He looked at me. “You wouldn’t feel like going back to Sweet Agreeable Roxie for a while, going to the station with me tonight, hanging out while I work?” That sounded about as fun as sitting in the control room.

I wasn’t al -fired sure about this haunted house business but I wasn’t going to hang out watching my nails grow at the station while Hank worked.

I shook my head.

“Fuck,” he said.

“We need to go back to your place,” I told him. “I have to change clothes. Which reminds me, I need to cal Vance.” Hank did a slow blink. “Why do you need to cal Vance?”

“He bought me some clothes and some Keds. Al y mentioned I need to wear gym shoes and the only ones I own are the ones Vance bought me. I need to pay him back.”

“I’l pay him back,” Hank answered immediately.

I dipped another chip. “No, I’l pay him back. Do you have him programmed into your phone?”

I put the chip into my mouth and held out my hand for his phone.

“You aren’t cal in’ Vance,” he said, taking his own chip.

“Why not?”

He chewed and swal owed. “Because you aren’t.” I stared at him, thinking I was beginning to get angry.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t like the idea of you talkin’ to Vance.” Okay, I was definitely beginning to get angry. “Why not?” I repeated.

“Vance is a player and he’s playin’ you.”

It was my turn to blink. “I don’t think so,” I said.

“He is.”

“He is not.”

“For Christ’s sake, Roxie,” he said and I could tel he was beginning to get angry too.

“Don’t ‘for Christ’s sake’ me, Hank Nightingale. Vance is not playing me.”

“What was happening at Lincoln’s then?”

“Lincoln’s?”

“When he was holdin’ your hand.”

Oh.

That.

“We were having a moment.”

Hank’s control slipped and his eyes went hard.

I watched, scared and fascinated at the same time.

“And when he was touchin’ your ear?” he asked.

Mmm, there was that too.

“We were having another moment,” I answered.

Hank’s control slipped more and his entire face went hard. Then he looked to the bartender as he slid off the barstool

“Watch this,” he ordered the bartender, motioning with his head to our stuff on the bar. My purse and phone were sitting there as was our food.

The bartender looked at the gun and badge on Hank’s belt and nodded.

Then Hank grabbed my hand and pul ed me off the barstool.

“Hey!” I snapped but he dragged me out, around the corner and down the side of the building. Al the while I tried to pul free. Al the while I failed.

Then he pushed me up against the side of the building and I saw I was wrong about Hank’s control slipping. One look at him and I realized Hank’s control was gone.

Any smart girl would have kept her mouth shut. I was not a smart girl. It was an established fact, especial y recently, that I was an idiot.

“I cannot believe you just dragged me out of the restaurant,” I hissed.

Hank got close. “Remember when I told you that you bein’ my woman meant I protected you and kept you safe?”

“Yes,” I was stil hissing.

“Wel , this time, that comes in the form of me tel in’ you what to do and what you’re not gonna do is talk to, or see, Vance again.”

Holy Mary, Mother of God.

I was no longer beginning to get angry. I was pissed the hel off.

“You did not just say that to me.”

“I sure the f**k did.”

“Take it back!” my voice was rising.

He got closer. One of his hands was at the bricks at the side of my head, the other one was at his hip, his chest was nearly against mine and his head was tilted to look down at me.

“Vance means something to me,” I told him.

Um… not the right thing to say.

“You barely know him,” he said.

“I barely know you,” I retorted angrily.

Strike two. Definitely not the right thing to say.

“I’ve had my c**k inside you. I’d say you know me a f**k of a lot better than you know Vance.”

At that nasty comment, I put my hands to his abs and pushed hard. His body jerked but moved back into my space instantly.

“Don’t be coarse,” I clipped.

“Roxanne –”

“He rescued me from the sink! He took me to the hospital! He got me clothes when I had to get rid of the ones I was wearing because I couldn’t bear to keep them on a second longer. He got me a shower because I hadn’t had one in days.”

“Roxanne –”

“No, Hank –”

“Roxanne, be quiet.”

“No!”

His hand went from his hip to cup my jaw and his face dipped so close; it was al I could see. “Don’t you think I wanted to be the one to rescue you from that f**king sink?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

My stomach clenched as I realized what had brought on his anger.

I stared at him and final y kept my mouth shut.

“Do you have any f**king clue how hard it was to wait for Vance to cal in witness reports, every f**kin’ report worse than the one before? You runnin’ from a bathroom at a gas station, bloody, screamin’ and fightin’ to get away. Tied to a steering wheel. Eatin’ fuckin’ chips with your wrists bound.

Christ! ”

The last word was an explosion. I winced and jerked as if it had a physical impact on my body.

He pul ed back and took his hand away from my face but He pul ed back and took his hand away from my face but I grabbed it and tugged on it.

“Hank, listen to me,” he was looking at the wal over my shoulder, trying to regain control. When I said his name, his eyes moved to lock on mine and I felt a shiver run through me at the anger stil there.

I went on. “After he found me, I asked Vance to take me back to Chicago.”

At that, Hank’s eyes flared.

I shook my head and continued. “He wouldn’t do it. He said he wouldn’t do it because he respected you and you’d sent him after me. He said he wouldn’t do it because he didn’t want to make you show him how you’d react if he didn’t bring me back to you.”

I watched him work to get control, a muscle moved in his jaw. Al the while, he kept his beautiful eyes on me.