“Earth to Romeo.”
He shook himself out of his stupor and found Micah staring at him. Rome wanted to cringe at the knowing expression on Micah’s face.
“What?” he asked. Hell, he could hear his defensive tone.
“You might want to tone it down a bit.”
Rome rolled his shoulders. “You said yourself it caught people’s attention. That’s the plan.”
But even now his gut was churning. He didn’t like the idea of men even thinking of her that way. It was the plan. It was reckless and probably a little stupid, but it just might work. Hell, it was working. Being involved with him, the man who was hunting the serial killer, would make an even more enticing catch. How many times had she said that?
“But if you aren’t careful, you might end up with too many suspects.”
“Especially that damned Ashton. Why do you let him be a member?”
“He paid his dues, and he never gives us a problem.”
“Other than fucking with his subs’ brains. You know he’s an asshole.”
Micah nodded. “But he isn’t that dangerous. Unless you have some kind of information?”
Rome shrugged. “He’s gone after my subs after we split ways.”
“As have a lot of the men in here. You’re going to have to come up with something better than that.” Micah studied him for a moment. “You’ve never shown any possessiveness before. Not like this.”
“I said leave it alone, Ross. If there isn’t anything else, I need to get back to the station. I’ve been running some names through the system, might pick up on something.”
“I’ll leave it alone as long as you remember, while you might be tied up, figuratively, with Agent Callahan, keep your mind on the job. I’m damned sick of losing people I know and care about.”
Rome nodded and walked out of the room. As he jogged down the stairs, he made a mental note to run Ashton’s name again. He didn’t trust the bastard, and it had more to do with that than Ashton’s interest in Maria. They had run his name before, but he decided it would be best to try it one more time. With Maria on the line, he didn’t want to take any chances.
· · · · ·
“So, how was your night?” May asked. A twinkle in May’s eyes told Maria that the woman had heard about her leaving with Rome.
Maria couldn’t think of anything to say to the question. They had just sat down at a booth, and she hadn’t even had a drink of her soda.
“Uh…” Her mind was blank. Again, she was no good at girl talk. How much did they tell one another?
“Jeez, May, have a heart. Not every woman wants to spill info about their sex life over appetizers.” Dee rolled her eyes. “You have to understand she grew up with a horde of men and doesn’t know how to act around girls.”
Maria shrugged. “I mainly grew up with my dad. Well, and the other FBI agents.”
“Your mom?” May asked.
“She died when I was twelve.”
May’s eyes softened. “Oh, I lost my mom, too, right about the same age.”
She didn’t offer Maria sympathy, which was best. Talking about her mother, especially the way she died, was something she tried to avoid.
“So it was just you and your dad?” Dee asked.
Maria nodded. “I was homeschooled a lot of the time because I went with him on cases.”
There was a long beat of silence and then May opened her mouth. But before she could ask another question, Chris Dupree, the owner of the restaurant, stepped up to the table with their plates. He was a beautiful man with skin the color of rich cocoa.
“Three Kalua Pork Plates,” he said, the sound of New Orleans lacing his words. He flashed a smile that was complete with dimples. “I can promise you it’s Mo’ Better.”
“Thank you,” she said as she breathed in the smoky scent of the meat.
“Did you get those schedules done for next week?” May asked as she picked up her fork.
“I’m working on it.”
“You better get it done today, or we might have to have another talk.”
He chuckled. “Do you remember who owns this restaurant?”
“Do you remember who runs it?” May asked without looking up from her food.
His big, booming laugh echoed through the restaurant. “That’s definitely the truth.”
When he kept standing there staring at her, Maria didn’t know what to say. May leaned over. “He won’t leave until you try it and tell him it’s the best you’ve ever had.”
She scooped up a huge forkful and took a bite. The moment she did, she hummed. The smoky taste, along with the juiciness of the meat, was wonderful. After she swallowed, she said, “It’s the best I’ve ever had.”