by Mimi Barbour
“He did! I’ve never seen the guy so messed up.”
“Bastard didn’t think maybe I needed him?”
“You had the rest of us. He had no one. You’re not really pissed at him, Rory. I know you. What he’s going through is normal. After all, he thinks you betrayed him.”
“Stop calling me Rory, Lieutenant. I didn’t betray him. All I did was trust a friend.” The sigh that escaped rang in the silent room and gave voice to the frustration felt by both. Cory never said a word, but he looked cornered and slightly embarrassed.
Aurora continued. “Fine. I’ll get on with my life and quit waiting for his call. I’d think two weeks should be enough time for him to decide if he wants there to be an ‘us’ or not.” Heading for the hallway, she slammed Cory’s door behind her and made her way to her own office.
The ache she’d been living with since the shooting billowed throughout her body, wanting her to still float in the misery which had filled her for the last fourteen days. But that wasn’t her way. She had the strength to shut out her heartache. To let anger soothe the hurt and give her reasons to stiffen her resolve and get on with her life. No more calling his cell phone and leaving heartfelt messages. No more crying for the stupid bastard. If he didn’t want her, then she sure as hell didn’t want him either. So there!
She stomped past John Hampton, an Irish detective whose desk looked like it had been attacked by an army of rebellious files. Then she headed straight for the smaller room that housed two desks and all the paraphernalia used by officers who worked cases and solved most of them.
Her desk looked almost as bad as Hampton’s. So many cases loomed and only so many people to crack them. As much as she hated the idea, Kai would have to be replaced. She needed another partner.
She lifted the receiver, dialed and waited for Cory’s forceful response.
“Ashton here.”
“It’s me. Okay, I’ll take another partner. And don’t say I told you so.”
“Wasn’t going to. I have the perfect person for you. Strange thing is—she starts in the morning.”
“You’re so not funny!”
Only his booming laugh answered her snide remark before she banged down the receiver. He’d already had someone else set up to replace Kai. Her old friend knew her too well. She chuckled.
The phone rang and distracted her. “Detective Morelli, how can I help you?”
“You can save a poor girl from devastating boredom and have supper with her tonight while her turd of a husband has a dinner meeting with the brass.”
“Since you put the invitation so sweetly, how can an ex-partner refuse? What should I bring?”
“What makes you think I haven’t cooked something already?”
“One can only pray! Pizza or Chinese?”
Debbie laughed long and loud and made Aurora smile for the second time in a few minutes. It lightened the wretched heaviness she’d been carrying around inside for the last two weeks.
“You pick. See you soon.” The dial tone buzzed and Aurora shut down her computer, picked up her purse and admitted that for once she could leave at the regular time rather than work half the night in order to stop those blasted memories that kept her awake anyway.
Her new resolution: no more spending her nights with a box of Kleenex, while hugging the pillow Kai had slept on.
Chapter Three
Aurora balanced the pizza box in one hand, a bottle of wine in the other and kicked against the door gently in case Debbie’s baby, Alec, was sleeping. Debbie, obviously waiting for Aurora to show up, opened instantly and took the box of pizza. She headed into the kitchen chattering like a magpie.
“I’m so hungry. This smells wonderful. I’m glad you decided you could spare some time for me, rather than act like a crazed workaholic half the night.”
“Go ahead, say what you think. Don’t let this gun I have in my purse stop you.”
Debbie grinned and hugged her friend against her wishes. Not that Aurora wholeheartedly disagreed with the action; she just didn’t get too involved. A pat on Deb’s back, a slight lessening of her stiffness, and she stepped away. “Enough of the sappy stuff. The mozzarella and pepperoni had me salivating all the way from the shop. Sometimes I think the smell of a pizza is almost as good as the taste.”
Debbie’s questioning gaze made her back up some. “Okay! Nothing’s better than the taste.” Aurora reached behind her friend for the plates while Deb munched the bite she’d stolen off a slab. Debbie brought down the wine glasses that hung from the fancy rack as part of the cupboard design. Comfortable together, they both carried their gear into the livingroom and plopped down on the sofa. Debbie reached for the remote and muted the sound while Aurora leaned back and put her feet on the coffee table.
Debbie pointed at Aurora’s fancy toenail painting, the tiny stars and pretty colors that were highlighted by a gorgeous thin gold anklet, and chuckled. “No one who knows you would believe that you’re such a girl.”
“Watch it. If I wasn’t so hungry I’d make you take back those fightin words.”
Debbie talked as she chewed. “Seriously! You have everyone at work scared silly of you, the guys pray they never have to be your partner and yet you’re such a feminine little thing. Hell, even your size. Good Lord, when you strut around in those high-heeled boots, you walk like you’re six feet tall whereas the truth is you’re what? Maybe five-two.”
“I don’t strut.” No way she’d show how much Debbie’s words were affecting her.
“Like hell you don’t. And that hard-assed manner you’ve perfected?” Debbie sneered the words rather than speaking properly. “Scares the crap out of felons you track down. Shit, sometimes it used to scare the hell outta me. And you like me.”
“Says who?”
“Really Aurora, I’m serious. You’re beautiful, not just in looks. Hell, no one could ask for a better friend. I mean, every time I think of what you did for me by shooting Rhondo—” Debbie’s eyes welled.
“It’s over and done with. Don’t talk about it. Don’t think about him anymore. It makes you sad.”
“I can’t help but think about it… and you. What I asked you to do for me was way too much to expect from anyone. I’ve wondered if I could have come through for you if the circumstances had been reversed.”
“You would have.”
“No, truly I don’t know if I would have or not. You’re a lot stronger than I am.”
Aurora stopped eating, put her pizza on the plate and faced Debbie. “Tell me.” It was the first time they’d had a chance to fully talk over the events of what had happened to Debbie in the cabin with Earl Rhondo. Aurora had known her friend would explain everything sooner or later and it looked like the time had come.
Debbie’s eyes filled as she reached for a tissue that just happened to be in her jean’s pocket. For the first time, Aurora suspected this set-up had been rigged and her friend had planned for this night.
“Do you remember me telling you why I had decided to become a police office? A story I told you about when I was just a child and I’d witnessed a car accident where a young blond woman had been hit? That I’d seen a toy truck which had fallen out of her bag and I’d always thought about that little boy whose mother wouldn’t be returning?”
“Sure. I remember. You’d decided then that you wanted to be like the police officers who helped, because you couldn’t forget about the child.”
“Turns out? That child was Earl Rhondo. His stepfather had told him all his life that his mother had ran out on them. Called her a whore and made the boy believe she hadn’t cared enough to stick around. That man and his vile words created the monster we tracked. The criminal. It was his doing that led Earl to live the way he did. In the end, all Earl wanted was to have a child of his own, someone who he could love and never leave, someone he’d never let down.”
“And he believed Alec to be that child.”
“Yes, he did. As frightened as I felt, especially after he shot
at Kai, I never really saw the monster that night. A man who loved a baby the way he loved Alec, well he deserved some measure of compassion and pity. You gave it to him. You know he wanted to die. He went out shooting so you would have no choice but to fire back and kill him. What he didn’t know was that all three of you were sharp-shooters. He’d made that choice so his child, which he believed Alec to be, wouldn’t have to live with a jailbird for a father. You granted his wish. And I thank you so much.” Tears streamed down Debbie’s cheeks. Mopping them up with her soggy tissue didn’t help. They kept on coming.
Aurora watched Debbie to see her expression, “You let him believe Alec was his; smart move.”
“I knew Earl’s beliefs to be wrong. Just that morning I’d gotten the DNA report from the hospital that proved Alec to be Cory’s son. At first I didn’t say anything to save my baby. Then after I knew his story, I have to admit it was out of compassion.”
Choked, Aurora put her arm around the weeping woman. “Then I’m glad we helped him out. I know all the women he hurt might not have pitied him, they just wanted him dead. So in a sick kind of way, it seems to me everyone got their wish.”
Later, after the pizza had been consumed and all talk of the incident had stopped, Debbie looked at Aurora closely.
“You’re not getting enough sleep, my friend. You look like hell.”
“Gee, thanks. Love those kinds of compliments. Makes a girl feel so good.” She wiggled her shoulders sensually.
“Serious, here. You’re still pining away for Kai. I know it. Haven’t you heard back from him yet? Cory keeps saying to give the guy time. What do you say?”
Anger slid in and pushed out the playfulness. In a voice hardened with resolve, she answered. “I’d say his time is up.”
Chapter Four
“She’s too tall??” Cory repeated Aurora’s remark. Losing his cool, he almost yelled. “Hell, she’s not much taller than Debbie!”
“Are you talking in inches or feet?” Bitchy and not knowing why, Aurora gave Cory a hard time after he’d pointed out her new partner, who paced in the waiting room behind the glass wall. “What else do I need to know? Come on—give. I can tell by your expression that you’re holding back on me.”
“All you need to know is that she’s a good cop.”
“That’s a given. What else?”
Her boss plunked himself down on the corner of his desk and glared his frustration. His fingers fiddled with the crease in his suit pants. “I’m not playing this game with you, brat. I put up with far too much of your bullshit and it’s time you started to play by the rules like everyone else around here.” He crossed his arms and kicked back with his foot. The loud bump signified he’d said it all.
A faint ringing started up in Aurora’s ears, and warned her that her boss was holding something back she most probably wouldn’t like. Her body’s warning, that the doctors called tinnitus and she called instinct, had been with her from the time she became aware that her mother hated her and liked to show it with pain. Now being a woman and a cop who examined every expression, every ‘tell’ on a face where lies were being planned, she knew when to expect bad news.
“Man, you’re scaring me here. You’d better tell me what’s crowding your craw or I’m taking the three month’s leave you owe me.”
“Aw shit Aurora, we’re already short-staffed. Okay, if you have to know everything up front, I’ll tell you. She might be rather athletic.”
Just the word had her stomach muscles tightening. Memories, of all the hassling she’d suffered while at the high school both she and Cory had attended, poured in. The jeers and taunts from the sporty girls who liked to torment because they could play the games, and due to her size, she’d never made the various teams.
“How athletic?” She narrowed her eyes and starred him down. When he swallowed she knew she wasn’t going to like his reply.
His I-give-up groan would have been comical if she wasn’t so invested in the discussion. After all, she’d be spending a lot of time with this female giant jock.
“She boxes, plays basketball and golf— and runs marathons.”
“Fuck!”
He jumped up and held her gaze. “First and foremost, she’s a good cop. Look, Rory, I know you have this thing about your size. But no-one else sees you as—little. You cast a large shadow, trust me.” He took her hand in his. “You’re the only one it bothers, Shrimp.”
Using the nickname from when they were kids back in Casa Grande, he teasingly balanced his chin on the top of her head. Her elbow came lightning fast, and if she hadn’t pulled it a second before it landed, he’d be writhing on the ground, all six-foot-four of him.
Her skill in the martial arts wasn’t a surprise to him. But her speed shocked him and always had. Graceful and deadly, she never hit what she didn’t mean to hurt. His breath came back, along with his relief, as he put the desk between them.
Clearing his voice, he added. “You ready to meet her? I think she’s been left waiting long enough. Can’t make a bad impression on her first day, now can we?” He grinned and she answered with a sneer.
He lifted the phone and a few seconds later, Aurora watched as the slender giant approached, hand held out and her lovely face wreathed in the biggest smile Aurora had ever seen.
Looking up at the long lean body, past the strong muscled shoulders and into merry brown eyes like those of a small-breed dog whose biggest wish is to wash one’s face, Aurora realized the smile she shared with very few was starting to form. Subduing it, she held out her hand.
Cory piped up. “Aurora Morelli, meet Lisa Jordan, who previously worked in Seattle and has moved here to the desert for fun in the sun.”
Aurora raised one eyebrow at the way Cory worded his last phrase, and knew Lisa picked up on it. They shook hands. “I’m so pleased to finally meet you, Aurora. I’ve heard wonderful things about your skills and I can’t tell you how happy I am that we’ll be working together. It’s like a dream come true. Since I was a little girl I’ve wanted to come to Vegas and… sorry. I always talk too much when I’m nervous.”
“Guess we’ll need to look into getting you a prescription of Xanax,” Aurora replied dryly, then winced when her new partner erupted into an excessively cheery laugh. Only the fact that her voice was husky and pleasing saved her from being tossed aside for good.
Cory broke in nervously. “Lisa’s just been awarded her detective’s badge and felt a change would do her good. Plus the weather will allow her to enjoy a lifestyle here that’s different from the rainy west coast.”
“Yes! The weather here is warm and dry, perfect for the things I love to…”
Blah! Blah! blah! Aurora couldn’t stop the bitchy thoughts that took over. Hell, if this chick is so friggin happy all the time, she’s going to drive me bonkers. She dropped her head and let her chin rest on her chest. I might have to hurt her.
Chapter Five
Two hours later in their office, Aurora searched for the duct tape. Lisa had talked non-stop and seemed to become more nervous as the day wore on. To shut her up, Aurora had passed over a huge pile of files for her to study and get familiar with, but the lunatic continued to hum distractedly until Aurora barked. “Stop that!”
For a little while peace reigned, and then it started up again. Finally Aurora broke. “If you make one more noise, I’m gonna get mean. You hear me?”
“Yeah. I can’t help but hear you. You’re yelling quite loudly.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Lisa shrunk back into her chair and waited for the shit to hit the fan.
Aurora chuckled, surprising herself—and Lisa more. She held out her hands as if a propping up a book and tried to keep her tone pleasant. “Look. I can’t stand happy crap around me right now. I’m what one might call out of sorts lately.”
“Are you pregnant?”
Instantly furious, Aurora snapped. “Why the hell would you ask me such an asinine question?” The pinging in her ears started up and played a melody that would d
rive her crazy if it went on too long.
“Sorry,” said Lisa. “My sister acted grumpy like you in her first trimester. It just popped into my head. I didn’t mean anything—”
Just then the door opened and Hampton stuck his head around to wink at Lisa and point at Aurora. “You want in on the arrest going down right now? We finally got hold of the address for that little shit whose been selling the bad crack on the streets. He’s gonna be getting the shock of his life when he sees us coming to visit.”
Breathing a sigh of relief for the timely interruption, Aurora reached into the desk drawer for her gun. As they left the office, she sensed the taller presence behind her, and for some strange reason, it felt right.
When they arrived en masse to the address they’d acquired, Aurora and Lisa put on their vests and held their guns down low as they followed Ham up the crooked set of stairs in a dilapidated apartment building. When they reached the door, Ham pointed to the two female officers to stay on one side while he took the other, and made room for the officer with the ramming device to blast his way through.
It was Aurora who saw the movement down the hallway, a shadow slinking along the wall waiting to take off the minute they’d pile inside the apartment. Once the concealed male realized she’d seen him, he took off. She started after the agile sprinter, but out in the street and a block later, she was gaining very little. Then suddenly a streak passed her at warp speed, and with a flying leap, tackled the young man. Arriving in time to kick the gun from his hand, Aurora watched the two bodies struggling on the ground. With a deft movement that Aurora couldn’t have performed better herself, Lisa had the jerk in a stranglehold with one arm up behind his back.
Helping out a partner, Aurora pulled her cuffs from her pocket and clipped them on his one wrist, letting Lisa finish off the procedure.