bastard sent it first-class, which means we can’t open the damn thing without a warrant.”
“I can go get her,” Vin volunteered.
Ray shook his head. “She might be skittish. A letter from her ex-husband who’s also the prime suspect in a string of burglaries—”
Vin pinned Anthony’s boss with a bland look. “Do I not look sensitive to you?”
Anth glanced up. “Vin.”
His brother rolled his eyes. “I’ll bring Jill. She’s the hugging, cry-on-my-shoulder type if it comes to that.”
“I don’t doubt that Jill’s good at delivering bad news, but you two are homicide detectives. You shouldn’t even be involved.”
“The letter was sent to my house,” Vin said. “I’d say I’m pretty damn involved.”
“ My name is on the envelope,” Anth shot back.
Ray held up a hand. “Boys.”
Anthony gritted his teeth, irritated his boss had caught him in what was practically a sibling playground squabble over a girl.
“Detective Moretti, we appreciate you bringing this to our immediate attention. I trust you’ll deliver any other letters as promptly,” Ray said, the sharpening of his tone indicating that he was clearly pulling his rank.
Vincent, being no dummy, caught the edge in the man’s voice and nodded reluctantly.
Ray turned to Anth. “Captain, you take the letter to Ms. Walker. If your name’s on there, this shithead may have a message for us. And I doubt we’re going to like it.”
The deputy chief moved toward the door, giving Vincent no choice but to back out as well.
Anthony stopped his boss before he could exit. “I’ve changed my mind about police protection. I’d like to put a couple officers outside Mag— Ms. Walker’s house. See if we can’t catch Eddie trying to pay her a visit.”
Ray Mandela shrugged. “You’re in charge. Whatever you think.”
Anthony nodded, ignoring the knowing smirk Vincent shot him before disappearing.
Anth knew his brother was thinking that the officers outside Maggie’s house had more to do with Anthony’s peace of mind than it did the off chance that Eddie Hansen would be dumb enough to show up.
His brother was absolutely right.
Chapter Twelve
O ne thing a girl didn’t expect to see through her peephole just minutes after getting home from a particularly crappy day at work: a six-foot-four police captain wearing a suit and a scowl.
“ Down ,” she muttered to Duchess as she unlocked the chain. Although she honestly wasn’t entirely sure if the command was to her overexcited dog or the butterflies in her stomach.
It was the first time she’d seen him after their flirtatious text exchange, and she expected him to look different somehow.
He didn’t. Same frown. Same serious brown eyes.
Except he was here .
At her home.
“Hi,” she said quietly. What she really wanted to ask, quite desperately, was, Are you here as Anthony or as Captain Moretti?
“Hi,” he said back. Just for a second, his eyes seemed to warm as they held hers, a silent communication passing between them.
“You’re wearing a suit,” she said.
He glanced down. “We do that, occasionally.”
“Oh.” You look ridiculously good. Please don’t torture me like this.
He cleared his throat. “May I come in?”
“Sure,” Maggie said, stepping aside. “I hope you don’t mind dogs.”
He stared down at the dog who was now panting frantically, having rolled onto her back and giving him an awkward side-eye, which Maggie knew was doggie-code for I’ll die if you don’t pet my belly .
Moretti glanced back up at her, and for a horrible moment she thought he was going to either tell her to move the dog or simply step over Duchess.
Then he knelt down, slowly crouching until he could lay a big hand against the dog’s stomach. Duchess’s little tail went crazy, and so did Maggie’s heart.
“Aren’t you a pretty girl?” he said in a soft voice she’d never heard from him before.
“How did you know she was a girl?”
He glanced up at her
“I can go get her,” Vin volunteered.
Ray shook his head. “She might be skittish. A letter from her ex-husband who’s also the prime suspect in a string of burglaries—”
Vin pinned Anthony’s boss with a bland look. “Do I not look sensitive to you?”
Anth glanced up. “Vin.”
His brother rolled his eyes. “I’ll bring Jill. She’s the hugging, cry-on-my-shoulder type if it comes to that.”
“I don’t doubt that Jill’s good at delivering bad news, but you two are homicide detectives. You shouldn’t even be involved.”
“The letter was sent to my house,” Vin said. “I’d say I’m pretty damn involved.”
“ My name is on the envelope,” Anth shot back.
Ray held up a hand. “Boys.”
Anthony gritted his teeth, irritated his boss had caught him in what was practically a sibling playground squabble over a girl.
“Detective Moretti, we appreciate you bringing this to our immediate attention. I trust you’ll deliver any other letters as promptly,” Ray said, the sharpening of his tone indicating that he was clearly pulling his rank.
Vincent, being no dummy, caught the edge in the man’s voice and nodded reluctantly.
Ray turned to Anth. “Captain, you take the letter to Ms. Walker. If your name’s on there, this shithead may have a message for us. And I doubt we’re going to like it.”
The deputy chief moved toward the door, giving Vincent no choice but to back out as well.
Anthony stopped his boss before he could exit. “I’ve changed my mind about police protection. I’d like to put a couple officers outside Mag— Ms. Walker’s house. See if we can’t catch Eddie trying to pay her a visit.”
Ray Mandela shrugged. “You’re in charge. Whatever you think.”
Anthony nodded, ignoring the knowing smirk Vincent shot him before disappearing.
Anth knew his brother was thinking that the officers outside Maggie’s house had more to do with Anthony’s peace of mind than it did the off chance that Eddie Hansen would be dumb enough to show up.
His brother was absolutely right.
Chapter Twelve
O ne thing a girl didn’t expect to see through her peephole just minutes after getting home from a particularly crappy day at work: a six-foot-four police captain wearing a suit and a scowl.
“ Down ,” she muttered to Duchess as she unlocked the chain. Although she honestly wasn’t entirely sure if the command was to her overexcited dog or the butterflies in her stomach.
It was the first time she’d seen him after their flirtatious text exchange, and she expected him to look different somehow.
He didn’t. Same frown. Same serious brown eyes.
Except he was here .
At her home.
“Hi,” she said quietly. What she really wanted to ask, quite desperately, was, Are you here as Anthony or as Captain Moretti?
“Hi,” he said back. Just for a second, his eyes seemed to warm as they held hers, a silent communication passing between them.
“You’re wearing a suit,” she said.
He glanced down. “We do that, occasionally.”
“Oh.” You look ridiculously good. Please don’t torture me like this.
He cleared his throat. “May I come in?”
“Sure,” Maggie said, stepping aside. “I hope you don’t mind dogs.”
He stared down at the dog who was now panting frantically, having rolled onto her back and giving him an awkward side-eye, which Maggie knew was doggie-code for I’ll die if you don’t pet my belly .
Moretti glanced back up at her, and for a horrible moment she thought he was going to either tell her to move the dog or simply step over Duchess.
Then he knelt down, slowly crouching until he could lay a big hand against the dog’s stomach. Duchess’s little tail went crazy, and so did Maggie’s heart.
“Aren’t you a pretty girl?” he said in a soft voice she’d never heard from him before.
“How did you know she was a girl?”
He glanced up at her
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