New York's Finest Rebel

‘Ladies.’ He nodded once in greeting.

Gathering herself together, she stepped forward and gave the answer everyone expected. ‘Officer Moron.’

‘Really?’ he questioned with a deadpan expression. ‘When I’m holding a gun?’

‘What can I say?’ She shrugged. ‘Guess I must like living on the edge.’

While she cocked her head in challenge, he shot a brief downward glance at what she was wearing. It lasted less than a heartbeat, was immediately followed by a cursory blink and then his intense gaze locked with hers, leaving her feeling suddenly … exposed. Whether it was because she’d never noticed him looking at her before or because she was more aware of when he did, she didn’t know. But neither option sat well with her. Particularly when she suspected the momentary sense of vulnerability she’d experienced stemmed from the sensation he knew she was remembering things she’d chosen to forget.

Jess chuckled at the interaction. ‘Hey, Danny.’

He turned on the charm with the flick of an invisible switch. ‘Hey, gorgeous.’

Jo inwardly rolled her eyes at her friend’s reaction to his infamous smile before allowing her gaze to roam over the crowd. If she focused on something else, with any luck, she could try and pretend he wasn’t there. All she needed was something to take her mind off—

Her stomach dropped to the soles of her strappy heels. ‘I’ve got to go.’

‘I thought we were going to look at flowers?’

Looking into Liv’s eyes, she used the tone that translated into a hidden message. ‘I’ll call you later.’

‘Okay.’

She didn’t look at Daniel as she left, but Jo could sense his gaze on her as she merged into the crowd. How it made her feel helped explain the secret she kept from his sister. Only someone with a shadowy secret of their own could understand what it meant to bring it into the cold light of day. Gaze fixed on the figure she could see moving into the park, she shut down emotionally in preparation.

It was the only way she could deal with it.

The dream began a handful of hours before dawn. New faces—a different scenario—but the outcome was always the same. As he jerked back into reality, pulse racing and heart pounding, Daniel wondered why he was surprised at the latest additions. There was nothing the damn thing loved more than new material.

At times he swore he could hear scaly little demon hands being rubbed together with glee.

Grabbing the sweatpants on the end of his rack, he hauled them on and swore when he stubbed his toe on a box on his way to the kitchen. As he reached for a light switch he froze. The second he yanked open the door to the hall she jumped and dropped her keys.

‘Damn it, Daniel!’ Jo exclaimed.

Leaning a shoulder against the door frame, he folded his arms across his chest. ‘Late night or early start?’

It was a question that didn’t require an answer; the outfit she had been wearing outside the library said it all. With considerable effort, he dragged his gaze away from the perfect rear poured into tight black trousers that ended halfway down her calves.

‘Who made you the hall monitor?’ Keys in hand, she stood up tall and turned to face him.

‘I’m a light sleeper.’

A brief frown crossed her face before her gaze landed squarely in the centre of his naked chest. The former should have bugged him more than the latter, especially when it was dangerously close to the kind of look that had forced him to move apartments over the years. Instead he was more bothered by the jolt of electricity travelling through his body from the point of impact. The fact she continued staring didn’t help. If anything it aided the flow of blood that rushed to his groin in response.

‘Isn’t it usually the guy who sneaks home after the deed is done?’ he asked as if bringing up the subject of her sex life again would distract his misbehaving body. When her gaze lifted sharply, he changed the subject. ‘Didn’t occur to you that having a cop for a neighbour might involve him greeting you with his service weapon if he hears you creeping around in the dark?’

‘The lights are on,’ she argued.

‘It’s the middle of the night.’

‘I don’t have to answer to you.’

‘Do you have any idea how much paperwork I’ll have to fill out if I accidentally shoot you?’

She arched a brow. ‘Accidentally?’

‘That’s what I’ll call it.’

A lump appeared in her cheek as her gaze searched the air. ‘That’s twice in twenty-four hours you’ve threatened to shoot me. I wonder if that’s enough for a restraining order. Remind me to ask your sister.’

‘He tossed you out of his apartment, didn’t he?’

‘What is it with this sudden obsession with my sex life?’ She looked into his eyes. ‘If I didn’t know any better I might think it’s been a while for you.’

Longer than he cared to admit, but it wasn’t as if he could share a bed with a woman for long. He could guarantee his complete and undivided attention while he was there; took a great deal of pride in that fact. But when it came to leaving them satisfied, there was just as much emphasis on the word leaving. Preferably before he was dumb enough to fall asleep and risk making a fool of himself.

‘Worried I might be lonely, babe?’

She scowled. ‘Don’t call me babe.’

‘If the shoe fits …’

‘You know by saying that you’re saying you think—?’

‘You don’t have to like someone to think they’re hot.’

‘I … You …’ When her mouth formed words that didn’t appear she clamped it shut, took a short breath through her nose and snapped, ‘What are you doing?’

Damned if he knew but the fact it had flustered her worked for him. ‘Isn’t he a little old for you?’

Something unreadable crossed her eyes before she blinked and lifted her chin. ‘Who are we talking about?’

‘The guy you were with in Bryant Park.’

‘What guy?’

Nice try, but Daniel had never been known to give up that easily. ‘The one you argued with before you dragged him into the subway station.’

‘You were spying on me?’

‘You think when I’m dressed like that I’m supposed to ignore what’s happening around me?’

She sighed heavily and turned away. ‘I don’t have the energy for this.’

‘It’s Wednesday. We’ll pick it up in the coffee shop.’

‘No, we won’t.’

As her door opened he saw her shoulders slump as if she’d been putting considerable effort into disguising how exhausted she was and the proximity to home allowed her to relax. Most folks were the same at the end of a long day but Daniel knew it was more than that. If he hadn’t, he would have got it when she glanced over her shoulder.

Long lashes lifted and for a split second what he could see in her eyes made him frown. He recognized it because he’d seen it in the eyes of men in combat and guys who’d been on the job as a cop for too long. Given no other choice he might have admitted he had been avoiding looking for it in his own eyes in the mirror of late.

If a person’s eyes were really the windows to the soul, part of hers was close to giving up the fight.

He took a step forward before he realized he was doing it, compelled by the need to say something, but unable to find the words. With the men he had worked with they were never needed. There was a silent understanding, an empathy born from shared experiences. A nod of acknowledgement could say as much as a hundred words. Cracking jokes or discussing something inane was more welcome. But someone as full of life as Jo shouldn’t—

When her door closed with a low click, Daniel made a snap decision. It wasn’t as if he had much choice. If she was in trouble and his family knew he hadn’t done something, they would make the roasting he got from his captain look like a weekend barbecue. Taking a long breath, he stepped back and closed the door. In order to prepare for battle he was going to need a few more hours of—hopefully uninterrupted—sleep.

Come daylight he was venturing into enemy territory.

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