ToServeAndProtect (17 page)

“How’s your leg?” she whispered in the dark. Her head
rested on his bare chest. He couldn’t resist touching her hair, covered with
leaves and mulch, as it fanned across his skin. She looked up into his face.
“Do you know who they are?”

He arched up and pulled his gun from his pants. Twigs
and rocks bit into his back. He ignored her first question but answered the
second. “One had a thick neck. My guess is a Marino. I don’t know who the other
one was.”

The flashlights started moving back down the trails.
The beams of light separated, moving to scan the adjacent properties. Dustin
hoped the foliage was dense enough to camouflage them from a direct light
source. He wrapped his arm around McKenna and held her close. He could feel her
heart beating against him. She was trembling. He knew she was scared. Hell, so
was he.

“You win this one.” One of the men kicked over a
flowerpot on the terrace. “We’ll finish this another day,” he said into the
night. “I see why you enjoy your work, Detective. I bet she’s keeping you nice
and warm.” The flashlights disappeared around the front of the house.

“What do we do?” she whispered. She shifted into a
more comfortable position and Dustin groaned. Her curves fit perfectly to his
hard contours. Breasts flattened against his chest. His thigh cut between her
legs. Heat from her pussy warmed his flesh.

“We wait. When we’re sure they’re gone, we call for
backup.”

Dustin heard a car in the distance. McKenna shifted
away from him, and he struggled to his knees. “Come on, let’s go.” He crawled
out of the bushes, keeping close to the ground, worming his way toward the
street to get a look. “Damn.” He saw the taillights disappear around the bend.

McKenna lay on the damp grass beside him. “Can we go
into the house?”

He stood, still clutching his gun in his hand and
limped to the side of the house. “We listen before we go in. Stay right behind
me.”

She put her hand on his hip and followed him as he
approached the front door. It stood wide open. They listened. Hearing nothing,
Dustin stepped in with his gun extended ready to pull the trigger if anything
or anyone moved. They made their way toward the kitchen. His badge and cell
phone still lay on the counter.

He punched in Tyson’s number. “Someone came for
Mickey,” he said into the phone. “Yeah, we’ll be waiting for you.” He listened
again. “No, I’m not calling it in. Not yet.”

“Why not?” she asked when he hung up.

“Whoever those men were, they know that I was here
with you. I think you’d agree my badge, the phone, not to mention my clothes
are good indicators that I’m invested. If it gets back to Captain Baird, I’ll
be off the case.” He limped to the chair and sat down. “My car’s parked in your
goddamn garage with a garage door opener clipped to the visor. If I had a house
key, if someone didn’t know better, they’d assume I’d moved in.”

“And if you weren’t here, I might be dead.” She went
to the pantry closet and retrieved the first aid kit. “Drop your pants before
your partner gets here, or we’ll really have some explaining to do.”

“I don’t need a first aid kit, but a shot of something
stronger than beer might help.” He rubbed his thigh.

“You’re limping.”

“Old injury. Acts up when I strain it.”

“I want to see.” She put her hands on her hips and
stood next to him. “I’ll call an ambulance if you don’t. Now, let me see.”

“Christ, Mickey.” He stood and angrily unzipped his
pants, letting them drop to the floor. High up on his thigh was a gruesome,
disfigured mass of mutilation and muscle covered by stretched, rubber-like
skin.

“What happened?” She bent down to her knees and
tenderly touched the discolored scar. Her fingers moved along the deep
indentations and hard cartilage. “Dustin?”

Although he liked the view of the top of her head
while she was on her knees, he bent down and pulled his pants up. “I got off
lucky.” He pulled out a chair for her so she could sit next to him. “I took a
bullet in the leg. My partner took one in the head.” He went to the sink. “If
you show me how, I’ll make coffee. You probably need it.”

She followed and pushed him out of the way. “Sit and
spill it.” She pointed to a chair. “It’s about time I learn something about
you.”

Dustin gave in to her command. “I was out on a routine
patrol. A call came in, robbery. My partner and I followed the perp into a
parking lot. He was just a kid.”

He looked at his thigh. “They took out the bullet, but
I got an infection. What can you do? Doc thought I’d lose my leg. Maybe my
life. Instead this is a reminder.” He rubbed his thigh. “It was a great year,”
he said sarcastically. “Lost my wife. Lost my kid. And because I couldn’t meet
the physical requirements, lost my job as a street cop.”

“But now you’re a detective. That’s better, right?”

“Pays more, if that’s what you mean.”

She took three cups from the cupboard. “How does Tyson
like his coffee?”

“Cream and sugar.”

She brought the cups to the table. Dustin took a sip.
“Marriage agreed with me. Kids, dog, house…I loved it. I didn’t fight Trish on
the divorce or for custody of Janie. Making her wait for me to come home in a
body bag didn’t seem fair.”

“I never would’ve thought you had a death wish.” She
sat and looked at him over the rim of her cup as she sipped.

“No, but some would say I laugh in the face of
danger.”

“Getting shot proved you’re not immortal.”

He nodded. “Too bad I didn’t figure that out before I
lost everything.”

She put her foot up on the seat of her chair and
wrapped her arm around her leg. “Do you still love your wife?”

He started shaking his head before she finished
speaking. “Not for a long time now.” He grabbed McKenna’s toe and pulled her
leg down. “I’m interested in someone else and you know it.”

Before she could respond, Tyson strode into the house
and hollered, “Knock, knock.”

“In here,” Dustin called back, still smiling at
McKenna.

Tyson entered the kitchen, carrying a small black
suitcase. “You owe me,” he said, placing the case on the table then opening it.

“Coffee?” McKenna held the cup out to him. “Detective
Pearce said you like cream and sugar.”

Tyson took the cup. “Damn,” he said after taking a
sip. “To hell with
Conversations
, we’re having coffee here from now on.”
He set the cup on the table. “Okay, lay it on me. And if there’re any dirty
little secrets, I’ll need those, too.”

“Two men and they didn’t come for a social visit.
Clearly their objective was to get McKenna. They knew which bedroom door was
hers.” He waved off any response Tyson was about to make. “I couldn’t take
chances. If they get to me, they get to her. So we jumped from the balcony.”

“Dustin hurt his leg,” McKenna added.

“I haven’t looked around. But I think I can walk now.”
He stood, flinching with pain.

“Wait.” She hurried to the garage and came back with a
crutch covered in cobwebs and grime. Grabbing a dishtowel from the drawer, she
quickly wiped it off. “Brace yourself with this.” She lodged the crutch under
Dustin’s arm. “Better?” She smiled up at him. “I’ll figure out breakfast while
you and Tyson look around.”

Dustin hobbled down the hall with Tyson. “Don’t say
it,” Dustin said when they were safely out of earshot. “I know I’ve crossed the
line.”

“You bet your ass you have.” Tyson’s shoulders were
stiff. “You’re jeopardizing the whole investigation!”

“I don’t care.”

Tyson grabbed him by the shoulder and swung him
around. “I want it straight, or I’m going to Baird.”

Dustin leaned against the wall. “My truck’s in the
garage. By the end of the day I intend to have a house key and the code to the
security system.” And next time, he wouldn’t be in the next room but in her
bed. Although Tyson didn’t need that piece of information.

Entering the office, Tyson said, “I guess we know what
they came for.” The computer was gone.

“They came for Mickey but settled for the computer.”

Together they climbed the stairs. All the doors were
open. “I slept in here.” Dustin indicated the mattress on the floor. “When I
heard voices in the hall, I went around and broke through her bedroom window.
With twenty seconds to make a plan, we jumped.”

Tyson walked out onto the balcony and looked at the
fourteen-foot drop. “No wonder you’re limping. You have balls of steel to make
that jump with your leg.”

“She wouldn’t jump without me, and I didn’t want
another showdown at the O.K. Corral.” They walked into McKenna’s bedroom. Tyson
took black dusting powder from his pocket. Starting with the doorknob, he
looked for prints.

“Check around. See if anything else looks good for a
print.” Dustin left Tyson in the bedroom and wandered through the house until
he found himself in the kitchen.

McKenna stood over the stove with a bowl full of
batter making buttermilk pancakes.

“This is all I could find.” She held up a box of
instant pancake mix.

“They took the computer.”

 “Then we’re back to square one.” McKenna set the bowl
on the counter.

“We’re better than that. I wanted to talk to you last
night, but under the circumstances, I figured I’d wait until you were sober.
Tonight we leave for Los Angeles.”

Chapter
Twelve

McKenna told Dawn about the break-in while they drove
to the Black Jack Saloon to retrieve her car.

“I would have slept with Steven.” McKenna looked out
the passenger side window. “I’m glad I didn’t.”

“Because of Dustin?”

“Yes. But if his captain finds out he’s broken
protocol, he’ll be taken off the case. I need him. He’s still the only one who
believes I’m innocent.” She smiled. “And you, of course.”

Dawn changed lanes and drove through town with little
regard for traffic laws. She rolled through stop signs and treated red lights
like four-way stops.

“I’m leaving for Los Angeles with Dustin tonight. And
after last night, I’m glad. I don’t think I can stay here. Even if I kept the
doors locked and set the alarm, I’m not sure I’d feel safe. And that was one of
our mistakes last night. After Steven left, I didn’t reset the system.”

“Are you sure you should go? You don’t really know
Dustin.”

“Watch it!” McKenna pointed to a car changing into the
lane Dawn occupied.

“Got it.” Dawn glanced out the rear window and crossed
three lanes of traffic using a turn lane to pass. “What if he’s playing a game?
Remember Albert’s warning.”

McKenna nodded, but only to diffuse Dawn’s concerns.

“Maybe he wants new sleeping arrangements?” Dawn
asked.

“I know I do. But it’s more than that. Dustin believes
me. Even Tyson is beginning to come around. He was at the house this morning
dusting for prints.”

“Damn roadblocks.” Dawn swore as she tried to find a
way around two large family minivans traveling side by side.

“And they’re wondering what’s wrong with you. Slow down.”

Dawn finally pulled into the lot where McKenna left
her car.

“What’re your plans today?” McKenna took her keys out
of her purse. “Because I could use your help.”

Dawn switched stations on the stereo. “I’ll meet you
at the house. I need food.”

She slid out of the car. “I’ll pick up something.”

“See you in a bit.” Dawn sprayed gravel as she peeled
out of the parking lot.

Once she was driving her own car, McKenna picked up
her cell phone and dialed Dustin.

“Pearce,” he said.

“Dawn’s coming over for lunch. I wondered if you and
Tyson wanted to join us.” He was quiet. “Is this a bad time?”

“Yes,” he stated. The line was silent.

“Okay, I’m sorry…I’ll--I’ll talk to you later.”

“That would be preferable.”

“Okay.”

He hung up.

McKenna stared at the phone, feeling dejected. Hadn’t
he intimated that he was
interested
just last night? Now he brushed her
off. She pulled into Subway. What was she thinking anyway? One word of
affection and she was ready to drop her barriers and act like the devoted
girlfriend. She twisted the rearview mirror so she could see her reflection.
“Play it cool,” she told herself. “Get lunch, go home, and pull it together.”
In a few hours, they’d be on their way to LA.

* * * * *

Dustin sat across from Captain Baird. “Sorry sir,”
Dustin turned off his phone and slipped it into his suit pocket. “You were
saying?”

“Look, Dustin, we can all see you’re becoming
personally involved in this case.” He clasped his hands on top of the files on
his desk. “If it’s becoming a problem—”