"Don't stress it. We have to follow the rules. Keeps our ass away from the flame if you know what I mean." Kallie extended her hand. "Thank you."
"No worries, that I can understand. Have a good night."
Brock held the door open for her and followed her past the main dining area and back into the parking lot. He glanced at his watch as they slid into the Crown Vic. He shoved the key in the ignition and cranked the beast up, flipping the heater to high. He turned in his seat. "I think whoever killed Samuel called him at the restaurant."
Kallie thumbed through her notebook. The damn thing looked frayed already. "The time-stamp was for 6:24 p.m. Yeah, here. I didn't write down the specifics about the call, but according to the information tech sent over, he received a phone call at 6:23 p.m. It lasted for just under a minute... and here is the outgoing call. The security camera and the phone times are off by a couple minutes."
"I remember looking at that call list. The call in was the last one he received. I did look at the specifics, but there were none noted, and I asked tech to trace that call."
"When will they have that information?"
"Should have it already. Give them a call, and I bet you dinner it comes back to a burner phone."
"Well since I was making dinner anyway, I'll take your bet, but yeah. The odds are not in our favor." She punched in the numbers to tech and waited and waited. She removed the phone from her face and squinted at the time. "Well, no wonder they aren't answering."
"Late?"
"Almost 8:00 p.m."
"Damn, I'd love to have regular office hours."
"Would you really?" She hung up the phone and leaned back into the seat.
"Meh, for maybe a week out of the year. Sometimes it seems like all I do is work." His stomach rumbled loudly. "Did you say you were making dinner?"
She laughed and fastened her seatbelt. "Caught that did you? You should be a detective. Do you need to feed Fester?"
"Yeah. I'll drop you off and then come back?"
"That works." Kallie sat silently as they drove through the city. When he double parked in front of her apartment building, she grabbed the door handle but hesitated. Finally, she blurted, "Bring a change of clothes with you, Detective King, and give the cat double water and food. You won't be going home tonight."
She was out of the door and up the stairs before he could pick his jaw up off the floorboard of the car or form a coherent response. A horn honked behind him forcing him to move. A slow, smug smile spread across his face. No bullshit, no games. And he thought he was attracted to her before that invitation, or was it a command performance? Whatever, he’d follow any orders that woman gave him.
12
Kallie bounded up the stairs and laughed as she hit the landing on her floor. She felt like a teenager going on her first date. Only she had much bigger plans than just hoping for a kiss. The attraction she felt for Brock was dangerously strong. Dangerous because she could imagine falling for this guy, and that was something she’d avoided while she was with Guardian.
The door was open a heartbeat later. It took thirty seconds to set the oven temp and slide the casserole she’d left defrosting in the refrigerator this morning into the oven. She then all but levitated down the hall.
She turned down the duvet on her bed as she passed through the bedroom on the way to the bathroom. Showered, hair down and brushed, and staring at the dresser drawer, she shook her head at her lingerie selection. Anemic at best, but she hadn’t been expecting to find someone like Brock.
Settling on a jade green thong and bra, she slid into them and then her favorite pair of yoga pants and chunky sweater because they gave her confidence. Not the lingerie, the clothes. They hugged her curves in all the right places, and she needed to feel a little sexy because tonight was a milestone, and she really fucking hoped it worked out. She left her hair down; she’d seen the way Brock regarded her last night when she’d let it down from the coil at the back of her head. Any advantage she could get, she’d take. She wanted Brock. She wanted Brock to want her, and just maybe, it would work