Sweat broke out on Rory’s palms as she realized the room had gone quiet. Allie had dropped the phone and was rocking softly on the bed.
“I’m sure your mom’s okay.” She turned to her roommate. “She’s one of the command officers. They don’t normally leave the station.”
“I know.” Allie swallowed thickly as she pulled her careworn stuffed bunny rabbit to her chest. “That’s what I was telling Anna. But I know almost everyone at the station.”
Rory nodded as she held her hand over her mouth. The lieutenant might not have been there, but she needed to see Christian. Her eyes roamed over the movement behind the reporter onscreen. Grim-faced officers moved determinedly under the portable spotlights the department brought in to investigate the attempt at reenacting the shootout at the OK Corral. Spectators pushed and shoved to get into view of the cameras as the Peytonville P.D. sawhorses kept them back.
A familiar profile came into view and was immediately blocked by the reporter stepping into the corner of the frame. Red flashing lights from an ambulance parked in the distance partially illuminated a group of officers surrounding a still form on the ground. “And it does appear we have a cluster of activity … ”
Rory switched the channel. She needed a different perspective of the scene unfolding.
“What are you doing?” Allie’s attention switched from the screen of her phone to annoyance at her roommate.
Rory pointed at the screen. “This channel has a better view of what’s going on. Look for your mom.” Trying to keep her breathing even, Rory attempted to appear only mildly interested in the news story. She was following it because her roommate’s mom might be involved — no reason to seem panicked. Still, the contents of her stomach churned uneasily. She needed a channel with a camera trained farther back toward the mobile homes. She picked up the remote and changed the channel again.
“Our officers were doing their jobs.” Captain Davies was centered on the screen.
“Mom!” Allie sighed and dropped back on her pillow, hugging her stuffed rabbit with relief. “She’s okay.”
“I told you she’d be alright.” Rory turned back to the screen. An officer with light brown hair was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. Covered in blood, Zach stood directly behind the paramedics. Rory didn’t have to look twice to know who was on the stretcher. She needed to get to the hospital. Now. “Come on, Allie, I’ll drive you to the hospital.” Stepping into her shoes, she reached for her purse and keys.
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
“No, it’ll give me a reason to procrastinate on my homework.” She flashed what she hoped looked like an amused grin. “Let’s go.”
• • •
“Thank you for driving her out tonight.” Captain Davies patted Rory on the shoulder before turning to face Allie.
“You’re welcome. I didn’t think it was safe for her to really drive herself.” Rory tried not to look like she was studying the room. A line of officers standing shoulder to shoulder was blocking entrance to the largest waiting room. Only Allie’s presence alongside her had gotten her this far into the hospital. She stood on her toes and craned her neck for any sign of Christian or Zach among the officers knotted together in the darkened room.
Lines of worry were etched across the senior officer’s forehead now that she was no longer standing in front of the news cameras trying to display a professional appearance. Her hands shook as she wrapped her arms around her oldest daughter. “I know, sugar.” She brushed Allie’s blonde hair back from her forehead and gave her a light kiss. “The little boy was wrong. Everyone’s going to be fine.”
“But they said.” Alligator tears puddled in the corner of Allie’s blue eyes.
“They were wrong.” Captain Davies nodded.
“What happened?” Allie’s voice was little more than a whisper as she looked at her mother. Strong arms took hold of Rory’s shoulders before she was able to hear the lieutenant’s reply.
“Time for you to be getting on your way.” An officer Rory didn’t recognize began to guide her to the door.
“But I need to wait to see if my friend needs a ride back to campus.”
“Don’t you worry about that. We’ll take care of Allie.” The man’s dark skin was expressionless as he placed pressure in the small of her back. Like many other small departments she’d worked with in the past, these men and women were protective of their own — both the officers and their families. Rory was an outsider — except, she really wasn’t. She needed to know if Christian was alright. She’d sent him half a dozen texts so far during the evening, and none of them had been returned. Finally, in desperation, she’d sent a message to Zach, but her phone was still maddeningly silent. “You get on back to your dorm before you get locked out.”
Rory stepped through the automatic glass doors leading into the parking lot from the emergency room waiting area. She didn’t care about getting locked out of her dorm. She just needed to know if her brother was okay. And there was one definite way to find out the answer to that question. If Zach wouldn’t answer her texts, then there was one place he wouldn’t be able to avoid her.
• • •
Zach eased out of the car and slammed the door behind him. Massaging his thigh, he leaned against the side of the car and just took a moment to appreciate the cool breeze stirring his hair and the surrounding stillness. This was why he’d chosen this cabin in the first place. When his father died, he’d been left with more than enough money to buy any of the popular showcase homes just off the town square. Looking up at the cloudless sky above him, he caught sight of a shooting star barely visible between the pine treetops reaching into the blackness above.
He needed the solitude. When the realtor drove him down the bumpy dirt road, once he’d set eyes on the log cabin’s porch, he was ready to make an offer. With the shoreline of the private lake behind the house, it reminded him of the setting of a favorite television show he’d watched as a child. He’d dreamed of living somewhere like the main character’s cabin.
He’d only been inside the house for ten minutes before he told the realtor he was sold. Thirty days later, he and Otis moved in, and he’d never regretted it.
Arrooo! Otis’ braying bark echoed through the trees, giving him another reminder of why he’d chosen to live out here. Unlike the other officers, his house was so remote, he didn’t have to wonder if he’d come home to find a news team standing on his front porch — even after a night like this one.
“Cool it!” He limped up the gravel drive, not surprised to see his Basset hound’s nose pressed flat against the window next to the front door. “You can’t be that hungry yet.” He dug into his jacket pocket for his keys.
“I’m afraid I’m the reason he’s barking.” A voice he was very familiar with came from the darkest corner of the porch. He was used to hearing her without seeing her, but he hadn’t expected to find her here, and he definitely didn’t want to talk about the case tonight. He assumed she’d take hint when he didn’t return her texts.
He squinted in the darkness as the shape moved closer to him. “What are you doing here?” Zach looked over his shoulder but didn’t see her car.
“I parked a little ways away.” Rory explained. “I didn’t want anyone to see my car. I wasn’t sure if someone might be coming home with you. You could have answered me, you know.” She waved her cell phone in his direction.
“I was a little tied up.” And a whole lot tired. Why did she suddenly seem so worried about Christian? And then it hit him, just because Christian wasn’t interested in her didn’t mean she hadn’t developed an interest in his partner.
Rory took a step to close the distance between them, a beam of moonlight crossed her face, illuminating the worry lines across her forehead. For the first time, she didn’t look nineteen. “How is he?” She crossed her arms across he
r chest and chewed her lip.
“Lewis was still in surgery when I left.” Zach decided to test his theory and see how quickly she’d take the bait. If she were simply worried about the officers who were injured, she should be curious to know how the head of the patrol division was doing since he’d been shot in the chest. After pacing the waiting room for two hours, the captain said that he couldn’t take it any longer and sent him home before he really had news about the twenty-year veteran. As he forced his hands into his jacket pocket, he cringed as his hand brushed against a stiff section of his shirt.
Rory shook her head. “I wasn’t asking about Lewis.”
Zach nodded slowly, his suspicions confirmed. Letting out a slow breath, he turned the key in the lock and swung the door open. “Get back.” He pushed the overexcited dog back out of the doorway. “Christian? He’s going to be fine. A couple cracked ribs, but the bullet missed everything important.”
“That’s good.” Rory gripped hold of the doorknob on the coat closet as she swayed in place. From her appearance, she’d been operating on adrenaline for the better part of the evening, and it was gone now. “You’re sure?”
“He was singing Lady Gaga’s greatest hits when I left.”
Rory chuckled as she rubbed her bloodshot eyes. “That sounds like him.” She swayed again on the spot.
“Sit down before you fall down.” He pointed to a leather chair. “How long have you been out there anyway?” He took note of her pallor and her white-tipped fingers.
“A while.” She sat on the overstuffed chair and was quickly joined by the resident lap warmer.
“Sorry. He thinks he’s a lap dog.” Zach stepped closer to Rory and tugged at Otis’ black leather collar.
“No.” She placed her hands atop his. Her green eyes locked with his. “He’s fine.” She ran her fingers through the dog’s coarse fur. Something was still off with her behavior. He understood that she was worried about Christian because he was one of her partners, but the intensity of her concern for their partner made alarm bells go off in his head. “Listen, Rory, Christian has a girlfriend. He’s really happy with her. I know you’re worried about him but … ” Rory’s head snapped up in surprise. God, this was harder than he thought. She did have a thing for his partner. And then she started to giggle.
“Um.” Rory covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head. “No. Trust me, I don’t feel that way about him.” A look of distaste flashed over her face before her face whitened with shock and the momentarily light mood was broken as she looked up at Zach. “Is that all from Christian?”
He glanced down at his shirt. When he’d leaned over, his jacket had opened, showing a deep crimson stain covering at least half of it. “No.” He eased up the side of his shirt, revealing a square gauze pad. “That’s all me.”
• • •
Rory felt her eyes widen, but not just in surprise at Zach’s injury. She hadn’t expected to see the firm muscles of his abdomen – closer to an 8 pack than a 6 pack – and she’d definitely not anticipated the way the trail of dark hair beginning on his lower abdomen and trailing beneath the buckle of his jeans would affect her, and she most definitely didn’t expect those kinds of feelings tonight.
“Have you eaten dinner?” His voice as smooth as dripping chocolate, he backed away, untucking his shirt as he walked.
Rory nodded and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m fine.” She couldn’t stop looking at the bloodstained shirt. “What happened?” As members of the narcotics unit, Christian and Zach shouldn’t have been involved in serving a warrant. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a cough.
A flicker of concern crossed Zach’s face before he answered her question. He crossed the room and opened the door leading to the hall closet. Pulling out a dark brown fleece throw, he began to speak. “I’m still not exactly sure. One minute, Chris and I were eating dinner at Casa Linda, and the next the radio was blasting that shots had been fired at the mobile home park. We were the closest officers to the scene. I tossed a twenty on the table, and we ran out the door.” He circled the couch and brought the blanket to her side. Instead of simply handing it to her, he shook it out and gently laid it across her legs and a very comfortable Otis. His eyes locked with hers for an instant, and Rory was suddenly very warm. He blinked in surprise and shot backwards as if she were something dangerous.
“When we got there, two guys were pinned down. Christian jumped out of the car and ran toward Lewis. He didn’t make it five feet before he dropped.” Zach rubbed his side and winced.
“And what happened to you?” Rory looked at him with concern. Zach was trying to pretend it wasn’t serious, but if that blood belonged to him, more than just a scratch was hidden beneath the gauze.
“My partner was in trouble.” Zach answered as if it was the only logical choice. Of course a police officer would put himself in danger for his partner’s sake. Rory knew for a fact that wasn’t the case.
Tension filled the room as Rory looked at Zach with newfound respect. The only sound was Otis’ soft snores from beneath the blanket as Rory waged a battle within herself. This couldn’t be happening. She wasn’t allowed to feel this way about anyone.
But the look in Zach’s eyes told her she wasn’t alone in her conflict. “I’m going to go take a shower.” He gestured over his shoulder toward a closed door at the end of the hall. “We can talk more later.” Turning away from her, he tugged his shirt over his head before he disappeared into the doorway.
One glimpse at the bare skin of his back, and Rory knew that if she were there when he came back, they wouldn’t be talking. She wasn’t prepared for the intensity of feelings being alone with Zach stirred up inside her. This had never happened before. And she couldn’t let it happen now.
Giving Otis a final scratch behind his ear, she took advantage of the noise of the shower and slipped out the front door, leaving her conflict about Zach behind her.
• • •
“Open.” The spoon hovered above Christian’s lips. Anita had pulled some strings to get him assigned to this private room at the end of the hall, and Rory would be eternally grateful. Being undercover came at a price, and she normally paid it gladly, but when she’d been unable to check to see if her only remaining family member was going to be alright, she’d almost turned in her badge right there.
Almost.
Sensing Rory’s distress through the phone call, Anita had promised to do what she could … and, once again, her superior officer had proven she could manage quite a lot.
Christian gritted his teeth together. “I hate Jell-O.” He glared at the vibrant green cubes as if they were planning to attack him.
“Want me to get you some chicken broth instead?”
“What I want is a beer.”
Rory rolled her eyes. At least Christian seemed to be feeling better this morning. When she’d snuck into his room a little past midnight, he was alternating between singing Taylor Swift’s newest song and gritting his teeth as his painkiller wore out. He pressed the button for his next dose of pain medicine every six minutes on the dot — and frequently began trying for his next dose at four-minute intervals. It had been a long night. “Then next time wear your bullet proof vest.”
“I didn’t really plan for there to be gunfire. I was just eating dinner.”
“Obviously.” Using his current distracted state to her advantage, she thrust the spoon between his lips and grinned mischievously.
He sputtered and glared at her. “What was that for?”
“Dr. Hamilton says that if you want to go home any time soon, you need to eat.”
“That stuff doesn’t count as food.” He wrinkled his nose and sucked from the straw.
“It’s better than an IV.” She put the container down and reached for applesauce instead. “Come on, work with me. I need
my partner back.” Rory stirred the spoon in the clear container. She didn’t just need her partner — she needed a chaperone. Being alone with Zach was … dangerous.
Christian’s eyes roamed Rory’s face. “I’m going to be out for at least six weeks.”
“Then let’s hope you’re good at making turkey because you’ll be having company for Thanksgiving. God, I’ve never been on a case this long.” Rory smoothed the blanket over his legs. “Anita’s going to love hearing that.”
“You can work on the case without me.”
“I need someone for backup.”
“You already do.”
“I know, but he’s just been put on injured reserve for a while.” She turned in the direction of the television. As one football player tackled the quarterback of the opposing team, she picked up the tray and moved it to the counter next to the sink. Getting Christian to eat was proving to be a lost cause. “That’s the right football reference, right?” Growing up overseas had a few disadvantages. Being totally clueless when it came to most American sports was one of them.
“That’s right.” Christian pushed himself higher in the bed and winced. “You know that’s not what I meant. You need a partner now. You can’t wait for me.”
“I have to wait for you. That’s part of the reason I’m here — because this is your station.” She glared at the know-it-all look he was giving her. “You know why I can’t go into the details of the case.”
“Because you don’t know who you can trust. Right. Right. We’ve had this conversation before, but I’m telling you that you can trust Zach.”
“I can’t trust anyone.”
“Zach got shot pulling me out of the line of fire.” His words stopped her protests cold. “I was down, but he’d gotten behind that junker of a car. When the suspect started walking in my direction, Zach yelled and drew his fire away from me.” Christian’s green eyes fixed on hers. “You can trust him.”
Chapter Eight
For the third time, Rory drove along the twisting country road leading to Zach’s cabin. She was nervous. Petrified, if she had to be honest. She’d never willingly blown her cover. Now, here she was. As she parked the car on his gravel driveway, she was almost disappointed to see his car. Being honest with herself, she’d half-hoped that she’d drive out only to discover that he’d already gone in to work. Of course, after getting shot the night before, he probably had a few days off coming to him.
Fade to Black Page 10