He leaned his elbow onto the counter and studied her face. “I’d like us to be friends. At least call me Ray instead of mister. Will you do that?”
“I can do that,” Ashe said. “If you stop asking me out. I can’t go out with you because I’m already in a relationship with someone.” She wanted to roll her eyes as the lie slipped out of her mouth. The last thing a man like Timur would want, no matter what he said, was a relationship. He might think his male leopard claiming her female leopard meant they’d be together, but sooner or later he’d be bored. Still, if it stopped the nonsense Ray Harding was handing out, then she was all for calling the whacked-out, crazy-on-fire, astonishing sex a relationship.
Ray stood up straight, annoyance flashing across his face. Somewhere a red flag went off in Ashe’s mind. Ray seemed easygoing enough until things didn’t go his way. Men like him didn’t always make the best boyfriends or partners. She set his cup in front of him, punched in the amount for his drink and held out her hand for his card.
“Just who are you in a relationship with?” Ray demanded, sounding like a jealous lover.
“Timur Amurov,” she answered and turned the iPad around so he could leave a tip if he wanted and sign the line.
“Are you fucking kidding me? This is like history repeating itself.” He signed and then raised his voice. “Did you hear that?” He partially turned toward the others sitting at the various tables. “Timur fucking Amurov. She’s just like Evangeline. She likes things rough.” He caught her wrist when she would have turned away. “I can give it to you rough,” he hissed, his voice low so his friends couldn’t hear.
Before Rodion could react, Jeff was there, very gently removing her arm from his partner’s viselike grip. She raised her lashes to take a good look at Jeff’s face. He knew exactly what Ray was like and didn’t care for it. Jeff might flirt with Evangeline, knowing she was married, but the attraction was genuine. She was pretty certain he was a straight-up good cop, not one who would take a bribe.
“Ray can get enthusiastic when he likes a woman,” Jeff said with an easy smile. “That looked like he gripped you a little hard.”
She rubbed at the sting around her wrist. “It’s fine, but I don’t like being manhandled.”
“You could have fooled me,” Ray snapped. “Timur? You’d better get used to getting roughed up if you’re dating him.”
“Please go away.” She wiggled her fingers in a shooing motion toward the door. “Jeff, take him away before I make a formal complaint against him.” She said it loud enough that the other cops in the room turned around and one stood up, presumably the man in charge.
“You aren’t going to be seeing too much of your friend once he shows his face here,” Ray snarled and shook off Jeff’s hand.
The older man who had stood came up to the counter and gestured toward the door. Ray nodded abruptly and then went out, the older man following him.
“Is Timur in some kind of trouble?” she asked.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” Jeff said. “We just want to question him. A tip came in, and we have to follow every lead. We would very much prefer if you didn’t get in touch with him regarding this matter.”
She shrugged. “I don’t own a cell phone.”
His eyebrows shot up. “How could you not own a cell phone? Are you living with him? A woman should at least have a phone if she’s going to be on her own.”
“That sounded just a little bit sexist. Why wouldn’t she be on her own without a phone?” Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Rodion. His hand was down by his side and he was texting with one thumb, presumably sharing that half the police department waited in the bakery for Timur’s return. She was sure Evangeline had already informed both Timur and Fyodor and Kyanite had as well.
“I’m not trying to be sexist,” Jeff objected. “I’m just saying a woman alone can be considered prey for certain types of criminals.”
“Like your partner?”
“Ray has a chip on his shoulder regarding the Amurov family. Crispin, another one of our friends, disappeared. There was evidence that Crispin was a dirty cop, but Ray believes it was manufactured. He also believes Crispin was killed by either Fyodor Amurov or Timur. Of course, at that time, Fyodor was living under the alias Alonzo Massi.”
There was a distinct accusation in that. She tilted her chin at him. “What do you believe?”
He sighed. “I believe Crispin was dirty and got in over his head. I wanted to believe it was Fyodor because Evangeline—” He broke off and then tried again to be more tactful. “She’s a good woman. I hated to see her mixed up with a man I know is a criminal. I can’t prove it, Ashe, but in my gut, I know it. A cop has to have good instincts, and mine have saved me a few times.”