by Terri Reed
Pushing away from the door, she hurried to her bedroom window overlooking the parking lot where they’d left his vehicle. Drawing the blinds up, she peered out in time to see Adam and Ace appear from beneath the entrance awning. He and the dog walked in tandem, their strides long and confident. Even from five stories up, she could feel Adam’s commanding presence deep inside her chest. The back hatch lifted for Ace to jump in, then Adam rounded the vehicle to climb behind the wheel. But he didn’t leave.
What was he doing?
Five minutes, then ten minutes ticked by. Was he planning on sitting there all night?
A DC police cruiser pulled into the lot and parked beside Adam’s car. The two men climbed out, shook hands and then Adam gestured toward the building. He turned to stare, his chin lifting as his gaze zeroed on her floor. She jumped back from the window, then chided herself. No way he could see her. She peeked out again in time to see the Capitol K-9 Unit vehicle pull away. The cruiser stayed, the officer seated inside.
Warmth spread through her. Adam was keeping her safe even though he wasn’t here. He was doing his job, she reminded herself. But it still felt good to know he had her back. She couldn’t help the twinge of anticipation at seeing him in the morning.
*
Adam arrived at 7:00 a.m. as promised. Lana checked herself in the mirror by the door. She flipped up the collar of the red blouse, smoothed a hand over the black pencil skirt and wiggled her toes inside her black-and-gold pumps.
Analyzing why she’d worn an outfit usually reserved for special occasions wasn’t something she wanted to do. She’d taken extra care in curling her hair but nothing could improve the appearance or hide the square white bandage attached to her temple.
Making a face at her reflection, she yanked open the door. “Good morning, Officer Donovan.”
“Good morning,” Adam said. “I brought breakfast.” He held up a white bakery bag. “I wasn’t sure if you were a low-fat kind of gal or not so I have a good mix of everything.”
Her heart thumped. “That’s so sweet. You didn’t have to buy me food.”
His grin knocked the breath from her lungs. Even more handsome today than yesterday.
“Best way to start the day,” he said.
“We have time for a cup of coffee with the treats,” she said, stepping back so he and Ace could slip inside the apartment. The dog paused to lick her hand.
“Sorry about that,” Adam said. “He does that to those he likes.”
Pleased to know the dog liked her, she said, “I don’t mind.” She led the way to the kitchen where she put on a pot of coffee. The skin around her bandage itched. She gingerly touched the area. “Thank you for arranging for the police presence last night. That was very thoughtful and thorough of you.”
Leaning against the counter, he said, “You’re welcome. Quiet night?”
“Yes, thankfully. But I can’t help worrying about the arrow.” She grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and a bowl for water. She filled and set the bowl on the floor for Ace.
“About that,” he said taking the cup she offered. “Any ideas who’d go to such lengths to acquire it?”
“We received a number of queries about buying the artifact from the moment we acquired the piece five months ago.” She poured coffee into their mugs, then set two plates at the dining table.
He unwrapped the baked goods. “Anyone strike you as the type to steal it?”
She snagged a carrot pecan muffin. “There were some big names looking to buy the piece from the museum, but I can’t imagine someone like Congressman Jeffries would resort to theft.”
Adam froze with a scone halfway to his mouth. “Jeffries was interested?”
“Along with a bunch of other art patrons in town.”
“Do you have a list?”
She shook her head. “I could put one together, if that would be helpful.”
“It would.”
As they sat in companionable silence enjoying their food, she watched his hands. His long fingers and wide palms were graceful and masculine at the same time, like a pianist’s hands. Did he play? Or were sports more his thing? He exuded vitality and confidence, like an athlete. Traits needed in his line of work.
She remembered what Detective Delvecchio had called Officer Donovan. Curiosity prompted her to ask, “What did you do before becoming a K-9 officer? The detective called you a special agent.”
Adam set his mug down. “FBI.”
She blinked. “How does one go from being a fed to a K-9 handler?”
One side of his mouth tipped up. “Training.”
She leveled him a look. “Why did you leave the FBI?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Why were you and your sister estranged?”
Her heart twisted. Okay, so his FBI days were off-limits. She couldn’t help but wonder what made him switch careers. But she’d let him have his secrets since his past wasn’t any of her business. She didn’t want to delve into his background; there wasn’t any need for getting to know him on a personal level. “Are you from DC?” she asked anyway.
He slanted her a quick glance as if searching for the reason she’d changed the direction of the conversation. She held his gaze. She respected his wish not to delve into his past and hoped he’d do the same.
He shook his head. “Colorado.”
“I’ve always wanted to see the Rocky Mountains. Is your family there?”
“Mom and Dad are. My brother’s here. He works at the Naval Research Lab.”
“A navy man. Are you and your brother close?”
He leveled her with a direct look. “We are. Joe’s the best big brother a guy could ask for. He and his family are great. I spend every Sunday night with them.”
The bite of muffin in her mouth went dry, forcing her to take a sip of coffee. She hadn’t been a very good sister to Rosa.
Guilt scratched at her. Maybe if Lana had reached out to Rosa, she would still be alive. Maybe Rosa would have confided in Lana, asked for help with whatever she’d been involved in that resulted in her death. Maybe little Juan wouldn’t be an orphan with only Lana to count on.
She bit her lip. Was she up to the task of caring for a child? Would she be a good mother? Would she be able to keep him safe? The doubts churned in her gut like acid.
Feeling restless and confined in her small apartment, she rose and took her half-empty mug to the sink and poured out the coffee. “We should go.”
Twenty minutes later they arrived at the museum’s employee entrance. She swiped her card and the door popped open. With Adam and Ace in tow, she led the way inside. The litter from the theft had been cleaned up, the Golden Arrow display pedestal left empty, the shattered glass cover removed completely. Helpless anger battered at her. If only she’d stopped the thief.
As she headed down the hall to her office, Mr. Floyd stepped out of his office. His gaze darted past her to Adam, then back. “Miss Gomez, a word, please.”
Flooded with trepidation, she glanced at Adam, gave him a tight smile and then followed her boss into his office. Mr. Floyd gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite his desk. She felt like a teen being called to the principal’s office. She sat, smoothing her skirt in nervous anticipation. Did he plan to fire her? She sent a silent plea that wasn’t the case.
“I hope you’re feeling better,” Mr. Floyd said.
She curled her fingers to keep from touching the bandage at her temple. She’d taken some pain medication earlier that was thankfully still in effect. She’d be glad when she could remove the bandage, but it would remain in place until the two stitches beneath were removed. “I’m ready to go back to work, sir.”
Mr. Floyd steepled his fingers. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. Until this debacle is resolved and the arrow recovered, I have to protect the museum. You, Miss Gomez, are a liability. Our donors wouldn’t appreciate having a suspected thief employed by the museum. We can’t afford to lose funds, especially now that the arrow is missing. I’d like you to hand
over your key card.”
Her heart sank. She hurt to know he thought she’d do something so reprehensible. “You’re firing me.”
His lips thinned. “Let’s call it administrative leave at this point.”
“For how long?” she managed to say through the constriction of her tight throat muscles.
“Indefinitely.”
Not quite fired but close enough. Anyone who saw those words on a resume would know that was code for let go. Guess today God wasn’t going to give her the answer she wanted to her prayer.
“I understand the police consider you a suspect,” Mr. Floyd intoned with a superior quality that grated along her nerves. “I can’t have you working here, putting the rest of the staff in jeopardy or bringing more unwanted publicity.”
Protest rose to her lips but before she could tell him how unfair he was being, Adam’s deep voice shot past her.
“Miss Gomez hasn’t been charged with a crime. She, like you and every other employee, is considered a person of interest in the theft of the artifact.”
Lana twisted in her seat to stare at Adam. He stood inside the doorway, filling the frame like a dark knight claiming his territory. Was he bluffing? Did he really suspect Mr. Floyd? She couldn’t tell by the piercing gleam in his eyes or the hard set of his jaw.
“Me?” Mr. Floyd jumped to his feet. “You can’t possibly think I had anything to do with the breakin. I was out of town at the time.”
“We explore all possibilities.” The hard edge to Adam’s voice made Lana flinch. “Firing Miss Gomez prematurely could result in a wrongful termination suit.”
Lana blinked. She would never consider suing the museum even if she had grounds and she was pretty sure being a suspect in a crime wasn’t grounds.
Slowly, she turned back to Mr. Floyd to see his reaction. His face flushed bright red. It was surprising steam wasn’t rising from his ears. She appreciated that Adam had stepped in on her behalf. He’d obviously made her boss feel the same outrage at being falsely accused of something.
However, the last thing she needed was to have the situation made worse by alienating and humiliating Mr. Floyd or threatening the museum with a lawsuit. She needed this job. Not only because she loved what she did, but also without an income her chances of becoming Juan’s guardian slipped further away.
She jumped to her feet. “I understand you’re upset, Mr. Floyd. I understand the loss of the arrow has put the museum in a precarious position. I had nothing to do with the theft, but in the interest of doing what is best for the museum, I’ll take my vacation days.”
Behind her, Adam snorted; clearly he didn’t like that idea.
Mr. Floyd, on the other hand, visibly calmed. He brushed a hand over his bald head and then sat back down. “That would be most appreciated.”
She slipped her key card from the pocket of her purse and laid it on the desk. “Thank you, Mr. Floyd. I’m hopeful the police will catch the perpetrator and I can return to work in time to oversee the patron celebration.”
“We will need to postpone the party for now,” he stated. “The exhibit won’t be the same without the arrow—we’ll need to find another piece to showcase.”
Disappointment dropped onto her shoulders. “I understand.” She would do whatever she could to help find both the arrow and another piece of history to add to the collection, despite being on “vacation.”
With a heavy heart, she left her boss’s office.
Adam fell into step beside her. “You should have stood your ground. He doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on.”
“It doesn’t matter. I have to do what I believe to be right.” She stopped to meet his gaze. “My job is important to me. Besides, without gainful employment, there’s no way I’ll gain custody of Juan.”
The anger in his blue-green eyes shifted to approval. Her mouth went dry as her heart sped up.
“Then you did the right thing,” he said.
Halfway to the exit, she remembered the file on the arrow. She stopped and placed a hand on Adam’s arm. “Would it be illegal if I take the file on the arrow with me?”
“It has pertinent information that might help in an ongoing investigation,” he stated firmly. “I’ll take the heat if there’s any backlash.”
A moment of surprise gave way to tingling warmth spreading through her. Grateful for his offer, she said, “The file’s in my office.”
They retraced their steps down the hall and into her office. She quickly found the thick file in the drawer of her desk. Her gaze fell on the stack of unfinished display cards on the desk and a stab of melancholy hit her.
She wished she could rewind time and go back to the moment she heard the sound of breaking glass. She should have called the police instead of running headlong into danger. A mistake that might cost her her career. And her nephew.
Ace barked. Startled, Lana watched as Ace turned to stare out the office door, his ears up. The muscles in his sleek body tensed, and his alertness sent a shiver of apprehension racing along Lana’s flesh. What had the dog so spooked?
“What is it, boy?” Adam met Lana’s gaze. “Stay here.” Dog and man raced from the room.
“Not likely,” she muttered and ran after them.
Ace’s barking echoed off the marble floors of the quiet museum. The dog led them to a storage room near the employee lounge. Brad and Mr. Floyd followed close behind.
As Lana skidded to a stop next to Adam, her gaze landed on a figure dressed all in white with reflective sunglasses hiding his eyes. In his hands, he held a black object. Confusion scrambled her thoughts. A blow-dryer?
Ace leaped at the intruder just as the man raised whatever he held and aimed at them.
Lana screamed.
FIVE
“Leave it!” As the words left his mouth, an ultrasonic wave blasted Adam in the face. His brain registered the weapon as pain detonated in his ears.
Nausea rolled through his stomach. The room rotated for a second, spinning like a carnival ride.
The intruder escaped through a side door that let out into the alleyway behind the museum.
Ace lay on his side, panting heavily.
Adam’s breath caught. He pushed through the agonizing effects of the wave blaster to assess the damage. Lana had fallen to her knees and clutched at her ears. The same for Mr. Floyd and Brad, the security guard.
Adam dropped to the floor next to Ace. The dog had taken the full brunt of the hit. The thought of losing Ace slid a razor-sharp blade of fear through him. He sent up a fervent prayer for the dog to be unharmed.
Placing a comforting hand on Ace, Adam used the other to call dispatch on the radio attached to his shoulder. Though he couldn’t hear himself, he knew the radio would pick up his words. “Capitol K-9 Unit two. Officer down at the American Museum. Several injured. Need vet and medics.”
Adam clicked off, praying dispatch had responded. A hand on his shoulder jerked his gaze to Lana. She knelt beside him. Her lips moved but the throbbing in his ears prevented any discernible sound. He shook his head and pointed to his ear.
Understanding dawned on her face. She nodded and pointed to her own ear and mouth. “Me, too.”
An eternity ticked by before help arrived. By then the fuzzy pounding in Adam’s ears had abated. The shrill sound of the sirens was welcome.
Ace recovered, as well. He sat and shook his head. No doubt the dog’s hearing was ten times fuzzier than Adam’s. But his partner was alive and responsive. Relief rushed through Adam. Lana squeezed his arm.
“Thank You, God,” she said.
Turning to her, Adam said, “I heard that. And yes, thank God.”
Paramedics crowded into the storage room. The unit’s vet arrived along with DC police. Detective Delvecchio and his team investigated the second breakin while the paramedics checked everyone’s vitals and their ears and determined them fit. Follow-up exams with their regular doctors were suggested, but the medics didn’t feel there would be any lasting effects.
Kind of like himself, Adam thought, trying to shake off the ringing inside his head.
Once the paramedics left, Mr. Floyd approached. “Why would the thief return?”
“That’s a good question.” Detective Delvecchio joined them. “Another good question was how the perp got in.”
Brad ran a hand through his silver hair. “That door was locked and the alarm set.”
“Obviously, the guy bypassed the system again,” Mr. Floyd ground out. “I’m calling the security company and having them change the system. And they better not charge us.”
“Could he have left the arrow here the first time?” Lana said, her dark eyes wide. “I mean, if Brad came to and pulled the alarm, the thief may have stashed the arrow before escaping the other night.”
Liking how her mind worked, Adam nodded. “That’s plausible.”
“Everyone spread out and search the room. If you find the arrow, don’t touch it,” Delvecchio instructed.
After several minutes of searching, they came up empty.
“He must have come back hoping to take something else,” Mr. Floyd stated as he dabbed at his sweating bald head with a handkerchief.
“And clearly Miss Gomez is not involved in the theft,” Adam said, pinning Mr. Floyd with a stare.
“Possibly not,” Mr. Floyd grudgingly conceded. “However, Miss Gomez, I hope you will honor your commitment to take your vacation days. Until this whole mess is settled, I’d rather you didn’t come in.”
Adam hated seeing the disappointment in Lana’s gaze. The need to protect her rose sharply as it had earlier when her boss accused her of being in league with the thief.
She drew herself up and inclined her head. “I will, sir. I always honor my commitments.”
*
An hour later, after giving their statements, Lana, Adam and a groggy and wobbly Ace exited the building and climbed into Adam’s vehicle. Lana’s shoulders drooped. She was wiped out, emotionally and physically.
The appearance of that man had brought all the terror of the other night rushing back. Her mind had gone numb with shock until he’d aimed that bizarre weapon at them. Then excruciating pain had filled her head. The effects of which lingered, making her ears tingle.