by Susan Hayes
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2014 Susan Hayes
ISBN: 978-1-77130-702-4
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Lisa Petrocelli
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
This book is in memory of the real Police Service Dog, Chase, who served with distinction until his death in the line of duty.
It's dedicated to my best friend, Karen, who listens to me rant and ramble about the worlds that exist only in my head, and has never questioned my sanity. (Even when she probably should.)
WILDE CHASE
Wilde Brothers, 1
Susan Hayes
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
When her phone rang, Kelly groaned and briefly contemplated tossing the cursed device out the window. It was after ten at night and she had only just flaked out on her couch to unwind. Being a veterinarian meant long hours and late night calls, but the last few days had been nonstop chaos. The clinic’s other vet was at a convention, leaving Kelly on call day and night. She couldn’t wait for him to get home so she could snag a good night’s sleep.
With a sigh, Kelly checked the caller ID but didn’t recognize the number. Well good, maybe it wasn’t a work emergency after all.
“Hello, this is Doctor Towers.”
“Hi Doctor Towers, this is Tina. I guess I should have called you sooner, but I couldn’t get the alarm to work when I was locking up. I had a date though, so I couldn’t stay and fight with it. I locked the door, but then I just remembered that you told me to call you if there were any problems, so, here I am, calling you.”
Kelly closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in a vain attempt to stave off the headache she knew was coming. “Tina, are you telling me that the alarm has been off since you went home? That was hours ago!” Normally Kelly or her partner, Chris, were the last ones to leave, but Kelly had been out making a rare house call and had left their newest hire, Tina, to lock up. Clearly, that had been a mistake.
“Well, like I said, I was out on a date. I’m telling you now though, so it’s all good, right? I gotta’ go, Doctor Towers, have a great night and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“When you come in tomorrow, you and I are going to have a serious talk. Things are not all good, Tina. Not by a long shot.”
There was a pause, and then Tina breathed a soft sigh. “Okay, Dr. Towers. I’m sorry. Uh, good night.”
“Good night, Tina.” Kelly stared at her phone for a second, sighed, and disconnected the call. When Chris got back from this latest convention, they were going to have to have a talk about staffing. Their full time assistant, Amber, was a gem, but they were getting busier and needed more help. More qualified help. Tina just wasn’t going to make the grade. She needed to talk it over with Chris before making it official, but Tina was going to be unemployed soon.
The last thing Kelly wanted to do was head back to the clinic, but there was no way she could leave the place unalarmed all night. That was just asking for trouble. Kelly grabbed the pint of cherry ice cream off the coffee table as she got up and popped the lid back on. Her plans for ice cream and TV before bed had just been scuttled.
Once the ice cream was back in the freezer, Kelly grabbed her purse and shoes and headed for the door. At least it was late enough there shouldn’t be anyone around to judge her fashion sense, so she opted to stay in her yoga pants and tank top. If she had to go out, she was at least going to be comfortable.
****
Urban Paws, her clinic, was located on the edge of one of Chicago’s rougher neighborhoods, which meant the rent was cheap, but a good alarm system was a necessity. Kelly liked living and working on Chicago’s West Side, close enough to get downtown when needed, but far enough from the heart of the city to have a sense of community. If she put her mind to it, she could make the walk to the clinic in fifteen minutes, though it was hot enough tonight that she didn’t try to move that fast. The streets were nearly empty, no doubt because anyone with an ounce of sense was somewhere with air-conditioning right now, waiting for the sultry night air to finally cool off enough to sleep.
When Kelly arrived, she was relieved to see that the lights were off and the front door was still locked. At first glance, everything seemed fine. It wasn’t until she was through the door that she noticed something wasn’t right. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the office’s resident cats, should have greeted her, but they were nowhere to be seen.
Feeling the first inkling of concern, Kelly took the canister of pepper spray she always carried out of her purse and turned on the lights to the reception room, instantly flooding the cozy space with enough florescent light to make her see spots. “Hello? Rosie? Stern? Come on guys, this is no time to be playing hide and seek.”
Nothing.
Pepper spray in hand, Kelly edged past the reception desk and peered down the short hall to the exam rooms. Everything looked quiet, but she couldn’t shake the sense that something was off. The office didn’t feel right somehow. Maybe one of the cats was sick, or maybe it was just that she wasn’t used to the place being this quiet. Overnight patients weren’t uncommon, though tonight the back cages were all empty. It could just be the lack of noise and her finely tuned sense of paranoia that had her on edge.
Maybe that Criminal Minds marathon this evening hadn’t been such a great idea after all.
Kelly headed back into the clinic, turning on the lights as she went. With every step, the sense that something was off got a little stronger. She had just stepped into the second examination room when she heard something behind her, and then the proof she wasn’t being paranoid body-slammed her from behind, sending her and the canister of capsicum flying off in different directions.
Shit!
“Run!” Someone yelled, and then she heard several sets of footsteps pounding down the hallway away from her. Kelly turned her head just in time to see a pair of feet race past the door, but sprawled facedown on the floor really wasn’t the best vantage point for getting a good description. Most of what she could see was a pair of shoes and evidence that the dust bunny population was out of control.
The front door chime sounded, cheerfully announcing that her thieves had left the building via the main entrance. They must have come in through the back door. A door that was supposed to remain locked at all times, even though some of the staff used it to sneak out for a smoke break several times a day.
Tina was so fired.
Kelly rolled over and eased herself up to a sitting position, taking a quick assessment of the damage. She had bruised knees and a bump on the head from hitting something on the way to the floor, but nothing life threatening. The only thing that had died a tragic death this evening was her pride.
Next time, she was going to call the cops before she went exploring.
With that thought Kelly climbed back to her feet and went in search of a phone. She had a break-in to report, two cats to find, and a lot of inventory to check.
****
Officer Ben Wilde was just heading back to the station to wrap up his shift when the dispatcher rattled off a familiar address as the target of a break-in. Urban Paws was the clinic he used for his canine partner, Chase. They’d been there just last month for stitches after Chase had tangled with a s
uspect’s Rottweiler during a takedown.
“Sorry, buddy. Shift is going to last a little longer, I want to go check on this.” The German shepherd whined in protest from the back of the vehicle, and for the thousandth time Ben wondered just how much his four-legged partner really understood. He had a suspicion Chase knew a lot more than he let on.
Ben had been taking his dog to Dr. Hertz since he and Chase had made it through training together. Urban Paws was the unofficial vet clinic for many of Chicago Police Department’s canine officers and Ben could see why the first time he went. Despite being on the outskirts of a rough area, the clinic was professional, well run, and friendly. They were a part of the community too, offering free services and discounts to those who needed it.
As much as he liked Dr. Hertz, lately Ben tried to time Chase’s appointments so that they got to see the new vet, Dr. Towers. She was a lot prettier to look at than Hertz, and Chase had taken to her the first time they had met. Hell, so had Ben. He had a recurring fantasy about peeling her white coat off and finding out what kind of lingerie she wore. Was she a lace or satin kind of girl? Ben was hoping he’d get a chance to find out, but until now their timing had been off.
It was hard to admit, but Chase got more attention from the ladies than Ben did these days. He’d sworn off badge bunnies a long time ago, wanting something more meaningful. So far, though, he hadn’t found it. It wasn’t like he was hideous, far from it. Ben was on par with the rest of his siblings in the looks department. Two of them were even close to him in height and appearance, right down to their dark hair and hazel eyes, and none of his four brothers had any trouble getting female attention.
No, Ben knew it wasn’t his looks that were the problem, it was his job. It was nearly impossible to meet someone when he didn’t get home until midnight most nights and spent a large part of his day talking to a dog instead of another human being. He wouldn’t give up his job or his partner for anything in the world, but there were times he missed his life before the academy. At least back then, he had a social life.
They pulled up behind the squad car already parked outside the clinic and Chase stood up right away. The moment he recognized where they were he barked once and then sat, his tail thumping impatiently against the side of the vehicle as he waited for Ben to come around and let him out. “You are not the boss of me,” Ben grumbled as he snapped the leash onto Chase’s collar.
Ben spotted Kelly’s shoulder-length chestnut curls from the window outside and smiled a little. Looked like it was his lucky night. He hadn’t been sure she would even be here, but the alarm company must have notified her of the break-in after they called it in to the station. He’d dropped by to check up on things, but if fate gave him a shot at asking her out, he was going to take it. The last few times he’d tried, either dispatch had called him away or Kelly had been summoned to deal with an urgent case. Ben knew he better make his move soon or be left standing on the sidelines. Kelly was way too fucking gorgeous to stay single for long.
The moment he stepped inside and got a good look at Kelly, Ben lost his smile. The normally unflappable vet looked shaken and she jumped slightly when the door chimed, announcing his arrival.
“Officer Wilde?” She flashed him a weak smile in greeting that warmed as Chase appeared. “And you brought my favorite patient with you. What are you two doing here?”
Officer Danny Chapman glanced up and shook his head as he saw who it was, his freckled face breaking into a grin. “That’s a good question, Wilde. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be heading back to the precinct to wrap up and call it a night?”
“I caught the address on the radio. This is Chase’s vet, so we thought we’d come by and make sure everything was okay.” Ben made his point by releasing the leash, allowing Chase to go bounding over to visit Kelly.
“We did, did we?” Danny Chapman drawled. “I always suspected Chase was the brains in your outfit.”
Ben ignored the jibe from his friend and turned his attention to Kelly. “I thought this was just a break-in the alarm company called in. I get the feeling there’s more to it than that.”
Kelly had slipped out of her waiting room chair and onto the floor while he’d been talking to Danny. Now she had her fingers buried in Chase’s thick fur, giving the dog a hug that made Ben downright envious of his four-footed partner.
“Dr. Towers got a call from her receptionist about an hour ago, telling her that the alarm hadn’t been activated. She came down to check on things and surprised a couple of thieves. It looks like they got two laptops and a few bucks in petty cash.”
Kelly picked up the narrative from Danny. “It looks like they were trying to pry open any locked cabinets, probably hoping to find drugs. They didn’t find any though.”
“The doctor here got shoved out of the way, so it’s assault on top of the theft, if we ever find the ones who did it.”
Her gaze lowered to the floor and she sighed. “I wish I’d gotten a better look at them, but all I saw was a pair of black high-top sneakers flash past the door.”
“You sure you don’t want to go to the hospital and get checked out?” Danny’s partner, Travis, asked as he appeared from the back half of the clinic. “Hey, Wilde. What brings you out?”
“His dog likes the vet so Wilde drove him over here to check up on things,” Chapman sniggered.
“I always knew Chase was the brains in that outfit,” Travis commented and Ben just rolled his eyes.
“You two really need to get some new material.”
Kelly was muffling her laughter against Chase’s coat, and Ben was happy to see the color returning to her face. It was pure luck that she hadn’t been seriously hurt, walking in on the thieves as she had.
“If you’re hurt, you should go to the hospital and get it all reported,” Ben suggested.
Kelly looked up at him and then shook her head. “I’m okay. Bump on the head and a few assorted bruises. Rosie and Stern are more shaken up than I am. They haven’t moved from under Amber’s desk this whole time. They’re both fired as security, poor things.”
“You have security on the premises, ma’am?” Both officers looked slightly confused as they glanced around the cozy waiting room as if expecting someone to appear.
“The office cats, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They didn’t like having invaders in their domain.”
“I’ll add them to the report as witnesses,” Chapman said with a grin as he wrote something on his notepad. Damn it, was he was flirting with Kelly? Chase seemed to think Danny was up to something too, because he leaned into Kelly and put a paw on her knee, drawing her attention away from the sandy-haired Romeo. Ben owed him a cheeseburger for that move.
“That’s everything we need, Dr. Towers. Do you want us to stay with you while you lock up? It’s no bother.”
Son-of-a-bitch. Chapman was definitely hitting on Kelly. A hot spike of jealousy slammed through him and Ben knew he had to put a stop to it. It was time to stake his claim, Kelly was off limits. “I can stay if you want, Kelly.” He used her first name to get the point across to Chapman. “Chase and I are at the end of our shift. After this we’re heading to the station to log out and then go home. I’m sure these two have other calls to get to.”
Kelly gave him a smile that made his night and then nodded in agreement “That would be great, thanks. Officers Chapman and Travis, thank you so much for your help. Please let me know if you find out anything about the missing computers.”
“We will, but I wouldn’t count on getting them back. Odds are good you won’t be seeing them again.”
“Well, I hope they enjoy reading lab reports, because that’s about all that’s on them.” Kelly let go of Chase and got to her feet, waving off both Chapman and Travis as they reached out to assist her. “I’m fine. I just need a hot bath and a couple of ibuprofen.”
Danny handed her a card. “Here’s my name and number. If you think of anything else to add to the report or you just want an update, give
me a call.”
“Thank you, I will.”
“Good night, Officer Chapman,” Ben said pointedly and Danny smirked on his way past.
“Bye, Officer Wilde. See you back at the station later.”
Ben couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard them laughing as they headed for their cruiser. Let them laugh. Kelly was too good for either of them. Too good for him too, but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying. Just, maybe not tonight. The woman had just been roughed up by a couple of thieves. It didn’t seem the right moment to ask her out on a date. He would have to settle for her phone number and making sure she got home okay.
“Will you and Chase do a walk-through with me? There’s a liver treat in it for Chase.” She flashed him the sweet smile that he’d been seeing in his dreams since the day they’d met and he wondered for the hundredth time if she would taste as sweet as he imagined. “And since you’re going to be late getting home tonight because of me, maybe I can repay the favor by buying you dinner some time?”
Ben blinked. Had she just asked him out?
“You don’t need to do that,” he started to say and then stopped when he noticed that her cheeks were turning pink. She was definitely asking him out. Say what you like about the Wilde boys, their mother hadn’t raised any of them to be fools. Well, not total fools. “I would like to go to dinner with you, Kelly, but not because you’re trying to thank me for looking out for you.”
“Oh. Well, then, what reason would you need to go out with me?” she asked, the corners of her mouth turning up into a grin that had his blood heating and his cock stirring as he imagined kissing those lush lips.
“I don’t need a reason. Hell, I’ve wanted to ask you out for a while now, but every time I tried either you had to run off on a call or I did.” He scrubbed a hand through his short hair and gave her a sheepish grin. “I figured given the night you had, this wasn’t a good time either. I guess I was wrong, huh?”