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Yes, it is.
Heart pounding, she set her phone down. She was glad to know that he would separate business from flirting. That was important to her. She leaned back in her chair, unable to suppress the smile on her face.Wow.She’d never had a workplace romance before, not even a serious flirtation. Not for lack of trying on some of the guys’ part, however.
What made this Ranger different? The thought of turning him down made her heart ache. That had never happened before, either. But Cal was different. Sincere, open, and able to express himself in a way that was entirely refreshing. It was the last thing a person would expect from a guy with his boldly handsome face and square jaw, broad shoulders, and powerful six-foot-plus frame. He was the first man to tempt her to date in a very long time.
For years, her career in the DEA had been everything to her. Making it in a world where men made up over seventy percent of the workforce wasn’t easy. Especially as a Special Agent. She’d thrown herself into it, letting everything else in her life slide. Her mother was constantly complaining that the family never saw her. But Vic had her eye on that next level, Senior Special Agent, and you didn’t get there by putting other things first.
Her mind flipped back to Cal and dating. How would that even work? He traveled on Ranger business. She traveled for parts of her job too. Would they ever see each other?
She gusted out a breath. This line of thought was ridiculous. She knuckled down to the report again, and this time she kept the good-looking Ranger far from her thoughts.
***
Cal, who’d been uphalf the night with Vic on his mind, pulled up to the hospital and texted her:
I’m here. Where are you?
She sent:
Just pulling up. I’ll meet you at the door.
He climbed out of his truck and beeped the lock, taking his time as he walked to the hospital entrance. Knowing that Vic liked to keep things professional, he’d already decided not to mention anything about their evening together. This morning, he’d stick strictly to business.
He waited far enough from the doors that he didn’t trigger the auto-open. A moment later, he spotted Vic jogging toward him. Damn, she looked good. What would she look like in a dress? He glanced away.Stop it, Cal.That wasn’t strictly professional.
She strode the last few paces. “Hey. You ready to tackle this bozo?”
“Hell yeah,” he said and stepped toward the doors. They slid open, and he followed Vic inside. This time, they went straight to the nurses’ station and were soon granted permission to enter the shooter’s room. “He’s still recovering from a concussion,” his nurse told them. “You have ten minutes. That’s all.”
Cal nodded.
Escareno was awake and scowling at them.
As the nurse left the room, Vic took the lead on the interrogation. “Hector, I’m Agent Quinn, DEA, and this is Sergeant Morgan with the Texas Rangers. Tell us what happened at the house.” She gave him the specific address and then waited for him to answer.
He said, “No hablo inglés.”
In Spanish, Vic replied, “That’s no problem. I speak great Spanish.”
Cal grinned at the disgusted look on the man’s face.
Vic repeated her question in Spanish, and the man shrugged.
She then told him that they’d found his drugs and confiscated them.
He shrugged again.
“Look, Hector, we found your gun,” Vic continued, still in Spanish. “It’s going to match the bullets that killed the little girl, her mom, and the other man. You’re looking at three counts of murder one. And Texas has the death penalty.”
He smiled and shrugged. Murderers often spent twenty years or more on death row before being executed.
She glanced at Cal just as her phone rang. “Excuse me, Cal. I have to take this. See what you can do.”
He’d watched the shooter’s face as Vic spoke, and Cal was certain that the other man understood English. As Vic shut the door behind her, Cal said, “Let’s cut the bullshit. You can speak English. I could go ahead and continue in Spanish, but I don’t feel like putting myself out. Now, where’d you get the drugs?”
The corner of the shooter’s mouth lifted, and he shrugged.
Cal narrowed his eyes. This was going nowhere fast. He headed for the door in search of Vic. They needed a new strategy.
