Page 149 of Nothing More

She hated that she was.

Twenty-Eight

One thing about Raven’s career: she’d long ago grown used to turning heads. Men, women, young, old: when she walked by, people looked. Did double-takes that probably pulled neck muscles. It was no surprise, therefore, when everyone she passed in the police precinct swung around to gawk at her. But she wasn’t quite prepared for the look of panic on Melissa’s face as she approached her desk.

A man stood beside it, wearing a department store suit, dark hair, dark eyes, Latino, a decade or so older than Melissa. The partner, Raven figured, though she couldn’t recall his name. He straightened as Raven – and her ever-present entourage – walked up, and his brows lifted, and he mouthedwowbefore he smoothed his tie and collected himself. It was a little endearing, and a lot flattering.

“Hello,” Raven greeted. “Is there someplace we can talk privately?”

Melissa pushed her chair back and scanned the room, gaze furtive, lips compressed. “I was about to call you. Come with me.”

The partner came too.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Raven said, extending a hand toward him as they followed Melissa down a short hall, side-by-side. “Raven Blake.”

“Oh, I know who you are. Oh. Um.” He blushed, but his handshake was firm. “There was a magazine spread a few years ago.”

“Ah. The Gucci one?”

“Yeah. My wife loves all those girly mags, and, um, well, I recognized you.”

“Lovely,” she said, tone dry.

“Rob Contreras, by the way,” he added, reclaiming his hand, and motioning her ahead of him into the conference room Melissa had led them to. “I’m Melissa’s partner.”

“I gathered.”

“You always travel with – uh – bodyguards?”

“Lately.”

Melissa walked around the long conference table and peered through the gaps in the blinds. Alley view, dark, dirty, depressing. “Last one in close the door.”

That proved to be Shep. The hired muscle stayed in the hall, after a snap of Shep’s fingers. The door shut with a solid thump, and Melissa rounded on them.

Raven said, “Does your partner sit in on all your secret meetings?” Pointed lift of her brows.

“Rob knows what’s going on,” Melissa said, hands landing on her hips, deep breath stirring her hair before she shoved it ruthlessly back. “And what’s going on is affecting him, too. We’re in trouble.”

“Wewe?” Raven gestured to herself. “Or you two?”

“All of the above,” Melissa snapped, and exhaled loudly again. “Sorry. Look: the girl at the lab called me a few hours ago in a panic. Her supervisor saw the DNA samples she ran for me, on the finger and the ear.”

Raven hadn’t entirely trusted going to the police in the first place, but this was still a kick in the stomach. She forced herself to take a slow breath, but couldn’t keep the bite from her voice. “You said you could run them without anyone knowing.”

“That’s what she said,” Melissa said, visibly bristling. “But she said shethoughtshe could, and if you remember right, I warned you this wasn’t the way to do it. We should have logged it in officially from the start, like I wanted to–”

“What’s done is done,” Raven snapped. “What’s happening now?”

Melissa’s jaw worked, and Raven thought it was no small effort to refrain from cursing at her.

It was Rob who answered: “Well, that’s the tricky part. When the supervisor laid on the pressure, the girl got spooked and said we were the ones who’d requested she run the samples. She said she had no idea it was off the books.”

“Christ,” Raven muttered.

“She was trying to save her job,” Melissa said, shaking her head. “I don’t blame her, but, basically, we’re fucked. The captain wants to talk to us in a half-hour and he didnotsound happy over the phone.”

“Will you lose your badges?” Raven asked.