“It sucks to be your source,” Alex said. “You know what thismeans.”
Joaquin wasn’t sure he wanted tohear.
Cate answered. “It means no one at the cop shop will share information with me or any other newspaper—not for a while, anyway. My beat just gottougher.”
“I’m really sorry, Cate.” What Joaquin was sorry for, he could never tellher.
She shot him a cold glance. “Yeah.”
Joaquin checked his voicemail and emails, saw that Syd had already sent him a couple of assignments. A photo of a blind man whose service dog had been stolen from him while he’d been walking down the street. A shot of two brothers in their nineties who had just finished climbing all fifty-three of Colorado’s fourteeners—mountains with summits above 14,000 feet inelevation.
The next one hit Joaquin in thechest.
Syd wanted a photo of the widow and new baby of one of the security guards killed in the terrorist attack at the Palace Hotel last month. The man had died trying to save the lives of strangers, including everyone in this newsroom, leaving behind a wife who was about to have their firstbaby.
Sometimes life was so brutallyunfair.
Joaquin made a few calls to set up the shots Syd had requested, then walked with the others to the conference room for the morning’s I-Teammeeting.
Tom was the last to arrive. “Hughes, sorry about the headline. It was a damned good story. Warner, did you hear from that source atDPD?”
“She’s been fired. Irving caught her copying files and canned her on the spot. He usually doesn’t come into the copy room, so she thinks he might have been tipped off.” Cate looked pointedly at Joaquin. “I can’t help but wonder if someone from our newsroom contacted the police to warn them—maybe someone who sympathizes with Mia Starr, someone who, say, took her todinner.”
Joaquin met Cate’s gaze straight on, wondering how he was going to get out of this. But he didn’t have to say aword.
“You’re way over the line, Cate,” Matt said. “Ramirez has been a loyal member of this team since you were in highschool.”
“Ramirez? You must be high,” Alex said. “It sucks to lose a source,but—”
“Ms. Warner, if you want to accuse a member of this team of sabotaging your investigation, you’d better damned well have proof before you open your mouth.” Tom jabbed a pencil at Cate. “Do I make myself clear? You owe Ramirez anapology.”
Cate’s gaze fell. “Sorry,Joaquin.”
Joaquin was touched by their faith in him, but he didn’t deserve it. “It’s okay. I know you’re justupset.”
God, he felt like a traitor—not just to Cate, but to every person in this room who’d just stood up forhim.
* * *
Mia carriedher tools to the sink, filled a small bucket with bleach and hot water, and dropped the tools in to soak. Orchids were extremely sensitive to bacteria and other diseases, and she didn’t want to risk spreading pathogens. She washed her hands, then got organized, opening bags of potting medium, gathering the orchids she’d be repotting, and refilling the mister. Then she retrieved the tools, rinsing each and drying them before she carried them to thetable.
She found herself humming and dancing salsa steps as she worked, the last song she and Joaquin had danced to stuck in her head. She didn’t mind it. The melody was lovely, the rhythm sensual, and the lyrics sexy ashell.
This isn’t like anything I have known/I want you in my arms/I want to kiss you everywhere, to taste your sacredplaces…
She wasn’t sure how she’d survived having Joaquin sing those words to her last night, his body pressed against hers. He was the most sensual man she’d ever known, passionate about his work, about music and dancing, about his friends and family. But that wasn’t what amazed her most abouthim.
He’d stood by her. He’d put his own career at risk to protecther.
No man had done that for herbefore.
God, she hoped he didn’t get into trouble. He’d said there was no way anyone could prove that he was behind exposing the leak, but Mia knew only too well that life rarely went toplan.
“Don’t worry about it,” he’d said before she’d left for work, taking her into his arms, kissing her soft and slow. Then he’d invited her to stay at his place until Wu had the bad guy in custody. “We can pick up where we left off with the dancelessons.”
She hoped they’d pick up where they’d left off with kissing, too, because, oh, sweetheaven.
Mia realized she’d stopped working and now stood there, staring off into space, aBrassolaeliocattleyaPink Diamond in one hand, the scissors in theother.