Returning Tides

“Treatment room two.” She glanced at Reese as they went back together.

“You’re all right?”

“Fine.”

“Everyone else?”

“All good.” Reese grasped Tory’s arm to slow her down as they approached the treatment room. “I have to get to the station to take care of booking Everly. Let me know as soon as you’ve checked her out, okay?”

“I will. Has anyone called her mother?”

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“Sorry. Not yet.”

“I’ll do it after I evaluate her. We may need to send her to Hyannis for a surgical evaluation.”

Reese nodded, her jaw tightening. “Call me. I’ll arrange an escort.”

“You’re sure you’re all right?”

“I’d rather it was me than one of mine on that stretcher.”

Tory skimmed her fingers along Reese’s jaw. “I know that. So do they. And that’s what matters.”

Reese smiled wryly. “Thanks for the reminder.”

“Happy to do it.” Tory kissed her cheek. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you as soon as I know.”

v

Reese crossed to the small knot of officers congregated in one corner of the reception area. “She’s stable. Dr. King’s evaluating her now. It will be a while before we know anything, but I need volunteers to drive escort if she has to go to Hyannis.”

Three men and a woman immediately stepped forward. Reese smiled. “Two of you will be enough.” She pointed to two of the officers who were supposed to be off duty but who had answered the All Units call. She knew none of the officers were going to leave until Allie’s condition was known. “You two, stand by.”

“Yes ma’am,” they said in unison.

“I’m headed back to the station. Good job today, all of you.”

Ash Walker intercepted Reese just as she reached the door.

“Is it bad?” Ash asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Reese said truthfully. Ash looked like hell—

pale, hollow-eyed, shaky. Recalling Allie’s somewhat incoherent conversation about Ash after she’d been shot, Reese surmised their relationship was in some kind of flux. She wasn’t absolutely certain that Allie really wanted her to say anything to Ash, and thinking back to Allie’s disjointed ramblings, she thought Allie might change her mind when she was awake. Just the same, Allie had wanted her to send some kind of message. “It looked to me like a flesh wound, but it was bleeding pretty good.”

Ash raked a hand through her hair and cast a wild look toward the

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doors leading to the rear of the clinic and the treatment areas. “Jesus.

I wouldn’t ordinarily ask, but is there any way you can get me back there?” She let out a shaky breath and fixed Reese with tortured eyes.

“I’m pretty much going crazy out here.”

Reese took her arm and pulled her farther away from the officers, some of whom were regarding them quizzically. “I can’t right now.

Tory’s working on her. You know Tory won’t let anything happen to her. When Tory calls me with an update, I’ll tell her that you’re out here. If Allie is ready to see you and Tory clears it, I’m sure Tory will take you back.”

“Okay. Yeah. I get it.” Ash looked away. “I don’t even have the right to be here.”

“Look,” Reese said quietly. “Allie wanted me to tell you that…

well, I don’t know what she wanted me to say, really. She was rambling a little. But she asked for you.”

Ash jerked her gaze back to Reese’s. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. So just try to hang in there, okay?”

“I fucked things up, Reese.”

“Funny, that’s exactly what Allie said.” Reese squeezed Ash’s arm. “Look, I’ve got to go. And I’m not the best person to be giving relationship advice. But if Allie’s got a hold of you, inside where it counts, don’t let her go easy. Not unless she tells you straight out you’re done.”

“Okay,” Ash whispered, looking as if Reese had just thrown her a lifeline. “Okay.”

v

Ash followed Reese outside and sat down on the top step of the small landing in front of the clinic. She really needed to get some air and clear her head. Reese said it didn’t look too bad. Her arm. Thank God it hadn’t been a body shot. Christ, she hadn’t even been wearing a vest. What was she thinking? Young and crazy and brave. Ash tried to put the thought of losing Allie out of her mind as she half focused on an EMS vehicle pulling into the gravel parking lot. At this rate, Tory was going to need more doctors to staff this place. She stiffened when the blonde from the bar—no, Allie’s girlfriend, not just some bar pickup—

jumped down from the driver’s side and sprinted toward the clinic.

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“Tory’s with her now,” Ash said as she shifted over to make room when the blonde vaulted up the steps. “She’s stable. It’s an arm wound.

Not sure how bad. Everyone’s waiting for word from Tory.”

“Thanks.” The blonde pushed open the door, perused the crowd inside, and stepped back out. She extended her hand. “I’m Flynn. We met briefly the other day, but never got introduced. You’re Ash, Allie’s friend.”

“Yes,” Ash said tightly, shaking the offered hand.

“Someone’s going to let us know?”

“Tory will be out as soon as she knows anything.”

“I can’t believe Allie is back here again, after what happened yesterday. She was supposed to be home resting.” Flynn sat down next to her. “She was really worried about you when that building collapsed.

You doing okay now?”

“Nothing a few days and some aspirin won’t cure. Doesn’t even register compared to what Allie’s going through right now.” Ash wondered if Flynn was as torn up inside as she was right now—as helpless and sick at heart.

Flynn glanced back at the clinic door, looking as if she wanted to storm the place too. “Arm wound, you said?”

“That’s what Reese told me. I couldn’t get to her to see for myself.”

Ash’s throat felt gravelly as she relived the panic of hearing the shot, hearing officer down, hearing Reese shouting for a medic. She rubbed her face. Her hands were shaking. Her whole body was trembling.

“Christ. I wish Tory would tell us something. If anything happens to her, I don’t know…” She clamped her jaws together, remembering who she was talking to.

“She was frantic about you yesterday. Couldn’t rest until she knew you were okay.” Flynn regarded Ash pensively. “There’s something more than friendship going on, isn’t there?”

Ash held her gaze. “I don’t know. That’s for Allie to say.”

“You’re right.” Flynn paused. “We’ve had a couple of dates. I like her a lot.”

“There’s a lot to like.”

“Uh-huh.”

“We used to be involved,” Ash said quietly. “I’m still crazy about her, but I…ah…I don’t think she…” She shook her head. “I don’t know anything right now.”

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“Well, now probably isn’t the time to expect her to make choices.”

“I think she already has.” Ash closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then faced Flynn head-on. “But you’re right, now’s not the time. So I’m just going to wait, because I care about her and I can’t do anything else.”

“Same here.”

“You want some coffee?” Ash stood up. “There’s a pot going in the reception area.”

Flynn rose to join her. “Yeah, I could use some. I’ll come with you.”

v

“Everything okay?” Carter asked when Bri got off the phone with Caroline.

Bri slid down in her desk chair and stretched her lanky legs out in front of her. Her expression was studied casual. “Carre’s good. So is Rica. Everything should get back to normal now.”

“Uh-huh.” Carter couldn’t really disagree, even though something kept tugging at her gut. Telling her something wasn’t right.

“Everly says it wasn’t him, you know,” Bri said. “At our house last night. He says he never followed Caroline. Never went near her.”

“I heard him.” Carter shrugged. “You didn’t really expect him to confess, did you?”

“I don’t know. He seems pretty much the same as he was back in school. He called me a fucking dyke. Told me if he’d had a shot at Carre, she’d never be with me.” Bri’s blue eyes turned winter cold. “If he’d gone after her again yesterday, I think he would have wanted to taunt me with it. Maybe get me to take a shot at him.”

“Yeah. I heard him baiting you.” Carter had seen Bri practically vibrating with rage when she was escorting Everly to the cruiser. Everly had been going on about how if he’d had a chance to fuck Caroline, Caroline would never have turned out to be a pervert. She had to give Bri credit for keeping her temper. She wasn’t sure she could’ve done the same if someone had been talking about Rica that way. “You handled yourself fine out there.”

“I wanted to kill him.”

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“I don’t blame you.”

“I’m not just saying that. I really really wanted to do it. He was talking about raping my girlfriend.” Bri looked hard at Carter. “You don’t think that’s bad, me feeling that way and being a cop?”

“You’re a human being first,” Carter said gently. “Family comes before everything, and you protected your family today. What you’re feeling—I’d be feeling the same. Exactly the same.”

“Thanks,” Bri whispered.

Reese returned from the holding area and motioned them toward her office. When they were inside, she closed the door.

“Any word on Allie?” Bri asked immediately.

“Not yet,” Reese said.

“What about the scumbag who shot her?” Carter added.

“The state boys are on their way down to pick him up. His parole violation is small time now. He shot a cop. He’s going away for a long time.”

“What’s your take on his claim he didn’t try to break into our place last night?” Bri asked.

“He swears he was with Randy Thompson, his old football buddy, all night.” Reese shrugged. “Thompson corroborates it, but I don’t put a lot of stock in his word.”

“There’s still the issue of the dead FBI agent,” Carter said. “Do you see any way he’d be involved in that?”

“I can’t see him for that,” Reese said. “The feds would have no reason to be looking for him. And he would have no reason to take out a federal agent. It doesn’t play.”

“What about the breakins at your place and mine? And Rica’s car?” Carter added.

“Everly admits to being in town for the last three days, so the timeline works for him being good for all of them. Of course, he denies that he did anything other than hide out at his buddy’s place.” Reese rested her hip against her desk and thought back over the sequence of events—the intruder at her home, Rica’s car being vandalized, the burglary at Rica and Carter’s, the attempted breakin at Caroline and Bri’s. Everly was directly tied to her and Bri and Caroline, and Rica was Caroline’s close friend. In a town this small it wasn’t difficult to track anyone’s movements, and Everly could easily have seen Caroline with Rica. Perps didn’t always follow a logic that made sense to others,

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and a pretty solid case could be made for him being responsible for everything. It was tempting to tie it all up in a neat package because more often than not, the simplest explanation was the right one. William Everly, like so many criminals, was not particularly smart, and with the instincts of a homing pigeon, he’d simply returned to familiar ground.

Once here, he’d wanted to exact a little revenge on the people who had sent him to prison and those close to them. And most of all, he’d wanted another chance to prove to Caroline Clarke that all she needed was a good man.

“We’re not going to be able to prove it was him,” Reese finally said. “One thing that bothers me is that Everly is a hometown boy. My house is all the way out at the East End, your place is at the far West End, and Caroline and Bri’s is right in the middle. He had to cover a lot of distance getting from one place to the other, and we’ve been asking about him around town for several days. But no one has admitted seeing him anywhere.”

“Yeah,” Carter said broodingly. “I don’t like that much myself.”

Bri looked from Carter to Reese. “Why would anyone except Everly go after Caroline?”

“I don’t know.” Reese blew out a breath. “And we’ve still got the murdered FBI agent, who doesn’t seem related to any of it.” She glanced at Carter. “I think we need to have a sit-down with Supervisory Special Agent Allen, don’t you?”

“Unfortunately, I agree.” Carter grimaced. “I’ve got history with her, and I think she’s still got an ax to grind with Rica. Maybe I can piss her off enough that she’ll actually tell us something useful.”

“Give it your best shot,” Reese said with a wry grin. “In the meantime, make sure everyone keeps their eyes open. Just in case we’ve missed something.”

v

He wasn’t sure what was happening at the far end of town, but he’d heard sirens racing back and forth for close to an hour. All the extra police activity on the streets suddenly disappeared, and he took that as a sign to make his move. He had gotten used to working at night, but he didn’t want to wait until nightfall. He’d been waiting for so long already. He kept thinking back to the night before, to the surge

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of excitement when the knife had parted flesh, to the rush of blood in his head and his groin. He craved the sensation. Nightfall wasn’t for hours, and he needed to satisfy his craving now. He felt for the knife in his pants pocket, and let his fingers drift over its smooth surface onto the hard ridge of his cock. She’d be alone now. And all his.

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chapteR twenty-thRee

Ireally don’t want to go to Hyannis,” Allie pleaded. “Look, it isn’t even bleeding anymore. The x-rays are okay, right?”

Tory smiled indulgently as she wrapped Allie’s upper arm with a clean dressing. “You’ve had a little Demerol, sweetie. You’re not totally capable of making a rational decision right now.”

“Nobody has the time to cart me all the way up there. And believe me, the Demerol is totally busy working as a painkiller. I don’t feel high at all.”

“Are you hurting a lot?” Tory asked gently.

“I think I’m supposed to be tough and say it doesn’t hurt much,”

Allie said with a shaky laugh. “But it really really hurts. Like, I don’t think I want to get shot again. Ever.”

Tory stroked her hair. “I hope you never do either.” She pulled over one of the stainless steel stools and sat down next to the stretcher.

“I think you were very very lucky and the bullet went through your triceps and missed the bone and all the major arteries and nerves.”

Allie brightened. “Which means I can go home and I’ll be good as new in a few days, right?”

“Not exactly,” Tory said with another slight smile. “There are a lot of important structures in your upper arm, and you were bleeding heavily when you came in. There’s only so much I can do to evaluate what’s going on inside without actually opening up the wound and examining it internally.”

“Like an operation.”

“Exactly. But operations can damage tissue, and we don’t like to do them unless they’re absolutely necessary. How about we compromise.”

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Tory checked her watch. “You stay here for another four hours. If there’s no further bleeding and no change in your neuro exam—the feeling and movement in your hand—I’ll let you go home with someone who can watch you.”

“Okay. Yes. Perfect.” Allie started to sit up, but Tory pressed a hand against her shoulder.

“That means four hours of lying still, sleeping if you can,” Tory admonished.

“I need to talk to my mother. Let her know I’m all right.”

“I’ll get your cell phone.” Tory gestured to the hallway. “A lot of your friends are outside. I’ll let them know that you’re doing all right.”

“Thanks.”

“Allie, is there someone you want to see? You can have visitors back here, I just don’t want a crowd. You really do need to rest.”

Allie looked away for the first time. “Is Reese here?”

“She was, but she had to go back to the station to take care of the arrest procedure. I just called her a few minutes ago to let her know that you’re doing all right. She said she’ll be by later. Bri will be here too, as soon as she can.”

“That’s cool. That’s good.”

“Reese mentioned Ash is waiting outside, and she’s pretty worried about you.” Tory didn’t want anything to upset her patient right now, but she couldn’t keep things from her either. “Flynn has been asking for you too.”

“Flynn’s here?” Allie asked quickly.

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Will you ask her to come back?”

Tory nodded. “Of course. I’ll get her.”

v

Ash sat for a while after Flynn went inside, waiting for the strength to return to her legs and for the sharp, bright pain that lacerated her heart to lessen enough for her to walk away. Allie had asked for Flynn.

She shouldn’t have expected anything different. Allie had told her, more than once, that she had a girlfriend and was happy with her. Flynn was decent and cared about Allie. That was easy to see. So Ash finally

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had her answer and she wasn’t really surprised. She hadn’t trusted Allie when it mattered, and nothing killed love faster than distrust. Her greatest regret was not telling Allie how much she loved her, and how very much she needed and wanted her. Ash grasped the handrail and pulled herself to her feet, feeling inconsequential in the still, dusty air.

After taking a few shaky breaths, she walked down the stairs and across the parking lot to her vehicle. Her mind was sluggish, her movements hesitant and uncoordinated as she searched for her keys. The days and weeks of forgotten meals, late-night binges, and transitory hookups were finally catching up to her. She climbed behind the wheel and after a few tries, got her key in the ignition.

“Ash! Ash, wait!” Flynn jogged down the steps from the clinic and over to the car. She braced the vehicle door open with her arm.

“She wants to see you.”

Ash shook her head. She was done. She didn’t have anything left, not even anger. “I’ll stop by and see her tomorrow. Tell her I said I hope she’s feeling better.”

Flynn leaned farther inside, blocking Ash from turning the wheel, and waited until Ash looked at her. Flynn’s eyes were oddly soft and tender. “Allie is hurt and she wants to see you. Forget the past, forget your pride. Do right by her.”

“Do right by her,” Ash whispered, gripping the steering wheel like it was the only thing keeping her tethered to the earth. Do right by her.

What did that mean? She’d told herself she was doing right by Allie in refusing to tie her down, to box her in, to limit her choices. She’d thought she was making a sacrifice, being noble. But she hadn’t done it for Allie, she’d done it for herself. Do right by her. She looked at Flynn, desperately needing guidance. “How?”

Flynn’s voice was gentle, filled with compassion, and unexpectedly encouraging. “I think you’ve already figured that out. Now let her know.”

Ash wasn’t so sure, but she slid out from behind the wheel and closed the door. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Flynn said.

Ash started toward the building, then looked back. “You coming in?”

“In a few minutes,” Flynn said. “You go ahead.”

Ash waited, but Flynn walked over to the EMT van, sat down on

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the wide rear step, and closed her eyes. When Ash entered the clinic, Tory was talking on the phone behind the high counter in the reception area.

“Allie asked to see me,” Ash said.

Tory gestured to the hallway behind her. “Treatment room two.

She’s tired. Don’t stay too long.”

“Is she all right?” Ash asked.

“She’s stable, but she really needs to rest.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Ash hurried down the hall, then hesitated in front of the door. Do right by her. She knocked and stepped into the room.

The head of the stretcher had been propped up to forty-five degrees, and Allie lay covered by a sheet, her shoulders bare, her eyes closed.

She was very pale. Her skin, framed by her dark hair, was nearly translucent. She appeared fragile and ethereal, and Ash’s heart twisted at the thought of how very close she had come to losing her. Right at that moment, all that mattered to her was that Allie was safe. The world without her would be a far darker place. Crossing as quietly as she could, Ash stopped by the side of the stretcher and clasped Allie’s hand.

She leaned forward to kiss Allie’s forehead and stopped when Allie’s eyes flickered open. Her deep brown eyes were slightly unfocused, but still endlessly beautiful.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Ash whispered.

“Hi, baby,” Allie murmured. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“Close your eyes again.” Ash brushed her lips over Allie’s cheek.

“Tory wants you to rest.”

“She said I can go home soon.”

Ash wasn’t so certain that was a good idea, but she wasn’t going to argue. “That’s good. How are you feeling?”

“Loopy. Arm hurts.” Allie slipped her hand from Ash’s grasp and rested her palm against Ash’s cheek. “I think I’m still mad at you.”

“That’s all right. I don’t blame you.” Ash’s throat was so tight she could barely talk. She wanted to climb onto the stretcher and pull Allie into her arms. She wanted the bullet to have pierced her flesh, not Allie’s. She wanted to erase the pain she’d seen in Allie’s eyes that morning, the pain she’d put there. She wanted to go back and do everything over again, but she knew she couldn’t. Sometimes there were no second chances. “Do you need anything?”

“I do,” Allie whispered, clearly starting to drift. Her fingers

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fluttered against Ash’s cheek and then her hand fell away, leaving Ash bereft. “I need…”

Ash swallowed her pride, buried her pain. “Do you want me to get Flynn?”

Allie’s eyes opened wider, and a small frown formed between her brows. “I can’t tell what it means when you look at me like that—with your eyes so shadowy and dark. Tell me.”

“I feel…” Ash lost her voice and struggled to contain the tears that suddenly flooded her eyes. She turned her head and wiped her face quickly against her shirtsleeve. She lifted Allie’s hand and kissed the back of her fingers. “I look at you and I want to laugh out loud I’m so happy you’re part of my life. I look at you and I’m excited to be alive.

I want to rush forward into a day, into a lifetime, filled with possibility.

I look at you and I feel like I could do anything.” She leaned down and kissed Allie gently. “I feel so damn lucky to have ever touched you, to have ever been touched by you. I cherish every second we shared. If I could have one wish, I’d wish to be with you forever. I love you. I love you so much.”

“You know what I wish?”

“What, babe?” Ash asked, no longer trying to stem the tears that streaked her cheeks.

“I wish you would take me home and hold me tonight. And that in the morning you wouldn’t say good-bye.”

“I can do that,” Ash whispered.

“Every night?”

“Every single one.”

“I wanted to stop loving you,” Allie murmured, “but I couldn’t.”

“Neither could I.” Ash settled onto the stool, leaned her forehead against Allie’s shoulder, and slipped her arm gently around Allie’s waist. “And I never will.”

“I told Flynn I couldn’t date her anymore.”

“You did?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Allie played her fingers through Ash’s hair.

“How come?”

“’Cause I really like her and my heart isn’t available.” Allie pulled on Ash’s hair until Ash looked up. “I was so mad at you this morning—

you were such an ass, deciding what I needed and what I would do. All on your own.”

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“I know.”

“But after you left I thought about all the other things you said—

about falling for me, and being scared. You never said those things to me before.” Allie’s eyes turned liquid. “I knew then you really loved me. And I still loved you.”

“I do.” Ash’s heart did a slow roll. She was almost afraid to be so happy. Almost. “What did Flynn say?”

“She didn’t seem surprised,” Allie said softly. “I think she was maybe a little sad, but she won’t be alone long. She’s…um…”

“Pretty special,” Ash said.

“Yeah. Gorgeous too.”

Ash laughed. “Not my type.”

Allie scowled. “You don’t have a type anymore, remember?”

“Oh, I remember.” Ash kissed Allie’s cheek. “I love you.”

“You said that already.”

“Can I say it again?”

Allie nodded. “As much as you want.”

“I want you a lot,” Ash whispered.

“That’s good. ’Cause you have a lot of lost time to make up for.”

Ash smiled, listening to Allie’s breathing grow softer and slower as she finally gave in to exhaustion and slept. Ash was content just to sit by her bedside. She couldn’t go back, she couldn’t undo the mistakes she’d made and the pain she’d caused. But she was home in Allie’s arms again, and she’d do right by her this time. She’d love her the very best way she could.

v

No police cars. No foot patrol. No one watching at all. He stepped confidently onto the flagstone walkway and walked purposefully, but unhurriedly, to the door. He knocked and heard the familiar voice call

“just a minute.” Stepping carefully to one side so that his face wouldn’t be visible to anyone looking out through the window in the upper portion of the door, he drew the knife from his pocket and flipped it open. He had a fifty-fifty chance that she would open the door without asking him to identify himself. Somehow, people were far less cautious in the middle of a bright sunny afternoon. They often opened the door without thinking, especially when they weren’t expecting any kind of

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trouble. And after all, why should she be afraid? She had no idea what was coming. He wasn’t disappointed. The door opened a few inches, she said, “yes?” and before she could react to his face, it was already too late.

She had a gun, but she had barely begun to raise it when he pushed the door wide, forced his way into the room, and buried the knife to the hilt between her breasts. Her eyes widened in shock and surprise, and as her deliciously warm blood cascaded over his hand, he smiled and whispered hello.

• 211 •

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chapteR twenty-fOuR

Carter pulled the cruiser off the road onto the shoulder and radioed her location. She sat for a minute letting the warm afternoon breeze wash away some of the tension of the last few hours.

When she’d realized how close Everly was to her house, to Rica, she’d had to exert every bit of her willpower to stay out on the street and do her job when what she wanted was to be by Rica’s side, protecting her.

As it turned out, Rica had never been a target. Feeling the dread lift from her shoulders, she stretched and got out of the cruiser, leaving the windows down to capture the last bit of afternoon heat in the stale interior. The radio chattered at her back as she walked up the path.

As she drew closer, she saw the door ajar. In an instant, her brief interlude of comfort was shattered and alarm bells rang. She jogged forward, her hand on the grip of her weapon. When she reached the door, she pushed it open carefully, squinting into the gloom. For half a second, her mind refused to register the sight of the body on the floor, and she stood frozen with the sun on her back and hell at her feet.

“Oh Jesus.” Carter pulled her weapon and quickly scanned the room. No movement, no sound. She shouted into her shoulder mic,

“Code eight. Officer down. Officer down. ”

Then she dropped to her knees and pressed both hands over the red fountain that pumped and splashed into the widening pool on the floor.

“Hold on, hold on,” Carter extolled desperately. How could there be so much blood on the floor and still so much gushing out? She heard a moan and looked up into terrified eyes. Bloodless lips, so pale they verged on blue, formed words she couldn’t hear. She leaned down

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closer, never taking her eyes away from those dark wounded ones. “I’m here. I’m right here.”

“…n…go.”

“No, no, I won’t,” Carter half shouted, hearing the fear in her voice and trying to contain it. “I won’t leave. Stay with me. I’m right here.

I’m not leaving you, so you stay here. You hear me, Allen? Marilyn, goddamn it. You stay here.”

Carter’s hands were sticky with blood and it kept coming. But not as fast now. She didn’t know if that was good or not. Jesus, God, where were the medics? Her arms shook, her vision dimmed, and sweat burned her eyes. Please, someone, please.

Sirens. Footsteps. Shouts. She couldn’t move. If she moved, the fountain would gush again. She had to hold it in. Had to.

“Officer,” Flynn shouted in her ear. “We’ve got her. Move. Let us take care of her.”

An arm gripped her shoulder, pulled her back, and she lurched to her feet. Her legs were wooden, numb, and she stumbled, falling.

“Carter!” Bri grabbed her around the waist. “Carter, you hurt?”

“No,” Carter gasped.

“Okay. We’ve got this. Come outside.”

Carter blinked, trying to focus on Bri’s face. “I can’t. I told her I would stay.”

“It’s okay. We won’t go far.”

“I didn’t clear the other rooms…I forgot…” Carter raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her face and Bri grabbed her arm, preventing her. Carter stared at a hand she didn’t recognize, covered in blood. Her hand. “Oh Jesus, Bri.”

Bri half dragged Carter over to a low stone wall and pushed her down onto it. “Stay here. Catch your breath. I need to check with Reese.

I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Carter nodded, still stunned. No amount of training could prepare someone for the sight of a fellow officer down in the line. If only she hadn’t taken that extra minute to let the breeze play over her face and chase some of her ghosts away. Now she’d have new nightmares to take their place.

v

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The phone on Tory’s desk rang and for half a second, she contemplated not answering it. She didn’t want to hear about one more problem. Nita had come in early for her evening shift and together they had managed to clear most of the patients who had gotten backed up when Tory had been diverted by Allie’s arrival. Now there was actually a chance that she would be able to get home in time to feed Reggie dinner and give her a bath. She couldn’t think of a single thing she wanted to do more than that. The harsh shrill of the phone’s insistent ringing interrupted her reverie, and with a sigh, she picked it up.

“This is Dr. King,” Tory said.

“This is Flynn, Dr. King. We’ve got a stab wound to the chest in full arrest. ETA four minutes.”

Tory straightened. “What’s the situation?”

“Female, approximately thirty-five years old. No pulse, no BP.

Massive blood loss. We intubated in the field and started CPR.”

Tory could hear the siren now. “Bring her straight back. We’ll be ready.” Her fatigue dropped away as she stood and hurried into the hall. She rapped on the closed door where Nita was seeing a patient and pushed it open a few inches. “Nita, I’m sorry, I need you. An emergency coming in.”

Nita’s expression echoed what Tory was feeling. Déjà vu. Madness in the air. Tory let the door close and pivoted toward the last empty treatment room. Allie was still under observation in the other one.

The double doors at the end of the hall opened and a tall, dark-haired woman in jeans, boots, and a blue blazer covering a navy scrub shirt walked through.

“Oh my God, I am so glad to see you,” Tory exclaimed.

“Hi, beautiful,” Dr. KT O’Bannon said with her trademark grin.

“Miss me?”

“You have no idea. What are you doing here?”

“Reese called me a couple of hours ago and said you were swamped over here. I figured I needed a little easy work and caught one of the puddle jumpers over from Boston.”

Tory didn’t even have time to consider why Reese had called KT, a trauma surgeon and long-ago lover of Tory’s. She was just glad she had. “We’ve got a stab wound arriving any second in full arrest.”

KT’s grin never wavered but her eyes took on the intensity Tory recognized. KT was ferocious when faced with a life-and-death

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challenge. There was no doctor she trusted more, and very few people she loved more.

“Guess I got my wish for something simple,” KT said as she flicked a lock of dark hair out of her eyes and pulled off her blazer.

“Just like old times.”

v

Carter didn’t know what to do about the blood on her hands. As it dried, the crimson turned a dull, lusterless brown, caked and cracked like barren earth devoid of life. Afigure blocked the sun and she squinted up, recognizing Reese’s broad shoulders and tapering torso.

“Any word?” Carter asked.

Reese sat down on the wall next to her. “KT and Tory stabilized her—the helicopter should be here any minute to take her to Boston.”

“What are her chances?”

“I don’t know. It looked bad to me.”

“I must have just missed him,” Carter said hollowly. “One minute earlier and I might’ve saved her.”

“One minute earlier and he might have cut her throat. Or yours,”

Reese said. “There was another door on the far side of her suite. He went out that way. So far, we don’t have any witnesses.”

“She was terrified,” Carter said softly. “She knew I didn’t like her, and I was all she had. I tried. I really tried.”

“I’m sure Marilyn knows that.”

Carter jumped up, suddenly too agitated to sit still. “What the fuck! What the fuck is going on here, Reese? Two federal agents down in two days? Jesus, what were the feds into over here?”

Reese shook her head angrily. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out. Marilyn only brought one other agent with her and he’s riding back to Boston with her on the medevac chopper. I doubt he would have told us anything even if I questioned him.”

“I’ve still got contacts with the troopers who liaise with the feds.

I’ll make some calls. My old partner might know something.” Carter knew the feds would not cut them in on the operation, especially not now when something had obviously gone very wrong. This chaos had all the markings of an investigation that had gone south, and the FBI

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did not acknowledge mistakes like that. None of the federal agencies did—especially not to the locals.

“Good. Check with your contacts. I’ll be pounding on some doors too, for all the good it will do.” Reese rose and signaled Bri to join them.

“Bri, drive Carter home. Carter, go shower and change. Get something to eat. Take a few hours’ downtime. Then I—”

“I’m okay,” Carter insisted. “I’ll change and head back to the station.”

“We’ve still got interviews to finish out here,” Reese said evenly.

“I want you to take a few personal hours.”

Carter gritted her teeth but nodded in acceptance of the order.

Reese put both hands on her hips and surveyed the bedlam in the courtyard of the Driftwood Inn—officers milled about, searching for evidence, documenting the scene, interviewing guests and potential witnesses. Detritus left behind by the hasty departure of the EMTs littered the ground. A battlefield. And she was losing. “We’ve got a long night ahead of us. I’m tired of coming in last because I don’t know the terrain or the enemy. That’s going to change, as of now.”

v

Tory removed her bloodstained shirt and bra and rolled them up to take home and launder. She opened her locker, tucked into the corner of the clinic staff lounge, and searched the top shelf for a clean scrub shirt. When the door opened and closed behind her, she said without turning around, “You were great, as usual. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“I take it KT arrived,” Reese said.

Tory spun around, her scrub shirt in her hand. “Darling! What are you doing here?”

“I came to take you home.” At Tory’s perplexed expression, Reese took the shirt from her hands, shook it out, and held it above Tory’s head. “Arms up.”

Smiling wryly, Tory obeyed and Reese pulled her shirt down over her arms and head. Then she smoothed her broad palms over Tory’s shoulders and down her arms before leaning forward to kiss her. Reese felt solid and warm, and as Tory relaxed into her embrace, the empty

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aching places inside her calmed. “You must have a million things to do.

How did you get away?”

“It helps to be the boss,” Reese murmured, rubbing Tory’s back.

“I took an hour to get you and Reggie and take you home. You’ve been here long enough today.”

Tory sighed and shook her head. “I can’t leave right—”

“Yes, you can. I just told KT you were leaving.” Reese shrugged.

“She said no problem, she had it covered.”

“She would.” Tory rolled her eyes. “Have you ever known her not to think she could handle anything?”

“Nope. That’s why I called her.” Reese released Tory and gestured to the open locker. “Did you get everything you need out of there?”

“You know that this is highly irregular.”

Reese grinned. “You mean I can’t make a habit of manhandling you?”

“I wouldn’t put it exactly that way, but basically, yes.”

“You could think of it as practice,” Reese suggested agreeably.

Tory frowned. “Practice for what?”

“Being pregnant again.”

“Sweetheart, that’s blackmail.”

“Might be. But I don’t really care.” Reese reached around Tory, closed the locker door, and took another step closer, corralling Tory against the lockers with an arm on either side of Tory’s shoulders. “If Wendy says it’s safe for you to be pregnant again, I’d like for us to have another baby. But there have to be some ground rules.”

“Ground rules,” Tory said softly. Reese was so close, looming over her, her eyes intent and unblinking. Tory knew Reese’s body better than that of any person on earth. She knew her voice, her scent, the sound of her breathing in the dark. She knew her so well that sometimes she forgot how strong she was, how lethally powerful. Reese was more than a Marine, more than a cop. She was a warrior at her core, and just at that moment, Tory understood completely how men and women would follow her anywhere, into battle, into death and beyond.

Reese nodded slowly, her gaze so fierce Tory quickened deep inside.

“You come first,” Reese said, her voice low and steady. “You and the baby come first—before your patients, before your colleagues, before even me and Reggie. I’ve got the Reggie show down pretty good

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now. We’ll be fine while you concentrate on keeping yourself and the baby healthy.”

Tory smoothed her hands over Reese’s chest, then gripped her shoulders and pulled her closer, so their bodies touched. She forgot the stress and horror of the last few minutes when death hovered just over her shoulder, mocking her for her inadequacies. She forgot the fear of being too late, of being able to do too little. She forgot every demand on her heart and her time and her energy except one. Except the one critical force that guided her life. “Take me home. I need you.”

Reese’s mouth came down hard over hers, pulling the breath from her body, pulling her blood like the moon draws the tide, surging, crashing, roiling with wild ecstasy. She moaned and arched into Reese.

Reese released her mouth and rasped, “Does the door lock?”

“No.” Tory laughed shakily and Reese grinned.

“Then we really need to go.” Reese rolled up her sleeve, released the Velcro strap, and removed the monitor from around her biceps. “I don’t need this. I just need your promise.”

“Oh, darling. You have it. Always.” Tory kissed her softly. “You can trust me. I am forever yours.”

• 219 •

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chapteR twenty-five

Carter braced her arms against the shower wall and let the hot water drum on her neck and back. Steam rose to fill the enclosure, blurring the room beyond the glass door. She wished her mind would fog over as easily. She couldn’t get the terrified look in Marilyn’s eyes out of her mind. The agent must have known she was dying and that Carter was all the hope she had. Every cop lived with the possibility of a bullet or a blade waiting for them in a dark alley or a deserted hallway. In order to do the job, they locked the picture away, down deep inside. Carter had never had a partner or even a colleague mortally wounded in the line of duty. She knew for certain she never wanted to see that look in Bri’s, or Reese’s, or any of her fellow officers’

eyes.

“Baby,” Rica called softly from outside the shower, “are you okay?”

“Yeah. Be right out.” Carter straightened and shoved the images back down where they belonged. When she was sure she had a handle on things, she twisted the knobs and stepped out of the shower.

Rica held up a large towel and wrapped it around Carter’s shoulders. “You were in there a long time.”

“Sorry,” Carter murmured.

“For what?”

“Just…” Carter shook her head.

“It’s all right. You don’t have to say anything,” Rica said gently.

When Carter had come home, her uniform splattered with blood, her eyes blank and her expression carefully neutral, Rica hadn’t asked what had happened. She’d just kissed her and asked her if she needed

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anything. Carter had said a shower, and immediately disappeared into the bathroom. As the minutes passed, Rica had grown more and more uneasy, and finally realized that whatever had happened, Carter shouldn’t be alone with it. Now she grabbed another towel, handed it to Carter to dry her hair, and started to blot the water from Carter’s body.

When she bent to towel off Carter’s legs, she felt Carter’s fingers in her hair. Stroking, trembling. She rose and rested both hands on Carter’s shoulders. “What happened?”

“Marilyn Allen was stabbed today,” Carter said. “I found her. She might not make it.”

Rica’s stomach clutched. Three law enforcement officers injured in two days. “Is everyone else all right?”

“Yeah. Whoever did it was already gone—or heard me coming and took off.” Carter briskly rubbed her hair and draped the damp towel on one of the hooks next to the shower.

“I hate her for what she did to you,” Rica said, “but I would never wish anything like this on her.”

Carter slid her arms around Rica’s waist. “None of that mattered to me when I found her.” She closed her eyes. “There was so much blood and I couldn’t stop it. She had to know how bad things were. I hope she knew I wanted her to live, with everything that was in me.”

“Oh baby,” Rica murmured, stroking Carter’s face. “If she was aware at all, she had to know. She might have had it in for you because of me and my family, but she knows what kind of cop you are.”

“I hope so.” Carter pressed a kiss into Rica’s palm and shook her head when Rica handed her the sweatpants and T-shirt she’d brought in with her. “I need to get dressed. I have to go back to work.”

“Now? You were up all night.”

“I’m okay. None of us are going to be sleeping much until we get a handle on what’s going on.” Carter clasped Rica’s hand and led her down the hall to the bedroom. “We’ve got a cop killer out there, and we’re way behind the curve in this investigation.”

Rica sat on the side of the bed and watched Carter pull a polo shirt and jeans out of the closet. “Do you think it’s something personal—

with Marilyn and the other agent? Payback of some kind?”

Carter tucked her shirt in and buttoned up her fly. “What do you mean?”

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“Two federal agents in two days? Where’s the gain? Anyone would know that kind of assault only brings dozens more agents into the picture. Why risk that kind of attention unless you’re sending a message?”

Sending a message. Interesting phrase. Carter never forgot who Rica was, but sometimes she forgot that Rica had been groomed since childhood to assume her father’s business. Rica might have turned her back on her father’s legacy, but she couldn’t undo the instincts he had instilled in her. And she was right. Marilyn Allen had been investigating the organized crime syndicate for months, probably years, and her quarry had to know that. The last thing anyone in the syndicate wanted was more federal eyes on them. And if the attacks on Marilyn Allen and her agent weren’t mob related, then what the hell were they? “You’ve got a point.”

“What is she doing here, Carter? Do you think it’s me?”

“If she’s still interested in you,” Carter said, “and I’m not saying she isn’t, I’d think the last place she’d want to be is here. Why telegraph her intentions?”

Rica rose and walked to the double glass doors that led out to the bedroom balcony. “Do you think one of her agents had something to do with my car?” She spun around, her arms folded beneath her breasts as if warding off the chill. “And the breakin here at the house?”

Carter strode to Rica and pulled her into her arms. “No. If they wanted to plant a bug or a camera in the house or the car, they wouldn’t make it obvious. They wouldn’t break the car window. They might be heavy-handed, but they’re not that dumb.”

“You’re right.” Rica laid her head against Carter’s shoulder. “Just the same, I’m going to call my father. He might know something. Are you all right with that?”

“There’s nothing you can tell him that he probably won’t already know by the time you talk to him. The feds will try to cover this up, but you can bet he’s got eyes and ears on them, just as they do on him.”

She tilted Rica’s face up and kissed her. “But I’d rather you not get involved. It’s not about not trusting you. It’s about wanting to keep you far away from this.”

“I would never do anything to compromise you professionally,”

Rica said. “Or put you in any kind of danger. But he’s still my father.

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If his business dealings eventually land him in legal difficulties, that’s one thing. But these attacks—they’re crazy. I don’t want him to be ambushed, Carter.”

“I know. Which is why if you do talk to him, it’s okay. Like I said, there’s no way to keep any of this quiet.”

“Caroline went home after Bri called and said Everly had been picked up. Do you think she’ll be all right by herself?”

“Everly says he wasn’t the one who tried to break into her apartment, but he’s the most likely suspect.” Carter kissed her again, then went back to the dresser to gather her badge and gun. “I can’t see any reason why she should be a target now.”

“When will you be home?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to arrange a meet with Kevin tonight.

See if I can get some information on the feds through the back door.”

“Will he talk to you?” Rica asked, referring to Kevin Shaughnessy, Carter’s old partner in the state police. Kevin had been one of the few people who had stood up for Carter when Marilyn Allen had accused Carter of changing sides and joining the mob. Still, Rica knew that Carter’s association with her, and by extension, with her father, had seriously strained all Carter’s relationships with her former law enforcement colleagues.

“I don’t know,” Carter said quietly. “I don’t want to jam him up, so if he turns me down, I won’t push.”

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” Rica knew it was a senseless question, because Carter would do whatever her duty required. But she had to say it. On some irrational level, she believed that by wishing Carter to be safe, to be careful, she could help make it come true. A wave of foreboding washed through her, and she put her arms around Carter’s neck, holding on to her tightly. “I love you. Please be careful.”

“I will. I promise.” Carter kissed her. “I love you too. I’ll be home soon.”

Rica walked her to the door, then turned back to the silent house and the long night ahead.

v

Reese hung up the phone and swiveled on the stool at the breakfast bar to watch Tory finish reading a story to Reggie. Reggie had a favorite

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book now, one with a plethora of farm animals and buttons that she could push to make the book crow, or moo, or oink. When Tory got to the end, Reggie bounced on her lap and said story in a clear and demanding voice while banging on the cover. Reese laughed.

“Want me to take a turn?”

Tory raised an eyebrow. “I’d love it, but don’t you have to go back to work?”

“That was Carter. She’s got a meet set up with Kevin Shaughnessy in Yarmouth tonight. If she gets any kind of lead, we’re going to want to move on it. Until then, we’re in a holding pattern. I can’t get anything about Marilyn or what she and her team were doing here from the FBI.

Maybe in the morning I’ll be able to call in some favors.”

“I’ll never understand why different branches of law enforcement can’t get along. It doesn’t make any sense. You’re on the same side.”

Reese joined Tory on the couch and lifted Reggie into her lap. “We would be on the same side, if upholding the law were our only goal. But law enforcement is politics too. And these days, it’s also bureaucracy.

If I knock on the right doors, I might get someone to talk to me. Right now, everyone is playing deaf, dumb, and blind.”

“And if Marilyn Allen dies?” Tory asked quietly.

“We’ll be in the midst of a deep freeze that won’t thaw this century.” Reese slid her arm around Tory’s shoulders and pulled her close. “How about I give Reggie a bath and put her to bed before I read her the story. You might want to take a little nap while I do that.”

Tory circled her palm over Reese’s stomach, murmuring appreciatively when Reese sucked in a breath and her muscles tightened.

“You have something in mind?”

“Several somethings,” Reese whispered in Tory’s ear. “Several times.”

“Maybe we should put the monitor back on you if you’re going to get fancy.”

“It won’t show anything. Nothing triggered out there today when we apprehended Everly.”

“I know.” Tory nipped at the edge of Reese’s jaw. “When I heard what had happened, I asked Nita to check the telemetry readouts that downloaded to her computer. If I didn’t know any better, and only had your pulse and blood pressure readings to go by, I would have thought you were sitting at your desk filling out reports.”

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“I won’t pretend you don’t make my heart race,” Reese said with a grin, “but you haven’t given me a panic attack. Yet.”

“Is that what you think you experienced?” Tory leaned back to study her intently. “Panic attacks?”

“That may not be the right medical term for it, but I think so, yes.” Reese rescued her tie from Reggie’s clutches and handed her a toy to divert her for a few minutes. “I think I got what happened over there, losing some of my troops, mixed up with losing you. I just have to remind myself that the two are different.” She tightened her hold on Tory and kissed her on the mouth, a long, slow, possessive kiss.

“You’re here and you’re mine and I won’t lose you.”

“Oh God, Reese,” Tory whispered. “I need you and those several things you have planned. Soon.”

Reese got a hot, demanding glint in her eyes. “I’ll meet you in our room in thirty minutes. Go close your eyes.” She skimmed her mouth over Tory’s ear. “If you can’t sleep, you can start without me. Just don’t finish without me.”

Tory’s lips parted and her eyes grew glassy. “I’ll wait. I’ll wait, but God, hurry.”

Reese stood and settled Reggie on her shoulder. “Come on, Champ, time for bed.”

Tory watched them until they disappeared out of sight upstairs.

Then she closed her eyes and waited for her breathing to settle. Thirty minutes had never sounded so long.

v

From the shadows just beyond the circle of light emanating from the window, he watched the woman on the sofa. He knew she would fight him, even with a knife at her throat. When he pinned her down, she would struggle. He would have to hurt her, cut her just a little, to prove he was in charge. His gaze drifted over her breasts and he imagined them pressed against his chest, imagined himself between her legs. He wondered what it would take to put that look in her eyes, the look that Marilyn Allen had had in hers when the knife struck home. He needed to put that look in her eyes, and he was done waiting.

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chapteR twenty-six

Carter pulled off Route 6 and into the parking lot of the Seaside Diner a few minutes before ten p.m. The parking lot was full, as were most of the counter stools and booths when she walked in.

The place smelled like fish and chips and a mouthwatering hint of hot apple pie. She scanned the length of the long narrow room and caught sight of a broad-shouldered redhead whose close-cropped hair was sprinkled with gray sitting in a far booth. She made her way down the aisle, dodging waitresses and customers, until she could slide in across from her old partner, Kevin Shaughnessy. When she’d been undercover, Kevin had been her contact in the state investigator’s office, feeding her information, relaying her verbal reports, and pretty much keeping her tethered to the real world when there were times she thought she might go under from the pressure of maintaining all the lies in her life. Ten years her senior, Kevin hid a sharp intelligence and fierce loyalty to the badge behind his florid, open face. She trusted him and hoped he still trusted her, even though she’d walked away from her career and the battle they had fought side by side for more than a decade.

“Hi, Kev.” She signaled to the waitress for a coffee. “Thanks for making the trip.”

“I figured since you called, it must be important,” he said while forking up a bite of apple pie. He made the word called sound like an insult.

Carter felt herself blush. She hadn’t kept in contact with him even though they’d been more than partners. They’d been friends. She hadn’t thought it would do Kevin’s reputation in the department any good if

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people thought they were still tight. Plenty of her former colleagues believed that her involvement with Rica, the daughter of a mob boss, meant that she was on Alfonse Pareto’s payroll now. She also knew if she tried to explain that to Kevin, he’d blow her off. So she’d just stayed away.

“So you’re back policing,” Kevin said when the silence stretched between them.

“Couple of days—I guess you must know that’s why I’m here.”

“You need something.”

“Damn it, Kevin,” Carter muttered. “You’re lucky you didn’t lose your badge when the feds went after me. I’m not exactly healthy to be around.”

He put his fork down and nailed her with a hot stare. “So you’re saying you dropped out of sight to protect me.”

“Hardly out of sight. You know where—”

“Don’t play your smart lawyer word games with me,” Kevin growled. “Do I look like some kind of pussy, I need you to take my hits for me?”

Carter grinned. “Fortunately, not like any I’ve ever seen.”

Kevin laughed. “You always were a dick.”

“No argument.” Carter gestured to his plate. “You going to eat the rest of that pie?”

“Damn right I am. Get your own pie.” Kevin cleaned his plate in two fast bites and picked up his coffee cup. “So what’s going on?”

“We’ve got a dead FBI agent—and another one in surgery right now who probably won’t make it.”

Kevin’s brows drew down. “That’s major.”

“More than you know. The one in surgery is Marilyn Allen.

Somebody put a knife in her chest late this afternoon.”

“Holy shit. Who?”

“I was hoping you’d be able to tell me. According to Allen, the feds were in town chasing a source who might finger some drug dealers.”

“I can’t see Allen or any of her team running down that kind of intel personally,” Kevin said, frowning. “That’s the B-team kind of assignment.”

“We figure the same thing.” Carter pushed her coffee aside. Her stomach already felt like she’d been dining on battery acid. “Have you heard any noise about Allen gearing up to go after Pareto again?”

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“I don’t think she ever stopped,” Kevin said, “but if she’s moving on him, she’s not sharing with us.”

“What about Rica?”

“Same story. You always hear rumors, but nothing I can confirm.”

Carter leaned forward. “Look, we’re in the dark. Right about now, rumors sound pretty damn good.” When Kevin didn’t answer, Carter sighed. She and Kevin didn’t play on the same team anymore. Maybe he didn’t think she played on his side at all. “Okay. Sorry to put you on the spot.” She started to rise. “Thanks for driving down—”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, sit down and get the stick out of your shorts.”

“That’s not a stick.”

Kevin grinned. “Yeah, you wish.” Then his expression grew serious. “I don’t have anything that’s going to help you. Since the joint task force tanked, we haven’t really been in the loop. We bump into some of the feds now and then when our territories cross, and I’m pretty sure Allen is still set on nailing Pareto. Obsessed with it, really. I heard after she lost her inside man—Rizzo—she turned another one of Pareto’s top guys. That’s all very hush-hush. I don’t know who it is.”

Carter rubbed at the headache pounding in the middle of her forehead. She didn’t really care if Marilyn Allen had another informant in Pareto’s organization. That was all part of the game. Alfonse Pareto could take care of himself—he had to know he was always vulnerable to someone in his organization betraying him. She wouldn’t lose any sleep, other than for the pain it would cause Rica, if Pareto went to jail.

“Rica’s name hasn’t come up?”

“Not that I heard.”

“I can’t see a connection between the mob investigation and what’s been going on over here,” Carter finally said.

“I don’t see it, either.”

Carter took out a twenty for Kevin’s pie and left it on the table. “If you hear anything, let me know.”

“Same goes.” Kevin grasped Carter’s arm. “Watch your back.”

“Always.”

v

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He waited thirty minutes after the downstairs lights went out and another went on upstairs, then he slipped through the shadows to the corner of the rear deck. He climbed over the railing, pressed his back to the wall, and sidled next to the sliding glass doors, listening, waiting.

Even though excitement rippled through him, he didn’t mind waiting.

Now that he was so close, he wanted to savor every second. The anticipation of touching her, of hearing her moan, of hearing her beg, was only going to make his ultimate pleasure all the more sweet. He slid the glass cutter from his pocket and, after applying a short strip of duct tape from the roll he carried in his other pocket, he cut out a circular section of glass large enough for his hand to fit through next to the lock.

And then he was inside. The kitchen was dark. A faint glow emanated from somewhere in the front of the house. Slowly and carefully he made his way forward until he could scan the living and dining rooms.

Empty. Off to his left, stairs led up to the second floor, and judging from his observations from the beach, she was in the bedroom at the rear corner of the house. Now he was only a minute away from her. He reached into his pocket one more time and came out with his pistol.

He’d save the knife for later, when she was helpless. Silently, he started up the stairs.

v

Carter drove home frustrated and tired. She’d been hoping Kevin would have something for her—a name, a connection, some kind of lead. But Marilyn had obviously decided she didn’t need the assistance of the state police and had cut them out of whatever her team was doing. Carter wasn’t surprised. Marilyn had never wanted to work with the locals—she only tolerated Carter and Kevin because Carter’s cover was so solid she could get inside Pareto’s organization when no one else could. Marilyn had needed her. Now the agent had apparently found another informant inside Pareto’s organization.

From what Carter knew of Alfonse Pareto’s security, that couldn’t have been easy. The last Pareto captain who had been coerced by the feds into betraying Pareto had ended up dead while in protective custody.

Carter thought back to the men closest to Pareto. They were all family or longtime friends. She couldn’t think of a single one who could be turned, not even with the threat of imprisonment. Pareto was generous

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with money and took care of his men’s families if they were imprisoned or disabled. He was also ruthless and completely unsentimental when it came to meting out punishment for transgressions. A man would have to be crazy or have a major death wish to betray him.

The clock on her dashboard registered ten fifty. She’d be home in twenty minutes, maybe less. She wanted another shower and then she wanted to crawl into bed next to Rica and lose herself for a few hours in Rica’s arms. She should check in with Reese first and find out if there was any word on Marilyn’s condition. She hoped when she closed her eyes, she wouldn’t see Marilyn’s face. Wouldn’t hear her broken plea.

But she didn’t think she was going to get her wish. Even with her eyes open and riveted to the hypnotic ribbon of black that streamed beneath her headlights, she could still see the stark terror in Marilyn Allen’s eyes and hear her desperate words. Even now, the agent’s strangled voice echoed in her head.

…n…go…

She doubted she would ever stop hearing… Carter shivered as an icy hand gripped her insides and twisted. She jerked and the car veered dangerously toward the shoulder. Panic surging, she yanked the wheel and managed to steady the vehicle.

“Oh Jesus,” she whispered, fumbling for her phone. “Oh Jesus, no.”

v

Rica smiled as she slipped on the peach, thigh-length silk nightgown and adjusted the thin straps. Carter loved to undress her, and even though Carter might not be home for hours, and she’d probably be dead tired when she was, a girl could hope. She snapped off the bathroom light, padded barefoot across the hardwood floor to the bed, and turned down the covers. She reached out to switch off the bedside lamp and stopped when she heard the faint swish of the bedroom door opening behind her. Slowly, her blood stilling in her veins, she turned.

“Hello, Rica.” His mad black eyes swept over her body as he stepped into the room.

Rica saw the gun in his right hand and she lunged for the top drawer of the dresser. A fist in her hair yanked her back so violently, she lost her balance. She lashed backward with both hands, trying to find his

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face, his eyes, but his other arm came across her throat and squeezed.

She kicked and flailed until her vision dimmed and her strength failed her.

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chapteR twenty-seven

Oh God,” Tory sighed, running her fingers through Reese’s hair. “You have the most amazing, incredible mouth.”

Laughing, Reese rubbed her cheek against Tory’s stomach. “You inspire me to greatness.”

“Are you sure about the baby?” Tory asked softly, still caressing Reese’s face.

Reese kissed the soft skin on the inside of Tory’s hip bone and traced the faint stretch marks that tracked over her lower abdomen, glimmering faintly in the muted lamplight, and the long, thin line left from the C-section. Battle scars. But these scars were badges of honor celebrating life, not death. She thought of Reggie sleeping innocently in the other room, and of all the promise and wonder awaiting their child in the future. All the joy that lay in store for them as a family.

She wouldn’t change anything about her life—not her solitary years in the service or the brutal time she’d spent in combat, or the nightmares that would probably never leave her. Darkness and evil were part of the life she had chosen, but this woman, this family—they were the power that shone the light into her darkest reaches and gave her the strength she could count on. Raising herself up on her arms so she could look into Tory’s face, Reese said, “I’m positive I want another baby. If it’s safe.”

Tory’s eyes grew solemn and she wrapped her arms tightly around Reese’s shoulders. “I will never do anything to risk what we have. I promise.”

“Same here.” Reese kissed her, groaning as Tory swept a hand

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down her back and pushed a thigh between Reese’s legs. Reese deepened the kiss and thrust against the velvet skin and hard muscle, letting the pressure she’d been holding back while she made love to Tory rise and carry her toward release.

Her cell phone on the bedside table rang, and Reese groaned louder. Arms trembling, she took a deep breath and forced the tide of pleasure to recede. Rolling over with a grunt, she fumbled for the phone. “Conlon.”

A tumble of shouts, nearly incoherent at first, assaulted her, and when the words finally began to make sense, Reese jumped to her feet. “I’ll be there in three minutes. Carter,” Reese said firmly but calmly. “Carter—when you arrive, park on Bradford and call me. You do not approach the house.”

The line was silent.

“Carter,” Reese barked, harsher this time. “Do you understand?

That’s an order.”

“Yes,” Carter said hoarsely. “Yes. But, Jesus, hurry. I’m still ten minutes away.”

“I’ll be there.” Reese disconnected and grabbed her pants, yanking them on as Tory got out of bed, found her shirt, and handed it to her.

“What can I do?” Tory asked.

“Carter thinks someone’s making a move on Rica right now. Call Bri—tell her I need backup at Rica and Carter’s. Tell her to come silent and call my cell. Tell her I need her now.”

“You’re going in alone?”

“I’ll put cars on the street in case the suspect gets by us, but I can’t risk alerting him if he has Rica. A small coordinated entry team is better.” Reese unlocked the gun case inside a corner closet and removed an M16 assault rifle along with her service sidearm, a 9mm Beretta.

Tory watched Reese clip the holster to her waistband as she had thousands of times before. In moments like this, it came home to her with stark clarity that when Reese left the house, she would be in mortal danger. She could walk out the door and never come back. Swiftly, ruthlessly, Tory forced the thoughts away.

“I’ll get Bri,” Tory said, already punching in Bri’s number on the cell as she followed Reese downstairs.

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Reese grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter and kissed Tory fast and hard. “I’ll call you.”

“I love you,” Tory called as Reese bolted through the door into the night.

v

Rica sensed the light through her closed eyelids and for an instant, the golden glow felt soothing. She remembered the man in the doorway at the same time as the bruising pain in her throat destroyed any illusion of comfort. Then she registered the weight on her hips, pinning her down, and knew he was straddling her. Like any cornered animal, she wanted to flee, wanted to thrash and struggle and scream, and she had to fight hard to stay still. Calling upon every ounce of strength and pride and stubbornness she owned, she let her hatred for him surge through her, submerging the blind panic in a powerful undertow. Rica opened her eyes and stared into his flat black pupils, purposely not looking at the gun in his right hand. “I thought you were dead.”

Her voice was hoarse, and her eyes watered from the pain of forcing the words out. She grit her teeth to prevent the tears from escaping.

Lorenzo Brassi laughed. “You didn’t go to my funeral.”

“I take it you weren’t…incinerated in the car explosion…as reported.” Rica concentrated on keeping her breathing even. She knew what fear did to Enzo. He loved it, fed off it. He had always tried to trap and torment her, even when he still believed she would one day be his wife. What he enjoyed most about women was dominating them sexually and physically. Marriage to him would have been a lifelong sentence of abuse masquerading as affection. He’d dropped all pretense of caring for her in any way other than as a possession when he’d finally accepted that she did not want him, that she wanted Carter. The last time she’d seen Enzo, he had caught her alone in a deserted alcove in her father’s house and nearly raped her.

“As you can see,” Enzo said with a sardonic smile, “the reports of my death were exaggerated.”

“Not easy to fool my father.” Rica turned her head ever so slightly to glance out of the corner of her eye at the bedside table. The top

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drawer was still open a few inches. She hoped her gun was still inside and that Enzo had not seen it.

“You have your FBI friends to thank for that.” Enzo shifted his weight so his crotch rested more tightly against Rica’s stomach and traced the underside of her breast with the muzzle of his H&K. “They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I provide information on your father and his associates, they make sure all the reports, including DNA, support my death.”

“It worked. No one suspected.” Rica pushed her hips into the bed, recoiling from the press of his erection. She had to find some way to distract him so she could get to her gun, and she didn’t have much time.

She didn’t know when Carter would be home, but it would be soon.

If Enzo was still here, Carter would walk in, unsuspecting, and Enzo would gun her down. Rica had to find a way to kill him first, or give him what he wanted so he would leave.

“And since everyone thought I was dead, all I had to do was slip away from my keepers. They couldn’t very well tell anyone they’d lost me.” Enzo chuckled and slid the pistol barrel higher, dragging it painfully back and forth across Rica’s nipple. “You and I have unfinished business. I’ve watched her pretend to fuck you, you know. She can’t give you what you really need. After I show you, you’ll understand that. You won’t ever want to think of Carter again.”

Rica froze, the breath stilling in her chest. He was insane, and from the venomous way he spoke Carter’s name, she understood why he had risked his freedom to come here. Carter, in his mind, had stolen her away from him. Carter had bested him. Carter had taken what he believed to be his. Enzo was going to rape her to reassert his claim on her, but that was never going to be enough. No matter what he did to her, no matter what she said to him, he would still need to destroy the invader who had dared violate his territory. He would kill Carter, and that was something she couldn’t let happen. Her only hope was to catch him off guard. She just needed a second or two, even if she only managed to wound him enough to make him flee. Even if he killed her in the process. She wouldn’t let him take everything that mattered to her—he would not take Carter. She only had to distract him for a few precious seconds. Rica ignored the pistol playing back and forth over her breasts and reached for the button on his pants.

“What are you waiting for?”

• 236 •

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v

Reese’s phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her pants pocket.

“Conlon.”

“The deck door is open. The glass is cut out,” Bri said. “He’s inside.”

“That light upstairs—that’s the bedroom?”

“Yes, the master. I can get up there—”

“Negative. I need eyes in that room before we move in.” Reese surveyed the street for a possible vantage point. The house next to Rica and Carter’s was a large two-story with a wraparound deck on the second level. “Hold your position. Do you have your radio?”

“Yes.”

“Go to Tac one. Smith and Chang are on Tac two in their cruiser.”

“Roger.”

Reese quickly cut across the street to the side of the residence adjacent to Carter and Rica’s. She saw no car in the driveway but couldn’t be certain the house was empty. If she rang the bell and ordered them to evacuate, they were likely to turn on the lights, including the one on the front porch. She didn’t want to do anything that might alert the intruder to a police presence. At this point, the neighbors weren’t going to be placed in any significant danger if she didn’t alert them to what was going on. She didn’t intend to engage in a firefight. If she fired, it would be a kill shot.

Securing her rifle diagonally across her back, Reese climbed up on the railing of the rear deck, stretched upward, jumped, and grasped the lower edge of the deck above. She pulled herself up and then carefully climbed over the railing and skirted low along the side of the house until she was opposite the lighted window forty feet away. The builders had been smart enough not to place facing windows directly opposite each other, and she had a wall at her back, affording further protection to any occupant of the house if the suspect should fire at her. Resting her rifle on the railing for support, she sighted through the scope into Rica and Carter’s bedroom.

v

• 237 •

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“Why the change of heart?” Enzo said, automatically thrusting his hips forward as Rica inched down the zipper on his fly. His gaze drifted down, away from her face, to her hands.

“You’re here. She’s not.” Rica watched his eyes lose focus just a little as she slid her fingers along the ridge of flesh she slowly exposed.

Adding what she knew he believed would be true, she said, “Besides, I want to enjoy it.”

He pressed the gun between her breasts and pushed up the peach silk nightgown with his free hand, exposing her bare stomach and the matching panties. He grunted as her fingers closed around him.

“And we are going to enjoy it,” Rica whispered, aware that the automatic still pointed at her throat. Until he moved it to a position where he wouldn’t kill her instantly if he fired, she couldn’t do anything but keep on with the course she had plotted. Numbing her mind to everything except her ultimate goal, to keep Carter safe, she pretended to enjoy what she was doing.

v

Carter punched in Reese’s number as she rocketed down Bradford, swerved around the cruiser blocking the intersection closest to her street, and jammed to a halt on the shoulder. When Reese picked up, she shouted, “I’m just pulling up at the bottom of the hill. Is she all right?”

“We’ve got an intruder.” Reese spoke softly into her phone, assessing what she could see through the window. Rica was not visible, but it wasn’t difficult to decipher the scenario in front of her. She could make out the head and shoulders of a man who appeared to be kneeling on the bed. He was oddly motionless. She didn’t see a weapon, and until she knew if he was armed, she couldn’t risk moving in prematurely.

Right now, surprise was on their side. If he knew they were out there, they’d have a hostage situation on their hands, or worst-case scenario, he’d kill Rica and opt for suicide by cop. “Late thirties, black hair, dark eyes, looks Mediterranean.”

“It’s Enzo. It’s gotta be Enzo,” Carter gasped, running full out up the street. There were no streetlights, so she didn’t have to worry about being seen, but she kept to the shadows, slowing as she neared her house. Every instinct screamed at her to barge inside, to find Rica,

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to destroy whoever threatened her. But her cop instincts were just as strong, telling her to slow down, telling her to listen to Reese. Telling her to trust Reese. “Reese. He’ll hurt her.”

“No, he won’t,” Reese said quietly. “Bri is on your rear deck. Meet her, move inside and upstairs. Do not attempt to enter the bedroom until I give the order.”

“Okay. Okay.”

Carter shoved the phone in her pocket, pulled her weapon, and ran to join Bri. She had to get inside that house. She had to get to Rica, and then she was going to kill him.

• 239 •

• 240 •

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chapteR twenty-eight

Rica was running out of time. She despised Enzo and loathed touching him, but she made herself keep watching his face to judge when his focus started to dissolve. She couldn’t think about what she saw in his smug expression—the victory and the pleasure. She gasped when he lifted himself a few inches off her body, wrapped her flimsy panties in his fist, and yanked. The material tore away, chafing roughly over her unprotected flesh, and he laughed when she couldn’t stifle a small cry. The pistol in his right hand wavered, swinging back and forth in front of her face, as his eyes dropped back to her fingers clenched around him. She picked up speed, waiting for his control to falter and his reflexes to slow.

“You’re not trying to make me come, are you,” he panted, his thighs still clamped around her hips like a vise. He pushed and pulled himself through her fingers, his tempo fast and erratic. “That’s right.

You’re good…at this.”

“I’m ready,” Rica whispered, praying she would be fast enough.

“Spread your legs and put me inside,” he growled through gritted teeth. “Hurry up.”

“I can’t with you where you are,” Rica said, trying to sound eager.

“Move down, Enzo, so I can put you where you belong. Come on, baby, I want you—”

Enzo grunted and shoved himself down until he was no longer straddling her hips. When he shifted his leg to force it between hers, freeing her of his weight for just a second, Rica quickly jerked both knees up to her chest and rolled off the bed, scrambling for the drawer in the bedside table. She heard his furious roar, and even as her hand

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closed around the pistol grip, she knew she was too late. The gunshot, or maybe it was her scream, was deafening.

v

At the sound of the shot, Carter elbowed Bri aside and shouldered through the door into the bedroom, panning the room with her weapon, her stomach clenched into a knot. Two bodies on the floor. Blood everywhere. Globs of maroon splattered on the bed, the dresser, the wall. Ribbons of crimson streaking down Rica’s face and chest.

“Rica,” Carter moaned, rushing forward. Bri was right beside her and grabbed the suspect’s shoulder, jerked him over, and trained her gun on his body. Carter fell to her knees next to Rica. “Baby! Oh Jesus, Rica!”

Rica shuddered and opened her eyes. When she saw Carter, she cried out and threw herself into Carter’s arms.

“Are you hurt?” Carter shouted, clutching Rica to her chest. She rocked her, searching her body with one hand, looking for injuries.

“Baby, are you hit?”

Wordlessly, Rica shook her head and burrowed closer into Carter.

“Is he dead?” Carter rasped, her hot eyes on the man splayed on the floor.

“Yes,” Bri said, removing the weapon from Enzo’s hand. She radioed Reese. “We’re code four here.”

“Rica?” Reese’s voice came back staticky over the radio.

“She’s okay.” Bri glanced over to the shattered window, then down to the man lying in a pool of blood at her feet. She couldn’t see the entry wound that must be in the back of his head, but the exit wound had taken out most of his forehead. “We’ll need the coroner.”

“I’ll call her and get officers out here for crowd control. You have the scene.”

“Roger that.” Bri knelt down beside Carter and Rica. Carter’s eyes were closed now, her face pressed to Rica’s hair. Bri gripped Carter’s shoulder. “I think you can take her to another room. I’ll make sure the scene is undisturbed until Reese gets here.”

“Thanks,” Carter said gruffly. She got to her knees and eased Rica up with her. “Come on, baby. Let me get you out of here.”

• 242 •

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v

Tory tapped on the bedroom door next to the crime scene and eased into the room. Rica sat stiffly on the side of the bed, Carter next to her, holding her hand. Rica’s nightgown was splotched with darkened patches of blood, as were her bare shoulders and neck. Tory set her equipment bag down in the center of the floor and took out her camera.

“Rica, I need to take some photos, gather a few samples, and then you can get into the shower.” Tory smiled at Carter, who looked so wired she was about to fly apart. “Carter, maybe you could get things ready for her. Make sure the bathroom is nice and steamy and find a robe and lots of fluffy towels.”

Carter looked uncertain, but Rica said in a low, flat voice, “Go ahead, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

“I’ll just be in the other room if you need me,” Carter said, brushing Rica’s cheek with her fingertips.

Rica watched until Carter had closed the bathroom door behind her, then smiled wanly at Tory. “Thank you. She doesn’t need to hear this.”

“She probably does,” Tory said casually, moving back and forth in front of Rica, getting the photos she needed for her report. “You’ll probably want to tell her, too, but you’ll know when the right time is.”

She finished and stowed the camera away. Then she donned gloves and assembled a number of specimen containers. Moving closer so she could speak softly, she said, “Tell me what happened.”

After a pause, Rica recounted the events while Tory quickly and efficiently took scrapings from Rica’s nails, collected flakes of blood from her skin, and plucked errant hairs from her nightgown and body.

Rica’s voice shook when she described what she had done to distract Enzo. She glanced toward the closed bathroom door. “I don’t know how to tell her that.”

Tory affixed labels to specimen envelopes and jars and stored them in her case. Then she sat next to Rica and took her hand. “What you did was incredibly brave.” She laughed softly. “Maybe just a little bit crazy risky too. Carter knows you love her. And she loves you. She’s not going to be upset about anything you had to do to survive.” Tory

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slid her arm around Rica’s shoulders and hugged her. “Trust me on this.

Trust her.”

“I was so afraid Carter would come back and Enzo would kill her.”

Rica felt the terror for the first time, really felt it deep inside, and she couldn’t stop the tears. “I was afraid he would kill me and then her.”

“You stopped that from happening. You did really well.” Tory held Rica tightly as she sobbed, and when the bathroom door burst open and Carter vaulted into the room, her eyes wild with worry, Tory shook her head. “She’s all right. She just needs to do this for a few minutes.”

Carter leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. “As long as she needs.”

After a few minutes, Rica straightened and brushed trembling fingers over her face. “Did I shoot him?”

Tory glanced at Carter, who nodded for her to go ahead. “No, you didn’t. Reese shot him. She told me if you hadn’t done what you did, if you hadn’t gotten him to move, she wouldn’t have had a clear shot. She couldn’t see the gun earlier.”

“I would have shot him,” Rica murmured. “I would have killed him and I don’t think I would have felt a thing.”

“The bastard deserved it.” Carter strode across the room and squatted down in front of Rica, taking her hands. “Baby, he assaulted you. He killed an FBI agent and knifed another one. He would have hurt you, baby.”

Rica smiled weakly and squeezed Carter’s hands. “I’m all right.

Really.” She turned to Tory. “Can I get clean now?”

Her eyes steady on Rica, Tory asked, “Do I need to collect sexual forensic evidence?”

“No. He never touched me.”

“Then I think Carter owes you a shower.”

v

Reese watched dispassionately as the two medics zipped up the black body bag and lifted it onto the stretcher for transport to the clinic.

When the room had cleared, she picked up Tory’s equipment bag while Tory disposed of her gloves and washed her hands in the bathroom.

“All set?” Reese asked when Tory emerged.

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Tory took one last look around the room, then studied the shattered window. “That was quite a shot.”

Reese looked over her shoulder to the house next door. Lights blazed in most of the windows now. She had sent officers to speak to the neighbors and assure everyone that there was no danger, but with three patrol cars and two ambulances outside in the street, the entire neighborhood was awake. From her vantage point on the opposite deck, she’d been pretty certain of what was happening in this room, although her view was obstructed most of the time. And there hadn’t been any question in her mind when Rica had bolted upright and the suspect, after catching his balance, had swung his pistol in her direction. Reese had had a millisecond to determine that Rica was not in her line of fire and that Rica was in imminent danger. She’d shot him in the head because she couldn’t risk a body shot that might not have completely and instantaneously disabled him. Head shots weren’t usually recommended, because the target was so much smaller than a center mass shot, but she had to stop him in his tracks before his nervous system could telegraph a signal to his finger to pull the trigger.

She couldn’t risk him shooting Rica, so she aimed for the medulla at the back of his head.

“Short-range shot,” Reese said. “Every Marine is a marksman.”

“And thank God for that,” Tory murmured, brushing her hand over Reese’s chest. “Are you all right?”

Reese sighed and took in the room and the remains of a near tragedy. “About taking out the suspect? Yes. But I’m not happy he got to her. I think I should’ve seen this coming.”

“Of course you should have,” Tory said with an edge. “Because you’re clairvoyant in addition to being indestructible and…”

“Hey,” Reese said gently. “Everybody’s fine.”

Tory slid her arms around Reese’s waist. “When I saw you leave the house with that rifle, I knew it was going to be bad. I was frightened.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. No apologies.” Tory leaned back and smiled wryly. “And I’m sorry for nagging you. Get some sleep, and in the morning you and the rest of your team can go over all of this. If you missed something, you’ll find it. But Rica’s all right, and that’s what matters.”

“Thanks.” Reese kissed her. “Let’s go home.”

• 245 •

• 246 •

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chapteR twenty-nine

Allie’s phone vibrated on the table next to the bed, and she stretched carefully for it with her good right arm, trying not to wake Ash. KT had finally given her permission to go home around midnight, stating she was satisfied that Allie’s wound wasn’t going to require surgery. Allie had taken the prescribed pain pill, and the minute she and Ash had climbed into bed, she’d cuddled up in Ash’s arms and checked out. In the soft light of early morning, Ash still looked exhausted, her face drawn and pale with dark circles under her eyes.

Allie figured she probably looked as bad, but she didn’t feel too terrible.

Her arm hurt like anything, but mostly, she was happy. She had a lot to be happy about. She’d helped catch a perp yesterday, and best of all, she’d just woken up next to Ash.

The text message was from Bri, and it was a whopper. She hurriedly sent a response and eased to the edge of the bed. Before she could try standing up, an arm snaked around her waist. Then she felt a soft kiss in the center of her back.

“Going somewhere?” Ash skated her hand higher, cradling Allie’s breast in her palm.

Allie leaned back against Ash, closing her eyes and enjoying the play of Ash’s fingers over her nipple. “You know just how to get me going, don’t you?”

“Don’t know what you mean.” Ash sat up and put a leg on either side of Allie’s body, pulling Allie back against her chest. She kissed the side of her neck and nuzzled her ear. “Who were you texting?

Girlfriend?”

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Allie leaned her head away and gave Ash a look. “You were sweet for twelve whole hours. Are you going to be a dick again now?”

“Probably.” Ash nipped at Allie’s earlobe.

“That was Bri. They got the guy that knifed the FBI agents. He broke in and assaulted Rica at her house.”

Ash stiffened. “Is Rica all right?”

“Yes, but I want to go to the station and find out what’s going on.”

“Are you sure? How’s your arm?”

“My arm is fine. I want to talk about you being a dick, so don’t change the subject.” Allie tried to sound stern, but the tingling in her nipple was spreading to her clit. Her mind was getting a little fuzzy.

She pushed her hips back into Ash’s crotch, pleased when Ash groaned softly. “I like you being all possessive and stuff.”

“Good,” Ash rumbled, her mouth against Allie’s neck.

“But I don’t like you being stupid jealous.”

Ash brought her other arm around Allie’s body so she could hold both breasts. “Is there a difference?”

“Yes.” Allie sighed, resting her head back against Ash’s shoulder.

“That feels so good.”

“Mmm, to me too.” Ash went back to kissing Allie’s neck, the edge of her jaw, the corner of her mouth. “Don’t move, let me do everything.”

“No argument.” Allie shifted restlessly. She needed more. She needed Ash to stroke her clit. And she really needed to finish her thought before she couldn’t think any more at all. “When you’re possessive, it just means you want me real bad.”

“I want you something fierce.” Ash caressed Allie’s stomach with one hand, sweeping her fingertips over the delta between her thighs but not entering. Allie whimpered and Ash struggled not to push lower, deeper, right away. She wanted to claim Allie as hers. She wanted to be the only one who ever touched her again.

“But when you’re jealous,” Allie gasped, clutching Ash’s wrist and moving her fingers lower, onto her stiff, aching clit. “Then you don’t trust me. I need you to trust…oh, God baby…you’re going to make me come soon.”

“Mmm, I am.”

“Trust me?” Allie moaned and pressed Ash’s fingers harder over

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the spot that pulsed and beat frantically, moving Ash’s fingertips in quick, firm circles. “Please. Please I need you.”

“I trust you, I do,” Ash whispered. “I love you. I love you, Allie.”

Allie pushed back hard in Ash’s arms, her hips lifting as she came.

She dug her nails into the top of Ash’s hand, keeping Ash right on the spot as her orgasm pounded beneath Ash’s fingertips. After her muscles unlocked, she sank back with a long sigh. “Oh my God. I love when you do that.”

Ash laughed. “I love to do it.”

Allie shifted sideways and rested her cheek against Ash’s shoulder.

“What are we going to do?”

Ash kissed her forehead. “What do you want to do?”

“I asked you first.”

Allie’s tone was playful but Ash heard the challenge in her voice.

She’d been the one to walk away before. Now Allie wanted her to be the one to take the risk. She would. She’d do anything to make Allie feel secure. To have Allie trust her again. “You’re the only woman in my heart, so here’s what I want. I want to be the only woman in your life from now on. For forever.” Ash studied Allie’s face, but got no clue as to how Allie felt about what she was saying. She had no choice but to put it all on the line. “I want to live here with you.”

“What about your job?” Allie asked.

“I already travel for work. I’ll just travel a little farther.”

“And what about when you’re on the road and you get horny?”

Ash was naked and when Allie brushed her fingers over her chest, tracing the curve of her breast with a fingertip, the muscles in her thighs twitched. “I’ll call you and we’ll have phone sex.”

Smiling faintly, Allie raked her nails down the center of Ash’s stomach. “What about when I get horny?”

“You can make yourself come while you think about me touching you.”

Allie lifted her eyes to Ash’s, her expression serious. “That’s it?

You and me? No one else?”

“No one else,” Ash whispered.

Allie settled her head back on Ash’s shoulder and slid her hand lower, between Ash’s legs. “That sounds good to me.”

“To me too.” Ash closed her eyes and rested her cheek against the top of Allie’s head. The unbearable pleasure that was coming soon,

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taking her fast and hard, would be exquisite, and only a fraction of the joy that filled her heart.

v

“You okay?” Bri asked when Allie settled into the chair next to her in Reese’s office. Carter sat on the other side of Bri in plain clothes. She didn’t look like she’d gotten a whole lot of sleep.

“Yeah,” Allie whispered. “It really hurts a lot, though.”

“I bet. Take it easy, all right?”

Allie leaned around Bri to Carter. “Is Rica all right?”

“She’s shaken up, but she’s solid,” Carter replied, not certain who was more shaken up—Rica or her. Rica had finally fallen asleep around dawn, but she hadn’t been able to. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Rica on the floor covered in blood. When she’d left for the station, Rica had seemed calm and steady, a lot steadier than Carter felt. Every now and then a picture of what might have happened if Reese hadn’t taken the shot when she did popped into her head and she got sick to her stomach.

“Tell her I’ll call—”

Reese cut in. “Tremont. You’re on sick leave. Go home.”

“I will, Sheriff.” Allie settled back and folded her arms across her chest. “After the debriefing.”

“You called her in, Parker?” Reese said to Bri.

Bri straightened in her chair. “Yes ma’am. I knew she’d want to be here.”

Reese worked at not smiling. The two were partners, and she could team them up with others as much as she wanted, but nothing was going to change that. “Okay, then. Let’s run it.”

Allie noticed Carter’s hands ball into fists when Reese got to the part about Lorenzo Brassi breaking in and assaulting Rica. She didn’t even want to imagine how she’d feel if something like that happened to Ash, so she concentrated on the facts and remembered that Rica was safe because all of them, including Rica, had done what needed to be done.

“So you think it was Brassi all along?” Allie asked when Reese finished. “Doing everything? Breaking into Rica’s car and your house

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and…” She glanced at Bri. “What about the intruder at Caroline and Bri’s the other night?”

“I questioned Everly again this morning before he was transferred back to the federal lockup,” Reese said. “Pushed him hard. He still denies going after Caroline, and although his alibi is weak, I think it’s probably legit. He said he just wanted to lay low until everyone forgot about him, which is why he went to his buddy’s place and didn’t even let his mother know he was around.”

Bri snorted. “As if we would forget he’d skipped out on parole.”

“Well, he’s not too bright.”

“What did the feds say about Brassi?” Carter asked, her dark eyes edgy and troubled.

“They said they can’t comment on an ongoing operation.” Reese knew what was going on in Carter’s head, could imagine the pictures that tortured her. Carter would be tormented by those pictures for a long time, but she’d be okay. She still had Rica, and that was all she needed.

That and knowing the man who had harmed Rica had paid. “I don’t think we’ll ever get the entire story from the feds. According to Rica, Brassi said the feds helped him disappear. My guess is that someone in Alfonse Pareto’s organization leaked that Pareto intended to eliminate Brassi because he was unstable and a threat to Rica. The feds saw a chance to recruit him and gave him a choice—either he turns informer for them and in return they help fake his death, or Pareto has him killed.

Not much of a choice.”

“And then,” Carter said, “he slips away from them and goes after Rica.”

Reese nodded. “Once he got here, Brassi hid out and stalked Rica.

It’s not unusual for stalkers to work themselves up to attacking their primary target while terrorizing their target’s friends and loved ones.

It gives them a sense of power, and they derive pleasure from their target’s fear and pain.”

“But why didn’t someone tell us when Special Agent Lynch tracked him here?” Bri asked. “If we’d known, we might’ve picked Brassi up sooner. Agent Lynch might not be dead and no one else would have been terrorized.”

“I don’t think Marilyn Allen wanted to advertise that her team had lost track of an informant, particularly one who was dangerously crazy.

• 251 •

RAdCLY fFe

I’m not even certain she informed her superiors. She was probably hoping they’d find him and get him back under wraps with no one the wiser.”

“She was willing to put Rica’s life at risk in order to nail Rica’s father,” Carter said bitterly.

“What about Agent Allen?” Allie asked. “What’s the word on her condition?”

“She’s out of surgery, but in a coma. The doctors don’t give her much chance,” Reese said.

The room was silent. Reese closed the folder on top of her desk and pushed it aside.

“I think we have all the answers we’re ever going to get,” Reese said. “Tremont, I don’t want you back here without a medical release form in your hand. Carter, Bri—go home and get some rest. I’ve assigned officers to cover your shifts tonight.”

Reese waited until the team filed out, then she called Tory. “I’m taking a personal day.”

“Really,” Tory said slowly. “And what are you going to do with all that free time?”

“Can you get away?”

“KT is still in town. She’ll cover for me.”

“I thought I’d make reservations for us to have lunch in Boston.

We can fly over and maybe you could pull some doctor strings and get us in to see Wendy later this afternoon. We can talk to her about making babies.”

“You don’t waste any time, do you, Sheriff?”

“When you know what you want, why wait?”

“I know what I want,” Tory murmured. “Come home now.”

“On my way, Dr. King.”

• 252 •

About the Author

Radclyffe is a retired surgeon and full-time award-winning author-publisher with over thirty novels and anthologies in print. Seven of her works have been Lambda Literary finalists including the Lambda Literary winners Erotic Interludes 2: Stolen Moments edited with Stacia Seaman; In Deep Waters 2; and Distant Shores, Silent Thunder. She is the editor of Best Lesbian Romance 2009

and 2010 (Cleis Press), Erotic Interludes 2 through 5 and Romantic Interludes 1 and 2 with Stacia Seaman (BSB), and has selections in multiple anthologies including Best Lesbian Erotica 2006–10; After Midnight; Caught Looking: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists; First-Timers; Ultimate Undies: Erotic Stories About Lingerie and Underwear; Hide and Seek; A is for Amour; H is for Hardcore; L is for Leather; Rubber Sex, Tasting Him, and Cowboy Erotica. She is the recipient of the 2003 and 2004 Alice B. Readers’

award for her body of work and is also the president of Bold Strokes Books, one of the world’s largest independent LGBTQ publishing companies.

Her latest releases are an all-Radclyffe erotica anthology, Radical Encounters (Feb. 2009) the romantic intrigue novel Justice for All (April 2009), and the romance Secrets in the Stone (July 2009). Her forthcoming works include The Midnight Hunt (writing as L.L.

Raand, March 2010) and the first in the First Responder Series, Trauma Alert (July 2010).

Books Available From Bold Strokes Books Power Play by Julie Cannon. Businesswomen Tate Monroe and Victoria Sosa are at odds in the boardroom, but not in the bedroom.

(978-1-60282-125-5)

The Remarkable Journey of Miss Tranby Quirke by Elizabeth Ridley. When love enters Tranby’s life in the form of a beautiful nineteen-year-old student, Lysette McDonald, she embarks on the most remarkable journey of all. (978-1-60282-126-2) Returning Tides by Radclyffe. Insurance investigator Ashley Walker faces more than a dangerous opponent when she returns to the town, and the woman, she left behind. (978-1-60282-123-1) Veritas by Anne Laughlin. When the hallowed halls of academia become the stage for murder, newly appointed Dean Beth Ellis’s search for the truth leads her to unexpected discoveries about her own heart.

(978-1-60282-124-8)

The Pleasure Planner by Larkin Rose. Pleasure purveyor Bree Hendricks treats love like a commodity until Logan Delaney makes Bree the client in her own game. (978-1-60282-121-7) everafter by Nell Stark and Trinity Tam. Valentine Darrow is bitten by a vampire on her way to propose to her lover Alexa Newland, and their lives and love are placed in mortal jeopardy. (978-1-60282-119-4) Summer Winds by Andrews & Austin. When Maggie Turner hires a ranch hand to help work her thousand acres, she never expects to be attracted to the very young, very female Cash Tate. (978-1-60282-120-0)

Beggar of Love by Lee Lynch. Jefferson is the lover every woman wants to be—or to have. A revealing saga of lesbian sexuality. (978-1-60282-122-4)

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