Part 3 (1/2)

The unmistakable slap of st against esh brought renewed cries from the house. The sounds elevated Keri's adrenaline levels and made her feel invincible.

”Can you see anything, Morgan?” Barnes wanted to know.

”No, sir, but it's getting worse. I need to go in. Is my a.s.sist close?

It sounds like he's killing her.” Keri was already on her way to the door, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest.

When it came down to it, Barnes pa.s.sed the responsibility and looked to Alex for con rmation. She quickly a.s.sessed the new information. The only justi cation for sending an of cer into this type of situation una.s.sisted was imminent danger of death or serious injury.

Her tactical experience dictated the necessary course of action, but for the first time in her career she felt unaccountably reluctant. That troubled her, but she didn't have time to consider the reason or its possible implications.

She nodded to Barnes and he relayed the command. Sirens sounded immediately down the street as the of cers complied. ”All other units, maintain your perimeter posts.”

As Keri approached the door of the residence, the sickly sweet smell of fresh blood a.s.saulted her senses. One side of the entryway was covered with b.l.o.o.d.y drag marks leading back into the house. She slammed her foot against the wooden door, sending a jolt up her leg. At the same time she announced, ”Police!”

The imsy lock gave way and the door frame splintered to the oor. Everything slowed to half-time as Keri entered the residence. She cleared the living room with a quick scan and followed the moaning toward the back of the house, checking each room as she pa.s.sed. She found the b.l.o.o.d.y victim in a south-facing bedroom sprawled across a queen-sized bed.

* 39 *

At that moment Keri heard footsteps pounding through the house.

The victim pointed and Keri gave chase. Her legs seemed to move effortlessly as she approached the back door.

”Car 260, send the paramedics in, now. The victim's been cut. The suspect's running out the back on the east side toward the tree line. He's armed with a gun and possibly a knife. I'm in pursuit. Have the other units move in.”

Alex visualized the scene as Keri described it. Her heart pounded as the situation escalated. She struggled with an urge to race to the residence but protocol demanded that she remain at the command center until the scene was stabilized. Sirens wailed as the seconds dragged by.

Keri crouched at the back door to get a feel for the area before continuing pursuit. She heard the unmistakable crack of weapon re against concrete blocks as she dove for cover.

A round whizzed past her head. She belly-crawled behind a stack of rewood. Peering through the logs, she keyed in on the suspect and pointed her weapon at him. Her voice choked in her throat when he stood his ground and took aim.

”Freeze!” she challenged him. ”Don't make me have to shoot you.”

At that moment two other of cers anked the suspect from behind the trees, yelling, ”Drop the weapon! Do it now! Drop it!”

The suspect seemed to notice the odds were against him. He dropped the gun at his feet and raised his hands. ”Okay, don't shoot.

The b.i.t.c.h ain't worth all this.”

As the of cers handcuffed him, Keri rose shakily to her feet, holstered her weapon, and sent up a silent prayer. The adrenaline oozed from her. She trembled and began to feel weak as she recalled what could've happened. It was the same reaction every time she faced a potentially deadly situation. She stood by the woodpile, surveying the scene and giving her pulse and breathing a chance to return to normal.

When her hands nally stopped shaking, she walked slowly toward the front of the house.

Red lights from the ambulance ashed eerie shadows across the lawn and Alex seemed to move toward her in a rapid series of still photos. Even in freeze-frame, Alex was the epitome of military bearing and personal grace. Keri thought for a second Alex was going to touch * 40 *

her as she stopped inches away, well within Keri's personal body s.p.a.ce, a violation no cop ever committed on duty. Instead, Alex gazed at her with a look that caused more apprehension than being shot at. Her eyes momentarily burned with something stronger than fear, then softened.

”Are you all right?”

”Yes, ma'am, I think so. At least I'm not hit.”

”Do you always get into this much trouble?” Alex's lips curved slightly at the corners.

”I don't go after trouble. It just seems to nd me. But I really had no choice. Did I do something wrong, Lieutenant?”

”You saved the victim from further injury, got the bad guy, and no cops got hurt. I'd say that's a pretty good day. We can talk about the rest another time.”

Keri's con dence rose at Alex's compliment, then immediately vanished as she thought about the accusatory interview years before.

”What do you mean the rest? What else is there?”

Alex hesitated. Keri's complexion had paled and Alex longed to see its characteristic color return and hear a snappy comeback from the young of cer. She didn't want to hurt Keri's feelings again, but she did want to understand. Her interest was mission speci c, Alex a.s.sured herself. It had been an extremely tense situation. Motioning Keri to the side, she asked, ”Why do you always volunteer for positions like forward point on these dangerous calls?”

”Who told you that? Barnes, right?”

”That's not really the issue, Morgan. It's an of cer safety thing.”

”I think this of cer is pretty safe, ma'am.” Keri knew she'd been right not to trust Alex, and she hoped her attempt at levity would mask her growing irritation. The last thing she wanted was Alex Troy poking around in her inadequacies and insecurities.

”You can't always hide behind humor. What are you trying to prove?” Alex's internal edit alarm sounded. But the words were out.

She knew they were beyond the true scope of operational evaluation and into the personal arena. Why she'd asked she wasn't exactly sure.

”I'm a police of cer. It's my job to keep other people from getting hurt. The guys on my squad have families, and that woman needed help fast. I couldn't wait. If you're going to write me up for something, go ahead. I won't ght it.”

She cares more than she wants to admit and is willing to risk her * 41 *

life to prove it. An unfamiliar feeling crept into Alex's chest. ”This isn't about writing you up. I'm just trying to...” Understand you. The thought was sobering and Alex shook her head to dismiss it.

”Trying to what?”

”Never mind. It's not important.” Alex added as Sergeant Barnes approached them, ”Just make sure your relief asks this guy about his connection. We need to know where he gets his drugs.”

Barnes avoided Alex's stare, directing his comments to Keri.

”Morgan, it's time for you to go off s.h.i.+ft. Debrief with Ventura, hand the investigation over, and head in.”

After Barnes nished, Keri turned to complete her conversation with Alex, but she was gone. Driving toward the station, Keri felt proud of her performance on the call, but dismayed that Alex Troy had suddenly started haunting her again.

v ”Hey, Morgan, over here.” Patricia Walters, Keri's best friend, waved from the parking lot across from the police station as Keri crossed the street toward her Jeep. Flas.h.i.+ng lights from patrol cars sprayed a jittery luminescence through the night as of cers checked their equipment.

Keri smiled as Pat covered her ears against the short yelps of siren tests and motioned her over. ”My G.o.d, you cops sure are a ashy, noisy bunch,” Pat said, giving her a quick hug. ”I thought I'd drop by on my way to the hospital and see how it's going. Haven't heard from you since our near all-nighter. I hope you didn't get into trouble for showing up to work in your trolling attire.” She studied Keri closely. ”So, what's up?”

Keri thought about her exchange with Alex Troy not an hour before and felt her spirits sag once again.

”So what's going on?” Pat settled her ve-foot- ve frame against the side of Keri's vehicle and raked pudgy ngers through her jet-black spiked hair.

”Just the usual police department administrative bulls.h.i.+t.”

Pat gave her a concerned look. ”Wanna go to the bar and check out the scenery? I'm sure I can nd somebody to cover for me tonight.