Page 51 of His Forgotten Colton Fiancee
“In which case he’s lucky to not have blown himself up. He’s smart, accurate and organized. He did this to cover Tia’s murder and any evidence. Did forensics find anything from Tia’s computer?”
“No. It was too damaged.”
“Then maybe the computer was the real target. A database. Did she back up to a cloud?”
IfTia did, they could access those records. “She was too insular, distrustful of tech.”
Cal sighed. “Sorry, West. If I have anything more for you, I’ll call.”
He hung up.
By the time he returned to the apartment, West felt emotionally and physically wrung out. He let himself and Rex into the store with his key, and punched in the alarm code once he got upstairs. West unlocked the door,hesitated.
All the previous times he’d been here, Quinn had been whole. Happy. Bubbly. He would anticipate walking through that door, kissing her deeply and relaxing. He knew her habits. Knew her quirks, how she liked to walk around the apartment barefoot and paint her toes bright pink. How she quickly undressed in the morning to prepare for the day and slowly undressed for him with a teasingsmile.
And now he was about to enter the home of a total stranger.
Chin up. West opened the door and called out a greeting as Rex ran forward.
Delicious smells of home cooking filled the air. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he’d skipped lunch. The apartment was slightly warm, but a cooling breeze came through the open living room window, billowing the curtains. West frowned. Evena second-story open window presented a threat. An unsub could lob an explosive, tearing through the screen, blowing up the place...
He shut the window as Quinn came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel. “Hi.”
Her voice sounded hoarse still, uncertain. This was so awkward, coming home to someone who had no memory of him. The same someone who would greet him with a soul-searingkiss, whose warm concern would erase the gritty memories of ugliness that came with the job.
“Hi.” She petted Rex.
“Hi.” West gestured to the window. “Don’t leave it open unless I’m home.”
Halfway expecting her to argue, as the old Quinn might, he was surprised to see her nod. “All right. Did you have a good day?”
Ordinary small talk, common to ordinary relationships. “It was allright.” West jammed his hands into his jeans pockets as Rex looked up and whined.
His dog sensed his tension. West followed Quinn into the kitchen. The drop leaf table had been set with plates and silverware. Meatballs bubbled in a skillet filled with red sauce.
“I made whole-wheat linguini with tomatoes, peppers, scallions and cilantro. I also cooked some he-man meat for you. Found somelean ground beef in the freezer and I made meatballs in case the froufrou food doesn’t appeal to you.”
The cutest little frown dented her brow. “I wonder where that term came from? It sounds familiar.”
His shoulders relaxed their rigid stance. West grinned. He-man, now that sounded more like the old Quinn. Considering, he scratched his chest and affected a lazy drawl. “Well, I dunno, littlelady. He-man balls in red sauce sounds mighty wimpy to me without the proper he-man juice. Got a beer to go with it?”
Quinn stared.
Okay, that tanked. West shifted his weight, uncomfortable with her scrutiny. Hell, this was harder than he’d ever imagined, trying to crack a joke with a woman who used to laugh at everything.
A woman who used to share intimacies with him as easily asshe made delicious dinners.
She turned and left. He heard her heading downstairs.
His heart sank. Damn. Now he’d driven her off. West rubbed his face, knowing he should go after her.
A minute later, she returned, six bottles of beer in her arms. Now it was his turn to stare.
Quinn dumped them onto the table. A saucy smile, the one he adored, lit her face. “Will this do for yourmanliness or do you need some homemade moonshine from the still out yonder in back?”
The grin returned as he picked up a bottle. “No need for a moonshine chaser, little lady. Thanks.”
“I may be little, but I bet I could drink you under the table, on top of the table and sideways. And many other positions, doing many other things other than drinking.”
