He exhaled a groan. Though she was doing a great job of attempting to exonerate her aunt, and things seemed to be going smoothly, this whole mess couldnt be over soon enough to suit him.
Your aunt liked to play games, the man muttered. And apparently it runs in the family. My mothers not too sick to play them herself.
Well, good. Just tell me how involved my aunt was in those games and you can take the books back to your sick motherwith my best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Not here. Ive got a car waiting outside. You walk me to it and Ill tell you all about how much my mother and your aunt had in common.
Remember the plan, Kane thought. Hand him the books and sit tight. Given no choice, a smart middleman would take them and run. Kane had already promised Kayla theyd lean hard on this guy and anyone else he ratted out to discover the extent of her aunts involvement. She didnt have to jeopardize her life for her aunts reputation.
Im sure you can make the time for one drink. Her voice was practically a purr by now. Only Kane recognized the hint of desperation and fear within.
Not a chance. Lets go.
Hand him the books, Kane muttered through clenched teeth. Instead he heard the slide of a chair against the floor.
Just let me grab my bag, she murmured.
Kane slammed his hand hard against the wall, ignoring the immediate swelling caused by the impact against concrete. Sweat began a steady trickle down his back.
He wanted to run into the hall and tackle her to the ground to stop her. But then hed blow the case for sure. There were strategically placed cops outside, shed be fine. Shed be fine.
The guys had wanted to shoot hoops after school. Kane couldnt because he had to get home to his mother. One game, McDermott. Ten minutes. No big deal. Hed never said yes before, but the guys were insistent. Ten minutes turned to thirty, then an hour passed. Kane hit the streets at a dead run. Shed be fine, hed told himself. Shed be fine.
Theres the car. Now Ill take the books. The mans voice snapped Kane out from the grip of old memories.
Fine. But Im done. I have nothing to do with this end of the business. I want to be left alone.
Thats a girl. Too late for Kanes piece of mind, she was out there with less coverage than before. But at least she was sticking to the rest of the rules hed laid out while he was wiring her earlier.
Now if the guy would just attempt a clean break, and if Kanes people could move in, theyd be all set. If, if, ifDammit why couldnt she have stayed inside?
Thats a dangerous proposition. Just ask your aunt The mans laughter mixed with the hacking cough of a long-time smoker. Thats right, you cant and you want to know why? She never wanted to be involved and look what happened to her.
It wasnt an accident. The horror in Kaylas voice caused Kanes heart to twist into a tight knot.
He shook his head, feeling her pain like his own. You were right all along about your aunts innocence, sweetheart. And Kane should have trusted her gut instinct as much as he trusted his own. Because he l
A car horn blared in the distance and her attackers voice sounded next. I didnt say that, but if thinking it keeps you in line, Im all for it. Now hand over the books.
You killed Aunt Charlene. Shock tinged Kaylas voice.
Dammit, hand over the books.
The books, lady.
Ouch. Dammit, okay. Youre hurting me, Kayla muttered. Here.
A loud masculine grunt followed. Kane recalled Kayla nearly doubling him over with the same books and couldnt suppress a half-laugh, half-groan at her unmitigated gall.
Without warning, the sound of a lone gunshot rang out, shocking him as it echoed in his ears. Kane bolted for the door without looking back.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
YOU DONT SHOOT WHEN a civilians involved. Kanes shout reverberated through the air, stopping passersby on the street.
You do when theres a safe shot, the rookie retorted.
Didnt you learn anything at the academy? There is no such thing and Ill make sure you have plenty of time to remember that while youre walking the beat for the next month.
Kayla cringed from her perch on the curb where shed fallen. Some trigger-happy cop had decided to take out the suspect when hed tried to drag her into the car along with him. She supposed she should be grateful, but from the anger in Kanes voice, she knew theyd both be paying for the foreseeable future. If Kane even stuck around that long, now that they had the guy in custody.
The rookie had hit the man in the leg and hed dropped hard, his weight taking her down with him. Now he lay moaning in pain, surrounded by police.
And you. Kane rounded the circle of cops, his attention now fully focused on her.
The adrenaline rush from seeing him was much more potent than anything that had come before. His intense gaze settled on her face and her heart rate kicked into high gear.
I thought I told you to stay put. To make sure you didnt leave the restaurant. But following orders isnt in your vocabulary, is it? He loomed over her. Big, powerful and sexy, despite his all-encompassing anger.
Her fingertips curled around the curb and the rough concrete bit into her skin. Not when Im stranded on my own and forced to improvise. He said move, I moved. I didnt think
His jaw clenched in a gesture shed come to recognize, one that signaled the calm before the proverbial storm. Youre damn right you didnt think. You didnt think hed grab you, didnt think hed try to drag you into his car, didnt think some rookie looking for a promotion would see his chance and fire.
Shed put herself in danger while he was powerless to stop itjust like with his mother. Kayla realized the foundation of his anger way too late to prevent the flood of emotion shed inadvertently unleashed. The yelling came from deep concern, and fear of reliving his painful past.
Im not hurt, Kane.
But you had to push him, he continued as if he hadnt heard. He probably hadnt. You had to know about your aunt. You couldnt trust me to do my job His voice trailed off and he paused, shaking his head. Its not like I gave you any damn reason to.
Kayla shook her head. She trusted him, all right. With her life and with her heart. But he wouldnt believe her any more than hed want to hear the truth. Because Kane was only concerned with his job, not with emotions he hadnt asked her to feel for him. This turn of events hadnt helped. In fact, that rookie had probably shot her happy ending to hell and back.
Kane had wanted a neat wrap-up, no problems, no proof that hed let his feelings sway his judgment in any way. Life had just thrown the unexpected in his path. Hed have to deal with that, Kayla thought. The man had emotions and it was past time he got in touch with them.
She quickly cataloged her body and not finding any overt injuries, she levered herself to a standing position. Unexpected pain shot through her ankle when she put pressure on her foot. She forced what she hoped was an easy smile. Im fine.
His hand reached out to stroke her cheek. Spiraling dizziness assaulted her. Not from the shock of the past few minutes, but from his heated touch and the caring it implied.
You just winced. His husky voice shook her composure. Could she dare hope he wouldnt be able to walk away?
Did I? She shook her head. I didnt realize. That guy weighed a ton and I took the brunt of his fall. Look, Captain Reids here, she said, hoping to distract him so she could walk the kinks out of her ankle.
Kane placed his hand on the small of her back, waiting for her to precede him. She drew a deep breath and took her first step. Her ankle buckled beneath her.
His muttered curse coincided with the sudden weightless sensation of being swept off her feet.
What are you doing?
Getting you the hell out of here.
She gripped his shoulders with both hands and held on tight. Hard muscles flexed beneath her fingertips and an accompanying rhythm began to hum inside her as well. She couldnt suppress a shiver of desire. Put me down and let me walk on my own. This is humiliating. And arousing. And it felt way too good for something destined to end.
Captain.
The older man walked toward them.
Anything you need from her youve got on tape. Shell be down tomorrow to make a statement, Kane said.
Reid nodded. If Kayla wasnt mistaken, an amused smirk clung to the edge of his mouth.
Embarrassment flooded her. She could only imagine the shade of pink that probably washed over her cheeks. I can walk, she muttered in Kanes ear.
You heard the lady, McDermott.
Kane shook his head. Shes got a choice. X-rays at the hospital or ice at home until I know if theres swelling.
Though she should be used to it, Kayla bristled at his take-charge attitude. Still a tiny part of her reveled in the attention, probably because there wouldnt be much more in her future.
Her heart clenched in denial. Ill take the ice at home. At the very least, their goodbye would be in private.
KAYLAS FREEZER LOOKED about as empty as Kanes apartment. The place he called home. The place hed be returning to tonight, alone. He slammed the door closed hard.
Dont take your anger out on the appliances. I cant afford new ones, Kayla yelled from the couch in the next room.
I cant find an ice pack, he called back.
Thats because, despite how many times Ive been hurt this week alone, were not accident-prone around here. There are plastic bags in the top drawer. You can put some ice cubes in there.
He popped freshly made cubes into the clear bag and joined her in the room she called the family room. Ridiculous word, he thought. It conjured images he wanted to run from. Visions of sitting beside Kayla in comfortable silence, of warm sheets, and confidencesof their legs tangled together in her bed. Leaving her wouldnt be easy, but he had no choice. She deserved better than him and, Lord knew, he didnt deserve her.
Shed propped her ankle on a double set of pillows. After checking out the swelling, he realized it wasnt nearly as bad as hed first thought. A bad bruise at the very worst. Still a little first aid couldnt hurt so he laid the ice on her elevated foot.