by Zoe Chant
Levi forced his eyes away, surprised at himself. Here the poor woman was running for her life, hyperventilating out of panic, and Levi was such an asshole caveman that all he could think about was her hot body? He was usually a better man than that.
He met her eyes instead. Trying to ignore how beautiful they were, he asked if she was all right.
“I’m fine,” she said.
But Levi wasn’t so sure. She was still breathing in quick, panicky bursts, and—there was a spreading dark stain on her left sleeve. “You’re bleeding.” Unable to help himself, he brushed his fingers over her arm just above where she was hurt.
That was definitely not procedure. Hurrying to cover how unprofessional he was being, he told her, “You need a doctor.”
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be upset—or paying attention anymore. Instead, she was scanning the area.
Which was what he should’ve been doing, instead of ogling the victim.
“Laura!” she called. “Laura?”
“Is someone else out here?” He looked around them, taking the woman’s unhurt arm and backing them up toward the car. They needed to get to a safer location.
“The senator!” She resisted his pull, her eyes tracking around and…up?
He was prevented from asking her to explain what had happened, exactly, by Danny’s arrival. “No sign of anyone,” his partner reported.
“Shooter ran,” Levi explained briefly. “She says there’s another civilian out here.”
“Senator Davis!” The woman was definitely scanning the trees. “She shifted, and now I don’t know where she is.”
“State Senator Laura Davis is out here?” Levi looked at Danny. “We’re going to need some more backup.”
“Screw backup!” The woman’s exclamation brought Levi’s eyes right back to her. Her eyes were bright with determination. “I need to find Laura! I don’t know if she’s all right!”
She started to turn, as though she were actually going to go looking for Senator Davis in the dark, unsecured Capitol grounds. Levi had to admire her courage even as he stopped her.
“Whoa!” He took her arm again. “It’s not safe out here. Let’s go back—” He took his hand away, and sucked in a breath. “You really need to see a doctor.”
The palm of Levi’s hand was a solid red—he’d accidentally taken hold of her injured side. The woman looked at it, then twisted her arm around to look at that. “The bullet,” she said.
“You were hit?” Levi leaned in to look at her arm.
“Just barely,” she said impatiently. “I think it grazed me. It’s not bad. Don’t worry about me, we need to find Laura!”
Levi turned to Danny. “Okay. You take her back to the car, and cover me while I go out looking for the senator. Don’t let her come after me.” He wouldn’t put it past her after the way she’d almost headed out by herself.
“I’m not an idiot.” She sounded calmer now, though, like she was just stating a fact. “Someone needs to find her. You’re better qualified than me.”
Levi found it surprisingly hard to leave her behind.
He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He wasn’t one of those cops that went after grateful, tearful girls at crime scenes—that was one of the worst possible ways to take advantage of their position, and it was nothing a decent guy would ever do to a woman. He needed to get his head in the game.
Stepping cautiously further out, he called, “Senator Davis? Senator Davis, can you hear me? Are you all right?”
Silence. He kept moving, scanning the grounds once again. The woman they’d rescued—and who was she? He didn’t know her name or what she was even doing here so late at night, although her stylish skirt-suit suggested that she worked in the building—had said that the senator had shifted, which meant that she could be anywhere.
Levi had been incredibly pleased when Laura Davis had been elected to the state senate—he could hardly believe that there was a real possibility of some progression in the public’s acceptance of shifters. Having a small, harmless shifter in the state senate, showing everyone that she was just a normal woman, was a huge step forward.
Right now, though, he was wishing the woman wasn’t a sparrow, and therefore essentially invisible in her shifted form.
A bear—to pick a random example—would never have been elected, but if Laura Davis were a bear, Levi’s job would be much easier at the moment.
“Senator Davis!” he called again.
This time, there was a rush of wings by his face, and in a blur of motion, Laura Davis was standing in front of him. “Are you the police?” she gasped.
“Yes, ma’am, I am. Will you come with me, please—it’s not safe out here.” Levi motioned her back, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
“Maria,” said the senator. “My assistant, Maria—do you know where she is? Is she all right?”
Maria. That must be the beautiful woman’s name.
“She’s right back here.” Levi hurried the woman back to where they’d left the car.
The second they rounded the corner of the statue’s base, the senator lit up. “Maria!”
“Laura!” The women fell into each other’s arms.
“I’m so sorry,” the senator was repeating. “Maria, I know I abandoned you, shifting like that—I was operating on instinct, and I can’t apologize enough—”
“No, no,” Maria protested, “you did just the right thing! He was shooting at you, not at me. You had to get away. Are you all right? I thought you might be hurt.”
“A little,” the senator admitted, leaning down to look at her right leg. Levi immediately came over to see that her stocking was soaked in blood from a cut low on her right thigh. “It’s no problem. What about you—you’re bleeding!”
Maria showed her arm and launched into her no-big-deal, just a graze explanation. Levi could see the tension in her face, though, the way she was holding herself forcibly still.
She was in pain, and someone had fired a gun at her with intent to kill. She was scared and hurt. She was hiding it well, but he could still see it.
Damn, but he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her it was going to be all right. Which would have been unprofessional beyond words. What was wrong with him tonight?
Thankfully, he could finally hear sirens coming their way. Maria—and the senator—would be getting medical attention soon.
He was impressed with both women, when it came down to it. Neither of them was crying, hyperventilating, or otherwise freaking out over having been shot at, and neither one seemed to be going into shock or having any trouble at all with pain. They were doing better than most civilians in their situation—hell, better than most rookie cops did, the first time they were shot at.
He stifled the urge to ask Maria if she’d ever thought about becoming a cop.
* * *
Maria wasn’t sure Laura was ever going to stop apologizing to her.
“It’s fine,” she said for the hundredth time. “It’s not like you could’ve picked me up and flown away with me. Sparrows aren’t that strong.”
Laura sighed. “I know. But I’m in charge. I should have been protecting you.”
“That’s our job, actually,” the big detective put in. “You make the laws, we enforce them. Or that’s how I hear it’s supposed to work, anyway.”
Maria laughed, surprised. In her admittedly limited experience, the police didn’t have much of a sense of humor.
Or maybe it was different when they were rescuing you. That had certainly never happened to her before.
And if she had to be rescued, well, this man would have been her first choice. It had been too dark to get a good look at him before, but now she could see all of his six-foot-plus body.
And what a body—his shoulders strained his dress shirt, and the muscles that weren’t hidden by his clothes were bulging. He held his gun in a comfortable grip that meant business, but didn’t suggest any impulsiveness about pulling the trigger. When they
’d been out on the grounds together, he’d seemed to be looking in every direction at once, but his hand pulling her back into cover had been gentle and firm.
He was clearly a man who knew what he was doing. And he was gorgeous—curling dark hair, strong profile, and the quick smile he’d flashed after his little joke could make women melt.
Other women. Not her. Because she wasn’t dating any more of those big, strong men who were so good at melting her. And definitely not a cop whose first impression of her had been a fleeing victim.
After all, she was literally part of his job right now. The absolute definition of a professional relationship.
And that was for the best, obviously.
No matter how gorgeous he was when he smiled.
“Backup ETA two minutes,” the shorter cop reported. “You’ll be getting medical attention soon, ladies.”
Maria was grateful to hear it. All of a sudden, now that the adrenaline was wearing off, her arm had started to throb with pain.
“It’s really okay,” she reassured Laura again, somehow tearing her attention away from Detective Gorgeous. She’d have to remember to get his and his partner’s names and badge numbers tonight, in case Laura wanted to do some sort of formal thank-you. “I got away on my own two feet.”
Laura shook her head. “Well, you’re getting hazard pay this month, that’s for sure.”
“Do either of you have any idea who this was?” the big detective asked seriously. “Any hint about whether there might have been more than one? If someone in the building might be involved, or if there could be any more people waiting around in the neighborhood?”
Laura shook her head. “No, no idea.”
Maria bit her lip. “I have an idea.”
Laura and the cops all turned to look at her.
“I caught a glimpse of his face.” Maria could remember it as clear as if she’d taken a picture. “It was fast, but I know who it was. Roger Sutherland.”
Laura’s eyebrows went up. “Are you sure?”
The big detective had pulled out a notebook and was writing it down. His partner looked less than convinced.
Maria nodded firmly. “It was him.”
“It’s understandable if you’re not totally sure,” the shorter cop said. “It was dark—”
“—and he was running away, and his face was only lit up for a second,” Maria finished. “I know what Roger Sutherland looks like. I spent a few hours the other day memorizing faces from his anti-shifter group. I know it was him, and I also know that he works for George Lisle. I don’t think he does anything without Lisle’s approval.”
“You’re suggesting that he was ordered to kill Senator Davis by this Lisle person.” The shorter cop was looking more skeptical by the minute.
“Lisle runs a radical anti-shifter group,” Laura put in. “They’re very hierarchical.”
Maria nodded. “And very militarized. There’s no way Sutherland would have done this on his own.”
The big cop moved a little, bringing Maria’s focus back to him. She wondered if that was on purpose, or if she was just hyperfocused on the hot guy.
Adrenaline did weird things to your body, that was for sure. She would never have guessed that right after almost being killed, she’d be ignoring her bleeding arm in favor of feelings…lower down. But she couldn’t stop sneaking glances at Detective Tall, Dark, And Handsome. With his—shoulders, and his big hands, and she bet if he turned around, he’d have a very nice—
“After you’ve received medical attention, we’ll have you come down to the station and make an official statement,” he said.
Wow, so romantic. Just more confirmation that all of those fight-or-flight chemicals were affecting her brain. There was no mutual chemistry happening here—the detective just wanted to do his job, for God’s sake! Her body was probably reacting to a near-death experience by wanting to make lots of babies, just in case.
“Of course.” Maria kept her eyes on the detective’s face and her voice professional. Keep it together. “Meanwhile, could I get your names and badge numbers? Senator Davis will want to be sure she thanks you later.”
And I’ll be happy to thank you personally any time…stop it, Maria. He’s not interested.
She kept the professional smile firmly on her face. She wasn’t going to mess up this guy’s workday with her stupid hormones.
* * *
Levi couldn’t believe he’d forgotten to by-God identify himself to the two women before he’d started what amounted to an interview.
Yeah, because if there’s anyone you don’t want to remember you helping them out, it’s a state senator and the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen.
His attraction was making him self-conscious—he was trying to be as professional as he could, avoiding any personal conversation at all, because he didn’t want to be the sort of creep who took advantage of vulnerable victims, and as a result, he was actually fumbling standard procedures.
Not that Maria seemed that vulnerable. On the contrary, she was focused and observant, even in a stressful situation like this. It was truly impressive.
“I apologize.” He tried to keep the professional tone firm in his voice as he said, “I’m Detective Levi Hale, and this is my partner, Detective Danny Sadowski. But there’s no need to thank us, ma’am,” directing this at the senator, “we were only doing our jobs.”
“I’ll thank you if I please.” The senator’s tone was final. “You risked your lives for my assistant and me, and that deserves some recognition.”
“I still need your badge numbers—oh, damn, my purse.” Maria looked around herself, as though it might be sitting on the ground somewhere. “I must have dropped it back on the stairs.” She glanced back at the building. “I suppose—I suppose I could just go get it now that he’s gone.”
“No!” Levi was maybe a bit more vehement than he needed to be, and she looked back at him, startled. “We haven’t completely secured the area. I can go get it—”
“Oh, no, no,” she interrupted hurriedly. “If I can’t go until the area’s secured, you shouldn’t either.”
Levi started to explain that it was his job to go into unsecured areas, that he was armed, and that he would be happy to go get her purse for her, but the ambulance arrived before he could make his point.
At least now they had backup, finally. Levi turned his attention to making sure the area actually was secure, and tried to ignore the way his bear was thinking unhappily that Maria had been whisked away from him by strangers.
It was good that she was getting medical attention, he reminded himself. He’d find her purse for her while she was with the paramedics, and then he’d focus on doing his job.
* * *
It was only after the paramedics sat her down and started cleaning up her arm that it really started to hurt.
That seemed backwards, Maria reflected, but she supposed the adrenaline was almost gone by now.
Maybe now she’d be able to do her job and not get dreamy-eyed over detectives who offered to charge off into a war zone to get her stupid purse back.
Levi Hale, she repeated to herself. Well, Detective Hale—and his partner, of course—would get a very generous thank-you from Senator Davis. She’d make absolutely sure of that.
Not that Laura would neglect something so important. But Maria would ensure that it was a thank-you they could appreciate. Would they want a public statement to the press?
She’d ask them, she decided. Some people were happy to be publicly labeled heroes, but not everyone would want that. She might not be able to prevent a news story, but she could at least advise Laura on what was best for her to personally say.
“Ow!” She twitched.
“Sorry, ma’am,” the paramedic apologized. “We have to make sure the wound is clean before we bandage it.”
Maria took a deep breath, trying to will the pain away. “I understand.”
She noticed that the paramedic, who’d identified himself as M
atthew, was also a big, attractive man, with competent hands that were currently sterilizing Maria’s war wound.
But somehow she wasn’t experiencing any overwhelming urges to throw herself into his pants.
She guessed the adrenaline really was wearing off.
* * *
It took a long time to secure the grounds—they were enormous, and only partially lit. They were also covered in trees and statues and fountains, things that any remaining suspects could easily hide behind. It was slow, careful work.
Eventually, they finished...and Levi found Maria’s purse, lying on the stairs with half its contents spilling out.
Surrounded by bullet holes.
It was incredibly lucky, he thought grimly, that she had escaped with only a minor injury. The concrete steps were pockmarked all around the area where Maria had dropped her purse, and the steps were one of the few places that were solidly lit up and easy to see. Maria could easily have been killed.
There were spatters of blood where she’d been hit, and his bear was growling inside him, able to smell it, coppery in the night air. Innocents had been hurt, it insisted, and it was their job to make sure that couldn’t happen again.
Levi was in complete agreement.
If only they’d arrived a few minutes earlier, they might have caught the guy. But he’d vanished as Levi was running toward Maria, with no way to pursue him in the darkened maze of the grounds. He had to be grateful to Maria for managing to identify him even in the terrible lighting, even when she must have been scared out of her mind.
He wondered if she had somewhere to go, someone to come pick her up and take her home. She hadn’t asked to call anyone at the scene, had been focused on the senator and on identifying the shooter.
She was clearly the sort of person who concentrated on taking care of business, not on being taken care of. He hoped that tonight she’d be able to go home and relax. Maybe she had someone who would wrap her up in his arms—
His bear growled.
What? he thought. She should have someone to go home to after a night like tonight.
Come home to us, his bear suggested.
His bear side didn’t always like human customs, Levi had learned as he was growing up. Customs like dating, and courtesy, and professionalism.