Page 40 of Hostile Witness
Mo texted back a minute later.
I’m so sorry. I’m up now and packing. I’ll be there in a few hours.
Tia shook her head and forced her trembling fingers to move.
No. I can handle it. Stay there. If I need you, I’ll call. Go back to sleep.
Tia crawled out of bed, forcing herself to stand on shaky knees. Still holding the pillow for comfort, she let the night-light guide her as she hobbled to the bathroom and started the shower. The crash injuries hurt like hell after every nightmare, almost as if the event had just happened. But experience had taught her that the aches would subside as she moved. Thehardest part was shaking off the aura of foreboding, but light always helped.
Lamp by lamp, she illuminated the house, flooding it with brightness. She glanced out the kitchen window and flipped the outdoor lights on, including the front porch duo. It was three forty-five a.m. for heaven’s sake. But after trembling in a steaming hot twenty-minute shower to warm up and then brewing a pot of coffee, Tia sat down at the kitchen table to read.
There’d be no going back to bed. Not after that.
25
Ethan took several boxes of doughnuts from the lady with dark circles under her eyes and smiled. “Thanks for being open all night.” He forked over a twenty-dollar bill as a tip, and her face brightened. He handed all but one marked box to Mac in the back of the limo, then bit into a doughnut from his box, savored, and closed his eyes.So good.Holding up the jelly stick, he admired its slightly crunchy outside and tender inside with strawberry filling.
Mac tapped him on the shoulder. “What is it with you and these doughnuts? You want to come here every time we’re in the area.”
Ethan chugged some of his black coffee. “This, my friends, is the best damn doughnut on the east coast. I can’t get them at the shore. Jelly sticks are unique to the Philly area. Down where I live, all they have are three kinds of doughnut holes and a couple of way-too-sweet glazed doughnut things. They’re not even worth the calories. But these”—he held up a second one—“these are a slightly crusty, fruit-filled treat made for connoisseurs.”
Snorts of laughter and comments erupted from the back of the limo.
Mac tossed out, “That’s the same way you like your women, man.”
Ethan chuckled as he bit into a raspberry jelly stick. Though not disappointed by the flavor, he’d been hoping for a lemon. And his best friend wasn’t far from the truth. He’d always enjoyed women who swam against the tide and mouthed off a little. It kept things... fun. Tia was kind of like that, a little bit crusty, but without her bravado? He’d bet she was all jelly inside.
He’d seen glimpses of her softer side the past two weeks with Flynn. Only Flynn. They’d been late for the dog’s vet appointment because Flynn hadn’t eaten his food one day.He doesn’t like the flavor of the premade meals. It’ll only take me a few minutes to fix him some ground lamb, and the rice is already cooked.And damn if the woman hadn’t pulled ground lamb out of the fridge and started browning it. But when he looked in the fridge, the only human food in there was a shriveled-up English muffin and a jar of horseradish. Did she ever really eat?
Eh, he had to stop thinking about her. She had aNo Trespassingsign wrapped around her psyche, although he was pretty sure Tia had lied about their kiss. But their relationship had evolved into easy conversations and kind gestures. Maybe she was more interested than she let on? They’d both had horrible previous relationships that had ended quite a while ago. Perhaps it was time to let go of past mistakes and move on? He’d hate to miss the woman in front of him because he was so busy scrutinizing the past. And right now? He wanted to be with Tia and couldn’t deny the attraction any longer.
Mac leaned forward and handed him his burner phone. “The Feds watching your witness say her house is lit up like the Fourth of July. She’s got lights on in every room, the driveway, the backyard, and even the Christmas lights on her deck rails arefired up. Do you want them to go in there and see what’s going on?”
Ethan took the phone from Mac and thought a minute. Tia didn’t know the Feds were sitting on her house. If they went to the front door, they’d freak her out big-time. He replied by text.
Stay put. Will call her and report back to you.
He tapped Tia’s number, hoping she’d answer without recognizing the number. She picked up on the third ring.
“E—Detective, do you know what time it is?”
There was his crusty girl. He glanced at the time and grimaced. 4:20 a.m. “Uh, sorry. I’m just getting off work. Did you ever hear back from Mike about Flynn? Is he all right?”
“Well, aren’t you the devoted dog daddy? I heard from Mike around ten p.m. Flynn’ll be fine. He had four chipped teeth, which they smoothed out; nothing’s broken, and they trimmed his nails. Casey even did a full groom on him since he was asleep, which is pretty cool. When Flynn comes to, he will have had a full mani-pedi and all his dental work completed. I’m a smidge jealous,” she laughed.
He nodded with a smile. “Good, good. You sound like you’re wide awake.”
She hesitated a couple of seconds before answering. “Yeah, well, I couldn’t sleep. It was one of those off nights, you know?”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yup. Just fine. Getting an early start to the day.”
He glanced at his box of doughnuts. “How would you like to try one of the best doughnuts in the world?”
“Excuse me?”
“I stopped after work and bought some. I’ve got plenty to share.”