Jonah greeted Piper with a grunt and a rough slap on the back, his simian version of an olive branch. She gave him an elbow to the gut but was glad she didn’t put any force behind it because at least one of the bouncers stayed close to Coop all evening, something Coop didn’t look pleased about.

Deidre Joss showed up again, this time alone. She and Coop disappeared. When half an hour passed and he hadn’t returned, Piper started to worry.

She checked the alley first. New security cameras had been installed as she’d recommended, and Coop’s Tesla sat there unharmed. He must be in his office. But what if Deidre were still with him? Piper couldn’t imagine anything worse than walking in on the two of them doing whatever they might be doing, and she knocked loudly on the door. When it swung open, Coop looked irritated. “You need something?”

“Security check. I wanted to make sure no one was in here who shouldn’t be.”

“Is that Piper?” Deidre said from inside the room.

Coop opened the door wider. Behind him, Piper could see Deidre standing near the couch, her hair a perfect waterfall, her dancer’s carriage upright, her stilettos arranged in third position. She even wore a softly draped ballerina-pink dress.

Deidre was exactly the kind of high-achieving woman Coop was most attracted to, and it wasn’t hard to imagine the two of them married. In between board meetings, Deidre would bear him three beautiful children, and on weekends, she’d prepare gourmet meals. Piper wondered if Coop would someday look back on his fling with her and wonder how he could have been so crazy.

“I’ve been looking for a chance to talk to you,” Deidre said. “Come in.”

Piper reluctantly did as she was told.

“According to Noah, I owe you an apology,” Deidre said. “He told me in no uncertain terms that I made life difficult for you by not letting you tell Cooper I was the one who’d hired you.”

His name is Coop, Piper thought, even as she plastered on a smile. “No harm done.”

“Other than my threatening to sue her,” Coop said.

“Oh, no! You didn’t.” Deidre looked horrified. “I am sorry, Piper. I didn’t know that.”

She was so damned nice. And smart. And successful.

Piper hated her.

Deidre directed her attention back to Coop. “I have to be up early, so I need to get home. Good talk.” She extended her arm to shake his hand, when what she really wanted to do was give him a long, deep good-bye kiss. Or maybe Piper was projecting. One thing she did know: Coop genuinely liked Deidre. And why wouldn’t he?

“See that Deidre gets to her car safely, will you, Piper?” He squeezed Deidre’s hand. “Apologies, Deidre, but I have to get back on the floor.”

Deidre smiled. “One of the things I most admire about you.”

Along with his abs, his smile, that incredible mouth… Which I’ve sampled, and you haven’t.

Piper’s self-disgust hit a new high… or low, depending on how she looked at it.

She escorted Deidre from the club to the lot across the street where she’d left her BMW. “You really didn’t need to walk me to my car,” Deidre said.

“It’s nice to get some fresh air.”

“Did you know that Noah’s become a big fan of yours?”

“Really?”

Deidre stopped and smiled. “You’re the first woman he’s shown any interest in since his divorce.”

Piper made a noncommittal murmur.

“Girlfriend to girlfriend… He’s solid. Ambitious. I don’t know what I’d have done without him after Sam’s death. He can be a little intense, I’ll give you that, but maybe you should let him take you out to dinner and you can see if you hit it off.”

“I don’t really have any time to date now.”

She tilted her head. “Because of Cooper? I heard a rumor that the two of you have more than a professional relationship.”

Piper hadn’t seen this coming. “Fascinating what people will say.”

“Is it true?”

“You don’t believe in subtlety, do you?”

“Not since I lost my husband. Hell of a way to learn how short life can be.” She shifted her clutch to her other hand and waited, regarding Piper in an open, patient manner. “Well?”

Piper began walking toward the BMW. “I think you probably know by now that I never comment on my clients.”

“I respect that.” The locks on her car clicked. She opened the driver’s door, then turned back to Piper. “But if it is true… I like him a lot, and I’m going to give you a run for your money.” She didn’t say it in a bitchy way, more as a straight-up point of information. “And if it’s not true, tell him I’m low maintenance and fabulous.”

Piper laughed. Whether from surprise or amusement, she didn’t know. What she did know was that Deidre Joss was a force of nature.

Deidre pulled out of the parking lot. Piper crossed the street back to the club, barely avoiding a Lexus whose driver thought he owned the right-of-way. It felt good to have a target for her frustration, and she flipped him the bird.


***

The next night was a Friday, and the club was even busier. She helped Ernie toss out some men who were making themselves obnoxious, ordered the servers to cut off a couple of overzealous dancers, and broke up a fight heading for the alley. She was proving to be an excellent bouncer. If only she were as good an investigator.

By the time she entered her apartment, she was dead on her feet. She peeled off her dress, tugged on her Bears T-shirt, and brushed her teeth. As she came out of the bathroom, she heard her door open. She peeked into the living room.

Coop had makeup smears on his sweater sleeve and lipstick on the side of his neck. He looked tired, disheveled, and irritable. “I’m too tired to drive home.”

He’d been everywhere tonight, and she knew how tired he was, but she hardened her heart. “You can’t stay here.”

“Sure I can. It’s my apartment.”

He began emptying his pockets on the counter between the kitchen and living room, and she was temporarily distracted by what emerged: his cell, key fob, and a tampon wrapper with something written on it, probably a phone number.

Somebody had spilled a drink on him, and he smelled like liquor. “Coop, I’m serious. We’re… over.” She faltered on the word, but it had to be said. Their relationship was a train wreck. “Lovers need to be on equal footing, and we’re not.”

He took in her sleepwear. “Do you ever wash that T-shirt?”

“Frequently. I have more than one.”

“Of course you do.” He jerked his sweater over his head, filling the room with the scent of a dozen different perfumes. She spotted another lipstick mark on the opposite side of his neck. It was hard being Cooper Graham.

He would have already fired her if Karah hadn’t been run off the road. He probably still would. “Did you hear me?”

“I’m taking a shower, then I’m going to bed.” He headed for the bathroom. “Try your best not to jump me.”

18

Piper settled into bed, turned out the light, and tucked the sheet around her. Her life was a mess. She was sleeping with her boss, or maybe her ex-boss, who might or might not also be her ex-lover, but then why was he here, and why was she letting him decide this anyway? She was too miserable about her life to have a good answer to anything. She had no financial security. She was virtually homeless. And, in the only case she had that mattered, she was proving to be a shitty investigator.

The shower stopped running, the door squeaked open, and the mattress sagged. She moved as far away from him as she could, but he made no attempt to touch her. She was both offended and comforted.

She awoke in the middle of a blazingly erotic dream to find him inside her. She was wet and yielding, her body thrumming. His weight pressed down heavy, as if he were still half-asleep, both of them more animal than human. By the end, they were awake, not speaking, moving apart and finally falling back to sleep in the mess of what had happened.


***

When Coop awakened the next morning, he was alone and hungover. He dragged his arm across his eyes. For the first time since the club had opened, he’d gotten drunk. It had started a few hours before closing when he’d had a couple of drinks, then a couple more, a few more after that, until he didn’t trust himself to drive home. He’d never been a big drinker, preferring pot in his younger days and, as he’d gotten older, happy with a couple of beers. But last night, as he’d watched Piper moving around the club, things had gotten away from him.

She was everywhere at once-keeping an eye on the guests, the servers, and on him. She’d gotten her way with the bouncers, and one of them was always nearby. It was easier not having to watch his back, but he objected to the principle. Just because he was no longer in the game didn’t mean he couldn’t watch out for himself. He’d growled at Jonah to call off his boys, but the son of a bitch was more afraid of her than of him, and nothing changed.

He wished he could kick her out of this apartment. He needed the place for nights like this. He needed his life back, the way it had been before she’d barged into it.

Something twisted in his gut, the thing he didn’t want to look at. The thing that every day kept pushing closer to the surface. And for no reason. He had everything he wanted. Money. Reputation. He felt physically better than he had in years. As for Spiral… The club had been at capacity since they’d reopened three nights ago. And best of all, Deidre had invited him to her farm next Monday. The playful way she’d delivered the invitation suggested his waiting was about to be over. Everything was going his way.

And yet… He wasn’t happy.

It was because of Piper.

She had a dream-the same way he did. A single-minded focus that got her out of bed every morning and drove her through the day. A passion. So why did he feel as if his life had become a cloudy reflection in the mirror of hers?