at the front desk, she keyed in her code to the entrance.
“Are there a lot of late nights in wedding planning?”
“More than you might think.”
* * * * *
Kyle had asked Gisella for a place to work, so she’d set him up in her small office. The only furniture was a small round table with four chairs and another half-round table against the wall holding display cakes and a leather-bound binder. She’d said she only used the space for client consultations and did all her work in the bakery.
Curious about her work space, he’d followed her through a back door in her office into a kitchen. A large counter dominated the middle of the room. The outer walls housed a large oven and metal shelves that held supplies and equipment. The space wasn’t as large as he’d expected, but it looked like it was set up to be efficient. In one corner was a tall chair and drafting table that looked like it was used as a desk often.
Immediately upon entering the kitchen, she’d twisted her hair into some kind of knot and slipped on an apron. Giving her space to work, he went back into her office to touch base with Blake.
Asking the other detective for help that morning had stung, but he’d been strictly professional about it, so Kyle had asked him to take point for the night. Blake taking point didn’t mean Kyle hadn’t been reviewing evidence in his mind though.
Duty and desire both demanded attention. It was only with the help of Blake he was able to indulge both. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he called Blake.
“This is Blake.”
“It’s Riley.”
“It’s almost midnight.”
“Did I wake you?”
“No. Just making sure you know what time it is.”
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about the previously hit homes.”
“Of course you have.”
“The pattern is too well organized. They have to have a plan.”
“You have ideas?”
“Possibly.” After spending a few hours earlier analyzing the pictures of all the scenes, comparing them to the map he’d created and then using Google’s 3D street maps to attempt narrowing the possibilities further, he pinpointed a possible neighborhood.
Kyle told him what he thought he’d found and what he’d look for if he were out there.
“I’ll call Burns. We’ll cover more ground with two of us patrolling.”
“Thanks. Let me know if you find anything.”
“Will do.”
With his hands tied until he heard from Blake or Burns, or until another call came in about another home invasion, Kyle left his phone and tablet on the table and went back to the kitchen.
The bruise on Gisella’s face had darkened and spread to cover her entire eye and part of her forehead. Her eyebrow and the top half of her eyelid were swollen and very painful looking. It would look worse before it got better, but she was still gorgeous.
Despite the serving of shit heaped on her plate, she’d been kind to her employee and sacrificed sleep to go to work. Damn if her lips didn’t curl into a slight smile as she used one hand to turn a spinner beneath a layer of cake and used the other hand to cover a cake with icing. A sheet of something white lay on the counter beside the cake. Best guess, it might be the fondant stuff she’d mentioned.
Kyle leaned against the wall and watched her. Six cake layers sat around the counter, already covered. Gisella worked on one and had another waiting its turn.
She smoothed icing over the cake and then laid the fondant sheet over that. Her hands moved over the cake, massaging and smoothing the fondant until no wrinkles existed. She cut away the excess fondant, and in the end, the two layers had perfectly smooth, white surfaces.
She took the completed layer off the rotator tray and put the next layer in its place.
She smiled the whole time. She moved effortlessly and looked at ease. The bruise and bandage were the only signs she wasn’t at a hundred percent.
The sight of them renewed his desire to find the assholes who’d hurt her and then beat them into
“Are there a lot of late nights in wedding planning?”
“More than you might think.”
* * * * *
Kyle had asked Gisella for a place to work, so she’d set him up in her small office. The only furniture was a small round table with four chairs and another half-round table against the wall holding display cakes and a leather-bound binder. She’d said she only used the space for client consultations and did all her work in the bakery.
Curious about her work space, he’d followed her through a back door in her office into a kitchen. A large counter dominated the middle of the room. The outer walls housed a large oven and metal shelves that held supplies and equipment. The space wasn’t as large as he’d expected, but it looked like it was set up to be efficient. In one corner was a tall chair and drafting table that looked like it was used as a desk often.
Immediately upon entering the kitchen, she’d twisted her hair into some kind of knot and slipped on an apron. Giving her space to work, he went back into her office to touch base with Blake.
Asking the other detective for help that morning had stung, but he’d been strictly professional about it, so Kyle had asked him to take point for the night. Blake taking point didn’t mean Kyle hadn’t been reviewing evidence in his mind though.
Duty and desire both demanded attention. It was only with the help of Blake he was able to indulge both. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he called Blake.
“This is Blake.”
“It’s Riley.”
“It’s almost midnight.”
“Did I wake you?”
“No. Just making sure you know what time it is.”
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about the previously hit homes.”
“Of course you have.”
“The pattern is too well organized. They have to have a plan.”
“You have ideas?”
“Possibly.” After spending a few hours earlier analyzing the pictures of all the scenes, comparing them to the map he’d created and then using Google’s 3D street maps to attempt narrowing the possibilities further, he pinpointed a possible neighborhood.
Kyle told him what he thought he’d found and what he’d look for if he were out there.
“I’ll call Burns. We’ll cover more ground with two of us patrolling.”
“Thanks. Let me know if you find anything.”
“Will do.”
With his hands tied until he heard from Blake or Burns, or until another call came in about another home invasion, Kyle left his phone and tablet on the table and went back to the kitchen.
The bruise on Gisella’s face had darkened and spread to cover her entire eye and part of her forehead. Her eyebrow and the top half of her eyelid were swollen and very painful looking. It would look worse before it got better, but she was still gorgeous.
Despite the serving of shit heaped on her plate, she’d been kind to her employee and sacrificed sleep to go to work. Damn if her lips didn’t curl into a slight smile as she used one hand to turn a spinner beneath a layer of cake and used the other hand to cover a cake with icing. A sheet of something white lay on the counter beside the cake. Best guess, it might be the fondant stuff she’d mentioned.
Kyle leaned against the wall and watched her. Six cake layers sat around the counter, already covered. Gisella worked on one and had another waiting its turn.
She smoothed icing over the cake and then laid the fondant sheet over that. Her hands moved over the cake, massaging and smoothing the fondant until no wrinkles existed. She cut away the excess fondant, and in the end, the two layers had perfectly smooth, white surfaces.
She took the completed layer off the rotator tray and put the next layer in its place.
She smiled the whole time. She moved effortlessly and looked at ease. The bruise and bandage were the only signs she wasn’t at a hundred percent.
The sight of them renewed his desire to find the assholes who’d hurt her and then beat them into
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