should have been able to
make you forget your own name.”
Mike smiled. “Her name is Brittany, and we’re
just friends.”
She rolled her eyes. The woman was carrying
around so much silicone Tori was surprised she didn’t tip over. “Whatever you
say.”
“What about that drummer you were there
with? What’s his story?”
Neither one of them had attended an event alone
since the night of his sister’s birthday party. Their dates always seemed to
act as a buffer, so they wouldn’t risk getting too close again. Their strategy
might’ve worked, if they hadn’t been watching each other’s every move when they
thought no one was looking.
“His name is Landon. He’s a nice guy… end
of story.”
Mike straddled a stool at the breakfast bar
and brought his coffee mug to his lips. “You ever sleep with him?”
Tori covered her mouth when she nearly
spewed coffee in his face. “Excuse me? What the hell gives you the right to ask
me that?”
“It’s a conversation we’re gonna have
sooner or later. We might as well get it over with.”
Her stomach tightened just thinking about
it. She knew this was part of the deal. He couldn’t do the job he was hired to
do unless she gave him a list of potential suspects, but just the thought of
Mike investigating and interrogating her ex-lovers about their relationship
made her nauseous. “Do we really have to do this now?”
He sifted through the dozens of letters
she’d set on the counter. “I’d like to get started on this a.s.a.p.” He turned
the letters over. “The cops have the originals?”
“Yeah, do you need them?”
“I don’t know yet.” He reached into his
pocket to retrieve the notebook he’d been using at the bar. “Okay, let’s have
it. Names… dates…”
“I… uh…” She gripped her coffee mug until
her knuckles turned white. She knew there was no way to avoid giving him the
information he was asking for, but she couldn’t seem to spit the words out.
“Okay, let’s start with something easier.
The tattoo, what is it, where is it, and when did you get it?”
He thought he’d ease into this by pumping
her for information about a tattoo that served as a daily reminder that she was
his biggest mistake? “I don’t wanna talk about that.”
Mike raked his hands through his cropped
black hair. “I know you think you’re punishin’ me by makin’ this difficult, but
you’re only hurtin’ yourself. This guy isn’t backin’ down. I think he proved
that when he broke in here tonight.”
He was right. Given the choice between her
life and her pride, she had no choice. “Fine, you wanna know about the tattoo.
I went out with some girlfriends, had a few too many drinks, and ended up in a
tattoo parlor. We all got inked. It wasn’t just me.”
He scribbled something in his notebook.
“You remember the date?”
It was three weeks to the day after they
made love. “I think it was August thirtieth… two years ago.”
“Great.” He scribbled the date on an empty
page. “I gotta admit, I didn’t expect you to remember the exact date, but that
helps narrow it down a lot. This guy mentioned your tattoo, which means he’s
seen it, or knows someone who has. We’re definitely lookin’ at guys you’ve been
intimate with since you got inked.” He looked up and their eyes connected. “I’m
not even gonna pretend this is easy for me, Tori. Just thinkin’ about you with
some other dude…” He gripped his pen tighter. “This is gonna be the toughest
case I’ve ever worked. I’ve already broken the cardinal rule… never make it
personal. But this is personal, whether I want it to be or not.”
She wanted to tell him that she would understand
if he wanted to abandon her case, but she couldn’t. If there was one person she
trusted with her life, it was Mike. “The tattoo is below my bikini line. You
can’t see it when I wear a swimsuit.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So there’s no
question this guy has seen you
make you forget your own name.”
Mike smiled. “Her name is Brittany, and we’re
just friends.”
She rolled her eyes. The woman was carrying
around so much silicone Tori was surprised she didn’t tip over. “Whatever you
say.”
“What about that drummer you were there
with? What’s his story?”
Neither one of them had attended an event alone
since the night of his sister’s birthday party. Their dates always seemed to
act as a buffer, so they wouldn’t risk getting too close again. Their strategy
might’ve worked, if they hadn’t been watching each other’s every move when they
thought no one was looking.
“His name is Landon. He’s a nice guy… end
of story.”
Mike straddled a stool at the breakfast bar
and brought his coffee mug to his lips. “You ever sleep with him?”
Tori covered her mouth when she nearly
spewed coffee in his face. “Excuse me? What the hell gives you the right to ask
me that?”
“It’s a conversation we’re gonna have
sooner or later. We might as well get it over with.”
Her stomach tightened just thinking about
it. She knew this was part of the deal. He couldn’t do the job he was hired to
do unless she gave him a list of potential suspects, but just the thought of
Mike investigating and interrogating her ex-lovers about their relationship
made her nauseous. “Do we really have to do this now?”
He sifted through the dozens of letters
she’d set on the counter. “I’d like to get started on this a.s.a.p.” He turned
the letters over. “The cops have the originals?”
“Yeah, do you need them?”
“I don’t know yet.” He reached into his
pocket to retrieve the notebook he’d been using at the bar. “Okay, let’s have
it. Names… dates…”
“I… uh…” She gripped her coffee mug until
her knuckles turned white. She knew there was no way to avoid giving him the
information he was asking for, but she couldn’t seem to spit the words out.
“Okay, let’s start with something easier.
The tattoo, what is it, where is it, and when did you get it?”
He thought he’d ease into this by pumping
her for information about a tattoo that served as a daily reminder that she was
his biggest mistake? “I don’t wanna talk about that.”
Mike raked his hands through his cropped
black hair. “I know you think you’re punishin’ me by makin’ this difficult, but
you’re only hurtin’ yourself. This guy isn’t backin’ down. I think he proved
that when he broke in here tonight.”
He was right. Given the choice between her
life and her pride, she had no choice. “Fine, you wanna know about the tattoo.
I went out with some girlfriends, had a few too many drinks, and ended up in a
tattoo parlor. We all got inked. It wasn’t just me.”
He scribbled something in his notebook.
“You remember the date?”
It was three weeks to the day after they
made love. “I think it was August thirtieth… two years ago.”
“Great.” He scribbled the date on an empty
page. “I gotta admit, I didn’t expect you to remember the exact date, but that
helps narrow it down a lot. This guy mentioned your tattoo, which means he’s
seen it, or knows someone who has. We’re definitely lookin’ at guys you’ve been
intimate with since you got inked.” He looked up and their eyes connected. “I’m
not even gonna pretend this is easy for me, Tori. Just thinkin’ about you with
some other dude…” He gripped his pen tighter. “This is gonna be the toughest
case I’ve ever worked. I’ve already broken the cardinal rule… never make it
personal. But this is personal, whether I want it to be or not.”
She wanted to tell him that she would understand
if he wanted to abandon her case, but she couldn’t. If there was one person she
trusted with her life, it was Mike. “The tattoo is below my bikini line. You
can’t see it when I wear a swimsuit.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So there’s no
question this guy has seen you
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