$0.99 or FREE for Prime Members
Both of the partners want the serial rapist more than anything else--she wants him behind bars, and he wants him dead. Can her love help to change his mind?
Excerpt:
Spring
Valley was the sprawling new center whose ambulance had answered the
call from dispatch. The building was big and fashioned like a casino,
with a neon sign that could be seen for miles. Fancy pond designs
spiffed up the front of the edifice, the type of extravagant
detailing expected in Las Vegas.
Cory
continued to argue as he helped Aurora from his vehicle and led her
to the emergency area. “Why in the hell do you have to act like
Super Cop tonight. You’ve been shot and need to rest. Not be
playing like a Joan Nightingale.”
“It’s
Florence.”
“Who
the hell is Florence? And wipe that stupid grin off your face. I’m
serious here and I’m pissed at you.”
“Never
mind. Just remember one thing. If it was you in the hospital, I’d
be twice as stubborn.” Her words were her way of telling Cory that
he mattered even more, and she saw him relax when it registered.
“Fine.
I’ll take you to him. You can see for yourself that he’s in good
hands. But after that I’m taking you home for Debbie to look after.
It’ll give her something to do. That woman's been going stir-crazy
not working, and it's driving me nuts!”
His
gruff attitude didn’t faze Aurora. She knew he loved his wife
insanely and would do anything to please her. If bringing home a
stray, wounded pal would be important to the woman, he would have
dragged Aurora with him, kicking and screaming. Sadly, she didn’t
have the energy to give him a real battle. She’d used it all up in
forcing him to take her to the hospital.
Considering
Kai had only appeared on her horizon two days prior, why he mattered
so much was beyond her. All she knew was that something inside
wouldn’t stop nagging until she saw for herself that her new
partner would make it.
One
quick peek at his wound earlier had revealed torn pieces of skin,
intermingled with shreds of fabric from his shirt, all covered in
blood and gore. She'd had two choices: turn away or drop. So she’d
defused the situation by diverting her gaze to the desk where he’d
pointed. But that short glance had warned that his injury indicated
surgery, and to her that could mean death.
Aurora
knew all too well that people could die on the operating table. After
all, her mother hadn't made it. She’d decided that a Jack Daniel's
bottle could be used to cover two needs: fill an empty stomach, and
as a handy tool to slice through the thin flesh of her wrists.
Shaking
off the horrible memory, shudders attacking, Aurora kept her gaze
down on the institutional white flooring found in so many hospitals.
Cory ushered her to the nurse's station. With a flash of his badge,
he asked where they’d taken his officer, and in seconds, the two
found themselves in a curtained-off corner decorated with all the
paraphernalia needed to keep a victim alive.
Kai
sat on the side of the rumpled hospital bed, his stomach wrapped in
bandages. The white gleamed even brighter when contrasted against the
healthy tan on his muscular chest and back. A hospital gown,
discarded and draped over the chair, told its own story, as did the
blood-soaked jeans clutched in his hands.
“Where
the hell do you think you’re going?” Cory spoke before Aurora
could get the words out.
Kai
jerked, glanced at them, and then turned away. His shaking hands
lowered the garment to cover his thighs. “The bullet went right
through and they patched me up fine. Guess I was lucky. I’m outta—”
Cory’s
apoplectic expression should have warned the other man, but he hadn’t
taken long enough to read his boss’s scowl. Aurora, on the other
hand, saw the explosion coming and grinned in anticipation.
“If
you don’t get back in that bed right this minute, you’re fired. I
swear to God, I’ll have your skinny ass on a plane back to L.A. in
the morning. Why the hell I have to be surrounded by the most
stubborn people God ever created, I’ll never know. Dang-blasted
idiots, the pair of you!”
Kai’s
raised hand didn’t even slow Cory down. He’d been detonated, and
the blast would have to run its course. Aurora watched as Kai swung
back under the covers and leaned against the pillows. The tension in
his body oozed out as he lay back and let Cory go on with his rant.
She liked that Kai gave in as soon as he recognized that their boss
meant every word. It eased her mind to know that her new partner
might be stubborn, but he wasn't stupid.
Add
to that, the wink he’d shot her way and the small grin that hovered
over his surprisingly full lips made her smile in return, then cough
and turn away before Cory caught them. It reminded her of other times
when Debbie had connected with her thoughts—not needing words to
express what they both knew.
It
felt surprisingly good to be allied with someone she could trust to
know what she was thinking, and vice-versa. Maybe working with this
dude wouldn’t be the trial she’d imagined.
No comments:
Post a Comment