Trading Places

by Fern Michaels

  Acclaim for New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Fern Michaels and her marvelous novels

  “[Fern Michaels’s] characters are real and endearing, her prose so natural that it seems you are witnessing the story rather than reading about it.”

  —Los Angeles Times

  Late Bloomer

  “A feel-good page turner.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Page-turning…a three-handkerchief story, but one you will always want to remember.”

  —The News Chief (Winter Haven, FL)

  Kentucky Rich

  “[A] Danielle Steel-like fun read…will keep readers on tenterhooks.”

  —Booklist

  Plain Jane

  “Michaels delivers another corker with her latest romantic suspense story.”

  —Library Journal

  Other Books by Fern Michaels

  Late Bloomer

  No Place Like Home

  The Delta Ladies

  Wild Honey

  Published by POCKET BOOKS

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  An Original Publication of POCKET BOOKS

  A Pocket Star Book published by

  POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  Copyright © 2003 by First Draft, Inc.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  ISBN: 0-7434-8636-6

  POCKET STAR BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.

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  Prologue

  His hand reached for hers inside the dark car. She’d almost forgotten how soft his touch could be. She decided it was okay for him to be doing this, and returned the pressure he was exerting. She wasn’t sure if the tremor she felt was coming from him or herself. In the back of the unmarked four-by-four, behind the grate that was open in the cargo hold, the K-9 whined softly.

  “It doesn’t feel right,” Tom Madsen whispered. He jerked his head in the direction of the K-9. “Gustav is picking up on it, too.” He turned to check the dog’s bulletproof vest one last time.

  Agnes Jade, Aggie to her friends, nodded. “Are you thinking this is a setup?” she whispered.

  “That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

  “Pippy,” Aggie continued in a whisper, referring to her snitch, “has never steered us wrong before.”

  “There’s a first time for everything. Pip goes for the bucks. It’s not smelling right either.”

  “We’re sitting in a dark alley, Tom. Derelicts urinate in alleys. There’s rotting garbage everywhere, plus the sewer gas and a hundred other smells. Five more minutes and we’re out of here. Agreed?” She could feel him nod.

  Tom was saved from a reply when he felt the K-9’s paw on his shoulder. Someone had just entered the alley on foot. Alone or with company? He didn’t know.

  Aggie heard it, too. “How many?” she whispered.

  “It’s too dark to see. I’m thinking three, maybe two.” The K-9’s paw pressed hard on Tom’s shoulder. He was ready to go.

  “Wait till they get past the car.” They both knew the drill, so did the K-9.

  Tom half turned and placed two fingers against Aggie’s cheek.

  “Easy, baby, easy,” Aggie said softly but still loud enough for the K-9 to hear. Gun in hand, safety off, the automatic door opener in her other hand so Gustav could hit the ground running the second Tom gave the order to go. Tom was her eyes and in charge of the headlights. In the past they’d worked together like silk and satin. Right now it felt more like burlap and fine linen. She wasn’t worried at all. They had a job to do, and they’d do it together, just the way they always did.

  A chill ran up Tom Madsen’s back as he leaped from the car, shouting, “Freeze! Police!” At the same moment, he fumbled blindly to turn on the high beams to illuminate the area, and still hold the car door in front of him as a shield.

  It all happened just the way it was supposed to happen. The element of surprise, the headlights trapping the two dark figures in their glare. “Atlanta PD,” Tom shouted. His voice carried down the long alleyway.

  He felt the breeze Gustav kicked up on his cheek when he streaked past him.

  Aggie inched the door open, doing a tuck and roll, and then slid under the four-by-four to scramble up behind her partner. “Hit the ground and put your hands on your head. I want to see you eating the dirt,” Aggie shouted. Tom was right. Something was wrong. Her shoulders itched, but her grip on the weapon in her hand was steady. The light from the headlights was blinding. She’d been expecting normal headlights not the high beams. Tom’s first mistake.

  Gustav heard it before she did, and streaked out of the light into darkness. “Three o’clock, Tom. We got it,” Aggie called out, meaning she and Gustav knew that the perps were only a quarter turn away and would act on it.

  Tom whirled around and yanked at the two men’s arms, so he could handcuff them. But before he could secure the cuffs, he scrabbled to get to the four-by-four so he could douse the blinding lights, while Aggie covered his six from behind him. The next minute was an eternity as automatic weapons’ fire shattered the quiet night. His neck exploded in pain, then both his legs went out from under him. He heard Gustav yelp in pain just as Aggie screamed.

  Again and again.

  And there was nothing he could do.

  Chapter One

  Six Months Later

  Detective Agnes Jade was so tense she felt brittle. If these people don’t get out of here, I’m going to shatter into a million pieces, she thought. She did her best to tune out the conversation. She thought she heard someone say something about awarding her a medal at some ceremony. That would be the day.

  Aggie looked up to see the officer from Internal Affairs she’d been dealing with staring at her. Go ahead, stare, you bastard, see if I care. For six months he’d hounded her until she thought she was going to lose what little mind she had left. And now he was forced to hear one of her colleagues say not only was she reinstated on the force, all charges dropped, but they were going to give her a damn medal in the bargain. She wished she cared enough to interpret his expression. She didn’t.

  She could see her gun and badge on the desk waiting to be claimed. No one was saying where she’d be assigned, which probably meant a desk job. Well, you can all just kiss my butt. For one wild moment she thought she’d voiced the thought aloud. She hadn’t.

  “Ninety days’ leave with full pay, Officer Jade,” the police commissioner said.

  Aggie nodded as the police photographer did his best to position her, the mayor, and the commissioner, and still get both of her walking canes in the picture. The canes were for effect. She really didn’t need them anymore. Well, hardly ever. They wanted her to smile and say something. Her tired brain struggled for the words. She wanted to talk about Tom. Maybe she should pick up the gun and badge. Would that satisfy the photographer? Like she cared. They were waiting for something important to pass her lips. You want important, you bastards. I’ll give you important.

  Aggie looked directly into the camera. “Where’s my dog?”

  Taken by surprise, the little group of dignitaries stared at her. It was the mayor who responded first. “The K-9 is at the pound, and he’s being taken care of. We tried to put him back to work when he recovered, but he refused to cooper
ate. He wouldn’t obey his handler. You can pick him up anytime you’re ready, Detective Jade.”

  Aggie digested the information. Gustav uncooperative. Never. He was safe and sound, and that was all she cared about. She had to smile now and say what they wanted so she could get out of there.

  At best it was a sickly smile. The words were just words. She was glad to be reinstated, glad her six month medical ordeal was over, and glad that she’d been given a clean bill of health. She didn’t care to answer questions about Detective Madsen at this time. She had plenty to say about him, but that could come later.

  Outside the mayor’s office her friend Alex Rossiter waited for her. He tapped his horn lightly. Once, a long time ago, she’d had a serious crush on Alex. The only problem was, Alex had been engaged to a model who looked good on his arm. Unfortunately for her, Alex’s relationship ended after she became involved with Tom Madsen. She’d been there for Alex because that’s what friends were for, something Tom never understood. Alex had been there for her, too, during those horrendous weeks when they didn’t know if she would live or die.

  She knew he was there even when she’d slip into her black hole. He’d squeeze her hand and say, “C’mon, Aggie, fight. We have things to do and places to go.”

  It had been his mantra for six long months. When she finally climbed all the way out of her black hole, he’d switched up to a new mantra in the therapy room which was “Show me what you’re made of. You can do it!” He was better than any of the physical therapists. He’d been so bossy, so sure of himself and his capabilities, he’d managed, somehow, to schedule her therapy when his last class was over. Dr. Alex Rossiter was the head of the engineering department at Georgia Tech.

  Aggie looked at him now as he stepped out of the car in the dark, gray morning. He was wearing jeans that fit him like a glove, Nikes, and an old tee shirt that said he was a member of some fraternity. He was tall, lean, and muscular, with a shock of dark brown hair that was so unruly he tended to wear a baseball cap to smash his hair against his head. The one he was wearing today said, Atlanta Braves. He had remarkable pearl gray eyes and a magnificent smile.

  She wondered how she looked to him. She’d lost a lot of weight these last six months. When they’d weighed her before discharging her from the hospital, the nurse had wagged her finger, and said, “Eat a gallon of ice cream every day.” Of course it was a joke. Her hair just hung about her face. She needed a good haircut, some conditioning treatments, and maybe a hair color touch-up. She’d seen gray hairs yesterday. She’d been tempted to pull them out but knew two more would sprout in their place. In the end, it was just easier to look away from the mirror. It was better not to think about the sack dress she was wearing.

  He hugged her. It felt good. “I want to pick up Gus. Will you take me to the pound?”

  Alex held the door for her, made sure she was comfortable and belted in before he tossed her two canes into the backseat of the Pathfinder. He nodded.

  Settled behind the wheel, he looked over at Aggie. “I swear to God, Aggie, I did everything but turn myself inside out to get Gus. The department said he was police property and wouldn’t release him. I went every single day to see him. I know, I know, you bought and paid for him yourself, but they wouldn’t let me into your house to get his papers. That damn crime scene yellow tape is still across your door. I don’t get it, your house wasn’t a crime scene. As late as yesterday afternoon, I tried to get them to remove the tape so I could send my cleaning lady there to spruce up the place. No dice. You work for a bunch of assholes, Aggie.”

  It was true. She leaned her head back. “Cleaning up the place will give me something to do. I’m okay. I can do stuff like that now.”

  “Maybe tomorrow but not today. Don’t argue. We’re taking Gus to my place and I am going to cook you a big spaghetti dinner and I’m making a steak for Gus. I bought him some new toys and a bunch of dog treats. He really likes me.”

  “I bet he does,” Aggie said. “I hope he remembers me. Six months is a long time for him not to see me. I thought he would feel I abandoned him.”

  Alex threw back his head and laughed.

  Alex’s laugh was one of the things she liked best about him. It was always genuine, and his eyes crinkled up at the corners.

  “I don’t think you have a thing to worry about. That first day, after he was on the mend, and they let me visit him, I took him an old sweatshirt of yours that you left at my place one time when we went running together. I tried to get it away from him to wash it, but he wasn’t parting with it.”

  “No kidding! Thanks, Alex.”

  “What are friends for?” He reached across the console to pat her shoulder. “It really is going to be all right, Aggie. Okay, we’re here. He knows you’re here. Listen.”

  Aggie closed her eyes and listened. She could pick his bark out from a thousand different dogs. She laughed then, her face lighting with joy. She would have hopped out of the truck and run through the gates, but she was a bit slow these days. She had to take it easy for a little while. Shattered femurs, shoulders, and gut wounds healed, but she was still fragile. Kevlar vests didn’t protect those parts of the anatomy.

  And then she saw Gus in his cage. She started to cry. The big dog whined and tried to scale the cage, only to slip and fall down. She opened the latch and dropped to her knees. The shepherd lathered her with kisses, his big paws on her shoulders. Then he was in her lap and hugging her with his big paws.

  Alex watched in awe. In his life he’d never seen such devotion. He smiled. She was whispering something to the dog, and he appeared to be listening, as if he understood the familiar words. He strained to hear what Aggie was saying.

  “He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.

  “You’re his life, his love, his leader.

  “He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.

  “You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

  “God, I missed you, Gus. From now on, you are not leaving my side. Ever.” The dog burrowed deeper into her lap, happy at last.

  Cicero’s words. Alex knuckled his eyes. “If you hold him any tighter, you’re going to squeeze the life out of him, Aggie.” His voice was so husky, sounded so gruff, he had a hard time believing it was his own.

  Aggie loosened her fierce hold on the big dog. “Are you sure he’s all healed and has no problems?”

  “The surgeon told me he’s good to go. He’s as healed as you are, Aggie. I think now, that you’re both together, it’s going to be even better. It’s a good thing you bought him that bulletproof vest. His legs are healed, his tail is two inches shorter, but he’s as healthy as ever.”

  “How much do I owe you for the operation, Alex?”

  “We can talk about that later. Right now I just want to get my favorite person and my favorite dog home. Let’s go.”

  “Come on, boy, we’re going home.” Home was a small three-bedroom house on Peachtree that she’d bought eight years earlier. It had a front porch and a fenced-in yard. In the spring and summer she filled the porch and the yard with flowers. At Christmas-time she always bought two Christmas trees, a balled tree that could be planted in the spring, which she decorated on the front porch, and a second one for her living room. It was a cozy house, small and comfortable. She’d furnished it slowly, buying a piece at a time, agonizing for weeks until she was certain it was just the right piece, and always paying cash because she hated seeing bills arrive in her mailbox.

  Aggie gave the dog a quick hug. “Actually, we’re going home tomorrow. Today we’re going with Alex to his house. Okay, let’s go.”

  Tears continued to drip down Aggie’s face as she watched the big shepherd sprint to the far end of his cage to return with her tattered sweatshirt. “Do you want that other stuff in the corner?” The dog looked at her as if to say, why would I want that junk? His cropped tail swished importantly as he waited for her to fasten his leash. He hugged her legs as they made t
heir way out to Alex’s Pathfinder.

  “I’m going to sit in the back with him, Alex.”

  Alex listened, a smile on his face, to the soft murmurings coming from the backseat as he drove to Buckhead, where he lived in a big old house with wonderful shade trees and woodburning fireplaces. He’d gutted and refurbished the house summers and holidays when he was off from school. He’d done a lot but still had the second floor to go. It was the kind of house that begged for a bunch of kids and a couple of dogs. He had two goldfish named Yin and Yang, though. Until he could get the kids and dogs, not to mention a wife, Yin and Yang would have to do.