Between Midnight and Dawn (19 page)

His enraged stare focused on Barber, he attacked, leaping through the air. His fangs sank into the man’s arm and knocked him onto the floor as the gun went off.

By the time Kyle scrambled to his feet and rushed toward Barber, Charlie had taken the man down. Barber’s screams and the dog’s vicious snarls echoed, loud and shrill. When the gun discharged, the bullet narrowly missed Kyle.

Shit
.

If the bullet hit the explosives it’d set off a chain reaction. They’d only have seconds to get the hell out of there before the whole place lit up. That thought had barely registered in his mind when the first discharge erupted and knocked him forward. He fought to remain standing as he veered toward Nicole.

She came to a complete stop, her panic-stricken eyes on the wall behind him as another explosion rocked the air, followed by another, and another, in quick succession.

Reaching her, Kyle scooped her up in a fireman hold, the handcuffs making the movement awkward as he latched onto her calves, and raced for the door. Charlie had Barber on the floor, his jaws clamped on the man’s arm while Barber tried to defend himself from the attack.

“Charlie, come,” Kyle commanded. But he didn’t stop to make sure the dog obeyed as he ran out the door. His only thought was to get Nicole the hell out of there, to safety.

He’d only gone a few yards when the domino effect of smaller charges met the mother lode, and there was a much bigger blast.

The percussion from the explosion sent Kyle airborne and, losing his precarious hold on Nicole, she flew off his shoulder. He landed hard, stealing his breath for an instant, before he was able to fill his lungs again and charge to his feet.

Glancing frantically around, he spotted Nicole a short distance from him. Lying motionless on the ground.

“Nicole,” he yelled, rushing over to her and kneeling at her side as she moaned, her lashes fluttering against too-pale cheeks. Spots of blood dotted her neck from where Barber had pressed the knife, but it was no longer bleeding, the wound shallow. Siren’s screamed down her road, drawing nearer to her place. He brought his cuffed hands up, cupping her face. “Baby, are you okay?”

She moaned, the sound like a knife through Kyle’s heart. He shouldn’t have left her, dammit. Should have figured out the false tip was a trap to lure him away.

Kyle checked her head, then ran his hand over her body, looking for injuries. The sirens finally came to a stop out front. Besides being banged up, she seemed okay. His hand shook as he caressed her cheek. “Baby, speak to me.”

“I’m fine,” Nicole murmured, opening her eyes and attempting to sit up.

The fire crackled and flared, heat from the flames washing over them.

“Lay still, honey.” Kyle pressed a kiss to her forehead, moving his cuffed hands to her shoulder.

Dean, along with a handful of officers, came charging into the backyard. “Kyle, what the hell’s going on?” He glanced at the blazing home, then back to him. “Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. Where’s the ambulance?”

“On the way,” Dean assured him.

Nicole shoved his hands away, mumbling, “I said I’m fine.” Though she sounded a lot shaky.

“Secure the area,” Dean ordered his men, before asking Kyle, “Where’s Barber?”

Kyle jerked his thumb toward the house.

Dean’s brows arched. “Inside?”

“Believe so,” Kyle said with a shrug. Then he frowned when Nicole struggled to get up anyway. With a sigh of resignation, he helped her sit. “But can’t confirm for sure. Doubt the guy had time to get out, though, before the place blew.”

Eyes going wide, Nicole attempted to get to her feet, but fell back on her butt. “Charlie. What about Charlie?”

“I don’t know, honey.” Kyle helped her stand, steadying her until she got her bearings. With or without his approval, he knew she’d go in search of her dog.

Kyle held out his hands to Dean. “Get these off me, would ya?”

Dean nodded, retrieving his handcuff key and releasing him.

“Charlie.” Nicole spun slowly in a circle, calling her dog again. Her voice filled with panic as she scanned the yard. “Charlie, here boy.”

Keeping one eye on Nicole, Kyle watched as the flames grew higher.

“Fire department’s on the way,” Dean said, eyeing the house.

One of the officers came over to them. “No signs of the suspect anywhere.”

Dean nodded. “We think he’s still inside, but do a thorough search of the property and surrounding areas, just in case.”

“Charlie,” Nicole whispered on a defeated note. Kyle wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She buried her face into his neck and began crying.

Kyle dropped a kiss to the top of Nicole’s head, before meeting Dean’s gaze. Regret filled his chest. “He killed Pete, and I suspect his partner, too.”

Dean nodded, sadness and anger shadowing his features. “We found Pete in his car, and spotted Bernie’s body near the house, but the flames are too high to get near him right now.”

“Hey,” Rob yelled, coming around the corner with Charlie at his heels. “Someone looking for a dog?”

Relief raced through Kyle. Charlie must have followed his command and run out right behind him. Thank God. Nicole had been through enough without losing her dog, too.

Charlie was a little worse for wear—okay, a lot worse—but he was alive. Bloody, with burn patches dotting his fur. He spotted Nicole in the same instant she noticed Rob, and her dog.

“Charlie!” They took off toward each other, though both moved a bit slowly. Meeting in the middle, Nicole dropped to her knees and gently touched Charlie’s head, avoiding any of his injuries, murmuring his name, as he excitedly licked her face.

Rob continued past her, stopping next to them. “So, is the fucker inside?”

Kyle nodded. “Pretty sure.”

Dean shrugged, with a who-gives-a-shit attitude. “Looks that way.”

With a grin, Rob slapped Kyle on the shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “Well, if it couldn’t be me . . .” His smile widened as he leaned in and softly spoke, “Glad it was you who took the bastard out.”

Dean pretended not to hear them, but the twitch of his lips indicated otherwise.

Kyle met Rob’s gaze in silent agreement, though Charlie was the real hero and deserved a special reward. He glanced over to see Charlie trying to lick Nicole’s face as she held up her hand to ward him off, giggling. Now that her dog was safe, she seemed to have rebounded, and the look she threw him was filled with relief and happiness.

Kyle was awestruck by her strength and beauty. Turning back to stare at the blaze, he was already formulating a plan to make Nicole a permanent part of his life.

As they watched the house being consumed by fire, no one made a move toward it to see if there was even a remote possibility of getting Barber out alive.

Just stood there and watched it burn.

Epilogue

One Month Later, Kyle’s backyard

Charlie raced up to Nicole and Sheryl, running in circles around them and barking, his short tail wagging ferociously. Fully recovered from his ordeal, except for a few burnt patches that hadn’t completely healed yet. Besides almost being blown up in the house along with Barber, when the vet checked Charlie out they discovered traces of a sedative in his system.

Kyle hadn’t been surprised when he found a half-eaten steak, tainted with the drug, buried in Nicole’s backyard. If Charlie had eaten the entire thing, he would have died. As it was, the little he’d ingested knocked him out for a while.

Kyle grinned. Unfortunately for Barber, not long enough. His heart warmed when Nicole crouched down and wrapped her arms around the dog’s neck, telling him what a good boy he was.

“Mmm. Don’t know, partner,” Rob said, handing him the barbecue sauce, his voice filled with amusement. “Appears you’ve got some competition for your lady’s affection.”

Kyle flipped the ribs on the grill and slathered on the sauce. Nicole was staying with him in the cottage until her home could be rebuilt, and they were grilling out on his narrow backyard patio abutting the woods. Barber was dead and the other asshole who’d attacked her copped a plea, so she wouldn’t have to go through a trial.

“Yeah I do,” he said, eyeing the dog affectionately. “Damn dog even sleeps with us. Takes up more than his fair share of the bed, too, I might add.” Turning serious, he glanced over to Rob. “But Nicole’d probably be dead right now if it weren’t for Charlie. So, he can have all the mattress he wants.”

His gaze slid back to the women. Both had healed from their injuries, at least externally. Even Nicole’s hearing was back to normal. Though she still carried around a lot of guilt over what Sheryl had gone through. Only time would take care of that.

Barber’s body was ID’d as the one in Nicole’s house. Once they’d searched all of his properties, they’d found enough evidence to close over half a dozen cold cases.

Kyle had finally been able to lay his demons to rest. They’d perished in that fire, along with the man who’d stolen so many lives, leaving families grieving for precious loved ones taken too soon. But at least they now had some closure.

“How’s Sheryl doing?”

“Better every day. Barely has nightmares anymore. But when she does, I’m there for her, and she shakes them off pretty quickly.”

“Have you told her yet that Dean offered you a job?”

“Not yet.”

“Are you gonna take it?”

“Think so. How about you?”

“Yep. Nicole’s thrilled. I start next week.”

He nudged Kyle’s shoulder with his own. “That’s great. It’s nice to finally see you happy.”

Kyle managed to keep a straight face as his mind flashed back to Nicole and her aptly named vibrator, but heat rushed through him. Because, yeah, she’d been very, very happy. He watched the women laughing and sipping wine as they tossed the ball for Charlie to fetch.

Killing off the last of his Corona, he set the bottle down, then dug a tiny square box from the front pocket of his jeans. He shifted slightly so the view to the women was blocked as he flipped it open to show Rob.

His friend let out a low whistle. “Nice. So, when you popping the question?”

“Tonight. Right after supper.”

“If you hold off on setting a date for a bit, maybe we can make it a double wedding.”

Kyle’s brow quirked as he tucked the ring box back into his pocket. “Seriously?”

Rob nodded, grinning. “You bet.”

“I think the girls would like that. But we can’t wait too long.”

“Why’s that?”

He glanced at Rob with what he knew was a shit-eating grin. “Nicole’s pregnant.”

Rob smacked him on the back. Hard. “Way to go, tiger.”

An approaching car sounded. “That’ll be Dean,” Kyle said, placing the cover over the grill to let the meat cook for a while. “He’s bringing over something special for Charlie.”

Nicole smiled, as she headed their way. “I’ll get ‘em.” She paused to give Kyle a peck on the cheek. “You are the sweetest man. Have I told you that I love you?”

Yeah, she had. But every time she said it, Kyle’s body went up in flames, wanting to ravish her. This time was no exception. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he tugged her close for a real kiss.

Rob chuckled. “Don’t mind me.”

Sheryl’s bubbling laugh indicated her approach. “Poor darling. Do you need a kiss too?”

“Damn straight, woman,” he growled. Her bright giggles were quickly cut off, followed by a low, feminine moan.

The sound of a car door slamming broke up their love fest, and Kyle slowly lifted his head, staring into Nicole’s slightly dazed eyes. Smiling, he kissed her on the nose. “Charlie’s present is here.”

Seeming to pull herself together, Nicole stepped back, happiness showing on her expressive face. “I know. I’m so excited. I still can’t believe you did this.”

“Thank Dean,” Kyle said. “He helped.”

“Helped what?” Rob asked.

Sheryl laughed. “You’ll see.”

“Am I the only one in the dark here?”

“Aww, poor baby,” Sheryl said, cozying up to him. “Do you need another kiss?” She pressed a quick kiss to his mouth as he wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her close.

Nicole patted Kyle’s cheek. “It was Kyle’s idea. And it’s very sweet.”

Rob looked over at Kyle with obvious amusement. “That’s twice she’s called you sweet. Who are you, and what did you do with my grouchy partner?”

Kyle raised his middle finger toward his friend. His eyes firmly locked on Nicole’s mighty fine ass as she disappeared around the corner of the cottage.

Charlie plodded up to them, then crouched at Sheryl’s feet. She knelt down and patted the dog’s head. “Oh, you’re in for a treat, Charlie. Such a good boy,” she crooned as she stood.

“What?” Rob asked. “Is he getting a giant-sized bone or something?”

Dean rounded the corner with his wife, a petite dark-haired woman and two miniature little girls, followed by Nicole who had a dog on a leash.

A boxer.

A female boxer about Charlie’s size.

We’re going to need a bigger bed
, Kyle thought, as a grin spread across his face.

Charlie’s head popped up, then he was on his feet, his tail wagging. Laughing, Sheryl gripped him by the collar to keep him from darting off.

Kyle and Rob shook Dean’s hand, while Sheryl greeted Mary. The sweet little girls giggled as they all watched Nicole introduce a very excited Charlie to his new playmate.

Crouching down in front of her dog, she rubbed his head, chuckling. “Charlie, meet Lucy.”