worth it.
“You don’t know her,” Daniel snapped right back.
Yeah, he did. “I know she’s stronger than everyone gives her credit for.” Stronger than he’d given her credit for in the beginning. That woman wouldn’t break when reality shoved its ugly face before her. No, she wasn’t going to break—period.
“So what? You think that makes it okay for you to screw around with her?” Real fury vibrated in Daniel’s voice. “She’s my sister! And you’re not—”
Jonas spun around. “Save it, Daniel.” And you’re not good enough for her. Yeah, he got that picture. “This isn’t about you.” Just her.
But Daniel blazed on. “You’re not the kind of guy who’s going to settle down. Hell, until six months ago, you were a different man with every case you took! Christie isn’t like you—she wants stability. She wants a family. She wants forever.”
But she’d only asked him for a few nights. She’d told him she didn’t want forever.
Or she just didn’t want it with him.
“I told her to be careful with you.” Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. “I warned her, but she didn’t listen.”
“I’m not gonna hurt her.”
Daniel just stared back at him. Then he exhaled. “You’ve known her all these years. So long. Why now? Why’d you finally make a move now?”
Because you’re right—until six months ago, I was a different man almost every damn day. I was drowning in the crime and the hate and realized I had to get out. And when I got out…there was Christie. As perfect and tempting as she’d always been and this time… “Because she wanted me.”
“Plenty of women will screw you, you don’t have to—”
“She wanted me,” he said again. “She knew me, and she still wanted me.” Dark shadows on his soul and all. “With Christie, I wasn’t gonna be fool enough to turn away from her. Not even for the sake of our friendship. So just deal with it, asshole.”
Daniel blinked at him. “Wait, man, are you sayin’—”
“I’m saying it’s none of your business, and I’m saying the last thing you want to do”—he let the steel ripple beneath his words because he was tired of explaining himself and tired of playing the nice guy—“is get between me and Christie.”
Because nothing would keep him from her, and friendship could only stretch so far.
Silence.
“I don’t think anything is missing.” Christie sounded uncertain as she appeared once more in the hallway, with the cops at her sides. “The files”—she shrugged her shoulders—“will take me hours to sort through, so I can’t say for certain. But…I didn’t really have anything of value. The computer is still there—smashed—but there. The fax machine, the printer, all my photos—everything seems to be still inside.”
Officer Piner—Larry—had his notebook out. “If something wasn’t taken, then it seems like this was a personal attack against you.”
Jonas forgot about Daniel and hurried to her side.
“Does anyone have a grudge against you, Ms. Tate?” Larry asked.
Her brows rose.
“Did you fight with anyone recently?” Larry’s partner asked. He was a young guy with blond hair and ruddy cheeks.
Christie’s gaze darted to Jonas. “There was an…incident the other night. Right after the office Christmas party.”
Daniel pushed closer. “What kind of incident?”
Her hand rose and caught the edge of her Christmas tree necklace. She pulled on the bottom of the tree, stretching the thin gold chain. Her gaze went back to Larry. “A situation with my ex became a bit heated.”
“What?” Daniel demanded. “Was Charles causing trouble? I knew I should have fired—”
“Does this Charles have a last name?” Larry interrupted.
“Charles Crenshaw.” She dropped the necklace. It fell back into the lush cradle of her breasts. “But he wouldn’t do this. He’s an accountant, for goodness sake. He wouldn’t—”
“Take a swing at a cop because he was jealous that you were with another man?” Jonas offered quietly. “I think you’re underestimating the accountant.”
Her lips thinned.
“I think so, too,” Larry murmured. “And I think we’re gonna be wanting to have a talk with Mr. Crenshaw.” He glanced at Daniel. “Is there any way he could have gained access to this building without being on the security camera downstairs?”
Before Christie had arrived, Larry had gone with Jonas to view those tapes. And they hadn’t seen anyone. Only Jamie, the security guard. No one else had entered the building or left. Not until Daniel came by a little after seven.
Daniel frowned. “The cameras rotate. I guess…if you knew the timing, you might be able to avoid ’em, but there’s still Jamie.”
“Who didn’t see anyone.” Larry shut his notebook.
“Maybe we’re looking at the time all wrong on this,” Jonas said quietly. They’d only gone back over the day’s footage. “Maybe the attack didn’t happen today. Maybe it happened after the party.”
When everyone was leaving. Too much activity. Too many people.
Sure, the computer would have made noise when it was smashed, but he’d seen for himself just how deserted this area of the building had been that night. All of the action had been in the common areas. No one would’ve even heard the crash.
And there’d only been a few people left hanging around after Santa had finished all his deliveries.
He slanted a hard glance at Daniel. “Why’d you come to her office?”
“I wanted a printout on the projected development of Rover.”
Right. Rover the Robot.
“I thought I’d show the info to Dad tonight. Figured he’d get a kick out of it. He loves Christie’s designs.”
Jonas nodded. “So if you hadn’t come by, no one would have even noticed the destruction until after Christmas.” What a hell of a present for Christie to return to. Maybe that was what the asshole wanted.
“I’ll be needing Mr. Crenshaw’s address,” Larry said quietly.
“And I’ll be coming with you to talk with the jerk.” Jonas shook his head. “I knew I should have let that dumbass spend a night in jail.”
Christie shook her head. “Look, Charles might have been angry, but he wouldn’t do this. He backed off, remember? He knows things are over between us. Hell, he’s
