“Wow.” Kieran raised one eyebrow and his mouth quirked at the corner. “You left with both barrels blazing. By the look on the mayor’s face, he didn’t know what hit him.”
She scooped in a breath and blew it out with a sigh. “Chief Evans gets under my skin. Did you hear him? He was implying it was my fault someone almost dumped a ton of bricks on me.”
“Look.” Kieran placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, but don’t go running around town without me, even in broad daylight, even when you think you’re going to meet a cop. Not a good idea right now.”
“I need to call Detective Marquette and tell him that someone used his cell to contact me, to set me up.”
“Yeah, we’ll do that, but first,” he scooped up Michael and threw him over one shoulder, “we need to eat lunch.”
Michael giggled and then shouted, “Pizza!”
Devon’s nose tingled as she watched Kieran bounce Michael over his shoulder. Michael had actually giggled… and shouted, and both were like a sweet melody to her ears. She had no doubt Elena’s sessions were helping Michael, but having a father, especially a father like Kieran-protective, strong-was having an even greater effect.
She made sure to lead them around to the front of Vinnie’s so Michael wouldn’t connect the collapsed awning with the pizza. After they ordered and ate a few slices, Michael pointed to a table where two boys had cars zooming across the tabletop.
“He can join them if he wants.” The boys’ mother smiled. “They have more cars.”
Michael turned toward Devon, his eyes shining. It had been a while since he’d played with his friends from daycare. He hadn’t been interested. She shooed him with her fingers. “Go ahead, but stay at their table where I can see you.”
She and Kieran watched him dig two cars out of the boys’ backpack and roll them around the pizza tins.
Kieran stretched out his legs and folded his arms behind his head. “Good sign, huh?”
“Lots of good signs since he’s been here, despite the bathroom blowing up and those bricks almost falling on us.”
“You’d think the threats to you here would drive him even further into his shell, but that’s not happening. Elena must know what she’s doing.”
“Elena and you.”
“Me?”
“Both times, Kieran, at the bathroom and in the alley, you were there to save us. That means a lot to Michael. I’ve done my best to protect him, but having a dad to keep you safe is different from having a mom around.”
He dropped his chin to his chest and a smile tugged at one side of his mouth as he watched Michael. “Been good for me, too.”
“Speaking of which,” she picked a piece of pepperoni from the pizza and popped it into her mouth, “how did your session with Elena go?”
“It was good.” He patted his pocket. “She gave me a prescription for a sleeping aid and assured me I wouldn’t be doing any sleepwalking if I took it.”
“Or dreaming?”
“She couldn’t guarantee that.”
She wiped her fingers on a napkin and waved at Michael. “Well, at least that’s good about the sleepwalking.”
“Not necessarily.”
“What do you mean?” She shredded the napkin without meeting his eyes. Was he looking for excuses not to spend the night with her?
“If I’m sound asleep, how am I going to protect you and Michael?”
She dropped the pieces of napkin on her plate and brushed her hands together. “I don’t think these guys are going to be coming around the house. They have to know by now you’re my personal bodyguard, and they’re not going to know you’re in slumber land instead of sitting by the window with your gun locked and loaded.”
“Which is exactly where I should be.”
Devon knew exactly where he should be-locked, loaded and in her bed.
“And what about your family?” Devon folded her arms and hunched her shoulders, ready to do battle. “Was Dr. Estrada able to convince you to call your parents and Colin to let them know you’re alive? You talk about protection-you have to put Colin out of his misery.”
Kieran traced a bead of moisture on the outside of his glass with his fingertip. “I’m going to call them…as soon as this mess is over. As soon as you and Michael are safe. Before I see Colin again, it’s important to make sure he knows he doesn’t have to take care of me, or worry about me.”
“So you want to prove you can take care of business on your own first.” The man had a mountain of stubborn pride, but he had a point. “I get it.”
“Good.” He skewered her with one dark eye. “I need to call my family in my own time.”
“So let’s get this over with.” She unhooked her purse from the back of her chair and fished for her cell phone in the side pocket. “I’m going to call Detective Marquette in case Chief Evans couldn’t be bothered.”
“Good idea.” Kieran wandered toward the table where Michael was playing and crouched beside him.
Devon blinked. If she was going to get teary-eyed every time she saw Kieran with Michael, she’d better invest in some waterproof mascara. Sighing, she punched in the number for the SFPD Homicide Division and got a receptionist. “Could you page Detective Marquette, please? This is really important.”
Several minutes later, her cell phone rang and she waved it at Kieran. The display showed a restricted number.
Kieran swooped back to the table and held out his hand, palm up. “Let me get it. The killer has your number.”
His words sent a line of fear trickling down her spine, and she dropped the phone into his hand.
“Hello?”
She held her breath and crumpled her pizza-stained napkin.
“Yeah, this is Roarke.” He nodded at her. “I’ll let Devon tell you the story.”
He handed the phone back to her. “Detective Marquette? This is Devon Reese. I got a text message from your cell phone.”
She told him about the text and the meeting request and the near miss in the alley. He punctuated her narrative with grunts, curses and whistles.
When she finished, he cursed again. “That SOB must’ve stolen my cell phone while I was in Coral Cove.”
Her heart rate accelerated. “Do you have any idea where it was stolen? Did you talk to someone suspicious here? Did anyone initiate a conversation with you?”
“Whoa. Who’s the detective here? I guess he played me for a fool because I honestly believed I left it somewhere in Coral Cove. That’s why I called the chief-thought I might’ve left it at the station.”
“And he didn’t even bother to call you back.”
Marquette ignored her jab at a fellow officer of the law. “This guy really wants at you. Whoever he is.”
“You don’t really think it has anything to do with my brother’s undercover work, do you?”
“It’s still a possibility, Ms. Reese. Tell you what. I need you up here in the city anyway to look at some mug shots of Johnny Del’s former cohorts.”
“You can’t just scan them and send them to my email?”
“Not allowed to do that. You have to physically sign off on them. Besides, coming back here might be a good idea. Get you out of danger’s way, or better yet, if the creep follows you we might finally get a line on him.”
She hunched her shoulders. Why did everyone have to keep reminding her of the danger she faced? “I’m not sure, Detective. I don’t want to bring my son back there right now.”
“Think about it. I need you to look at these six-packs. Who knows? You might even recognize one of the men.”
When she ended the call, she slumped back in her seat. “He wants me to go to the city to look at some mug shots of Johnny Del’s partners.”
“He mentioned that before. What’s the problem?”
Her gaze darted toward Michael trading cars with the other boys at the table. “I hadn’t planned on taking
