Roll the Dice (14 page)

“Had a few things to follow up and decided to sneak in and check you
out. The nurses looked the other way once I flashed the badge.”

“Comes in handy, doesn’t it?” Debbie’s grin said it all.

“Holding this little guy was worth the effort. He’s a real treasure.”

“And I get to take him home tomorrow. I was scheduled to leave tonight
except that Cory phoned and put it off one more day. Told the hospital
administration he wanted to bring me home himself and wouldn’t be able to get
here until late. Now I know why. The drunken bum!” Affection spiralled through
her mock-mad tone.

Aurora looked up to see if her friend had any inkling of went else down
tonight. A calm expression of doting mama covered her face and no hint of worry
showed up in her eyes.

“The staff seemed perplexed, said they were under the misapprehension
that a driver had been assigned to pick me and the little one up. Aurora, you
look beat. Why don’t you get some shut-eye? I can tell it’s been a wicked day
even if you haven’t said anything.”

“Bloody awful.” Aurora handed the precious sleeper over to his mama’s
eager arms.

“You know what? For the first time since I left the department, I don’t
even want to know.
 
That dark world
seems so far away. It’s as if it can’t touch me anymore. It feels good.”

Aurora arrived early the next morning with a tray of three fancy coffees
and set it down in front of Detective Hampton and Kai. "Ham, I meant to
ask you about that doctor whose office got busted into. Did she have anything
interesting to add? Any patients who matched with our list of victims?

"Nah! It took a bit of convincing but she eventually agreed to
check her clients against our list and there was no one significant."

A monitor set-up in the corner flickered and she looked a question
towards Kai…no words were necessary.

"They sent over the hospital videos," he said.

All three settled in to watch. The tapes showed Rhondo walking into the
nursery as if he owned the world.

“That…that putz is strutting.
 
No
other word for it.” Kai bit back more expletives because he didn’t want to make
a fool of himself. With his hands wrapped behind his neck, he stalked to the
other end of the room. Exercising the muscles, he deep-breathed and rapidly
blinked. No way he’d let the others see how he felt at the sight of that fucker
walking around as a free man.

“Here’s Aurora joining him.” Kai saw Ham look his way, then reach to
stop the tape.

“I’m fine. Keep it going.” He went back to the screen and continued to
watch as his exhausted looking partner entered the area. She'd stopped when she
spied the other person, holding back to give a stranger space. The gesture
moved him. Pure Aurora, kind without any fanfare—a good-hearted person. He
cleared his throat. “Has Cory seen this?”

“I showed him earlier. To be on the safe side, he put an extra guard on
Wayne’s ward and another to protect Darlene's apartment. After reading Kai's
report about Rhondo’s gloating, he didn’t figure to take any chances.” The
others ignored Ham's habit of nodding when he spoke.

His words seized Aurora’s attention. “Which report? What gloating?”

Kai shot a glare at Ham who reddened and fidgeted before he answered.

“How Rhondo got off on playing his games right under our noses. The boss
seems to think that might be a draw for him. Figures he followed us to the
hospital to mess with the boy again. And stick it to us at the same time.” Ham
first looked at Kai apologetically, but continued. “You in particular, Aurora.”

Her head shot up, and she wore a happy face. “He said he wanted me? Oh
Baby, I want you too.” Her hands rubbed together and Kai had to laugh.

“Back off, chick. He’s mine.” He bit off the rest of the words that
hovered behind clamped lips. Instead he stared at her with his ownership
message and couldn’t believe the balls of the babe when she stared right back
at him with as much attitude. He read it in her eyes—and then heard it in her
words.

“We’ll see about that.”

No one heard the Lieutenant enter the room. “Enough with that kind of
talk! This isn’t a high-school football game. I want that sucker as much as the
rest of you, but we’ll do it by the book.
 
Carry on a full-scale investigation leaving nothing to chance. Got it?
We’ll put Mr. Rhondo away for the rest of his life, and we’ll do that by
working together. Now, about him having a particular grudge with Aurora.”

"Tell me." Aurora silently dared the others to ignore her
demand.

Ham stepped up. “The kid waited to tell Kai when they were on the way to
the hospital about Rhondo's bragging. He didn’t want to scare you. Said Rhondo
had repeated how he’d like to…ahh…get into your pants. His words, not mine.”

Cory captured his eye and Kai knew his friend read the rage he’d tried
to hide. They shared a moment of complete agreement where two men who care
about one sassy woman unite as protectors. “Not gonna happen! She’s never
alone. You hear me?”

Aurora cut in. “Christ, Cory! Two floors down heard you. I’m an
experienced detective and don’t need you chauvinists turning all macho on me. I
can take care of myself.”

Kai heard the frustration in her voice and saw the way her hands hit her
hips—as if she had to do something with them or else she’d be strangling a
lieutenant.

“Fine, so’s you know.” His voice had returned to its normal pitch. Back
to being well groomed in a lightweight suit that spoke bucks, the tall man took
command. “I want everyone here working this case putting it first. We’ve got to
get Rhondo into custody. The Sheriff’s been onto me since early this morning.
The tourists are starting to make noise and the media are having a slow day.
You know what that means. We’re hitting the front page. ”

Ham spoke, his disgust evident. “I read some of the reports and they’re
giving El Shmucko way too much space. He must be loving it.”

“Yeah, well that puts the onus on this department. Faster we get Rhondo
off the streets, the better for all of us. The asshole has taken up enough of
our time and finances. So, get him! Soon!

Kai watched Cory stomp from the room. They were all aware that he
carried the worst burden. Poor sucker had a new baby and couldn’t afford to
stay away from the office.
 

Aurora interrupted his musings. “Let’s brainstorm and see what we can
come up with. We’re missing something, I know it.”

After a frustrating day following empty leads, talking to victims who
hated cops and getting nowhere fast, Aurora decided to pay another visit to
Luke and see if he’d come up with anything.
 
He’d left a message for her earlier, but she been out of the office
getting coffee. When she’d tried to return the call, there was no answer.
 
Not unusual since he’d be catching up on his
sleep and had most likely called before he’d hit the sack.

Slipping away from Kai had taken some ingenuity. He’d begun acting like
they were crazy-glued at the hips. Thankfully, his mom had called, and rather
than interrupt his call, she'd waved and left.

Suspicion appeared on his features for a minute until he realized that
she’d left her usual lightweight jacket hanging over her chair, her gun in the
drawer and had picked up her favourite Coyotes coffee mug.

She felt weird leaving him behind, after all he was her partner, but a
snitch was personal. Too many people aware of his status and it could be
dangerous for his cover. So the fewer people who knew about him, the better.
And other than Ham and Debbie, it would stay that way until this crisis had
ended.

As she drove, loving the air conditioning that kept the inside of the
vehicle bearable, she enjoyed the darkened desert scenery that bespoke of a
paradise for tourists and a hellhole for residents. The temperatures that day
had soared to well over a hundred and the sleeveless top she’d yanked from her
drawer this morning still clung to the sweaty areas.

A speeder, who didn’t know how lucky he was that she was on a mission,
cut her off. She radioed in the licence number and hoped he’d get his in the
next few blocks, as someone was sure to pick him up.

Once at Luke’s building, an annoying tune began in her head, starting
low, but with each floor reached, the sound amplified. “Christ no!”

At a dead run, she got to his apartment. When the normally locked door
gave way, a sickening reaction started in the pit of her stomach. Reaching for
the back-up gun in her ankle holster, she pushed slowly inward. With both hands
hugging the pistol, she cleared the hallway and then the kitchen, working her
way towards the living room and then the bedroom. Prayers churned in her mind.
Please Lord…let him be sleeping
peacefully.
 

A thud following by a muffled sound warned her that her instincts and
the loud ding-dong in her ears had a point. Something wasn’t right. She
hesitated but affection for her guy drove her on. Two more steps and she’d
almost cleared the bedroom doorway. A groan warned her just in time as a knife
appeared in her peripheral vision. Instinct drove her gun carrying hand upward
to connect with a face and her booted heel backwards to clip the knee.

A big male body stumbled into her space. Swivelling, her empty hand
reached upwards between his legs to give unbridled pain to the stupid bastard
who thought muscle would win over training.

The knife dropped and the scream almost deafened, but still she held on.
She even lowered her body as his knees gave way. Maybe she became too cocky.
She didn’t see the fist that hit her on the side of her head. Nor did she react
when Rhondo crawled towards his knife. But she did react when he lunged towards
her.

The gun, steady in her hand, was aimed right between his eyes. “Please
keep coming. Pretty, please.” Her tone begged.

Still prone, her body felt like attached weights hung from every limb.
It was all she could do to pull her knees under her and try to gain her feet.

During the ruckus she’d instinctively turned to protect the victim.
Luke, tied in a chair with gray duck tape to keep him from moving, had some
safety from her being between him and the maniac whose nose turned up in disgust
while hatred poured from sneaky eyes.

Knowing he judged his chances of fight or flight by the quick looks in
every direction, nervous gestures and growling sounds, she inched backwards.

“Time’s up. Knife on the floor slowly. Then get down on the ground,
hands on your head.”

The stare he threw at her meant to intimidate and would have weakened a
lesser opponent. Perhaps if she hadn't grown up seeing that look most days of
her young life, she might have been affected.

“Make no mistake; I
really
want to shoot you, Earl.” She used his name on purpose to make it more
personal. “Please! Give me cause.”

The mean smile turned meaner. “Not today sweetheart. Another time.” He
dropped the knife.
 
Then just as he
began to stretch out, noise from the hallway caught their attention.

Too late! Aurora shouted to stay back, but Ray’s frizzy-head appeared as
he ambled into the room. “Hey, the door…

Kai was pissed off. No other word for it. Partners either trusted each
other, or they didn’t work together. He stomped to the other end of the
building and burst into Cory’s office mad as hell.

“She’s taken off again.”

Cory’s hand automatically covered the mouthpiece on the phone and waved
Kai to the chair in from of his desk, which Kai ignored. Instead he chose to
walk over to the window. Hands gripping the sill, he leaned forward, ground his
teeth and waited.

The activity below caught his eye. Uniforms rushed to their squads while
others were returning. Laughter and sarcastic quips, being thrown back and
forth, were emphasized by the stillness of the evening. Hustle and bustle, the
vision soothed his ruffled feathers. He stopped gasping breath through his
clenched teeth. His neck relaxed and the pain in the knotted muscles eased.

Cory’s soft laughter warned him he’d interrupted a personal call. A few
seconds later, he heard the receiver being replaced and he looked sideways to
gauge his friend’s mood.

A silly grin still lingered. Good, he’d get away with breaking and
entering. Shit, he wished his temper didn’t take over his common sense. He’d
put it down to lack of sleep Never used to happen—not until he’d given up
normal to become a bounty hunter. Exchanged regular courtesy for meanness and
basic politeness with his need for revenge.

He broke the silence. “Are Debbie and the baby home?” Cory made him wait
while he straightened papers on his desk, sat back in his chair, and crossed
his arms.

Not a good sign at all. He rubbed his neck and tried to look innocent of
acting like a dick. It didn’t work and he heard himself utter the apology he
didn’t really mean. Or at least he didn’t think he meant it until the words
left his lips and he heard them echo back.