OLIVIA WATCHED DOMINIC drive away on his bike. She couldn’t believe herself, sleeping with the FBI agent working on the case. If her office crew found out she would never live this down. Of all the fucking luck. A freaking one-night stand ended up being the one man she connected with in years and he just happened to be called in to help with her big case. Olivia glanced in the rearview mirror before driving. Keep your judgy eyes to yourself, Grace. What would Grace have said? Olivia knew Grace would have said go for it. She was always the wild one. Where Olivia stuck to the rules and avoided dangerous situations, Grace embraced them. Growing up Grace had always been the life of the party. People were just drawn to her. Olivia quietly admired her courage and magnetic personality. If she had to admit it she rode on her sister’s coattails through most of their childhood. Whatever sport or party Grace did she tagged along. Whatever mess or trouble Grace found herself in Olivia cleaned it up and bailed her out.
Until the end that is. Olivia stopped at the light and wiped a tear out of her eye. She had failed her in the end. She should have been there. The never-ending reel of what ifs began to play for the millionth time in her mind. College was supposed to be the greatest time of their lives. She should have gone to Brown with Grace. They had both been accepted to Brown, but Olivia had her eye on Yale since middle school. When Grace didn’t get in everyone assumed they would just go to Brown, together. Olivia gripped the steering wheel. If she had only gone to school with Grace maybe . . . The familiar ache in her heart and chest came back with a vengeance. The car felt very small and she struggled to breathe. Her selfishness killed her sister and she knew it. Her heart raced in time with her short spastic gasps.
At the next light Olivia closed her eyes and forced several long slow breaths. Panic attacks, the doctor had called them, a psychosomatic reaction to stress. She told herself again. Consciously Olivia knew that no amount of regret or anxiety would bring her sister back. That knowledge did nothing to make the pain go away. A car behind her blared its horn. The light had turned green. She glanced in the rearview and saw Grace’s dark eyes staring back at her. Fight it, Olivia. You are stronger than this. Slowly Olivia pushed the accelerator and continued on her way. She rolled down the windows for some fresh air. Thankfully the hotel was only one more block up the street.
She couldn’t have been more relieved to see Piper waiting for her on a little bench under the breezeway. She looked adorable in a purple sundress and matching sandals. Her bohemian necklace and bangles complimented it perfectly. Olivia wondered how she always managed to look so put together. She glanced down at her own printed Athleta anywhere dress and Jambu sandals. Her style was decidedly more casual but that was nothing new. She pulled up and left the car with the valet. Saltine was only a five-minute walk and Olivia needed some fresh air. As soon as she exited the car, Piper bounced over talking a mile a minute.
“You will never guess who just rode up on a motorcycle!” Piper squealed looking behind her as if she was going to get another look.
Betcha I can. “Who?” Olivia asked innocently. Please say anyone else. A Hemsworth maybe? Olivia nervously tapped her purse as they walked toward the street.
“Dominic Kain! Can you believe it. He is still here!” Piper was gushing. “I thought he would have checked out with everyone else today but he is staying for a bit for official business! He’s in the FBI you know. He even posed for a selfie with me want to see!” She started flipping through apps on her phone.
“Wait you knew he was in the FBI?” Olivia stopped suddenly and Piper crashed into the back of her.
“Hey, watch it!” Piper giggled. “Of course I know he’s in the FBI. Everyone knows that,” she answered as if it was as common as the sky is blue or a stop sign means stop.
“I didn’t know that! Why didn’t someone tell me that?” Olivia raised her voice without meaning to. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t picked up on that? The light turned green and they crossed the street.
“You never asked. I’m sure the girls talked about it at dinner. Of course you were a little preoccupied with your phone,” Piper scolded with one eyebrow arched like the teacher she was.
“Okay, you’ve got me there.” Olivia sighed. For a prosecuting attorney she was pretty blind to the obvious when it came to Dominic. He flustered her in a way she had never experienced before. It was as if in his presence all reason and rational thought jumped out the window. How was she ever going to be able to be productive on the case with him around?
Piper pulled up the picture on her phone. “Look at this!” She held it proudly. Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled at the picture of her friend next to the demi god in a suit that she had reluctantly buttoned back up just an hour before.
“That’s a great pic,” Olivia said her skin already tingling for his touch.
“Besides what does it matter?” Piper asked smiling wickedly. “It’s not like you are a serial killer or on the run from the law.”
“He was assigned to my case this morning,” Olivia answered. “I felt like a complete idiot. Last night I thought he was just some muscle-bound model. Then this morning I find out he is some kind of forensic genius.” Olivia shook her head. She never dreamed she was going to see him again let alone work with him.
As they approached Saltine, Olivia could already smell the seafood. She loved this place. It had a great atmosphere, and even better calamari.
“Wow! You get to work with him?” Piper asked, her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. She walked through the door Olivia held for her. She looked around the modern space lit by great orb lights. “This place is great, Liv!” The walls were covered in galvanized steel panels and trimmed with dark wood. One wall was crushed white stone and tile. The entire space had an urban industrial feel and centered around an upscale bar.
As the maître d’ led them to their booth Piper stopped. “Wait . . . last night . . . You mean on the boat?” she asked, the inspector brow returning.
Olivia waited until they were at their seat to answer. “No. When we came back from our little dancescapade you were passed out cold and I was trying to carry you up to your room. Dominic saw us in the lobby and carried you,” Olivia answered. Oh boy. Here we go.
“Shut the front door! You mean Dominic Kain carried me upstairs to my room?” Piper was practically bouncing in the seat. “How did I miss that? Please for the love of God tell me you got a picture.”
“No. I’m sorry, Piper. I was more worried about you being okay.” Olivia cringed. She had to tell Piper what happened with Dominic. They were all adults still she felt like she was betraying her crush somehow. Olivia watched Piper look over the menu. Would she be mad when she found out about Dominic?
“It’s so exciting that he will be staying in town and working with you! I wish I could stay down for a while. What’s the case about? Why did they have to call in the FBI? Oh this is just like an episode of Bones but sexier.” Piper’s mouth raced as fast as her imagination.
The waiter arrived and they ordered Green Tea Brambles in copper cups. The Apothecary Bar at Saltine was quickly becoming a Norfolk favorite. Olivia could already taste the Tanqueray London Dry, lemon, green tea syrup, and black currant.
As soon as the waiter left Olivia answered. “I can’t comment on an active investigation, Piper, I’m sorry.” Olivia sidestepped her friend’s questions. She had to tell Piper what happened with Dominic. She wasn’t even sure why it mattered so much. “About last night, Piper. After we left your room . . . um . . . Dominic came back to my room and stayed the night.”
“He what?” Piper gasped, her chin nearly hit the floor. “You slept with Dominic?”
“It was a mistake, Piper. I had no clue he was FBI. Now we are working on the same case and it’s a big cluster,” Olivia blurted in one breath. “I can’t believe I let this happen. You probably think I’m a big slut.”
Piper was quiet for a moment. “We have been friends forever, I already know you are a big slut,” she said laughing and swatted her with the napkin.
“Hey! It’s been forever, thank you.” Olivia swatted her back.
“Of that I have no doubt. I’m just giving you shit. Good for you! Do you even like him?” she asked leaning toward Olivia.
“That’s the problem. I really do. He’s like no man I have ever known. But now it’s too late. We are working on this case and I can’t let my personal feelings ruin our chances for a conviction,” Olivia answered just as the waiter arrived with their drinks. Olivia picked it up, thankful for the soothing liquid. Perfection.
“Does your job always have to come first?” Piper sank back into her seat like a child who just found out about the big jolly farce. “Can’t you ever just live a little?”
“I can’t risk it, Piper. What if I mess up and the murderer goes free? I can’t live with anymore guilt.” Olivia began tapping the copper mug to a nonexistent beat.
“When are you going to forgive yourself? It’s been ten years since she died. Honey, nothing you can do will bring her back.” Piper offered and reached across the table to pat her hand.
“I should have been there,” Olivia said quietly and crinkled her napkin. “I let her down. She’s gone and there’s nothing I can do to bring her back.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Piper said quietly. “There wasn’t anything you could have done to save her.”
“If I was with her then—” Olivia started but Piper cut her off.
“You know better than that.” Piper shook her head. “When you just disappeared, it was like I lost you both.” She took a sip of her drink and looked down at the table.
“I’m sorry, Piper. The guilt was so bad. “I just couldn’t face you or my parents. At first there was just this big black hole where she used to be. Then the guilt set in.” Olivia fought back tears and took another drink. She forced herself back to the present when the waiter arrived to take their order. “Calamari and the catch of the day with citrus oregano sauce please,” she choked out hoping the waiter wouldn’t notice her red eyes.
“Everything looks so good!” Piper said suddenly chipper again. “I want the jumbo lump crab cakes with the orange and fennel salad please.” Olivia was amazed at Piper’s ability to just be okay in an instant.
When the waiter walked away Piper turned back to Olivia. “You didn’t let anyone down. You can’t beat yourself up for following your own dreams. Besides if you hadn’t come to Yale we would have never met. No one faulted you for going to the school you had always dreamed of.” Piper spoke with expertise. Her tone was firm but soothing.
Olivia wished she could believe her. She would give anything to believe that. But she knew better. She could still hear Grace’s tantrum the day Olivia told her she accepted Yale instead of Brown. They were seventeen. Grace had stormed through the house ranting about how Olivia was abandoning her. “Grace did. You know she hated that I chose Yale over her. She never forgave me.” Olivia knew that was true, she saw it every time she looked in Grace’s eyes.
“You are being too hard on yourself. This hole you have crawled in is going to kill you,” Piper answered sternly then paused and grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Now tell me about last night. I want every juicy detail.”
“I’m not going to dish my dirty deeds,” Olivia retorted, eyes wide with amusement.
“The hell you aren’t. I haven’t seen you in ten years. We have a shit ton of gossip to catch up on so start talking,” Piper demanded.
“We are going to need more drinks,” Olivia said laughing. It felt so good to have her friend back. She ordered another round and started to tell Piper about her night, when a group walked into the restaurant that caught her eye. Olivia needed to get a closer look. She had never actually talked to him in person but she had seen him through the one-way glass at the station.
“I need to go over to the bar for a sec.” Olivia paused mid story.
“What for? You were just getting to the good part! You are killing me, woman. I don’t like cliffhangers,” Piper pleaded.
“I just need to change my drink order. Sorry, give me just a sec.” Olivia got up and walked casually past the group of people and went up to the bar. It was definitely him. Jake Ramirez was wasting no time stepping out on the town with a lovely lady under each arm. Olivia wondered if they were prostitutes too. Poor Gwen replaced before she was even cold in the ground. Olivia gritted her teeth. She knew this bastard had something to do with Gwen’s death and she was going to nail his ass to the wall. She stood close enough to listen to at least part of their conversation.
Though she could only get part of the conversation she guessed that the gray-haired man was the owner of the airline that took customers back and forth to Vegas. Was he involved with the drug trafficking? She had to know more. She ordered drinks and tried to stand with her back to the group. They chattered on but nothing that would help her case. She tried not to be frustrated. The bartender was unfortunately quick with her drinks, which she took as a sign she was getting in over her head. She decided to go back to the table and text Detective Shaver. As she turned Jake scooted his seat back to stand up. Olivia collided with him spilling her drink all down his dress shirt.
“I am so very sorry.” Olivia gasped as her mojito dripped onto the floor. He looked horrified and furious. The girls at the table cackled with laughter but the gray-haired man said nothing. He sat completely silent staring at Olivia. Both girls wore diamond and ruby sorority pins nestled just above their left breast. Olivia cringed; she hated that fucking sorority.
“You stupid bitch!” Jake yelled at her, “Look what you did to my three-hundred-dollar shirt you clumsy c—”
The older gentleman silenced him with a wave of his hand. His eyes bore into Olivia. “Grace? he asked quietly. “Is that you?”
Olivia froze and immediately broke into a sweat. How did he know Grace? The little hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Suddenly the similarities in Gwen and Grace’s deaths were all too coincidental. Her heart pounded as she tried to figure out what to say.
“It’s been a long time,” she said coolly. Years of hiding her panic attacks had prepared her to keep the storm on the inside.
He stood, never taking his eyes off her. His face paled as he walked around the table. Before she realized what was happening he took her in his arms and hugged her. Olivia stiffened. Hugs from strangers were on her all time no thank you list along with things like pickled eggs and root canals.
“Still not a hugger are you, love?” He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank heavens you have other talents,” he said and winked. “What brings you to Norfolk? Where have you been? You graduated and fell off the face of the earth.”
“Almost like I died,” she answered deadpan. Keep your cool, Olivia.
“Always dark and twisty. That’s what I love about you. So what brings you to our little neck of the woods? You looking for work?” A sinister smile spread across his face revealing perfect teeth.
She turned to the girls. “Lambda Sigma Delta?” she asked dryly.
“You know it,” they chimed in brainwashed unison.
“Is there any other?” the man asked and leaned in to whisper, “Of course you were always my favorite drug.”
What the fuck had Grace been involved in? There was no way she was one of this guy’s whores or a fucking drug mule. No fucking way. Goddamn it, Grace! The man slid his arm around her waist and turned to the group. Before he could say anything. A strong set of arms pulled her away from him. Olivia stepped back startled as Dominic stepped between them.
“Darling, it’s time to go,” he interjected with a voice that could move mountains, staring the man down.
Olivia stood opened mouthed for a second. Where the hell had he come from? Quickly she regained her composure. “Sorry, my dear, I was just catching up with an old friend. Until next time,” she said rubbing her hand across the older man’s shoulder and tipped her head the way she had seen Grace do a thousand times. Dominic possessively placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked out of the restaurant.
“Wait what about Piper?” She glanced over at their table but Piper was nowhere to be seen. “Dominic, what the hell is going on?”
“She’s waiting in the parking lot,” he said quietly. “She texted me with your phone that you were in trouble?” His voice was dark and angry.
“Okay, first of all,” she said when they reached the street, “I have known you for three days. I don’t need you to run around saving me. And second how the hell did you get here so fast? Did you follow us from the hotel?”
“I was taking a walk to find a place to eat. I am an FBI agent and your partner for this investigation. It’s my job to protect you.” He was still talking in hushed tones so that only she could hear him. Piper was standing just outside the building almost in the shadows.
“Piper, why did you leave and why did you call him?” Olivia stood arms crossed, still angry for being escorted out of the restaurant like a child. A chill ran over her. The night air was starting to cool down.
“Don’t be mad. That guy started yelling at you and I panicked. Your phone was on the table. When I picked it up the top number was Dominic, I just hit send.” Piper stood wide-eyed. “Who was that, Liv? Do you know him?”
“That was the main suspect in our case,” Olivia said quietly. “Let’s get out of here.” The trio started down the street. Once they crossed to the pier she spoke up again. I was trying so hard to listen to their conversation and accidentally bumped into him spilling our drinks. I was just heading back to the table to message Detective Shaver.
“We need to get you girls back to the hotel. Where is your car?” He turned to Olivia.
“Back at the hotel,” Olivia answered sarcastically, flustered that she may have just put the case at risk.
They walked swiftly down the boardwalk toward the Marriott. Dominic scanned the area to see if they were being followed. Satisfied that they were secure, he led the girls inside and straight to the elevators. “Piper, head back to your room and don’t open the door. Olivia, you are coming with me.”
“Oh no. I’m staying with Piper,” Olivia fired back. She linked her arm with Piper’s.
“She will be fine in her room. We need to discuss everything that happened and what you heard with Detective Shaver. Since this is an open investigation we can’t do that in front of your friend. You know the rules, Olivia.” His voice was grave. She wondered how much he had heard.
Olivia did know the rules and the parallels with Grace’s death were mounting. She feared that they would take her off the case if her sister was one of the victims. On the other hand if there was any chance to bring justice for her sister she had to take it. Olivia needed to know more about what Grace had been up to. How did that man know Grace? First Olivia needed to find out for sure who he was. “You’re right. We need to get to the bottom of all this.”
“Woah! What? Did you just say I was right? How many of those drinks did you have?” he joked as the elevator reached Piper’s floor and they dropped her at her room.
“Stay in and stay safe. Call me if you need anything,” Olivia said and gave Piper a hug.
“I have missed you so much,” Piper said. “Life is definitely an adventure with you. It’s like living one of my books for real. Go get ’em, Liv. I’m rooting for you,” Piper said as she hugged her back. “My flight is at the butt crack of dawn, but I already have a car arranged to pick me up. Let’s stay in touch, okay. Maybe you could come see me next time.”
They told her goodbye and Olivia followed Dominic back to his room. It was the mirror image of the room they had spent the previous night in. Olivia couldn’t believe how much had happened in twenty-four hours. As soon as he closed the door he pulled her to him.
He kissed her hard. She knew she should be appalled but she welcomed his touch like life-saving water in the desert. In the midst of all the turmoil his touch felt right. “What happened in there tonight?” He kissed her again. “Why didn’t you just call it in? Damn it, Olivia, you are a lawyer not a cop.” He held her to him as if he was afraid to let go.
“I was just trying to hear what they were saying. I thought I could help. Shit, I know I messed up.” Olivia tried to back away.
“I just want you to be okay. I need you to be okay.” His voice was tight and raspy. One massive arm was around her waist the other hand clasped the back of her hair. He showed no signs of letting her go now or ever. He leaned in to kiss her again and Olivia’s cell phone sprang to life. It danced across the dresser waiting to be acknowledged.
“I have to get that,” she told him and tried again to put distance between them. He hesitated for a moment and then let her go with a heavy sigh. Olivia grabbed her phone. “Olivia Hastings, may I help you?
“This is Detective Shaver. What the hell were you and bug boy doing in the middle of my stakeout?” Came the stern voice on the other end of the phone. This could not be good. Shaver sounded pissed.
“I was eating dinner with my friend at Saltine and I saw Jake Ramirez meeting with a man that I think is the owner of the airline to Vegas,” Olivia reported.
She heard the detective laughing though the phone. “Nice work, Nancy Drew. We have a tail on Ramirez and they saw your little scene. Leave the police work to the big boys, okay. If we need to throw drinks at anyone we’ll call you.”
Olivia gritted her teeth. She hated being treated like a little girl. She understood that she was a prosecutor and not a detective but she was invested in this case. “Copy that,” she growled into the phone, and hung up. She turned to Dominic. “They already had a tail on Ramirez. Now I am probably the laughing stock of the force.”
Dominic stifled a laugh and pulled her to him. “Sounds like it’s time to call it a night. Will you stay?” he said standing too close for her to think clearly.
“I can’t, I have to work on a motion for the morning. This isn’t my only case,” she mumbled into his chest and inhaled him.
“I don’t want to let you go, but I do still have specimens that I need to work on tonight.” As he spoke his left hand trailed down her back. “Olivia, when this case is over . . .”
“We’ll both be going our separate ways,” she finished for him. “Whatever craziness went on between us in the last twenty-four hours was reckless.”
Dominic took her hands as though they were a delicate Fabergé egg and brought them up to his lips. He kissed them gently and looked her in the eyes. “When I look at you I forget all the rules. I want every piece of you no limits, no holding back. I couldn’t give two fucks about the consequences. I would risk it all for one more taste of those lips.” He tilted her chin up and parted her lips with his tongue. “You might not see it yet, baby, but I’m not going anywhere.” His lips brushed hers as he spoke.
Olivia felt her knees go weak. “We . . . We have to go.” She summoned the will power of Zeus to leave and not jump in that bed.
“This conversation is not over,” Dominic informed her in a tone that didn’t leave room for question. He held the door and they headed back out into the night.