Lethal Attraction: Against the Rules\Fatal Affair Read online

“You’re pale. Do you need a minute?”

  “No.” She breathed through the pain and buttoned up her coat. “Let’s get it over with.” The chief followed her into the maelstrom.

  The reporters went wild, screaming questions at her.

  Chief Farnsworth held up a hand to quiet them. “Sergeant Holland will answer your questions if you give her the chance.”

  As Sam stepped up to the microphone, the crowd fell silent. “Today, we ruled out Terry O’Connor as a suspect in his brother’s murder. We have a number of other persons of interest we’re looking at closely.” She really wished that was true, but she couldn’t exactly tell the media that the investigation had hit a dead end.

  “Can you tell us who they are?”

  “Not without compromising the investigation. As soon as we’re able to give you more, we will.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell us about the O’Connor investigation?”

  “Not at this time.”

  “How close are you to making an arrest?”

  “Not as close as I’d like to be, but it’s far more important that we build a case that’ll hold up in court rather than rush to judgment.”

  “Why did Detective Cruz go to Chicago?”

  “No comment.” No way was she handing them Thomas O’Connor. They would have to figure that one out for themselves.

  “Did the Johnson family play a role in yesterday’s bombing?”

  “No. We’ve made an arrest that’s unrelated to the Johnsons.” She looked down and summoned the strength to get through this. “My ex-husband, Peter Gibson, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder—among numerous other charges—in the bombing.”

  “Why’d he do it?” one of the reporters shouted.

  “We believe he was enraged by my relationship with Mr. Cappuano.”

  “Did you know Mr. Cappuano before this week?”

  Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stay calm and to not make their day by getting emotional. “We met years ago and had a brief relationship.”

  “Did you tell your superior officers that you’d had a past relationship with a material witness?” asked Darren Tabor from the Washington Star. He’d been particularly harsh toward her in his reporting after the Johnson disaster.

  Sam’s fingers tightened around the edges of the podium. “I did not.”

  “Why?”

  “I was determined to close the O’Connor case and believed Mr. Cappuano’s assistance would be invaluable, which it has been. Thanks to his help, I’m much further along than I would’ve been without it.”

  “Still, aren’t you walking a fine ethical line especially in light of the publicity you received after the Johnson case?” Tabor asked with a smirk.

  “If you examine my more than twelve-year record, you’ll find my behavior to be above reproach.”

  “Until recently.”

  “Your judgment,” Sam said, working to keep her cool while making a mental note to check on his unpaid parking tickets. Issuing a warrant for his arrest would give her tremendous joy.

  “Is it true Mr. Cappuano is the beneficiary of a sizable life insurance policy taken out by the senator?” Tabor asked.

  Sam clenched her teeth. How the hell had that leaked? “Yes.”

  “Doesn’t that give you a motive?”

  “Maybe if he had known about it.”

  “You believe he didn’t?”

  “He was as surprised by it as we were. Mr. Cappuano has been cleared of any involvement in the senator’s murder.”

  “Is it serious between you and Cappuano?” Sam wanted to groan when she recognized the bottle-blonde reporter from one of the gossip rags.

  “It’s been a week,” Sam said, laughing off the question.

  “But is it serious?”

  What is this? Sam wanted to shoot back at her. High school? “Would I have gotten involved if it wasn’t? Next question.” She looked away from the reporter’s satisfied grin, sending the signal that she was finished with the discourse into her personal life.

  “Are you concerned by Destiny Johnson’s threats?” another reporter asked.

  Relieved to be moving on, Sam made eye contact with the new reporter, a woman she recognized from one of the network affiliates. “Mrs. Johnson is a grieving mother. My heart goes out to her.”

  “How about Marquis Johnson?”

  “As I’m due to testify in his probable cause hearing on Tuesday, I have no comment.”

  “Sergeant, the second anniversary of your father’s shooting is coming up next week. Are there any new leads in his case?”

  “Unfortunately, no, but it remains an open investigation. Anyone with information is urged to come forward.”

  “And how’s he doing?”

  “Very well. Thank you for asking.”

  Chief Farnsworth stepped forward to rescue her.

  Sam held up her hand to stop him. “I just want to say…” She cleared the emotion from her throat. “That it’s an honor to serve the people of this city, and while you’ve taken your digs at me lately, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do, no risk I wouldn’t take, to protect our citizens. If that’s not enough for you, well then you can continue to make me the story rather than focusing on real news. That’s it.”

  As they hollered more questions at her, she pushed through them to the staff parking lot where her gleaming new car waited for her. Only when she was safely inside could she begin to breathe her way through the pain.

  *

  Sam called Nick from the car.

  “Hey, babe,” he said.

  She took a moment to enjoy the easy familiarity they had slid into, as if they’d been together for years rather than days.

  “Sam?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Everything all right?”

  “It is now that I’m talking to you. What’re you doing?”

  “I’m sitting on your bed trying to write what I have to say at the funeral tomorrow. It’s just dawned on me that I have to speak in front of the president and most of Congress.”

  Sam released a low whistle. “I don’t think I could do it.”

  “Sure you could. You just took on the Washington press corps.”

  “You saw that, huh?”

  “Yep. I heard it’s serious between us. Did you know that?”

  Laughing, she said, “I’ve heard that rumor.”

  “Say it again, Sam,” he said, his voice gruff and sexy.

  Her heart contracted. “Say what?” she asked, even though she knew exactly what he was after.

  “Don’t play coy with me. Say it.”

  “When I see you.”

  “And when will that be?”

  “I’m almost home. Want to meet me outside and go for a walk? I promised I’d take you to the market.”

  “So you did. Was that only yesterday?”

  “Sure was. Meet me on the corner in five? If I come in, I’ll get trapped, and I need some air.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  *

  He was waiting for her when she parked in front of the house and set out toward the corner.

  Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him in jeans and a black leather jacket, and she couldn’t help but break into a jog to get to him faster. She hurled herself into his outstretched arms and squealed when he lifted her right off her feet.

  His mouth descended on hers for a hot, breathtaking kiss.

  “Mmm,” she said against his lips. “I missed you.”

  “You just saw me a couple of hours ago.”

  “Long time.” She burrowed into his neck to nibble on warm skin.

  He trembled and tightened his hold on her. “What happened to your ban on PDA?”

  “Momentary lapse.”

  “I like it.” He returned her to terra firma and tipped her chin up. “There was something you were going to tell me?”

  She thought about playing coy again, but as she looked up at his handsome face, she found she c