ENTANGLED PURSUITS - Brenda Jackson Page 0,11

city and he wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Although she’d never lived here, she had come to see him quite often. During their ten-month-long hot and heavy affair, they did a lot of traveling—he would visit her in Miami, or she would catch a flight and spend the weekend with him in Alexandria.

And then sometimes, they’d meet at the halfway point in Savannah, where they’d check into a hotel and spend the entire weekend talking, eating, and making love. Occasionally, they would venture outside to walk on the beach, take a boat out on the ocean, drive through the botanical gardens or visit several of the museums or historical sites.

He had loved spending time with her...until suddenly, she had ended things. No discussion. No dialogue. She’d just done it—kicked him to the damn curb. The only thing she’d told him was that their affair had run its course. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

And now, she was back in his city, invading his space, and he had a feeling she was about to wreak havoc in his well-ordered life. It had taken him almost five years to get over her. Almost five damn years. He’d barely recovered from seeing her at Stonewall’s wedding, and now she was his damn partner? If this was a damn joke, he wasn’t laughing.

He brought the cruiser to a stop. “We’re here, Detective Oliver.” Glancing over at her, he saw anger flash in her eyes. He didn’t have to ask why, but did so anyway. “You got a problem, Detective?”

“Evidently, you do, Drew. Any reason you can’t call me Toni?” she asked curtly, as she put her hair in a ponytail.

He didn’t answer right away, looking away from her a second. “Less personal that way.”

“And you’re afraid to get personal?”

“Aren’t you?” he bit back.

“No. What was between us ended years ago. Nearly five, to be exact. I’ve moved on and I’m sure you have, too. I’m here to do a job and not rekindle an old flame that’s nothing but ashes now. You’re acting like you haven’t gotten over me.”

Her words didn’t just hit a nerve, they literally cut into his jugular. “That’s where you’re wrong, Toni. I have moved on. Trust me.”

“Then, act like it.”

She opened the car door and got out. He breathed in deeply, counting to ten as he stared out of the windshield and watched her approach the beat cop and flashed her badge.

Andrew’s gaze stared at Toni. Was he really acting like he hadn’t gotten over her? Is that what she thought? If that was the case, then he’d prove just how wrong she was.

Getting out of the car, he joined her. The beat cop turned upon his approach and gave him a wry smile. “Hey, Detective Logan. I was just telling your partner here that it looks pretty bad inside. The Medical Examiner and crime scene guys are on their way. Officers are already lifting prints and taking pictures.”

Andrew nodded as he gazed at the front door and saw the numbers posted above it. He frowned. Why did those numbers ring a bell? At that moment, an eerie feeling washed over him. Why? He was certain he hadn’t been to this house before, so what was it?

“I got several cops canvassing the area, knocking on doors, talking with neighbors to see if anyone noticed anyone coming or going. Seems like a pretty nice neighborhood,” the beat cop was saying.

“Who discovered the body?”

“A former roommate. She had moved out a few weeks ago, but she still had a key, and had come back to get something. She’d found it odd the front door was closed but unlocked. So she looked around...and that’s when she found the body.”

“Where is the roommate now?”

“In the kitchen. The woman was in hysterics when we got here. Still screaming. She’s not much better, but at least she’s quiet.”

“Hey, Detective Logan.”

Andrew turned to see the Medical Examiner had arrived. “Hey, Bobby, you okay?” Bobby, a middle-aged man in his fifties, had lost his wife to cancer a few months ago. He had taken a short leave of absence to process his grief, and had only been back to work a few weeks now.

“Staying busy, as much as I can.”

Andrew nodded and glanced over at Toni. “This is my new partner, Detective Oliver.”

The two shook hands and Bobby grinned. “You’re a lot prettier than Norm. How well can you shoot?”

Andrew smiled at the confusion he saw in Toni’s eyes, so he figured he

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