Courage Under Fire

by Sharon Dunn

  She let out a heavy sigh. Why was she even thinking about Noah and his green eyes? What she wanted more than anything right now was to prove that she could be a great K-9 cop. She felt like at least Noah had more faith in her now. He had seen what she was capable of. She remembered what Noah had said about the other members of the unit having confidence that she would have their backs in a tough situation. She needed to show them that was true.

  She awoke several hours later to what sounded like someone moving around in the kitchen but trying to remain quiet. Reed. Maybe he had decided not to go to the movie with Abigail.

  She rolled over and closed her eyes. It was only a little after eight. She could get a few more hours of much-needed sleep.

  The noises in the kitchen stopped and she heard footsteps approach her door and then pause outside.

  The ticking of the clock seemed to grow louder as she waited for Reed to walk past.

  Lani sat up. Fully alert and staring at the door. Reed would not be lingering outside her door. She reached for her gun which she’d put on her nightstand like she did every night. The last thing she wanted to do was shoot her brother by accident, but she didn’t want to take any chances either.

  Heart pounding, she opened her mouth to say her brother’s name. Her throat constricted. No words came out.

  The footsteps resumed and headed back toward the living room. Lani took a deep breath before rising to her feet. Still gripping the gun but holding it by her side, she stepped toward her bedroom door and turned the doorknob slowly.

  She moved down the hallway. She took a deep breath and found her voice again. “Reed, is that you?”

  Silence.

  Her heartbeat drummed in her ears as she crept lightly down the hallway. She raised her gun, prepared to fire. She stepped into the dark kitchen seeing only shadows. She flicked on the light switch. Everything seemed to be in its place.

  But her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Had the attacks made her so hypervigilant that she was imagining her stalker was in the house?

  As she entered the living room, she kept her gun aimed. She checked behind the couch and anywhere else someone might hide. Nothing.

  And still, there was a faint unfamiliar smell in the air. Not cologne or Reed’s soapy clean smell, more like sweat.

  Lani dropped her arm that held the gun, so it hung by her side. She shook her head. She cleared the rest of the house, checked that the doors were still locked and was headed through the living room to try to get some more sleep when her eyes fell on the photo wall.

  Her breath caught. The photo of her posing in a dance costume was gone.

  A wave of fear crashed over her as her knees went weak. She turned a half circle in the living room, took a deep breath and moved through the house a second time.

  How could someone have gotten in with all the doors locked? She examined the bathroom window closer to find the latch had been forced, which would have taken substantial strength. She stood on the toilet to peer at the ground below where a stack of bricks that must have come from the remodel two houses down had been piled.

  Lani sat down on the closed toilet, feeling as if all the wind had been knocked out of her. She placed her gun on the sink counter. Of course she’d have to file a report, but that could wait. If Noah found out, he might put her on desk duty and she’d miss out on the valuable in-field experience and a chance to show the other officers what she could do. She could call Reed and let him know.

  She wrapped her arms around herself and waited for her heartbeat to slow down.

  Why me? Why am I being targeted?

  Ever since Jordan Jameson’s murder, the entire K-9 department had been on edge. Not only because they wanted to catch whomever had killed Jordan, but because anytime an officer died in such a premeditated way, the whole department wondered if they were dealing with someone who might go after other cops.

  She was the obvious target. The least experienced. The rookie. The taking of the photo did suggest something more personal. Yet her stalker had had the chance to do her harm in her own home and hadn’t. Almost as though he enjoyed the psychological torture. She shivered, clenching her teeth against the terror that raged through her.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a tapping on her front door that caused a new wave of terror to wash over her. Why was the person knocking so lightly?

  Grabbing her gun, she stepped into the living room but remained paralyzed, not sure what to do given what had just happened. Certainly, the stalker wouldn’t come to her door.

  SIX

  Noah hoped his knock on Lani’s door wasn’t too loud. If she was still sleeping, she wouldn’t hear it at all. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He couldn’t say exactly why he’d changed up his jogging route so it ended at Lani’s house. Just a feeling he’d had, concern for one of his fellow officers’ safety. Scotty sat beside Noah, panting from their run.

  He leaned close to the door, tapping it with his knuckles. “Lani, it’s me. Noah.”

  What was he going to say to her? That he was in the neighborhood and thought he’d stop by. How cliché. Before he’d gotten off shift, he’d overheard Reed talking about his date plans with Abigail. That meant Lani was alone for most of the night until she went back on duty.

  While he’d been on his jog, he couldn’t let go of the worry that she might be in danger. He just needed to make sure.

  He heard the peephole slide open and then shut. The dead bolt and the lock released and Lani swung the door open.

  He knew immediately from the spasm of a smile she offered him that something was up. Her face was pale, and her gaze seemed to dart everywhere and she was holding her gun in her hand.

  “Noah.” Relief came into her voice when she said his name.

  His heart fluttered.

  “We were jogging, and I thought I’d check on you.”

  He pointed at the gun.

  “Guess I’m a little freaked because of the attacks.” She stepped to one side so he could enter the living room. “I can protect myself.” She placed the gun on a table.

  Noah and Scotty came inside. He took Scotty off of his leash so he could explore with his nose. He studied Lani for a moment. She massaged the back of her neck, not making eye contact.

  He stepped toward her. “Everything okay? I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  She shook her head. “No, I was up.”

  Why did he feel like she was keeping something from him? He angled his body so he could peer into the kitchen.

  But there was no one in the kitchen.

  “I’m alone here,” she said.

  “You seem uncomfortable, I thought maybe you had a boyfriend or someone over for a bite to eat before you went to work.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not seeing anyone. I haven’t dated for a long time.” Her tone took on an edge to it.

  Was that pain he detected beneath her words?

  All the same, he was glad to see her. The tightness through his chest deflated like a balloon to know that she was safe. Why was he relieved that she wasn’t seeing anyone? Her personal life was just that, personal. He was here at her doorstep over concern for a fellow officer, wasn’t he?

  Satisfied, Scotty stopped sniffing around and came to sit at Noah’s feet.

  “Tell me again why you stopped by.” A look of confusion crossed her features. The blue in her eyes intensified and her mouth drew into a flat line.

  “I, um...we.” He patted Scotty’s head. They were in this awkward moment together. “Well, it was sort of on my jogging route.”

  Scotty adjusted his stance and made a grunting noise.

  Lani laughed. “Scotty does not agree with you.”

  Noah could feel the heat rising up in his cheeks. He held his palms out to her. “Okay, I was out jogging and I knew that Reed would not be home tonight and given what happened to
you in the last couple of days, I thought I should check on you.”

  Her expression brightened. “You were worried about me.”

  “Yes, I don’t want anything bad to happen to one of my officers.”

  All the light seemed to leave Lani’s face. “Oh.”

  Scotty grumbled again.

  Mentally, Noah kicked himself. Why were they doing this strange dance? Why couldn’t they just admit their attraction to each other and acknowledge that nothing could come of it?

  “Anyway, I suppose I should go. Scotty and I need to get tucked in for the evening.” He turned then pivoted back to look at her. “Everything is okay here, right?”

  Her lips parted slightly as though she were going to say something, and then she turned away from him and started to straighten the pictures on the wall and sweep her hand over a shelf that held more photos and ballerina figurines.

  The soft lighting in the living room made her look even more attractive. He wasn’t used to seeing her with her long blond hair flowing freely. Her cheeks held a rosy glow. She was beautiful inside and out. He stepped toward her as though there were some sort of magnetic pull between them.

  “Lani, is everything okay? I know you have been through a lot in the last couple of days.”

  She planted her feet and turned to face him. “Everything is good. I’m sure if we put our heads together we can figure out who this guy is, and I can get on with my training. That is what I want.”

  Noah nodded.

  She picked up one of the figurines and turned it side to side. “I keep wondering. With what happened to Jordan. What if it isn’t personal? What if someone is targeting the K-9 unit?”

  Noah let out a heavy breath. That thought had occurred to him too. “It’s hard to figure out motive at this point. Let’s just focus on catching the guy.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” She stepped back toward the door. “I need to get ready for my shift.”

  “Yes, well, Scotty and I are going to enjoy an evening of popcorn and a John Wayne movie,” he said.

  “I love John Wayne.”

  “Maybe sometime you’ll have to come over and watch one with us. Scotty and I are doing movie night alone a lot more since Carter got engaged and Zach got married.”

  “I know the feeling. Since Reed met Abigail, we spend a lot less time together, which is how it ought to be but still, it leaves a hole.”

  He met her gaze. Looking into her eyes sent a spark of electricity through him. “Well, that’s something we have in common.” He stepped toward the door.

  She leaned toward him. “I’m glad you stopped by to check on me.”

  “Everything is okay, right?”

  “Yes.”

  He studied her for a moment. It was as if a veil had fallen across her eyes when she answered him. “Hope your shift goes good.”

  “Yeah, I better get moving.” She ruffled Scotty’s head. “I’ll take you guys up on that movie offer some time.”

  She closed the door. Noah stood for a moment staring at the door before clicking Scotty back into his leash and jogging toward his house.

  Though it was clear that she was all right, he couldn’t help but feel that Lani was hiding something from him.

  * * *

  Before she headed out for her night shift with Brianne, Lani gave her brother a call to let him know what happened. She hated interrupting his time with Abigail. Reed as always sounded glad to hear from her.

  She let him know about the break-in and the stolen photo.

  “I’ll grab Jessie from Dominic’s place and come right home,” he said.

  “No, Reed, it’s okay. I’m headed out for a shift in a few minutes. I just need for you to make sure the place is secure when you get home. I’ll be fine once Jessie is able to sound a warning bark and you’re here.”

  “Sis, this is serious, why didn’t you call the department and file a report?”

  Lani squeezed the phone and closed her eyes. “I will file a report. I didn’t want to miss out on my shift tonight. It’s a valuable learning experience to shadow a more experienced female officer. I’m just afraid when Noah finds out, he’s going to put me on desk duty.”

  “Maybe, Lani, but it would be for your own safety.”

  Tears warmed Lani’s eyes. “I don’t like setbacks. It’s been hard enough to deal with the delay in matching me with a K-9 partner. I know I sort of took the long way around, but I want to be a part of this K-9 unit more than I’ve ever wanted anything else. This whole thing feels like an obstacle to that.”

  “Look, Lani, I know you. Whatever you set your mind to, you accomplish.”

  A tear trickled down her cheek. Until now she hadn’t realized how much the attacks were affecting her. “Thanks, Reed. If you could just make sure the home is secure when you get back from your date. Say hello to Abigail and Dom for me and tell her I’m sorry for interrupting your time together.”

  “I’ll do better than that, sis. I’ll wait up for you.”

  “Thanks, but just having you home will be enough. And can you look at the latch on the bathroom window. I think it will need to be repaired.” She had come to depend on the sense of safety she felt when he was around. “I’ll be fine while I’m on this shift. There’s no safer place to be than on patrol with a K-9 and her handler, right?”

  “Right.”

  “I’ll catch up with you later. Take care, Reed.” After he said goodbye, she ended the call. A set of headlights went by on the street outside moving slowly. A moment of panic gripped her until she saw under the streetlamp that it was a patrol car. Brianne Hayes was looking for a parking space.

  Already in uniform, Lani grabbed her utility belt and hurried to the bathroom to place her gun in the holster. Before leaving the house, she took in a deep breath and stepped outside making sure the door was locked behind her.

  Brianne eased past the house. She must have seen Lani because she double-parked. Lani ran to the passenger side of the car, and Stella whimpered from the backseat when Lani got in.

  Brianne offered Lani a bright smile. Her straight auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Brianne had always been kind to Lani. “Ready for some night patrol?”

  Lani nodded. She reached back and ruffled Stella’s head. “How’s my girl? I was just working with one of your pups.”

  “Ah yes, Oscar. What a cutie. Gavin said he saw you at Griffin’s with him, Noah and Scotty.” Brianne lifted her chin. “He said you looked very cozy.” Gavin and Brianne had recently become engaged.

  “Cozy?”

  “Like you’d known each other forever.”

  Lani felt the heat rise up in her cheeks. “We were just trying to figure out the motive for the attacks on me. I’m sure you’ve heard.”

  “Yes. I heard.” Brianne turned onto a street that led to a freeway exit. “Everyone gets uncomfortable when a fellow officer is attacked.”

  Tension invaded the patrol car. “We still don’t know if this is personal or because I’m a cop.”

  Brianne let out a nervous laugh. “Maybe we should talk about happier things.”

  “I agree. How is Stella doing with her training?”

  “Stella’s coming along,” Brianne said. After signaling, she pulled back out into traffic. “Unless we get another call, we’re headed over to some abandoned warehouses. We’ve had several calls of suspected drug activity. We’ll see how Stella does with her drug detecting training.”

  Lani felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of working with Brianne and Stella to make the city safer. Even with everything that had happened, she loved police work. “It’s nighttime. There might actually be some activity there.”

  “Maybe. If we find or see anything drug related, the detective division might set up some stakeouts to see who the players are and what the level of activity is.” Brianne picked
up speed once they were on the freeway.

  She took another exit and wove through an industrial part of Queens. They passed parking lots that had only a single car parked in them, probably belonging to a security guard. Some of the multistory buildings had a light or two still on.

  They came to a chain-link fence, the gate of which hung open. Brianne eased the vehicle inside. The tires crunched on gravel. “A few days ago the trustee for the property got a call that the chain that held the gate had been cut. Someone also reported seeing a car go in here.”

  Most of the buildings inside the fence were one or two stories and metal, with the exception of a square brick one that must have held the administrative offices.

  Lani’s heart beat a little faster as she stared out into the darkness. “What’s the story on this place?”

  “I think the report said it used to be a textile factory. They imported lots of fabric too, so some of these buildings were for storage and warehouse sales. Hasn’t been used for at least ten years.”

  Stella let out a single excited bark.

  “You’re ready to work, aren’t you?” Lani pushed open her door. “Me too.”

  Once they were out of the car, both women pulled their flashlights from their utility belts. Brianne attached the leash to Stella’s collar. “Let’s head toward that first building and see what we find.”

  Lani shot her flashlight in an arc taking in her surroundings. There was no sign that anyone had been here. No tire tracks or empty soda bottles, not even any trash. Stella darted toward the first long narrow building. Maybe the witness had been mistaken about a car coming in here.