Chapter 9
Nine
B uzzing woke Declan. It wasn’t uncommon for his irritating family to wake him up with phone calls or texts. What was unusual was the warm woman next to him.
Eileen.
She had been more than anything he could have imagined. He had taken her another two times during the night. No. He had taken her once, and then she had taken him. Equal. He smiled at that.
The buzzing stopped. He pulled Eileen closer, enjoying her clean feminine scent. For a woman who spent her days in the darkest muck Baltimore had to offer, she reminded him of clean spring breezes.
He was just drifting back to sleep when the buzzing started again. He was going to kill whoever it was, especially when Eileen stirred against him.
Declan grabbed his phone from his nightstand and realized it wasn’t his that was buzzing.
“Is that mine?”
“Yeah, love, it is.”
She sighed and opened her eyes. The flutter of her lashes…then those brilliant eyes. God, he would never get used to seeing those. He knew one thing: he would like to see her wake up every damned morning for the rest of his life.
He blinked. What the hell? Why was he thinking like that? Because she’s important. She had been since the moment he’d met her. That had to be why he took his time before asking her out.
With considerable effort—and a little grumbling that he found cute—she reached over to grab her phone.
“O’Reilly.”
Then she was silent as she listened to whoever was on the phone. Declan decided it was the perfect time to lean forward and kiss her shoulder. She shivered and glanced back at him.
“Get bent, Eddie. It’s the middle of the night. I was sleeping.”
She was silent as she listened to her partner talk, but he knew something bad had happened. Of course, it did. It was before three in the morning, and she was a homicide detective. Pretty sure it was a bad sign when your partner called you under those circumstances.
He watched as the warmth in her gaze dissolved into cold, hard detective eyes. It was…well, a little scary, but also hot as fuck. This woman was a bundle of contradictions that kept him on his toes. All sides of her personality called to him, from the sweet woman who laughed at his stories and praised his food to the vixen who drove him insane last night to the hard-edged detective.
He wanted it all.
“Okay, I’ll meet you there.”
She clicked her phone off and sighed. He could feel the tension vibrating through her body.
“I gotta go.”
“I figured.”
She glanced back at him once more. “Sorry.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. It’s your job.”
She sighed. “I really would rather be in bed with you.”
It sounded like a confession.
“I would like that too. Do you have time for a shower?”
“Do you mind?”
He smiled. “No. I was hoping for a shower together this morning, but I’ll take a rain check.” Surprise lit her features, and he frowned. “What?”
“So you want a repeat?”
He snorted. “Woman, I’m not even close to being done with you.”
Declan was starting to think he never would be. The sweet smile Eileen gave him went straight to his heart. Leaning down, she cupped his face and brushed her mouth against his. He wanted more. To taste, to take. But he knew she had work to do, so he forced himself to take what she could give him. As she pulled away, her sigh of longing filled the room.
“Take your shower, and I’ll put on some coffee.”
He watched as she slipped from his bed and walked into the bathroom without an ounce of embarrassment. That ass. He closed his eyes briefly and then forced himself out of bed. After throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, he hurried to the kitchen. He wanted to ensure she had something to eat before she left, so he grabbed the bread he’d made yesterday and tossed it in the toaster. After that, he went to work on the coffee. By the time she walked out ten minutes later, she looked fresh and sexy, and he had a container of food ready for her.
“You use cream, right?”
“Yeah. How do you know that?”
“The brunch my mother had.”
It was four months ago, but he was starting to think there wouldn’t be much about this woman that he didn’t remember.
He had the coffee in a to-go cup from his restaurant. She took it and sipped it, her eyes lighting up. “Perfect.”
“Here,” he said, handing her a bag. She frowned and looked inside.
“You made me breakfast.”
“Hardly what I planned.”
One eyebrow rose. “You planned breakfast? Like you expected to get lucky?”
His face heated. “No. It was last night. After.”
“After? Like after you blew my mind with hot monkey sex, you planned breakfast?”
Her teasing tone had him blushing again. Like he was some teenager and not a man in his early thirties. “Don’t we have to get going? You have a crime scene, right?”
She sighed, and he hated it when her smile faded. “Yeah. I’ll get a ride-share.”
“Absolutely not. I’ll take you.”
“Declan.”
“No. My mother taught me right.”
“So, again, after the hot monkey sex, she told you to take your bed partner to a crime scene?”
He grabbed his keys and stepped around the island. This close, he could smell his soap on her and that unique scent. “No. She told me every lady should be treated with respect.”
Her eyes softened.
“Plus, you can eat while I drive.”
“Which I could do in a ride share. Damn.” She sighed. “I don’t have my gun.”
“Do I need to drop you off at home?”
She shook her head. “I’ll have Eddie drop me off after we work the scene. That way, I can throw on some work clothes.”
“Do you want some guacamole with your toast?”
“That would be fabulous.”
He grabbed one of the small containers out of the fridge that he’d made up the day before and handed it to her.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
There was something almost normal about this moment. It was like they had been doing this for decades. And Declan found that he didn’t mind it one bit.
By the time they reached the crime scene, Eileen had polished off the toast. The man was a god of good food. It was just before dawn, so the crime scene was illuminated by lights set up by the police. Another alley not too far from Fleet Street.
“Thanks for bringing me. And for breakfast and dinner. And for the hot monkey sex.”
His face flushed again, and she fought a giggle. She shouldn’t find joy like this at a crime scene, but there was something so wonderful about making Declan blush. The man had a dirty mouth in bed, and he knew just how to make a woman come multiple times, but he blushed when she teased him. It was so delicious.
“I’d like to do it all again,” he said.
“Which part?”
He stared into her eyes, solemn, especially for Declan, and filled with intensity. “All of it.”
Her heart turned over at his tone. God, the man made her head spin with just three words.
“I would like that too.”
“I assume you’ll have a long day.”
She nodded and waited. This is where guys got a little pushy. Maybe not right off the bat, but she had trigger words. Things like: Pretty women shouldn’t want to hang out with dead bodies. Those words always got to her.
“Don’t forget to eat.”
When he said nothing else, she nodded and leaned across the console. She needed one more taste before she went to deal with the horror of another murder.
“I’ll text you,” she said.
He nodded. Then, she slipped out of the car and headed to the crime scene. She could feel his attention on her, watching as if he wanted to ensure she made it to the crime scene without incident. It was stupid because she could handle herself, but it warmed her heart. Men didn’t tend to take care of her.
Once she reached the tape, she glanced back and waved. It was then that he pulled away and headed back to his place.
“Oh, my, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this happening,” her cousin Ritchie said. God, she couldn’t get away from the O’Reillys.
“Murders happen every day, Richard.”
“No. I don’t think anyone would ever say you were known to do the walk of shame.”
True. She rarely stayed over at her lovers’ homes. And if she had them at her house, she would suggest they leave. Eileen wasn’t a snuggler, although last night proved her wrong. She hadn’t wanted to leave Declan’s place unless he was going with her.
“Wonder what Zane and Zac would say about it?”
“About as much as Margie would say about you slobbering all over Fiona.”
Oh, yeah. She loved Ritchie, but he couldn’t keep it in his pants. He’d been dating Margie for about three years, and she knew what he was like. She would believe Eileen if she came in and told her about him cheating.
“You play tough.”
“Don’t forget it.”
Then she headed off to Eddie, who was standing at the mouth of the alley. Pushing aside the humor and the warm fuzzies left over from her night with Declan, she rolled her shoulders.
“So, like the other one?”
He glanced at her, then his gaze went down, taking in her clothes. With a glance in the direction from where she came, his lips curved. “Good for you, O’Reilly.”
“Cut it out. Already got shit from Ritchie, who threatened to say something to Zac and Zane.”
“Uh, you’re a woman in her thirties. Maybe they shouldn’t care.”
They wouldn’t. They knew she could handle herself. The only time they seemed to step in was with Bryan.
“But, yes, it’s like the other night. Down to the ornate handle on the knife.”
“Dark hair?”
He nodded. “Stripped of her clothes, but I bet we get no DNA, especially if there isn’t any sexual assault. She’s also not as athletic. More…too thin.”
She glanced at him. “Maybe a sex worker?”
“Maybe.”
“So, the first one was a date, which is irritating because we still don’t have a lead on that.”
“Yeah.”
That one word dripped with frustration. Eileen understood the feeling. They’d even had a uniform spend long hours reviewing security feeds from Fitzpatrick’s and the surrounding areas. The guy never showed up on those. There was someone with Irene, but it was like the guy knew where the cameras were. His back was always to the lens.
“If she was a sex worker, there’s a better chance we’ll identify her fast,” he said. She nodded.
“I’ll check in with Sharlene.”
“Go ahead. Then you can tell me about your date.”
She rolled her eyes and headed off to the alley. Eddie was worse than a teenager when it came to gossip, although she knew he kept anything they talked about close to his chest. It was why she’d jumped at the chance to pair off with him when her old partner had retired.
“Well, look at you,” Sharlene said. These people. “Second time in a month, you look like you have a life. What is going on with you?”
“People show up to scenes all the time in various stages of dress. Why is everyone so interested in the way I’m dressed?”
“Because this is you. You never show up like this. Was that a Fitzpatrick I saw dropping you off?”
“Declan.”
“Smart choice. Get the one who cooks. Although, I’ve found a lot of firehouse folks know how to cook—in more ways than in the kitchen.”
Eileen smiled, but it faded. “So, our vic?”
“She was out here for a little bit. Like the other night, rain washed away some of the evidence, but that knife… looks almost identical. Like it’s part of a set.”
“Hopefully, with just two.”
“Do you ever get that lucky?”
She shook her head. “She does look underweight.”
“Yeah. Maybe a sex worker, but she could have just been a drug user.”
That caught her attention. The last vic had been an upstanding member of society. She barely drank, from what her friends said. In fact, the mystery man was out of character for her. Since the mess of her last relationship, she hadn’t dated. Now, a possible drug user and/or sex worker?
“Drug user?”
“Nothing on the arms, but, looking between the toes, she was shooting up.”
“Which means she might have been trying to hide it?”
The ME nodded. A lot of IV drug users shot up between their toes to hide the fact that they were using.
“She was out here longer, but it was a Monday night. Not as much foot traffic.”
“TOD?”
“I would say five hours or less.”
Eileen drew in a deep breath. It was just now, just after five in the morning.
“Good to know. Hopefully, we can get some help from the cameras.”
“Fingers crossed. I’ll do a tox screen, of course. I’ll text you when I’m done.”
Eileen wasn’t one for standing around while the ME worked. There was no reason to hover when she was doing her work. It didn’t make the investigation go any faster, and she could have spent her time running down leads.
She walked back to Eddie, ignoring the puddles since she was wearing boots. “TOD is about five hours ago.”
“And another rainy night.”
She sighed. “I hope that isn’t this guy’s trigger because we’re moving into a very rainy month.”
April could be insanely wet for Baltimore.
“Yeah. Do you want me to drop you at home so you can change?”
“Mainly, so I can get my gun. I feel naked.”
Eddie made a face. “Don’t. It would be like seeing my sister naked.”
She smiled. “Let’s go so we can get in there and start reviewing footage.”
The moment they stepped closer to the tape, Eileen realized they had attracted the news. That was normal, but this hit right at early morning rush hour…
“How was she found?”
“Anonymous tip.”
“Dammit.” It had been perfectly timed to garner attention from the early morning news in Baltimore and DC.
“What?”
“Timing.”
Understanding lit his expression. “I can’t wait to find this asshole. He needs to be taken down.”
She slipped under the tape. “The Baltimore PD has no comment at this time.”
Questions were thrown in her direction, but one caught her attention. “Is this the same as Irene’s murder?”
She ignored it because she wouldn’t give the vulture anything to feed off of, but it struck down in her soul. When they slipped into Eddie’s car, she took note of one reporter, who continued to stand there and watch them.
Arnie Matthews. The guy was always after sensationalist crap to get more views and clicks.
No one else had made that connection. She would definitely be looking into Arnie, because she didn’t need people making the connections right now. It could hinder the investigation.
And just like her partner, she couldn’t wait to find the asshole and lock him in a dark hole.
He watched from the shadows. Rain had started again, but he didn’t care and knew he wouldn’t be noticed. He blended in with these people. Most of them wouldn’t look at him twice.
Eileen said something to the reporter and walked away. He had seen her show up with that man. The bastard thought he had a right to her, but he would soon learn that Eileen wasn’t for him. Why would she want someone who cooked for a living? Not when she could have a man who was helping her career. She was getting attention for the case, and when they realized they had the same killer, she would get more news.
It was only a matter of time before she realized she was meant for him.