Officer on Duty (Lock and Key Book 4) (8 page)

He sucked in a deep breath and saw the Taser prongs sunken into fur, just behind the animal’s shoulders.

The electricity traveled from one prong to the other, the current contained within the target’s body.

Now that the dog had let go, the pressure was gone and a viscous ache flared in his leg. Still, he knew adrenaline was taking the edge off. It’d be much worse later, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now.

He drew his weapon and trained it on the animal. He didn’t want to shoot it, but he wasn’t going to let it maul anyone, either.

It yelped and twisted on the ground, saliva and Jeremy’s blood flying from its mouth. Its owner had risen to her feet again, and it rolled over against her legs.

Fuck. If it lunged at him or Richardson, he wouldn’t be able to fire. Not with a person standing behind it, ready to take any bullet that missed its mark.

The taste of adrenaline flooded his mouth, bitter and abundant. He fought the urge to spit, and the dog lurched up onto its feet.

The Taser’s five second burst of electricity was obviously over. Before Jeremy could react, the dog took off into the house at the speed of light.

“Shit,” Richardson repeated, and that was it – the dog was gone.

“Shut the door,” Jeremy said, moving forward.

The slack-jawed woman stumbled out of the way and he pressed it shut, leaning against it even after it latched.

“Oh my God!” She bent at the waist, hands on her knees. “I can’t believe he did that. He’s never bitten anyone. I can’t believe it!”

“I can’t believe you thought a baby gate would hold back an angry eighty pound dog,” Jeremy breathed, anger prickling down his spine.

She had known they were coming. She’d called and asked them to, for fuck’s sake. And she hadn’t even bothered to properly secure her aggressive animal.

A pool of blood had already spread beneath his left boot.

The dog was lucky to be alive and headed for a ten-day quarantine.

“That looks bad,” Richardson said.

Jeremy looked down. Half a dozen tears in his pant leg allowed slick, blood-red skin to peek through.

Before he could say a word, a white Ford Focus pulled into the driveway. Gravel crunched beneath its tires, and the blonde woman let out a gasp.

A teenage girl climbed out of the passenger seat, the halter strap of a bathing suit top sticking out above the collar of her t-shirt.

“Rachel!”

“Hey, mom.”

“You were supposed to be home hours ago!”

“We went to see a movie. We would’ve gone later, but we wanted to get the matinee price.” She gaped at Jeremy and Richardson. “What’s the big deal?”

“It’s not the end of the world,” Jeremy said, flattening a hand on the kitchen table top.

“The hell it isn’t!” His mother stood by the sink, eyes flashing.

He’d known she’d freak out when she found out about his injury. It’d been unavoidable – he’d gotten home an hour and a half early, and that’d tipped her off. After getting some stitches and an antibiotic prescription at the emergency room, he hadn’t been given the option to finish his shift.

“There are worse fates than being bitten by a dog. All in all, I’m lucky it wasn’t worse.”

He was sore, but the wounds would heal and all he’d be left with was a scar.

“How many stitches did you get?”

“Twenty-three.”

Meredith sucked in an audible breath and
tsked
. “Where’s the dog?”

“Animal control’s got it. It’s in for a ten-day quarantine.”

“What if it’s rabid?”

“Then I’ll have to get the vaccinations.”

She made a strangled sound, and he sighed.

“It’s not rabid, mom. Don’t get so worked up.”

“You know I can’t help it.”

He glanced at Paige, who stood leaning against the kitchen counter. There was a little dent in her lower lip, where she was biting it. Her gaze rested on his pant leg.

“I’ll be fine,” he said to both of them. “Why don’t you two go out tonight and see a movie?”

A pang of irritation hit him as his mind flashed back to the careless teenager who’d run off to the theater and worried her mother.

Kids just didn’t realize how dangerous the world was. They thought they were invincible. It was especially worrying now, considering that two young Cypress women had just died.

“Are you sure you’re up for that?” Meredith asked.

“I’ll stay here. You two go ahead and have a girls’ night out.”

“And abandon you?”

“There’s nothing you can do for me, and it’s not like I’m an invalid. I won’t let you baby me.”

He gave her the sternest look he could muster, hoping against hope it’d land. He wasn’t about to sit around on his ass while she waited on him hand and foot because of some stitches.

“Fine, but don’t you dare think about cooking. We’ll pick up some dinner for you afterward.”

“Great.” He held back a sigh of relief. “Make sure you park close to the theater, in a well-lit area. No loitering or unnecessary walking.”

“Now who’s babying who?”

“I mean it, mom.” His pulse picked up speed as he imagined her ignoring his warnings. “Don’t either of you dare be careless.”

“We won’t, dad,” Paige spoke up. “Don’t worry.”

He smiled. She was a good kid. Thinking back to earlier that day, he felt especially lucky to have her.

“Have fun,” he said. “And text me when you’re on your way back. Forget to do that and I’ll come looking for you. I’ll bring the cavalry, too.”

Paige grinned. “What if we stopped for ice cream? We might be a little late.”

He grabbed his wallet from the table and opened it, pulling out a bill despite his mother’s protests. “That should be enough for a movie and ice cream.”

He slipped Paige another bill when his mother wasn’t looking. “For dinner.”

Paige gave him a hug before they left, and so did his mother, muttering about him telling them to be careful, suggesting that he follow his own advice.

As much as he loved them both, he was glad to have some peace and quiet – something that was often in short supply when his mother was around.

He soaked up about half an hour of it, staring at the TV without really watching, and then a knock came at the door.

* * * * *

“Hey,” Lucia said when Jeremy answered the door. “I didn’t think you’d be here yet.”

She’d just gotten home from work, and since he kept his cruiser parked in his garage, she hadn’t known he was there.

“Got off early today.”

She reined in her smile by a few watts as a fluttering sensation filled her belly. She hadn’t been expecting him to be home, but she certainly didn’t mind.

“Well, I was just at your mom’s place, but nobody answered. I saw that your lights were on and thought she and Paige might be here. I have something for them.”

She held up a piece of paper.

“What is it?”

“Just some info on a women’s self-defense course they’re offering at the aquatic center. They’re holding it in the fitness part of the facility, and it’s free to any female Riley County resident. An ex-military martial arts expert volunteered to teach it. You know, with everything that’s going on…”

He took the flyer. “When is it?”

“It starts in just a few days. We’re trying to spread the word far and wide. They’ll be printing a notice in the paper tomorrow, so slots might fill up fast. Paige and Meredith can sign up online ahead of time to reserve spots if they’re interested.”

“Thanks. I’ll do my best to talk them into it. What about you?”

“Me?”

“You gonna take the course?”

“Yeah, and I’m encouraging the girls in my juniors’ class to attend it with me.”

“Good.” His eyes locked with hers, the clear blue allowing her to see how deeply serious he was.

“Do you know something I don’t – something about whoever killed those women?”

“I don’t know who did it, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Hmm. But you know
something
. I can see it in your eyes.”

“I don’t believe that for a second. I’ve been perfecting my poker face for the past dozen years.”

“Light eyes are transparent. More expressive, most of the time. You may know how to keep the rest of your face under control, but if I get close enough, I can read your eyes like a book.”

It was only a slight exaggeration. His eyes
were
expressive. Sometimes, she saw something there that made her body temperature rise by several degrees. She wasn’t sure if it was a meaningful attraction, or just a man looking at a woman he found pleasing to the eye, but it gave her butterflies anyway.

“Hell, if that’s not a terrifying thought, I don’t know what is.”

She grinned. “Why? Have something to hide?”

He held her gaze for a heartbeat, then another.

She saw that certain something in his eyes, and her skin tingled all over.

“No, but that doesn’t mean I’d want my every thought on display, either. Especially not if you were the one doing the reading.”

She realized her grin had faded. In its place, there was nothing but a hot blush. She had to resist the urge to touch the tip of her tongue to her lips.

He still looked so deadly serious. And those eyes were still locked on her. It was only because she was staring back that she noticed the twinge of pain that twisted his features for a split second when he shifted his weight.

Her gaze dropped of its own accord, all the way to his feet.

He wore jeans, and they were a light enough shade of blue that she could see a dark spot on the denim, halfway up his shin.

“You’re bleeding,” she said, her gaze snapping back up to his. “What happened to your leg?”

He looked down and grimaced, his expression clearly saying:
shit
.

“Got a little scraped up at work today.”

Her eyes widened. “Did it have anything to do with what’s been in the news lately?”

“No. Thought it might when I went out there, though.”

“What happened?”

He looked past her and frowned. “Come on in. You shouldn’t be standing around in doorways. It’s getting dark.”

She took one look at his expression, thought of the two dead women, and stepped inside.

Not that being in his home was a hardship, by any stretch.

“Do you have any Band-Aids?” She nodded at his leg.

“Don’t think that’s gonna cut it. I have some gauze and tape around here somewhere, though.”

Her curiosity kicked up a few notches, along with a sense of suspicion. “How bad is it?”

“Not too bad.”

“Why don’t you let me take a look? I’m certified in first-aid.”

“I already got it taken care of.”

She arched a brow. “I can see that.”

He sank down into a kitchen chair, one corner of his mouth twitching. “Well, if you’re going to get all sarcastic on me…”

He rolled up his pant leg so slowly that it was evident he was really hurt. When he finished, she had to swallow a knot that’d formed in her throat.

“
Scraped up
? You look like you rolled around in broken glass!”

“Dog latched onto my leg. Idiot owner thought a baby gate could hold back an angry eighty pound animal.”

She sucked in a breath, her gaze riveted to the red gashes that striped his shin and calf. The worst ones were held shut with rows of black stitches. One of the unsutured wounds was leaking blood.

She grabbed a handful of paper towels from the counter and handed them to him. “What kind of dog was it?”

“Mixed breed, so far as I could tell.” He pressed the paper towels against his bleeding wound.

Red spread quickly through the stark white.

“How the hell did you get away from it? It looks like it had a good hold on you.”

“Richardson – that’s the new officer I’m training – got it with a Taser. It let go pretty quick after that, then ran back into its owner’s house. Animal control came by for it later.”

“You’re lucky it didn’t go for your throat.” Her gaze gravitated to his neck, a column of muscle beneath the shadow of his stubble.

A shiver raced down her spine.

“I know it.”

“Are you on antibiotics?”

He nodded. “And the dog’s in quarantine. Everything that can be done has been.”

The red kept spreading. The house was so quiet. Where was Paige?

She asked, and he told her she’d gone to the movies with Meredith.

Her pulse picked up after that, an irreverent sense of pleasure sweeping through her. They were alone.

Of course, it was ridiculous to get excited, with him sitting there stitched together and bleeding.

She frowned, thinking of him alone in his current state. “Where’s that gauze and tape you mentioned? I’ll get it for you.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

She waved a hand. “You’ll make a mess if you go walking around like that. Just let me know where to look.”