Roll the Dice (2 page)

He pulled back and cold blue eyes stared her down. No smiles, no teasing
now, just a bull-headed male who would brook no interference. “I have to stop
the bleeding. It’s a scratch but it’s deep. Look!”

Not in a million years! She knew better that to look. Instead she let
him remove the bulletproof vest she hated wearing and undid her own buttons.
Then with his help, she slid the garment off her shoulder.

Wasting no time, he lost his own vest and then whipped off his white
t-shirt that had L.A. Kings scrawled across the front.
 
He folded it to use as a pressure pad. With
a swipe at the mess of curls covering the wound he said, “Hold this away so I
can see what I’m doing.”

Raising her good arm, she reached around and scooped the loose hair
towards her back. Not meaning too, her eyes became glued to the bronzed male
flesh inches away from her face. His smell infiltrated her senses and she
determined that the soap he’d used had been a great choice.

She scanned the tattoo decorating his chest, upper arm and flowing
around to his back and figured a genius had done the artwork. It was even
better than hers and she’d been real picky. Obviously, he worked out because
the proof stared her in the face. Of it's own accord, her gaze travelled down
and she noticed that his pants clung low on his shapely hips and the tanned
skin seemed unending.
 
Every muscular
configuration worked together to form a body most other men only saw in their
dreams.

Gently, he put pressure on her upper arm and she quickly switched her
gaze to his expression. Soon he turned to her and winked.
 
"There. See. It's just a scratch."

Embarrassed, she nodded, "Yeah, whatever. I can feel it."

"I don't believe this. You're squirmy. A cop who can't look at a
wound? That’s the best one I’ve ever heard.” He stopped jeering and worry crept
into a voice that had softened. “You gonna pass out?"

"Don't be a smartass. It's just my own blood I can't stand or
people I love. Anyone else, no problem." Sirens screamed from outside the
shack and cut off their bickering.

Before Kai had arrived in Las Vegas, Aurora’s informant had directed her
to a felon's apartment, one of the guys Rhondo hung with. They’d made the
arrest, and brought him in for questioning.

Given he had information she desperately wanted, she’d turned up the
heat a little, and the perp had squealed like a baby. Gave her this lead and
assured her the subject, Earl Rhondo, accused of rape along with a bundle of
drug-related charges, would be here.

Rhondo, the scumbag, had beeped on her personal radar months ago.
 
Ever since the night he’d almost killed her
old partner Debbie. Aurora had pushed hard to get the lowdown on his
whereabouts. His plans to party that night had led her and her brand spanking
new partner into gatecrashing the shindig.

Sure enough, they'd caught him red-handed, pockets full and stuff
everywhere. Young and scared, his flunkies had vanished, but Rhondo had been
forced to stay and fight. Kai made sure of that. Until the asshole had pulled
out the knife and grabbed Aurora who’d come through the door last.

Using her as his shield, he'd insisted she accompany him on his getaway.
When she'd struggled, it had given Kai a chance to retrieve his weapon.
Foolishly, she'd ordered him to shoot. Look where that had gotten her.

 
Kai propped her against the wall
and wiped his hands on his jeans. "You're going to be fine now. I've still
got a lead on Rhondo. I know exactly where he's headed, and I intend to nab him
before he cleans out his safe. If he retrieves his fake passports, he’ll fade
again."

"I thought you were new to Las Vegas.” She narrowed her eyes and
gave him the stare that sent most of her team looking for somewhere else to be.

“Nah. I’ve tracked him here before, but he disappeared.”

“Why do I get the feeling what’s between you and Rhondo is personal?”

 
Kai looked away, slapped his
hands down on his knees and stood, his movements smooth and fluid. “I’ve worked
his file for some time. It’s probably why Cory paired us up. We both want this
creep, just for different offences. I can hear backup outside now. You’ll be in
good hands.”

 
“Hey! You can't go without me.
We're partners. Forget the ambulance. I'm coming with you." She tried to
stand, fell back and motioned to him. “Help me up, don’t just stand there
looking like a model for chrissake.”

He reached for her. With his support, she wobbled to her feet and took
in a couple of full breaths to clear her head.

“I’m good. Let’s go.”

“No, you aren’t. And don’t argue.” He held up his hand in front of her
face and got it slapped for his audacity.

“Aurora, you have a t-shirt tied around your arm and it’s full of blood.
Look, here’s Rhondo’s new address. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet.
But I think he’ll head over there and get his stuff.” He pulled a crinkled card
from his pocket and flipped it to show an address scrawled on the back. “Meet
me there when you’re patched up.” `

He strode towards the door, and she whistled him to stop. When he
turned, she motioned to his nakedness. Reaching into an open closet to her
left, she hauled out a turquoise and black plaid cowboy shirt.

"Cover up the body before we have every horny female in the
neighbourhood chasing after the car."

"He moved closer to take the shirt and then the cheeky bugger grinned.
“Thanks, sunshine. You give a nice compliment."

“I can give a good kick in the ass also.” As soon as her earlier words
registered, she'd have given a months pay to get them back. "Must be the
pain screwing with my eyesight."

Just then two uniformed officers announced themselves and ran into the
room, weapons drawn.

Holding up their shields, Kai and Aurora calmed the tension. Then Kai
waved and made good his escape moments before their Lieutenant arrived on the
scene.

“Aurora, I was heading home when I heard over the radio that you’d been
shot. Figured Debbie would have my ass if I didn’t check it out. I’m happy to
see you on your feet.”

“It’s just a scratch, Cory…ahh I mean Boss. You tell my old partner to
stop babying me all the time. Pretty soon she’ll need to concentrate on the
little lieutenant growing in her tummy.”

“You tell her yourself. I don’t have that kind of nerve.” Acting silly,
the tall red-headed guy shook his head and made his eyes swell from mock fear.

Aurora laughed and then winced. Damn arm hurt like hell.

Noticing her paleness, Cory bellowed. “We need some medical —”

Ambulance attendants rushed in before he could finish the sentence. They
put the stretcher down beside her.

“Get that thing away from me.” Her growl got their attention and they
stopped.
 
She wouldn’t tolerate being
stuffed into a cot on wheels like a big baby. “Just patch me up. We have to
move. Boss, Kai gave me the address where he’s sure Rhondo is heading. Probably
has money stashed. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he stored fake ID’s like we
figured he used the last time he’d disappeared. Kai suspects he’ll try and grab
the lot.”

“Okay let the medics patch up that arm, and don’t look at it or we’ll
need the smelling salts.”

Aurora couldn’t believe her ears. “Your big-mouth wife spilled the
beans, didn’t she?”

 
“I forced it out of her.” Was
that a wink? She knew he didn’t have a twitch. “Wait’ll I see her.”

 
“Put that thought on hold.
 
Get cleaned up and we’ll head out.” He
scrutinized the room and soon orders were given to anyone who stood around
looking stupid. “Tape off the crime scene and get whatever prints you can.” Two
officers, newly arrived, were stopped in their tracks.
 
“You two, canvas the neighbourhood for any
potential witnesses. Maybe someone got a good look at one of the vehicles or
the partiers. An officer was shot and the sleaze that shot her is going down.
Now everyone—move!”

Racing through the Vegas desert darkness towards the horizon's rainbow
of lights from the strip, Aurora monitored her situation. Police sirens on both
the Lieutenant’s car, and those travelling with them, gave comfort. The
medication forced on her by the paramedics had kicked in and the painful stabs
in her arm had almost faded.

Why then did her heart pound so hard—a sickening reminder of bad things
to come? Aurora had no idea. Probably the crap they’d injected her with had
induced this sensation. Needing to keep a clear head for what might be going
down tonight, she’d refused their drugs until Cory picked up on her stupidity
and made it an order.

She tried to shake off the nagging discomfort but it wouldn’t let up.
Every time she thought ahead to what they might find at their destination, she
experienced a choking sensation. It took all her concentration to ignore the
apprehension and zero in on the coming confrontation.

Never once had she let a partner leave her behind. But then again, no
other partner had ever shot her before either.
 
The reminder eliminated some of the guilt, but it did piss-all for the
worry.

Kai Larson had no freaking business playing a hotshot, lone vigilante.
He could have waited a few minutes and nabbed a couple of the uniforms to give
him backup. Damn fool!

“What are you scowling and grunting about over there?” Cory’s voice
broke into her reverie.

“My partner’s a loose cannon is what. He took off, no backup—nothing.
And he knew all about Rhondo. When you introduced us, why didn’t you fill me in
on his previous involvement with our suspect?”

“There wasn’t time. Yesterday you two had the shoot-out at the
underground parking lot and I got stuck with the Mayor all day. Then today
you’d headed out before I could de-brief you both. I took it for granted Kai
would fill you in.”

“Well he didn’t.
 
The goon hardly
said two words all day, just worked on his computer and periodically noises
like from a constipated gorilla broke loose. Brought to mind a Neanderthal
documentary I saw last week—

“Stop, I get it. I’ll talk to him. Look, Aurora, he’s a good man.
But
 
Rhondo's personal to him. Either we
let Kai play, or he’ll go rogue, and L.A. will lose one of their best cops.”

Aurora heard unfamiliar passion in her boss’s voice. Must be some pretty
strong mojo for him to care so deeply? Other than his wife and herself,
Lieutenant Cory Ashton normally treated the others in his back yard as though
they were lower life forms.

More than once she thanked her lucky stars that she and Cory had history
from back in high school. They’d grown up in Casa Grande, a few houses from
each other. She knew he’d lost a close buddy he'd loved as a young teen, had
played football and that girls used to make him shy to the point of stuttering.

They’d been good friends until Cory’s family had moved, only for her to
meet up with him again when she’d applied in Vegas after graduating her rookie
years in Phoenix.

Truthfully, the exalted position of being part of his “in-group” worked
for her.
 
And, it hadn’t taken her long
to realize the only time her handsome boss stuttered nowadays had been in the
presence of her former partner, Debbie. By saving Debbie’s ass more times than
she wanted to count, she’d earned his sincere gratitude.

Considering he’d been sweet on the woman for years and kept it hidden
until a month ago, she remembered some pretty tense moments. She’d sensed
something had happened between the two after Rhondo attacked Debbie, but
neither had said a word.

Her partner had withdrawn to where even Aurora couldn’t reach her. And
Debbie and Cory began tippy-toeing around each other. Drove Aurora nuts. With
all those raging tensions swirling, gnawing, something had to give. Sure as
shit, when it did, the shock blasted everyone.

 
That day Cory had caught up with
her outside her and Debbie’s office. While conversing over a case, he’d opened
the door to accompany her inside and both had stopped dead.
 
Debbie, bending over to pick up a dropped
file, hadn’t noticed that her shirt gaped enough for her obvious pregnant belly
to hang in full view.

Aurora and Cory had been stunned—her, even more so when he proudly
claimed Daddy rights and a quickie wedding followed.
 
Seems Cory had stopped by Debbie’s place to check her condition a
few days after Debbie's nightmare with Rhondo and one thing had led to
another…
 

“Hey! You still with me here?” Cory’s tone showed his annoyance that her
mind had wandered. “Look, Kai Lawson and I have known each other for years. And
Rhondo has a lot to answer for when it comes to the Lawson family.”
Autocratically he lifted his hand as she opened her mouth to ask the obvious.

“Let me finish. Kai is a professional otherwise I’d never have agreed to
him getting anywhere near this case. Plus you’re one of the best I’ve got, and
I trust you to keep him in line.”