news, but she’d forgotten about it. Stephanie hesitated, her warning system urging her to slip into the side street. But with a resigned sigh, she continued walking, figuring she might as well get it over with.
His frown deepened as she climbed up the two steps and onto the landing. “You don’t answer your phone anymore?” he grumbled.
Stephanie schooled her face, already having decided on her position. “Sorry, Kyle. I lost my phone at the gym and recovered it only today. I was going to call you.”
He gave her a doubtful look before saying, “We need to talk.”
“Oh, okay. Want to come upstairs?”
“No. I don’t have time.”
She waited for him to continue.
“Look, last week Patrick and I got an unexpected transfer out of our department, plus an official warning about our professional conduct.” He injected some sarcasm into the last two words. “This happened soon after the Polasky raid and I want to know straight up if you had something to do with it.”
“What—the transfer?”
A muscle in his jaw began ticking. “Yeah.”
She put on a baffled look while praying he hadn’t seen those pictures. “Of course not. How could I?”
His eyes narrowed. “Because you seemed to be too curious about Jason Kelso and our mission.”
“And my curiosity led to your transfer?”
His look was long and hard. “Stephanie, I’m no idiot. You’ve always had an issue with our job, though I have no idea why since we bring fugitives to justice.”
She returned the hard look. “You know it’s not your job I have issues with.” She fished her key out of her bag. “Is there anything more?”
He scowled. “I don’t have proof, but my instinct tells me you had something to do with it.”
Stephanie let out a tired breath. “I swear I didn’t have anything to do with it.” It was the truth.
He seemed skeptical, but then he raised an accusing finger. “You’ve always been hiding something and I’m going to find out what it is, big sister.”
She felt the heat of his glare before he turned around and crossed the street to his car.
Spurred by the unpleasant emotions building inside, she almost ran up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, not bothering with the elevator. Mechanically, she drank a full glass of water, then dialed Maryann’s number, but hung up seconds later. She stared at her phone for a long moment then accessed her call log.
The angry restlessness that coursed under her skin needed a different kind of outlet…in the form of a certain hunky vampire. It was foolish… yeah…colossally foolish. But she’d deal with the consequences later.
Her teeth sank into her lip as Dex spoke to her on the phone. The deep velvet of his voice was a magnet to her senses. The need to see him, touch him, intensified with every passing second. Once she’d mentioned that she wanted to come over to his place, it set off a battery of questions, which she answered with thinning patience.
“Yes, I’ve been eating properly…no, I’m not dizzy.”
Finally, she cut him off. “I just need your address, Dex. There’s something I want to…discuss.”
It was a short drive to his place, which was in the same building as his brother’s. Except Dex’s condo was on another floor. She ignored the concern etched on his handsome face as she walked past him. Stephanie glanced around as she went deeper into his home. It had the exact same layout as his brother’s place, which was expected. The decor here was more masculine, darker tones and leather furniture. She dropped her jacket and her bag on one of the armchairs and turned to look at him.
Dex watched her with those smoky, investigator eyes, dark brows knotted above his nose. He’d changed into a different t-shirt, same jeans, she guessed. She let her gaze move over the basic male assets of his appearance, the rugged face, the broad muscles of his upper body, the distinct bulge in his crotch and the lean length of his legs.
Her blood pumped
His frown deepened as she climbed up the two steps and onto the landing. “You don’t answer your phone anymore?” he grumbled.
Stephanie schooled her face, already having decided on her position. “Sorry, Kyle. I lost my phone at the gym and recovered it only today. I was going to call you.”
He gave her a doubtful look before saying, “We need to talk.”
“Oh, okay. Want to come upstairs?”
“No. I don’t have time.”
She waited for him to continue.
“Look, last week Patrick and I got an unexpected transfer out of our department, plus an official warning about our professional conduct.” He injected some sarcasm into the last two words. “This happened soon after the Polasky raid and I want to know straight up if you had something to do with it.”
“What—the transfer?”
A muscle in his jaw began ticking. “Yeah.”
She put on a baffled look while praying he hadn’t seen those pictures. “Of course not. How could I?”
His eyes narrowed. “Because you seemed to be too curious about Jason Kelso and our mission.”
“And my curiosity led to your transfer?”
His look was long and hard. “Stephanie, I’m no idiot. You’ve always had an issue with our job, though I have no idea why since we bring fugitives to justice.”
She returned the hard look. “You know it’s not your job I have issues with.” She fished her key out of her bag. “Is there anything more?”
He scowled. “I don’t have proof, but my instinct tells me you had something to do with it.”
Stephanie let out a tired breath. “I swear I didn’t have anything to do with it.” It was the truth.
He seemed skeptical, but then he raised an accusing finger. “You’ve always been hiding something and I’m going to find out what it is, big sister.”
She felt the heat of his glare before he turned around and crossed the street to his car.
Spurred by the unpleasant emotions building inside, she almost ran up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, not bothering with the elevator. Mechanically, she drank a full glass of water, then dialed Maryann’s number, but hung up seconds later. She stared at her phone for a long moment then accessed her call log.
The angry restlessness that coursed under her skin needed a different kind of outlet…in the form of a certain hunky vampire. It was foolish… yeah…colossally foolish. But she’d deal with the consequences later.
Her teeth sank into her lip as Dex spoke to her on the phone. The deep velvet of his voice was a magnet to her senses. The need to see him, touch him, intensified with every passing second. Once she’d mentioned that she wanted to come over to his place, it set off a battery of questions, which she answered with thinning patience.
“Yes, I’ve been eating properly…no, I’m not dizzy.”
Finally, she cut him off. “I just need your address, Dex. There’s something I want to…discuss.”
It was a short drive to his place, which was in the same building as his brother’s. Except Dex’s condo was on another floor. She ignored the concern etched on his handsome face as she walked past him. Stephanie glanced around as she went deeper into his home. It had the exact same layout as his brother’s place, which was expected. The decor here was more masculine, darker tones and leather furniture. She dropped her jacket and her bag on one of the armchairs and turned to look at him.
Dex watched her with those smoky, investigator eyes, dark brows knotted above his nose. He’d changed into a different t-shirt, same jeans, she guessed. She let her gaze move over the basic male assets of his appearance, the rugged face, the broad muscles of his upper body, the distinct bulge in his crotch and the lean length of his legs.
Her blood pumped
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