No Hero Read Online Free Page B

little neck.
    Against his will, the thought of his hands on her neck propelled him back to their one date. His fingers twitched as he recalled how he’d encircled her smooth, supple nape as she lifted her face to his, the delicate warmth of her breath fanning across his lips as he kissed her. And felt the firmness of her flesh as his thumbs brushed the underside of her breasts.
    That ache of desire hit him again…just as the familiar ripping sound of a body bag zipper jerked his attention back to what was really important. He rubbed his aching temples, then turned on his heel and walked over to where Liz was stripping off her gloves.
    “About time,” Givens groused. “What was going on over there? Isn’t that the Connor woman? That reporter? Can’t believe you were talking to her.”
    Dev grimaced and made a dismissive gesture as he met Liz’s gaze and hiked a brow.
    She nodded solemnly.
    Damn . “Same weapon?” he asked, knowing from her expression that it was.
    “It’s a little easier to tell with this one. He’s only been in the water a little over twenty-four hours.” She wadded up the gloves and tossed them into a bag. “I’ll know more once I do the autopsy. But the same person definitely could have killed this vic, too.”
    “Darnell,” Dev said quietly, his attention on the body bag that was being lifted into the CSU van.
    “Hmm?” Liz muttered as she gathered up her equipment.
    “His name was Darnell.”
    Her gaze narrowed. “Don’t tell me he’s another kid from your center?”
    “Yeah. I gave him the Saints T-shirt, and he bought those tennis shoes himself. He was so damn proud of them.” Dev clenched his jaw as pain and regret buffeted him. When he’d gotten the call that the body of a young black man had washed up down by the docks, he’d mentally ticked off the teens at the Thibaud Johnson Center. He’d thought everybody was accounted for—at least within the past twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Therefore he’d been hopeful that this wasn’t one of his kids. Until he’d seen the body.
    “I’m sorry,” Liz said. “It’s hard when you know them.”
    He shook off the grief. “We’re keeping their connection with me and the center out of the media. Just like the weapon.”
    “No problem. Check with me this afternoon. Right now I’ve got twin boys who’ll be up and getting ready for school in less than two hours. I need to get home.”
    “Thanks, Liz,” he said, waving as she left. Then he looked at Givens. “How’s the canvass going?”
    Givens snorted. “How do you think? It’s the usual song and dance. Not a soul remembers a thing. Certainly not a medium-height black kid with new high-top Converse All Stars hanging around for the past day or so.”
    Dev grimaced. “Yeah. Just like Brian. Nobody ever sees anything.”
    “It’s a rotten truth,” Givens commented, “when kids down here by the docks looking to get high are about as rare as seagulls.”
    “Brian and Darnell weren’t doing drugs.”
    Givens shrugged. “That’s not what I was saying.”
    “They had to stay clean. They’d both qualified for a new federally funded scholarship program, specifically designed for homeless kids.”
    “Yeah? Both of them?” Givens wrote something on his notepad. “How many kids are up for these scholarships?”
    “I’ve got two more. One more that’s ready for the qualifying exam. Jimmy Treacher. And one whose nomination has just been accepted. His name is Nicky Renato.”
    “I suppose there’s a lot of competition for those spots…” Givens said thoughtfully.
    “What the hell are you saying?” Dev growled, although the same thought had crossed his mind. “That my kids are killing each other?”
    “You’re the one gave me the lead,” Givens said. “It’s not a stretch to think there might be a smart teenager at your center who thinks he or she deserves the scholarship more than these two. People have killed over less. You know that.”
    Dev raked a