You Belong to Me – 51

 

 

“You clean up well, Reed,” Corey said with a grin when he opened the apartment door and saw Scott standing there.

 

Scott quickly shook his head, touching one finger to his ear.

 

Corey instantly got what he meant and added, “Okay, amend that. Compared to the jeans and shirt you were wearing at the coffee shop, this is a vast improvement.”

 

“I’m dressed to impress.” Scott replied with a laugh. “Are you ready? And by the way, you look good too. I always did like you in turtlenecks.”

 

“Thank you. Okay, let me get my jacket and I will be ready.” Corey hurried to grab it from the closet. Once they were in the hallway, security armed and both locks locked, he said, “Sorry, I forgot about his bugs.”

 

“You covered it well.” Scott chuckled. “Like a pro.”

 

“Uh-huh.” Corey felt a small swell of pride at Scott’s praise.

 

When they got outside, Scott led the way to an older-model Chevy with, Corey was surprised to note, out-of-state license plates. When he asked, Scott told him that since “Reed” had just moved back to the city, he wouldn’t have had a chance to get new ones yet. “All part of my cover.”

 

“You have things down to a science,” Corey said as they got into the car.

 

Scott shrugged. “Lessons learned that have stuck with me as part of the kind of jobs I do.” He put the car in gear and pulled out into traffic.

 

Corey studied him for a minute. “How often have you been hurt as part of the job?”

 

“A few, but not too badly. To be cliché, it comes with the territory. It would even if I was just a regular detective.”

 

“You like working undercover, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Short and sweet.”

 

Scott nodded. “There’s times when it can get hairy and I wonder why the hell I chose this line of work, but all in all, it’s been worth it.”

 

“Let’s hope this isn’t one of those times.”

 

“It won’t be.”

 

“You sound pretty confident, considering he’s a killer now,” Corey said.

 

“I know what I can do. If he does come after me, it’ll be one-on-one, not a gunshot from a distance—if Mr. Reynolds’s killing is any indication. So stop worrying. Let’s enjoy the evening,” Scott added when they pulled in to the restaurant parking lot.

 

“Worrying is what I do best,” Corey muttered under his breath.

 

“Not tonight. We’re going to have a nice dinner and get—” Scott paused, smiling at him. “—reacquainted the way old lovers would in a situation like this.”