Caribbean Rain Read Free

Sophie. “And you ain’t driving.”
    “Don’t shoot each other,” Manny called out.
    Shaking his head and grinning, he waved to the waitress to bring more coffee.
    A lot had transpired since he’d returned from Ireland. Especially involving his good friends.
    Alex Downs was the best CSI on the planet, even though his outward appearance would tag him as more of an accountant. He was paunchy with thinning hair and black-rimmed glasses reminiscent of the ‘70s, but his appearance belied a brilliant mind, and even more than that, a loyal friend.
    Sophie Lee. There just weren’t enough words to describe his Chinese-American, longtime partner and friend. Smartass, sarcastic, and crazy covered much of it, but bright, energetic, and fearless weren’t far behind. The two of them were as much family to Manny as anyone. That made him smile. And now they were both joining him in the BAU. They’d been through some intense training over the last two months and had a few more hoops to jump through, but having Alex and Sophie covering his backside like old times was, well, nothing could’ve suited him more.
    The short, slender waitress filled his cup and moved to the next table.
    Sipping his coffee, his thinking shifted to his daughter Jen. She was halfway through her senior year, embracing everything her final year in high school should be, and growing up faster and smarter every day, it seemed, in the course of time. That fact led him to remember how much Jen resembled her deceased mom Louise. Her speech, her mannerisms, even the way she spoke to Manny.
    He’d be a liar if he’d said it didn’t hurt, every once in a while at least, to watch her evolution from teenager to young woman. There was no question that she was going to mature into her mother’s daughter. He sighed. There would always be a special place in his heart for Louise, maybe more than special, and it had been beyond difficult to move on after her death, but that’s where Chloe Franson came in.
    Thinking of Chloe always made his insides quiver. Her emerald eyes and flowing red hair were only the beginning of who she was. Beautiful? Yes. Smart? Yes. But there was nothing that compared to her heart—and especially her heart for him. There had been electricity between them from the first time they’d shaken hands, but now that they’d made a vow to each other, it was more like an eternal storm. He ran his hand through his hair. That storm made waiting all the more difficult.
    When he’d gone to Ireland to tell her how he felt, and that he wanted to be with her, he’d given her a Claddagh ring that symbolized his commitment to her. They cried, they kissed, and that fire they’d both felt had grown into a raging inferno. He wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted Louise this much. But his “Boy Scout” convictions had won out. No sex until they said “I do.” He knew how most of the world looked at that, but he didn’t care. Some things were more important. He’d made that pledge to God, and himself, and would stick to it. He wanted to be an example to Jen. It would be hard to preach one thing, like abstinence, if he were breaking the rules himself.
    Chloe had told him a hundred times since then that she understood, but it was getting tougher, for both of them. The way she touched him, her walk, her scent, her pure, unadulterated love for him confused things even more. She’d even suggested that they take cold showers . . . together. He smiled. The woman was just no help.
    His Irish love had also made Jen feel comfortable. They’d talked, even laughed a time or two, but the thought of someone, even Chloe, taking her mother’s place at his side was still something Jen was working through. He exhaled. Hell, they were all working through that, but Jen was a special young lady. Then there was that dream—
    The sound of loud voices interrupted Manny’s world, and he glanced at the front door just as two men wearing long, black coats and ski masks entered the