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“I have no idea how this person gained access,” the doorman continued with a huff, “but he certainly didn’t come through my lobby.”
“It’s all right, Harry.” Officer Valentine clapped the doorman on the shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. And as soon as we do, you’ll be the first to know.”
“You do that.” Harry nodded crisply. “If Miss Fiorini had been hurt, I never would have forgiven myself. Sweet girl like that should feel safe in her own home.”
Jack smiled at the man as he followed Valentine deeper into the lobby, a fan of Harry already.
“As I said, we’re working on figuring out just how the guy gained access.” The officer circled around the front desk, motioning for Jack to join him on the other side. There, below the polished black marble countertop was a console with a series of six small television screens, each displaying a stretch of empty hallway. On one of them Jack saw the frozen image of a man working at the lock on Eva’s door.
“This is their best shot of him so far.” The officer clicked the mouse beside the front desk computer, blowing up the image until the intruder’s pixelated face filled the screen. “We’re working with American Security to get the images from the cameras inside the apartment. We should have them soon.”
Jack stared at the blurry picture of the fucker who’d ruined his evening. The guy was tall and wore baggy jeans and a hooded jacket that was drawn tight around his face. He could’ve been any one of a million men. “That’s all you have?”
The officer crossed his arms with a sigh. “’Fraid so.”
Jack looked at the doorman, whose moustache was ruffling with irritation “So you were here in the lobby the entire time, Harry?”
The older man nodded. “I sure was.”
“And she’s on the, what? The twelfth floor?” When the older man nodded again, Jack pushed on. “Are there any back entrances this guy might have come through? Maybe a delivery entrance?”
Harry shook his head. “There are, but all the other entrances are locked, and I didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary.” He leaned his forearm on the desk and pointed to the log book on the other side. “All the people who signed in have checked out. Unless the bastard scaled the wall, I don’t know how he got in.”
And if he had scaled the wall—or resorted to other elaborate measures to gain entrance—then this for damned sure wasn’t a random break-in.
Jack turned back to the officer, his brow furrowed. He didn’t like this. Not one fucking bit. “So, what happens next?”
“We’re looking into all possible leads,” Valentine said vaguely.
Jack sucked in a breath. In other words, they had no idea. He rubbed his eyes, his frustration growing. “Do you have any leads?”
Valentine pressed his lips together. “We’re compiling evidence. Our first order of business is interviewing the victim. You said you were with her at the time? Is she close by?”
“Yes, I was with her,” Jack said. “But no, she’s not close. I told you, I wanted to make sure—”
“I’m here, I’m here,” a slightly breathless voice said behind them.
Jack turned to see Eva hurrying toward them in her sexy-as-hell black dress and fuck-me heels. Emotions warred within him: irritation at her for not listening when he’d told her to stay put, relief that she was close enough that he could keep her safe from fuckers like the one on that screen, and gratitude that every inch of her beautiful body was unharmed.
Jac
k flashed back to the hotel room, when she’d let her sinful dress fall to her feet, baring the goddess underneath. The mix of innocence and seduction in her every movement had blown him away.
Now, she wrapped her arms tight around her body, fear stealing her confidence. “I’m Eva Fiorini. What do you need to ask me?”
The officer held out a hand, which Eva shook with her usual elegance. “Nice to meet you Miss Fiorini. I’m Officer Valentine. Why don’t you go on upstairs first and take a look around, so you can let me know if anything’s missing. I’ll be up as soon as I make a quick call into headquarters.”
Eva nodded, but as she turned toward the elevator, she cast an anxious glance at Jack over her shoulder. She half bit, half licked her lower lip in a way that made his cock twitch, despite the fact that his blood was boiling.
What the fuck was she doing here? When he’d agreed to be her teacher, he’d assumed she would respect his direction, even if it extended to activities outside the bedroom. He needed her to listen to him, to obey him, especially at times like this. If something happened to her on his watch, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.
“I thought I told you to stay put,” he muttered as he took her elbow and led her the last few feet to the elevator bank.
“I’m not a dog,” she said softly, irritation clipping each word.
He gritted his teeth. “Obviously. Dogs have more sense. As my student, you are under my authority. That was part of the deal, was it not?”
After a brief pause, her breath rushed out. “Yes, but—”
