know something is up.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Go away or I’ll tell him what you’ve done.”
Fear tickled the back of my neck, but I tried not to show it. “Which is what, exactly?” I challenged.
She did her best little-girl-playing-coy act and looked at her feet. “Well, I don’t know, but I’m sure I can come up with something.”
“You’re pathetic.”
“No, I’m not. He still wants me,” she replied tartly and with that, the door slammed in my face.
I stomped back to the trailer, feeling her beady eyes on my back. I couldn’t shake the image of him fidgeting with the buttons of his jacket as he stood in the rundown living/dining room of my trailer. I knew those motions by heart. He was hiding something. Tiffany was helping him, as she always did.
Back in my trailer, I shoved the chair under the door once more and peeked again out the kitchen window. The slight shift in the curtain in the front window of the house mirrored me. As always, she was watching. My heart beat faster as Connor's face floated through my mind, all exquisite lines accentuated by a wide smile. I felt his skin on mine again, and my lips tingled with the memory of his mouth on mine. I should warn him. It was a risk, but it was the least I could do. I pushed the curtain back in place and got back into my bed, deep beneath the heavy pile of covers. My mind searched for some tattered remnant from the battery of tricks it had used over the ten years of captivity to keep me sane and alive. I closed my eyes, welcoming thoughts of Connor and pushing them away.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Connor let himself into the vestibule that led to the doors to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Crime Lab. It was late. Except for the guard in the front lobby and one or two lab technicians, the building was unoccupied. He buzzed the intercom outside the locked double doors to the lab.
Lena Stark’s voice came back to him, a grainy twitch. “Yeah?”
“It’s Connor,” he said. “Buzz me in.”
“What do you want?” the box demanded.
“Stark, just let me in.”
“This better be good,” she said.
The doors buzzed and Connor slipped through. The lab was dark, most of its crew gone home for the day. Only Lena remained, mostly to log evidence and process what she could of the overworked lab’s backlog.
Lena emerged from a dimly lit room to his right. She wore her long white lab coat over a plain white blouse and black slacks. Her blonde hair was pulled back and smoothed away from her face by the wide black band of a set of goggles. Her hands were on her hips. “What is it, Parks?”
He smiled as charmingly as he could. “I need a favor,” he said.
Lena rolled her eyes. “A favor? Now?”
“Do you think I’d be here this late if it wasn’t important?”
Lena frowned and bit the inside of her cheek. It was an endearing little tic he’d loved while they were dating. They’d only gone out a few times, but it had been too soon after Denise left for Connor to put any energy into developing a relationship. They’d parted amicably and remained on good terms.
“Heard you were on the desk,” Lena said.
“Oh man,” he groaned.
Lena stepped toward him, a smile playing at the corners of her delicate mouth. “Well, are you?”
“Yes.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“For God’s sake, no,” Connor said.
Lena shrugged. “Okay.”
Clearly, she did want to talk about it. Connor leaned against a nearby table. “Look,” he said. “If you already heard from someone that I’m on the desk, then you already know why, and in two weeks you’ll know the decision of the review board too.”
She moved in front of him and touched his hand. “I’m sorry,” she said.
Connor gave her a lopsided smile. “Well it’s not over yet.”
“Not by a long shot.”
“So about that favor?”
“What have you got?”
Connor pulled the Ziploc bag with the scotch glass in it from his pocket. “Can you pull
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Go away or I’ll tell him what you’ve done.”
Fear tickled the back of my neck, but I tried not to show it. “Which is what, exactly?” I challenged.
She did her best little-girl-playing-coy act and looked at her feet. “Well, I don’t know, but I’m sure I can come up with something.”
“You’re pathetic.”
“No, I’m not. He still wants me,” she replied tartly and with that, the door slammed in my face.
I stomped back to the trailer, feeling her beady eyes on my back. I couldn’t shake the image of him fidgeting with the buttons of his jacket as he stood in the rundown living/dining room of my trailer. I knew those motions by heart. He was hiding something. Tiffany was helping him, as she always did.
Back in my trailer, I shoved the chair under the door once more and peeked again out the kitchen window. The slight shift in the curtain in the front window of the house mirrored me. As always, she was watching. My heart beat faster as Connor's face floated through my mind, all exquisite lines accentuated by a wide smile. I felt his skin on mine again, and my lips tingled with the memory of his mouth on mine. I should warn him. It was a risk, but it was the least I could do. I pushed the curtain back in place and got back into my bed, deep beneath the heavy pile of covers. My mind searched for some tattered remnant from the battery of tricks it had used over the ten years of captivity to keep me sane and alive. I closed my eyes, welcoming thoughts of Connor and pushing them away.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Connor let himself into the vestibule that led to the doors to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Crime Lab. It was late. Except for the guard in the front lobby and one or two lab technicians, the building was unoccupied. He buzzed the intercom outside the locked double doors to the lab.
Lena Stark’s voice came back to him, a grainy twitch. “Yeah?”
“It’s Connor,” he said. “Buzz me in.”
“What do you want?” the box demanded.
“Stark, just let me in.”
“This better be good,” she said.
The doors buzzed and Connor slipped through. The lab was dark, most of its crew gone home for the day. Only Lena remained, mostly to log evidence and process what she could of the overworked lab’s backlog.
Lena emerged from a dimly lit room to his right. She wore her long white lab coat over a plain white blouse and black slacks. Her blonde hair was pulled back and smoothed away from her face by the wide black band of a set of goggles. Her hands were on her hips. “What is it, Parks?”
He smiled as charmingly as he could. “I need a favor,” he said.
Lena rolled her eyes. “A favor? Now?”
“Do you think I’d be here this late if it wasn’t important?”
Lena frowned and bit the inside of her cheek. It was an endearing little tic he’d loved while they were dating. They’d only gone out a few times, but it had been too soon after Denise left for Connor to put any energy into developing a relationship. They’d parted amicably and remained on good terms.
“Heard you were on the desk,” Lena said.
“Oh man,” he groaned.
Lena stepped toward him, a smile playing at the corners of her delicate mouth. “Well, are you?”
“Yes.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“For God’s sake, no,” Connor said.
Lena shrugged. “Okay.”
Clearly, she did want to talk about it. Connor leaned against a nearby table. “Look,” he said. “If you already heard from someone that I’m on the desk, then you already know why, and in two weeks you’ll know the decision of the review board too.”
She moved in front of him and touched his hand. “I’m sorry,” she said.
Connor gave her a lopsided smile. “Well it’s not over yet.”
“Not by a long shot.”
“So about that favor?”
“What have you got?”
Connor pulled the Ziploc bag with the scotch glass in it from his pocket. “Can you pull
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