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  It startled her so badly she sloshed wine down the front of her jeans. “Who in the hell…” Sisters and killers didn’t ring the doorbell and magazine salespeople usually didn’t come after sunset, so Stella was stumped. She set her glass down and crept toward the peep hole in her front door. It was her house and nobody could see in, so God knew why she was tiptoeing around like a cat burglar. She closed one eye and peeped. And her heart jumped into palpitation mode.

  It was him. At her house. At night.

  “Hold on a sec…” Stella unlocked three deadbolts Nina had installed when her baby sister had insisted on living alone and opened the door.

  Officer Drazek’s furrowed brow sent her into an instant panic. “What’s wrong? Is it my sister? Or my dad? I-I just left there a few hours ago…what could have happened?”

  Never mind that he wasn’t in uniform and the look was more angry than official.

  “Why in the hell would you open your door to someone at 9 o’clock at night?” he demanded.

  “Wait…what?” Stella reared back, hand still on the door. “What do you mean?”

  “What I mean is, didn’t you ever learn not to open your door to strangers? Especially male strangers and especially at night?” He looked really pissed, which only made Stella laugh.

  “You rang my doorbell!”

  His whisky eyes narrowed. “You open your door to everyone who rings the doorbell?”

  “Uh, no, but you’re a police officer and not exactly a stranger. You didn’t kill me the first two times we met, so I guess I took a leap of faith.”

  Sweet Jesus, the man was beautiful. In a hard, sad, separated way. And the way he was standing – long legs apart, muscled arms across his chest, staring down at her like that – was enough to make any woman swoon.

  Even women who’d sworn off swooning.

  Stella snapped to and flushed a little when she’d realized she’d been caught staring at his bicep. She’d spied the tail end of some arm ink peeking out of the left side collar of his black tee and she’d gone from admiring to panting in two seconds flat.

  For some reason, she was really grateful she still had her fake boob on. Not that it mattered, but still.

  “So, are you going door-to-door performing safety tests? Seeing which women are dumb enough to open their doors to you and then chastising them when they do?” Stella smiled, but Officer Drazek’s grimace only deepened.

  “That was a joke. A funny. Ha-ha.” This guy wasn’t going to give her an inch. “Alrighty then.” She dropped her arm and walked into her living room. “Come on in.”

  But when she turned around, he hadn’t moved. He was still standing on her porch, arms over his chest, giving her the stink eye.

  Stella threw her hands up. “Seriously, officer, you’re letting in mosquitoes. If you’re here to kill me – or for whatever reason - then come in and let’s get to it.”

  Moving as if he was entering the bowels of hell instead of a tiny bungalow in Old Brooklyn, Officer Drazek very slowly uncrossed his arms and stepped over her threshold. And stood there.

  “A little more,” Stella said, laughing. She went to grab his forearm to pull him in, but he jerked away before she made contact. It wasn’t an accident, but she instinctively knew not to take it personally. Because there was something about it that seemed really, really sad. Suddenly, Stella felt like crying.

  “Okay.” She sidestepped him and shut the door. He smelled as incredible as she remembered. She inhaled as quickly and as discreetly as possible before heading back over to wine glass.

  “I was going to have a glass of wine. Would you like something?”

  He shook his head.

  “Nothing? I have some beer for when my dad visits.”

  Another silent shake.

  “Canoli? Coffee cake? A cup of coffee?” At his third shake, Stella exhaled a laugh. “This is an Italian household. Guests don’t leave until they’ve eaten. Or at least had a drink. You’re not gonna win this one.”

  He studied her for what seemed like forever before saying, “I’ll gave a glass of water.”

  “How about a bottle?”

  He nodded.

  As Stella grabbed a cold Ice Mountain out of the fridge, she called over her shoulder, “Do you mind if we sit outside? It’s so nice out tonight.”

  “It’s not necessary. I-”

  Stella handed him the water and unlocked her sliding patio door. He followed her out, but didn’t sit down.

  She gestured to the other chair. “Sit.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “I know it’s not necessary, but you can still do it,” Stella said. She smiled and pointed to the chair. “Take a load off.”

  When he stood there, stoically and motionlessly, Stella laughed again. “For me? Please? So I don’t feel like I’m undergoing an interrogation?”

  Officer Drazek – Nathan – finally perched himself on the edge of the chair.

  “Such a nice night out,” Stella said, looking around.

  She loved her little backyard. It was one of the major selling points for her when she’d bought five years ago. It wasn’t big, but it was private, with a privacy fence on all side and tons of plants, trees, and vines making it really cozy. She’d installed a gaudy water fountain in one back corner and a little garden (that Fi managed) in another. There were outdoor lights strung up in the trees and a fire pit for when things got really wild. It was Stella’s little piece of heaven…and she couldn’t believe she was sitting in it with some dude she barely knew. Who looked like he was about to pull a jump-and-run at any moment.

  She had no idea why she’d invited him in or offered him a drink. She’d barely spoken to anyone other than family, friends, and patients in a year - let alone sniffed them, forced a beverage on them, and demanded they invade her private space. She didn’t know what it was about this guy that had her letting her guard down.

  Not smart, Stell.

  “So, officer, assuming the whole ring-and-test thing wasn’t true, what brings you here?” A thought popped up. “Wait, how did you find out where I lived?”

  Even in the veiled moonlight, Stella detected a flush creeping up the collar of his shirt.

  He cleared his throat. “My partner and I followed you home the other night after your…altercation. We thought there was a good chance you’d jump into your car and head back there.”

  “The only reason I didn’t is that it would kill my dad if I got arrested.”

  His brows dropped. “Leave the law enforcing to law enforcement. Vigilante justice is always a bad idea.”

  “Would you feel that way if it was your sister?” When he didn’t answer, Stella pushed. “Would you?”

  His intense gaze soaked into her bones. “I don’t have a sister.”

  “How about-“

  “I came to return this.” Officer Drazek dug into his front jeans pocket and pulled something out. He handed it to Stella. “I was conflicted about returning it, but it does belong to you. Or to someone you know. So I thought it was only right.”

  Stella tried to ignore the tingle where his fingertips brushed her palm.

  She glanced down at the item. It was the little purple Bic lighter from that night at the hospital. Stella grinned. “Thanks. On behalf of the ER nursing staff at St. Mary’s.”

  “You shouldn’t smoke.”

  “I don’t do it regularly. Just when I have a rough night at work or am really stressed.” Stella didn’t know why she was explaining her vice habits to this guy. “And who are you, anyway – the Surgeon General?”

  Nothing. Not a smile or a crinkling of the eyes or even a blink of his eyes. This guy was seriously intense.

  “Another…joke…” Stella waved it off. “Never mind.” She lifted up the lighter. “Thanks, again.”

  A silence fell, but it was not entirely uncomfortable. The crickets were chirping, some kid’s car stereo was booming, and, in the distance, someone’s TV was playing way too loudly. When Stella look
ed at Officer Drazek, he was already looking at her.

  He said, “If you want, I can give your number to my partner.”

  Uh…what?

  “My number? Why?”

  “So you two could…get together.”

  Stella’s heart sank. Well, that figured. Not that she should have given a shit.

  “So, that’s what this is about? Nice. Very junior high.” She stood and grabbed her wine glass. “Tell your partner I’m not interested. I thought I made that clear last night when I said I didn’t want his number, but I guess not.”

  “Maybe if it doesn’t work out with your boyfriend…”

  “What boyfriend?”

  “The big guy you were with last night. With the earring. Your friend.”

  “Not that it’s any of your – or your creepy partner’s business – but Christopher is not my boyfriend. He’s my supervisor, a childhood friend, and – oh, yeah – gay.”

  When he didn’t so much as blink, Stella lifted her hands, sloshing wine on the table. “So, are we done here? You can go back and tell your buddy you did your best, but I’m not interested, okay? I know he’s probably not used to hearing that, but too bad. And tell him I’m not his type anyway. Trust me.”

  She opened the sliding door and reentered the house. Stella was furious to feel the sting of tears in the backs of her eyelids.

  What the hell? What, is it PMS time already?

  But she knew that wasn’t it and it terrified her. Unbeknownst to Officer Drazek, this had been a test and Stella had failed. Miserably. It had proved she was as ignorant and weak as ever. No lessons learned, apparently.

  She walked straight to the front door and opened it. When Officer Drazek paused in her living room, still looking at her with those deep, sad eyes, Stella almost screamed.

  Instead, she put a hand on hip and gestured out the door. “Have a good night, officer. Thanks for stopping by.”

  Without another word, Officer Drazek crossed her living room and walked out. Stella slammed the door, triple bolted it, and burst into tears.

  Chapter Eight

  “You fine, O.D. You know that right? You like a tall, tall glass of fine wine. Why don’t you come over here and let DeeDee show you some lovin’ like you never had before?” One of Cleveland’s most prolific streetwalkers, Diamond DeeDee, blew Nathan a kiss before turning around and giving her barely covered, rather large backside a slap.

  “Thanks for offering, DeeDee, but I’m not looking to fall in love tonight,” Nathan called back. “You being careful out there?”

  She nodded, dislodging her long, ratty blonde wig a bit. After a minor adjustment, she plumped her breasts and tugged up her hemline, revealing a pistol. “You know DeeDee always packing.”

  “That registered?”

  DeeDee busted out laughing. “For sure, O.D., for sure. You know me: law abiding and all that shit.”

  “Don’t make me arrest you tonight, DeeDee. Stay out of trouble, okay? And be safe.”

  DeeDee blew him another kiss and sauntered down West Lafayette, the streetlights bouncing off her silver sequined dress.

  “I’m gonna be really pissed if she shoots someone tonight,” Nathan said more to himself than to Danny.

  Danny scoffed.

  “What’s your problem?”

  “If only the world knew what a softy Officer Drazek really was. No one would believe a cop with a mug like that would be sending hookers off with his blessing to ply their trade packing illegal heat. Why? Because ‘a tear or two’ll get you through with O.D’…isn’t what every meth mom, Lady of Night, and hell-raising female on our beat always says?”

  “I hate seeing women cry. You know it makes me crazy. And putting people like that in jail isn’t going to do anything but make their shitty lives even shittier. There are plenty of dangerous assholes to lock up…no need to pack the jails full of homeless people, junkies, and hookers.” Nathan shot him a look. “And I didn’t see you arresting her either.”

  Danny lifted his hands. “Hey, I agree with you. I’m just saying people think you’re all bad ass. They always have, back to when we were in the system together. I think it’s hilarious, that’s all.”

  Nathan shrugged. “People always think the quiet, serious guy is a bad ass.”

  “Although the severe beatdowns you handed out over the years have something to do with it, I guess,” Danny said. “More than a few broken noses and ribs and black eyes walking around courtesy of Mr. Quiet and Serious.”

  “I hit people who deserved it. And I made sure people who didn’t deserve it didn’t get hit. Simple as that.”

  “Sounds like a perfect police officer credo to me!” Danny laughed. “Hey, kept my skinny Irish ass safe for a lot of years, so I ain’t complaining.”

  Nathan snorted.

  They walked their beat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Danny gestured down to Nathan’s hand. “So, what happened there?”

  Nathan lifted up his Ace bandaged hand. “I cut it on something in my garage.”

  “What?”

  “I…I don’t remember. Something sharp.”

  “You need stitches?”

  “No. It’s fine.”

  “I thought maybe you did a slice and dice so you could haul ass over to St. Mary’s ER,” Danny said with a shit-eating grin.

  Nathan ignored him. But, as usual, Danny didn’t know when to quit.

  “When are you gonna see her again?”

  Nathan shrugged.

  For such a loud-mouth, Danny sure had a weird, intuitive side that Nathan despised. He stopped abruptly and faced Nathan, hands on hips. “You saw her already, didn’t you?”

  When Nathan didn’t deny it, Danny studied him up and down. “Well, I can tell you didn’t fuck her. You wouldn’t still have that puss on your face if you had. So what happened?”

  Nathan definitely didn’t want to talk about it, but a tiny part of him wanted Danny’s sage advice. And he also knew Danny was like a dog with a bone and wasn’t gonna let it go anyway.

  “I went over there,” Nathan said.

  Danny reared back. “For real?” Nathan nodded. “And?”

  “I fucked it all up. As usual.”

  Danny gestured for Nathan to keep giving him the goods. “Okay, come on, come on. Tell me everything.”

  Nathan shrugged. “I returned a lighter I took from her that night at the hospital. I don’t want her smoking, but it didn’t belong to me, so…” Danny made another impatient gesture. “Anyway, she invited me in and offered me a drink.” When Danny’s eyes lit up, Nathan shook his head. “Get your head out of the gutter. Nothing like that happened.” He exhaled hard, running a hand over his head. “She…forced me. She said she wouldn’t take no for an answer. We sat on her back porch and…”

  Nathan remembered it all: the incredible smell of her, the soothing quiet of her backyard, the soft, sweet way she had looked at him. Nathan was sure the look had everything to do with pity, but it hadn’t felt that way at the time. It had felt…exciting. Different. And hot as hell.

  “And? And?” Danny was so amped up he could hardly stand still. “Did you fool around out there? You dog!”

  “Jesus Christ, Danny, get a hold of yourself. No, we did not ‘fool around’ in her backyard after three minutes of conversation. At 9 o’clock at night with kids riding around on their bikes.” Nathan shook his head, once again in awe of what must go on in Danny’s life. “We just talked. Well, she talked and I sat there like an asshole, per usual. Or I did until I offered to give her your number.”

  Well, that shut Danny up. For a second. He reared back again and then leaned in dramatically. “You did what now?”

  “I panicked. I didn’t know what to say.”

  “So you offered to pawn her off on another dude?” Danny exhaled a hard laugh. “That’s some hook up strategy there, brother. What the fuck?”

  Nathan didn’t have an answer for that.

  “What did she say?” Danny perked up a bi
t. “Was she into it?” At Nathan’s dirty look, Danny laughed. “Just checking. So what did she say for real?”

  Nathan remembered the confusion followed by the flash of hurt in her eyes before she’d gotten pissed. Just thinking about it made him want to punch his own face.

  “She kicked me out.”

  Danny laughed. “God damn, I would drain my entire bank account right now to have seen that! What did she say?”

  “To tell you she wasn’t interested –“ Danny winced. “And she called me ‘very junior high.’ I wasn’t sure what that meant, but she wasn’t saying it in a good way.”

  Danny laughed again. “You never hit it up with the ladies in junior high, that’s why. It’s all about guys going and trying to make hook ups for their friends. What I don’t understand is why you said that to her. Of all things…”

  “I have no idea.” Nathan rested his hand on his holstered gun and shook his head. “It just came out.”

  “So she kicked your ass out, huh? That little thing tossing out the big, bad police officer.” Danny’s shit-eating grin was not helping Nathan’s mood. “Sorry, bro, but that had to have been something see.” He gestured down to Nathan’s hand. “You punch something afterwards? Is that what really happened?”

  Danny had dealt with Nathan’s propensity for hitting things when he was really frustrated or angry for years. It was a decent assumption.

  Nathan shook his head. “No, it is really all cut up.”

  What Nathan didn’t tell him was how it had gotten cut up.

  What a clusterfuck that night had been. He’d left Stella’s house, driven home, and immediately thrown himself on the weight bench. Three hours and a ripped up, bleeding left hand later, Nathan had finally forced himself to stop. He’d lifted weights, run on the treadmill, run around the block five times, and then weight lifted some more. Nathan had been fully aware of how fucked up be was behaving and how much damage he had been doing to his body, but it was either that or get obliterated. Or high. Or put his fist through something. Or drive back over to Stella Ciaramitaro’s and tell her his visit had had nothing to do with Danny…that it had just been his pathetic, fucked up way of communicating. That he was sorry he had bothered her and how he really wished she wouldn’t open the door to strangers in the future.