Page 15 of Only You

“You like her.”

He nodded, althoughlikewasn’t actually a big enough word for what he felt. Declan wasn’t sure exactly how to describe the feelings he had for her.

“You need to ask her out. Brando and I had crushes on each other in college, and we waited. Thankfully, not too late, but I still mourn all our years apart. Don’t waste time, bro.”

He sighed and nodded his head.

“Now, get ready because my aunt-in-law wants to talk food, and she’s Italian. This will take a bit,” she said with a laugh.

Declan nodded and continued to follow her to the table. He definitely needed to do something about Eileen, but tonight was about family which now included the Santinis.

Eileen parkedher car on Fleet Street.

“Can I come with you?” Rowan asked.

She rolled her eyes. She’d already said no. “You’re a civilian.”

“Fine.”

The sigh of frustration clogged her throat. She loved her cousin, but she wasn’t like a lot of their family. She was a woman in homicide, where they didn’t have many women. She couldn’t do anything wrong, or she would get demoted or fired.

“It will only take a second to find out what’s going on, then I can drop you off.”

Without waiting for an answer, she slipped from the car. The street had been blocked off with tape and police cars. Even though she knew one of the uniforms, she flashed her badge.

“Eileen, how’s everything?” her cousin Freddy asked. Then he took in her outfit. “Damn, you were on a date.”

She snorted. “Hardly. Family anniversary party for some friends. Rowan was my date.”

“What the hell? Didn’t he want to see me?”

“He’s in the car, but before you go, do you know anything?”

A lot of people looked down on uniforms like they all didn’t start out that way. Eileen knew better than that.

“Young woman, that’s all I know. It was apparently pretty brutal based on the reaction of some of the cops.”

She nodded and ducked under the tape. As she walked down the street to the alley where they’d found the body, she nodded to people she knew and almost blinked when the lights came on.

She stepped up beside her partner, Eddie Francisco.

“Well, look at you,” he said, smirking.

“Yeah. I’m a hottie. What do we have?”

His smile faded. “Young woman. No idea, but she looks to be in her mid to late twenties.”

“So, she was robbed? Could this be a mugging gone wrong?”

“Not this. If it started that way, it went way overboard.”

She nodded as she put booties on her shoes.

“It’s an alley, Eileen.”

“Doesn’t matter. When your brother used to hunt killers with the FBI, you learn a few things they don’t show on TV.”

That brought his smile back, albeit not as bright.

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