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As Nick pulled in front of Louisa’s apartment complex, he glanced at the dashboard clock. Yeah, seven minutes late. Jerking the car door open, Nick strode up the sidewalk. Before he got to Louisa’s front door, she had it open for him. Long-legged, honey blond hair, full pouty lips, and exotic eyes. She looked exactly like her magazine photo that had been splashed all over the country last month. Many men would have given their eyeteeth to talk with a cover model much less date one. So why did he want to turn around and walk the other way? Since he already knew the answer to that, he kept moving forward.
Giving her one of his stock smiles in greeting, Nick listened to her chatter with half an ear as he led her to the car. Had she been this talkative last week?
Thankfully, the restaurant wasn’t far away. Within minutes of leaving her apartment, they were seated and had ordered their meal.
They were almost through with their appetizer when Nick had to stifle a giant yawn. For the past ten minutes, Louisa had droned on about her weekend in St. Moritz with some Hollywood celebrity. Taking a large bite of his ravioli so he wouldn’t have to respond verbally, he chewed, nodded, and did his best to put on an interested expression, wishing like hell he’d never made this date.
“And then Maurice said the funniest thing. He—”
The abrupt ringing of his cellphone was a welcome distraction. Holding his hand up to stop her chatter, Nick answered, “Gallagher.”
“Nick, it’s Lewis Grimes.”
Before he could wonder why the captain of the Narcotics Division was calling, the man continued, “There’s been a shooting.”
The fine hairs on the back of his neck rose. The instant he heard the victim’s name, he went to his feet. “I’ll be right there.”
He threw a wad of cash on the table. “I gotta go. That should pay for dinner and a cab home.”
Before she could open her mouth to answer, Nick was already running toward the door, his date forgotten. His mind screamed a denial, but Grimes’s stark words reverberated in his head, refusing to allow him to deny the truth. “Thomas O’Connell has been shot.”
Chapter Two
Kennedy stretched her back and winced at its tightness. This kind of work was nothing to a full day of research at her laptop. Still, she was exhausted. The first coat of paint looked wonderful. The second one she would apply tomorrow would look even better. She couldn’t wait to see Thomas’s grin when he saw that she had indeed changed her mind once more. Apparently, the ninth time was the charm, because the jewel-toned lilac was perfect. The people at Lloyd’s Paint and Wallpaper would probably be just as happy as Thomas that she’d at last made her final choice.
She might be tired, but tonight was going to be perfect. She had taken a break late in the afternoon and prepared lasagna—one of Thomas’s favorite dishes. The delicious fragrance now wafted through the air, and her stomach grumbled—a reminder that her early afternoon peanut butter and banana sandwich was long gone. What a blessing to have hunger pains in place of queasiness.
Thomas should be home soon. She would have to rush through her shower, but she wanted to be dressed and ready when he walked through the front door. Or undressed, in this case. On her way back from the paint store, she’d slipped into Victoria’s Secret and found a negligee on sale that would probably make Thomas forget all about dinner.
She dashed from the nursery and ran to the master bedroom. Toeing off her sneakers, she was about to unzip her jeans when the sound of the doorbell chimes stopped her. Could she ignore it? If she’d been in the shower, she wouldn’t have even heard it. She shrugged resignedly and headed downstairs. Curiosity was the bane of her existence…she had to know. Besides, if she was still in the shower when Thomas got home, he could join her and they could get started even earlier than planned.
The delightful thought cheering her, Kennedy opened the door with a big smile on her face. Thomas’s best friend stood before her.
“Nick! Hey! Come on in.” Even as she said the words, she inwardly sighed, seeing the romantic evening with her husband fizzling fast.
He didn’t speak. The odd look in his e
yes puzzled her until she realized what a mess she must look. Her chestnut hair, pulled up into a halfhearted ponytail, had more than a few streaks of lilac in it. She had a feeling that she had a few spots on her face, too.
“I know I must look a fright, but I just finished painting the nursery.” She stepped back. “Come in and see it. Thomas isn’t home yet. I asked him to pick up a couple of things at the store, but he should be here soon.”
When he still said nothing and just kept looking at her, she frowned. “Nick? What’s wrong?”
* * *
The woman before him was disheveled, messy and absolutely lovely. She was his best friend’s wife…one of the sweetest people Nick had ever known. And he was about to destroy her world.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say the words, she started shaking her head and said a very soft but emphatic, “No.”
“Kennedy, I—”
She backed away, head still shaking. “You are not here to tell me anything bad, Nick. You got that? Thomas is on his way home. He’s not on duty. He is fine.”
Reaching out his hand for her, he wasn’t surprised when she tried to close the door. Unfortunately, closing him out wasn’t going to stop the truth.
He grabbed the edge of the door to keep it from slamming in his face, the words grinding from his mouth, “There was a robbery at the grocery store. Thomas tried to stop it. He was shot.”
Her head continued to shake. “No. You made a mistake. Thomas will be home any minute.” She looked wildly around the room, as if trying to hold back reality. But her face had paled to a sickly color, and her mouth trembled with emotion.