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toward the ladder. “You two head down. I’ll be there in a
minute.”
     
    When
Thorne and Maya were alone again on the roof, she turned to face him, arms
folded across her chest. As though remembering his old lectures on open versus
closed body language, she uncrossed her arms and hooked her thumbs in the
waistband of her jeans, where a narrow green belt glittered with a faint gold
pattern. “Look,” she began, “I don’t know how much Chief Parry told you about
what’s going on, but I’ll be back on the job as soon as IA clears me.”
     
    “Of
course,” Thorne agreed, though he noticed that she was still avoiding eye
contact, and her fingers worked restlessly at her sides. She wasn’t as
confident as she seemed. He felt a slash of empathy as he remembered his own
down time following his escape from Mason Falk’s compound. He’d been on medical
leave for nearly six months, and sent to teach at the Academy in High Top Bluff
for a year after that.
     
    He’d
worked his way back into active duty. Maya would do the same, if she wanted it
enough. But based on what the chief had told him, it didn’t seem likely that
she would return to the Bear Claw PD. If that was a given, was there really any
harm in him angling for her job?
     
    Thorne
wasn’t sure yet. He hadn’t fully processed the fact that this was Maya Cooper.
Pretty, shy Maya Cooper from the back row of his psych class, who never raised
her hand, but who aced all the quizzes and papers.
     
    Pretty
Maya Cooper who had cried in his arms over the whiskey he’d urged on her,
making him step back and realize what he was becoming.
     
    What he
had already become.
     
    He might
not have changed his life because of her, but he’d damn well changed it because
of what she’d shown him about himself. That meant he owed her, but how much?
     
    “Let me
ride with you,” he urged, not completely sure why he wanted to spend time with
her. “Even if it’s only temporary, I’m here to work the Mastermind case. I’d
appreciate your insights.”
     
    She
looked at him for a long moment, as though judging his motives, or maybe his
sincerity. Apparently she found one or both lacking, because she shook her
head. “Read my notes. They’re organized and complete, such as they are. You
want a hint? Have Hannah describe the guy who grabbed her, and let Alissa
develop a sketch.” She shrugged. “Beyond that, you’re on your own.”
     
    “Come on,
Maya.” He took a step closer to her, then paused at the unfamiliar rev that
sped through his body. Acknowledging the danger signal, he cleared his throat
and said, “Help me out, here. We’re on the same team.”
     
    “Funny
that you should mention teams,” she said, expression closed. “I seem to
remember that you were a player and a partier. Unfortunately for you, I’m not
either of those things anymore.” A measure of tension left her shoulders, as
though she’d needed to say that aloud. “Look,” she said in a less brittle tone,
“if I thought I knew anything that isn’t in my notes, I’d tell you. But it’s
all there, everything right up until I was suspended.”
     
    “And what
about since then?” he asked quietly. “I’ll bet you’ve done some snooping on
your own.”
     
    “Why do
you care?” she snapped. “You don’t need me on this case. There’s no reason for
us to spend time together.” She pursed her lips, which were fuller than he
remembered. “You’re not thinking that you and I are going to take up where we
left off, are you?”
     
    “No,” he
said too quickly. “God, no!” He held up a hand. “No offense or anything, but I
just got out of a relationship,” such as it was, “and it didn’t end well. She
was a coworker, and—” And he was talking too much. Maya didn’t need to know the
sordid details of Detective Tabitha Stock and her personal agenda. He frowned
and ended with, “Let’s just say we can put the past in the past and keep it
there. I’m not looking