And, we're back! Thanks for the wonderful reviews - this time out, we're going with some other characters, so hopefully I'll capture their voices. Thanks for reading!

CHAPTER SEVEN

While Gillian was using her own brand of tough love on Cal down the hall at the Lightman Group, Torres and Loker were also hard at work. Every computer in the place was fired up, a long table strewn with old case files. Above them, Emily's bruised face was frozen on the giant plasma screen.

"Foster wasn't telling us something, you know," Torres said as she leafed through another pointless file. "She was holding something back."

"You got that too, huh?" Loker said.

"So, why the hell are we wasting our time going through these files? She already knows who did this."

"Because that's what she told us to do. And I personally don't want to sit here and stare at Emily's big doe eyes all day when I could at least feel like I'm contributing something."

Torres frowned, frustrated. "That name Foster gave: Ty. That was real. You could tell that, at least, was the truth. It doesn't mean anything to you?"

"Not really. If the guys called Zoe by name, though, and they went after her car, it stands to reason that they were targeting her."

"Makes sense," Torres agreed. "But if that's true, how does Foster know the name?"

It was Loker's turn to frown now. "No idea." He searched through a couple of files before he pushed them away. Torres looked frustrated. On edge. Of course, she'd looked like that all day. "What do you think Lightman's gonna do now?"

"What do you mean?"she asked.

"I mean, now that Zoe's... You know, dead. And Emily's in the hospital. What do you think he'll do?"

"I think he'll survive, if that's what you're asking. It's not like he was dealt an easy hand from the start, right? He's not gonna fold now."

"I know that," Loker said quickly. "I wasn't saying he wouldn't survive."

Torres looked at him, clueless. "Then what are you saying?"

"I'm just curious how he'll cope, that's all. I mean... single dad with a seriously injured daughter, running his own company... It's a lot to take on alone."

"He's not alone, though," she pointed out. "He's got us. And Foster. Hell, she's been more of a wife than Zoe for as long as I've known him, anyway."

"Yeah, but Foster's someone else's wife."

Torres shrugged. "For now, maybe."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning... Marriages don't last forever. Most of them don't, anyway. I mean, look at your dad. There's no way Foster and her husband will go the distance. And now that Lightman's single, I think the life expectancy on the Fosters just went down a few years."

"Lightman and Foster are friends," he argued. "That's all it is. You never think men and women can just be friends."

"No, they can just be friends - as long as they're both attached to someone else. The second one of them is single, though, it all goes to hell. Trust me on this."

"Once again, the voice of experience." He studied her intently, his head tilted to the side, his chin resting on his folded hands. Ria always thought he looked especially boyish when he did that - it was the kind of thing she'd expect a ten-year-old to do. There were a surprising number of things Loker did, though, that she would expect from a ten-year-old. "Tell me, O Wise One, which crappy relationship gone bad did you get this insight from?"

"I got that from every friendship I've ever had with a guy," she said. "And When Harry Met Sally. I know Lightman's not gonna be burning up the singles scene anytime soon, but I guarantee, the fact that he's alone won't make Alec Foster a happy man. And I give it three months before it starts to really fuck with things around here."

"You don't know that," Loker said. "But even if you're right, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. We know Gillian's not happy with her husband. Maybe this will work out for the best."

"Right," she scoffed. "Because Foster and Lightman will just ride off in the sunset? The reality is, once Foster's marriage hits the skids, Lightman will be out of there. He'll flirt with her as long as there's no shot in hell he can get her... The second he thinks it's a possibility, he'll shut down. There's no way he'd ever make a serious play for Gillian. He likes her too much."

"And god forbid you actually go out with someone you like," Loker grumbled. Something about the way he said it made it clear he wasn't talking about Lightman and Foster anymore. "Or like someone you're going out with."

"Is that supposed to be a dig at me? What - we don't like each other?"

He raised his eyebrows, and did that annoying thing with his mouth that always drove her nuts. "Yeah, we like each other. But then, we're not going out. Right?"

It was a challenge if she'd ever heard one. Ria held his eye for a fifth of a second before she broke the gaze. She reached for the nearest folder and ordered her heart to settle the fuck down. Friends with benefits isn't going out, she reminded herself. "We should keep working. How many files can there possibly be, right? There's bound to be a Ty in here somewhere."

Loker pushed his chair back from the table and stood, unable to hide his annoyance. "I need a break - I'm gonna grab some coffee. You want something?"

"Yeah- the usual." She scanned the room for her purse. "Hang on, I've got some cash."

"It's on me."

"You got it last time - we agreed, fifty/fifty all the way, right?"

"Jesus, Torres. I'm not gonna hold it over your head if I spring for coffee when it's not my turn every so often."

"Just give me a second. Crap - I must have left my purse in the car."

"I've got the damn coffee, Ria," he said, stopping just shy of a shout. She stopped searching and looked at him with a single eyebrow arched. Her patented, What the fuck is your problem? look.

Loker gave up.

"This makes so much more sense," Loker grumbled to himself as he strode through the parking garage. It was dark outside, and the place didn't have the best lighting. "I'd so much rather wander around the frigging parking garage for half an hour than pay for a damn cup of coffee."

She was impossible. Completely impossible. Ever since that first time they'd slept together - and the time after that, and the time after, and... well, it was possible they were establishing a pattern. Still... Ever since then, she'd been a nut about making sure the relationship was an even split. If she spent the night at his place one night, he had to spend the night at hers the next time around. If he bought a beer for her, she bought one for him. He went down on her, she... Well, yeah. He wasn't complaining on that one.

He spotted a cop car not far from Torres's beast. That must be Reynolds' idea of security for the place. Not exactly comforting. Loker held up the car keys and pointed at Torres's car. If the cop cared, he gave no indication. In fact, he didn't acknowledge him at all. Loker frowned. Great. Nice to know they were in good hands.

When he was a few feet from Torres's car, he pointed the remote at it and hit the button. The headlights flashed on and off, indicating the car was unlocked. Loker shook his head. It drove him crazy that she insisted on driving to work everyday instead of taking public transportation like him. Why would I do that? she always asked. I've got a car, and I've got free parking. I spent my life having to ride the bus - why would I choose to do it now?

Uh - how about, to save the planet? Eli always responded. And then Torres would come out with some patently cynical response like, We're all gonna die, Eli. Whether it's greenhouse gas or getting hit by a train, we've all gotta go sometime.

Which didn't even really make sense, and definitely hadn't been his point.

He looked through the car window before opening the door, scanning the front seat for that monstrous thing she called a purse. His hand was on the door handle when he heard footsteps racing behind him. Something ratcheted his heart rate up, just a notch.

"Loker!" Torres called from behind him.

He turned as he opened the door. "Yeah?"

"Found it," she said, holding her purse up for him to see. She was out of breath, her face flushed. "Come on - I'll walk with you."

Loker closed the door again, studying her warily. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why? I've been cooped up in there as long as you have. I've got my purse. It's a nice night. Can't I buy my friend a cup of coffee?"

"Your friend," he repeated. It sounded pissy, he knew.

She frowned. "We're not friends now?"

She stood several feet away, waiting for him. He didn't say anything until they were toe to toe again. Her hair was down, the collar of her jacket turned up. She looked tired; even tired, she looked better than just about any woman he'd ever met.

"No, it's not that," he said. "It's just... The whole thing with Zoe and Emily got me thinking."

"About?" she asked.

She started to walk away, leading him in whatever direction it was her whim to take him - because that was pretty much the way this thing went with Torres. He caught her by the arm and pulled her back. Her body went tense the second he touched her. Torres wasn't really what you'd call a malleable kind of woman.

"Can you stop, for just a second?" he asked. "Look at me."

She turned and met his eye. Her chin was tipped up, one eyebrow arched. Head tilted to the right. Defensive much? "What, Eli?"

"You know what. Talk to me, damn it. You've shut me out ever since last night, when - "

"I'm not shutting you out. I told you: I don't know what happened."

"You had a nightmare," he reminded her. He tried to keep it simple, thinking of the night before - what it had been like, waking up with her arms around him and her head on his chest. The desperate way she'd clung to him. "And you woke up crying, in my arms. And then..."

"And then, we fucked," she said defiantly. Her eyes were hard - daring him to argue. "And it was good. Why do you always have to make something out of everything? It was late, and you stayed over - "

"Because you asked me to stay. You wanted me to stay... Why is it so hard to just admit that? What the hell is so shameful about needing someone every so often? About liking my company? We've been sleeping together for six months now. It's okay with me if sometimes you want me around for something other than fucking."

She shook her head in frustration. "Jesus, Loker, why do you have to be such a friggin' girl about this? I had a nightmare, okay? It happens sometimes."

"How often?"

"What?"

"How often do you have that nightmare? Your father, choking you... That's what it was, right? How often does what happened last night happen to you - you waking up terrified?"

Pure fury flashed in her dark eyes. For a second, he thought she might hit him. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked away. "I'm not talking about this. And you can buy your own damned coffee."

He ran his hands through his hair. She was... nuts. That's what she was. Completely certifiable.

And brilliant. And gorgeous. And surprisingly thoughtful, at the most unexpected moments.

And haunted.

"Ria!" he called after her. He picked his pace up to just shy of a jog. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder. Still pissed. "Forget it, okay? I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about... anything." He reached her side but stopped just short of actually touching her. "You still owe me a coffee, you know."

"Mm." Not even a sideways glance. Yeah, she was really pissed this time.

He bumped his hip against hers. "Come on - I said I'm sorry. I'll never try and make you talk about your feelings again."

"Promise?" she said grudgingly.

"Cross my heart." He took a breath. They resumed walking toward the elevator, in sync again. "Hey, did you check in with Foster to let her know we were taking a break?"

"I started to, but I didn't want to disturb them. We'll be back before she figures it out, anyway."

Something about the way her lip quirked told him he wasn't getting the whole story. "What aren't you telling me?"

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the pictures, grinning. "I'll let you see for yourself."

She held the screen up for him. Loker gaped in disbelief. On the screen, Torres had captured what would definitely have to be one of the most blackmail-worthy shots Loker had ever seen: Foster and Lightman, curled up sound asleep on the couch in Lightman's office, the boss man himself dead to the world with his head in Foster's lap. Gillian had her head tipped back and her mouth open just a little; also out.

"Damn," Loker said. "So, does this make me right, or you? Because clearly, they like each other."

"They're not sleeping together, though," she said. "It's way too soon... This is definitely just friends."

"Very cozy friends. This is how it starts - or don't you remember?"

"We never started like that," Torres said. "Or don't you remember?" She looked around the garage, seemingly realizing for the first time where they were. "I hate it down here at night. Did you see the cop over there?" She nodded toward the patrol car, still parked in the exact same spot, the cop seated in the exact same position.

"Yeah. I definitely feel safe now - he barely even looked up when I waved."

"Same here," she agreed as they reached the elevator. She slid her hand into his. Loker looked at her in surprise. Torres wasn't a big fan of PDAs. As in, she was pathologically opposed to him so much as looking at her when they were in public, now that they were sleeping together. He punched the up arrow beside the elevator door. It lit up. Dinged, somewhere in the distance. "Hey, did you remember to lock the car back up?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

Torres just looked at him. The elevator doors opened. It was empty. "You're sure?"

"Mostly."

Eyebrows up. Arms crossed over her chest. Loker sighed. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

He jogged back toward the car. Fifteen feet away, he tried the remote. Nothing. He advanced another five feet. Tried again.

Back at the elevator, Torres watched him go with a hint of a smile, pushing away all that tension that was still crawling just beneath her skin. She'd never really dated a guy she liked pushing around quite so much as Eli Loker. Not that he was a complete pushover - he could be surprisingly stubborn when he wanted to be. And not that they were dating, she reminded herself firmly. She released the elevator hold button, since it seemed like this could take a while.

The parking garage really was creepy this time of night. She looked around again, her gaze settling on the police car parked conspicuously halfway down the aisle. The cop still hadn't moved. Something ugly and uneasy wormed its way down low in her stomach.

"Come on, Loker - We could have picked the coffee beans by now," she called.

"Just a second - you need a new battery for this damned remote," he shouted back to her. Finally, she heard the single, staccato beep her car made when it had successfully been locked.

"It's about time," she called back. "I was be -"

Before she could finish the sentence, the earth shook beneath her feet. The sound of an explosion, so loud it was like she was trapped inside the barrel of a gun, ripped through the parking garage. Torres was on her belly on the concrete floor in an instant. Everything slowed. She could hear fire. Smell it. Somewhere that felt far, far away, she heard Eli calling her name.

TBC

I know, I know... What a crappy place to end a chapter! I'll be back soon with the next one, I promise - in the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Loker/Torres twist. I'm such a fan of the two of them together, I couldn't resist adding that here!