Page 24 of Ice Cold Liar (Ice Breaker Cold Case #14)

His sinking heart told him exactly who that someone was.

“I think that’s our cue to leave.” Clark’s hand curled around Naomi’s shoulder.

Henry growled.

Clark’s hold tightened. “Get the dog to settle down.”

“Henry is always settled. He just doesn’t like it when hands are put on me. Got to confess, I don’t like it, either.” Her gaze never left the glass. Or rather, never left what was right behind the glass. Eb. A furious, glaring, breathing-too-hard Eb.

He’d shouted her name.

She’d flinched.

Clark jerked his hand away from her. “It’s time for you to go. You’ve been wanting to bust out of this station ever since we dragged you in. Can’t believe you aren’t running for the door now that I gave you the all clear.”

She wouldn’t run. She’d walk out nice and slowly.

With her dog at her side. “Will there be a throng of local reporters waiting outside the station? Will they scream questions at me? Or has the CIA worked their magic and convinced you and your chief to keep all this quiet?” Naomi would like to be properly prepared for whatever new, fun adventure waited.

“Guess you’ll find out when you go outside.”

“ Naomi!” Eb shouted her name again.

She released a long breath. A breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “I don’t have a car. My truck is still out at my property.” Eb had been the one to drive them to the bar.

“One of the uniforms will give you a ride back to your place.”

Great. Fabulous. A cruise in a patrol car. “I’ll just call a ride, but thanks for the offer. I’ll use one of those apps.” She forced her gaze off Eb. “Come on, Henry.”

He walked by her side as they exited that little room.

“Oh, something you might want to know!” Clark called out.

Correction, they’d almost exited that little room. At the door and at Clark’s quick words, she glanced back.

Clark had shoved his hands into the pockets of his blue pants. “You probably want to be glad that Ivan is dead.”

Her lips pressed together. Was this another trick? She was so tired of the games. Of the cops always testing her to see if she’d slip up and make a mistake. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be glad when people die. Bad form. Bad karma. Bad something.”

“Yeah, well, in this case, like I said you probably want to be glad. Because, see, we found out that he’d put a hit out on you.”

She whirled to fully face the detective. “Excuse me?”

“A hit. On you. Ivan did it late last night. Found the texts on his phone when we were collecting evidence today.”

When they’d been collecting evidence and just leaving her in holding for ages.

He sniffed. “But, seeing as how dead people can’t pay for hits…probably a good thing for you that he’s gone, am I right?”

Not necessarily. “Does the hitman know that Ivan is dead?”

He rocked onto the balls of his feet. “Guess you’d better hope so, huh?” The words were a taunt and a cold smile tipped up the edges of his lips.

She had to snap her gaping mouth closed. Then, “You are a terrible cop. You get that, don’t you? Like, horrible at this job. You don’t tell grieving widows that hits are on them and that they’d just better go out and…hope for the best.”

His thick brows beetled. “You’re not a grieving widow.”

“And you’re not hoping for the best.” Her mind spun. “Did the hitman have anything to do with my burning home? Am I walking straight into danger when I leave here?” In other words, did she have a giant target painted on her back? Sure felt that way to Naomi.

“The lady in there with your new boyfriend said she’d take care of the hitman.”

The lady who knew Eb so well. His boss.

Naomi had recognized her, of course, because the woman had also been at Hudson’s funeral.

Back then, she’d introduced herself only as Madeline.

They’d shaken hands. Madeline’s fingers had been so cold, and she’d looked at Naomi the same way everyone else had.

As if she’d already judged Naomi and found her guilty.

Naomi had known Madeline was connected to the CIA. She hadn’t asked questions, had just made a point to stay away from Madeline because the last thing she’d wanted to do was attract more attention from that particular direction.

And, now, Madeline had appeared again. At a murder scene.

Naomi’s gaze darted beyond Clark to the one-way mirror. Madeline stood behind Eb. The other woman put her hand on his shoulder. Eb immediately turned toward her.

Naomi swallowed. Her shoulders straightened.

It felt as if Eb had carved her heart right out of her chest. But Naomi would be damned if she let him see her pain. Determination poured through her veins. She wasn’t going to run away. Lick her wounds. Sob and be broken. Oh, hell, no. She hadn’t broken when everyone in town called her a killer.

She wouldn’t break just because one more person thought she was guilty. Or because that one person had lied, betrayed, and seduced her.

He told me to say no. I didn’t. I did have the best orgasm of my life.

Time to confront the treacherous, amazing-orgasm-giving bastard. Time to show him that she would not be broken. Not by him. Not by anyone. She tapped her thigh. “Let’s go, Henry.”

Henry was only too happy to ditch the detective with her.

“Don’t worry about seeing me out,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I more than know my way around this place.” Oh, she definitely did. Only she wasn’t going out…

Instead, Naomi marched down the hallway.

Took a left.

Then another turn.

And… Hello, destination .

“You can’t go in there!” A shout erupted from behind her. “Stop!”

Well, if she shouldn’t be going in, then the door should be blocked. It wasn’t blocked. So…

Naomi threw open the door. Perhaps she threw it open a wee bit too hard because it slammed into the wall and bounced back toward her. She hurriedly raised a hand to halt its progress before it could fly right at her, then Naomi shoved the door again, only less hard this time. Less ragey.

Eb whirled toward her. His eyes widened. First with alarm, then with relief.

What a world-class liar.

It takes one to know one.

He rushed toward her. Staggered to a stop inches away. “Naomi!” His hands lifted, but he didn’t touch her. Caught himself just in time. “I was afraid you’d seen…” His words trailed away.

Henry slipped past her and bumped into Eb. Rubbed against him. She almost called her beloved dog a traitor, but, no, she held that back. “Afraid I’d seen what?” Naomi asked, all innocence. “Eb, I’ve been looking for you.”

Relief definitely flashed in his eyes. Then his hands reached for her. He pulled her against him. The stupid electricity surged through her veins. So much for that attraction dying. Even knowing what his real intentions were with her, the physical reaction Naomi had to him was the same.

Well, not quite the same. The electricity was there.

But it also felt as if her heart was shattering.

Dammit. Fine. So you could fall for a person far too quickly. One of her many mistakes.

“Naomi!” Clark thundered. “You can’t be in here!”

She heaved a sigh. “I came for my ride.” Making sure her expression was controlled, Naomi eased away from Eb.

Her brows lifted. “After we were, uh, detained at Ivan’s bar, I was driven here in the back of a patrol car.

” She rose onto her tiptoes and peered around him—at the watchful Madeline.

“But I think your connected friend let you drive your own vehicle to the station, right, Eb? Nice to have perks, huh?”

Madeline pursed her lips.

Naomi glanced back at Eb. “You’re my ride or die.” Emphasis on the die. “Will you take me back to the guesthouse?”

He opened his mouth to respond.

“Are you done interrogating the suspect so quickly, Detective Anderson?” Madeline asked, voice brisk. “Thought you’d be busy longer.”

Ah, so Madeline had been involved in making sure Naomi knew Eb was just using her. Such a fun setup. Was she supposed to be grateful to the other woman for ripping away the blinders? Was she supposed to be a beaten ball of mush? What was the end game?

“We’re not going back to the guesthouse,” Eb told Naomi. “I have a safer place for you.”

Safer, hmm? Henry had backed away from Eb. Come to her side. She gave him a little pat even as she said, “Good. I need a safer place.” And an actual hero on her side. “Especially with the hitman out there.”

“Hitman?” Eb seemed to choke. “What hitman?”

She craned around him once more. “Didn’t you tell him?”

Madeline blinked.

Naomi jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the detective’s direction. She could practically feel Clark breathing down her neck. “My buddy informed me that Ivan the Terrible placed a hit on my head.”

“I am not your buddy,” Clark denied. “Not. I am not your friend. I am not your buddy. I am not?—”

“It’s cool, buddy.” She smiled at Madeline. “He also said that you would be taking care of the hitman for me.”

“What hitman?” Eb’s voice had gone lethally soft.

“Again, the one Ivan hired to kill me.” Wasn’t this obvious?

Eb really seemed to have trouble following along.

“The cops found info about the hit on Ivan’s phone.

Seems Ivan was super pissed after our visit, and he called for an end to my life.

Some people just can’t handle their emotions well.

They explode. Attack.” She felt like doing some attacking, but Naomi was holding tightly to her control.

“Ivan put out the hit. Yet Ivan is the one who died.” Madeline’s heels tapped on the floor as she closed in on Naomi. “Funny how that worked out.”

“Hilarious.” She wanted out of there. She wanted away from Madeline. She wanted away from Eb.

No, she wanted Eb to pull her close. To hold her and tell her that he’d been lying—lying to Madeline. Not to me. I don’t want him to be lying to me. She wanted him to say that he didn’t trust Madeline. That he’d been playing a role in front of the agent. As impossible as it was, Naomi wanted…

I want him to be on my side. I want, for once, for someone to actually be on my side. Was that asking for too much? She didn’t think so.