Page 82 of Dark ’N’ Deadly

“He does, but he’s a stickler for procedure, and we have no evidence connecting Harley, Pritchard, or anyone else with the theft. There were no witnesses, no cameras, and we don’t even know where the nitro or explosives are located.”

“Then how do we handle this tomorrow?” Dayne asked.

Eric sat on the edge of the sofa, so close that she could smell the remnants of his aftershave and the soap he’d used on her naked body after they’d made love in the shower. Her heart constricted as she remembered how his hands had stroked her wet skin and how he’d kissed her before taking her so thoroughly and completely against the shower wall.

He held up the folded piece of paper she’d given him. Nothing in his demeanor gave her any indication whatsoever that her nearness was affecting him in the slightest. “The address Gant gave you is a brick mansion sitting in the middle of twenty acres of old apple orchards. It’s for sale and up until three days ago vacant. We sent teams there tonight to watch the place from a distance. There are no vehicles outside, but there’s a three-car garage and the lights are on inside the house.”

Dayne pointed to the paper. “Considering who owns that house, I’m not surprised Gant’s using it.”

Her fingers stilled on Tiger’s ears. “Why? Who owns it?”

“Vincent Mangano.” Dayne readjusted his forearms on the back of the chair. “A mob boss who’s been in prison for the last five years. The FBI investigated him for nearly a decade before nailing him on racketeering charges. I bet that house could tell some stories. There were rumors it was a hidey-hole for all kinds of illegal things, but they were just that. Rumors. We never did get a search warrant for the place.”

“And we’re not there yet.” Eric raked a hand through his hair. “After tomorrow, we might be. The judge said that if an explosives K-9 hits on the place he’ll sign the warrant.”

“How will you get an explosives dog close enough without Harley knowing it?” Tess asked.

“I have no intention of hiding.” Eric’s lips curved into a crafty smile. “When you go to meet Gant, Tiger and I are walking in the door with you.”

“It won’t work,” she warned. “I told you already, he specified that he won’t let me set foot inside the door if anyone comes with me.”

“Then we’ll be right outside the front door in plain sight.”

“But—”

“No buts.” Eric got in her face, leaning down so close he could have kissed her if he wanted to. She knew he didn’t. “If he wants you so badly—and it’s clear that he does—he’ll have to deal with half a dozen armed agents on his front lawn. That’s my part of the deal, and that’s not open to negotiation.”

For an instant, his gaze lowered to her mouth. Her pulse ticked faster. Please, please kiss me. Hold me, do something so I know you still care.

He jerked back as if she’d slapped him. When his eyes shuttered, she understood precisely what was happening. He needed to widen the physical and emotional barriers between them. He was slowly, painfully slipping from her life.

Get real, girl. He’s already gone.

“Tiger, hier!” he practically yelled as he headed out the door.

Tiger hopped off the sofa, pausing to nudge her hand with his wet nose before following Eric.

When she stood, Dayne rose and dropped an arm across her shoulders, urging her into the hallway. “Have faith. He’ll come around.”

She wouldn’t have believed that her heart could sink any lower, but it did. Even if he did somehow manage to “come around” as Dayne assured her he would, she’d be long gone by then.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Eric leaned against the wall outside Tess’s bedroom. The shower had come on a few minutes earlier, so he knew she was awake.

The drive home the night before had passed in silence, then they’d slept in separate beds. If one could actually call tossing and turning and punching the pillow into submission out of sheer frustration for hours “sleep.”

He straightened and dragged a hand down his face. Before she’d shown up at the office yesterday, he’d already figured it out. When she’d said those fateful words—he’s my stepfather—mind numbing reality had slapped him in the face and left a mark that would never go away.

Tiger stood beside him, his head hung low as he looked up with accusatory eyes, as if Eric—not Tess—had been the one to lie and deceive.

“Hey, buddy.” He reached out to stroke his dog’s ears, but Tiger backed away, uttering a huff that might as well have articulated the words: You should forgive her. After watching him a second longer, his dog turned and disappeared down the stairs.

He stared after Tiger, wondering if his K-9 was right, then laughed inwardly. His dog was never wrong about explosives, and he was never wrong about people. Am I wrong?

Tess had lied about something she knew damn well was vitally important to him. On the other hand, there were always two sides to any argument, and she was right about one thing.

If he’d known about Jesse’s ties to Gant, the kid would never have gotten off so easily. Fact was, the prosecutor wouldn’t have let him off at all.