“I am.”

“It’s not polite to interrogate friends.”

“We’re not friends.”

True. “Because you still think I might be some dangerous femme fatale?” She blinked her “big eyes” again.

And the detective shrugged again. “Because I’m worried you’ll hurt someone who is my friend. Eric’s not just hard edges and a growling voice. And I saw him when he looked at you. Don’t play a game that you don’t mean.”

Her lips parted.

“Just so you know, we’ve already completed cleared one ex that you have. Eric and his team did most of the legwork on that guy. Zane Clarke? He’s in London right now. Been there for the last six months, and Eric found a line of witnesses to verify that fact. He’s in the clear.” Her lips twisted. “Of course, that still leaves other suspects for us.”

A hard knock pounded at the door. A moment later, a uniformed cop poked his head inside. “Your guy in Interrogation Two is shouting up a storm. Says that he’s leaving. That you can’t keep him here.”

“It’s true,” Lopez agreed with a touch of disgust. “I can’t.” She rose. “Time to see if he’s angry enough to talk…and to show me his chest. I asked when he first arrived, but your ex said no dice. Made me suspicious, you know?” She motioned to the cop. “Keep an eye on him. I’ll be right there.”

Piper rose, too.

Lopez tucked a loose strand of curly hair back into the little bun at the base of her head. “Your tattoo artist has a pretty dark past.”

“Yes, Detective Lopez, I—”

“Layla. It’s just Layla for you, okay?”

She nodded. “I know about his sister.”

A grunt. “You know they never found her killer? I asked for her case file to be sent over. Should arrive soon.” She squared her shoulders. “Heard that he hit the bottle hard after her death.”

Now Piper swallowed. “I guess he chose pain instead of rage.”

Sympathy flashed in Layla’s eyes. “Pain will pull you down. It will break you. And when you lose everything else, it will be the only thing that never lets you go. It’s a bitch I don’t like. Better to not let anyone get close, huh? Better to not let the pain inside. Better to put up your wall and block everyone else from touching your heart.”

They were a lot alike. Maybe too similar. But…

It’s already too late for me. Because she’d put up her wall, after she let Ben inside. And now, Eric was close, too. If she were to lose them…

“Is there anything I should know about Mark? Anything I can use in the interrogation?”