Right. So what?
Luc Moretti was a cop. There was nothing unusual about him being on the scene when a kidnapper in a high-profile case was arrested.
It was nothing, and yet…
Why was there so little about the resolution to this story?
Ava suddenly remembered her first reaction upon meeting Luc that day in his captain’s office. She’d thought then that something had been off, but then she’d gotten so wrapped up in, well, him, that she’d gone and forgotten all about it.
But her reporter instincts were buzzing now, and they’d never led her astray before. And Ava loved the thrill of a good story. Particularly one people didn’t want told.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Finally, finally Luc typed up the last sentence on the last report for the week, putting one fist in the air.
Victory.
“You know, for some reason, it never really occurred to me that cops could take sick days,” Ava mused, never looking up from the magazine she’d been flipping through for the past half hour.
Luc dropped his arm. He’d almost forgotten he wasn’t alone. The operative word being almost, because it seemed his subconscious was always aware of Ava Sims.
He reached for his Coke. “Well here’s something to know about Lopez; his ‘sick’ days tend to come on heavy paperwork days. Write that down.”
She scrunched her nose. “You think he’s faking it? He sounded pretty stuffed up on speakerphone earlier.”
“That’s because he thinks he’s allergic to paperwork. It’s psychosomatic.”
“So we’re all done?” she asked, finally flipping her magazine closed.
“I’m done,” he said, giving her a pointed look.
“Hey, I’ve been here too. You think hanging around until eight o’clock in a deserted precinct is my idea of a good time?”
Luc snorted and stood. “Don’t even. I wasted thirty minutes trying to get rid of you. I think we can both agree that the ‘American public’ you’re so anxious to impress isn’t going to give a shit about all the filing we cops have to do.”
“No,” she admitted. “They want the sexy, jumping into rivers, saving babies stuff.”
“So why are you still here?”
She stood as well, putting her hands on the small of her back to stretch. “I need to understand the full picture of Luc Moretti the cop. Even if the boring stuff doesn’t make it into production, our interview will be richer if I’m informed.”
“Interview?”
“Don’t worry, the camera will love you,” she said, patting his forearm before reaching for her handbag.
“I never agreed to that. You said the reason you had to follow me around was because people didn’t want to see a boring interview. Now you’re changing it up on me?”
Ava huffed out an exasperated breath. “No, I said they didn’t want just an interview. Honestly, Luc, what did you think this news special entailed? Of course there’ll be an interview. It’ll be a huge component of the story.”
Christ. He should have seen it coming, he supposed.
Showing the brief video clips of his “good deeds” over and over wouldn’t fill up three hours.
Luc rubbed a hand over his face before leaning to shut down his computer. “You’re going to turn my life into a spectacle. You know that, right?”
“I’m afraid it already is, Officer Moretti. A woman asked you to sign her bra the other day. I think you’ve passed the point of no return.”
He studied her. “Is that why you’re able to do what you do without guilt? You figure my anonymity’s shot with or without you, so I’m fair game.”
She tilted her head. “You really don’t trust me, do you?”
“Should I? Seems to be our relationship’s a lot about you taking, and not much giving.”
And a lot of you running hot and cold, he nearly added, remembering that almost kiss on the ferry when she’d freaked out.
“Relationship, huh?” She smirked.
Shit.