Page 131 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

His response had been a bit too quick and slightly heated, and his colleague’s eyebrows rose slightly before a smirk crossed his face. “I hear the witness is quite attractive, no?”

His words did nothing to cool the heat, although Dante forced himself to answer calmly. “I’m more interested in her testimony than her looks.”

Juan snorted a laugh. “Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that, buddy.”

I will.Again and again until he believed it. Dante waved at the bag again. “Any idea how long it will take to get the results?”

“For you? I’ll make it less than a week.”

“I appreciate it.” Before his friend could make any more smart remarks, Dante nodded and took off. In the empty hallway, he stopped, propped a shoulder against the wall, and sent Jules a terse, just-the-facts-ma’am email before heading for the exit.

The memory of the heavy darkness in the alley slowed him as he exited the station. What if that guy showed up at her place again tonight? Would he break in this time? Threaten her? Worse?

Dante let the door slam behind him.Not my business.

So why did it feel as though it was? Guilt, likely, since Dante was the one who had driven her out to that alley. Even so, hehadoffered to sleep on her couch, and Jules had flat-out refused. What more could he do?

Exhaling loudly, he stalked to his Mazda 3. He didn’t like the answer that had presented itself to his mind, but he did owe Jules.

So much for his warm, comfortable bed.

CHAPTER

SEVEN

Jules had barely finished rappingher knuckles against Kelli’s apartment door when her friend flung it open. “Jules! Get in here.” Kelli grabbed her arm and tugged her inside before enfolding her in a massive bear hug. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” Jules tossed her brown leather bag on the floor next to a chair.Okaywas not exactly how she would describe her state of mind after three days of dealing with the aftermath of witnessing a murder. Kelli and Brie knew nothing about that, though, and Jules would very much like to keep it that way. Thankfully, she’d had two long shifts at work, which had distracted her from everything that had happened. No menacing stranger had shown up at her house after that first night, so she’d managed to get a little sleep, although she was far from caught up.

No other signs the murderer was coming after her either. Likely he believed he had frightened her enough by peering through her window that she would refuse to testify against him. He had to be a thousand miles away by now.

Telling her friends what she had witnessed would only freak them out. They would insist she stay with one of them and itwould become a whole big thing. Now that the situation was settling a little, that was the last thing Jules wanted. She was more than happy to put everything that had happened that night—including the disastrous date with Dante de Marco—behind her and get on with her life.

Kelli stepped back. “I’ve been going crazy not being able to text you.”

“I know. Sorry. I should be getting my phone back in a few days.” That information had come from a very short, cold email Dante had sent late in the evening after the morning he’d come to her place to check out the backyard. All it had said was

Found your phone. Lab checking it out. Should take a week or so. Someone will contact you when you can pick it up.

He hadn’t even bothered to sign his name. Rude.

Except that Jules was the one who had been rude. If she were so inclined, which she wasn’t, shecouldmake the case that Dante’s tone was completely justified. Either way, she’d been incredibly relieved to find out that the murderer hadn’t taken her phone. Although he still could have handled it. Dante had promised to let her know if that was the case. Did she trust him?

The accusation Jules had thrown at him—that, in fact, she didn’t trust him—still haunted her. The hurt look she had noted in his eyes would as well if she could call it to mind. Sometimes aphantasia could be a blessing.

Thankfully, Kelli didn’t press her on where her phone was, only grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the kitchen. “Come on. Brie’s making fudge. We’re dying to hear every detail of your date with the gorgeous cop.”

Jules skidded to a halt, extricating herself from Kelli’s grasp. “Absolutely not. I did not come here to talk about him. I told youeverything in the chat that night. If that’s why I’m here, then I’m going home.”

Her friend only took her by the elbow to direct her the last few steps to the kitchen. “Fine. No mention of Officer Dante de Marco. Got it. We have a movie picked out, so we’ll watch that and eat fudge. Who needs boys?”

“Exactly.” Jules allowed herself to be dragged into the kitchen.

Brie, her pale, freckled cheeks flushed from the heat of the stove, stirred a pot sitting on a burner. One hand still stirring, she half turned, shoving her strawberry-blonde curls back from her face. “Jules. You’re here!”

“I was promised junk food and a movie, so of course I’m here.” Jules hopped up onto a stool at the island.

“Kels and I want to hear all about?—”