Chapter Two
GRANT’S brEATH STALLED in his lungs as he stared at Ace following the news of Selena’s death.
He leaned back against the cruiser, closing his eyes briefly.
Man, this was unbelievable. What had she involved herself in?
Is that why she was in this area? Had she wanted his protection or his investigative experience?
Despite his breakup with Selena, Grant hadn’t wished her any harm. As far as he was concerned, Selena and Dante had chosen each other and should be together. He certainly hadn’t wanted Selena back in his life. He couldn’t trust her.
“I’m sorry, Grant,” Rayne murmured. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.
He blinked away the sting of tears, pressing his cheek against her temple and soaking in the comfort she offered. “Thanks.”
Ace cleared his throat. “Hate to interrupt this touching scene, but detectives will be here soon. Another officer will transport the two of you to the station to answer some questions.” His smile was grim. “We appreciate your cooperation.”
Cooperation? Like they actually had a choice in the matter. “Do you have your phone on you?” he whispered.
Rayne gave a slight nod.
“Have Z send a lawyer to the Hartman police station. You probably won’t need representation, but I definitely will.”
Another nod, then she reached for her phone.
“Wait.” He bent and whispered in her ear, “Change places with me.” The last thing he wanted to do was trigger a panic reaction from Crabtree. Although he despised having his back to the two cops, he’d rather be unprotected himself than for Rayne to risk being injured by a trigger-happy rookie.
With her back against the cruiser and Grant shielding her actions from the cops, Rayne held her phone between their bodies and tapped out a text to Fortress Security’s tech and communication guru.
Seconds later, her screen lit up with a response. She glanced up at Grant and nodded.
The tension in his body eased. Excellent. At least he knew he’d have one of the cadre of lawyers Brent Maddox kept on retainer for Fortress employees. “Thanks.”
She winked.
Even more tension melted away. How did she know exactly what to do to help him through this? Taking a chance, Grant bent and brushed a light kiss over her lips, mindful of their attentive audience. What he wouldn’t give to have the luxury of really kissing her without interruption.
Footsteps approached their position, sounding like a herd of elephants on a rampage. Probably the detectives, but he wouldn’t take a chance with Rayne’s safety. Yeah, she could protect herself as well as he could, but that didn’t mean he wanted Rayne to do it on his watch.
Praying she wouldn’t protest, Grant nudged her closer to the vehicle and used his body to prevent the people approaching from seeing her when they stepped into the small clearing.
“Grant?” Rayne’s eyebrows rose.
“Shhh. Company.” He wriggled his wrists still restrained behind his back. Would the cops protest if he freed himself from the handcuffs? From what he’d observed, the two cops who detained him didn’t have a sense of humor, and he’d rather avoid getting shot.
He glanced over his shoulder as two men pushed past the bushes and took in the scene.
The tall detective nodded at Ace. “How’s it going?”
“Not great. The victim didn’t make it.” He inclined his head toward Grant. “I've got a couple of people for you to interview.”
The shorter detective frowned. “Why is he cuffed?”
Crabtree snorted as he pointed to the pile of weapons on the ground. “Do you see that? They were both armed to the teeth.”
“So?”
“Who goes jogging at three in the morning with an arsenal on his person?”
Short Detective grunted. “If you don’t carry a weapon everywhere you go, turn in your weapon and badge now.”
The rookie scowled. “We found him with the vic,” he snapped. “His girlfriend arrived about ten minutes after we did with her own stash of weapons.”
More footsteps heralded the approach of someone new to the party and had Grant pressing Rayne closer to the cruiser.
What he wouldn’t give to have a better way to protect her.
Although he half expected Rayne to shove him away, she slid her phone into her pocket, wrapped her arms around his waist, and held him closer.
He drew a deep breath and relaxed in her embrace. Although he remained alert, Rayne’s acceptance of his protection allowed him to regain control of his over-the-top protective tendencies where she was concerned.
Grant lowered his head and nuzzled the side of her neck. He kissed the delicate skin below her ear and smiled at the shiver that raced through her body.
“You have suspects to transport?” a deep voice asked.
“Take Mr. Bowen and Ms. Weatherly to the station, Officer Shelton,” Ace said. “The detectives will want to ask them questions after they examine the scene.”
“Copy that.” A hard hand gripped Grant’s shoulder. “Mr. Bowen, you and your girlfriend need to come with me, please.” A command couched in polite terms.
Grant glanced down at Rayne, eyebrow raised in a silent question. Was she ready for an interrogation? Not like either of them had a choice, though.
Rayne gave a slight nod and kissed his jaw. Now it was his turn to shiver. With soft laughter, she released Grant.
He moved back from her, still keeping his body between Rayne and the new cop. “Do you mind taking off these cuffs? I can’t help my girlfriend walk over this rough terrain with my hands like this.” Not only that, but the cuffs were uncomfortable.
“We’ll hold off on that until we get to the station. Your woman can hold on to your upper arm if her balance is off.”
Right. Whatever.
“Come on,” Rayne said. “Since our run was interrupted, let’s go with Officer Shelton so I can get out of the cold.”
Shelton motioned for Grant and Rayne to precede him. While he didn’t blame the officer for not wanting them at his back, Grant wasn’t a fan of having Shelton behind him, and he definitely didn’t like the cop at Rayne’s back. “Get in front of me,” he murmured to Rayne.
Her head whipped toward him, eyebrows raised. When he slowed a step, she slipped in front of him and took the lead toward the patrol cars lined up along the roadway.
Grant glanced at Ace, who watched the procession. “What about our weapons?”
“The detectives will bring them to the station. They’ll want the lab to run ballistics tests on your pistols.”
“As long as we get them back. We use them in our work.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s go,” Shelton snapped. “I need to go back on patrol. We’re slammed tonight.”
In a few strides, Grant caught up with Rayne.
The cop directed them toward the last of the SUVs lining the street. He opened the back door and motioned for them to climb inside.
Grant nudged Rayne into the vehicle first, then awkwardly climbed in after her.
He frowned at the discomfort of having his hands cuffed behind his back.
Aware the patrol SUV was equipped with recording equipment aimed toward the backseat, he scooted closer to Rayne but remained silent, as did Rayne.
Fifteen minutes later, Officer Shelton parked in the underground garage by the prisoner intake entrance. After shutting off the engine, he opened the back door and waited for Grant to exit the vehicle.
He maneuvered himself out of the SUV and moved back a step so his body was between Rayne and Shelton.
The officer escorted them into the Hartman police station, through a maze of corridors, and down a long hall to the interrogation rooms. Shelton opened one door and motioned the couple inside.
“You can wait here for the detectives. They’ll want to ask you questions when they finish at the crime scene. ”
Grant raised an eyebrow. “You mind removing the handcuffs now?” Shelton complied, and Grant rubbed his wrists as the cop left the room.
He glanced at the upper-right corner. As he expected, a red light indicating the camera was recording them popped on. Under the table, Grant nudged Rayne with his knee and showed her the camera with a chin lift.
She gave a slight nod.
Good. He hoped she wouldn’t deck him when he acted the part of her boyfriend to cement their cover story to the cops.
Truth was, Grant had wanted Rayne for himself since the first time he met the Fortress operative two months earlier.
Her steel spine and take-no-prisoners attitude, coupled with her previous career as a cop, ticked all the boxes for him.
Not only that, but the mysterious Rayne was breathtakingly beautiful. She just did it for him on every level.
He relaxed against the back of the seat and draped his arm over Rayne’s shoulders. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to run this morning.”
“So am I. Iona will make me run extra miles later today.”
Grant grimaced. “Seth will do the same with me. Neither of them will show us any mercy.”
“Discipline isn’t for the faint of heart.”
“No kidding. We’ll have to cancel our plans for the night. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll make it up to you.”
Rayne glanced at him. “Promise?”
Man, her gorgeous eyes set him on fire, a wildly inappropriate response for their situation.
He couldn’t afford the distraction. Any slip-up here would be recorded for the detectives to pick apart at a later time.
Grant figured he was already in enough hot water because of his association with Selena.
He certainly didn’t need to add to the detectives’ suspicions. “Promise.”
Unable to help himself, Grant cupped Rayne’s nape and drew her in for a light kiss.
Her eyes flared at the gentle caress. “Grant,” she whispered.
Had he imagined the ache in her voice? What he wouldn’t give to be alone with this woman. They couldn’t consider themselves alone when someone might watch their interaction and listen to their conversation. “We’ll talk later,” he murmured. “Hold on for me.”
Between one heartbeat and the next, Rayne shifted from the woman he wanted to the Artemis operative playing a role for an unseen audience. A teasing smile curved her lips. “I’ve heard that from you before, Mr. Bowen. Will you disappoint me this time?”
“Not a chance, Ms. Weatherly. I know the best thing to happen to me is in my arms.” His voice grew husky. “I’ll never let you down.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
The door to the interrogation room opened, and the detectives tasked with solving Selena’s murder entered. “We need to talk,” Short detective said.