smiling, pretty waitress and it arrives the same time as Connie’s. I attack the steak as though I haven’t seen food for days, the flesh still pink in the middle, the juices running over the plate. Connie picks at hers and I pretended not to notice. Finally she slams her fork down on the table.
‘Why the hell did we come out?’
‘What?’ I try feigning innocence.
‘You’re supposed to go out to enjoy yourself, you know, take pleasure in each other’s company, not sit mauling your food and staring out the bloody window. Hell, I could’ve stayed home and ordered a pizza. At least the delivery boy would’ve spoken to me.’
‘Look I’m sorry, it’s just—’
‘I know, the cases,’ she interrupts.
‘Yes.’ I don’t know what else to say.
‘It’s not the same as before.’ Her voice softens.
My eyes darken; she knows that this is a dangerous subject.
‘ Don’t even go there, Connie .’
‘Fine, have it your own way as usual. Let it all stay bottled up inside of you, eating away,’ she bites back.
‘I said don’t and I meant it !’
I take a large gulp of my wine and toss the liquid down my throat like it’s a glass of lemonade. I can feel it burning all the way to the pit of my stomach.
‘I think all this is gonna get ugly, really ugly,’ I snarl, still pissed off at her previous comments.
‘Do you mean us, or our little argument?’ she snipes back. It isn’t like her.
I sigh. ‘No, I mean the murders.’
‘Since when were murders anything else?’ she asks quietly, the hurt flickering at the back of her eyes.
‘Yes, but this is different.’ I polish off the last morsel of steak, and clatter down the cutlery.
‘How exactly?’ she asks, inclining her head to one side, so the blonde hair slides over one shoulder.
I beckon for the bill and just shake my head.
‘I just have a bad gut feeling about this.’
‘A good old coppers instinct, you can’t beat it – but it’s not going to help you solve the case.’ Sarcasm oozes from every word; she could split atoms if she tried.
‘And you could, I suppose?’ I snap.
‘I could do a profile for you, unless you’ve already got one?’
‘No chance. Grimes won’t let a profiler within fifty yards of him.’
‘Like I said, I’ll do one for you. In case you’ve forgotten it is my job.’
‘The Superintendent won’t have a profiler from GCHQ – don’t you listen?’ Now I’m getting all steamed up again, my knuckles are white as I sign the credit card slip.
‘I’m from Quantico,’ she pushes on.
Jesus, doesn’t she ever give up?
‘If he doesn’t want one from GCHQ, he sure as hell doesn’t want a profiler from Virginia – no offence.’
Connie refills her glass to the brim and levels those goddamn beautiful eyes at me.
‘None taken,’ she says innocently. ‘But, who says he needs to know?’
‘What exactly are you suggesting?’ I raise one eyebrow, not quite sure of her meaning.
She lifts the glass and sips.
‘You get me the full details of both cases and I’ll get you a basic profile.’
I smirk at her. ‘It’s highly illegal to give you this information.’
‘I won’t tell if you don’t.’
She rubs her foot against mine under the table. I can feel the soft pressure of her skin against mine and the electricity passes between us like a live wire, each somehow connected to the other, sparking, throbbing between us. Christ, with one fell swoop I could have her right now, right here on this table; I wouldn’t give a damn if we had an audience, hell it’d make it all the more exciting.
‘I knew there was a good reason I started dating you.’
She laughs. ‘Let’s go home.’
I’m out of the table and grabbing her coat before she knows what’s happening. I can feel the heat radiating from her. I notice as we walk out of the room that most of the other men are watching her. Hands off boys, she’s all mine, and right now I want her anywhere… I just want her point
‘Why the hell did we come out?’
‘What?’ I try feigning innocence.
‘You’re supposed to go out to enjoy yourself, you know, take pleasure in each other’s company, not sit mauling your food and staring out the bloody window. Hell, I could’ve stayed home and ordered a pizza. At least the delivery boy would’ve spoken to me.’
‘Look I’m sorry, it’s just—’
‘I know, the cases,’ she interrupts.
‘Yes.’ I don’t know what else to say.
‘It’s not the same as before.’ Her voice softens.
My eyes darken; she knows that this is a dangerous subject.
‘ Don’t even go there, Connie .’
‘Fine, have it your own way as usual. Let it all stay bottled up inside of you, eating away,’ she bites back.
‘I said don’t and I meant it !’
I take a large gulp of my wine and toss the liquid down my throat like it’s a glass of lemonade. I can feel it burning all the way to the pit of my stomach.
‘I think all this is gonna get ugly, really ugly,’ I snarl, still pissed off at her previous comments.
‘Do you mean us, or our little argument?’ she snipes back. It isn’t like her.
I sigh. ‘No, I mean the murders.’
‘Since when were murders anything else?’ she asks quietly, the hurt flickering at the back of her eyes.
‘Yes, but this is different.’ I polish off the last morsel of steak, and clatter down the cutlery.
‘How exactly?’ she asks, inclining her head to one side, so the blonde hair slides over one shoulder.
I beckon for the bill and just shake my head.
‘I just have a bad gut feeling about this.’
‘A good old coppers instinct, you can’t beat it – but it’s not going to help you solve the case.’ Sarcasm oozes from every word; she could split atoms if she tried.
‘And you could, I suppose?’ I snap.
‘I could do a profile for you, unless you’ve already got one?’
‘No chance. Grimes won’t let a profiler within fifty yards of him.’
‘Like I said, I’ll do one for you. In case you’ve forgotten it is my job.’
‘The Superintendent won’t have a profiler from GCHQ – don’t you listen?’ Now I’m getting all steamed up again, my knuckles are white as I sign the credit card slip.
‘I’m from Quantico,’ she pushes on.
Jesus, doesn’t she ever give up?
‘If he doesn’t want one from GCHQ, he sure as hell doesn’t want a profiler from Virginia – no offence.’
Connie refills her glass to the brim and levels those goddamn beautiful eyes at me.
‘None taken,’ she says innocently. ‘But, who says he needs to know?’
‘What exactly are you suggesting?’ I raise one eyebrow, not quite sure of her meaning.
She lifts the glass and sips.
‘You get me the full details of both cases and I’ll get you a basic profile.’
I smirk at her. ‘It’s highly illegal to give you this information.’
‘I won’t tell if you don’t.’
She rubs her foot against mine under the table. I can feel the soft pressure of her skin against mine and the electricity passes between us like a live wire, each somehow connected to the other, sparking, throbbing between us. Christ, with one fell swoop I could have her right now, right here on this table; I wouldn’t give a damn if we had an audience, hell it’d make it all the more exciting.
‘I knew there was a good reason I started dating you.’
She laughs. ‘Let’s go home.’
I’m out of the table and grabbing her coat before she knows what’s happening. I can feel the heat radiating from her. I notice as we walk out of the room that most of the other men are watching her. Hands off boys, she’s all mine, and right now I want her anywhere… I just want her point
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