answers.
“Shit…that guy’s fast.” Jersey glanced sideways at him during their chase. “You sure you don’t want to nick his leg? Slow his ass down a little?”
Ah, hell….
“No. I’d rather spend time in interrogation, not the ER.” Although, whoever the person was, he moved fast. A little longer and the guy would be out of their damn reach.
Just as Cage was warming to Delaney’s suggestion, the figure passed the end of the warehouse and ran right into a backpack someone swung from the side of the building. The perp doubled over, then fell forward, face-planting on the dock.
Hard.
“Did you see that?” His partner snickered. “Damn, that was sweet. Who in the world stopped him? Can you tell?”
With the sun glinting off a metal storage shed, obstructing his view as they neared, Cage was momentarily blinded. “No.”
Squinting, he managed to make out an image. Rivera? Why had the captain stopped by? Must be important for his boss to leave the precinct during a crisis. He glanced past Rivera, but the sun and shadows only gave a glimpse of a backpack-toting silhouette with a pair of shapely legs. Surprise washed through Cage’s body.
Damn.
A woman had stopped the guy.
He lifted a hand to shield his eyes and, a moment later, a good portion of the sea air shot through his lungs. No way in hell. He stopped dead while Jersey continued to move forward.
Nikki Briggs?
His hand dropped to thwack his thigh. Can’t be . He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Too much stress. It was the only explanation. His mind had to be playing tricks. But when he reopened his eyes and moved to where the sun no longer hindered his vision, he caught a better glimpse of the familiar brunette standing with her back to him.
His heart slammed to a stop. He’d know those curves anywhere. It wasn’t an illusion.
She was real.
Memories swarmed, battering him, busting open the scar around his heart, resurrecting a pain as intense as if today had been the day from his past. The day the woman he’d fallen in love with, had given his heart to—fucking diamond ring to—had grown bored and left him for another man.
“Detective Delaney, this is Nicole Locke.” Rivera introduced Jersey to Cage’s ex-fiancée. “The mayor wants her to help out with this case.”
Locke? Not Briggs?
“Nice to meet you, Nicole Locke.” His partner shook her hand and smiled. “You’re off to a good start in the help department. That pier therapy was a take-down for the books.” The northerner motioned to the hooded man still moaning at their feet.
Cage took a moment to let his gaze run over the woman’s memorable appearance. Loaded with enough curves to boast an hourglass figure, despite her five-foot-eight-inch frame, Locke managed to make her short-sleeve, green wrap-type dress come across designer chic. Hair now longer, her braid fell to the middle of her back, and his mind immediately conjured up a memory of her naked in the moonlight, the silky dark brown curtain stopping just above the beauty mark on the middle of her right shoulder blade.
He cursed his body’s heated reaction to the cheater and forced his feet forward, unintentionally noting the length of her braid suggested her hair would now cover the mark his lips had once worshiped.
As he neared the group, she stiffened and slowly turned to face him. His pulse instantly picked up speed. He didn’t know what he’d expected—dread, guilt, maybe even remorse on her beautiful heart-shaped face, but the stark terror shooting through her brown eyes, draining the color from her features, caught him completely off guard. A second later, her gaze turned unreadable and had him doubting he’d seen any emotion in the first place.
“Hello, Cage.” She hesitated before holding out her hand while the others looked on.
The woman’s hotness didn’t only pertain to her smokin’ body; those gorgeous cocoa eyes could root a man to the spot. Luckily, there was enough bad
“Shit…that guy’s fast.” Jersey glanced sideways at him during their chase. “You sure you don’t want to nick his leg? Slow his ass down a little?”
Ah, hell….
“No. I’d rather spend time in interrogation, not the ER.” Although, whoever the person was, he moved fast. A little longer and the guy would be out of their damn reach.
Just as Cage was warming to Delaney’s suggestion, the figure passed the end of the warehouse and ran right into a backpack someone swung from the side of the building. The perp doubled over, then fell forward, face-planting on the dock.
Hard.
“Did you see that?” His partner snickered. “Damn, that was sweet. Who in the world stopped him? Can you tell?”
With the sun glinting off a metal storage shed, obstructing his view as they neared, Cage was momentarily blinded. “No.”
Squinting, he managed to make out an image. Rivera? Why had the captain stopped by? Must be important for his boss to leave the precinct during a crisis. He glanced past Rivera, but the sun and shadows only gave a glimpse of a backpack-toting silhouette with a pair of shapely legs. Surprise washed through Cage’s body.
Damn.
A woman had stopped the guy.
He lifted a hand to shield his eyes and, a moment later, a good portion of the sea air shot through his lungs. No way in hell. He stopped dead while Jersey continued to move forward.
Nikki Briggs?
His hand dropped to thwack his thigh. Can’t be . He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Too much stress. It was the only explanation. His mind had to be playing tricks. But when he reopened his eyes and moved to where the sun no longer hindered his vision, he caught a better glimpse of the familiar brunette standing with her back to him.
His heart slammed to a stop. He’d know those curves anywhere. It wasn’t an illusion.
She was real.
Memories swarmed, battering him, busting open the scar around his heart, resurrecting a pain as intense as if today had been the day from his past. The day the woman he’d fallen in love with, had given his heart to—fucking diamond ring to—had grown bored and left him for another man.
“Detective Delaney, this is Nicole Locke.” Rivera introduced Jersey to Cage’s ex-fiancée. “The mayor wants her to help out with this case.”
Locke? Not Briggs?
“Nice to meet you, Nicole Locke.” His partner shook her hand and smiled. “You’re off to a good start in the help department. That pier therapy was a take-down for the books.” The northerner motioned to the hooded man still moaning at their feet.
Cage took a moment to let his gaze run over the woman’s memorable appearance. Loaded with enough curves to boast an hourglass figure, despite her five-foot-eight-inch frame, Locke managed to make her short-sleeve, green wrap-type dress come across designer chic. Hair now longer, her braid fell to the middle of her back, and his mind immediately conjured up a memory of her naked in the moonlight, the silky dark brown curtain stopping just above the beauty mark on the middle of her right shoulder blade.
He cursed his body’s heated reaction to the cheater and forced his feet forward, unintentionally noting the length of her braid suggested her hair would now cover the mark his lips had once worshiped.
As he neared the group, she stiffened and slowly turned to face him. His pulse instantly picked up speed. He didn’t know what he’d expected—dread, guilt, maybe even remorse on her beautiful heart-shaped face, but the stark terror shooting through her brown eyes, draining the color from her features, caught him completely off guard. A second later, her gaze turned unreadable and had him doubting he’d seen any emotion in the first place.
“Hello, Cage.” She hesitated before holding out her hand while the others looked on.
The woman’s hotness didn’t only pertain to her smokin’ body; those gorgeous cocoa eyes could root a man to the spot. Luckily, there was enough bad