Guardian of Justice (7 page)

“Nick?” Kira turned to the plainclothes brother. “Is that right? You think this is linked?”

He nodded. “Dallas’s theory makes sense. Maybe Zelanski thinks you have something, records for instance. And yeah, maybe he just wants you out of the way. We can’t ignore that possibility, as ugly as it is.”

Kent was already on the phone. “Find out where Zelanski is for me, would you? And get hold of that DEA agent who dropped by the other day.”

“Kent? You know that monster? Please tell me Zelanski isn’t an undercover officer on your narcotics squad.” Fire lit in Kira’s soft brown eyes. “I might have to take him on myself if he is.”

“No, he’s not one of ours. But let me put it this way. you’re not going anywhere alone until we have him behind bars.”

Kira’s dad pulled Kira to him and looked Dallas in the eye. “You keep us up-to-date on this case, Brooks. We’ll do whatever we need to do to keep my little girl safe.”

Dallas nodded at him and smiled. “Will do, sir. I’m moving to the day shift as of tomorrow, but I’ll still be following this case. Kira, I want to talk to you more about the incident.”

Her father cleared his throat. “I’m going to make sure the house is locked up before we head home, Kira. Dallas, we’ll see you again, I’m sure. Boys, you’d better get back to work.”

Nick started to protest, but her dad herded them all through the house.

Kira’s brothers took the hint and said goodbye, too. It was just her and Dallas now. “You were saying?”

“I want to discuss this, as one PTSD survivor to another, since you’re not interested in dating a cop.”

“Since I’m not…? Where did you get the impression I’m not interested in dating a cop?”

He paused a moment, then got a look of panic in his eyes. “You said so, and your brothers also told me.”

She couldn’t think of what she’d said to give him that impression, but it didn’t surprise her that Nick and Garrett were against Dallas. They had always tried to scare off her dates.

“That’s fine with me,” Dallas added. “I don’t want to pressure you. I just think that talking with someone who’s been through the stress you have might be helpful. Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, maybe it would.” Maybe it was best to get the romantic notions out of her mind for now.

Dallas seemed almost relieved by the announcement. Was he afraid of getting involved? Kira’s heart raced at the memories of him comforting her after the incident with Mickey.

“Let me give you my parents’ address and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She didn’t dare let her guard down, did she? Or was God trying to show her the silver lining to this horrible week?

TEN

The only thing pushing Dallas to step inside the high school at six twenty-five the next morning was his motivation to make it to six that evening to see Kira again. He wasn’t worried about her in the same way he had been twenty-four hours ago, but he still couldn’t get his mind off her.

He tried to convince himself that it was because he felt at least partially to blame for her suffering. His conscience wouldn’t let him rest until he tried to help her through this. Any other reason would be a huge mistake. Relationships and post-traumatic stress disorder mixed about as well as oil and water. Add to that the lousy statistics for police officers’ divorce rates, and getting involved with Miss Matthews was out of the question.

Definitely out of the question.

He took a deep breath, muttered a small prayer and found a custodian who directed him to Brad Johnson’s office. Dallas was surprised to find a pair of crutches propped next to the senior ranking officer’s desk.

“What happened to you?” Dallas asked.

“An old knee injury flared up after a mishap painting the house last weekend.” Johnson shook his head and stood up. “I’m sure after a couple of weeks of therapy, it’s going to be good as new.”

“I hope so,” Dallas said. He wished he could be as confident as Johnson. Even if he was better, he wasn’t likely to be in good enough shape to qualify to be on duty in a matter of weeks. “So how about we get busy here. Show me around. Tell me what to watch for….”

“It’s been a pretty quiet year,” the officer began, and kept talking as he gathered his crutches to give Dallas the tour. Brad introduced Dallas to the principal and staff. Antelope Springs High School was home to almost five hundred students, nowhere near the enrollment they had at the school Dallas had been at in Phoenix. Even so, it wasn’t comforting to think he had less than one-fourth the students to monitor.

Brad hobbled through the school, pointing out the emergency exits and potential weak areas where they had recurrent security problems. Dallas could understand why they had wanted someone who was familiar with the job requirements. To anyone new, going through the building’s crisis manual in a matter of hours would seem like preparing for Pearl Harbor on a day’s notice.

“Hey, Johnson,” a tall kid said, stopping them in the hallway. “Is this the new SRO?”

Brad came to a stop and leaned on his crutches with a sigh. “Yeah. Tucker, this is Officer Brooks. I’ve warned him about you,” he joked.

Dallas recalled those days, making friends with the students. At one time, he’d loved being their role model, their friend, a person they could come to when they needed an ear. He’d loved keeping them out of trouble.

“Hey, Brooks.” The youth raised his fist, waiting for Dallas to tap knuckles.

“That’s OfficerBrooks,” Dallas corrected. Don’t let the kid get to you. Remember Alek was a friend, too.Reluctantly, Dallas ignored the student’s attempt to get connected. He wasn’t here to make friends. “The late bell’s about to ring. Do you have class this period?”

The kid nodded, a puzzled look on his face. “Yeah, I’m going.” He glanced at Johnson, who simply tilted his head, motioning down the hall. Tucker seemed disappointed as he walked to the classroom two doors away.

Didn’t Officer Johnson normally push the kids to get to class on time?

Brad looked at Dallas, a smirk on his face. “He likes to hang out in my office and talk. He’s a good kid, but school’s boring for him.”

“Yeah, it might be a little more interesting if he tried a little harder. My office won’t be a hangout.”

Johnson paused a minute. “Whatever works for you,” he said, then moved on with the tour. An hour later, he said goodbye and headed out, leaving Dallas in one of his dreaded discussions with the shadows.

As he walked the halls, studying the layout of the school, he couldn’t help but relate to Kira’s emotional state. He hadn’t been inside a school in over three years and he didn’t want to be here now. He wanted to be anywhere but here, where kids’ voices echoed in his head. Some jokesters. Most friendly. One, an angry loner, dead set on revenge—all over a few days suspension. That was the loudest voice, drowning out all the others. One “friend” who had turned on Dallas when the system didn’t give in to his plan.

Dallas’s breathing quickened. His heartbeat echoed in his ears. His determination to keep to himself grew stronger. He was here to keep the kids safe, not to be liked, or be cool, or help the kids succeed. Nope, he wouldn’t make that mistake twice.

Each hour, as the end of each period approached, Dallas became a visible fixture in one of the hallways. During class, he kept an eye on one of the entrances. Watching, studying. All except the front doors were supposed to be locked, yet he constantly saw students opening the side entrances to let other students come and go. He made a note to talk to the principal. His list of concerns grew longer each hour. Things are way too lax here.Why had these issues not been addressed earlier? It was past spring break.

When the final bell rang, Dallas watched students storm the exits. He waited outside, watching traffic, waiting to be needed, thankful when he wasn’t.

Before he left for the day, he stopped by the main office. “Is the principal in?”

“He’s in meetings for the rest of the afternoon, Officer Brooks.” The receptionist looked barely old enough to be out of high school herself. “By the way, I’m Candy Carson.” She leaned against the tall counter across from Dallas and twirled her hair around her finger. “Would you like to schedule a meeting with him?”

Dallas placed his hands on the edge of the counter and pushed away from the girl as she inched closer. “If that’s the best way to block out an hour or two of his schedule, then yes, Miss Carson.”

“Two hours?” She raised her eyebrows. “Wow, that sounds serious. Is there a problem?”

He didn’t have the patience to deal with this, today or ever. “Not if I can help it. Is he available in the morning, or would after school fit into his schedule better?” Dallas stared into her eyes, hoping she’d realize he was ignoring her blatant flirtation.

She went to her computer and leaned over the keyboard, apparently not minding that he was ignoring her.

Dallas turned to read the announcement board while Miss Carson punched keys. “Huh,” she said, and Dallas glanced over his shoulder just as she bit her lip and batted her eyelashes. “His day is pretty full tomorrow. Maybe if you come back in the morning, he can fit you in for a few minutes.”

“I’ll send him an e-mail. Thanks, anyway.” He slapped a hand on the counter and walked to the exit.

“See you in the morning,” she said as he walked out the door.

Dallas returned to his office and shot an e-mail to the principal requesting a meeting ASAP to discuss security as outlined in the building’s crisis manual.

He felt as if the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders when he walked out the door and got into the patrol car to head back to the station. Once there, he took his bulletproof vest off and changed into his street clothes. Layer by layer, he felt more human and vulnerable, missing the protection the uniform offered.

He was ready to leave when his cell phone rang. Kira’s brother Kent was calling to say his contacts hadn’t seen Mickey in almost two weeks, but the fingerprints lifted from Kira’s condo matched. And for Dallas, the inner turmoil began again.

As he headed to Fossil Creek to pick up Kira, he watched to be sure he wasn’t being followed. He had no clue where to go for dinner. He wanted someplace where they could have privacy to talk, as he didn’t want their issues and feelings to be overheard. Most of the restaurants he could think of were either so busy that they would have to struggle to hear one another, or the setting would lead her to the wrong conclusion. While she was just the kind of woman he would like to date, he couldn’t take the chance. He didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot and set her brothers off again.

He found her parents’ house without much problem, parked his car along the curb and took a deep breath. He struggled to keep reins on the anticipation of talking with Kira tonight. Don’t forget, this isn’t a date.

Before he could ring the doorbell, a dog barked on the other side of the door. A yippy little dog, from the sound of it. Kira’s dad answered with a small white fluff ball in his arms. “Evening, Dallas.” Ted managed to make himself heard above the high-pitched barking of the excited animal. “Excuse Pom Pom. She’s our alarm system.”

Dallas laughed. “Is it a happy yip, or is she ready to attack?”

“Depends on if she likes the visitor,” her dad said as the dog nearly wiggled out of his arms to get to Dallas. She couldn’t weigh more than six pounds, two of it fur.

“I see. I’ll try to keep on her good side then.” Dallas let the dog sniff his hand, and the friendship began. “How’s Kira today?” He stepped inside and closed the door, expecting her to appear at any moment.

“Doing pretty well. I wanted to make a suggestion. I’m a little concerned about her being out in the public before Zelanski is caught,” he said, his voice gruff.

Dallas was ready to argue when her dad continued. “Turns out her office received threatening calls wanting to know where those kids are. They advised Kira to stay home a few more days to let the police trace the calls.”

“So Zelanski does want something that the kids have,” Dallas stated thoughtfully aloud. “I knew it.”

Kira rushed down the stairs, renewing Dallas’s worry. This crazy man would do whatever it took, even if it meant hurting an innocent woman to get what he wanted.

“Hi,” she said, with a somber smile.

Does she know about the calls?Dallas felt better just having the chance to spend some time talking with her. “Evening.” He tried to hide his admiration, as Kira’s father was still watching him.

“Dallas, Grace and I would feel a lot better if you two had dinner here tonight.”

“Dad,” Kira said in disbelief. “I said I would talk to him about it.”

“Fine, talk to him then. I’m going to go get changed for my date. Unless you want us to stay home.” Ted put the dog down and it jumped as if it had springs for legs.

Dinner with her parents was out of the question. Dallas wasn’t going to get anywhere discussing what had happened, not with them around. Kira had hardly given her father the bare facts last night. He looked at her father, realizing the older man was waiting for his response, his hand on the banister. “Thank you for the offer, Mr. Matthews…”

“There are steaks in the fridge, and we thought you could grill them and have some privacy here. That is, unless you had other plans.”

“Dad…” Kira said. “Just go. We’ll be fine, whether we go out or stay here.”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Ted muttered as he disappeared up the staircase.

Despite his discomfort at accepting her father’s somewhat domineering hospitality, Dallas wondered if doing so wasn’t best. That way Kira wouldn’t get any misconceptions about why he had asked her to dinner. And since she had no interest in dating, he wouldn’t be concerned with choosing too cozy of a restaurant. “Either is fine with me, Kira. What do you want to do?”

Her smile hinted at her loneliness, a feeling that Dallas could understand all too well. “This case seems to have the tentacles of an octopus, and I’ll admit, I am a little shaken by it. We need to talk, and I don’t think either of us will be comfortable opening up in a public place,” she said.

“That was my concern, too. I wouldn’t have suggested we stay here, but I’m fine with it if it makes you more comfortable.”

“You really don’t mind?” Her surprise was obvious. “I mean, thank you, Dallas. I would definitely be more comfortable at home…Mom and Dad’s home.”

Before he knew it, he’d wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I don’t mind, really.” Dallas didn’t like that he was caring more and more for Kira, let alone worrying about how every decision would affect her.

As if Kira had read his mind, her dark brown eyes softened as she admired him. “Would you mind helping with your dinner?”

The subtle exchange set off alarms of old fears and uncertainties. He followed her down a wide hallway that opened up to a formal dining room with candles and fresh flowers on the table. Someone apparently hadn’t gotten the same message he had about Kira’s disinterest in dating cops. How am I going to get out of this one?

He’d been torn between pushing to get Kira back into a normal routine, and wanting to protect her like her family was doing. After the shooting in Phoenix he had wanted to lock himself away from everyone: his fiancée, family, life in general. But in his case, the individual intent on hurting people was out of the picture. In her case, he was still a very real threat.

Kira continued to the kitchen, where she handed him a knife and a small loaf of French bread. “If you’ll butter the bread, I’ll make a salad,” she said, as if they were an ordinary couple.

“Sure,” he answered, trying to squelch his inclination to care about her. She looked happy tearing lettuce and chopping tomatoes, doing the routine things that couples normally did together.

Dallas’s chest tightened. Why he had this reaction every time he saw her, he couldn’t understand. He hadn’t been interested in dating in three years, not since Jessica had broken their engagement. Since then, he hadn’t met one woman he’d wanted to date casually, let alone seriously. Less than a year into his new career, and he couldn’t seem to get his mind off the one woman who wanted nothing to do with a police officer. Just his luck.