“Yeah. I’m your friend.” I can’t help that the word friend sounds like a dirty word. “I’m not leaving.”
“Well, you know what they say? You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
I narrow my eyes at her, and she just cocks a hip and sets her hand on it, nothing but stubbornness and sass.
God, I want to kiss her so badly, I ache with it.
But now is not the time. I don’t know when it’ll be the time.
“Fine.”
I turn and walk out of the room, down the stairs, and out the front door. I don’t stop until I get to my rental car, slamming the door behind me before settling in for a long damn night in the cramped space.
Because I’m not leaving, no matter what she fucking says.
What I said the other day is completely true. I want to eat her with a damn spoon and spank her, all at the same time. She’s infuriating. She always was, but now that I can’t touch her, be with her, it’s even more so.
Damn woman.
I’ve just reclined the seat and found an easy-listening station on the radio when Annika opens her front door, frowns and me, and comes stomping to the car.
I roll down the window.
“Problem?” I ask.
“What are you doing?”
“Listening to the radio. Keeping an eye out. You know, the usual.”
She shakes her head and blinks furiously, the way she does when she’s frustrated.
“Why are you out here in the car like a stalker?”
“Not a stalker. I’m on a stakeout. Since you won’t let me stay in there,”—I gesture to the house—“I’m going to be out here instead. It’s not the best of circumstances, but I have heat, and I can always order a pizza or something.”
“You’ll order a pizza.” She laughs and shakes her head. “And what? Tell them to deliver it to the car in my driveway?”
“Sure. Is that weird?”
“Yeah, Rafe, it’s weird. Just go to the hotel. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Like you said, I don’t have to go home, but I can’t stay here. Well, I’m not in there. And if you don’t want me in your driveway, I can park at the curb.”
She watches me for several seconds—to see if I’m bluffing, I’m sure.
I’m not.
“Fine. Have it your way. Stay in the car in the driveway, Rafe. You’ll last one night, and then you’ll be at the hotel tomorrow night.”
“Don’t bet on it, sweetheart.”
“Why are you so stubborn?”
“Hi, pot, I’m kettle.”
She growls in frustration and marches back to the house, glaring at me over her shoulder before slamming the door shut.
I hoped she’d cave and let me back inside. Hell, I’d settle for the couch at this point.
But that’s not my Annika. No, the woman has more backbone, more stubbornness in her little finger than most people have in their whole bodies.
It’s one of the reasons why I love her to distraction.
A pizza doesn’t sound half bad, so I make a call and entertain myself as I wait by checking in with my contacts to see if there’s been any additional chatter about the current situation with Annika.
There hasn’t been.
The pizza kid parks behind me, and I get out to intercept the pizza.
“Uh, hi,” he says and swallows hard. “That’s thirty-seven-fifty.”
I pass him a fifty. “Keep the change.”
“Solid. Thanks.” He flashes a smile. “Are you surprising someone with pizza or something?”
“Something like that,” I agree and nod when he turns to leave. Once he’s gone, I take one of the two boxes, set it on the porch in front of the door, and then return to my car and open my box.
I type out a quick text to Annika.
Me: Dinner’s on the porch. Better fetch it before it goes cold.
There’s no reply, but then, I don’t expect one. I’m halfway into my second slice when the door opens, and Annika stares down at the pizza box. She glances up at me, picks up the box, and takes it inside.
Pepperoni with olives is her favorite. She’ll be out in no time, telling me to come inside and eat with her. There’s no way she’ll leave me out here all night. She may be stubborn, but she has a soft side.
And I can usually get there through her stomach.
But I finish off all but two pieces of my pie, and still no Annika.
Two hours later, when there’s nothing left for me to do but sit and watch the neighborhood, she still hasn’t said a word.
“She’s seriously going to leave me out here.” I shake my head and can’t help but laugh. “Is it any wonder I want to spend the rest of my life with her?”
Bam! Bam! Bam!
I startle and open my eyes. Shit, I fell asleep.
“Good morning,” I mutter as I roll down the window. “What time is it?”
“Six,” she replies, but her mouth softens into a smile. “You really stayed out here.”
“Of course.” I wipe my mouth, conscious of the stubble on my face. “Last time I looked at the time, it was four-thirty. So, I wasn’t out long.”
“Come on, tough guy. I’ll make you some coffee.”
“And pancakes?”
She shakes her head, but she’s laughing. “Sure, I’ll make pancakes. I also have leftover pizza.”
“Me, too.” I grab a few things from the car. When we turn to walk back into the house, I scowl. “What the fuck is that?”
“What?” She looks up and then gasps. “Oh, God. I didn’t see it when I came outside. But I was looking at you.”
“Motherfucker,” I growl and stomp up the steps but don’t take the envelope off the door yet. I take my phone from my pocket and call Carmine. “We have another envelope. Haven’t opened it yet.”
“Jesus, it’s six in the goddamn morning. Give us thirty and we’ll be there.”
He ends the call.
“I need gloves.”
“Be right back,” Annika says and slips through the door, avoiding the envelope like it’s a snake that might strike out and bite her, then hurries back to me with a gardening glove.
“You don’t have any latex gloves?” I ask, scowling at the glove in my hand.
“No, I’m out.”
“This won’t fit me.”
“Oh. Right. You have big hands. I can get a baggie or something.”
I pass the glove back to her. “It’s okay. You put it on and grab the envelope.”
“No.”
She firms her lips and shakes her head.
“It can’t hurt you.”
She stares at me for a long moment. “I’m quite sure that whatever’s in there will hurt me.”
I blow out a breath and use the glove to take the envelope off the door, careful not to add prints to it. We’ll have Shane run it later, along with whatever’s inside.
He ran the last ones, but the evidence was contaminated with too many other fingerprints to find anything useful.
We move inside, close the door, and I lay the letter on the dining room table. I text Carmine and ask him to bring gloves.