by Regan Black
Why was she baiting him? “Don’t you dare accuse me of tunnel vision. If there are alternative reasons for Tyler to be upset, all he has to do is give me one.” It would put him back at square one, but that was how things went sometimes. “Dropping a suspect too soon is also lousy investigative work.”
She set the wine aside and hugged her knees to her chest, looking as fragile as he’d ever seen her. It put an uncomfortable itch between his shoulder blades.
“You know the thief might have killed you.” Though she trembled, he plowed on. He had to find a motivator that would get her to cooperate with him. “If the dose had been a little stronger, if Stumps hadn’t alerted me when he did.”
“Stop it.” She shoved to her feet. “I survived last night. I am fine. No part of Tyler’s life intersects with the twins or their business. Can we please focus on a way to get Nico away from the Larsons?”
Shane groped for the patience that had served him well behind bars. “People can surprise us.” She sure as hell was surprising him regularly in just the past twenty-four hours.
“What if we work backward?” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “If the Larsons were at the hospital with Mae Rose, how and where did they take delivery from the vet who removed Nico’s microchip?”
It wasn’t a bad idea. He’d explore it tomorrow. There was no way the thief was successful without some inside help at the training center, and her insights could help. “Are you worried I’m right about Tyler?”
Her eyes blazed to life. “I’m worried you questioning him officially will make his home life worse.”
She was fighting him harder than ever. “You said he was basically in a neglectful situation.”
“So I thought,” she muttered.
“What happened?”
She raised her gaze to the ceiling and blinked away tears. “He was late to the youth center as I said.” She sucked in a deep breath. “And he had a black eye.”
Shane’s intuition kicked up a notch. “Did he have an explanation?”
Her watery laughter held more bitterness than humor. “First he said he walked into a door.”
“You didn’t let him get away with that answer.”
“Of course not.” She retrieved her wineglass, looking miserable as she drained it. “My interrogation skills aren’t up to your standards. I couldn’t grill him over a couple of slices of pizza.”
He stared at her. “You thought about it.”
“Of course I did, though he typically clams up when he’s pressed that way.” She put the empty wineglass on the counter and pushed at her hair again. “He told me it was a bully, but that’s all he’d give me.”
“Will he be at the training center tomorrow?”
“Shane, you can’t go after him,” she protested. “He’ll never trust me again.”
He wondered if Tyler had any idea how lucky he was to have an ally like Danica. Many nights before and after he wound up behind bars, Shane had wished for just one person willing to take his claim of innocence at face value. Instead, they all believed the illustrious Sergeant Gage’s version of the crime.
“You should trust me.” He crowded her between his body and the counter. “You act like I want to haul the kid to jail and throw away the key.”
She shoved at his chest, clearly annoyed that she couldn’t budge him. He should back up, would have, but the feel of her hands scorched the last of his common sense. He trapped her hands against his chest with one hand and caressed the nape of her neck with the other. Before he could change his mind, he bent his head and kissed her.
That first, sweet contact gave him a jolt. He explored her lips with his until she softened. When she kissed him back, she surprised him by reflecting the same intense need pounding through him.
Her hands relaxed, drifting across his chest, then fluttering higher, twining around his neck. He wanted to feel those hands everywhere. Her sigh sifted through him and he changed the angle of the kiss, sinking deeper. She tasted of wine, and the silk of her hair cascaded through his fingers, over his arm.
Her slender body was supple against his and he wanted to drag her close, closer, lending her his strength while taking in her soft tenderness. His hands smoothed down her back, over the slight curve of her hips down to the hem of her tunic. He gathered it up, tormenting himself with feel of her toned thighs, every hint of the heat of her body waiting for his touch under her clothing.
Everything about her was a blow to his senses. Her head fell back and he indulged the unspoken request, trailing kisses up and down the column of her throat, along her jaw. Her green gaze shuttered by long auburn lashes, she lifted her lips to his for another long, luscious kiss.
What was he doing? He released her, reluctantly, making sure she was steady on her feet, though his knees felt weak as his pulse slammed through his veins. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes wide and unfocused.
“I—” Words failed him.
“Yeah.” She pressed her fingertips to her mouth as her lips curved up in a shy smile. “That was, um…” She’d apparently run out of words, as well.
He barely kept himself from laying claim to that amazing mouth all over again.
Though the kiss rattled him, he savored the lingering taste of her. He struggled to regain his balance now that his world had been tipped sideways. “So you must have a soft spot for hard-luck kids.” The joke missed the mark.
Her gaze dropped to the floor. “You should leave,” she whispered.
“I only meant—”
“I get it.” She started to reach out for him and jerked her hands back. “Please go.”
Smart. If she touched him again, there was no doubt in his mind where they would end up.
“Okay.” He’d leave, but this wasn’t over. It was marginally easier to go when it was obvious she was as breathless and unsettled as him. “I’ll meet you at the training center in the morning.”
Out in his car, he had to wait for his hands to stop shaking before he could drive away. Now that he’d had one taste of her he wanted more. He’d lost his mind, kissing Danica Gage. And she’d kissed him back.
At least he wasn’t alone in the insanity.
* * *
Friday morning arrived too quickly, leaving Danica wondering how long a person could safely go without sleep. She’d tossed and turned all night. When she wasn’t wrestling the irrational fear of being alone and defenseless, she was reliving that kiss…imagining what could have followed. When she had slept, Shane’s sexy face and body had invaded her dreams.
Not that any of those dreamy moments would come to pass. She was still a Gage and he was still the man with a rightful grudge.
A little voice in the back of her head chimed in with the reminder that he’d kissed her. What did that mean? If she hadn’t asked Shane to leave, both of her problems would be solved. She wouldn’t be alone, jumping at every shadow, and she’d know.
Despite the early hour, she tossed back the covers and went about her morning routine. Going in early was probably smart after leaving early yesterday. Being at work, with plenty of people and responsibilities, would also give her a buffer from Shane.
She had no idea how she was going to look him in the eye or work the case with him after last night. Not only the knee-melting kiss but also her idiotic claim that she’d killed someone were hanging out there between them now.
She would find a way, she thought as she fed Oscar breakfast. Because barring the Larson brothers’ willing return of Nico and the puppy, assuming Shane found him there as well, they had a job to do. She wasn’t sure either one of them was thinking clearly or what that meant for their chances of rescuing the dogs.
At the training center, she wasn’t the only one in early. Everyone on staff was equally unsettled, sad and somber after the thefts. Danica bypassed her office and went straight back to check on the dogs. The awkw
ard vibe of loss and uncertainty clouded the air in the kennels, as well. The Malinois puppy that had lost his littermate was nervous and lonely.
To combat her anger over the circumstances she couldn’t control, she took the puppy out into the yard, doing her best to lead by example for the little guy. If she could be brave out here, it would convey a sense of stability and reassurance to him. That was the core of her job, after all, to give the dogs confidence in themselves and their human partners.
At the morning staff meeting, the training schedule was modified and still more security precautions were introduced. They were given an update on the investigation that amounted to little more than a plea for patience, and told the guard was improving. She wondered if that update had come directly from Shane.
Belatedly, Danica felt the gazes around the room shift to her. “I’m feeling much better,” she assured everyone with a smile. “I was thinking it would be good to get the new puppy on the agility course today,” she added as notes and plans were solidified. “Just to give him something fun to focus on.”
Being out in the yard would be good for her, too. Working the puppy on fun and challenging skills would require her full attention. Any success would be another step in restoring her self-reliance after the shocking attack. Dogs and people would benefit from plenty of uplifting sunshine and fresh air, something she suspected they all needed.
“Stella would enjoy that,” Hayley said, referring to the young beagle. “And we can use the older goldens to show her and the puppy how it’s done.” The training center currently had two experienced golden retrievers in house for search and rescue recertification.
“Once Tyler arrives, he and I can set the course,” Danica volunteered. If she was lucky, he would open up to her and she could then set Shane’s mind at ease. Avoiding an official questioning was her top priority for Tyler’s sake.
When Tyler finally showed up and knocked on her office door, she saw that his eye was a kaleidoscope of color under the flop of hair. “Looks worse than it feels,” he told her.
“It looks like it needs an hour with a raw steak,” she replied as they walked outside to set up the agility course.
“Ha,” he said. “I don’t want my face licked off by the puppy.”
Smart kid, she thought, smiling to herself. Though he was quiet, he didn’t seem any more restless than anyone else at the training center today. She was pleased he relaxed a bit as they hauled various brightly colored obstacles around to set the course. Despite ample opportunity, he stubbornly refused to volunteer anything about the bully who’d clocked him last night.
“Why don’t you let them know we’re ready?” she said. “And then bring the puppy out.”
“Me?” He froze, staring at her. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” Didn’t he know how much she trusted him? “Is there a reason you don’t want to?”
“No.” He loped across the yard, as if afraid she’d change her mind.
Alone. Danica held her ground, studying the course when she wanted to turn and check the fence and the trees crowding it. No one was back there. She could do this. She could stand here by herself and remember what it felt like to be safe. Her palms started to sweat and she wiped them on her pants, refusing to give in to the urge to go inside.
After minutes that only felt like hours, Hayley walked out with the golden retrievers and Stella, followed by Tyler and the puppy. Danica took Stella’s lead and the beagle obediently sat at her foot, attentive as Hayley walked the retrievers through the agility course.
Naturally, Tyler didn’t have as easy a time with the puppy, who was eager to get out there and play with the other dogs. At her silent encouragement, Tyler managed to get the little guy to lie down.
Danica considered it a promising sign that the puppy’s ears were perked and he was alert to the action. When the goldens finished their second circuit, acting like the professionals they were, Danica started around with Stella. Other than balking at her first pass of the brush jump and skipping a few of the weaving flags, the beagle managed everything else with eager aplomb.
Hayley and Tyler let the dogs play for a few minutes while Danica set up a beginner’s run for the puppy. It was a simple runner with treats and toys placed at regular intervals. “Bring him over,” she called to Tyler. “Remember how we do this?”
He nodded, eyeing the simple course. The puppy was already inching toward the first treat.
“Just relax,” she reminded him. “There’s no real pressure.” She forced her mind away from the twitch between her shoulder blades and looked him square in the eye that wasn’t bruised. “Eventually, we want him to go from you to me without having him detour at the treats or toys.”
“I know,” Tyler said with a dubious look at the puppy. He gave the command to heel and walked down the runner, patiently encouraging the puppy to stay with him. At the end of the runner, he had the puppy sit and rewarded him well.
Tyler led the puppy down the runner twice more with only a modest improvement. Danica didn’t care. Together, she and Tyler worked with the puppy on a few basic skills with a little more success. Her only real goal today was to have a little fun and give everyone a positive experience. The retrievers were lying down at the edge of the agility course, watching the action of the puppy and the beagle until Hayley gave them another turn on the course.
“All right,” she said as Tyler returned to his end of the runner. “He knows what we want. Let’s see how he does on his own.” She secretly hoped the puppy failed spectacularly. The first failures always made for hours of laughter among the staff. Right now, they all needed the smiles more than the pride of immediate success.
Tyler gave the puppy the command to sit and stay. Then he slipped off the lead. With a nod to Danica at the other end of the runner, he gave the puppy the command to go. The little guy looked up at the lanky teenager as if he couldn’t believe his luck. Tyler repeated the command.
“Come,” Danica said, patting her thighs to get the puppy’s attention. “Come.”
Hayley had Stella on the lead and stood back with the retrievers to watch. The young Malinois didn’t let her down. There were only three toys and two treats on his route, but he lost his focus and diverted to explore every single one. He gobbled up the treats, batted at the ball, and spun in happy circles when he found the squeaker. Danica was crying with laughter when the puppy finally waddled up to her end of the course, trailing a hank of rope.
For a few minutes, she and Tyler and the puppy just had fun, letting him romp about and playing tug for a bit. She pulled a lead out of her pocket and sent Tyler off to walk him, reinforcing the basics while she reset the run with more tempting challenges for the retrievers.
When Hayley was ready, Danica had the Malinois pup sit and watch the three other dogs triumph over temptation and get lavished with praise and rewards.
The puppy did better on his second solo attempt. He stole only one treat and romped with all the toys, and she let him move on to something different. Tyler, with Hayley’s supervision, worked with the puppy on a short tunnel obstacle. He proved adept at that challenge, following Stella’s example and then doing it all by himself over and over.
It was approaching noon and Danica realized she hadn’t seen or heard from Shane. He was surely working the investigation and she hoped he had some good news to share soon.
* * *
Shane had spent the morning at his home office, going through the interviews from the training center staff and trying not to think about kissing Danica. Since she was at the heart of the investigation, it wasn’t possible to put her out of his mind entirely.
He had a case to solve and he should be thinking of her only in the context of a witness and expert assistant. She was a Gage, for crying out loud, and from what he’d heard, she’d idolized her grandfather. None of that changed the way his pulse raced when he thought of kissing her a
gain.
The case wasn’t even close to stalled, but he needed a break and a fresh perspective. He called Stumps, and they walked over to the police station together. In the bull pen, he sought out Brayden and Echo. Of all things to bring his half siblings together, it seemed Demi’s predicament and the ongoing Groom Killer case were the catalysts they needed. He and Brayden in particular were forging a new bond.
In recent weeks, he felt as if he was gaining family and it was a strange sensation after all this time. Growing up, family had meant only him and his mom. When she’d died while he was in prison, he was too angry to let anyone else close. Having a brother was turning into a positive thing, knowing someone cared about him as more than the kid who’d been screwed over by the system. Knowing that particular someone also understood the challenges of shaking free of a murky childhood and less-than-stellar past made the biggest difference.
“Got a minute?” he asked, reaching Brayden’s desk. “I may have done something stupid last night,” Shane admitted.
Brayden sat forward, lowering his voice. “If it’s about the stolen puppy, tell it to the chief.”
“Huh?”
Brayden scowled. “There was another attack at the training center last night. The new guard’s in the hospital and a Malinois puppy is gone.”
“I know about that,” Shane said. “Stumps and I should get over there.” He was thinking of the Larson office, rather than the training center. In the back of his mind, when he wasn’t thinking about Danica, he’d been debating how to handle another visit with the twins.
“So you saw something or followed someone?” Brayden asked in a whisper.
“Without calling it in? Are you kidding?” Shane said it lightly, and though his temper lit at the assumption that he would take that kind of chance, he didn’t let it show. His first week in prison had cured him of revealing much emotion.
“You said you did something stupid and all you do is work.” Brayden shrugged a shoulder. “What else is on your mind?”
Shane mentally regrouped. He could interview suspects with ease but he didn’t know quite how to ask his brother the right questions about Danica. “What do you know about my witness on this case?”
