Open Wounds (Harbour Bay #2)(47)
Amelia frowned. “I guess I could benefit from a few of those classes about dealing with people. What are they called? How to make friends and influence people?”
Megan scrunched up her nose. “I hate those and I doubt you’d be able to survive one. You’d probably end up shooting the instructor.” She smiled, obviously finding the imagery amusing. “Besides, I think you’re pretty good on your own. So what if you’re short? Some people like that. I like that about you, Don. Short and to the point. Your abilities lie elsewhere and they’re even more valuable than social pleasantries. It’s not as if you’ll be charming the criminals you deal with to confess.”
Amelia knew she meant every word; she never said anything just to soothe a bruised ego, and she had to admit the words were definitely a balm against her wound. It was nice to be appreciated for one’s own worth.
“Thank you,” she said stiffly, unaccustomed to such compliments and feeling slightly self-conscious. “Things are tense at the moment. I’m having a few things thrown at me and my new case isn’t going the way I’d like it to.” Amelia blinked, surprised she had spilled so many personal details.
“If I know anything, it’s that you always get your man. I’m sure this time won’t be any different. I only wish I could help you. You’ve done so much for me and it’s not as if I have a lot of friends. I’m just as much a social pariah as you are, Don. All I have is you, Riley, and Stacey.”
Riley O’Neill was a red-headed spitfire, Megan’s editor at the publishing house that printed her books.
“If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, let me know.”
“I appreciate that, Meg.”
“I mean it. After all, you did help make Cole Lilac into the detective he is,” she reminded her, speaking of the character in her books. “So what are you having for breakfast? I’m in the mood for pancakes with maple syrup.”
Amelia left Megan not long after, having indulged in an equally unhealthy breakfast. She was amazed at Meg’s confidence in her. It was unsettling. When someone believed you could do just about anything, it only made the fall that much harder.
***
Darryl stepped into the Pig Pen and headed towards his desk.
“Hill, there you are. You’re late,” Amelia said.
He’d dressed in black slacks and a crisp white linen shirt, and hadn’t bothered shaving, thinking how wonderful it would be to rub against Kellie’s soft skin and leave his mark.
“Sorry,” he muttered, avoiding her stare as he sat down in his chair. He removed his weapon holster and placed it inside the drawer of his desk under the watchful scrutiny of his partner.
A beam of sunlight streaked across the grey carpet from the large windows nearby and he wanted nothing more than to be back in Kellie’s bed making love to her until they were both exhausted. Then, after that, he envisioned taking her down to the promenade for dinner or a walk on the beach. He didn’t care which, so long as he was with her. Near enough to continue touching her.
“What’s with you?” Amelia demanded, getting up from her desk and towering over him. Her dark gaze regarded him.
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve never been late. Not once. You’re always here hours before your shift starts, sometimes even beating me here. Today you seem different.” She looked him up and down, scrutinising him. Her eyes narrowed. Then she gasped. “You slept with her, didn’t you?”
He launched from his seat and took her by the arm, pulling her a few steps away from their desks. “Keep your voice down.”
Her face turned to stone, making her look even more formidable. She jerked her arm away. “You did, didn’t you?” she accused, her voice softer this time.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Actually, it is my business because she’s my friend. I won’t have you using her to scratch an itch. Kellie is vulnerable.” She checked the room, ensuring no one could overhear before continuing. “There are things about her that you don’t know.”
Darryl turned away from her. He had no plans to talk about what happened between him and Kellie. That was for them only as he continued reeling from the experience. They may have only just met but everything between them felt so natural, and he’d be damned if he’d share that with his partner. Besides, he wasn’t interested in her warning.
“Relax, Donovan, she told me and that’s the end of this conversation. I don’t want to hear about this again,” he said, a thread of steel in his tone.
“I’ll make that decision, Hill. Told you what?”
Darryl stared into her eyes, his own gaze hard and unrelenting. “That she was raped.”
For once Amelia was speechless, and Darryl savoured the moment. The look on her face was priceless. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“What else did she tell you?”
The air surrounding them turned cold and he sought to diffuse the situation. He knew sleeping with Kellie would open something they weren’t ready to get into. But he didn’t want to cause a rift between his partner and himself. They depended on each other in the field and trust was very important. The moment they decided to write each other off was the day they had to be reassigned.