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  Nikki filled two cups, put lids on them, and slid one across the counter to Tom. “I’m sorry about the promotion. It really sucks that you didn’t get it.”

  He frowned at her.

  “Oops, sorry. I didn’t know it was a secret.” She scrunched up her face and bit her lip.

  Maddie blinked. “What? You didn’t make detective?”

  “Nope. Looks like I stay on patrol.” His shoulders slumped.

  “I’m really sorry.” Her heart sank for him. Everyone had expected Tom to take the place of the retired detective. “Who filled the spot?”

  “Some hotshot New York City cop. Name’s Fisher. No one knows him.”

  Maddie shook her head, paid Nikki, and stuffed money in the tip jar. “Well, whoever he is, he can’t be as good as you. I’m so sorry.”

  “Eh, life goes on. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Nikki snatched a foil-wrapped sandwich from the kitchen window counter and handed it to Tom. He thanked her and called over his shoulder, “Catch you guys later.”

  Damn it. Tom had been so excited about that promotion. Maddie fought the urge to follow him, but he’d made it clear he didn’t want to discuss the subject.

  Nikki wiped the counter. “I don’t care how hot the new guy is. Tom should have gotten that job.”

  “How do you know the new hire is hot?” On second thought, she didn’t have time for gossip. “Never mind. I need to get on the road. Thanks, Nikki.”

  Maddie’s phone rang with an unknown caller ID. She stepped to the corner of the café.

  “Hello?”

  A woman asked for Madeline Cooper and then continued, “I’m Gina, calling from the office of Victor Mole, the developer of the proposed resort property next to Lake Caswego.”

  “Yes. I’m familiar with the area and project.” Maddie frowned. The tribal members were concerned about the construction, with good reason. The land had a high probability of containing Native American artifacts. All the publicity over her team’s successful excavation had drawn attention to the area. People were buying private land left and right, no doubt hoping to dig up and sell whatever they could with no regard to the historical importance of the objects. Infuriating.

  “Your name was on the list of practicing archaeologists of New York. We need a field survey before we can get our permit to build, and we’d like to meet with you to discuss this.”

  Maddie nibbled at her lower lip. This could be big. If she found historically significant pieces, she could help preserve Native American history. But she’d planned to travel for work again in a month. “Can I get back to you?”

  “I’m sorry, but time is of the essence. If you aren’t available—”

  “Hold on.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. It couldn’t hurt to meet with the woman and figure out how long the job might take. She hadn’t committed to another dig yet, and the tribal leaders would appreciate having someone they knew and trusted conduct the survey. “Okay. I can fit a meeting in on Wednesday morning. Around eight?”

  “I was hoping for something sooner than two days. I’ll put you on the schedule, but please call me if anything opens up.”

  “That’s the best I can do right now.”

  “Okay. Can you meet us at the site?”

  Maddie agreed and hung up. After spending a year in one place, she itched to be on the move. She wasn’t a put-down-roots kind of person, but until she knew what might be at stake, she couldn’t walk away.

  Coffee in hand, she hurried from the café to her car. She balanced the cup on the roof and dug out her keys.

  “Maddie?”

  She whirled around, and her almost-back-to-normal pulse quickened again. Scott hadn’t left. “Now what? Are you stalking me?”

  “We have to talk.”

  “Well, you had lots of chances over the last two years. So—”

  “I know you don’t want to talk about us”—he held up a hand—“but what I asked you a few minutes ago has nothing to do with us.”

  She hit the unlock button on her waterlogged remote. Nothing happened. Great. As she inserted the key into the lock, she glanced up at him. Big mistake. Those eyes that changed shades depending on his mood made her insides flutter.

  He gave a slight shake of his head. “Look, I’m sorry to press, but can you please do me a favor and keep my past quiet?”

  Quiet. The irony again. All she’d had from him was silence. So close, and yet so far away. Once, he would have drawn her into his arms and kissed her senseless. Now, an invisible wall stood between them. But her foolish heart kept pounding against it.

  To break eye contact and end the agony, she yanked up her sleeve and checked her watch. “No time.”

  “Maddie—”

  “Gotta go.” She opened the car, dropped into the seat, and slammed the door shut. Her hand shook as she threw the vehicle in gear. When she pulled away, the coffee she’d left on the roof tumbled down past her window. She hit the brakes and cursed as she glanced in the rearview mirror.

  Scott stood by the curb, a hand on one hip. The mist blurred his features, but it didn’t matter. She’d memorized them.

  Pressing the accelerator, she left him in the fog.

  Chapter 2

  Scott strode past a lady pushing a stroller on the sidewalk beside the police station. A chipmunk scampered between the lilac bushes lining the path. Tuckerton couldn’t be more different from busy, manic NYC or arid Mexico.

  Despite the peaceful setting, tension revved inside him after his encounter with Maddie. Damn it. What the hell was she doing in Tuckerton? He’d kept his cool, but she’d rocked him. Even in muddy work boots and a dusty coat, she’d jump-started his heart.

  She hadn’t held back. Not that he could blame her.

  Not a day went by that he didn’t think of her. He missed the way she nibbled her lower lip when she couldn’t make a decision and the twinkle in her eyes as she challenged him—which was all the time. The woman had a knack for driving him crazy right before she kissed him into oblivion.

  When he left her two years ago with a promise they’d work out a future together, he’d meant it, but then his life had gone to hell, and he’d convinced himself he had to live without her. For both their sakes, she’d be better off. She might understand if he explained, but he couldn’t.

  Too complicated.

  Too painful.

  Too dangerous, for both of them.

  Maybe she was only in town for a short time. She traveled all over the world, or used to, anyway. Right now, he had a drug-dealing son of a bitch to take down, and that’s where his focus needed to stay.

  Scott swung the station door open and glanced around the room. Fluorescent lights embedded in the dropped ceiling flickered. Four empty desks and a vacant holding cell filled the room. Neatly stacked files rested beside turned-off computer monitors. Nope. He wasn’t in the Big Apple anymore.

  A noise came from the adjacent room, and Scott turned. The sight of his old mentor had its usual calming effect. A seasoned narcotics detective, Lee had shown Scott the ropes working joint operations with the DEA. The man was unflappable. Scott nodded. “Hey, Chief.”

  Lee’s mouth curved into a look-what-the-cat-dragged-in smile. “Hey, yourself. Come on in.”

  Scott entered the office only big enough to hold a desk and two chairs.

  Lee stood, and they shook hands. In the last four years, he hadn’t changed much. More gray hair, but he still had the same strong build and those cool, blue eyes that could stare down the meanest badass. “Want some coffee?”

  “I’m good for now.” Scott dropped into the hard, wooden seat across from Lee, who picked up an oversize coffee mug and took a drink. No doubt the contents were sky-high octane and thicker than molasses. That’s the only way they’d gotten through their stakeout nights. Caffeine and adrenaline, a wicked combination.

  Scott waved a hand at the empty station room. “It’s like a morgue here.”

  “Usually is. Four cops, including you. We’re talking small. No nine-one-one service. Hell, we go by first names and don’t even use ten codes on the radio. Takes some getting used to. Nothing but petty crime in this town.”

  Scott’s gaze went to the framed picture on the desk of Lee’s wife. Her hair had grown back after the chemo treatments. He touched the side of the photo. “How’s she doing?”

  Lee stroked a hand across his chin. “Great. In remission. I think moving out of the city and my leaving narcotics lowered her stress level. Helped to return here, where she has family.”

  Family. The knot in Scott’s stomach tightened.

  A muscle ticked under Lee’s jaw. “This is a nice town full of good people. I got this job because the former chief was a friend of my wife’s family. He was ready to retire but hung in for another month until I could take over.” He glanced at the framed picture. “When she underwent chemo, I couldn’t fit another casserole into the refrigerator. This piece of shit Mole isn’t going to set up shop here and endanger these folks. That’s why I asked for you. You’re the best DEA agent I ever worked with.”

  Sometimes the best still wasn’t good enough. Scott swallowed and stood. “We were damn close to putting Mole away in the Southwest, but the guy’s as slippery as an eel and twice as slimy.” He paced to the window. “We’ll get enough evidence this time. It’s going to be harder for him to smuggle drugs here. Mexico isn’t right across the border.”

  Lee tapped a file on the desk. “This has the aerial photograph and address for the land where Mole plans to build his resort. Your guys tell me he intends to use the place to launder drug money like he did in the Four Corners, and they wager that what he really wants is to dig up artifacts and sell them on the black market.”

  Without a doubt. That was hi
s MO. Scott returned to the desk and sat. “We’re working that angle. Have an agent set up as a buyer. No offense to your force, but this goes beyond small-town police. Mole is brutal. He would chew your guys up and spit them out.”

  “I’m not interested in a pissing contest with the DEA. You have my cooperation. Gotta tell you, though, Tom Waslinski was gunning for this detective job and took it hard.” Lee swigged his coffee. “He’s a good guy and well-liked. Thirty-four—same as you— but a patrol cop. You have your work cut out with the locals, since you’re filling this spot.”

  Scott nodded. Sometimes life wasn’t fair. “Small-town loyalties run deep. No one wants an outsider taking a job. I feel bad for him, but I didn’t come to win a popularity contest. I’m here to put Mole behind bars.”

  “Well, the sooner we do that, the sooner you’ll move on to the next case, and Tom can have this job.”

  “That’s the plan. In the meantime, I’ll play the dirty-cop role and see if that bastard takes the bait.”

  Lee pointed to the computer screen. “I checked your records, and they’ve been altered to say you’ve been a beat cop and detective in NYC for the last thirteen years.” He leaned across the desk. “No one here knows that we ever worked together or that you’re still DEA. We need to keep it that way. Can’t chance any slip-ups.”

  Scott’s shoulders tensed. “Well, Houston, we have a problem, because someone here does know about my DEA job.”

  Lee’s eyes widened. “Who?”

  “Maddie Cooper.” Scott’s throat constricted. Just saying her name took him back. “I met her before I left for Mexico the second time. She knows me as Scott Evans, not Scott Fisher.”

  “Damn. This complicates things. I’m guessing you were more than friends?” Lee raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes. I met her at a bar in Maryland. We hit it off and ended up spending a pretty intense summer together. She has reason to be pissed at me. I left her hanging.”

  “That doesn’t sound like you.”

  Scott closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “Shit happened when I was in Mexico last time.” The pain still wrenched his heart to the point of losing his breath. “I couldn’t keep my promises to Maddie. I tried to call, but she was off the grid. And then I was in too deep to risk outside contact.”

  “What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you about it later.” If he could get the words out. Never talked to anyone about it. “Right now, I need to see Maddie. This whole operation could be compromised if she says anything to anyone about me. Are we caught up for now?”

  “Yeah. Go do what you need to do.” Lee typed something into the computer and printed out a sheet. “She’s probably at work. Here are the addresses of the excavation site, her apartment, and her phone number.”

  “Thanks.” Scott stood. “Do you have any idea if she’s going to be here long?”

  “All I know is she’s been doing an excavation for the last year. You’d have to check with Tom or talk to her yourself about future plans.”

  Tom and Maddie? Scott ground his molars together. Better not to know. What she did with her love life was no longer his business.

  Right. If he clenched any harder, he might shatter his teeth.

  Lee stood. “Good luck. Maddie’s a feisty one. I wouldn’t want to be on her shit list.”

  Feisty was an understatement. The woman had a quick temper, a bad habit of acting before thinking, and no reason to want to help him after what he’d done.

  He needed more than luck.

  Chapter 3

  Maddie stomped across the field between the parking lot and her storage building. No coffee, but after running into Scott, she didn’t need caffeine to rev her body.

  Damn him. He’d swept her off her world-traveling feet and given her a hint of what having a real, lasting relationship might be like. Right before he’d turned into the Invisible Man and dashed any hopes of a happy future together.

  He’d mentioned being in the States for a while. Clearly, at some point he could have contacted her. Whatever brought him to town, it’d required a dress shirt and tie. Scott didn’t hang out in suits. Correction. The old Scott didn’t. With any luck, he’d be passing through.

  Never again would she let carefree, don’t-get-too-deep Maddie vacate the building. Serious relationships only led to pain. She’d learned the hard way. These days she kept her heart to herself and her dates casual.

  She typed in the security code to the storage building, let herself in, and flicked on the lights. Her gaze went to the stack of paperwork on her desk. That could wait for a few minutes. She needed to see the wolf again. Excitement fluttered in her chest. The tribal leaders had asked for more pictures, elated over the discovery.

  A knock sounded.

  She stilled. Who would be coming by in the morning? Kyle and the other members of her team weren’t due until noon. With a frown, she headed back to the front.

  “Who is it?” she called through the door.

  “Scott.”

  Her nerves jumped, sending a quick sizzle through her before she could smack them down.

  The man was persistent and resourceful, if nothing else. She sure as hell hadn’t told him where she worked. If she ignored him, he’d probably come back. Once and for all, she needed to tell him to go away. She opened the door and raked her gaze over him before she could stop herself. The man did justice to a suit. Damn her mouth for watering. She fixed him with a glare.

  “I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”

  She crossed her arms. “I thought I was clear earlier. We have nothing to discuss.”

  He took a breath and leveled a look at her with fierce green eyes, ready to battle. Same as always before an argument. Hot as hell. Only this time there wouldn’t be make-up sex. Her pulse skipped even as she itched to slam the door in his face.

  On second thought, he deserved the earful she’d saved up. She stepped back. “I changed my mind. Come in. We have some unfinished business.”

  He entered the building. “Yes, we do. You go first.”

  Oh no. The indulgent let-her-blow-off-steam approach, and then they’d talk for real. That wouldn’t work on her. Not anymore.

  “When we met two years ago, you only had three months in the States, and I still let you in.” She brought her face close to his. “I don’t let anyone in. I thought we had something. If you changed your mind about wanting a relationship, you should have at least called. I…waited. Like a damned fool.”

  He winced and then said in a soft tone, “I did call. You didn’t have service.”

  She’d only been off the grid for a month on travel. One month out of two years. “So you tried once and gave up?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  The familiar ache in her chest grew. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

  “About this, yes.”

  His stoic expression threw ice on her heart. Something had happened to him. His indifference hurt worse than anger. “I see.” She took a step back. “Then let’s move on. Forget about me. Which, obviously, you had no problem doing. Why are you here?”

  “I’m the new detective. My current name is Scott Fisher, and I need you to keep my previous identity as Scott Evans quiet. No one knows me by that here.”

  She blinked. “Fisher? You’re the one who stole Tom’s promotion?”

  His eyes flashed for the briefest second at the mention of Tom. “I applied for several jobs, and this one came through. It’s imperative you don’t reveal my former DEA alias.”

  Whoa. This shit was getting deep fast. And now, the new detective job meant he’d be staying in town. Freaking wonderful. None of it made any sense. She folded her arms and gazed up at him. “Since when are you a cop, and why didn’t you go back to work in the city?”

  “Things changed for me, and I took advantage of this opportunity.”

  A breeze blew through the open door. His clean scent of Irish Spring mingled with the fragrant pine of the woods. She forced herself to focus. “What things?”

  He squared his broad shoulders. “Nothing I can discuss.”

  More like nothing he trusted her enough to divulge. She’d bared her soul to him when they were together, and he’d held secrets then and now. The ragged edges of her heart frayed even more. “Your real name was never Scott Evans?”