Page 117 of Our Daughter's Bones

He pressed his lips in a thin line. “You helped.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything to Peck.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it now.”

“Have you heard from him?”

“Should I have?”

“He doesn’t play by the rules.”

“If he’s smart, he’ll stay away.” He went back to mulling over the menu.

She glanced at the host and the busboys in the kitchen. She knew she was not subtle in her efforts. The door to the kitchen opened. She leaned on her side to catch a glimpse ofher.

“Are you going to eat anything?”

“Huh?”

He searched her eyes and dropped the menu. “Cut the crap, Mack. Why’d you bring me here?”

“I wanted to take a break!”

“Your idea of taking a break is reading about the latest forensic sciences. Not coming to Terroni.”

“Bear with me,” she whispered.

Nick’s eyebrows pulled together tautly. He didn’t say anything and went back to reading the menu.

What was she doing? It was already hard to breathe. She tugged at her collar and fanned the back of her neck.

Nick stayed oddly glued to the menu. She knew he wasn’t reading it. He was waiting for her to confide in him. But the words were lodged in her throat like a lump she couldn’t swallow.

A waitress interrupted them. She was shorter than Mackenzie—and curvier. Her hair was brown and silky and long enough to reach the tip of her breasts. Her skin was smooth caramel. Her eyes were shaped like almonds but crowned by long, arching lashes. There was a mole above the top left corner of her mouth.

Mackenzie had never paid attention to anyone this much. She wished she could see her molecules.

It gutted her that she was pretty. Much prettier than she was. There was a softness to her face that Mackenzie lacked. This woman looked delicate.

“Welcome to Terroni. I’m Samantha, and I will be your server tonight. What can I get you guys to start with?”

“W-water. No ice.”

“Sure!” she beamed. Her smile was vibrant and her voice sweet like sugar. “What about you, sir?”

“Same for me.” Nick looked up at her and froze.

“I’ll be right back with some water for you guys.”

As soon as she left, he gritted his teeth. “What the hell are you doing?”

Three months earlier

Mackenzie parked the car in the driveway haphazardly. She killed the engine and grabbed the heavy grocery bags from the backseat. It was four in the afternoon. Sterling would not be home for another hour at least. She had enough time to prepare his favorite stir-fry.

She fiddled with the keys in the doorway and almost stumbled inside. By the time she set the plastic bags on the counter, there were marks around her wrists from the handles. She was going through a list of things she needed to get done when the landline trilled.

“Hello?” She put it on speaker.