She laid a larger card next to it.
He took the business card, perused it. Then the other. An invitation to a cocktail meet and greet party. Same name on both cards: Emmaline Shaw, Humans4Monsters Recruitment. Kind of tacky, but probably effective marketing with hip human genZers.
He cocked an eyebrow. “So Edward’s mom gave you both?”
“No, just the business card.”
“Where did the second one come from?”
“I found it.”
“You found it? Where?”
She didn’t answer.
“Where did you find it?”
She wouldn’t meet his eye. “Clare?” he rapped out.
“In Natalie’s apartment,” she muttered, eyes downcast. “When we went there this morning.”
Oliver’s hackles rose. “Why didn’t you give it to me at the time?”
She shuffled in her seat. “I’m not sure. Maybe I didn’t think it was that significant.”
“I don’t buy that for a moment.”
She didn’t reply, started to pleat her napkin. Oh fuck, he had a fair idea, didn’t he? “Was withholding this information a way to get back at me?” he rapped out.
Her eyes flew to his face, her flushed cheeks giving him his answer, but then her lip curled, and she muttered, “Don’t flatter yourself. Sir.”
He felt the muscle in his jaw tighten. They both knew what they were referring to.
They had to get past this or it was going to fuck up the case. “Would it help if I apologized?” he said stiffly.
“For what?”
“My behavior… the night of the PD dinner.”
For a moment he thought she wasn’t going to answer. Then she gave a small shrug. “It’s water under the bridge. Forgotten already.”
He leaned forward, the urge to touch her hand unbearable. “I havenotforgotten. I never will.”
She didn’t look at him, but he felt the air thicken, a prickly heat spreading between them. His eyes fell to her neck. Seeing the small, fast pulse fluttering beneath the skin, lust and hunger flared within him.
“You want me to grovel, is that it, Clare? Beg your forgiveness on bended knee?”
“I want nothing from you, sir. I just want to get on with the case.”
“And yet you’re thwarting that by hiding information from me.”
“I was simply waiting for the right moment to tell you.”
Stung that she hadn’t even acknowledged his apology, he gritted out, “Damn it Clare, if you’d given me this invitation when you found it, we’d be further along than this.”
“Really?” She glared at him. “How so?”
“Don’t act dumb, it doesn’t suit you. I could have interviewed this Emmaline Shaw woman while you were in Tween today. You’ve lost us a day.”
