly legs.

CHAPTER 16

“So, Locke, how’s your new hire?”

Locke wondered why Macayle was asking. His partners knew he’d hired Hollis, and both said it was a good move. They hadn’t asked about her again…until now. They were holding their usual early-morning meeting and were about to end things when Macayle’s question came out of the blue.

“She’s working out okay. Why?”

“Striker says she’s a stunner, just like you claimed,” Shogun said.

Locke wished he hadn’t told them that. “Striker is married. He shouldn’t be noticing other women.”

Shogun chuckled. “He’s married but not blind. And speaking of sight, I heard you couldn’t keep your eyes off her the night you took Nyla Roker to Karl.”

Locke frowned. “Striker talks too damn much.”

“Are you interested in her?” Macayle asked.

Locke thought ‘interested’ was way too mild when the mere sight of her bare feet had fueled his desire for her. “Right now, the only thing I’m interested in is getting a not-guilty verdict for Karl.”

“And?” Macayle then inquired.

“And the both of you remember Sophie, right?”

“They aren’t the same woman, and you’re not the same man. When it comes to the opposite sex, you’re a lot smarter now,” Shogun said.

Was he? There were times when he was around Hollis that he wasn’t so sure about that. Like at dinner, and then last night when she had worked late catching up on a few things. When she came to his office wanting coffee, he’d heard a sound, looked up, saw her standing in the doorway, and immediately he had wanted her. Then later, when he had walked her to the door after midnight, he’d come close to pulling her into his arms and kissing her good night. How crazy was that?

What was even crazier was that he knew he probably wouldn’t see her today and missed her already. Instead of appreciating the distance, the thought of it annoyed him somewhat. He enjoyed sharing space with her yesterday. Just knowing she’d been there in that temporary office had an unsettling effect on him. One he couldn’t define or explain, but welcomed. Last night, he had asked her to let him know she had arrived home safely, and he couldn’t fully relax until she had. There had been no reason to worry about a woman who could take care of herself, but he had. How could a woman he’d known less than two weeks get under his skin the way she had?

“Locke?”

He knew his friends were waiting for him to say something. “I’m still here.”