Running (26 page)

Work had gotten right back
to normal. Strange, how she’d found reassurance in catching the bad
guys. Reassurance in normal. Guess that was the way things were
supposed to work.

Carrie was doing well, her
earlier bouts of morning sickness seemed to be lessening. Carrie
glowed, looking even more beautiful than she had before. Her and
Jules both.

No, Al was the only one who
even seemed to remember what had happened almost a month
ago.

“
You
ready for tonight?” Paige stuck her head in Al’s office. As
Sebastian’s second-in-command, Al now had an actual office, whereas
the rest of their team had desks in the bullpen near Hell and Mal’s
teams. Sometimes Al missed those days
before
Sebastian had moved her into
the ten by ten office two doors down from his her first week back.
“Payton is bringing the outfits.”

Tonight. The big charity
Battle of the Bands that Paige and Carrie insisted on playing in
every year. It went to fund outreach programs for homeless youths.
Last year she, Carrie, and Paige had come in third out of fourteen
bands.
This
year
Al understood the significance the event held for Carrie and
Paige.

This year, Al was
determined to win. They’d agreed that if they did win, the entirety
of their winnings would go to help rebuild the shelter that had
burned last year. Al had been looking forward to the competition
for months.

Or she had been, until a
month ago, when other things started taking priority.

She’d actually forgotten
tonight was the night. “I guess. What time are we
meeting?”

“
Meeting at Smokey Jo’s at
six. The Battle of the Bands starts at ten. I’m hoping we can get
in a few practice sets before we head over. I want to win this
year. And with Payton, Kelly, and Cody, maybe we will.”

“
I think we have a good
shot.” She shook off the melancholy. It was normal to feel out of
whack after a major event. And she’d been kidnapped and nearly
killed. She was bound to have some residual effects. Maybe she
should talk it over with Georgia? The other woman had been through
an ordeal herself.

Paige practically vibrated
right in front of Al. Paige had written all the lyrics for the new
set of songs they’d be using. It was the first time the six of them
would be using her original works. Al’s partner had the skills to
make it big with her songwriting if she ever chose to pursue it.
Not that Al ever saw that happening—Paige was devoted to the FBI,
and PAVAD in particular. But tonight was a big night for Paige, and
Paige wouldn’t admit it.

Al smiled. Paige
deserved
for tonight to
be a success. Al would just have to forget about her own issues for
a while. It was ten minutes before five, she had about an hour to
get herself together. “I need to get my stuff. I’ll meet you at
Smokey’s.”

“
You ok?” Paige studied her
for a minute, her dark eyes watching every move Al made. Sometimes
it made Al uncomfortable, the way her friend appeared to see inside
her. Paige was remarkably astute sometimes. “You’ve been a bit off
since...”

“
Since Seth. I know.” No
one mentioned his name in her hearing. Why hadn’t she noticed that
before?

“
What happened between you
guys? I mean, when you were alone...you’ve never said. Was it more
than what was in the reports?”

Was there? She’d barely
glossed over what had happened before they’d made it back to PAVAD.
And she and Seth, the few times they’d been together after that
point, hadn’t acted in any way to let it be known that they’d...
“Yes. We...I don’t know. I thought...I thought it was
more
than just casual.
Apparently he didn’t feel the same way. I just need to get over it.
Tonight will help. I just need to get back on track.”

“
If he didn’t feel the same
way, that’s his loss.” Paige rounded Al’s desk and sat on top.
“Al...If he can’t see that, then you’re better off. Maybe he’s not
like Sebastian. Maybe Sebastian really is one of a kind, ya
know?”

“
Or maybe
I’m not meant for relationships. At least not long term.” It was
the first time she’d ever voiced it aloud. And maybe it was
about
time?

“
Naw.
That’s me. You’ve got June Cleaver written all over you. You even
cook. Now, me...
I’m
the one who sends decent men running. Maybe Seth wasn’t the
right guy, Al. Maybe it was just wrong place, wrong time, and you
both made mistakes in the heat of the moment.”

In her head Al knew Paige
had a point. But she’d exposed her heart to that man, more so than
she ever had someone before. And the longer she was away from him,
the more evident that became. But she
would
get through this. Time. Time
had become her mantra.

“
Maybe. Listen, I need to
go home, take a shower, get ready for tonight. I’ll meet you at
Smokey’s, ok? And...Don’t say anything to Carrie or Sebastian about
this. I told Sebastian I was ok. I wouldn’t want him to feel like
he’s in the middle.”

Chapter
Sixty-One

***

She was still giving
herself that pep talk later.

She was a grown woman who’d
ended relationships before. And the fact that those relationships
hadn’t seemed to hurt as much as this one didn’t make much of a
difference.

She’d gotten over those
men, she’d get over this one. A week together couldn’t make
that
much of a difference
in how she felt about someone. That was unrealistic. Al knew
better; she was a smart, successful woman.

She didn’t need Seth
Lorcan.

What she needed to do was
focus on getting her life back on track, and focusing on the people
in it. Like Ruthie, Mal, Mick, and Jules. Her parents. Her team and
friends. The people who loved her, who she saw across the breakfast
table nearly every day and who she worked with and depended
on.

Not some arrogant jerk
she’d only been with for a week.

And her friends
needed
her. This
competition mattered to Carrie and Paige. And if they won, the
money would go far in helping repair the damage done to the shelter
Carrie and Paige had helped setup nearly two years ago.

She owed it to them to be
in the game tonight.

Five minutes before six she
entered the backroom of Smokey Jo’s. Smokey had taken over the bar
and grill from her father two years ago and had worked her tail off
to transform it from a somewhat shady place to a warm haven for
local FBI and St. Louis police.

She’d agreed to let them
practice on her small stage in exchange for them performing one
weekend a month at no charge for her. It worked for them, and gave
them a way to let off steam. The arrangement had been in place for
three months and suited them all.

Payton and Kelly were
already there, setting up their instruments. Paige and Carrie met
them a few minutes later.

“
Where’s Cody?”

“
Underneath a body-filled
Hummer, last I heard,” Paige said. “She’ll be a few minutes
late.”

Cody worked automotive
forensics. “Then let’s get inside and get set up.”

One of the benefits—or
drawbacks, depending on viewpoint—of her type of position was that
she’d learned early on to push her own problems away and focus on
the tasks at hand.

She was determined to do
the same tonight.

Cody was only a few minutes
late, and they started their warm ups. Most of their pieces
involved Al, Cody, and Paige out front dancing. Some pieces had Al
on the guitar, others had her center stage. It was physical and
exhausting but once the first run-through was finished Al felt
better than she had that afternoon.

Things
would
return to normal. She’d be able
to remember Seth as just another experience in her life, both good
and bad. And she’d move on. It would just take time.

“
Ok,
Cody, ready for
Black &
White?
” The song Paige had written was
about differences between lovers and friends. Al carried most of
the song, with backup from both Carrie and Cody.

It was one of their
strongest pieces, but—damn it—it echoed her heart just flat out too
much right now. She closed her eyes, trying to erase Seth from her
mind. Her heart. Her words faltered on the final line.

Not that it
mattered.

No one else was singing,
either. And they should have been.

Al glanced at Paige,
surprised to see her friend smiling and staring off to the left of
the stage. Toward where Carrie was supposed to be.

Carrie wasn’t
there.

In her place was
Sebastian.

And a man who
almost
looked just like
him. But a bit more wild. A bit more untamed.

Dear God.

Al couldn’t move. Couldn’t
speak. Couldn’t breathe.

Seth.

Chapter
Sixty-Two

***

What the hell was he
supposed to say? “Damn Barbie, guess you even have a set of great
pipes.”

She stared. Looked at him
like she had so many times before. When she said nothing else he
was flooded with more nerves than he’d felt with a woman. Ever.
“You going to say anything?”

She stepped toward him,
then stopped. “You could have called.”

“
I could have. I
didn’t.”

“
No. You didn’t.” A wave of
hurt passed over her face. Making him feel like an ass. This woman
would probably always be able to make him feel that way with just a
breath. “Why are you here?”

Was she going to make him
say it in front of everyone? “I don’t know. Someone told me St.
Louis was a great place to live, figured I’d check it out. And
apparently I have family in the area. Figured what the
hell?”

“
How long are you staying?”
Her words were stilted. Almost cold. Had he made a mistake? Had
Sebastian been wrong when he’d mentioned that Alessandra was
missing him? Maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea after
all.

“
Depends.”

“
On?” Blue eyes looked
straight at him, filled with hurt and confusion.

What the hell? What did he
really have to lose if he made himself look like an idiot in front
of her friends and the small number of his family that were
watching? “On you.”

“
What do
I have to do with any choice
you
make?” Now her head went back proudly. So she was
going to make him crawl, then?

Fine. For her he’d do it.
“Well. If you say get your ass out of here, then I’m gone. But if
you’re willing to put up with me, then I figured we’d finish what
we started.”

She finally moved closer to
him. He took that as a good sign. He mimicked the move until he
could reach out if he wanted and grab the damn woman.

Like he wanted
to.

But Seth was a big boy; if
she didn’t want to make that move he was for damned sure not going
to force her.

“
And just what was
that?”

Hell with it.

Seth grabbed her and yanked
her against him. He ignored the squeals and laughs from her
friends. From the early bird crowd who’d been watching Alessandra
and her friends practice. “This. What did you think I
meant?”

“
Oh, I
don’t know…since you haven’t so much as sent a
pigeon
in the last three weeks. Was
kind of thinking you had forgotten about me.”

“
Blondie, you’re the kind
of woman a man could never forget.” He kissed her.

She made him wait for it,
but she finally kissed him back.

Finally they had to breathe
and he pulled away. They were greeted by hoots and applause. He
grinned at her, then laid his forehead against hers. “Well, you
certainly know how to put on a show.”

“
You’ve not seen anything
yet. Just wait until tonight.”

“
Babe, I’ll definitely be
doing that.” He pulled the headset from around her neck and tossed
it in the direction of his former sister-in-law. Cody caught it,
like he knew she would. After that he looked at no one
else.

He bent over and scooped
Alessandra off her feet—and over his shoulder. She squealed then
laughed. Her hands slipped into the pockets on his ass. “This is
rather embarrassing, don’t you think?”

“
Who gives a damn? I’m
taking you with me. I’m not hurting you. We have things to discuss.
At least this way I know you’ll cooperate.”

“
Where are we
going?”

“
Well, I was thinking of
this little motel I know…”

“
Sounds great…but I can’t.
How about the dressing room?” Her voice dropped. “It’s a heck of a
lot closer.”