criminal defense attorney at a high-powered firm. Our paths were sure to cross, and when they did, he asked me out.”
Sounded normal to him. So far.
He ran a hand up and down her arm, reassuring her, waiting for her to tell him more.
“He worked for a firm with an office in Chicago, and when he had to spend weekends there, it didn’t strike me as odd, you know?” She drew in a breath. “And I worked a lot of nights during the week. We still saw each other. Nothing seemed off to me and that’s what galls me. I’m supposed to have good instincts when it comes to people and situations!”
“Everyone misjudges someone or something at one time or another,” he said, hating how she blamed herself.
She blew out a breath. “Yeah, well. A colleague at the office had a sister who thought her husband was cheating on her. He asked me if I’d look into it. Off the clock.” She rolled her shoulders. “He’d done me a solid on a case or two, so I said sure. I asked for the name and information on the husband … low and behold, it was John Coltrane.”
He muttered a curse, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I guess there aren’t many John Coltranes in Miami?”
“Oh, there were a few. Just one the right age.”
Shit. “You told the wife?”
She lifted her head and met his gaze. “I did, at which point I blocked his number on my phone.”
“He lost his temper?”
“You could say that. Made a scene at my office, blamed me for ruining his marriage. One of the cops escorted him out. But he was angry and I underestimated him. One night I was coming home from a party for a friend, wearing a dress, my gun was home, my guard was down… He attacked me in an alley. It was surreal.” She pushed herself away and held her scarred arm in her hand. “I pressed charges, he lost his job, started to harass me, but he still pulled enough strings to get himself a deal. He blamed me for all of it.” She shrugged. “Fast-forward to us going viral and he’s back.”
“Guy’s an ass,” Damon muttered, wondering what he could do to get the bastard to back off and leave Evie alone.
The doorbell rang, letting him know the pizza had arrived. “Eat in bed?” he asked.
She answered with a grin.
He walked to the door, deep in thought. He now knew why Evie was so guarded. She’d had her trust betrayed in the worst way and she no longer trusted her judgment. John’s return merely reminded her and reinforced her self-doubt.
Damon had every intention of helping her reclaim her belief in herself. It wasn’t like he had a game to play, he thought, frustrated. He did, however, have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to get cleared from concussion protocol, which was a start toward coming back. The team physician was someone he met with for cortisone or Toradol shots for his ankle that often gave him trouble—because what athlete didn’t need injections to help pain? And now Doc would check his head.
Grabbing the pizza, he stopped by the kitchen for paper plates and napkins, slipped two bottles of water under an arm, and headed back to the bedroom.
A little while later, they were talking about his career and still mulling over how he could have tested positive when he decided to change the subject.
“So why did you leave the DA’s office? Actually, why did you become an investigator to begin with?” he asked, taking a bite of his third piece of pizza.
She’d called a halt at two but was drinking from her water bottle. “Dad was a cop. I went to Florida State University, majored in criminal justice.” She shrugged. “Everyone in my family serves in one way or another, and though I was fascinated by the system, I had no desire to be a cop and work my way up that ladder.”
“You’d be sexy in uniform though.” He grinned, causing her to laugh and toss a napkin at him.
“Anyway, I had interned at the DA’s office for two summers and met people. One thing led to another, and after graduation, I applied for a job and got it.”
“Makes sense. And the reason you left?” He knew he was pushing, but he really wanted to understand her.
A flush rose to her cheeks. “I was embarrassed. Thanks to John’s scene there and then his attack, everyone knew I’d been duped.