Elle offered him a halfhearted smile. “You might not be seeing your career with rose-colored glasses, Dawson, but you’re certainly using them to view mine. I prosecute the bad guys you’re arresting, remember? You don’t think any of them or their family hold grudges? There’s a reason my address isn’t listed in the phone book, Gabe.”
He sighed—which she immediately recognized as a sign that he was about to capitulate to her rather than actually confide what was bothering him. Yeah, well, that tactic might work for some people, but she wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. After all, hadn’t he said one of the things he admired most about her was her ability to see through his bullshit?
“What are you keeping from me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “And don’t tell me nothing. That would just be insulting.”
He ran a hand over his hair and she could tell he was considering his words carefully. “I think Monroe is about to make a move—worse than what we’ve seen up to now. I think up to this point, he’s just been toying with us, trying to make us paranoid until we didn’t have a moment’s peace. But I think whatever else he has brewing is the real deal and that scares the shit out of me. The fact that I don’t have a single fucking clue what he’s planning to pull makes it that much worse. I don’t know any more than that, Elle. I really don’t. I tried to find out more, but it was a no-go.”
She leaned upon one elbow, peering down at him. “You have a source?”
He nodded, but it was hesitant. “Anonymous.”
“We need to bring this person in,” she said, her words coming out in a rush. “We need to find out what he knows, get a statement. It could be the break we were looking for.”
“Yeah, well, like I said, it was a no-go,” he reminded her. “The informant was afraid of Monroe and was reluctant to make any waves. I mean, hell, can you blame them? Billy Monroe decided to cooperate with us and inform against his uncle, and now they can’t find enough of him to even bury.”
Elle heaved a frustrated sigh. “Well, this person came to you once. Maybe he will again.”
Gabe shook his head. “Something tells me that won’t be the case.”
“Give me a name,” Elle pressed.
“Elle—”
“I’ll look into it myself,” she continued, “see if I can convince the person to meet with me.”
“Let it go,” he said, his tone sharp. When she pulled back a little, taken off guard by how adamant he was, he closed his eyes for a moment before saying in a much calmer tone, “I go back to work tomorrow. I’ll see what else I can dig up while I’m there.”
“And you’ll share what you find?” she prompted.
He gave her a terse nod. “Scout’s honor.”
She arched a single brow at him. “You are a lot of things, Gabe Dawson. But a boy scout is not one of them.”
The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back and Gabe was grinning down at her. “Thank God for that.”
Chapter 20
Gabe stood in front of the mirror and stretched one arm across his chest and then the other, the new uniform he’d been issued feeling a little stiff. Or maybe it was just the fact that he hadn’t been in his Class A’s for several weeks. The material felt coarser, scratching the back of his neck; the weight of his gun belt felt heavier somehow.
Then Elle appeared in the mirror behind him, her gorgeous hair pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck, her tailored charcoal-gray pantsuit accentuating the tantalizing curves of her figure. Her eyes caught his in the mirror and an adorable flush flooded her cheeks.
“Wow,” she breathed. “I’d almost forgotten how good you look in a uniform.”
He laughed and turned to gather her into his arms. “And here I was thinking I looked like a tool. You’re good for my ego, Elle McCoy.”
She tapped his chin with her index finger. “I don’t think your ego needs any help, lover. But I’ll go ahead and tell you that you look seriously hot anyway.”
He pressed a kiss to her jaw near her ear, loving the soft little sigh she made, wishing the workday wasn’t calling them away from bed so soon. “You have plans this evening?”
Her arms went around his neck, pulling him closer. “Mmm-hmm. And they involve a hot bubble bath.”
“Yeah?” he murmured, nuzzling the curve of her throat. “Want some company?”
She pulled back enough to give him a sultry grin. “Sure. Know anyone who’d be interested?”
He bent his head and captured her mouth in a slow kiss, deepening it when she nipped at his bottom lip. When his watch alarm started beeping, they both sighed in disappointment, then chuckled. He pressed his forehead to hers. “We should probably go.”
She reluctantly pulled out of his embrace. “Guess so,” she agreed as she turned to leave the bathroom. “Give me a ride to the office?”
Although a ride to the office wasn’t the kind of ride he had on his mind at that moment, he was happy to give her a lift since her car was still in the shop. “Only if you agree to accompany me to my brother’s tonight.”