Steal Me by Lauren Layne Read Free Book Online Page B

been blissfully unburdened by titles. Blissfully unburdened by the crushing legacy of following in Tony Moretti’s footsteps…
    And then there was Vannah. That beautiful tragedy of a woman had taught Anthony one very important lesson:
    He could be a cop…
    …or a boyfriend.
    Or was the operative word.
    He couldn’t be both.
    And he sure as hell couldn’t be a husband. Some cops, perhaps, were cut out for the double life. His father had made it work. Luc was making it work. His brother Marco had actually put the relationship first , moving to godforsaken Los Angeles for the sake of his girlfriend.
    But guys like Anth and Vincent…they had the sort of single-minded dedication that didn’t allow them luxuries like relationships.
    Not that Luc and Marc weren’t dedicated to the force. They’d die for the PD. Literally.
    But…
    Anthony’s wandering mind snapped to attention at the realization that there was movement in the interrogation room. Maggie had handed over her notes to his two detectives and was shaking their hands, a friendly smile in place even though her face looked tired…nervous.
    Nervous because he’d made a complete mess of things, because for reasons that made no sense, Maggie Walker made him act like a complete moron.
    Luc was moving toward the door, Lopez on his heels, and Anthony frowned. “Where are you going?”
    His younger brother’s tone was suspiciously patient. “I’m going to check on Maggie. See how she’s holding up.”
    “She’s holding up fine,” Anth said. “For God’s sake, you guys act like I cuffed her and read her her rights. I just asked her some questions. And yes, I put her in the interrogation room, but she chose not to do it in her own apartment—”
    “Why’d you have Browning and Poyner ask the questions?” Luc interrupted.
    Anthony paused, annoyed at being interrupted, even more annoyed at the speculative look on his brother’s face. “They’re the leads on the case.”
    “And you’re the boss. You found the ‘informant.’ You know the informant. And you know this case every bit as well as they do. Perhaps better. Why didn’t you ask the questions?”
    “It’s not protocol,” Anth responded.
    He could have sworn the look on his brother’s face was akin to disgust, but then Luc had turned away, shaking his head and heading out the door. “Lopez, whadya say we give Mags a ride to wherever she needs to go?”
    It was on the tip of Anthony’s tongue to remind Luc that that wasn’t his job.
    And that as an on-duty officer, he couldn’t just be driving off to Park Slope to give a waitress a ride home.
    But he stopped himself before he could issue the order.
    Anth told himself it was because it wasn’t his place; he may outrank Luc, but he wasn’t his brother’s captain. Luc and Lopez were in a different precinct. He didn’t issue their orders.
    But when his eyes caught on the weary features of Maggie Walker as his detectives led her from the room, he knew his reasons had nothing to do with the chain of command, and everything to do with the fact that Maggie Walker looked like she needed a friend.
    Something that Anth could never be for her.
    He didn’t even know how . But he wanted to be there. Wanted to be the one she called—turned to.
    And that bothered him more that he’d ever admit to his brother.
    Or himself.

Chapter Six
    S aturdays were usually Maggie’s day off, but every now and then she filled in for a co-worker. The extra shift meant extra cash.
    And every time, she regretted it.
    Saturdays at the Darby Diner always meant a weird combination of lost tourists, tired locals, and the hungover twenty-somethings who rolled in still smelling like vodka and stale cologne.
    Maggie pulled one plate from the warming lamp even as she returned another. “Carlos, can I get fresh hash browns on this one?”
    A dark, round face with a slight sheen from the heat of the fryer appeared with narrowed eyes. “Who didn’t like my