By anyone. He was a friendly guy.

Jovial even, damn it.

But he couldn't be real jovial with a woman who shut him out so completely.

Reese shook his head and continued on to his apartment. It had been a hellishly long day at the station, and he looked forward to a beer, televised sports and a thick ham sandwich. Alice- something-or-other wasn't worth additional thought.

Arms loaded down with purchases, he got the key in the lock-and heard the maniacal barking.

With a heavy sigh, he opened the door to the destruction of his belongings. The dog, all black with long ears and soft curly fur and a hyper disposition, yowled and barked and whined while running a frantic circle around him.

He left a wet trail everywhere he went.

Great. At least he had hardwood floors. Carpet would have been...no, Reese didn't want to think about that.

Resigned, he set down the bag and dug out the leash and collar. "Thought I wouldn't come back, huh?"

Dropping to his back in a submissive posture, the dog wiggled his way toward Reese.

Reese couldn't help but smile. "I think you've already drained your pipes, but we may as well start a routine, right?"

He fastened the collar around the dog and attached the leash. After pocketing a few of the plastic bags used for cleanup -a really distasteful idea-he stroked the silky fur along the dog's back. "Let's go, Cash."

With the dog alternately refusing to budge, then bounding this way and that, Reese relocked the door and went back out front. Sweat glued his dress shirt to his skin, heat wilted the tie around his neck, and an old injury set his left thigh to throbbing.

Being more social than Alice- something-or-other, the other neighbors in the building greeted him. One hot blonde flirted, as she always did, but Reese wasn't dumb enough to bring trouble to where he lived.

Well, except for Cash.

The dog jumped up on an elderly neighbor who didn't much appreciate it.

Before Reese could duly chastise him, Cash charged another dog, only to run out of leash and nearly choke himself.

He sniffed every blade of grass, refusing to go, until Alice-something-or-other suddenly returned. Then Cash chose to stare her in the eyes while doing his business.

Great.

Reese figured what the hell, and he stared at her, too.

Even with Cash involved in something so...un-smile-worthy, she smiled at him.

Reese, she ignored, or at least, she tried to.

Screw that. "New dog," Reese said to her.

"He cried all day while you were gone." Direct and to the point.

Great. Why waste time with pleasantries? "Sorry about that. He'll settle down." I hope.

She nodded and continued on. Reese saw that she carried a bag of jelly beans.

Was that why she'd gone out? Just to get jelly beans? Huh.

Cash finished up and bounded after her, and wonder of wonders, she stopped and knelt down to pet him.

Good dog, Reese thought. "He disturbed you?"

"I felt bad for him. He needs attention.

He's still a puppy."

"Yeah, see, the thing is, I sort of found him. Or rather, he found me. I wasn't really planning on having a dog, but-"

"It was kind of you to take him in."

She seated her narrow rump on a concrete step and good old Cash practically crawled into her lap.

And, her smile soft and amused, she let him.

Who knew a dog had so many uses?

Alice looked very peaceful while loving on his dog. Her average brown hair fell forward, half hiding her average face.

She didn't seem concerned with getting her beige slacks dirty or getting dog hair on her green tank.

She set aside her purse and the candy and put all that extreme focus on his dog.

So how did a stray accomplish what Reese couldn't, in such a short time?

Determined to find out, Reese started to sit beside her, but his cell phone rang.

He pulled it from his pocket, saw it was Logan and groaned.

Alice glanced at him.

He handed her the leash. "You mind?

Just for a sec." Without waiting for her reply, he turned his back on her, took a few steps away, and answered the call.

"Make it fast," Reese said. He didn't want to be too rude to the neighbor lady, now that Cash had finally managed to break the ice.

"He plans to break in to my place tonight."

For the sake of privacy, Reese took a few more steps away, dismissing the dog and Alice-something-or-other.

Undercover operations were kept tightly compartmentalized to avoid security leaks. No way in hell did he want a civilian listening in. "Rowdy Yates?"

"None other."

Unexpected. "You know this, how?"

A pause, and then Logan said, "Overheard her talking on the phone with him."

"She talked with him in front of you?"

"Not exactly."

"Then how-"

"I listened through the wall. With an audio device."

Damn it. Reese looked up at the blazing sun, now in shades of red, pink and purple. Lately, the nights hadn't been much cooler than the days. "I'm betting you didn't have a search warrant for that?"

"No."

So he couldn't mention it. It couldn't come up, ever. Again...great. "You tell the lieutenant?"

"Not yet. Only you."

At least there was that. "Let's keep it that way."

"She expects me to keep her apprised."

Yeah, Lieutenant Peterson liked to stay in the loop on everything. She remained inflexible in her efforts toward a clean sweep of the force, and grumbling from the ranks hadn't swayed her off that course.

Reese was just as determined to keep her in the dark on this. "I'll take care of it then." In his own way, in his own time, with everyone's best interests at heart.

Logan wouldn't like that, but that's how it had to be.

There was more at play than his need for justice and revenge.

"I'm short on time anyway, so that works."

Reese glanced back at his neighbor.

She stood now, walking Cash over to a shady spot in the grass. "If I'm on surveillance, then I can just happen to catch Rowdy breaking in." For Alice, Cash followed along politely.

Stupid dog. He shook his head and smiled.

He hoped Alice watched her step, because he hadn't yet had a chance to clean up any messes.

"That's how I figured it," Logan said.

"No one needs to know I overheard the details."

Reese checked his watch. He felt the neighbor watching him with curiosity.

Not the best time to finally show interest, honey.

"Might take me an hour or more to get there." He had his own team on hold, ready to go at the drop of a dime. They were loyal to him, not to the lieutenant, and not to Logan.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

"I don't have an exact time," Logan said, "but I have to be at her place soon, so it won't be until then."

"Put it on hold for as long as you can.

Maybe be out on the balcony or something. Even after I get there, I'll need time to set up. You can do that?"

"No problem."

Could it be true? Could Logan have really caught up with the elusive Yates?

Wondering at what cost, Reese asked, "What about the sister?"

Logan's silence worried him more than anything.

Just to piss him off, Reese said, "Want me to have her cuffed, too?"

"Don't touch her."

Well, well, well. That sentiment was clear enough. "She's going to be hurt, Logan. No way around it."

"You think I don't already know that?"

If only Logan had let it go. But he hadn't-maybe because he didn't realize just how persuasive Morton Andrews could be. "I take it she doesn't yet know what motivates you?"

Logan laughed without humor. "No."

It seemed believable to Reese that Logan no longer knew his motives, either. "Well, don't worry about it. She won't be your problem after tonight." Or would she? By the day, it seemed problems were adding up. Reese would have to deal with them before it all got insurmountable.

After an exaggerated silence, Reese prompted him. "Logan?"

"This is totally fucked, but...I like her."

Oh, hell. "Come again?"

"I like her, damn it. She's...not what I expected."

No, she wouldn't be. Alice gave Reese a look of impatience. He shrugged at her. "How's that?"

"She's nice, Reese. An innocent stuck in the middle of this mess."

"Yeah, her situation is pretty tough.

Can't be helped, though, right? Not with her brother still around."

"It's more than her being nice."