"Then she showed up today all worried and apologetic.
She's been in Prague and didn't hear about me until this morning.
She rushed over wearing that, like she read my perverted mind."
I leaned into my doorway, too.
"Guess she knows you."
"Guess she does."
He shrugged.
"We'll see how it goes.
She knows Trey's in my life and I hope to keep him there.
Trey, though .
I know he won't like it."
I felt for both men.
It was going to take a lot of compromising for their relationship to work out.
"How about we forget about our significant others for a night and have an action movie marathon? I brought some nonalcoholic champagne home."
His brows rose.
"Where's the fun in that?" "Can't mix your meds with booze, you know," I said dryly.
"No Krav Maga for you tonight?" "I'll make it up tomorrow.
I feel like chilling with you.
I want to sprawl on the couch, and eat pizza with chopsticks and Chinese food with my fingers."
"You're a rebel, baby girl."
He grinned.
"And you've got yourself a date."
* * *
Parker hit the mat with a grunt and I shouted, thrilled with my own success.
"Yes," I said with a fist pump.
Learning to toss a guy as heavy as Parker was no small feat.
Finding the right balance to gain the leverage I needed had taken me longer than it probably should have because I'd had such a hard time concentrating over the last couple of weeks.
There was no balance in my life when my relationship with Gideon was skewed.
Laughing, Parker reached out to me for a hand up.
I gripped his forearm and tugged him to his feet.
"Good.
Very good," he praised.
"You're firing on all cylinders tonight."
"Thanks.
Wanna try it again?" "Take a ten-minute break and hydrate," he said.
"I need to talk to Jeremy before he takes off."
Jeremy was one of Parker's co- instructors, a giant of a man that the students had to work their way up to.
Right then, I couldn't imagine ever being able to fend off an assailant of his size, but I'd seen some really petite women in the class do it.
I grabbed my towel and my water and headed toward the aluminum bleachers lined up against the wall.
My steps faltered when I saw one of the detectives who'd come to my apartment.
Detective Shelley Graves wasn't dressed for work, though.
She wore a sports top and matching pants with athletic shoes, and her dark, curly hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
Since she was just entering the building and the door happened to be next to the bleachers, I found myself walking toward her.
I forced myself to look nonchalant when I felt anything but."Miss Tramell," she greeted me.
"Fancy running into you here.
Have you been working with Parker long?" "About a month.
It's good to see you, Detective."
"No, it's not."
Her mouth twisted wryly.
"At least you don't think so.
Yet.
Maybe you still won't when we're done chatting."
I frowned, confused by that tangle of words.
Still, one thing was clear.
"I can't speak to you without my attorney present."
She spread her arms wide.
"I'm off- duty.
But anyway, you don't have to say anything.
I'll do all the talking."
Graves gestured toward the bleachers, and I reluctantly took a seat.
I had damn good reason to be wary.
"How about we move a little higher?" She climbed to the top, and I stood and followed.
Once we were settled, she set her forearms on her knees and looked at the students below.
"It's different here at night.
I usually catch the day sessions.
I told myself that on the off chance I happened to run into you off- duty someday, I'd talk to you.
I figured the chances of that were nil.
And lo and behold, here you are.
It must be a sign."
I wasn't buying the additional explanation.
"You don't strike me as the type to believe in signs."
"You've got me there, but I'll make an exception in this case."
Her lips pursed for a moment, as if she were thinking hard about something.
Then she looked at me.
"I think your boyfriend killed Nathan Barker."
I stiffened, my breath catching audibly.
"I'll never be able to prove it," she said grimly.
"He's too smart.
Too thorough.
The whole thing was precisely premeditated.
The moment Gideon Cross came to the decision to kill Nathan Barker, he had his ducks in a row."
I couldn't decide if I should stay or go - what the ramifications would be of either decision.
And in that moment of indecisiveness, she kept talking.
"I believe it started the Monday after your roommate was attacked.
When we searched the hotel room where Barker's body was discovered, we