“Are you okay?” Trey whispered against her ear. His warm, fresh breath spilled against the side of her face, and his reassuring squeeze calmed her.

  “I’m okay.” She turned in his embrace to meet his concerned gaze and cupped his cheek. “Gracias.”

  “Idiot kids racing,” he said and shook his head.

  Only Roni was certain it hadn’t been an idiot kid. “It was intentional, Trey. I think the driver was the man Doug met that night.”

  “Are you sure?” he pressed, and she understood why. If she was right, then maybe Doug was as dirty as IAD thought.

  “It happened so fast, but... I’m pretty sure.” She was also sure of one other thing. If it was her suspect, he wasn’t going to give up until she was dead.

  * * *

  “WHAT DO YOU mean you missed her? I told you exactly where she would be,” he said, stomping to the door of his office and slamming the door shut.

  “You didn’t mention she’d have someone with her. He pulled her out of the way, and I was going too fast to get off a shot,” the other man replied.

  “Fool. Did she see your face?” he asked, worried that there would be another loose end he’d have to tie up before they were able to get things under control.

  A hesitant pause came across the line before the other man said, “No. She didn’t.”

  Except he knew Lopez had already seen his man the other night at the club. If she could track down her suspect, it might lead her straight to him.

  “Lie low. No more girls until I say so,” he said.

  “Boss isn’t going to be happy about that.”

  “Tell the boss that if he wants to keep on doing business, he better watch what I say,” he said and ended the call.

  But as he did so, he knew Lopez and Gonzalez weren’t going to leave this alone.

  Lopez had already called IAD to tell them about the incident and confirm her suspicions about the driver.

  And Gonzalez was dead set on finding out who had killed his partner.

  Dead being the operative word.

  The business was too profitable to let Lopez and Gonzalez close it down.

  If his partners couldn’t take care of the two cops, he would have to step in and do it himself.

  Chapter Four

  They had gone back into Barnacle Bill’s after the attempt on her life because she had been too shaken to return to the precinct, and Trey had been worried that it wasn’t safe for her there. But she had sneaked away into the bathroom to call IAD and report about the attempt and who had behind the wheel.

  The heat of the coffee helped chase away the chill that had erupted in her body at the thought that someone had tried to kill her.

  “Did anyone know that you were meeting me?” Trey asked and sipped his own coffee.

  Roni shook her head. “I told Heath that I was heading here.”

  Tony eyeballed her intently. “Heath Williams? He’s your partner now?”

  She nodded. “Bill Shea retired a couple of months ago and they teamed me up with Heath. He came over from the Vice Division about two weeks ago. Why?”

  Trey shrugged strong, impossibly broad shoulders. “I never heard anything bad about him, but... Doug and I had to do an operation with him once. Rubbed me the wrong way.”

  “Doug and Heath knew each other?” Roni asked, not liking where this might be going. Heath was privy to some, but not all, of the information she’d shared with Trey about Doug’s actions that night. Had Heath also seen or talked to Doug that night? Was there more to that relationship than Heath had let on?

  “They did, but I don’t know how well. The operation didn’t last for long,” Trey said, but she could see that he was as troubled as she by the coincidence. Before she could say anything, he said, “I think it makes sense right now to give Heath as little information as possible about what we’re doing.”

  She did a slow nod. “I agree. But he’ll wonder what I’m up to if I’m not working with him on this case.”

  “This case being the reason Doug is dead and someone just tried to kill you,” Trey pointed out, one dark brow arching upward.

  “I’m not even sure how much he knows about the missing students. He’s only just come on board this case in the last week,” Roni countered although there was too much coincidence to ignore.

  Trey hesitated, but then plowed on. “I know how hard it is to imagine Heath is dirty. Believe me, it’s as hard for me to believe it about Doug.”

  Roni picked up her mug, hands still slightly unsteady as she took a sip. When she set the cup down, she said, “I’ll mind what I say to him and what evidence he gets to see, but I don’t know how long I can do that before he gets suspicious.”

  * * *

  TREY WANTED TO tell her that they didn’t have much time. One officer had already been murdered, and he was sure that whoever had just tried to take out Roni wasn’t going to stop until she was dead as well. Probably sooner rather than later.

  “I think it makes sense for you to ask for a few days off so we can work on this together,” he said, but kept to himself, And so I can keep you safe.

  While he hadn’t said it, Roni understood. That was clear, but he sensed there was something else going on with her. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  Color blossomed across her cheeks and her hands shook against the coffee mug, rattling it against the tabletop. “N-n-no,” she said, but he’d known her too long not to see the lie.

  He reached out and laid his hands on hers. They trembled beneath his as he said, “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

  * * *

  HOW I WISH I COULD, Roni thought. But even though Trey wasn’t the focus of the IAD investigation, it wouldn’t take much for IAD to veer to Trey’s direction. She couldn’t let that happen, and she couldn’t fail Doug and his family either. She’d hardly reported on anything to IAD other than what had just happened, but if Trey found out that she had agreed to work with them, he’d never trust her again.

  “We need to get to work on this ASAP,” she said and pushed on, slipping free of his grasp to count off each item on her fingers. “First thing, find out how the money got in Doug’s accounts. Second, track down the suspect at the club—”

  “And who you think tried to run you down. Add finding Eddie la Rata to the list,” he said, and she nodded.

  “I’ll head back to the precinct and ask Captain Rogers for a few personal days. Then I’ll round up anything I think may be useful for us to review,” she said.

  Trey nodded. “First stop will be Sophie and Rob. If anyone can find out how the money got there, they can.”

  Roni couldn’t argue that his Whitaker cousins were the kind of ethical hackers who could find out what had happened, but she was once again surprised he was reaching out to anyone associated with his family’s South Beach Security. That he was using them now spoke volumes about his concerns over the case.

  “I’ll meet you there,” she said and rose from the table, but he reached out and laid a hand on her arm.

  “I’m going to stick to you like white on rice, Roni.”

  The thought of that sent her brain and body into overdrive, which was insane considering the situation they were in. But that’s what Trey did to her. He took the logical, responsible, by-the-book Roni and made her want things that were impossible.

  “I can take care of myself,” she said and strode away from him, but he was immediately at her side, a possessive hand at the small of her back.

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “White on rice.”

  She didn’t continue to argue with him. There was too much to be done and too much at stake. The missing college students. Doug’s reputation and his family. Possibly Trey’s reputation. Her safety. But as a cop her safety was regularly on the line, which was why she’d put it last.

  It took only a couple of minutes to leave Barnacle Bill’s and reach the station house. She pushed through the doors while Trey waited in the plaza in front of the building. The fewer people who knew about their working together the better.

  She marched to Captain Rogers’s office. He was making a call and seemed a little surprised to see her there but motioned for her to wait for him. He hung up less than a minute later, rose and invited her to enter. Once she did, she closed the door and stood in front of his desk, uneasy about what she was about to ask.

  “Detective Lopez. What can I do for you?”

  She rocked back and forth on her low-heeled shoes and rushed ahead with her request. “I know this is probably the worst time to ask for this, what with a new partner, the investigation and everything, but I need to take a few days off.”

  His dark gaze narrowed to a sharp point, skewering her with its intensity. “You’re right that this is the worst possible time, Detective. May I ask why?”

  “It’s... I’d rather not say, sir,” she said, unable to lie to her superior.

  Rogers settled back in his chair, leaned his elbows on its arms and steepled his fingers in front of his face as he scrutinized her. With a heavy sigh, he popped forward in his chair again and said, “I’ll work things around, Roni. Would three days be enough time?”

  Three days and so much to do. But any more time away was likely to attract too much attention. As it was, her leaving now would cause tongues to wag.

  “I hope so, sir,” she said. Without waiting for any additional confirmation, she walked to the door, but before she reached it, her captain said, “You and Trey stay safe.”

  She looked at him over her shoulder and nodded. “We will.”

  She hurried from his office and over to her cubicle. Her new partner, Heath Williams, was sitting at a small desk a few feet away from hers and talking on the phone. As she walked past him, he nodded his head in greeting, but his look grew puzzled as she packed up her knapsack.

  He quickly ended the call and walked over. “What’s up, Lopez?”

  She finished stuffing her notes into the bag and zipped it up. “I’m sorry to spring this on you so last minute, but I’m taking a few days off.”

  Williams shook his head in disbelief and dragged a hand through his longish sandy hair in frustration. “Now? In the middle of all this?”

  “Like I said, I’m sorry. It’s personal,” she said and slung her knapsack over her shoulder.

  “And what am I supposed to do in the meantime? You’re the lead detective on this case,” he said, his voice overly loud, causing some heads to pop up as he followed her out of the squad room.

  She turned and stopped him with a frigid look. “We agreed that you were going to reinterview our first witness to see if she’s thought of anything else.”

  Williams jammed his hands on his hips. “And then what?”

  Roni pulled her cell phone from her pocket and wagged it to remind him she was always in reach. “Write up an interview report and send it to me. Get the names of the hotel and club staff members working when the college students and the other women were taken. Call me to set up the next steps.”

  His lips tightened at her instructions. In the short time they’d worked together, she’d discovered that he didn’t much like having to answer to someone else, especially a woman. But that was the price to be paid for moving up and out of the Vice Division.

  She lifted a brow at his prolonged silence and did something she hardly ever did. She pulled rank. “Is there something else, Sergeant Williams?”

  An angry muscle ticked along his jaw and his face mottled with blotches of angry white and red. “Nothing else, Detective Lopez. Enjoy your vacation,” he bit out, making the last word sound like a curse.

  She ignored him and rushed out of the squad room, but not before seeing a few thumbs up from some of the women at their desks.

  The heat and humidity of a Miami afternoon hit her as soon as she left the air-conditioned building, but it was nothing compared to the blast of desire at the sight of Trey casually sitting on one of the bollards in front of the station. Waiting for her, but not in the way she’d wanted for oh so long.

  She strode to him and wished that his eyes, those marvelous eyes that were the color of the Caribbean, weren’t hidden behind his sunglasses.

  “Everything go okay?” he asked and slowly straightened to his six feet plus height. She didn’t miss the wince as he did so, confirming to her that he was still in pain from his wounds.

  “Fine. We have three days,” she said and kept on walking, heading for his vintage red Camaro SS.

  “Three days?” he said, a little taken aback, but then he shrugged and followed her to the car.

  She paused and stared at him. “That’s it? Doesn’t anything faze you?”

  He popped the locks, but before getting in, tipped his sunglasses down with one finger and stared at her intently with that too cool blue gaze.

  “I can think of one thing that does.”

  * * *

  IDIOT. WHY’D YOU say that to her? he chastised himself and hurried into the car.

  She was silent as she slipped into the passenger seat beside him, but there was no denying the tension in the vehicle. Determined to work past it, he said, “Sophie and Rob are expecting us. We’re meeting them at South Beach Security.”

  She shot him a side-eyed glance. “You’re okay with working with SBS?”

  He shrugged. “As okay as I’ll ever be. Besides, as much as I don’t want to admit it, we’re going to need their help with this case.”

  “Because we don’t know who to trust,” she said, and again he noted something in her tone that was worrisome.

  “We don’t. Besides each other, right?” he said, pushing on the issue to gauge her response.

  “Each other and your family. But we only have three days, Trey. Is that enough?” she said, worry alive in her voice.

  He shot her a quick glance and couldn’t fail to miss how she was worrying her lower lip. Her hands were clenched in her lap, fingers white with pressure. Reaching over, he covered her hands with his and gave a reassuring squeeze.

  “We’ll make it be enough,” he said as he drove toward the causeway and downtown Miami. When one of the art deco buildings in the landmarked downtown area had been severely damaged during a hurricane and had to be torn down, the Gonzalez family had bought the property. They had then built a larger and more modern building on the lot, but in the art deco style to keep the historical look of the area.

  Using his pass, Trey pulled into the private parking garage beneath the South Beach Security building and parked in a space that was reserved for him by a family who hoped he’d one day join them in the family business.

  He turned to her and said, “Are you ready?”

  * * *

  IN RONI’S MIND the bigger question was if he was ready to get his family’s help.

  His family had made their intentions known for years that they wanted Trey out of the police force and working with them. They had made that desire even more clear in the week since Trey had nearly been killed.

  In truth, this wasn’t the only time they’d been worried about Trey over the years. First, as he did his Marine deployments in Iraq and after, when he’d joined the force and begun working undercover in some of the department’s riskier operations once he’d moved up in the precinct.

  Much like his family, Roni wished he’d find something less risky to do, which was funny really since she was the one whose life was now in jeopardy.

  “Roni? You okay?” he pressed.

  She nodded. “I’m okay and I appreciate that you’re willing to ask your family to help me.”

  “Help us, Roni. We both have something on the line here,” he said and cupped her cheek. “We both want you to be safe and we both want to get to the truth.”

  She wanted to ask him if that was all but warned herself that things were dangerous enough with letting it get too personal.

  “The truth? What if we find out Doug was dirty? What then?”

  Trey’s full lips thinned to a knife-sharp edge. “Then we deal with it. It’s all we can do.”

  He rushed from the car with a slight hitch in his step, but still fast enough to force her to quicken her pace as they hurried up the stairs to the main lobby of the building. The security guard at the reception desk caught sight of them, waved and opened the gate to grant them access to the elevator bank.

  The main offices for South Beach Security were on one of the topmost floors of the building while the lower levels housed a number of their different departments as well as some independent tenants.

  No matter how often she visited, she was taken aback by the lushly appointed offices with the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered amazing views of downtown Miami and beyond that, Biscayne Bay and the Miami beaches.

  A young Latina woman sat behind a large, ebony-colored Spanish colonial table that had been turned into a receptionist’s desk. At the sight of the two of them, she smiled, rose and gestured in the direction of one of the rooms. “Everyone is waiting for you, Detective Gonzalez. Detective Lopez,” she said with a warm smile.

  “Everyone, Julia?” Trey said with a lift of a dark brow.

  With a little wince and obviously chagrined, Julia said, “Almost everyone. Your abuelos aren’t here...yet.”

  His grandparents weren’t there yet, but that meant everyone else was? Roni thought, not sure she was ready for the gauntlet of facing the entire Gonzalez family at one time.

  From the immediate tension in Trey’s body, it was obvious he wasn’t ready for it either, but there was little choice. To go it alone without his family’s resources would be way too difficult and too dangerous since they didn’t know who they could trust in the police department. Plus, they were racing against the clock to save the two missing college students.