Chapter 19
Nineteen
Luca heard the shower shut off in the bathroom of his cabin, which he’d completely renovated. He’d gutted the whole place and rebuilt it over the winter while trying to wrestle with the particulars of this case. If it went on much longer, he was going to sand and restain the floors.
But having Kira here, in his place, just days after everything had happened, cleaning up and putting her comfy clothes on? Way more distracting than the investigation he still didn’t have answers for.
After they’d left the prison, he had taken her to the hospital to have her injuries looked at. Once her wrist was bandaged, they’d gone to her place and he’d hung out awhile until she fell asleep. He’d headed over to the police station then so he could go over everything with Mike.
She hadn’t wanted to be apart for too long, and neither had he, so as soon as she’d woken up and called him, he’d picked her up and brought her to his house.
Since then, there’d been a whole lot of movies, tea, and comfort foods.
Rowan, Sierra, and Huck had come by for dinner last night, and afterward, he’d camped out on the couch so she didn’t have to go home so late.
She’d told him it felt like she was on a retreat, and he agreed.
Luca grabbed the seasoning and shook it over the two steaks destined for the grill out the back.
He already had the chopped veggies cooking over the flame.
After they’d gone for a short hike earlier, he’d changed his boots for tennis shoes and pulled on a sweater over his T-shirt, giving Kira the bathroom so she could wash up and they could spend this evening in the Adirondack chairs on his porch, watching the sun go down and enjoying each other’s company.
Luca flipped the steaks with a set of tongs and seasoned the other sides. His phone rang behind him on the counter.
Jamie.
He answered, hitting the speaker button. “Hey, girl.”
“You sound happy.” Her alto voice sounded amused.
“Speak for yourself. How’s Logan?”
“The doctor cleared him to fly out of state for a national conference where they talk about wildland firefighting and make a plan for the new season. He’s pretty stoked to help represent the tracker-ring tech and get it on the market so more firefighters can be safe.”
Luca smiled. “That’s great.”
“That’s the good news.”
“Okay, what’s the bad?” He wiped his hands on a towel and stood with his belt buckle pressed against the counter, looking out at his leather sectional—the one that would give Kira’s couch a run for its money. He wanted to hear the noise she made when she settled onto it.
He looked at the lamp he’d found at an estate sale and the print over the fireplace that depicted a long highway in Alaska with the peak of Denali in the background and the color of fire in the sky.
“The money I donated to this foundation of yours made its way through offshore accounts and into the hands of companies associated with the same cartel you mentioned.”
Kira wandered down the hall in leggings and a long sweater, her feet bare and her hair down.
For a second, he forgot to breathe. He just stared at her, walking toward him in his house like she belonged here. Like she did this every day. Making him want to ask her if she might never leave.
Stay.
He was getting ahead of himself, considering this was technically their first date.
“Saxon?”
Kira smiled, easing next to him and sliding her arm around his waist. “He’s here.”
Jamie said, “Oh.”
“I’m Kira.”
Jamie cleared her throat. “Dr. Yassan. Of course. I mean, Kira. It’s nice to…you know, meet you.”
She smiled, and Luca quickly touched his lips together. Then to Jamie, he said, “So the money you donated to the foundation went to the cartel?”
Kira gasped.
Jamie said, “Most of it landed in legit accounts, ones connected to their organization or vendors they work with. Part of it was paid to the cartel. Or they needed to break up the amount and split it out so the government didn’t see huge sums of money moving around.”
Luca rubbed his thumb over Kira’s shoulder, his arm around her back. “Whichever it is, the money connects the nonprofit to the cartel.”
“But is it a payment, or are they just putting money in their ‘other’ account?” Jamie asked.
“There’s no way Destiny is tangled up with a cartel!” Kira shook her head. “That’s crazy. That would mean…”
“She paid to have her husband killed.”
Kira pulled out of his arms and turned to face him. “Are you serious? That’s not normal life, where the normal people live. That’s part of your crazy superhero world where people are trying to destabilize countries and upset the balance of power in governments.”
Luca lifted his brows. “My superhero world? The one where you copied information and handed it to MI6 or the CIA? That world?”
“Copying files is hardly the same as saving the world.” She folded her arms across her front, giving him a look at the nasty blue bruise on her wrist.
“So what’s the answer?” Luca shrugged. “Destiny was duped and she has no idea?”
Kira frowned. “Maybe someone who works in the foundation is the one connected to the cartel and she knows nothing at all. And that person had Ralph killed.”
“Okay, that’s a decent theory. Now we need proof.”
Jamie cut in on their conversation. “I’m going to leave you two to…whatever is going on with this conversation.”
Luca lifted the phone. “I appreciate all your help.”
“There was more, if you’re interested.”
“I am.” Luca would rather explore the pink tint to Kira’s cheeks and the fiery look in her eyes that had him very interested in what kissing her when she was riled up like this would feel like.
Kira ducked her head and got two cans of soda water from the fridge.
Jamie said, “I can’t dig more into the financials. I keep running into blocks, and I’m going to get noticed if I keep going. There’s an active DEA investigation into the cartel, and I’ll get in trouble if I’m interfering.”
“Yeah, keep yourself secure, okay? Your husband and that family of his don’t need you getting into trouble.”
Jamie chuckled. “Exactly. I am going to find out what the investigation is about. I’ll send you any info I find.”
“Thanks.”
“Have a good evening. Nice to meet you, Kira.”
She lowered her soda can. “You as well.”
The call ended.
Luca set his can on the counter and stalked to her, sliding his arms around her hips and lifting her so she could sit on the counter. Kira let out a little yelp. Luca stood close, pulling her to him. His lips against hers. “Have dinner with me.”
Not what he wanted to ask, but spend forever with me might be a little too much for a first date.
She smiled. “I thought that’s what we were doing.”
“Right. I forgot.”
She giggled, looking more comfortable here than he’d ever seen her before—even in her own home. Luca nudged her nose with his. “Do you like my place?”
“It’s gorgeous. And I called the hospital just now. I have a whole week off to recuperate, and I plan to spend plenty of days here relaxing and reading a few books I’ve been meaning to get to.”
“I like that idea a lot.” He could drown in the dark pools of those eyes. “I’ll take some time off as well. We can rest.” Plan their wedding. Figure out their future together. Make a list of what they were going to name their kids.
He leaned his head down, near to hers.
“But I do want to talk to Destiny. I need to see the look on her face when I ask her if she’s involved.”
Luca nodded. “Okay. After dinner? The veggies are cooking, and I need to get the steaks on.” He started to pull away.
She grabbed the sides of his sweater. “Not so fast there, superhero.”
Kira pulled him back to her and held him there, close as he could get. She slid her hands up to the sides of his neck and he leaned down.
Swept her up, taking over, because that was the only thing he could do. Supporting her. Protecting her. Loving her. Making it so she felt like she could fly.
Kira sank against him, and he held on to her. Felt her fingers in his hair. All of it made him wonder if she wanted to pull the tie from his bun and spill the length over his shoulders.
He felt it come loose.
She leaned back. “I need to see what it looks like.”
Luca stayed still. She touched the sides, shifting it over his shoulders, then ran a finger down the side of his face through the long strand at the front.
“I nearly cut it a month ago.”
She gasped.
He smiled. “Now I’m glad I didn’t.”
“I mean, I’m not saying don’t ever cut it. But I like it.” Her gaze drifted over his face, down to his chest and the Midnight Sun Hotshots sweater he wore. “I like it a whole lot.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
She playfully pushed him back and hopped off the counter. “You said something about steaks?”
He bowed. “Yes, ma’am. Coming right up.”
“I’ll help.”
“Good, because we might need a salad if the veggies are burned.”
He took the tray of steaks and showed her to the back door, out onto the single concrete step. “This summer, I want to put a deck back here. Maybe get a hot tub.”
Not something he would’ve done if it were just him, but right now he was thinking it was the best idea ever.
She stared up at the towering pines around them, inhaling the crisp mountain air and just taking in the scenery. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yes, it is.”
Her brow furrowed. “Is someone…” She peered at the trees. “There’s someone out there!”
Kira hurried over to stand with him, something he liked a whole lot since she could’ve run into the house instead.
“Stay here.” Luca opened the door far enough that he could grab the gun from the shelf right inside the back door.
Kira ducked behind the grill.
“Check the veggies.” He strode to the tree line, about twenty-five feet since he’d cleared enough space between his cabin and the trees that it made a natural firebreak. The person she’d seen walked toward him on the trail that was the closest route from the road at the bottom of the hill.