Every time their eyes connected across the precinct, he stared daggers at her. She knew it was because his family was hiding something. She just didn't know how to tell him that she wasn't a threat to him. Not her problem, she thought as she turned the shower on full spray. If he wanted to be a suspicious ass, that was his prerogative. A hot, five o’clock-shadowed, suit-wearing, deep-voiced, good-smelling, suspicious ass.
She stepped into the punishing cold of a shower yet to turn warm.
She had better things to think about. Tonight she was going back to the animal testing site she'd found. She'd gotten scared away by whatever animal had been in the woods. And tonight was finally the night she was able to go back. She'd been staking out a package sorting facility almost every night for two weeks. But at this point, she knew their schedule. They wouldn't be receiving anything. So she had the all-clear to go back and explore to her heart's content.
She was glad for it. She'd gathered a lot of information on her stake-outs. But there was too much time with her thoughts for her liking. Which ultimately meant too much time with Danil. She was sick of thinking of him.
As long as he gave her a little breathing room to do her job, she didn't care.
Couldn't care. About anything but what she'd come to Spokane to find out.
CHAPTER THREE
"Chrystos," Danil cursed in Belarusian as he watched Dora Katsaros stroll out of his favorite coffee shop with a to-go cup in her hand. She scrolled through something on her phone and he sucked in a breath as she stepped off the curb without looking. A biker swerved around her, shouting.
Danil bounded forward, but before his very eyes, her smile and a few quick words had the biker blushing and smiling right back. And, Jesus, apologizing to HER. Even though she’d been the careless one.
Danil gave in and pinched the bridge of his nose against the headache that was quickly forming there. This woman had the world wrapped around her finger. He refused to be a part of it.
Unfortunately, she very clearly was a part of his world. As she was everywhere around town. He'd seen her almost once a day for two weeks. Mostly at the precinct. He'd been there taking care of his clients, and she'd been there for God knows what. Either because she'd been dragged in on more charges, or more likely, because she was using all that charm to make nice with a few cops she'd like to have in her pocket.
Either way, Danil had steered clear of her as best as he could. She was a complication that his family did not need. Hell, she was a complication he didn't need either. He scowled at her as she flirted with the biker.
He'd seen her in the supermarket the other day. She'd been buying apples. Turning them over in her hands to check for bruises. He hadn't liked how it had made him feel. Seeing her doing something like that. He preferred to think of her as Dora Katsaros, professional snoop. Not Dora Katsaros, human being. Very pretty human being. Very pretty human being with an ass that made a man want to beg for mercy.
Dora looked up from the biker, her eyes drawn by Danil's intense stare. Her body tensed when she recognized him. Good. So she wasn't immune. He considered turning and heading to the meeting he was already late for. But there she was, staring him down as if she owned the sidewalk she was currently standing on, one hip out and a little smirk on her face. Without considering any further, Danil tucked his hands in the pockets of his well-cut suit and strolled over to her.
He completely ignored the douche in the bike shorts whose eyes were glued to her chest.
"Ms. Katsaros."
"Mr. Malashovik."
"Goodbye," Danil said to the biker. The man's face recoiled at the tone, but he took the hint, pushing away on his bike with one last wistful look at Dora.
"That was rude," Dora said, hiding her smile behind her to-go coffee cup.
"You've been rude," Danil responded. "You've made me late for my meeting."
"And exactly how did I do that?"
"You almost got yourself run over in the street and made me come over to see if you were alright. And now I'm late for my meeting and don't have time for coffee."
"I wasn't in any danger from Henry," Dora nodded at the biker's departing back. "He had my best interests at heart."
"Henry?" Danil scoffed. "Did you get his telephone number as well?"
Dora hid her smile again. "We didn't have the chance to exchange information as we were interrupted by a very rude man."
Danil opened his mouth to quip back but she beat him to it.
"How do you take your coffee?" she asked, swallowing some of her own.
"Black."
She took one more swig of her coffee before she shoved the half empty cup into his hand. “It’s the least I can do, Mr. Malashovik," she said, striding away from him down the street, a slight smile on her face like she knew she'd won that round.