The apartment building Ronin pulls up to is one of the smaller ones, the kind that houses only four or five units in one large brick unit.

Ronin turns to me in the front seat of his truck. “This conversation I’m about to have is related to my wife’s murder. The woman inside is the sister of a recent homicide victim. The case is identical to Elle’s, and I need to find the connection. I wouldn’t bring you along, except that you need to be with me until we figure out what’s going on with Oakes. Just hang back, stay quiet. I don’t expect anything dangerous to happen, this is just an interview, but if I give you an order you need to listen. Got it?”

I’m tempted to roll my eyes at his tone, but I stop myself when I realize how serious he is. Ronin does things like this for his job, and if he needs me to be compliant, than I certainly will be. The note of authority in his voice is evident, and I know he just can’t help himself.

“Why don’t I just stay in the truck, then?” The last thing I want to do is impose on his investigation. I suddenly realize that I want to help Ronin, not hinder him.

Ronin immediately shakes his head. “I’d rather have eyes on you.”

With a sigh, I agree. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”

He gestures for me to wait a moment, then climbs out of his seat and walks around the front of the truck. Opening my door, he reaches out a hand and helps me down. Then he does something he’s never done before. He takes my hand.

When I glance down at our clasped hands and up at his face, he winks. The man actually winks at me. “Go with it. I need this woman to answer my questions, and if I give her a cover story about who I am she’s less likely to slam the door in my face. You being here is actually going to make her feel more comfortable.”

With the strong warmth of his hand curling around mine, and his touch doing strange things to my stomach, I don’t bother to reply. I just follow him through the parking lot, up the sidewalk and stairs, and to the front door of a second-floor apartment.

When the door opens, Ronin offers the woman standing before us a bright smile that I’ve never seen him wear before.

Damn. That’s his smile when he’s actually trying to be charming?

If he did that more often, there would be women dropping their panties at his feet everywhere he went.

Who the hell am I kidding? There probably already are, with or without that megawatt grin.

“Hey there. I’m Raymond Rogers, and this is my girlfriend Jenny. We just moved in downstairs.”

The woman at the door flashes a look toward me, and I try really hard to match Ronin’s friendly smile.

“Anyway,” he continues. “We were just wondering if you were able to get a satellite working with the tree line so close to our balconies, or if you went with cable.”

God, even I’m totally charmed by Ronin. His smile, the chiseled body that’s just so obvious even below his jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt, the sinewy grace that slides just above the total power he holds. It’s not just charismatic, it’s utterly compelling, and he’s even putting me under his spell.

She takes a step backward, gesturing inside her apartment. “Why don’t you guys come in? I actually do have a satellite, I’ll show you the angle it hangs so that it works with the crazy tree line.”

“Awesome. Thanks so much.” Ronin slides past her inside the apartment, and I follow.

The woman closes the door behind us, and when we turn to face her she approaches and extends her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, neighbors. I’m Lindy Hodges.”

Ronin shakes her hand. When she offers it to me, I only hesitate for a second before shaking it firmly. When I glance at Ronin, the look in his eyes is reassuring. I can almost hear him telling me he’ll explain this to me later.

“Can I get you all something to drink? I have…hmm.” She walks into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator. With a chagrined chuckle, she turns to us. “Milk and water. I’m sorry; I wasn’t expecting company.”

I brush her apology aside with a hand. “Don’t worry about it. We’re fine.”

She nods, approaching slowly. “So, you moved in downstairs? I didn’t know the Framptons moved out.”

I smile. “We didn’t know the people who lived there before us. But yes, we just arrived today.”

Lindy studies me a moment. “So do you want to see the satellite, then?”

I offer her a smooth smile. If Ronin wants to talk to her about his wife’s murder, then I’m going to help him as best as I can. I ignore the stab of jealousy that pierces me when I think of Ronin’s wife. He’s still so obviously in pain about what happened to her. Why does that bother me so much?

“Actually, can I just use your restroom? I’ll join you two in just a moment. I’m sorry, Lindy. It was a long drive here. We moved from Georgia.”

Well, hell, Olive. The lies just roll right off your tongue, don’t they?

Lindy gestures toward the hall. “Of course. First door on your left.”

I shoot her a grateful smile, then give one to Ronin, before I venture down the hall. I hear him asking her about her satellite company as I disappear down the hallway, and I wait until I hear the sound of the sliding glass door opening and closing before slinking back down the hall to the living room.

Scanning the room, I head over to a bookcase with cubes for units. There are various knickknacks hidden in the squares, from squat, colorful vases to an assortment of picture frames. Picking up one of the photos, I stare down at a picture of Lindy and a woman who looks exactly like her. The hair on the other woman is lighter, more of a platinum than a honey, but their features, including the clear blue eyes, are identical. There’s no doubt that this is the sister Ronin was referring to.

Putting the photo back down and turning when the sliding glass door opens, I put on a bright smile as Lindy and Ronin walk back inside from the balcony. “So will it work, babe?”

His eyes flare at the fake endearment, his intent stare holding me captive from across the room. “Sure will.”

Seeing me beside the bookcase, Lindy comes over. “You and your sister are such beauties.”

Her smile drops, her expression going sad. “Yeah. She was.”

Stepping up beside me, Ronin places an arm around me and pulls me close to him. I like the feeling of being pressed against his body way too much; the desire to settle in and get comfortable is strong.

Lindy stares at the picture, a faraway look on her face. “My twin sister died a few days ago.”

Even though I already knew this to be true, the absolution of her statement sends a jolt of pain through me for her. What must it be like to lose the person you considered to be your other half?

“I’m so sorry, Lindy.” Reaching out to touch the other woman’s shoulder, I attempt to send consoling vibes from my hand to her. I turn and see Ronin clearing struggling with something.

“Lindy…I have to be honest with you now, I’m sorry we lied to you. And you’ll figure out soon enough that we’re not actually your neighbors.” Ronin’s tone is apologetic, but determined. “Seven years ago, I lost my wife, Elle Shaw, in the exact same way that your sister was killed. I’m here to ask you about the murder.”

Stiffening, Lindy takes a step back from us and folds her arm across her chest. “Who are you?”

Letting me go, Ronin holds both hands out in front of him as if to show Lindy he means no harm. “I’m just someone who wants to find out who did this to my wife, and to your sister.”

Her expression is doubtful, wary. “The cops already talked to me about this. They’re looking for the murderer. Are you a cop?”

“I used to be. But I was a soldier on deployment when my wife was killed.” The stark pain in Ronin’s voice slices cleanly through me. “They never found her killer. I don’t want that to happen to you and your sister. Now I work for a company with the means to find things the police will have a much harder time finding. We have security clearances the WPD can only dream about, and I’m highly trained. Please let me help.”

Giving Lindy a sympathetic, sincere smile when she glances my way, I nod. “He’s telling you the truth. My brother-in-law works for the same company, and they’re seriously badass. I’m not his girlfriend, but I do care about him and I know he can help you.”

Lindy’s eyes flip back and forth between us. “Let me see some I.D., if you work for this security company.”

Without a word, Ronin slips his wallet from his pocket and pull out a card. Handing it to Lindy, he waits while she inspects it.

With a deep sigh, Lindy heads for the couch and drops down. Ronin tracks her with his eyes and then takes her silence as compliance, and he pulls me to the love seat adjacent to her.

“Did your sister have any known enemies? Anyone you think might have wanted to hurt her?” Getting straight to the point, Ronin waits patiently for Lindy’s response.

Lindy shakes her head “My sister was a nursing student. All she ever wanted to do was help people.”

“Was she dating anyone?”

The question from Ronin sounds strained. I want to ask him why, but now isn’t the time.

Lindy hesitates before answering. “Kind of, maybe? I mean, there was a guy. I never got to meet him, though. Actually, I don’t even remember her mentioning his name, now that I think about it.”

Ronin presses on. “Was that unusual? For you not to meet someone she was dating, I mean?”

Lindy barks out a laugh. “It was unusual for her to be dating anyone. Grace kept to herself where men were concerned. She got burned once in high school, and after that she never wanted to give a guy the time of day.”

I shift. I understand that sentiment.

“Lindy…Grace was your twin. You had to have known her better than anyone else. Did she seem happy with this guy?” Even though Ronin’s voice is calm, there’s an edge to it. I can see that not answering him isn’t usually an option for most people.

Lindy watches him, clearly thinking hard. She finally glances away. “She seemed…different. I can’t say she was happy. But if I asked her about it she would withdraw. She didn’t want to discuss her relationship, and I didn’t want to pressure her. I had no idea that I wouldn’t…” Lindy chokes on the words. “That I wouldn’t have the time to press her on it.”

I nod with sympathy, trying to imagine what it would be like to lose my sister. The thought makes my heart clench tight. “That’s understandable, Lindy. There’s no way you could have known.”

Lindy breaks down then. It’s like my kind words were a trigger for her sadness, and she covers her face with her hands as she cries. I wrap my arms around her, and she cries into my shoulder. When her sobs subside, she wipes her face with her hands and glances up at me. “I’m sorry.”

Shaking my head, I pull back. “Please, don’t be.”

Ronin reaches into his pocket and withdraws a card. Handing it to Lindy, he rises from the couch. “If you think of anything else, even if you don’t think it can help, give me a call.”

I stand up with him as Lindy reads the card. “Night Eagle Security?” she asks with a raised brow.

Ronin gives a curt nod. “Keep in touch.”

When we’re back in the truck, I let out a breath. “I’m sorry she didn’t know anything.”

Ronin stares out the windshield, his mind clearly running through the conversation we’d just had. “She knows more than she’s letting on.”

My eyebrows shoot skyward in surprise. “How do you know that?”

Ronin glances at me, and the expression in his eyes is akin to the ferocity of a dog with a bone. “She hesitated before answering a question. It wasn’t because she didn’t know the answer, it was because she was trying to decide how much she should say. Which means there’s something she didn’t.”

Impressed, I think back to the talk with Lindy. Her reluctance to answer whether or not her sister had been seeing anyone comes to mind, and I nod. “You’re right.”

But frustration pours off of Ronin. “If I had her at NES, if she was a hostile witness…I could have gotten the answers I needed. But this is a different situation. I had to cut off the questioning there. I’m not an official part of this case. Walking out of there was hard, Red.”

He starts the truck’s big engine and touches the phone image on the dash screen. Pulling up his contacts, he presses SAYWARD.

“What’s up, Swagger?”

The nickname makes me smile. It’s so perfect for him, and I’m not even privy to the events that led to him earning it.

“I need you to check phone records for two women: a Grace Hodges, deceased, and a Lindy Hodges. E-mail me the information for their records when you get it. Let’s go about a month back.”

“This something you want done under the radar?” Sayward’s tone is businesslike.

“For now.”

She agrees and they end the call, Ronin still looking contemplative as he turns to me.

“You were a good partner back in there, Red.”

With a small smile, I cock an eyebrow at him. “You sound surprised.”

A tiny, crooked smile curves his lips, and there’s a sparkle in his eyes that wasn’t there before. “I guess I shouldn’t be. You surprise me all the time, Olive.”

When my name rolls off his tongue I can’t help the shiver that rocks me.

Settling back into my seat, I grin. “Just call me Sidekick.”

Ronin chuckles as he pulls out of Lindy Hodges’s apartment complex. “Okay, Sidekick. Now let me buy you lunch.”