Secret Admirer - Amanda Stevens

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gaze. “You wanted to see me?”

      Clare nodded. “How did it go out there?”

      “You mean with Tony…Detective Gallagher?” Eve shrugged. “Too early to tell. He’s…a bit hostile, isn’t he?”

      Clare gave a short laugh. “You might say that.” She sat forward suddenly, folding her arms on her desk as she leaned toward Eve. “You’ve seen his disciplinary record. He’s had his share of rips, both civilian and departmental, not the least of which was that assault charge four years ago. And now this latest incident…”

      “He was exonerated each time,” Eve said, maybe a shade too quickly.

      Clare frowned. “Still, the media doesn’t print the exoneration, only the charges. Cops like Tony make the whole department look bad.”

      “An active cop gets complaints,” Eve argued, even though she knew Clare had a point.

      Clare gave her an annoyed glance. “You sound as if you’re defending his behavior. That’s not why you were brought in.”

      “I was brought in to observe and evaluate. I can’t do that unless I keep an open mind. I’ll tell you exactly what I told my own commanding officer. I’m not going to railroad Tony Gallagher. If that’s what you want, then I may as well walk out that door right now.”

      Anger flashed in Clare’s eyes, but her voice was surprisingly obliging. “Point taken,” she said tightly, then added, “You don’t have qualms about this assignment, do you? It could get a little sticky, if you aren’t careful.”

      “I plan to be careful,” Eve said. “And, no, I don’t have any qualms. I know what has to be done.”

      Clare nodded in approval. “A word of caution, however.” She got up and came around to lean against the desk, gripping the edge with her fingers. “Don’t let your hormones get in the way of doing your job.”

      Eve was taken aback. “I beg your pardon?”

      “I’m talking about the effect Tony Gallagher has on women. He can be obnoxious, opinionated, frustrating as hell to deal with. But he can also get under your skin in a big way. When that happens, it’s damn near impossible to get him out.” Her gaze was very direct, knowing, and Eve stared at her in shock.

      So she and Clare Foxx had something in common, after all. It wasn’t a notion that gave Eve any comfort.

      “I appreciate the advice,” she murmured. “Is that all, Lieutenant?”

      “For now.” Clare waited until Eve had gotten to the door, then she added, “Tony Gallagher is a disaster waiting to happen. That’s why you’re here, Barrett. To make sure it doesn’t happen.”

      “I’ll do my best.” But when Eve opened the door and stepped into the hall, she saw almost at once that their cubicle was empty.

      Sometime after she’d been summoned into Clare Foxx’s office, Tony Gallagher had decided to bail on her, after all.

      Chapter Two

      The second watch had already come on duty by the time Eve packed up her briefcase and purse and got ready to leave. Tony hadn’t come back to the station all afternoon, nor had he called in. Eve had no idea where he’d gone off to, but she wasn’t so dense that she couldn’t take a hint. He was avoiding her.

      She drew a long breath, wondering again if she’d made the right decision in accepting this assignment. Not that she’d had much choice. When the request came down from the superintendent himself, you didn’t exactly refuse.

      Still, if the brass had known about her past with Tony, would their enthusiasm for giving her this assignment have waned? Eve had considered telling them, but then figured it wouldn’t have made a difference, anyway. They knew she came from the same neighborhood, knew she and Tony had attended the same school. Their paths were bound to have crossed at some point, but as Eve’s commanding officer had pointed out, that made her an ideal candidate for the job. She could, in ways that counted, speak Tony Gallagher’s language. An acquaintance from the old neighborhood had a better shot at gaining his trust than a total stranger.

      Of course, that theory had been blown all to hell, since Tony didn’t even remember her. Now Eve was glad she hadn’t told anyone about her crush on the neighborhood hunk, the few passionate kisses the two of them had sneaked behind her father’s back. How humiliating to have tried to make something out of what had turned out to be a big nothing.

      “Hey, Barrett,” a masculine voice said from the doorway of her office. “Ready to hang it up?”

      Eve glanced up, grimacing inwardly at the man who stood watching her. Vic D’Angelo was the stereotypical homicide detective—tall, good-looking and more than a little arrogant. He was tanned, toned and expensively coiffed, but his taste in clothing appeared heavily influenced by the years he’d spent watching reruns of Miami Vice.

      In the two weeks Eve had been there, she’d learned to avoid D’Angelo whenever possible, just as she’d learned, in the two or three conversations they’d had, how much he despised Tony. “Cowboy,” he called him disparagingly.

      “I was just about to take off,” Eve told him. She hooked the strap of her purse over her shoulder and came around the desk. D’Angelo made no move to let her by.

      “A few of us are heading over to Durty Nellie’s for a couple of beers. Care to join us?”

      He’d been trying for days to get Eve to have dinner or drinks with him. Of course, what he really wanted was a roll in the hay. Eve knew his type all too well, and what was worse, she suspected he was of the kiss-and-tell variety. He wouldn’t be able to resist boasting about his latest conquest, but it made no difference to Eve. She had no intention of going out with him, let alone sleeping with him.

      As if reading her mind, he shrugged, his hand sweeping down his silk tie. “Suit yourself. It’s no skin off my teeth one way or another. But your new partner’s apt to be there. Might give you two a chance to connect, although, I have to tell you, Cowboy’s not exactly the friendly type. If you want to really connect…” His oily smile reminded Eve of a street pimp she’d arrested once while working vice.

      She spared him a withering glance. “However charming your offer, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

      “Ah, come on, Barrett. Just a couple of beers at Nellie’s. Give you a chance to get to know some of the other guys around here, too. Who knows? You might even get to like us.”

      Eve hated to admit it, but he had a point. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be at this station, and the more she was accepted, the better she’d blend in. Being Tony Gallagher’s partner was already making things difficult for her. He was something of a pariah, though she suspected the image was one he cultivated more than he tried to live down.

      “All right,” she said. “I’ll meet you there.”

      D’Angelo’s grin was so insolent, Eve almost backed out. “Since you don’t know where the place is, how about we ride together?” he suggested.

      “Then I’d have to come back here and get my car.”

      “Not necessarily. You could pick it up in the morning.” He let his gaze travel leisurely over her body, lingering on her legs as he released a long, appreciative breath.

      When he finally glanced up, Eve gave him a cold glare. “You through?”

      “You’re not as tough as you try to let on, Barrett.”

      He stepped back to let her through the door. When Eve walked by him, his hand very deliberately grazed her derriere. She grabbed his fingers, bending the middle one back almost to his wrist, then releasing it so quickly he wouldn’t have known what had happened except for the excruciating pain. His eyebrows shot skyward.

      “Goddammit!” he roared, his eyes

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