The Heart of a Killer. Jaci Burton

       “Day off. But yeah, still a long day.”

       “Maybe you should have caught up on some sleep.”

       She lifted her head and looked at him. “I get the idea this whole sleep thing weighs on you.”

       He laughed. “It does when it looks like you haven’t had much of it lately. Working too many hours, or is it nightmares that keep you awake?”

       He’d cut a little close to the truth, so she decided to change the subject. “Do you think everyone will be here by six?”

       “I know evasive tactics when I see them, Detective. But in answer to your question, yes, they’ll be on time.”

       “Did you get hold of everyone?”

       “I got hold of Roman and Gabe, and Roman said he’d call Jeff.”

       “Okay.”

       “So on your day off did you do any detecting on the case?”

       She wasn’t about to tell him about her ridiculous trip to the morgue to stare at George’s body. “No.”

       “You working this case by yourself?”

       “Well, Roman can’t since George was indirectly a relative.”

       “But no other partner?”

       “No.”

       “I thought you cops always worked with partners.”

       “Not always. And we’re short-staffed, so we work cases alone or with uniforms. Roman and I aren’t partnered, though we have bumped into each other on cases now and then.”

       “Funny that you both ended up in law enforcement. He’s the last person I would have expected to become a cop.”

       She took another drink of her beer and wrapped her hands around the bottle, making sure to keep her focus on Dante, on the present, and not on the past. “I would think you would have been more surprised that I ended up in law enforcement.”

       His lips curled. “That, too, but Roman was always a little wild and undisciplined. You at least had the familial background for it.”

       “People grow up and change. Maybe the incident twelve years ago altered Roman’s perspective enough to make him want to pursue law enforcement.”

       “I guess it did change some of us. Or maybe it affected all of us in some way, affected the choices we made in our lives after that night.”

       Cryptic words.

       She wanted to ask him if that night had changed him at all, and if it had, how. He was catching up on all of them. But his secretiveness was beginning to piss her off.

       The doorbell rang and she rose to answer it.

       Gabe was at the door, with Jeff.

       “I hope someone ordered pizza,” Jeff said as he strolled in with his usual abundance of showmanship. “I’m starving.”

       Dante had never thought he’d be back here, let alone reunited with the old gang in one place. With Jeff and Gabe showing up, and Roman walking in a few minutes later, it was as if he hadn’t been gone.

       They were all older now, but the smiles and laughs were the same. They were different, and yet the same.

       Jeff had come in wearing a suit—a suit, of all things. No way would Dante have predicted that.

       “A suit, Jeff?”

       Jeff waggled his brows. “Gotta maintain my slick image with the ladies, ya know?” He flicked the lapels of his jacket. “They like me suave and sophisticated.”

       Anna rolled her eyes and slapped a beer into Jeff’s hand. “He’s in insurance sales. Hence, the suit.”

       Dante laughed. “Is that right? And how are insurance sales?”

       Jeff popped the top off his beer. “People keep drivin’ cars, buyin’ houses and they keep dyin’. Business is good.”

       “And ninety-five percent of his customers are women. Go figure,” Roman said, taking the other beer Anna offered.

       “Can I help it if the ladies like me?” Jeff asked, throwing his arm around Roman.

       Dante always thought Jeff and Roman looked the most like brothers. Both about the same height and with light hair, Roman’s was more surfer-boy blond, whereas Jeff’s was sandy, but Dante and Gabe used to tease them about being the golden boys.

       “So any wives or kids?” Dante asked as he sat on the sofa next to Jeff.

       “Oh, God, no. I’m still playing the field, hoping like hell never to get caught.”

       Dante laughed.

       “How about you?” Jeff asked.

       “No. Not married yet.”

       “I’m so glad you’re back, man. I missed you. It was rough when you and Gabe left.”

       “Yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t know he left the same time I did.”

       “Where’ve you been?”

       He was going to have to answer that question soon. Probably sooner rather than later, judging from the way Anna hovered on the edge of their conversation. “Around. Here and there.”

       Jeff laughed. “That sounds like you don’t want to answer. Like you’ve been in jail or somethin’.”

       “No. Not jail.”

       “On the beach in Bali with the perfect woman?”

       Dante laughed. “Uh, no.”

       “Hey, man, I can dream, can’t I? I always pictured you running some con with a sexy brunette, then taking the money and leaving the country, living out your days in luxury.”

       Jeff always had a vivid imagination. It’s how he’d survived a hellish childhood filled with abuse.

       “I like the way you think, Jeff, but no. That sounds more like your fantasy.”

       Jeff took a long gulp of beer and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. Always on the lookout for the perfect woman.”

       “Who’s running away from you,” Gabe replied, sliding into an unoccupied chair. “Which is why Jeff is still single.”

       Dante shook his head. “The more things change…”

       “The more they stay the same,” Roman said, taking a spot on the sofa on the other side of Dante.

       “What about you, Roman?” Dante asked.