Secrets Never Die (Morgan Dane #5)(15)

Removing his mud-crusted boots, he carried them inside. The air-conditioning washed over him, the dry chill a relief after a wet and muggy night.

“Lance?” Sharp called from his office.

Lance poked his head in the doorway.

Sharp frowned. “You look like hell. Go get cleaned up.”

As much as Lance wanted to discuss the case, he also wanted dry clothes. “Give me five minutes.”

“Have you eaten?” Sharp asked.

“I had a protein bar.”

Sharp huffed, stood, and left his office. A few seconds later, he was banging around in the kitchen at the back of the building. When Sharp had converted the bottom apartment of his duplex into office space for his private investigation firm, he’d left the full kitchen and bath intact. The facilities were useful when they worked long hours.

Lance walked past his office to Morgan’s doorway. With her own criminal defense practice, she often required the services of an investigator, so her renting the extra office from Sharp was convenient for all of them. Plus, Lance got to spend more time with her, even when they weren’t working a case together.

He stuck his head through the doorway. “I’m back.”

Her desk was clear except for her laptop and notepad. She sat behind it, equally tidy in a silky white blouse, her dark hair twisted into a smooth knot at the back of her head. She must have stopped at home to shower and change.

Lance went into his office and rooted in the closet for fresh clothes. Morgan followed him in.

She moved toward him, reaching to embrace him.

He held up a hand, then gestured to his dirt-streaked pants. “I’m filthy.”

“I don’t care.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.

Lance lifted his boots so they wouldn’t touch her.

“I should shower.” But instead, he rested his face against her temple. In flat shoes, she was a few inches shorter than he was. Unlike him, she smelled amazing.

“Just give me a second, all right?” She pressed her face into his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re OK.”

“I’m sorry. I should have checked in more frequently.”

“It’s all right. You needed to focus.” But her eyes were relieved.

“Don’t be so forgiving. I might need a little prompting here and there. I tend to get tunnel vision on a case.” He kissed her temple. As usual, the contact with her centered him, and he realized for the billionth time just how much he needed her.

“Any more news on Evan?” she asked.

“No.”

As if she knew he needed to clear his head, she didn’t press him for details. She splayed her hand on his chest. “You look beaten up.”

“I just need a shower.” He kissed her on the mouth, then went into the bathroom.

Morgan followed him, closing the door behind her. Lance turned on the spray and stripped off his clothes. They’d been together for just nine months, but he could no longer imagine his life without her.

“Have you thought about a date for our wedding?” Lance tested the water temperature with his hand.

“Not really. We’ve been so busy planning the renovations.” She traced her finger on his back. “You have a big scrape here.”

“We’re always busy with something.” Lance stepped into the shower and closed the curtain. “You should call your sisters and brother and see when everyone would be available.”

“I should.” She went quiet, just like all the other times over the past few months that he’d tried to pin her down about setting a date.

He tried a different approach. “If you want to get married in a church, we’ll have to find one and see about availability.”

“I know.”

He looked around the curtain. She was folding his dirty clothes, her movements slow and deliberate, almost melancholy.

He didn’t doubt that she loved him, but was she changing her mind about getting remarried? Maybe she didn’t want the girls to think she was replacing their father. He knew he had to force her into a serious conversation, but he was also afraid of what she might say. He was more terrified of losing her than he’d been about the possibility of facing an armed shooter in the woods. So he dropped the curtain and the subject. He turned to let the hot water rush down his back. The scrape she’d pointed out burned.

“Where is Tina?” he asked.

“The sheriff took her to a hotel. He says it’ll be a day or so before the crime scene is released, although I can’t imagine her ever living there again. I volunteered to stay with her or call a friend or family member, but she said she wanted to be alone.”

“Tina is quiet. Evan was on my team for months before she ever spoke to me.” Lance ducked his head under the spray. “But I don’t like that she’s on her own. Whoever killed Paul is still out there. Does the sheriff know how the shooter got into the house?”

“They found no sign of a break-in.”

Lance looked around the curtain again. “Then how do they think he gained entry?”

“Finish your shower. We may as well review everything with Sharp.” She picked up his boots and carried them out of the bathroom.

Something in her tone made him hurry. Five minutes later, he was dressed and walking into the kitchen. He felt almost human in clean clothes and dry socks.