“Yes, we do! The balloons of heroin from Brianna’s stomach. When you put that together with Expo’s past history, it’s something anyway. Right?”

He grinned. “You got guts, I’ll say that for you. Not too many prosecutors I know would go to a judge with such crappy evidence. They’d be too worried about their precious reputations.”

“I’m more worried about this missing girl.”

“I know. That’s good. Refreshing.”

“Oh, and one more thing. Esposito let something slip. I think he lost a swallower before. A female, probably Puerto Rican, by the name of Mirta. If we could corroborate that, we’d have a slam dunk.”

Dan pulled into an empty parking space on Melanie’s block.

“See? I remembered where you live,” he said, holding her gaze as he shut down the engine. With the heat off, the car’s interior instantly cooled to frigid, but Melanie was in no hurry to get out. It was months ago now that they’d kissed, but she hadn’t forgotten what Dan tasted like or the feel of his powerful arms around her.

“You remember my address from that one time?” she said, seeing her breath in the frosty air.

“It was twice. Besides, I’ve been stalking you.”

“I don’t think so,” she said, her voice low and flirtatious. “I’d’ve noticed you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m good at what I do. Nobody makes my surveillance unless I want ’em to.”

He reached out and twined his fingers into her hair where it lay against her neck. Her heart started hammering wildly inside her chest.

“I knew you were crazy,” she said, her eyes fixing on his strong, sensual mouth.

“When it comes to you, I’m a total fucking lunatic.”

He slid his hands down the sides of her heavy winter coat and grabbed her by the hips, hauling her over the gearshift so she sat in his lap, facing him, her back pressed against the steering wheel. For a small eternity, they stared into each other’s eyes, not even touching, their breathing growing heavier. She felt the muscles of his thighs under her and arched her back to press herself more firmly down against him. Oh, yes. They hadn’t even kissed yet, but she was burning up with desire. Not just because she was starved for sex either; it was Dan, the effect he had on her.

He reached out, took her by the hair, and pulled her face toward him. His hands were trembling. Their mouths met greedily. His was hot and rough and demanding, tasting of the beer he’d drunk in the bar, yet, miraculously, soft and sweet, too. Jesus, she thought, I could lose myself in this man.

She pulled away, momentarily shaken by the intensity of the kiss. “Dan-”

“Don’t,” he said, looking up at her, his eyes vacant, heavy-lidded.

“It’s just my mother I think is up there sitting with Maya, and-”

He put his hand over her mouth. “Don’t say anything. I don’t want to know about the limits you’re putting on this or what you don’t feel or why you can’t be with me. This can be anything you want. It can be just sex. If I’m setting myself up for a fall, that’s my problem. I’ll take my chances. But I’m coming upstairs with you now.”

SHE WAS GLAD it was late enough that Hector had gone off duty. The night-shift guy Melanie barely knew, and she scarcely acknowledged him as she and Dan hurried to the elevator.

They stepped in, the doors closing behind them. Dan glanced up at the ceiling.

“No camera in this elevator?” he asked, grasping her by both arms.

“No.”

“Good. Because I can’t keep my hands off you.”

He pinned her against the side of the elevator and kissed her hard. Her insides melted all over again. She wrapped her arms around his massive shoulders, savoring the feel of his back muscles straining against his leather jacket. Dan’s body was insane. He pulled away to work the buttons of her coat, but his fingers were shaking so much that he made little progress. Impatient, she undid them for him, and he stripped the coat roughly from her shoulders, revealing her chest in the red halter top.

“Jesus. You’re so goddamn beautiful I can hardly stand to look at you,” he said.

Slowly, breathing hard, he ran his hands over her face and throat and down her bare arms. His touch spread fire through her. He cupped her breasts, kneading them through the filmy fabric of the halter top as they stared at each other. She moaned, her head falling limply back, her hips thrusting forward to meet his. He pressed her hard into the wall, lifting her off her feet with one powerful thigh wedged between her legs.

“Ah, yeah, don’t stop, keep going,” Melanie said, the words ripped from her mouth almost involuntarily. Panting, she pulled up his shirt to get at his warm skin, her fingers brushing against his holstered gun. She drank in his tongue, forgetting everything else in the world. They’d better reach her floor soon, because in a second they’d be doing it standing up in the elevator.

“You are so hot,” he whispered, his mouth against her hair. “I don’t know if I can handle you.”

She smiled dizzily, her eyes closing. “Oh, yes, you can.”

The doors opened on her floor. Her knees were weak as she led Dan by the hand down the hall to her apartment. She shrugged her coat back into place and tried to get her breathing under control as she fumbled in her bag for her keys. She was a grown woman. Maya would be sleeping, and her mother would just have to deal with getting unceremoniously kicked out. Because Melanie had to have this man. Now. Her fingers found the keys, but then Dan, pressing against her from behind, started kissing her neck, and she dropped them on the floor.

“Let me open the door,” she said. “You’ll get me evicted from this building.”

“Then you’ll have to come live with me.”

She had trouble getting the key into the lock. The noise must’ve roused her mother, because the door started to swing inward.

“Hands off now,” she whispered to Dan, pulling away, trying to compose herself enough to introduce him.

But it wasn’t her mother standing there. It was Steve, and he was holding two glasses of champagne.

31

LULU LET HERSELF into the darkened basement apartment with her key, relieved that the lights were out. Thank God that Papi was sleeping. She was nervous that if she saw Papi, she’d break down. She’d tell. She couldn’t let herself. She had to keep her mouth shut, for Carmen’s sake. Like he said tonight, when he came and found her at the skating rink. He’d scared the shit out of her just by showing up and sitting there. And as if that weren’t enough, he’d explained exactly what he’d do if she told anybody.

Lulu reached into her coat pocket and fingered that lady’s business card. She’d been thinking about calling the number and telling everything she knew, but now she definitely wouldn’t. In fact, he told her she’d better call up that lady and lie. Throw suspicion onto somebody else. He’d even carefully given Lulu the name. She didn’t want to do it, but what choice did she have? That man would kill Carmen without a second thought.

Lulu was getting choked up thinking about how much she wanted to call that lady. It would be such a relief to let an adult take this mess off her hands. But no, she was being weak. Babyish. For years now, Lulu had positively longed to have a grown-up take care of her. But she was determined to outgrow that nonsense. Grown-ups couldn’t be trusted. Mami had gone and died on them. Papi was helpless and lost, like a child himself, needing them to take care of him. The teachers at school were evil, full of double talk, slaves to the rich girls. Carmen was the only one Lulu relied on, and now look at what she’d gone and done! Lulu told her to mind her own business. But no, Miss Smarty-Pants thought she knew everything. Had to be such a Goody-Two-Shoes and go tattle. So now this mess. He’d explained to Lulu very carefully tonight what she needed to do, what would happen to Carmen-and Lulu herself-if she didn’t. Lulu had every intention of living a long, happy life, getting rich and famous and having tons of clothes and boyfriends, so she planned to follow instructions. But what if…what if she made the wrong choice? What if he killed Carmen anyway and she could’ve stopped it? How would Lulu live with that?