piss him off.” Also, Cedric only raised his voice that way when he was worried. She knew he was currently under a great deal of stress. She’d promised to help him with that situation, and Chloe had every intention of keeping her promise.
Joel glanced back at her. “I piss people off all the time. Part of my charm.”
Was it now? Even more interesting.
“You just caught a bank robber—two of them from where I stand—so I figure the cops should be treating you with a little more respect, and not, you know, jumping down your throat.” His voice roughened. His head swung toward Cedric once more. “Maybe you and all the personnel in NOPD uniform here should take a minute to calm down and—”
Cedric stepped to the side so that he stared at Chloe once more. “Where did you find him?”
Joel had been trying to protect her. His body position and tenseness indicated that he felt she’d been threatened, so he’d moved to place himself between her and Cedric. Just as he’d tried to shield her in the bank. Fascinating.
But, oh, Cedric was waiting for a response so she would have to pause her analysis of Joel and his behavior. For the moment. “I met him in the bank.” Wasn’t that obvious? Cedric usually picked up on details faster than this.
“Yeah, figured that.” The detective rolled his eyes. After a tense moment—she knew he was counting to ten, he always counted to ten when he was trying to remain calm—Cedric pointed a finger at Joel. “Look, buddy,” he threw at Joel, “I get that you took a graze today and you feel all hundred feet tall and super-hero-like now, but that’s the adrenaline talking. You’ll come back to reality soon, and you’ll be glad that I got you away from Chloe Hastings. Trust me on this.” He motioned to Chloe. “Come on. We need to go. Now.”
She understood Cedric’s irritation. She’d taken a side job, but there was other work waiting. Always.
But she saw that Joel’s hands clenched into fists. He took a step toward Cedric. “This is hardly my first brush with danger, and the last thing I feel like is a superhero.”
Yet he kept displaying a hero complex…
Some of the tension slid from Cedric’s face as he eyed Joel with a hint of more respect. The detective clapped a hand around Joel’s shoulder. “Answer the questions from the cops here, then get home. After that, take some advice from me.”
Joel waited for the advice.
“Forget Chloe. You’ll be a happier man for it.”
That was insulting. First of all, she was unforgettable. Second, she also didn’t think… “He’s not happy,” Chloe said.
Joel stiffened. His head angled toward her.
“You’re not happy.” She could see it. “You’re going through the motions each day. Struggling with a past that won’t let you go. It’s a shame, because you truly have so much potential.”
“Lady, what do you know about me and my past?”
So very much. She gave him a smile. “It was good to meet you, Dr. Landry. Our partnership today was more than I expected.”
Joel shook his head and appeared a bit horrified. “I told you, it’s just Joel. And we aren’t partners! Don’t know where you got that idea, but we are not partners. Are not, were not, and never will be.”
“No?” Chloe pursed her lips. “That’s too bad.” She inclined her head. “Enjoy the rest of your day. I need to go with the detective.”
Cedric nodded. “About time…” He quickly moved to her side. “There’s been another one,” he muttered.
She couldn’t help but tense. This was the last news she’d wanted to hear, but it was also exactly what she’d suspected he would say. Especially given the way he’d been acting. They walked away, huddling together.
“Wait!” Joel called out. “Chloe!”
She didn’t look back. Her mind was already shifting focus. Sorting through possibilities. Looking for—
“Another what?” Joel wanted to know. He’d followed after them.
Chloe stopped.
Cedric swore. “He is slowing us down. I hope this jack-off isn’t going to be a problem.”
She spun to face Joel. Surely, he’d taken the time to look at Cedric’s badge and ID? He’d noticed that Cedric was a homicide detective?
“Been another what?” Joel asked again, his voice all deep and rumbling, as if the question had been torn from him.
“Dr. Landry…Joel.” She shouldn’t have to explain this, but he’d obviously not paid enough attention to Cedric’s badge. He needed to be far more observant in the future. Especially if they were going to work together. “There’s been another