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“I’m looking into the female victim found in the woods. I’m sure you’ve heard about her.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard, but not much. Tell me more.”
“Only if you tell me about the ransomware case. Cannon didn’t tell me much of anything.”
“Sure. I could use a fresh perspective.” And she could use a distraction from thinking about the perspective Julia had just given her on Cannon. An all-or-nothing kind of guy. Until she caught Malgor, she had to remain an all-or-nothing kind of girl. The all part didn’t include a relationship, no matter how hot or heroic Cannon was.
Cannon stoppedoutside Julia’s room. A uniformed officer was probably extreme, but he wasn’t taking any chances with his sister, and neither was anybody at the station. It wasn’t every day a cop got shot in Red Snow. “Hey, Brian. All quiet?”
Brian scanned the empty hall with a trained gaze. “Yeah. The lockdown you implemented really reduced traffic, and the staff seems to have settled down from the excitement.”
“Good.” He’d gotten positive reports from the department heads earlier. With the help of the IT team, they’d devised workarounds using offline computers and printers. Their processes still weren’t operating even close to full efficiency, but they were an improvement. “How’s Julia?”
Brian laughed. “Still pretty pissed at you.”
“Tell her to get in line.” The family of the man who’d gone into anaphylactic shock after the medication error planned to sue. Angry patients and family members stopped him every five feet to complain about the heightened security measures, and little progress in restoring the cancer trial data had been made today.
Oh, and Rosalie had left him this morning with nothing more than her scent on his pillows.
Brian tilted his head toward Julia’s door. “She’s got a visitor. That seriously hot FBI agent. They’ve been in there for hours. Find out if she’s single, will ya?”
“Sorry, bro. She’s mine.” He stepped into the room. The door clicked shut behind him, and he stared, his mouth open.
Rosalie lay sleeping on the recliner next to Julia’s bed. Julia snored softly. Their laptops sat open on the table next to an issue ofGuns and Ammo. Had Rosalie and his sister bonded while tracking criminals and checking out firearms?
He covered his mouth to muffle a laugh. The deep rumble in his chest refreshed him. Rosalie and Julia spending time together wasn’t funny. It just made him happy to have a woman in his life who didn’t treat his sister like a burden.
As quietly as he could, he packed up Rosalie’s laptop. After slinging her backpack over his shoulder, he gently lifted the sleeping snow angel from the recliner.
Julia stirred. “I like her a lot better than I like you right now.”
He smiled, pleased his sister’s snark hadn’t taken a hit. “I like her too.”
“Then keep her.”
If only it were that easy.
He made his way through the quiet hall with Rosalie in his arms. When the elevator dinged its arrival, she opened her eyes. “I can walk.”
“I know.”
“I should go back to my hotel.”
“No.” He tightened his hold. “And, Snow Angel, don’t even think about sneaking away from me in the morning.”
NINETEEN
Aknock at the door yanked Rosalie from sleep.
“Dr. Ford? It’s Agent Jimmy Malone. Is Agent Zenner in there? She’s received another delivery.”
“Hold on.” He jumped from the sofa bed and yanked on a pair of scrub pants,
Rosalie quickly found her clothes in the soft light of the rising sun. Dread inched into her bones with each button she fastened.
Jimmy entered, trailed by a single shiny balloon. “This just came for Rosalie from a local florist, not a bogus one like last time. It’s been examined for explosives and prints, and we’re interviewing the delivery guy. All we know so far is the order was placed online last night and included a huge tip for it to be delivered at sunrise this morning.”
Rosalie clasped the balloon between her hands. A cartoon superhero in a red cape smiled back at her. A dozen hammers beat inside her chest as she ripped off the envelope stapled to the ribbon. Even though she knew what to expect, a single red rose on the card still caused bile to rush up her throat. She choked on the rank taste.
