Sheriff

by Laura Scott

  When the cuffs dropped away, several things happened at once. He tossed the bracelets to the ground toward his right side, using the momentum of his hand to swiftly reach around his hip, drawing his weapon. He aimed and fired at Meyer seconds later, Julianne gave Thunder the hand signal for attack.

  The cacophony of Thunder’s barking intermingled with the sharp retort of his weapon took Meyer by surprise. Rick returned fire, but his aim thankfully didn’t come close to Julianne. Brody felt a momentary flash of pain along his right bicep. Blood ran in rivulets down his arm but he ignored it, focusing instead on the way blood seeped from the wound in Meyer’s thigh.

  The deputy stumbled backward, waving his arms in a vain attempt to keep his balance. But it was no use. Thunder was on him in a flash, taking him to the ground, his front paws planted firmly on his chest, his razor sharp teeth dangerously close to Rick’s throat.

  Meyer screamed, “Get him off me!”

  “Drop your gun!” Julianne demanded, rushing forward to back up her partner. Brody wanted to go over to help, but tightened his grip on Otwell instead.

  Julianne took the gun from Rick’s limp hand, flinging it aside. Thunder kept his jaws close to the deputy’s throat, holding him, but not puncturing the skin, clearly waiting for Julianne’s next command.

  “Stay, Thunder,” Julianne said, slapping handcuffs over Meyer’s right wrist. “Heel.”

  Thunder didn’t move for several long seconds before he released his hold on Meyer’s neck and backed off. The K-9 officer didn’t go far; he was on high alert as Julianne finished restraining Rick Meyer.

  “What’s going on?” Deputy Dan Hanson came out of the building and raked a suspicious gaze over Julianne. “What are you doing?”

  “Arresting a dirty cop,” Brody gritted out in a tone that didn’t invite argument. Blood continued to congeal around his wound, soaking his shirt, but he didn’t dare loosen his grip on Nate.

  This time, Brody was determined to make his former friend pay for his crimes. Rick Meyer, too.

  Hanson stared at Meyer in shock. “What is he talking about?” he demanded. “Tell them they’ve made a mistake.”

  “There’s no mistake.” Julianne wrenched Meyer’s other arm around his back and restrained his wrists. She leveled a steady gaze at the older and somewhat chauvinistic deputy. “He shot at Brody. Can’t you see the blood running down his arm? And he threatened to kill me and my K-9 partner if we didn’t let Otwell go.”

  Hanson’s gaze swiveled toward Nate. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Up until now, Nate had been oddly silent, but now he let loose with a stream of curses. “You idiot! Why didn’t you just shoot her right away! You let a woman and a dog get the upper hand? You useless—”

  “Shut up,” Brody harshly interrupted. “Not another word, understand? This would be a good time to maintain your right to remain silent.”

  Nate’s face flushed tomato red, but he stopped mouthing off, for which Brody was grateful.

  Julianne once again recited the Miranda warning, this time for Rick’s benefit.

  “Let’s get these dirtbags inside,” Hanson said. He crossed over to give Julianne a hand with Meyer, since the deputy couldn’t seem to put any weight on his left leg.

  Brody’s breathing finally returned to normal as they managed to get their prisoners safely inside the building. His dispatcher on duty, Sandra Levee, gaped at seeing Deputy Meyer in handcuffs. “Sheriff, what in the world?” her voice trailed off, her eyes widening in horror when she noticed the trail of blood staining the floor behind them. More so from Meyer’s injury to his thigh rather than Brody’s wound.

  “Call for an ambulance, Sandra,” he instructed the dispatcher. “Meyer’s wound is going to need attention.”

  “So is yours,” Julianne said, her brow furrowed in concern.

  “Flesh wound,” he said, waving a hand to dismiss his injury. “Meyer’s losing blood faster than I am. I may have hit the femoral artery.”

  “I’ve got a first-aid kit,” Sandra offered, pulling a large square box out from beneath the dispatcher’s desk.

  “Lock Otwell up, we’ve already read him his rights.” Brody shoved Nate toward Hanson. “We’ll take care of Meyer’s injury until the paramedics arrive.”

  “Yes, sir,” Hanson said without hesitation. Before he shoved Nate inside, he glanced back at Julianne. “Nice work, Agent Martinez,” he said in what Brody assumed was his rather lame attempt to apologize for his previous attitude.

  Julianne’s smile was wry. “Thanks, Deputy. Appreciate the backup.”

  Hanson nodded, opened the door to the cell and pushed Nate inside.

  “Do we need to notify the DA’s office?” Julianne asked as she removed a roll of gauze and several thick 4X4 packs of dressings from the first-aid kit. Using the packs she made a pressure dressing over the entry wound, then began wrapping the roll around Meyer’s thigh in an attempt to staunch the blood flow. Then she used the deputy’s belt as a tourniquet, wrapping it tightly two inches above the entry wound.

  “I’ll notify the DA’s office tomorrow morning. Right now, my main concern is pulling my deputies off roadblock duty, freeing two officers up to watch over Meyer at the hospital. I can’t risk yet another escape attempt.”

  When she finished with Meyer, she washed her hands and crossed over to stand beside Brody. “Let me wrap this for you. Once the ambulance gets here to pick up Meyer, I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

  “Soon.” Brody couldn’t suppress a surge of satisfaction as Hanson emerged from the jail cell and relocked the door behind him.

  It was over. No more innocent lives in Clover County were in jeopardy.

  Yet as relieved as he was to have both men in custody, he couldn’t help thinking about the fact that Julianne’s involvement in his case was over. Which meant it wouldn’t be long before she’d be heading back to wherever her FBI headquarters were located.

  He didn’t want her to go, but couldn’t for the life of him think of a good, rational reason for her to stay.

  * * *

  Julianne’s pulse was racing as she emptied the first-aid kit to patch up Brody’s wound. She was known to be cool under fire, yet now her insides felt like nothing more than a puddle of goo when faced with Brody’s injury. She took several deep breaths as she shoved the top of his sleeve out of the way and wound gauze around the jagged gash marring his arm.

  He could have died.

  She’d faced armed crooks before, and hadn’t reacted this strongly when Royce had shot at her moments after the jailbreak, but for some reason, this close call with Brody made nausea swirl in her stomach. She took several deep breaths, fighting to keep the contents of her belly to stay where they belonged.

  “I hope that ambulance gets here soon,” she said, wrapping the last of the gauze around his arm. He’d been right that it wasn’t a life-threatening injury, but she couldn’t seem to squelch the flash of protectiveness that plagued her.

  She wouldn’t be happy until Brody’s injury was assessed and treated by a physician.

  The shrill wail of sirens split the air, growing louder until she could see the flashing red lights through the window.

  Finally!

  The two EMTs came bursting in, making a beeline for the chair where Meyer was sitting, his face pale and drawn, his arms still cuffed behind him.

  “Get these restraints off him,” one of the EMTs said in a harsh tone. “We need to get his blood pressure and access to his veins for an IV.”

  Julianne took the handcuff key from her pocket and quickly removed the shackles. Meyer caught her off guard by shoving her and staggering to his feet in a vain attempt to get away.

  “Get him,” Brody shouted but he needn’t have worried. Meyer’s left leg buckled beneath him and he collapsed on the floor
in a heap.

  Julianne scrambled over and cuffed Meyer’s left wrist to the chair. “Listen, this former deputy is under arrest. When you’re ready to put him on the gurney, let me know and I’ll transfer the cuff from the chair to the cot’s frame.”

  “Uh, sure. Okay.” The EMT’s expression was one of chagrin, as if he’d felt bad for underestimating the situation.

  It didn’t take long for the two EMTs to establish intravenous access and to get basic vital sign information. One of them spoke into a radio, updating the paramedic base on their status, while the other unfolded the gurney.

  “Hanson, I need you to ride with Meyer to the hospital until Ramsey and Stevenson can relieve you,” Brody said.

  “Not a problem, Sheriff,” Hanson said, surprisingly agreeable. Maybe finding out his partner was dirtier than a pile of cow manure had created a positive impact on his attitude. Hanson nodded in Julianne’s direction then hopped into the back of the ambulance with the EMTs.

  “Time to get you to the hospital, too,” she said to Brody.

  “Not until someone comes to relieve me. I’m not leaving Nate here alone.”

  Julianne decided now wasn’t the time to point out that Nate was behind bars. She knew Brody wouldn’t risk a second jailbreak.

  Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Recognizing Max’s number she answered. “Martinez.”

  “What’s going on?” her boss asked. “I thought you were going to check in once you dropped Otwell off.”

  “We found the leak in the sheriff’s department,” she told him. “Deputy Rick Meyer is under arrest, but on his way to the hospital.”

  “What happened?”

  “Exchange of gunfire. Meyer suffered a gunshot wound to his left thigh, and Brody was nicked by return fire along his right bicep, so we’ll leave for the hospital as soon as additional deputies arrive to relieve us.”

  Max whistled under his breath. “Sounds like things went sideways, but I’m glad you’re both okay.”

  “We managed to keep everything under control.” Julianne’s gaze centered on Brody, her throat thickening with pent-up emotion, then she forced herself to turn away. “Thankfully Brody, Thunder and I make a great team.”

  There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “Julianne, is there something more going on? Something you’re not telling me?”

  She bit her lip. “No, there isn’t anything else going on.” This wasn’t the time or the place to tell Max she was considering not returning to Billings with him and Zeke.

  At least, not yet. She needed to talk things over with Brody. After they put the case against Nate to rest.

  “Do you want us to meet you at the hospital?” Max asked.

  She glanced at her watch, surprised once again to realize it was just early afternoon. “No need, I’m sure we’ll be tied up here for the rest of the day. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow.”

  “See that you do.” Max’s tone was firm, as if he could read her mind through the phone connection.

  “Later.” As she ended the call, two uniformed deputies entered the building. They headed straight over to Brody, wearing twin expressions of such grave concern, Julianne figured the word about Meyer had already gotten around.

  “Glad you found Otwell,” one of them said, breaking the silence.

  “Me, too,” Brody said. She listened as he quickly filled his deputies in on the incident with Meyer. “We need to keep these two guys separated, understand? We don’t know for sure who else might be involved.”

  The deputies exchanged a glance. “You think there are other dirty cops?” the shorter one asked.

  “No, but we still don’t have the driver of the getaway car, either. So for now, we keep a close eye on these two.”

  “Okay, boss.”

  Brody looked as if he was going to say something more, but he simply nodded and turned toward Julianne. “You’re not going to rest until I get my arm looked at, are you?”

  For the first time since they’d slapped a set of silver bracelets around Nate’s wrists, she smiled. “That’s affirmative, Sheriff.”

  Brody let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, let’s get this over with. I have things to do, and I’m sure Max needs you to return to working on your case, too.”

  His abrupt words sent a stab of pain zinging straight to the center of her heart. Had she misunderstood Brody’s feelings toward her? She’d thought they’d connected, especially after their last kiss, but maybe she’d imagined his reaction.

  Maybe, just maybe, he’d be happy to see her go.

  “Keys,” she said, holding out her palm. Brody handed them over. “Come, Thunder.” She walked outside, heading straight for the SUV. When she opened the back, she reached in her pocket for a doggy treat. “Thanks, partner,” she whispered against Thunder’s silky fur before giving him the treat.

  He scarfed up the biscuit then rested his head against her chest. She closed her eyes, thanking God for keeping all of them safe, then stepped back and closed the door.

  The drive to Clover County Medical Center didn’t take long. The waiting room was full of patients and visitors, many of whom stared with open curiosity at Thunder since he was still wearing his K-9 vest. Julianne figured they’d be in for a long wait, and it turned out she was right. At first, the words gunshot wound had garnered immediate attention, but once Brody’s vital signs were checked, they were told to wait.

  Since they were surrounded by people, this wasn’t the time to get into anything personal. They also couldn’t discuss the open items on their case. Several visitors asked Julianne about Thunder, forcing her to explain several times that he was a K-9 officer.

  After what seemed like forever, but was only a few hours, the nurse called Brody’s name. Julianne watched him go, resisting the urge to follow. She scratched the silky spot between Thunder’s ears, her thoughts whirling. Not just about what was or wasn’t happening between her and Brody, but going all the way back to Lilly’s disappearance a little over six years ago.

  How long would it take before they’d get the DNA evidence back from the lab?

  She was so lost in her tumultuous thoughts that she didn’t notice Brody until he was standing directly in front of her.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look upset.”

  She rose to her feet and forced a smile. “It’s nothing. How’s your arm?”

  “I’ll live,” he said with a grunt. “Told you it wasn’t a big deal.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, but I see they gave you antibiotics, so don’t try telling me the trip here wasn’t necessary.”

  He looked at her for a long moment. “Julianne, do you think you can stay in town for a day or two? I—was hoping we’d have some time to talk.”

  Her heart soared with relief. “Yeah, I can stay for a while,” she agreed. “I’d like to talk to you, too.”

  Brody’s expression turned hopeful. “Do you think Max will mind?”

  “I don’t know, all I can do is ask. Besides, I also need a little help on a side job.”

  “What kind of side job?” he asked warily.

  “I need to pick out a puppy to rescue.” She glanced at Thunder. “Our team made a pact to adopt a puppy at each location we go to, to be trained as a future K-9 officer.”

  Was it her imagination or did Brody look disappointed? She’d hoped he’d appreciated the K-9 partners they worked with, but maybe that was wishful thinking on her part. Speaking about dogs and puppies abruptly had Brody smacking himself in the forehead.

  “I can’t believe I totally forgot about Clark Davenport? The poor guy has been alone there for hours. We need to get over to the Sunflower Motel ASAP.”

  Julianne nodded, knowing he was right. She shouldn’t have forgotten about Clark, either.

  But as they left the hos
pital, she made a silent promise to find a way to share her feelings with Brody when they finally had some time alone.

  Even if that meant risking another rejection.

  SIXTEEN

  Brody tried not to stare at Julianne’s beautiful profile as she navigated the SUV toward the motel so they could meet up with Clark. When her phone rang again, he reached over with his left hand to accept the call, putting the phone on speaker.

  “Julianne?” Max’s voice filled the interior of the car.

  “Yes, what’s up?” she answered.

  “I just received news that we have an ID on the dead male body Cheetah found outside the cabin where our witness identified the men wearing sunglasses.”

  Brody tensed. “Who is it?”

  “A sixteen-year-old by the name of Billy Shack. Kid disappeared out of Arkansas several weeks ago. It’s been an open missing person’s case ever since.”

  Brody swallowed hard. “So his death is likely related to Kurt Royce and Otwell’s operation. Could be that Royce continued doing business until they made their plans to escape.”

  “Not a bad theory,” Max agreed. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know.”

  “What about the young woman’s body?” Brody asked.

  “That’s going to take much longer to identify,” Max responded.

  Brody knew the SAC was right. He disconnected the line, this latest news whirling around in his mind. He hadn’t known Billy Shack, but the teenager’s death still bothered him. Physically he was exhausted, but mentally he couldn’t seem to stop rehashing the recent events.

  Otwell’s capture.

  Royce’s death.

  Meyer’s betrayal.

  Julianne’s imminent departure.

  The last one bothered him the most. She’d agreed to stay a few days, but that didn’t mean her feelings for him had changed.

  Did it?

  He wanted time to talk to her alone, to reconnect without worrying about finding Otwell, or being chased by gunmen.

  Yet it appeared all she wanted to do was to rescue a pup before she left him for good.