Courage Under Fire

by Sharon Dunn

  “Come on up to the office. I’ll make us some tea to warm up before we go,” she said.

  They trudged up the narrow, twisted stairs. Lani made the tea a cup at a time with the Keurig that rested on top of the file cabinet. She sat behind the desk and Noah sat on the desk since there was no room for another chair even if they had one. Scotty perched on the threshold of the door, exhausted from his run but still vigilant.

  Noah blew on his steaming mug. “I’m sorry I let you down.”

  Lani scooted her chair back from her desk. “What do you mean?”

  Noah touched the back of his head. “I was supposed to protect you, and that guy got the better of me.”

  “He didn’t hurt me thanks to Scotty.”

  The dog let out a huff of air.

  “I just wish we could have caught him,” said Noah.

  “I did get a look at him.” Lani bit her lip as the memory of her attacker’s face materialized in her head. “I can tell you for sure that he’s not a former boyfriend or anyone I arrested. Still, it feels like I’ve seen him somewhere.”

  Noah took a gulp of tea. “That’s progress. We can have you look through some databases or put together a police sketch.” He set his mug on the desk.

  Lani finished her tea and set the mugs aside. She could wash them next time she was teaching a class. “You ready to take me home?”

  Noah rose to his feet. “Yes, let’s go.”

  Scooting the chair to one side, Lani squeezed through the narrow space between desk and file cabinet.

  Noah grabbed her coat from where it hung on a hook. He placed it over her shoulders, and she slipped her arms through the sleeves. He stepped out first so she would have room to stand on the landing and face him.

  Scotty rose and moved closer to the stairs.

  She stared up into his green eyes. “This is getting old.”

  He shook his head.

  She sighed. “Sometimes it just feels like this is never going to end. That I will be at this guy’s mercy forever. Being escorted around.”

  He leaned toward her. “It hasn’t been awful, has it? Being with me.” His face lit up with that soft smile.

  Here they were again, looking into each other’s eyes. She wondered if he was experiencing the same magnetic pull toward her that she felt to him. She wished he would put his hand on her cheek. She wanted to be held in his arms. She longed to feel his touch.

  She cleared her throat and took a step back. “No, it hasn’t been terrible.” Just heartbreaking at times. “I enjoy your company, Noah.” Lost in the moment, she struggled to tear her gaze from his face.

  Scotty whined and wagged his tail. Noah looked away, brushing his hand over the dog’s back. “Okay, buddy, let’s take this lady home.”

  They took the stairs to the second floor and out onto the street. Noah had parked the car several blocks away. They passed only a few people on the sidewalk. This wasn’t a part of Queens with a lot of nightlife.

  After loading Scotty in the back, Noah opened the passenger side door. “You should probably drive since I was just hit on the head.” He tossed her the keys.

  Lani got behind the wheel.

  Scotty must have sensed the heaviness of the moment. He rested his chin on the seat and made his I’m-here-for-you noise. As Lani pulled out onto the street, Noah reached back and patted Scotty’s jaw.

  The moment of intense attraction she’d felt back at the office weighed on her. She needed to know what was to be between them. “So have you decided about becoming the chief permanently?” As much as she dreaded the answer, the question had to be asked.

  Noah answered. “I suppose the deputy commissioner will want an answer soon. Being with you has given me a chance to spend more time in the field. I do miss it after nearly seven months of mostly sitting at a desk.”

  Her heart fluttered. So he wasn’t sold on the idea of taking the promotion. “Yeah, desk duty makes me restless.”

  A few blocks later, he spoke up. “It’s a tough choice. Lot to think about.”

  She smoothed her hand over her shirt and stared out through the windshield. The city ticked by in her peripheral vision, dark office buildings, neon, people spilling into the street from restaurants and bars.

  Lani took the exit that led to her house. They rode the remaining way in silence. She circled the block until a space opened up close to her house.

  Lani grabbed the door handle. “You should make sure there is nothing seriously wrong with your head.”

  “I should be okay. I’ll go in tomorrow.”

  She turned back to look at him. Light from a streetlamp spilled into the car. She could see the brightness in his eyes and his angular features.

  “Don’t be bummed about the guy getting away tonight. Being able to ID him is a big step toward catching him.”

  Lani felt like a balloon that all the air had been let out of. So he thought the reason for her silence was she was thinking about the stalker. “Yeah, hopefully he’ll be behind bars soon.” She stepped out to the curb and shoved her hands in her pockets. “So I can get on with my life.” She shut the door and headed toward her house.

  As always, she knew Noah would remain parked until she was safely inside. She glanced toward the street. The cab was still lit up, and Noah had slid into the driver’s seat. She could see him as he held his phone to his ear.

  She opened the door of her house. Maybe she had read the situation all wrong. The attraction only went one way.

  * * *

  Noah answered his phone. The number came up as his brother Carter.

  “What’s up, little brother?”

  “Where you been? I keep hoping to catch you at home.”

  Carter sounded anxious. “I’ve been busy with work and...things.” Like being a bodyguard for Lani. It seemed that anytime Noah was home Carter was sleeping.

  “I was just wondering if anything new has come up with Jordan’s murder,” Carter said. “I figured it would cross your desk first.”

  Carter had not been on active duty for some months since being shot in the knee. He was doing physical therapy and receiving temporary disability. The injury had been severe enough that the prognosis for Carter coming back on the force was not good. Being out of commission meant Carter had a lot of time to think and worry about Jordan’s murder going so cold it was forgotten.

  “Nothing new, Carter,” said Noah. “’Preciate you checking in.” There was a lot going unsaid with Carter’s phone call. His call was a way of saying none of the brothers would let this case go cold. Any thread, any morsel of a clue had to be followed up on.

  “Okay, thanks, big brother,” Carter said. “Keep me in the loop if anything does surface. I have time now. I can make some calls and inquiries in an unofficial way. I’ll let you know if I find anything that needs a more official follow-up.”

  “Can do,” said Noah, a note of sorrow echoed through his words, for what Carter was going through with this injury and for the whole Jameson clan.

  He glanced at Reed and Lani’s brightly lit living room.

  From the backseat, Scotty rested his chin on Noah’s shoulder. “I know, boy. I like Lani a lot too.”

  He still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He missed working the street and being in the field with Scotty and he liked working with Lani. If he stepped down as chief, maybe there could be something more than a friendship between them. If she had the same feelings for him as he was starting to have for her. That was a big if. He’d never been very good at reading women. Criminals he did fine with, but women were a mystery.

  He stared at his phone. He could do a lot of good for Lani and the other K-9 officers as the chief. And really he only trusted himself to make sure Jordy’s case remained front and center. He felt the heaviness of his responsibilities, and then the memory of Lani’s smile flashed through his head.
Another time, another place it would be so easy to fall for her. He stroked Scotty’s head. “Not everything can be about me or you and what we want. No matter how bad we want it.”

  Scotty licked the side of his face.

  As he pulled away from the curb, he knew that the right decision would be to accept the permanent position as chief.

  TWELVE

  K-9 officer Tony Knight slapped Noah on the back as he unloaded Scotty from the patrol car.

  “So it’s all hands on deck,” said Tony as his dog Rusty, a chocolate Lab, remained standing and alert. Rusty was trained in search and rescue, but with the Columbus Day Parade about to start, all the K-9s who weren’t marching in the parade were on duty.

  “Looks that way,” said Noah. Scotty jumped out of his kennel in the back of the patrol car and stood at attention.

  Up Fifth Avenue, Noah could hear the sound of a marching band warming up. Crowds were already lining the street in preparation for the parade, some of them waving Italian flags. From the police marching band to the motorcycle brigade, NYPD would be well represented. Several of the K-9s would be marching as well with the rest of law enforcement, but most of the K-9s would be on patrol. It would be a long day. Even after the parade, the celebrations would go on into the night in Little Italy. The day had come to be a celebration of Italian culture more than anything.

  Another patrol car pulled up. Brianne got out of the driver’s seat and moved to the back of the vehicle to get Stella. Lani emerged from the passenger seat, walking around the vehicle toward Noah and Tony.

  “What are you doing here?” said Noah.

  “I think you could use every hand you’ve got. The pickpockets will be out in full force,” said Lani. “For starters. We all know the crime level ticks up during this kind of event.”

  Scotty wagged his tail as Lani drew close. With Sophie back from her honeymoon, Lani had been on desk duty with a different department and spending time in the training facility working with the dogs. Like the rest of the K-9 unit, she had received the news of his acceptance as permanent chief at the morning briefing between shift changes. As Noah had stood at the front of the room to make the announcement, he saw her expression change. What was that he saw in tightened features? Concern? Anger? Maybe even disappointment. After the briefing, he had meant to find her, but she’d disappeared while the other officers were slapping his back and shaking his hand. Since then, she’d made herself scarce. He’d seen her only in passing and there was no time to talk. He missed her.

  Lani was right that the presence of the dogs tended to cut down on the muggings and pickpockets. Lani’s keen eyes and athletic ability might come in handy too.

  She reached down to pet Scotty. “The stalker finds a way to get to me no matter what. I wanted to be a help. I’m used to action and activity, Noah. Desk duty is going to make me feel claustrophobic.”

  She was right on that account too. Desk duty hadn’t kept her safe.

  “Okay,” said Noah. “Stay close to me.”

  “Ten-four,” said Lani.

  The dissonant sound of marching bands warming up grew louder. Several blocks up Fifth Avenue he could see a large balloon of a cartoon character floating in the air. The people lined up ten deep on the sidewalk up to the street where barriers had been set up. This part of Fifth Avenue was one of the places entertainers in the parade would stop to perform.

  Brianne and Tony headed south while he and Lani took the other side of the street. The crowd parted for them as Scotty trotted through. Some of the kids wanted to pet Scotty, which Noah allowed. Having the dogs out with all these people provided a PR opportunity.

  Lani’s shoulder brushed against his. Her presence had a debilitating effect on him and her touch turned his knees to mush. That he had that sort of a reaction when he was close to her, he would just have to accept and keep in check.

  The sound of the approaching parade grew even louder as people pressed toward the edge of the street in anticipation.

  Lani nodded her head toward a teenage boy who had stepped back away from the crowd toward the storefronts. His eyes grew wide at the sight of Lani and Noah.

  “Something is up with that kid,” said Lani. “I think he lifted a wallet.”

  Scotty quickened his pace. The teenager turned to run, a sign that he was up to something. Lani sprinted after him. The side streets were virtually abandoned. Noah could see her blond head as she burst down the alley after the suspect. Scotty bounded ahead. Noah led him down a side street in an effort to cut the suspect off once he emerged from the alley.

  Scotty bolted to the edge of the alley and barked.

  Lani stood at the other end of the alley with her hand hovering over her gun. She didn’t see any sign that he had a weapon, but training taught her to never assume.

  The kid raised his arms. “I didn’t do anything. Make that dog stop barking at me.”

  “I saw you ditch the wallet back there,” said Lani. “And I saw you take it from the man in front of you.”

  “Okay,” said the kid.

  Noah gave Scotty the command to stop barking and sit. The kid still watched the dog closely with an expression of fright on his face.

  “Why don’t we walk back to where you dropped the wallet. You can give it back to the man and apologize,” said Noah.

  The jails were going to be full before the day was over. Taking this kid in would be pointless.

  The kid shrugged, glanced at Scotty and then trudged back up the alley. Noah stepped in behind the suspect, keeping Scotty’s lead short. The kid acted like he was going to cooperate as long as Scotty was around. Dogs were effective in that way. The teenage boy stopped to root beside a dumpster for the stolen wallet.

  Though they were several blocks from the action, the noise of the parade swelled to a crescendo as the first of the marchers went by and the crowd cheered.

  On command, Scotty sat while the teen continued to search for the wallet behind the dumpster.

  Noah glanced over at Lani who was studying the fire escapes and windows of the apartment building. Was she always wondering if she was being watched? Even though they had a face to go with her stalker, the search through the databases of criminals had yielded no results. The guy must not have a criminal history. He hadn’t had time to find out if Lani had sat down with the police sketch artist.

  When she caught him staring, she lowered her gaze and tilted her head to one side, shaking it a little, probably meaning that she was thinking about the stalker, but that she didn’t notice anything that indicated the stalker was around. The connection between them was so strong, no words needed to be exchanged.

  It was the kind of connection that made two people good partners as police officers, but he had a feeling it ran even deeper than that.

  “Here it is. I found it.” The teenager stood up waving a wallet.

  Noah took the wallet. “Do you remember what the man you took it off of looked like?”

  “From behind. He had on a red jacket.” The kid stared at the ground. Returning the wallet and apologizing would probably be punishment enough.

  Lani came to stand beside Noah. Noah opened up the wallet and showed the kid and Lani the driver’s license. “That’s who we’re looking for.”

  When they reached the street where the parade was passing by, the number of spectators had grown even more.

  Noah with Scotty in tow hung close to the teenager while he searched for the wallet’s owner. The crowd always gave wide berth to Scotty.

  “There.” The teen pointed to a man in a red jacket.

  They pressed through the crowd. The boy tapped the man in the red jacket on the shoulder and made his apologies when the man turned around. Noah handed him his wallet.

  The man glanced at Noah and then back at the teen, whose tight features and stiff shoulders indicated he was distraught.

  �
��I don’t need to press charges,” said the man.

  The teen melted with relief. His shoulders and his expression softened, and he disappeared into the crowd.

  Noah glanced up expecting to see Lani. All he saw was a sea of faces all focused on the passing parade. Panic gripped him. Had the stalker found a way to get to her? He and Scotty squeezed through the crowd, searching. He pushed toward the storefronts still not seeing her.

  When he caught sight of the back of Lani’s head, he let out the breath he was holding. Even though he’d lost her in the crowd for only minutes, the feeling that something bad might have happened to her and she would no longer be in his life, made him see how much he cared about her.

  He rushed toward her. She slipped deeper into the crowd. A wall of people came in front of her and he lost sight of her.

  He called out her name. Where was she going? Scotty walked in front of him, parting the crowd. He caught a glimpse of her blond head now half a block away.

  He hurried toward her, wondering what had caught her attention.

  * * *

  Though she was shaking with fear, Lani squeezed her way through the throngs of people. She’d seen her stalker, and he had Oscar. She looked over her shoulder hoping to see Noah and Scotty. There hadn’t been time to let him know what was going on. She dared not even slow down to radio him.

  The man had grinned at her in the most sinister way while he held the puppy, and then he’d been swallowed up by the crowd. She’d probably lost him, but more than anything she wanted to get Oscar back. She doubted he would hurt her as long as she remained where people were.

  She hurried around a group of children. The crowd thinned. Up the side street, she saw Oscar’s head bobbing as he was pulled on a leash. She saw the back of the man and then he was gone again around a corner.

  Someone touched her shoulder.

  She whirled around. All the fear left her tense body when she saw that it was Noah.

  “Oscar. I saw Oscar.”

  “Are you sure it was Oscar. There are a lot of yellow Labs in this city.”