Aurora and Cory had been stunned—her, even more so when he proudly claimed Daddy rights and a quickie wedding followed. Seems Cory had stopped by Debbie’s place to check her condition a few days after Debbie's nightmare with Rhondo and one thing had led to another…
“Hey! You still with me here?” Cory’s tone showed his annoyance that her mind had wandered. “Look, Kai Lawson and I have known each other for years. And Rhondo has a lot to answer for when it comes to the Lawson family.” Autocratically he lifted his hand as she opened her mouth to ask the obvious.
“Let me finish. Kai is a professional otherwise I’d never have agreed to him getting anywhere near this case. Plus you’re one of the best I’ve got, and I trust you to keep him in line.”
His suck-holing earned him a black look, one she’d perfected. Her subsequent silent treatment had him fidgeting with the steering wheel. After a good throat clearing, he continued. “With Debbie standing down, you were partner free, and Kai needed the best.”
“You said that before. Don’t you sweet-talk me you sneak. Unlike your new wife, I know when I’m being conned.”
Totally unprepared, she felt chills race across her back. Gave her the willies. “Can’t you move this pile of junk any faster? If I gotta put up with your buddy, maybe we should try and keep him alive?”
Uncomfortable, on the edge of her seat, she consciously forced her hands to stop fisting and noticed that the flared pain in her shoulder decreased. Hurry for God’s sake. The mantra caught hold and wouldn’t let up.
In minutes they’d screeched up to an older apartment building that had seen better days. Big blotches of stucco were missing and the wooden areas lacked color—the white now a dull gray. Before the car had completely stopped, she leapt out and raced to the entrance, gun drawn.
Faulty outside lights impeded her progress, and because Aurora had no idea which apartment they needed to access, she’d hoped to figure it out by the list of names printed on the pad outside the front door.
A flashlight, offered to her by one of the arriving uniforms, helped her see that three places had no registration. Making note of those addresses, she pushed the other buttons.
It never failed to amaze her that folks would open up without asking questions. Crazy people, don’t they know the world today?
At a dead run, she hit the stairs. Since all three unnamed places were on the second floor, she took the chance that would be where they’d find Rhondo, and no doubt, her new, stubborn jack-ass of a partner.
Expecting Cory to organize the others who'd answered the call for backup, she slowed down somewhat until she heard him follow her with a few of the others.
Hoping to hear clues of a ruckus, she passed each door and listened carefully. A loud banging noise ensued at the fifth apartment, and without hesitation, she stepped back and kicked the door in, a trick taught her by no other than the man who was now covering her back.
Screams met her from the frightened old couple that had the television turned to an ear-splitting level.
“Oh my God! Oh my God!” The woman kept repeating.
“I pissed myself.” The elderly fellow said only once.
For a second Aurora felt remorse, until the tingling in her spine started up again. “Sorry for breaking in but there’s a really bad man in this building with a good reason to kill. And my partner’s alone with him. We need to find which apartment they could be in. Do you know anyone who sometimes tries to looks like an Elvis wannabe but hasn’t a hope?
“T-two-o doors down. The poor old man with a pillow now over his lap, pointed to the left. “This side.”
“Thank you, sir. You might want to go with these gentlemen until we judge everything is safe. They’ll look after you until this is over. And I’m a—sorry for scaring the hell out of you.”
“It’s fine," he said. "First time I've felt alive for months! Good luck.” The two scurried behind the patrolman that Lieutenant Ashton indicated. The white-faced man now wrapped in the snugly his wife had used to cover her lap.
Cory stepped up. “No more of this female Rambo shit, Aurora. Let’s take this calmly. I’m lead, got it?”
Nerves screaming, she nodded and then took off. “Christ’s sake. Aurora.” She heard his words, but they made no difference. Some sense drove her on. Made her react like she’d never done before. Rules were necessary. She’d always believed that and lived by them. Tonight, nothing else mattered more then to get to that apartment and stop what she feared the most.
A gunshot rang out and her heart stopped. As plain as the nose on her face, she knew the news would be bad. Slamming the apartment door open with her shoulder, she watched her partner slither to the floor, and the bastard with a broken backpack, partly slung over his shoulder, leap from the balcony.
Chapter Three
Dammit, he hated getting shot. It hurt like the devil. Kai lifted his bloody hand from his side where the soaked blue plaid shirt hung in tatters.
If only he’d stopped Rhondo. Even wounded, he’d grabbed for the backpack on the floor near him. They’d had a tug of war, but he couldn’t hold on. If the door hadn’t flown open when it did, he’d have been shot again for his foolishness.
Slouched against the wall, his knee bent to help balance him, he checked to see who’d come to his rescue. Shocked, he saw his new partner turn away from him but not soon enough. White-faced, her expressive eyes fought an inner battle. As he watched, stunned, she toppled over in a heap by the door.
She’d fainted from seeing him bleed. A smile started deep in his gut, and by the time his old friend and Lieutenant dropped beside him, he knew it was plastered over his face.
“Hey fool, what the hell do you have to grin about? You’ve taken a bullet.” Cory pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and stanched the flow of blood.
“Yeah, and there’s a lot of blood.”
“Ahh…yeah!” Sarcasm done to perfection.
“And my partner’s out cold.”
The two men looked at each other. The silence was telling.
“I am not.” Aurora struggled to her knees and crawled to where Cory crouched by the injured man. “I’m fine. Just hurt myself when I shoved in the door.”
She struggled with tight pants to pull out her cell phone and giving a final disagreeable yank, she got it free. In a shaky voice she gave the apartment number to their guys below for when the ambulance arrived.
Kai searched her expression and saw determination that rivalled his own. The lady had guts; he’d give her that. And she’d kicked in the door to save his life, so he owed her. Too bad she happened to be the biggest pain in the ass he’d come across in a long time. When Cory had ordered him to partner with her, he'd almost walked.
Totally engrossed in his quest to get Rhondo, he’d shut out everyone in his life who’d mattered. His family had taken back seat along with his old partner, and the guys he’d worked with in L.A. Even his latest girlfriend had been dumped. Only the man, who’d raped and killed his sister, held a sacred place in his thoughts. And he filled in all the empty spaces. Every minute, of every hour, of every day since March, his focus lay in one place.
…to find Rhondo.
…then kill him.
When he’d gotten word that the prick was intending on showing up in Vegas again, Kai got in touch with Cory and called in his marker. They’d been rookies together back in the good ole days in Los Angeles, and he’d saved Cory’s bacon more times then the other way around. But like Cory had reminded him—who’s counting?
Truly, knowing his old friend, he supposed it was the pleading tone in his voice that had speeded up his transfer. It really hadn’t mattered to him why the switch had happened. He was here and so was Rhondo.
Having access to all the police files would keep him focused. Job or no job, he knew he’d have come anyway, but being in the loop would make a hell of a difference. His smugness lasted only until he’d had the meeting in Cory’s office after his arrival. There he’d been told about h
is new situation. A partner! A freaking female partner!
Working with someone else hadn’t been in his plans at all. Except that’s where his old buddy had gotten payback. Kai had argued and met with the steely resistance he remembered.
“Hey, Kai, look at me.” Cory’s insistence finally got his attention. “Open up those heart-breakers. You’re not going to pass out on me now that the ambulance is on its way.” The dig about his eyes made him grin. It had been a joke from way back.
“Can’t help it if the girls like my eyes. I only use them to see outta.”
“Don’t bullshit me, man. You use them like 'come-on' weapons and every female—who gets one of your special make-em-weak-in-the-knees smiles—grovels. It’s sickening.”
“Good thing I’m immune then,” Aurora joined in the good-natured joshing going on between her boss and her new partner. “Hey Hotshot, you want to stay awake so I can interrogate you? Are you up to answering some questions?”
Yeah! I’m peachy. If you want to know where he’s headed, I have no idea. I arrived just as he'd opened the door to leave and he got the drop on me.” Kai grimaced. Pain mixed with humiliation tended to make him a might touchy.
An image of the kid who'd stepped out from across the hall when the altercation had taken place came to him. If that nosey punk hadn't needed protection, Kai wouldn’t have lost the chance to use his own weapon while pushing the youngster back into his apartment.
“Did he say anything?” Aurora prodded.
“Who?” For a minute he wondered how they’d found out about the kid. Kai saw Cory and Aurora glance at each other and he realized they were waiting for him to get it together. Tell them what he knew about Rhondo. Deciding it would be foolish not to share, he swore, grabbed his side so he could angle himself against the wall higher, and pointed his finger toward a rickety old desk.
“When I grabbed his backpack a section tore open. I saw things fall from the pocket. Looked like papers and maybe a business card.”
Lifting his arm even the short distance made flames shoot from the left side of his body to the top of his head, and then make a round trip. His gut seized and twisted so hard he thought his brains might detonate any moment. Goddamn it hurt! A swirling dark void teased, and like a woman hot to get laid, it tempted.
Aurora’s voice registered and so did the fear she didn’t hide. “Cory, where is the damned ambulance?”
“I’m on it!”
The roar he let loose had the other two men, who were cordoning off the apartment, jump to find out. A siren closing in made them stop and relax for an instant and they answered.
“It’s here boss.”
“Go! Bring them to this apartment, pronto.”
“Yes sir!” The two rookies jumped and pivoted in the same direction, slamming into each other until one finally backed up and let other precede him. Both ran out with red faces.
For a second, Kai saw him and Cory as new recruits. Then he remembered. “The backpack…” He needed to make them understand.
Aurora leaned in. “What Kai? What about the backpack?”
"Br…broke strap. Opened. More stuff…” He licked his lips and the black abyss lost patience and swallowed him.
***
Aurora felt the sickness grab hold once again. She couldn’t believe her response to seeing Kai covered in blood. It had been touch and go for a minute as to whether she could stop herself from passing out. Only by biting her tongue hard enough to make it swell did she remain conscious.
Right now there was no time to speculate why she’d reacted that way to a man she hardly knew. But sooner or later, she’d have to work it out. Did it mean that from now on anyone’s blood would affect her?
God, I hope not.Let it go and think of what he’d whispered.
Before she could clear her mind and concentrate, the medics pushed her away from the unconscious man whose hand she was gripping. What the hell?
Cory came over and helped her to her feet, steadied her when she swayed, and the surprise on his face matched the feelings she fought with inside.
Thankfully, he didn't comment. Probably knew better once he saw her expression.
"I'm fine, boss. It's Kai who needs the attention."
"He'll get it! It's your face that matches the colour of your blouse. Maybe you should sit for a minute."
Ignoring him, Aurora pushed his hands away and stumbled to the desk where Kai had motioned to earlier. Gripping the side, she rifled through the garbage can, which was full of a torn up, stinky old pizza box and beer cans. Some newspaper strips stuck out here and there, which she carefully retrieved after pulling on her plastic gloves. Then she glanced behind and sure enough, a small card lay face down.
While retrieving it, the top of her head wanted to relocate and she noticed her hand shook like an old person's. A nearby rickety chair beckoned, and she plopped down. Her rubbery legs thanked her.
The stretcher carrying Kai passed close by and she noted the oxygen apparatus they'd attached. An ache grabbed hold of her stomach and for a few seconds rapid swallowing eased the discomfort. Once they'd cleared the room, relief surfaced.
She turned over the business card and noted the address. A clinic downtown advertised its central location. Unfortunately, there wasn't any specific doctor's name and she happened to know there were a lot who worked at the centre—doctors and dentists and other medical specialists.
As a lead, this wasn't much. But they'd follow whatever they had. She pushed her hair away from her face and wished she'd taken the paramedics advice about carrying additional pills for the pain. Her arm throbbed almost as much as her head. But all the pills in the world wouldn't dim the worry now buried inside.
It was time to make their way to the hospital and check up on her new partner. The man who'd set off warning bells from the minute she'd laid eyes on his size twelve cowboy boots propped up and taking ownership of her partner's desk.
Chapter Four
Spring Valley, the sprawling new center whose ambulance had answered the call from dispatch, had brought Kai to their facility. The building was big and fashioned like a casino with a neon name you could see for miles. Fancy pond designs spiffed up the front of the edifice.
Cory continued to argue as he helped Aurora from his vehicle and led her to the emergency area. “Why the hell do you have to act like super cop tonight. You’ve been shot and need to rest. Not be playing like a Joan Nightingale.”
“It’s Florence.”
“Who the hell is Florence and wipe that stupid grin off your face. I’m serious here and I’m pissed at you.”
“Never mind. Just remember one thing. If it was you in the hospital, I’d be twice as stubborn.” Her words were her way of telling him he mattered even more and she saw him relax when it registered.
“Fine. I’ll take you to him. You can see for yourself he’s in good hands. But then I’m taking you home for Debbie to look after. It’ll give her something to do cause she’s been going stir-crazy not working and driving me around the bend.”
His gruff attitude didn’t faze Aurora. She knew he loved his wife insanely and would do anything to please her. And if bringing home a stray wounded pal would be important to the woman, he’d drag Aurora with him kicking and screaming. And sadly, she didn’t have the energy to give him a real battle. She’d used it all up in forcing him to bring her to the hospital.
Considering Kai had only appeared on her horizon two days ago, why he mattered so much she didn’t know. All she knew was that something inside wouldn’t stop nagging until she saw for herself that her new partner would make it.
One quick peek at his wound earlier had shown torn pieces of skin intermingled with the pieces of his shirt all covered in blood and gore. It was turn away or drop. So she’d defused the situation by diverting her gaze to the desk where he’d pointed. But that short glance had warned that his injury indicated surgery, and to her that could mean death.
People could die on the operating table.
After all, her mother had, hadn't she? Once she’d decided that a Jack Daniels bottle could be used to cover two needs—fill an empty stomach, and a handy tool to cut her wrists.
Shaking off the horrible memory, Aurora kept her gaze down on the institutional white flooring found in so many hospitals. Cory ushered her to the nurse at the main desk. Asked where they’d taken his officer and in no time they were in a curtained-off corner decorated with all the paraphernalia needed to keep a victim alive.
Kai sat on the side of the rumpled hospital bed, his stomach wrapped in bandages. The white gleamed even brighter when it contrasted against the healthy tan on his muscular chest and back. A hospital gown discarded and draped over the chair told its own story. So did the blood-soaked jeans clutched in his hands.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Cory spoke before Aurora could get the words out.
Kai jerked, glanced at them and then he turned away. His shaking hands lowered the garment to cover his thighs. “They got the bullet out and sewed me up. I’m outta—”
Cory’s apoplectic expression should have warned the other man, but he hadn’t taken long enough to read his boss’s scowl. Aurora, on the other hand, saw the explosion coming and grinned in anticipation.
“If you don’t get back in that bed right this minute you’re fired. And, I’ll have your skinny ass on a plane back to LA in the morning. Why the hell I have to be surrounded by the most stubborn people God ever hatched I’ll never know. Dam-blasted idiots the pair of you!”
Kai’s raised hand didn’t even slow Cory down. He’d been detonated and the blast had to happen. Aurora watched as Kai swung back under the covers and leaned against the pillows. The tension in his body oozing out as he lay back and let Cory rant. She liked that he gave in once he recognized that their boss meant every word. His being stubborn hadn’t meant being stupid.
Roll the Dice (Vegas Series) Page 2