Assumed Identity(22)
“I remember her, from interviews and security sweeps early in our task force investigation. She usually wears her hair all up in a bun so I didn’t recognize her tonight. I thought she was older.” He followed Robin through the parking lot gate to the building’s side entrance. “She’s not.”
Robin was beginning to wonder if Pike’s interest in Hope had to do with something other than guilt. “She’s younger than me,” Robin assured him. They reached the brick archway framing the door and she pulled out the keys to unlock both the outer entrance and the inside door that led upstairs to the private apartment. “Thanks for the company.” She smiled up to the man holding the glass door for her and then looked down to her other escort. “Is he friendly?”
“Unless I tell him not to be.”
“May I?” Pike nodded at her request to pet the sleekly muscular dog. Feeling the closest thing to normalcy that she had all night, she scratched around the shepherd’s wet ears. When he pressed his head up against her palm in silent approval, she petted him again. “Thank you, too, Hans. Now you tell this big guy to get you a treat and a warm, dry place to sleep for what’s left of tonight.”
“I will.” Pike tipped the bill of his KCPD cap and twisted his mouth with a wry smile. “And, please, give my apologies to Miss Lockhart. I’m really not that scary of a guy.”
Tilting her face into the rain to assess his height and the equally brawny dog at his side, Robin begged to differ. But there was such a boyish earnestness in his blue eyes, she didn’t have the heart to argue. “I’ll tell her. And thanks.”
Such a simple word—thanks. Such a relief to get to express gratitude where it was due.
“You’re welcome, ma’am. Good night.”
“Good night.” Robin bolted the door behind her and watched as Pike and Hans jogged back across the street. She turned to unlock the door that led to the upstairs apartment when she heard a sharp rap on the glass behind her.
Wishing her startle mechanism had fritzed out for the night so she’d stop jumping at every little noise or movement, Robin pressed a hand to her racing heart and turned—fearing her attacker had returned, hoping Pike Taylor had forgotten something.
She didn’t expect to see a ghost.
“Lonergan,” she whispered, quickly unlocking the outer door and pushing it open. “I thought I saw you. You came back.”
He squinted against the rain pelting his face. “Are you and the kid okay?”
“Yes, I...” She invited him to step into the vestibule, but wasn’t surprised when he chose to remain out in the elements. Somehow, the unforgiving downpour that soaked his hair and plastered his shirt to every intimidating cord of muscle fit his wild, dangerous looks. Fine. He had an aversion to civility? Then she’d enter his domain. Letting the door close behind her, she joined him out in the parking lot. Her hood fell back and the rain chilled her skin even as her temper brewed. “What kind of game are you playing? The police wanted to talk to you. What’s with the magician’s act of showing up and disappearing without a word?”
“I wanted to make sure you got from point A to point B without another incident. Glad Officer Taylor there had the gumption to do the same.” Cryptic dodge of her questions. And how did he know Pike’s name? Just how closely had he been watching and eavesdropping? And for how long? “The guy in the green sedan back there pulled up and started watching your shop—waiting for you to leave, maybe—as soon as the cops cleared out. Couldn’t get a clear look at the driver without giving away my position.”
Giving himself away to whom? The driver or the cops?
“I did get a license number you can hand over to the K-9 Corps there. Tell him you saw the guy watching your place and you want to see if you can get an ID.” He nodded toward her shop across the street. “Did the suits give you any idea why someone wanted to hurt you? Why they’d still be following you?”
“What?” She glanced down at the scrap of paper he pressed into her hand and read the make and model of the green car, as well as the plate number scribbled there. The man was thorough as well as observant. Shaking her head, she crumpled the note in her fist and tipped her chin, looking beyond the forbidding angles of his face to meet his cool blue glare. “I don’t understand you. You’ve been here this whole time? Hiding out and watching this nightmare? Are you afraid of the police? Have you done something wrong? Did I say something that offended you? I know I screamed at you when we first met, but I was under a little bit of stress. You startled me.”