by R. T. Wolfe
She saw stars but there was nothing wrong with her hearing. Shouts and fists, grunts. She swore she heard a gun slide across the floor of the van and then a shot.
Everything was silent. No. Duncan.
Duncan looked into the eyes of the driver and knew who it was. As he drove, the man had shot a hole in the roof of the truck and had the gun pointed behind him at Nickie's head.
McKinney lay unconscious at his feet. Maybe dead. Duncan wished the latter. Tanner held some kind of cloth to his nose. Blood covered the front of his shirt.
"Bitch," Tanner growled at Nickie, not concerned about the state of the fire chief.
Tanner lifted from his chair and checked the flow of blood from his nose. Apparently, he was satisfied because he put his hand out, gesturing for Duncan to sit. Duncan let his eyes move from Nickie to the driver to Tanner.
"Sit the fuck down before I put a hole in her."
Duncan saw the dim light coming from the inside of his confiscated coat pocket and did what he was told. The driver pointed the gun at Nickie, checking the rearview mirror more than he should. He sat as Tanner wrapped duct tape around his wrists, then made a loop with it through the side of the chair.
Tanner plopped on the twin bed next to her, looked Duncan in the eyes and placed his hand on Nickie's head. Duncan heard her low growl. He felt his breath quicken but remained perfectly still.
"This is how it's gonna be, ladies and gentlemen. We take you to the lake, tie some bricks to Duncan's feet—hopefully while you're still alive—and give Nickie over to the higher ups."
He saw Tanner's hand move over her face. "I won, Duncan. I've been winning for thirty years. No Hollywood artist and cut-rate cop are going to stop me now. It's been fun. Your aunt was all Molly's idea, of course, but it was worth it, if you know what I mean. Killing the dog was new, but it was for an old friend and I owed her."
"She took her life because of you. You took everything away from her, including her earned freedom. She took her life in front of the one she trusted the most." Duncan watched as the captain glanced to the front of the truck, then straightened.
A pair of headlights flashed in the front windshield, lighting up the interior.
The driver swerved, and Tanner lost his footing and fell on Nickie.
The truck swerved again, sliding sideways before it swiped the oncoming car.
Lying on his side, Duncan heard the fire chief moan as his body rolled like a rag doll toward the front of the truck. Duncan curved his back, twisted and collapsed the folding chair.
He watched as Tanner righted himself and saw two small keys in Nickie's fingers.
Shaking the chair, he couldn't get it loose from the tape. So instead, he took hold of it with both hands and started swinging. The captain was quick for his size. Duncan faked a swing to his head and as the captain went to block, clotheslined his knees.
The captain wailed long enough to give Duncan a chance to notice as Nickie unlocked the cuffs from her wrists and see the driver hunched over the steering wheel.
They were in a ditch, nose down. Duncan heard voices. Andy and Dave. Followed by the distant sound of sirens.
He looked back a second too late, as the captain clipped the side of his head with a misaimed punch. Duncan swayed, then swung the chair like a madman. The captain was like a house made of bricks, bricks and blubber. The world went back to a haze as he swung again and again, enough to loosen the tape from the chair. Duncan freed his hands, kicking at the blubber as he twisted the tape free from around his wrists. Winding up his fist, he saw Nickie.
She stood before him with hands held out, palms forward. "It's over. Look. I'm okay; they're down."
He felt the swoosh of air behind him and noticed the driver's seat empty, but he couldn't turn his eyes from Nickie's wrists. They were ringed in bright red and purple from where she fought the cuffs. It was worse than any swollen eye or broken bone.
Gently, he took them and kissed each.
With the sounds of men yelling orders, sirens blaring and the grunts from Tanner and McKinney all around, he heard the soft declaration from his Nickie, "There you are." She smiled as she said it to him.
He let out a heavy breath and let his head dropped between them. "Come." He took her hand.
"Um, civilian." She followed but with protest. "We have work."
They dropped from the fender to the ground, making him keenly aware that he was bruised over every inch of his body. "Come," he repeated, feeling like a cave man dragging his woman to his lair.
A block away was the gas station that sat at the edge of town.
"Coffee. Then, work."
She stopped him and turned. "Only because I'm in love with you," she said, making every one of those bruises seem to disappear. He smiled, hoping his teeth weren't broken.
She blinked rapidly, then signaled Dave as his uncle's Saab pulled up. He saw the worry in Brie's eyes as she stepped out. Duncan lifted Nickie's hand and kissed her fingers as he smiled at them. He was on his way to a normal cup of java with his detective.
Epilogue
Duncan drove from the airport with the fall leaves spinning around him in the wind. Upstate New York was positively the most beautiful place he knew. It was likely so because it was his home.
The high winds had caused a delay in his landing. He needed to check on the status of his new house. He needed to get to his office and prepare for his day of meetings, some virtual and some face to face. But first he needed to see his Nickie. He hadn't seen her naked in four days.
Since his brother totaled his Aston Martin saving their lives, Duncan had driven the Barracuda. It didn't handle as well and wasn't as fast, but it felt good and it suited him.
He parked across the street and took the stairs as he considered if he should have called first. She'd refused a new office. He'd tried to convince her to allow him to... redecorate. He smiled as he remembered her reaction.
He could see her standing at her desk, one hand behind her neck and the other reading some paperwork. Lynx was now in Dave's old office. Duncan nodded once at him as he passed.
At the end of the large open space was the captain's office. On the door, it read Captain Dave Nolan. Nice.
Her eyes lifted and went immediately to his. Her expression went from intense, to soft, then she smiled. A wave of peace flowed through him like the palate of color in the form of the leaves that had blown around him. She lifted a brow in that damned sexy way she did.
She met him at the door.
"Good morning, Detective." He pulled out a bottle of Diet Coke from his jacket.
"Good morning, Mr. Reed. What brings you here at this hour?"
He reached behind him and closed the mini-blinds. "You bring me here," he said before he trailed his arms around her waist and laid his lips to hers.
The End
Want more from R.T. Wolfe?
Page forward for a sneak peek at
SAVAGE DECEPTION
The Nickie Savage Series
Book One
Excerpt from
Savage Deception
The Nickie Savage Series
Book One
by
R.T. Wolfe
Bestselling Author
"This is our hotel." Those were the only four words Nickie had spoken since Duncan picked her up at Vegas Metro. He'd expected her to be shaken after the day she'd had. He didn't expect her to be shaking.
Heading for the elevator, he realized they were retiring to their room as the rest of the town was beginning their evenings.
He heard them before the elevator arrived. Loud, drunk and male. The doors slid open to a small group of young men. They reeked of marijuana and alcohol. One did a double take at Nickie.
"The cop stripper!" he slurred. "I got your card in here somewhere." He patted his pockets.
Nickie wore what she usually did. Button-down blouse, this one raspberry-pink, and black slacks... both tighter than most wear. She was never afraid to use her sexuali
ty when it suited her. Her black boots had heels. Her gun was secured on her belt, along with her badge and cuffs.
Duncan saw it all through an angry haze of red.
The one patting his pockets took out some cash. The others whistled as they pulled out more bills.
Duncan stepped in front of Nickie.
"Come on, dude. Share!" the boy said to Duncan.
He wasn't sure whose arm it was, but before he knew it a hand cupped her breast.
As quickly as the arm reached her, Nickie twisted and had it wrenched behind the man's back. "That's assaulting a police officer you stupid piece of shit." Her voice was eerily calm.
"Hey!" another one defended, landing a hand on her shoulder. Duncan took it, bending it back until he heard a crack. The boy bellowed in pain as his friends stepped in to help.
Fists flew and heads bobbed. They were drunk and young. That excuse wasn't going to help them. Duncan ducked easily, taking two down with solid hooks as he heard the soft heels of the security officer running toward them.
Savage Deception
The Nickie Savage Series
Book One
by
R.T. Wolfe
~
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Savage Deception
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit R.T. Wolfe's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/RTWolfe
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Missed the first two novels in R.T. Wolfe's
The Black Creek Burning Series?
Page forward for an excerpt from
BLACK CREEK BURNING
The Black Creek Series
Book 1
Black Creek Burning
The Black Creek Series
Book One
by
R.T. Wolfe
Bestselling Author
Brie tried to explain the "Nathan Reed" situation to Liz on the way home. But her sister laughed so hard tears dripped from the corners of her eyes. The only way Brie could stop Liz from laughing was to tell her what their boss had said about it.
Then Liz quieted. "That sounds like 'better watch your back.'"
"I thought so, too. I can handle Sandy."
"Brie, pretend to listen to me, just this once. You've been working at Bloom for six years. Moved up the ladder fast, kept your nose clean. You're a keynote speaker at conferences, some of which other teachers from our building attend. A few are teachers you had when we went here. You're rubbing noses with the assistant super. It doesn't sit as easy with people like Sandy Finley, who need to look the best and get the most attention. I'm not telling you to stop what you're doing to appease insecure colleagues or Sandy, just be careful. Principals can make your life... difficult."
Liz pulled into the drive, pressing on the brakes without putting her car into park. "Good luck with the car. Are you sure you don't want me to have Tim take a look at it?" she asked, shifting the gear into reverse.
And see the slashed tires? "No, I've got it." Brie shut the door behind her and said her thanks loud enough for Liz to hear through the window.
As she made her way to her front door, she lifted one hand to wave goodbye to her sister and juggled her keys to find the right one with the other. Checking the knob, she realized the door wasn't locked. She stopped and saw something move across the frosty side lites of the door. A figure. A person. She turned to gesture at her sister, but Liz was already down the drive.
Happy dog noises came from the other side of the door. Still a little breathless, she opened it to Macey's regular end-of-the-day greeting and Nathan Reed standing in her foyer with his thumbs in his pockets. It wasn't hard to see he was angry.
She took a deep breath, lifting her chin as she hung up her coat and dropped her bag. "I already thanked you for finding Macey for me." she said, while trying to think of what really needed to be said here.
"Why didn't you tell me your tires were slashed? In your garage? With the door closed and locked?"
"Listen, I appreciate your worry, but I can take care of myself and... I hardly know you. You hardly know me." The bottoms of her low-heeled pumps clicked as she made her way across the hardwood and onto the ceramic of the kitchen floor. We need to take a step back here, Nathan."
Red filled his face. He jammed his hands firmly in his pockets. "I'm not talking about you and me, although I have my own ideas about that. I'm talking about some nut-case putting at least a half-dozen slashes in each of your tires in your locked garage.
"I can take care of my own car." She turned as she thought of just how she was going to do that, and reached up to pull out a single tea bag and mug. "And there is no you and me. It was just a kiss."
Nathan made his way to her in three long strides, picked her up by the shoulders and plopped her on the kitchen counter, smashing his mouth to hers. Framing the side of her face with one hand, Nathan laced his fingers in her pinned up hair with the other.
She couldn't think and for the first time in her life let go. Slipping away from her blessed control, she blocked out the possible consequences and surrendered to the now. Her skin nearly ignited from the feel of his body as she pulled him in closer. She held onto his lanky back, his strong arms, feeling his rough hands on her face, in her hair. His mouth and his tongue emptied her mind. She clamped her eyes shut and wanted to stay right there.
As he'd done at the midnight hour in her basement, he pulled away as quickly as he took her.
Nathan whispered close to her face, "Just a kiss my ass."
Black Creek Burning
The Black Creek Series
Book One
by
R.T. Wolfe
~
To purchase
Black Creek Burning
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit R.T. Wolfe's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/RTWolfe
~
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Page forward and complete your journey
with an excerpt from
FLYING IN SHADOWS
The Black Creek Burning Series
Book Two
Excerpt from
Flying in Shadows
The Black Creek Series
Book Two
by
R.T. Wolfe
Bestselling Author
Walking in the dark, Andy readjusted his tackle box. Moonlight shone on the dark ripples creeping down Black Creek. He spotted a raccoon as he crossed the bridge. Startled, the animal hissed at him. Andy stomped his foot and hissed back; he was in no mood for it.
In his peripheral vision, he saw movement. Larger movement. A man? The shape disappeared as quickly as Andy imagined it. When you let yourself get this worked up, you start seeing things, he chided himself.
He needed Rose.
She would calm him down and lighten his mood, help him feel normal again. He looked at his watch and winced. What were friends for if you couldn't count on them to be there? Even at this time of night. Or morning.
* * *
Rose slept soundly in her twin bed dreaming of her favorite spot at the zoo. In the small rain forest building, she allowed a newly emerged monarch butterfly to dry its wings on her apron while sharing facts about the insect to one of two visiting young boys. The other threw pebbles into the nearby wishing pond. The sound of the small rocks plunked as they hit the stone wall before dropping into the water.
Oh, crap. She woke and sat up straight. The plunking noise came from outside, not in her head.
Heart in her throat, she ripped off her blankets and hustled across the hard floor to the window. It was still pitch-black out.
Grabbing the flashlight she always kept on the windowsill, Rose paused for moment. It had to be Andy, but...
She found a familiar shadowed form with the beam, then hissed loudly. "Andy! I thought you didn’t get home until t
omorrow."
"It is tomorrow." He held up fishing poles and tackle box.
"It's not tomorrow until the sun comes up." Tugging on a pair of jeans, Rose smiled wildly to herself. This reaction she had to Andy Reed had to stop. It was not healthy.
"I've got the worms." he called. "Get down here."
Flying in Shadows
The Black Creek Series
Book Two
by
R.T. Wolfe
~
To purchase
Flying in Shadows
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit R.T. Wolfe's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/RTWolfe
~
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Its not uncommon to find dark chocolate squares in R.T.'s candy dish, her Golden Retriever at her feet and a few caterpillars spinning their cocoons in the terrariums on her counters. When R.T. isn't writing, she loves spending time with her family, gardening, eagle-watching and can occasionally be found viewing a flyover of migrating whooping cranes.
R.T. enjoys hearing from readers. You can contact R.T. through her website: www.rtwolfe.com
Table of Contents
Cover
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
