Deathblow by Dana Marton

Sophie is being overprotective. Are you okay?”
    “The captain filled me in on what’s going on. I thought about it.” He glanced at Justin making an unholy mess in the kitchen, and dropped his bag at the foot of the stairs. “I’m moving in.”
     
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    Wendy Belle wasn’t the type of model foreign princes married. Yes, tall and graceful, but she didn’t radiate a Grace Kelly-like cold beauty. Her lips were too sensuous for that, her eyes too mysterious. Her face was beautiful and perfect in its own way. More than beautiful—interesting. She was the type of woman a man could look at for a lifetime and not get bored.
    “When did Bing talk to you about this?” she asked, her mysterious gray eyes narrowing.
    “An hour ago.” Not that he saw what difference that made.
    “Sophie just left here.” She smoothed down the soft fabric of her azure slacks. She wore a white knit top with matching azure threads shimmering through it. The clothes accentuated her slim figure, the outfit as relaxed as the easy ponytail she had her golden hair in.
    At six foot tall, Joe was no garden gnome, but in heels, Wendy would be taller than him. She was the first woman Joe had ever met who made him feel like she was out of his league. If he had a vain side—very small, miniscule—he might have found that disconcerting. But he wasn’t vain. And he wasn’t going to let her get to him.
    He paused to think over her words, put two and two together and came up with, “We’ve been set up.”
    “I don’t need protection,” she said. “Keith and I had a fight. It was my fault. I was upset, and Sophie misunderstood.”
    Familiar words, denial and defense of the abuser. Not unusual from victims of long-term abuse. Joe looked at her more closely, noted the wariness in her eyes that he’d missed before because he’d been too busy staring at her kissable mouth and long legs. “What did you fight about?”
    She pressed her lips together and took a step back. “I would like full custody of Justin, and I pushed too hard. Keith had a rough day at work. We’ll work it out. You really don’t need to be here. I don’t even need to be here. I should go back to the apartment.”
    Every time he stepped forward, she stepped back, keeping a safe distance between them. He didn’t think she even noticed she did it, just acted on reflex. For some reason, that small, ingrained defensive habit of hers pissed him off. How in hell hadn’t he caught it before?
    Of course, they hadn’t spent all that much time together. And he’d been distracted by other things.
    “I’ll just hang around for a while. In case you need me.”
    Her body stiffened. “I don’t need you. You’re confusing me with your other women. Won’t they go into mourning if you disappear suddenly? I wouldn’t want to be responsible for all the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth in Broslin.” She offered a syrupy smile. “Seriously. Thanks, but no thanks.”
    She was stonewalling him. He’d been a cop long enough to recognize victim behavior. It made him incredibly sad for Wendy, and beyond pissed at the jerk who would do this to her.
    Sugarcoating wasn’t going to help her. “Do you think your loser ex is capable of hurting you?”
    “He didn’t mean it—”
    “I’m moving in.” After the night and morning he’d had, Joe didn’t have the energy to go through the whole song and dance. He looked around. “Give me your cell phone.”
    She folded her arms in front of her as she did her best to stare him down.
    He spotted the phone on the sofa table and grabbed it. He’d picked up a new phone on his way over. He entered his new number, then put her phone back down. “I’m going to stick as close to you as possible for the next couple of days, but if I’m not right there and something happens, I want you to call me.”
    “I’m not sleeping with you again,” she said between her teeth.
    That she thought that was why he’d come, that he