Chapter 31

Stephanie beat him to the front door by inches. And gave him a cocky grin at his amazed grunt at her speed. He was so much fun to surprise. They both raced to the front room.

Nick's briefcase was laying on the floor in the middle of the living room. Stephanie grabbed it and opened the front pocket, digging in like she knew exactly where it would be. She pulled out his cell phone. "Got it."

"Okay, how did you know he kept it there?" The girl was amazing. He wondered if there was anything that she couldn't do and knew an instant of intimidation that there probably wasn't.

"It's where I keep mine when I carry one of these things. Which is only when I have to go to court, by the way." She pressed the button that made the screen flip up. She was pressing buttons until she got to the missed calls file. "Damn, unavailable."

Roger pulled his phone out with a toothy grin. "You just have to know who to call." He dialed his phone and spoke into it, giving out his ID number along with the number to the bureau so that they could confirm who he was. Then he read them the phone number for Nick's phone and asked to have them call him back with the information.

"Is there anything you feds can't do?" she asked him.

"Sleep. It'll take a couple of minutes for them to confirm who I am and my reason for the information."

While they waited, he took a look around the living room, the work that Nick had put in very apparent against the rest of the shabby room. "He's pretty talented with a hammer. Don't know why he wastes himself getting shot at."

"Could it be that he likes his job?"

"Smart ass," he said agreeably.

"Do you like yours?" she asked, suddenly curious.

Now that was a question he had been asking himself recently. "Sometimes," he hedged. What's not to like? Long hours on the road, nightmares that had him sleeping with the lights on if and when he could go back to sleep. He hadn't seen his family in forever, much to his mother's constant regret. His last holiday off had been Labor day and he had spent it doing his laundry. His last vacation was too long ago to remember. And it was really hard to have any kind of romantic relationship when you were constantly packing and leaving at the ring of a telephone.

But then there was the other side. The people who's lives you touched, who maybe you had a small part in saving. The satisfaction of hearing that imaginary jail door slam when you put the evidence together and had a solid bust. The knowledge that he was good at his job, that what he did mattered and made a difference. He couldn't get that banging a cash register or slinging cheeseburgers.

"Do you like yours?" he asked, tit for tat.

Before she could answer, her cell phone rang. She dug it out of one of the many pockets of the leather jacket she wore. "Sidler."

Roger saw the expression on her face and knew something was up. She was smiling as she flipped the phone shut and stuffed it back into her pocket. "Come on Ace," she said. "We got a bad guy to get." She started walking out of the house and was almost to her bike when he caught her?

"What? Who was that?" Damn female. "You gonna give me any details here?" He slipped his arms back into his jacket and took the helmet she handed him.

"County boys got a phone call from Michelle. They traced the call and got an address. We're closer than they are. I thought you might enjoy being able to be the hero." She hitched her leg over the seat on her bike, sliding alone the smooth leather like she was coming home.

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for?"

She tore out of the driveway at a speed that had him grabbing for her waist. He could hear her laugh even over the noise of the wind and the engine. It was a lusty sound and triggered a heavy reaction that had his hormones raging and him squirming a little against the leather seat. And he made it worse by wondering whether she would laugh like that in bed, which of course brought pictures of her naked, astride his loins, hair flung back.

His breathing hitched and he cursed his active imagination. She was a fellow law enforcement officer. He was here temporarily, very temporarily, he argued with his lusting libido. And even if he thought of her as fun and sexy, very sexy, he wasn't going to be here long enough to pursue any avenues of a relationship. So knock it off, he hissed at his hormones. You're not getting any here. He gave himself a swift mental kick.