Shot in the Dark

by Jennifer Conner

  When she was settled at his house, he’d go into the station and start work on the few leads he had.

  He ran hand up through his short hair and pulled in a deep breath. If he’d dropped her outside and not followed her to her door, the bastard might have still been here. Waiting. He closed his eyes and felt blood pound in his forehead.

  Being a cop he saw the worst the city offered: drugs, child prostitution, and death. Luci didn’t deserve to live in his world.

  He needed to stay focused. If he didn’t, Luci could be kil… Christ… he couldn’t even think that, but the face of the kid from the convenience store rushed into his memories.

  Watching her stuff a T-shirt and jeans into her pack, he asked, “Do you still have my phone?” Reaching into her pocket she lifted it out and handed it to him. “While I’m thinking of it, use your land line and call your brother.” He stepped to the dresser and jotted information on a scrap of paper. “This is my address and home phone. Tell him…” he paused, “the truth. And that you’re going to my place for a few days. I know that he’ll want you to stay with him, but I think it’s better this way.”

  Luci took the slip of yellow paper and looked over the address. When she moved toward the phone, Dev flipped his cell open and pushed the auto dial button for Mac’s cell.

  He waited until a female voice answered. “Michelle. Hey, it’s Dev.”

  “Dev?” She sounded surprised. “God, I haven’t heard from you in… well, months. When Mac said you were going to watch the house for the weekend, I was so happy. I just want you to—”

  He cut her off. “Michelle, I don’t want you to think that I’m just calling because I need something, but I do.” He sat solidly on the corner of the bed and pressed the cool metal of the phone against his cheek. “I know you just got back from a weekend away, but a… friend of mine, Luci... someone broke into her apartment tonight. I’m over here with her. I’m taking her back to my house. But I have to go to the station and check the report, and I don’t want her to be alone. Could you come to my place for a few hours, and stay with her?”

  There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Of course I can.” He thought he could hear a catch in Michelle’s voice.

  He knew he’d abandoned his friends since the shooting. Mac and Michelle were like members of his family, and he’d pulled completely away from both of them. He’d thought it would be easier than facing them, but now he wasn’t sure he’d made the right decision. He missed them both.

  “How soon will you be back at your place?” she asked, her voice steadier.

  He glanced at the hands of the clock on the nightstand. “Let’s say an hour and a half.”

  It must have been a total shock for Michelle to get a call from him out of the blue. But on the other hand, she’d also understand how important it would be. Dev never asked for anyone’s help. Michelle knew that.

  At this moment, he’d pretty much do anything for Luci. It was about what she needed. She needed for him to make the right decisions this time.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Turning onto a quiet street of an older neighborhood, Devan pulled the Plymouth into the driveway.

  Luci stepped from the car, and gazed around the small manicured lawn. The exterior walls of the house glowed pale white before ending at the red bricks which slanted low on the roof. Shutters were stained dark red with a moon and star design on the wood slats.

  Devan met her on the sidewalk. He reached for her hand, but stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Is something the matter?”

  She shook her head, taking his offered hand. If nothing else, the detective was full of surprises. Luci wasn’t sure where she’d pictured Devan living. Maybe a small, dark apartment in a seedier part of LA, but not this adorable forties stucco bungalow.

  As if reading her thoughts, he explained, “I fell into owning this house. It belonged to a friend of the family. Don never married, nor had kids. As he got older, I’d come by once a week and help him out with the yard or do a few repairs to keep the place in shape. A few years ago, he had a stroke. He needed a higher level of care and couldn’t take care of the place. He struck a deal, that if I paid for his little apartment at a retired-living community, he’d sell me the house at a price I could afford.”

  Hooking her thumbs in her jeans, Luci walked along the front of the house. Dark purple and white irises bloomed in thick bunches beneath large branches of roses trailing up a trellis.

  Devan leaned around her, picked one of the dark red roses off its vine, and slipped it behind her ear. “There, you look like an exotic Samba dancer.”

  “Your home is beautiful,” she said.

  His deep brown eyes watched her for sincerity. “I’m a lucky man.” Slowly, he traced a thumb across her cheek and over her lips. Luci wasn’t sure if he was still speaking about his house.

  “I could never afford a house like this. It must be worth a fortune.”

  “Neither could I. I make money, but I don’t make that much money. Don pushed really hard for me to take his offer. I thought I was taking advantage of him, and he thought he was taking advantage of me.” Devan grinned. “But wait until you see the interior; your views might change. I’ve put a lot of effort into it, but the house is definitely a work in progress.”

  Guiding her up the steps, he opened the front door and flipped on the light. Dark hardwood floors wove through the house and the wood continued halfway up the walls in rich paneling. Above the wood, deep forest green paint covered the walls and oil paintings hung in mismatched frames.

  A bright blue tarp covered a pile of bricks sprawled in the corner of the room. A gaping hole stood between the rooms and a sledge hammer lay propped against the half- broken wall.

  “I’ve been here a little over a year.” Picking up the sledgehammer, Devan moved it out of the way. “Before Don moved to the retirement community, he told me he’d always wanted to open up this wall. As you can see, I’ve started to knock it down, but since the shooting I can’t swing the sledgehammer while holding my damn cane.”

  Luci peered through the crumbling bricks to see a small study on the other side of the wall. A mahogany desk holding a stained glass lamp and a computer sat next to the window. Antique paned windows overlooked a small backyard. She returned and walked through the living room decorated in Southwest tones. Brown leather couches and carved wood end tables looked as though they could be part of an old west town.

  “The furniture came with the house. I know it’s outdated,” Devan said, turning on a table lamp. “I thought about changing it—you know, going more modern—but the furniture reminds me of when I visited here as a kid. I always thought this house was the coolest place in the world. I imagined a cowboy like Wild Bill Hickok living here. My timeline, of course, was off by a hundred years, but it didn’t stop me from running around the back yard with a cowboy hat on my head and cap pistol in my hand.”

  Luci tried to imagine the dark, handsome man in front of her as a rambunctious child, hooting at the neighbor’s dogs and yelling ‘bang, bang.’ She smiled. “I don’t have many happy memories from my youth.”

  His eyebrows drew down, as he wrapped his long arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “Memories can be made anytime, not just from our childhood. I’ve made a few of my own in the last few days I’ve spent with you.”

  Devan dipped his head and pressed his lips against hers. His mouth was warm and soft, inviting her to relax. Luci felt her vital signs stumble, as they always did when Devan touched her.

  Her fingertips tingled as she trailed them over the corded muscles of his arms. A cool breeze blew through an open window making her nipples bead to tight peaks. Devan’s skin was always a few degrees warmer than hers; right now, he felt like a big warm blanket wrapped around her.

  This had been another terrible night, but as she felt
his hand cup the back of her head and pull her sweetly to him, it all disappeared.

  Stepping back a few inches she whispered, “You’re like an amnesiac drug. When you kiss me, I forget all the bad things.”

  He tugged her closer. “Good,” he said, a little breathless, “and ditto on that sentiment.”

  From their first kiss, it had always felt deep and powerful with Devan. Whether the kiss was filled with passion, or feather-light like the way he was kissing her now, it always drove Luci to want more. With every caress, she felt another piece of her heart slip away to him.

  She slowly turned in his arms, dropping her head against his chest. Hearing the steady beat of his heart against her ear, Luci pulled in a long breath. “Looks like you came to my rescue once again.”

  Shaking his head, a dark chunk of hair tumbled onto his forehead. “If you stay over, you can make breakfast and I won’t have to eat peanut butter crackers.” He stopped, adding, “But only if you want to.” She was sure he added the last part so he wouldn’t sound chauvinistic.

  Luci tried to smile. “He knows where I live. I know you weren’t telling the complete truth back at my apartment. You think it was the same guy. You don’t lie as well as you think you do.”

  Devan kissed the rise of her cheekbone. “Don’t worry about it tonight. Mac’s wife, Michelle, will be here any minute. I have to drive into the station and run through the new data on this case.”

  “You don’t need to set me up with a babysitter,” she said in an irritated tone of voice.

  He eyed her, choosing his words carefully. “Michelle’s doing it as a favor to me… not you. Clear?” Motioning for her to sit on the couch, he joined her. “It’s for my peace of mind. You don’t want me worrying about you when I should be working, do you?”

  He was a sneaky little devil. How was she supposed to answer that? The independent side of her wanted to prickle, but it was nice to have someone care about her well-being. Other than her brother Jon, Luci had never experienced that before.

  There was a quiet rap on the door. Devan moved, tugging the door open. Cooler air from outside filled the room with the smell of roses.

  A tall, slender woman stepped through. Looking at Devan, she dropped her oversized black bag next to the door, took a step toward him and pulled him into a bear hug. Devan stood with his arms at his sides, first only flexing his hands, before finally returning the embrace.

  “Devan,” was all she said, rubbing tears from her eyes. “I’ve missed you. Mac’s missed you.”

  Devan tried to smile, emotions flooded across his face. “You’re not going to get all sentimental on me, are you? You know I hate that.”

  Michelle sniffed, brushing the length of her auburn hair over one shoulder. “I do know how much you hate that.”

  Stepping back, he came toward Luci and extended his hand to pull her to her feet. “This is my friend, Luci.”

  Luci brushed at her hair with the tips of her fingers. After trying not to cry for the last hour, and then having crazy sex in a pool with Devan, Luci knew she looked a mess. Oh God… worse yet, Michelle’s pool. Heat flushed into her cheeks.

  Gripping her upper arm, Michelle said, “I know how scary it is when your place is broken into. It happened to me when I was in college. I’ve never forgotten the feeling of helplessness, but it goes away.” She sighed. “So, how do the two of you know each other?” she asked with a tip of her eyebrow.

  “Luci can answer your questions.” He glanced at the grandfather clock that stood watch in the corner of the living room. “I’m going to let the two of you get to know each other, while I head down to the station.” He stroked a thumb down Luci’s cheek and dropped the volume of his voice, “I’ll be back in a couple hours. You have my cell number. Call me, but I need this extra time to track down this bastard.”

  “Don’t go too far,” she said softly, closing her eyes. It was crazy how much in only a few days she’d grown accustomed to him being there. Holding her when she needed comforting, kissing her when she needed to feel loved.

  Loved. There was that word again that didn’t exist for either one of them. Again, she caught that look in Devan’s eyes, telling her that he was as confused by what he felt as she was.

  “I don’t want to leave, but I have to. That’s part of being a cop.” He kissed her gently on the cheek and pulled in a deep breath.

  As Devan grabbed his keys and cane and limped out the door, Luci caught Michelle watching her with intense interest.

  Michelle didn’t speak until they heard the roar of the engine from the car as he left.

  “Luci, I’ll make tea. I brought some with me. I knew there wouldn’t be anything here worth drinking. And then we can catch up on Dev, because I think Mac and I have missed out on something really big.” After patting her on the arm, Michelle grinned, and walked toward the kitchen.

  Luci sat, and tucked her feet under her bottom. Had Michelle seen something pass between her and Devan, something that she’d missed? Did Devan feel he was still just the cop working her robbery case, or did he feel the same things she did?

  She would love to confide in Michelle and tell her the truth, if she knew what that was. Was she really falling for Devan?

  ****

  Dev stared at the data scrolling down the computer screen. Typing in the limited new information from the break-in at Luci’s place, he frowned. He knew it wouldn’t add much to the case.

  “Hey partner,” a deep voice said.

  His eyes flicked to the clock in the corner of the computer screen and then to the man who sat in the chair next to his desk. “Mac, what are you doing here?”

  “Michelle called me, said you’d asked her to come over and stay with someone named Luci.” Mac stretched his long lean legs and linked hands under his blond hair at the back of his neck. “I came in for a few hours to get caught up, but her phone call sent up all kinds of red flags… along with the agreement to watch our place for the weekend.” Mac quirked a brow. “After all these months, has the pod in your basement finally made it to term and taken over your body?”

  Lifting his stained coffee cup, Dev drew a long, deep sip of the bitter brew. His life was changing. He’d not only dragged his leg, but his soul, through the ringer. It wasn’t what he wanted anymore.

  For some reason, when he was around Luci, he wanted his old life back. And that meant not isolating himself from the people around him who cared. Especially Mac and Michelle.

  Dev ran his fingers over his chin, and pushed back from the desk. “It’s this robbery case. I can’t get on top of it,” he confessed.

  “You have fifty robbery cases on your desk.” Mac raised an eyebrow in question. “Is this one different because it has something to do with this mystery woman, Luci?”

  He bobbed his head once. “I’ve known her for several months at the espresso bar where she works. She was robbed at knifepoint the other night. I’d been sitting at her drive-thru not five minutes before that.”

  Mac’s dark green eyes watched him. “And you’re blaming yourself for her attack, just like you’re still blaming yourself for the robbery at the convenience store.”

  Dammit, this was why he’d avoided Mac. The man read him with telepathic powers.

  “Partner…” with one word Mac finished the sentence, closed his eyes and gazed at the ceiling.

  “You transferred. I’m not your partner.” Dev kept his face composed.

  “Bullshit.” Mac said through clenched teeth and leaned forward on his forearms. His eyes flashed with razor-sharp glints. “If you’d ever let me finish a sentence before you hung up your cell, or read the memo that is probably still here in a sealed envelope on this crap pile you call a desk….” He sighed deeply. “My current status in the other department is only temporary.”

  Dev fought to cont
rol his emotions as his friend’s words sunk in.

  “You didn’t read it did you?” Mac questioned. “You dumb prick,” he muttered. “So you’ve been slinking around down here like a dog with its tail between its legs thinking I dumped you and moved to a different division.” Mac rolled his eyes. “It’s temporary,” he accentuated the last word. “I’m just waiting for you to get rid of that cane, and get back on active duty where you belong. Then we’re back together as partners, capiche? Have you been going to physical therapy?”

  “No.”

  “Figures,” Mac said shortly.

  “But I went to a chiropractor today and it helped. I’m also trying acupuncture and exercise.” Dev wanted him to know he’d made an effort.

  Mac narrowed his gaze. “Now I know you’re bullshitting me.”

  “I give up!” Dev threw his hands up in surrender. “Really, it’s the truth. Luci’s in college to be an acupuncturist.”

  “Ahhhh.” Mac tapped his finger on the side of his nose, and grinned with a warm smile that lit up his face. “So it all comes back to this mystery woman, Luci. She was why you called me the other night.” You can’t put anything past a detective.

  “I called you from the hospital because I wanted you to meet me and take her home.”

  “But you never finished your sentence, so you got stuck taking her home. And now you’ve been seeing her the past few days and—”

  Dev cut him off. “She needs someone to protect her.”

  “As I just said, you’ve got fifty cases piled on your desk. What’s different about this case?”

  “Nothing,” Dev grumbled.

  “You called Michelle at nine on a work night to come to your house and watch over this Luci while you came in here. This woman’s gotten under those thick scales you call skin. How long have I known you? Eight years? Any woman I’ve seen you with, you screw them at their houses. You never take any woman back to your house; it’s like a shrine.” Mac rubbed a hand over his knee. “So don’t even start to give me this line that this woman is no different.”