“Bull’s-eye.”
Gina climbed off the chair and straightened the clothing that had become a bit disheveled in her flight from the furry monster.
He walked back to her, his brows raised in question. She grimaced at him and then sighed. “I don’t like rodents, okay? Spiders, snakes, cockroaches, any of that stuff I couldn’t give a—”
“Rat’s ass about?” Rick interrupted, his smile stretching wider when she glared at him.
“Very funny. I’m not usually such a chick about that stuff, but rodents…” She shivered.
“Well, I guess everyone has their weaknesses,” he said, looking through their things and making sure nothing had been damaged in her mad scramble to escape Mickey Mouse.
“Yeah, well, I don’t have to like it. Sorry again for…you know…”
“Ah, no worries. You can climb me anytime,” he said with a wink.
Her mouth opened in a small O of surprise, but she quickly snapped it shut and spun around to gather her things. “I think we’re done for the night.”
“You don’t think he’ll make a try for the truck?”
She sighed and slung her backpack onto her back. “At this exact moment in time, I honestly don’t care. He can screw the entire Dallas cheerleading squad in there. I’ve been traumatized. I’m going home.”
His laughter rang out. “Well, if you’re sure.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. There’s always next weekend.”
His amusement faded. “Really?”
She held up her hands. “Hey, no one is saying you have to come. In fact, I’d be much happier if you didn’t.”
“Oh, really? And what would you have done tonight if I hadn’t been here?”
She shrugged. “Probably run screaming down the fire escape.”
That startled a laugh out of him. “Well, at least you’re honest.”
“Brutally, I’m often told.”
“Well, with my line of work, it’s refreshing. I don’t get many people lining up to tell me the truth.”
“Ha! I bet,” she said, laughing.
He liked the sound. Boisterous and loud with a slight wheezing sound, like a rusty car engine that was trying to get going. Her forehead creased when she noticed him watching her.
“What?”
“You have a great laugh,” he said. “You should do it more.”
“Well, maybe if I wasn’t being hassled by certain officers of the law, I would.”
He grinned. “Well, maybe if you weren’t set on harassing the citizens of my city, you wouldn’t be getting hassled.”
“I’m sure there are a lot of people harassing the citizens of your city more than I ever have.” Her eyes narrowed, though her lips twitched. “I was harassing Mrs. Bogetti’s plant more than I was her.”
“True. But as the plant couldn’t file a complaint for itself, we’ll have to lump it in with Mrs. Bogetti for now.”
“You do that, Mr. Cop Man. I’m going home.” She gave him a mock salute and headed for the fire escape.
“Friday night? Nine o’clock?”
She sighed. “If you insist.”
He chuckled. “I insist.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and disappeared over the side of the building.
Rick laughed again. The woman was an aneurysm waiting to happen. So he really shouldn’t be enjoying himself so much. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t know what the next day would bring. The thought made him distinctly uncomfortable. He liked his life ordered and organized. But at the same time, it was kind of refreshing.
Terrifying. But refreshing.
…
Rick tried to keep his focus on the road, but Joe’s constant questions about Gina were wearing on his nerves.
“Okay, so explain it to me one more time,” Joe said.
Rick groaned and Joe laughed. “Come on, you had to know I wasn’t letting this go.”
Yeah. He’d known. That didn’t mean he liked it. “There’s nothing to let go. She needed help, so I’m helping her.”
Joe’s eyes widened, his amusement clear. “Yeah. She seemed real eager for your help. If looks could kill, I’d have been scraping you off the pavement.”
Rick shrugged. “She’s not so bad.”
“Bark is worse than her bite, huh?” Joe said with a distinct leer in his voice.
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Ha! Not yet, maybe. I saw you two watching each other.”
Rick frowned. “You see what you want to see.”
“Occasionally,” Joe admitted. He looked out the window. “Right now, though, I’m seeing a chick on her cell phone who just cut another car off,” switching from teasing partner to all-business cop.