Hostile Witness (Sanctuary, Inc. #1)

Chapter 25

25

E than 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 a No Trespassing sign 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 are fired 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.”

“What flavor are they?”

“Assorted, and they’re delicious.”

“You’re tempting me, Detective. And I was thinking about making eggs and bacon.”

Now we’re talking . “You’re kidding me. You shopped?”

She laughed richly. “Sort of. Got a late delivery. I was out of fresh meat for Flynn and added a few things for me into the order. You’ll be here in a few minutes?”

He sat up straight. “Um, no. More like an hour.”

“An hour?”

“I’m sure of it.” He still had a forty-minute chopper ride back to the Eastern Shore.

“All right. I’ll trade you one of your special doughnuts for some eggs and bacon. I’ll start the bacon in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be there, T.” He could hardly wait to see her.

Ethan took a fast shower, and by the time he got to her house, only the main-floor lights were on. They looked kind of pretty against the pastel palette of the upcoming sunrise. She swung the door open wearing pajama bottoms, a blue turtleneck, curly hair, and a spatula. He hadn’t known she had curly hair. She must use one of those things to straighten it.

Tia clasped a hand across her mouth. “Oh my goodness, you shaved?”

Oh yeah. He’d forgotten all about it. “I clean up once in a while. It’ll grow back soon enough.” He’d shaved many times for missions and was used to the abrupt change. But judging by the appraising look on her face, he’d taken her completely off guard. He handed her the box of doughnuts.

She waved him in and hurriedly placed the sweets on an end table. Scrutinizing his face, she pointed her spatula. “I like it.”

Her words warmed him on the inside. “Thanks, but I’ll grow it back. It helps to have facial hair when I work undercover.”

“Suit yourself, but I’m not a fan of the scruff trend. You look good without it.” She set the spatula down near the stove and waved her hands around apologetically. “But I understand you’d need it for work. And really, it’s none of my business, so just ignore me. Too much coffee, I guess.”

Okay. She’d noticed more than his muscles and liked a smooth face. Filing that information away for a later date, he kicked his shoes off by the door. “Everything quiet around here last night?”

A troubled expression flitted across her face. “Yes. It was fine. Missed having Flynn for company, but I’ll pick him up later. How’d work go?”

“Great.” It wasn’t every night he fake assassinated a federal operative and rescued a truckful of young people in the process of being trafficked. “I really like my second job.”

She glanced at him while pulling out a frying pan. “I don’t know how you do it. Are you saving to buy a boat or something?”

Hardly. “No. My police job is my bread and butter, and pension. My second job is more like my calling, if that makes sense.”

“You mean your job with the kids?”

“Yeah.” Information about his second job was on a need-to-know basis. Carson and Earl were the only contacts in the department who knew about his work with Sanctuary. But maybe he should add her to the list.

Tia pulled a few things out of the fridge. “That’s nice. Working with kids really does it for me, too.”

Ethan tapped a finger on the countertop. “Hey, um, I was wondering, why do you refer to Chief Carson by his last name? He’s your uncle.”

A flash of humor darted across her face. “Yeah, it is unusual. My father and Carson were brothers with the same mother. But they each kept their father’s surname. As long as I can remember, they addressed one another as O’Rourke and Carson, and I grew up calling him Uncle Carson. I think it started as some kind of inside joke between brothers.” She sighed deeply. “They were best friends until my dad passed away. Carson lost his wife and my dad all in the same year. It was really hard on him, which also explains why he’s so fiercely protective of me. He and my aunt never had any children. I’m the kid he never had.”

Yeah, that explained a lot of things. “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked, but it struck me as odd.”

She waved his apology aside with a quick smile. “No biggie. You had an honest question.”

Honest or not, it was time to change the subject. “Looks like you’re ready to cook up a storm. How can I help?”

“You can let me taste one of those doughnuts you were bragging on. Is a western omelet okay?”

“Sounds great.” He grabbed the box of doughnuts and brought them to the kitchen counter, where she was chopping peppers and onions. “Here, pick one.”

“You pick for me. I’m cooking.”

He lifted one from the box and held it out to her. “I got an assortment. The filling is always a surprise.”

She offered him a timid smile and leaned in for a bite. A little smudge of powdered sugar stuck to her lips as she closed her eyes and chewed. “That is a great doughnut.” She pulled his hand in and took a second bite as she poured eggs into a large frying pan. “Lemon, my favorite.”

Dragging his eyes away from the powdered sugar on her lips, he turned the jelly stick around. “You got the lemon one?”

“Sure did,” she mumbled with her mouth half full. “Why? You like lemon?”

“Affirmative. I ate two jelly sticks looking for a lemon.”

“Well, share it with me, Detective. I usually like one bite from the middle and the crusty end.” She loosened the edge of the omelet and raised her eyebrows at him. “Go on. I don’t mind. If you eat some of it, then I’ll try another one. That’s how I get to taste all the doughnuts.”

He eyed the treat, considering her proposition.

She waggled her eyebrows and gave a throaty chuckle. “C’mon... you know you want to.”

“You’re a schemer, T.” He bit into the prized lemon doughnut and sighed with satisfaction.