Cynthia Eden - The Girl Next Door

He made himself say, “Maybe because no one was there.”

She shot to her feet. “Look, I’m trying to hire you, okay? You don’t have to believe me in order to take the case.”

“I thought you wanted us to be partners—”

Her dark eyes flashed at him. “I’m going to pay my partner for protection.”

She was really afraid. He rose to his feet, slowly uncurling his body until he towered over her. “Are you sure nothing else has happened?”

Her lips pressed together then she said, “I think he was in my apartment.”

Hell.

“My computer... At first I thought it was just some kind of glitch, but I had a tech I know take a look at it. He said my files were deliberately corrupted.”

“Maybe you got a virus—”

“I’ve got top-of-the-line virus protection software. Whatever was done to my system, it was done by a professional.”

Sydney definitely counted as a professional.

“All of the data that I’d had on that computer, all of the files on Archer and Lockwood—they were destroyed.” She lifted her chin and her gaze glinted. “It’s a good thing I had backups, because if I hadn’t, I’d be in serious trouble with my boss.”

His fingers locked around her shoulders. “You have backup files?”

For a second, she almost looked insulted. No, she did look insulted. “I’m not an amateur. This is what I do. I work these cases. I help solve the crimes that cops have to let go cold.”

Why?

“Someone was in my place,” she said again, dogged. “I know he was there.”

“How? Did your alarm go off—”

“No, but my computer...it was moved. Just a few inches, but I could tell.”

It figured she’d be that observant.

Gabrielle pulled away from him. “Look, if you won’t help me, fine. I’ll find someone else who will.” Then she marched toward the door.

He stared up at the ceiling. This was so tangled. This was so—

The door opened.

In a flash, he rushed across the room and slammed the door shut. “I’ll be your guard.”

“Partner.”

He turned her in his arms. “If that’s the way you want to play it.”

Gabrielle nodded. His body was flush against hers. Those kissable lips of hers were just inches away.

Focus.

The problem was that he was focusing, way too much on her.

“What will I owe you?”

His back teeth clenched. “My standard rate is five hundred a day.” He totally pulled that number right out of the air.

Her eyes widened.

Too high.

“But I’ll work out a deal with you,” he rushed to say, because maybe this could work. If he stayed close to her—and he was planning to stay as close as he could possibly get—then he wouldn’t have to worry about sneaking into her place again and destroying any more files. He’d be able to retrieve every bit of intel at the same time she did.

Even better, he’d be able to control the intel that she received.

“Deal?” Gabrielle whispered and she licked her lips.

His whole body stiffened. “Yeah, maybe I’ll get my name mentioned in the byline of your story.” Right. That would be the last thing he wanted.

He put his hands on either side of her head, flattening his palms against the door. He wanted her mouth beneath his. That one kiss hadn’t been nearly enough to satisfy him.

It had just made him hungry for more.

“Of course, there is one other thing you can give me,” Cooper said, aware that his voice had roughened even more than normal.

Her breath rushed out. Her hands rose to his chest even as bright flags of color stained her cheeks. “I am not—” she began angrily.

“Pie,” he cut in. “I do believe there was a promise of cherry pie on the table.” And if her cherry pie was half as good as her chocolate chip cookies had been, then he’d sure be one very lucky man.

She stopped pushing him. Her hands rested over his chest and seemed to burn right through the fabric of his T-shirt. “Oh. Right. Of course.”

He smiled at her. She was so cute.

But dangerous.

Kiss her.

Instead, he dropped his hands and stepped away from her. “When does this partnership start?”

She glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall. “I’m really glad you agreed to my deal.” Her head tilted. “Just how good are you at blending into the shadows?”

His lips twitched. “I get by.” If she only knew.

“Good,” Gabrielle said decisively, “because I’ve got a lead for us to follow and our partnership starts right now.”

* * *

HIS OLD FRIEND let him right inside the apartment. But then, he’d expected an easy entrance.

He’d also expected to see the haggard lines of grief on Van McAdams’s face.

“Did you hear?” Van asked as he turned away. The guy left the door wide-open.

Van had better training than that. Much, much better.

“I saw the story on the news.” His gloved fingers closed over the doorknob, and he pulled the door shut. He turned the lock quickly. There could be no time for any disturbances.

Van’s shoulders were slumped as he headed toward the den. “What am I supposed to do now? Without Melanie, I don’t have anything.”

He pulled out his weapon. Slipped silently right up behind the man who mistakenly thought they were friends. “I guess you can join her. You can die.”

Before Van could even turn to face him, it was too late. He’d attacked.

Van’s body hit the floor seconds later.

The killer smiled. So easy. So incredibly—

Voices rose in the hallway. And one of those voices was familiar.

Cooper Marshall.

He stared down at the bloody knife in his hand and considered his options.

Chapter Four

“You’re not coming in with me,” Gabrielle said as she glanced over her shoulder. She kept her voice firm, authoritative. In this partnership, she was the one doing the paying, so it seemed fair that she got to be the one giving orders. Right? “You’re to stay out here.” She gestured toward him, then toward the small hallway. “Lurk. Make sure that no one else comes up here and tries to get in this apartment.”

Because she was following a red-hot lead—one that she wasn’t about to lose.

Kylie Archer had been murdered, and her boyfriend had also been killed in the same manner.

Now that Melanie Farrell was dead, would her boyfriend also follow suit? If the killer acted on the same time line, he could wait months to kill Melanie’s lover.

That means I have time to talk to him, to warn him.

To save him?

Cooper didn’t follow her lurk order. He stepped closer to her. “You need to tell me why we’re here.”

“I did.” On the motorcycle ride over, she’d yelled to him—twice—that she was following up on a lead. Her hand lifted and rapped against the apartment’s door. She’d called and said she was coming by. The guy had been home an hour ago.

“A boyfriend,” he said.

Still not lurking.

“I talked to Melanie’s friend at work. Melanie’s family didn’t know about the guy, but if you’re in deep with someone, the best friend always knows.” It was a woman’s rule. “Melanie called once and had Trish pick her up from this place. I did a little dot connecting, and I found the single guy in the apartment building who fit his description.” A guy who was still not answering the door. “And voilà, I got him!”

“You got him,” Cooper repeated, voice roughening.

She nodded but froze when she heard the distinct sound of glass shattering. That sound had come from inside the apartment.

Her fingers curled around the doorknob and she jerked, hard. “Mr. McAdams!”