The woman blew out a deep breath. “Piecing together intel to find the bastards is boring as hell. If she can see them, does that mean we can get out on the streets?”
Athanasius’s smiled broadened. “I thought you wouldn’t complain very long. There are still details to work out, coordination with her department, which Theo will have to handle. But soon…”
Everyone turned back to Sin, new interest in their curious gazes.
She cleared her throat. Her head was already spinning with everything she’d learned. “I have a shift starting soon…”
Detective Petrakis rose beside her. “We’ll talk in the car.”
Chapter 6
Jake waited beside his cruiser, his radio on just in case he got a call. Sin was late, and he was starting to wonder if he might be the reason. She’d only just returned to work. Maybe she wasn’t up to full steam just yet, and he’d stayed at her until they’d both fallen into an exhausted sleep.
His own body ached—his cock felt a little raw; his hips and thighs burned like he’d run relays. But how was she feeling? She seemed strong. Still, she’d been through a lot. Maybe tonight, he ought to take it easy and give her a slow, gentle kind of loving—something they’d rarely managed before.
Jake chuckled at the thought. He’d had good intentions the night before and see where that had led?
He didn’t like to think about the time before the shooting, but he knew that while sex with Sin had been hot as hell, it hadn’t been…super-charged…like an engine running on rocket fuel. Now, every time their clothes came off and her sweet curves lay beneath his palms, he felt the need to brand her, to breach every one of her openings and wrap himself so tightly around her she’d never consider leaving.
He thought they’d reached some sort of accord, an agreement not to talk about their relationship, or whatever it was they seemed to be embarking on. The brittle tension that had marked their conversations had relaxed. He’d coaxed smiles and laughter from her and felt an answering lightness loosen the constriction in his chest that had been a constant since the moment he’d heard she’d been shot.
If this was love, he was going to make damn sure he wasn’t in it alone.
Just as he decided he was going to root his cell phone out of his pack, he saw a uniformed officer approach from the shadowy stairwell leading from the station house. He straightened, ready to offer Sin a teasing barb, when he realized it wasn’t her at all. His body stiffened. The hairs on his arms lifted as goose bumps dimpled.
Danny strode toward him, his expression set—not the grinning, mischievous face he’d shown him the couple of times he’d “visited” before. Jake fought his own rising fear and bone-deep regret as he watched his best friend approach. No ethereal, transparent vision like the movies, Danny appeared fully-fleshed and so real he made Jake’s chest ache.
“Hey, buddy…” he said, his voice quavering.
Danny walked slowly, his eyes boring into Jake’s. Just when he reached the end of the cruiser, he disappeared.
Jake swallowed and leaned against the cruiser again, because this time, his body was shaking. Footsteps drew near.
“You okay?” Sin asked, walking up beside him, her expression mirroring concern.
“He was here,” he said quietly.
“Who?”
“You didn’t see him?”
She drew a sharp breath. “Danny.” She shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”
Behind her, another figure lingered. Tall, lean—hovering like a damn vulture. “Detective Petrakis,” Jake murmured, trying to pull himself together and getting mad because he hated feeling this way—unsettled, maybe even a little frightened. “What can we do for you?”
“He’s riding with us today,” Sin said, her gaze sliding away.
“Anything wrong?” the detective asked, his gaze slipping between them.
“Not a damn thing,” Jake growled, not liking the interest the detective paid them. “Can I ask why the sudden urge to ride with a couple of street cops?”
Petrakis’s gaze sliced toward Sin. Something bristled in the air between them. Jake’s whole body reacted with rejection, and he realized jealousy was the cause.
Sin touched his sleeve. “I’ll fill you in later. We have a lot to talk about.” She spoke to Jake, but her gaze narrowed on Petrakis.
So, maybe this was all about the incident the other night. “We’re already late contacting dispatch. Hope you like sitting in the cage,” he s
aid, shooting the detective a challenging smile.