“My place is nothing like this,” Mary Kathleen said.
“Most of this is mine, but I’m not allowed to touch it. Everything is part of the divorce now,” Julie told her. “I don’t care about any of it, though, just my babies!”
Her babies, of course, were the dogs, Benji and Sally. Benji was a brindle male, Sally a cream-colored female.
Craig waited by the door while Kieran and Julie took them down the street for a walk, then accompanied them back inside so Julie could pack.
In the end, other than dog supplies, her packing consisted of nothing but a small bag of toiletries and a change of clothing. She was clearly anxious to leave.
Craig soon knew why. Just as they locked the door behind them and stepped onto the sidewalk, Gary came down the street.
He was weaving slightly, as was the blonde next to him, the two of them somehow holding each other up. When they reached the house, however, and Gary saw Craig standing there, he stopped dead, forgetting his companion. “What the hell is going on here?” he demanded.
Craig didn’t let Julie answer and he didn’t allow Gary any closer, immediately stepping between them. “Animal control,” he said drily. “We’re taking the dogs.”
“Tell him, Gary!” the woman said. “Tell him that he’d better not have touched even one of your things.”
Gary straightened his shoulders, but it was obvious he was no more eager to get into a fight now than he had been back at Finnegan’s.
“You better not have touched anything,” he warned, but he didn’t make any move to back up his words.
Julie stepped to Craig’s side and glared at his date. “And you’d better not touch anything of mine—like my bed!”
Craig had a feeling things were about to get ugly.
But Kieran grabbed Julie’s arm and looked at Gary. “We’re leaving, Gary. No more whining dogs to ruin your special moment.”
“Yes, let’s go,” Mary Kathleen urged.
“Come on, honey,” Craig said, slipping an arm around Julie’s shoulders.
That made Gary’s jaw drop. “You’re with—with him now?”
“Let’s go,” Craig insisted.
He led her down the sidewalk toward his car. Gary and the blonde stepped aside, Gary still looking stunned.
“What the hell is that?” Gary cried after him. “Your fucking harem?”
Julie tensed as if she was about to turn and confront Gary, but Craig kept her moving and helped her into the car.
With the dogs. Two sizable greyhounds. Sweet—but big, they sat in the backseat with Mary Kathleen and Julie, but one of them kept licking his ear. He liked dogs, but that was a little too personal.
Eventually they reached Mary Kathleen’s place down by the Reed Street fire station.
“You went above and beyond,” Kieran told him as they all got out of the car. “Thanks so much for getting us here and dealing with Gary. You don’t need to give up the rest of your night, though. You should go home.”
“Are you going to stay here tonight, too?” he asked her.
“No, but I can grab a cab.”
He shook his head. “Not on my watch,” he said softly. “It’s late—there’s barely any traffic. Come on, I’ll see you home.”
She hesitated, then acquiesced. Everyone said good-night and thanked Craig for his help. Even Benji and Sally seemed happy to be there, wagging their tails nonstop.
“You were a lifesaver tonight,” Kieran told him as they drove.
“It was nothing.”
“Making Gary believe you’re with Julie? That will have him think twice.”
“Frankly, I’m amazed Danny hasn’t belted the guy yet. All of you seem to be very close.”
“Our dads were best friends,” Kieran explained. “We’ve known each other since we were born, I’m pretty sure. She’s like the other girl in the family. And,” she added, swinging around slightly to study him, “she’s not only gorgeous, she’s smart and talented.”
“Brakes on there,” he said.
“She’s not your type?”
“I don’t have a type.”
“Seriously, thank you. I’ve tried to talk Julie into getting out of that place since her marriage fell apart three months ago. I know there are smart lawyers out there, but the idiots they’ve hired have warned them that the other one will clean them out and the division of property will become a nightmare if they don’t hang in until their court date. But...”
“But?”
She shrugged and glanced at him, looking uncomfortable. “But I’ve seen what can happen when a marriage turns toxic. Today at work I interviewed a woman who—according to one of my colleagues—‘pulled a Bobbitt.’”
“Ouch,” Craig murmured.
“The guy is going to live and, of course, rip her to shreds in court. I’ve told my bosses that she suffered terribly at his hands, but claiming self-defense when she was the one wielding the knife is going to be hard.”
“Makes me even happier I was able to help Julie get away from Gary.”
“He’s never been violent, just cruel. But who knows what people will do? I don’t think the woman I interviewed was ever violent before she suddenly picked up a knife and whacked off her husband’s...you know. I guess there’s only so much anyone can take. Gary’s already nasty, so if he started thinking Julie was persecuting him or cramping his style... Well, let’s just say I’m glad we won’t have to find out,” Kieran said. She flashed him an awkward smile. “Funny. I’m a psychologist—I’m supposed to know so much about people, but the more I learn, the less I seem to understand. Please don’t tell my employers I said that.”
“If you felt you knew everything, you wouldn’t be any good at your job,” he told her.
When they reached her apartment, he once again got lucky and found parking on the street, and this time the media weren’t lurking nearby. “I’ll see you upstairs.”
“I’m fine. I can see myself up.”
“No. You know I can’t let you do that.”
“Your mother taught you that you always have to walk a woman to her door?”
He laughed. “I’m FBI. I’ve seen too much.”
“I think I’ve seen too much, too, and in less than a week.” She frowned. “And now everyone knows that the thieves you caught the other night aren’t the killers.”
“True.”
“Maybe they’ll lay low.”
“I hope so. That will give us time to see if the guys we caught can help us figure out where at least one of them met the copycats, because the killers know too much. They didn’t only study what our guys were doing—they had some kind of inside information to be able to copy them so completely.”
Kieran shuddered lightly. “Thank God the original thieves were at the store the other day.”
He nodded, then walked her past the entry to the karaoke club and to her door, then up to her apartment. When she opened the door, he followed her in before she could close it.
“I’ll take a look around,” he told her.
“I had the double bolts on,” she said.
“Very sensible,” he assured her.
He noted that Kieran had a number of stuffed toys and collectible models on display; she was clearly an admirer of Julie’s work. There was a family crest on one wall, along with a Celtic cross. Other walls held a combination of photos and paintings of New York, the Rockies and Ireland.
“Nice place,” he said.
“Thank you.”
He wasn’t sure what happened then. He would never be sure.
She was standing against the wall, watching him. Her hair was slightly tousled, a swath of deep fire-auburn falling across her forehead.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said. “You can’t—you c
an’t watch over me every second. I mean, I appreciate what you’ve done. Julie really needed help. I don’t. I’m strong. I can manage.”
Something in her words pushed all his buttons. He found himself directly in front of her, arms out, hands on either side of her head, almost yelling.
And he never yelled.
“What are you—a complete fool? You don’t need help. You’re so tough. Well, you’re an idiot. No one is safe against a determined killer.”
“Why would anyone want to kill me?” she demanded.
“I don’t know!” he said. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what? I don’t know why anyone would be after me.”
Their eyes met and locked.
“There’s something going on with you.”
There was something going on with her, all right. All he wanted to do was kiss her, hold her, get closer to her....
“Something...” she repeated.
And then, to his astonishment, she let out a little cry—maybe self-disgust?—and moved against him. He didn’t know if he kissed her first or she kissed him, but their lips met as she pressed her hands against his chest.
The kiss deepened and deepened, until at last he broke away. His breath came fast and strong; his voice was harsh as he said, “This is wrong on a thousand levels. You’re a witness, involved on a case I’m actively working.”
But he didn’t move away. He still had her pinned against the wall, leaning toward her, his face a tense mask of anguish.
* * *
Kieran could still feel the kiss, almost as if his lips continued to touch hers. His body was close enough to hers to send his heat swirling around her like invisible steam. She could see the tension in his muscles.
She knew all she had to do was nod. Say yes. Or say no.
And he would move.
She realized that on some level she had known from the first time they met, even in the middle of what might have been a deadly situation, that she wanted him. The last remaining iota of logic within her screamed that she needed to run.
But everything else screamed that she wanted this moment, this time together, no matter what was to come. The part of her aching to touch him, to feel him touch her, argued that she could handle this. She could handle the truth and the lies...and him.
She knew she was lying to herself, but it didn’t matter; none of it mattered. She reached out and touched his face, marveling at the planes and angles of his jaw. She met his eyes...chips of blue ice, she had once thought them. Now they were like blue fire, and when they touched her, she felt a slow burn inside, one that promised a blaze as strong and sweet as the soul could imagine.
“Wrong,” he murmured.
“Maybe,” she agreed.
But she moved closer to him, slipping her arms around him, pressing her lips to his.
For a moment he fought the urge to return the kiss.
But only for a moment.
And then he took over, his kiss powerful and sure, deliciously wet and deep, and she wondered if she would ever get enough of his mouth. No, she would never be sated....
She would always want more.
As she did now.
Wrong, he’d said.
It couldn’t be.
It felt too right.
He was still kissing her as he shed his jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Still kissing her as he tugged at his tie, tossing it aside. She applied her fingers to the buttons of his shirt just as he reached to undo them himself. Their eyes met, and they smiled, then laughed, and turned their attention to their own clothing. His shirt fell to the floor, and then he paused, reaching to the small of his back for the gun he kept there in a leather holster. She stepped back.
“I’m not a proponent of everyone in the world running around with a gun,” he said. “But in my line of work, it’s a necessary evil.”
She stared at him. “I was just waiting for you to put it down,” she said quietly.
He held it awkwardly for a moment.
“On the bedside table,” she suggested.
“I’m staying?” he asked.
“See me through until morning?”
“I won’t leave you,” he said.
“It wouldn’t be at all professional to leave me in danger,” she told him with a smile, then was immediately sorry she’d said the word, knowing he already felt it was unprofessional for him to be here.
She turned quickly and headed toward her bedroom, letting her blouse drop to the floor as she went. A part of her was afraid he wouldn’t follow.
But he did.
In her room she kicked off her shoes, slipped out of her skirt and wished she’d worn stockings for once instead of panty hose. She sat on the bed so she could peel them off.
She was startled when she found him dropped down to his knees by the bed. His eyes met hers, and he slid the panty hose slowly from her legs. She watched him, feeling her breath catch, her arousal rise. He was shirtless, and now she had time to revel in him. He was everything she’d imagined, broad in the shoulders and chest, all lean muscle, perfect in every detail. His lips dropped to her kneecap, and she trembled in surprise. He looked at her again, then pushed her back on the bed, kissed her knees and her thighs up to her bikini panties, then teased there, too, tasting her through the silk before removing them and rising to strip off the last of his own clothing.
She shuddered wildly in his arms, certain she’d never been so aroused in her life. He kissed her lips, and she felt the pressure of his erection against her flesh. She ached to feel him inside her and wrapped her legs around him, arching to meet his thrust as he entered her. She wasn’t very experienced, didn’t fall easily into intimacy, but she was certain it would be impossible to find a better lover. He began to move, slowly at first, each movement awakening a wilder urge inside her...throughout her. In moments she felt as if there was nothing more important in the world than what was happening between them, nothing that could be more sensually explosive than the feel of him inside her.
She felt as if she were riding a wickedly sweet roller coaster, rising to peak after peak, everything simultaneously real and surreal. She was overwhelmingly aware of the scent of him, the feel of his naked flesh, the heat that burned between them. Suddenly she climaxed more wildly than she had ever imagined possible. She felt him shudder violently, and then he held her for a long moment before he fell to the mattress beside her, arms around her still. No matter what was to come, she thought, she would never regret the night.
They lay in silence for several minutes—probably necessary since she could barely breathe, much less speak. He pulled her close to the slick dampness of his body and smoothed her hair before he spoke again.
“Whatever my punishment might be, I’ll accept it gladly,” he said softly.
That roused her from the cloud of mist and magic that had surrounded her in the aftermath of their spontaneous union. She rose up on an elbow, staring at him. “I’ll never say anything,” she promised vehemently. “I’d never risk your job.”
That drew a smile from him, and he reached up to touch her hair with something like reverence. “I don’t kiss and tell, either, Miss Finnegan.” He laughed. “And I certainly have no intention of risking the mighty wrath of the brothers Finnegan. Not that I’d ever deceive your brothers. But do you honestly think that I’ll ever be able to look at you and not feel, not remember, what just happened between us? As far as my feelings for you go, I don’t intend to deny anything, just to be careful enough so that no one decides I need to be reassigned.”
She frowned at that. “I understand that I’ll be called as a witness when the thieves you caught that night go to jail, but the case doesn’t really involve me anymore.” She bit her lower lip. “You’re looking for the copycats now, and they don’t have anything t
o do with me or Finnegan’s. You’ve been great, helping me after the whole subway thing, but that’s not an FBI matter, is it?”
He didn’t answer, and that scared her.
“You don’t really think I’m in danger, do you?” she asked.
Again he held silent, but only for a moment that time. “No,” he finally said.
She didn’t feel convinced. “You only escorted me home to protect me from reporters, right?”
“Yes, of course,” he said, pulling her back down to his side. As she lay there curled against him, he spoke again. “And no,” he said softly. “Or... I’m not sure.”
“Craig...”
He smiled suddenly. “You’ve finally used my first name.”
“It finally seemed appropriate—really appropriate.”
His smile deepened, and he said, “Let’s just say I’m suspicious by nature and leave it at that,” he said, pulling her closer.
As much as she liked the feel of her naked flesh next to his, she pulled away. Her bedroom light was off, but she hadn’t closed the door and they were bathed in a glow from the other room. That was enough for her to see that, just as he had tried to reassure Julie earlier, he was trying to be casual now and not arouse her fears.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?” she said.
He let out a long breath and rolled to his side to look her in the eye. “Let me do the worrying, okay? You just be careful. I studied the video surveillance footage from the subway. I watched the guy in the hoodie you told the cop about. The footage is difficult to follow, but he does move around, just as you said. And he did end up behind you just before Shirley Martin started screaming and ended up on the tracks.”
“Oh, my God,” Kieran breathed. “I felt that he was there, but I didn’t want to believe it. Do you think that means something? I mean, people move around on the platform all the time. Do we even know for certain that Shirley was pushed? You’ve taken the subway. People always surge forward when a train is coming.”