by Radclyffe
When the vehicle came to an abrupt halt, she groaned and opened her eyes. The double doors sprang open and she was being lifted out into a parking lot.
“Where’s Allie?” she demanded again.
“She’s inside,” a new voice said.
Ash focused on the woman walking beside the stretcher. Blond, young, chiseled face and tight body. She knew her. She’d seen her the night before. Allie’s girlfriend. “Is she all right?”
“The doc’s about finished with her. She’s fine.” Flynn looked down, grinning. “I thought I was going to have to tie her down to keep her from going back after you. She’ll be happy to see you.”
“Tell her I’m okay. She doesn’t have to hang around here.”
“I’ll tell her, but you know your partner.” Flynn guided the stretcher up the few stairs to the main entrance and pulled the door open. “I doubt she’ll leave until she’s satisfied that you’re all right.”
Partner. Ash gritted her teeth. Allie wasn’t her partner, not in any sense of the word, and the very last thing she wanted was Allie and her new squeeze waiting around. “Do me a favor and get her to go home. There’s nothing she can do here. Nothing at all.”
Chapter Thirteen
Reese pulled into the clinic parking lot right behind the EMT rig, left her cruiser, and followed Ash and the EMS personnel inside to the treatment area. At the far end of the hall, Tory directed the medics guiding Ash’s stretcher into an open treatment room.
“How’s everyone doing?” Reese asked.
“I’ve only got a minute because I need to see to Ash,” Tory said, “but Allie’s okay.”
“Nothing serious?”
“Lacerations and abrasions,” Tory said. “She’s shook up and she’s going to be sore for a while. She’s handling it well, but I’d still recommend putting her on desk duty for a day or two. Any problems getting Ash extricated?”
“It all went smoothly. She’s pretty banged up too, but from what I could tell, she got lucky. They both did.”
“How are you?” Tory asked.
“Me?”
Tory smiled at Reese’s genuine confusion and stroked her arm. “Things must’ve been pretty harrowing there for a while.”
Reese glanced around to make sure they were still alone. “I didn’t have any recurrence of those symptoms. That’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it?”
“Let’s say concerned.”
“Don’t be. I’m okay. You’ve got enough to do taking care of my people.”
“You’ll always come first,” Tory murmured.
Reese glanced at her watch. “By my count, you’ve been standing for close to ten hours again. How is your leg?”
“Better than I’d hoped.”
“That’s a cagey answer, Doctor. I know you can’t leave now, but as soon as you can, all right?” When Tory nodded, Reese kissed her quickly. “Can I see Allie?”
“Yes. She’s across the hall in three. I’ll update you on Ash when I know something.”
“Thanks. I’ll call Kate and tell her I’ll be by to pick Reggie up in an hour or so.”
“Good. I hope I’ll be home about then too. I’ll see you later, darling.”
Tory left to see Ash, and Reese crossed to the other treatment room. Just as she was about to knock on the door, Bri barreled in from the reception area. She looked like she’d just jumped out of the shower—her dark hair was wet and windblown, and she wore threadbare jeans, a faded blue polo shirt, and her motorcycle boots. From the wild look in her eyes, she’d probably rushed over to the clinic after hearing about the cave-in on her police scanner. Reese held up a hand.
“Take it easy. Everybody’s okay.”
“Allie?” Bri asked, panting from her run in from the parking lot.
Reese nodded. “Cuts and bruises. Nothing worse. I was just about to check on her.”
Bri let out a long sigh of relief. “Man, that’s good news. Can I go in with you?”
“Yes.” Reese checked behind her. They were still alone. “I told Carter about Everly. We checked his mother’s house today. No sign of him.”
“Thanks for the heads up.” Bri added casually, “I’m okay with you telling whoever needs to know.”
“Did you talk to Caroline?”
“Not yet. She was just leaving when I got home. I’ll tell her tonight.”
“Don’t wait any longer. There may be nothing to worry about, but make sure she’s careful.”
“Don’t worry. As soon as I leave here, I’ll do it. She’s been with Rica at the gallery all day, so I figured she was safe.”
“Good enough.” Reese reached for the doorknob on treatment room three. “Let’s go see how your partner’s doing.”
*
“You talked to her?” Allie asked Flynn as she pushed herself up on the side of the stretcher and started buttoning her shirt. Tory had removed the IV and cleared her to go home, but she couldn’t leave until she knew Ash was all right. “She looked okay?”
“She was stable when I talked to her.” Flynn rubbed Allie’s back soothingly. “Awake and asking about you.”
Allie stiffened, resisting the little trill of pleasure that came from just knowing Ash had asked about her. “What did the EMTs say? Is she hurt seriously?”
“I only got a quick report from Sharon, the medic who brought her in, but it sounds like she’s in good shape. She looked it to me.”
“Good,” Allie said briskly. “That’s good.”
Flynn clasped Allie’s hand. “It will probably be a while before Dr. King is done with the x-rays. Maybe you ought to go home.”
“I feel pretty normal right now.” Allie squeezed Flynn’s hand. “Thanks for looking after me and making sure I got here okay. I guess I was more shook up than I realized.”
“You had a right to be shook up—you were both really lucky.” Flynn kissed Allie’s cheek. “When I heard what happened, I was pretty scared.”
Allie forced a laugh, feeling oddly guilty about Flynn’s concern. After all, the entire debacle had been her fault, and since it happened, she hadn’t been able to think about anything except Ash. Through the whole thing, Flynn had been a rock—supporting her, comforting her, looking after her. “You were great, Flynn. I’m really glad you were there and I really appreciate—”
“I wanted to be there. I want to be here. Don’t thank me,” Flynn murmured, dipping her head to kiss Allie on the lips.
Allie jerked away when she heard the door open. Reese and Bri stood in the doorway. Reese’s face was completely expressionless. Bri smirked ever so slightly.
“Officer Tremont,” Reese said, continuing into the room. “I understand Tory has cleared you to leave. I suggest you head home and get some rest. I’m taking you off rotation tomorrow. You’ll be on the desk when you come back the next day. I’ll need your report before that, including anything that you or Ash might have found suspicious in the structure. Can you take care of that while at home?”
“Yes, Sheriff,” Allie said formally, processing the news about desk duty. Was she being reprimanded because she’d screwed up? Probably. She could’ve gotten Ash killed just because she’d let her personal feelings compromise her judgment, even if for only a few seconds. Maybe Ash was right all along. Maybe she wasn’t mature enough for anything—a relationship or her job. “I’ll type up the report tonight and e-mail it to you. You’ll have it on your desk by start of first shift tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow by noon will be fine, Tremont,” Reese said. “Take it easy tonight.”
“Thank you, but I want to finish what I started.”
Reese glanced at Bri. “Can you take her home?”
Bri shook her head. “Sorry, Sheriff, but I came on my bike. I don’t think she should—”
“I’ll see that she gets home all right,” Flynn said. She’d released Allie’s hand but still stood close by her side.
“Good enough,” Reese said. “I’ll check in with you later, Tremont.”
&nbs
p; “Okay, Sheriff.” Allie waited until the door closed behind Reese and Bri, then said to Flynn, “Don’t you have to get back to work?”
“I’ll take some personal time. It’s no problem. I’ll keep my radio on and leave if I have to.”
“You sure?”
Flynn slipped her arm around Allie’s waist. “Yeah, positive. I want to stay with you a while.”
“Can you wait just a minute while I find out if I can see Ash?”
“Sure. I’ll wait out in the hall for you. I have to call the station house anyhow.”
“Thanks, Flynn. You’re terrific.”
“I’ll remind you of that the first time I piss you off.” Flynn grinned and walked Allie out to the hall, her arm still around Allie’s waist. The door to the treatment room opposite them swung open and Tory halted when she saw them, holding the door open.
“Prefect timing. I was just about to deliver a status report,” Tory said.
Allie looked past Tory to where Ash lay on the treatment table, a sheet pulled up to her chest. Her shoulders were bare and her left shoulder was mottled with the beginning of a huge bruise. Her cheek was scraped and still bleeding. Ash Walker’s gaze skated over Allie’s face before moving to Flynn. Then she slowly closed her eyes and turned her face away.
Tory said, “I can give you a minute, but that’s about it right now.”
“I don’t want to interfere,” Allie said softly. Ash didn’t want to see her, that was clear enough. “I only wanted to be sure she would be all right.”
“Everything looks good so far.”
“That’s all I needed to know,” Allie said. “I won’t keep you, then. We were just leaving.”
*
Rica stood back and admired the five new paintings she’d just hung on prominent display in the front of the gallery. She’d placed the main work, a 4 x 5 foot impressionistic rendering of a cityscape that appeared to be at once ethereal and ominous, on a half-wall in front of the street-level plate glass window where it would be eye-catching to passersby.
“What do you think?” she asked Caroline Clark.
“I think I should reconsider my choice of careers. God, she is so awesome.” Caroline shook her head, her shoulder-length flaxen hair teasing around her cheeks and sweeping her neck, making her look innocent and sweetly seductive at the same time. In her tight black hip-hugger pants and red short-sleeved corset shirt, she’d been the object of admiring glances all day long. Rica had watched at least four people—women and men—trying to pick her up, but Caroline was completely oblivious. The thin silver band on her left ring finger was more than an ornament, and Rica found her complete lack of guile refreshing and heartbreakingly tender.
“Give up painting? Really?” Rica said, carrying the final canvas she intended to display to the side wall opposite the one showcasing the featured works. She hung the brilliantly hued landscape depicting a sliver of land, sweeping dunes, and several ramshackle dune shacks overlooking a stormy ocean, and stepped back to admire it. The scene, while a frequent one in works of local artists, was captivating in the purity of color and the wild, untamed brushstrokes. Rica felt the wind against her face and tasted the tang of salt water just looking at it. “Well then, I’m not sure I should sell this. In ten years, I might be able to retire on it.”
Caroline gasped. “That’s mine.”
“It certainly is, and I hope there’s more where this came from. I love it.”
“You do? Really?”
Rica slipped her arm around Caroline’s shoulders and gave her a hug. “Sweetheart, it’s terrific. I know you just brought it over for me to see, but you don’t mind if I show it, do you?”
“Mind? Oh my God! Oh, I can’t wait to tell Bri!” Caroline threw her arms around Rica’s neck and hugged her exuberantly. “You’re the best. I love you. I love you.”
Laughing, Rica hugged her back.
*
He leaned against the storefront opposite the gallery, sipping coffee from a paper cup and watching them through the front window. Watching them caress each other—their breasts molded together, their hips pressing, parting, pressing again—made him wish they were naked. Women together aroused him. He liked watching them in videos, their long hair sweeping over full breasts and soft bellies. He liked to imagine one of the women was her—just like now—and he would stroke himself, biding his time. In the end, she would turn to him, open her arms to him, and beg him to give her what she truly needed. The pictures in magazines weren’t as satisfying as the videos, and the videos couldn’t come close to exciting him the way watching her like this did. Smiling, he thought about following her home. Maybe she would leave the light on in her bedroom. He slid his hand into his pocket and fingered the square of red silk he’d cut from the shirt. He rubbed it up and down inside his pocket, over the ridge of his erection.
The first time he’d seen her after—after—he’d gotten so hard he’d almost taken her right then, not caring who might’ve seen or heard. He’d barely managed to restrain himself, but now he was so glad that he had. Watching her, envisioning all the different ways he would touch her and taste her, was proving to be so much more satisfying than having her just once. And there were all the others to amuse himself with—all the pretty women. Her friends. All for him.
Suddenly, a figure cut across his line of vision, striding rapidly toward the front door of the gallery. He stepped back into the shadows, his fingers stilling against his cock. Pressure built in his chest, his head pounded. One of them. He’d been so intent on her, he hadn’t seen which one it was, but they were all the same. They defiled what was rightfully his. Maybe he didn’t have to wait for his pleasure. Maybe it was time to take one of them.
*
The chime above the door sounded, and Bri walked into the gallery. Stopping abruptly with her hands on her hips, she cocked her head and growled, “Hey! What am I missing here?”
Caroline looked over her shoulder, her arms still around Rica’s waist. “Hi, baby.” She tilted her head toward the wall. “Look!”
Bri followed her gaze and grinned. “Oh yeah. What did I tell you?” She opened her arms and Caroline threw herself at her. Laughing, Bri kissed her, sliding her hands down her back to cup her butt. Caroline wrapped her arms around Bri’s neck and hooked her heel behind Bri’s leg. Bri broke off the kiss after half a minute and whispered in her ear, “You’re going to be famous, babe. Just wait and see.”
“I don’t care about that,” Caroline said. “I just want you to be proud of me.”
Bri nuzzled her neck. “Always, babe. Always.”
Rica laughed, wondering if she should break them up or just charge admission. She settled for tapping Bri on the shoulder. “Hi, Bri.”
“Hey, Rica.” Reluctantly, Bri loosened her hold on Caroline, who eased away a few inches and pushed her hand into Bri’s back pocket, gripping her ass. “She’s really good, huh?”
“She really is.”
“Okay, okay,” Caroline protested. “Enough already. Where have you been, baby? I thought you were going to meet me for dinner.”
“I would have, but Allie and Ash got caught in a building collapse this afternoon. I was at the clinic.”
“Are they okay?” Caroline asked anxiously.
“Yeah. They’re both going to be fine.”
“Was anyone else with them?” Rica asked. “Is Carter all right? I haven’t heard from her all afternoon.”
“Carter’s probably still there, securing the scene. She’s good.” Bri checked the time, then said apologetically, “We should go, babe. I, uh, need to talk to you before I get ready for work.”
Caroline asked Rica, “Do you need me to help close up or anything?”
“No. You go ahead. Thanks for giving me a hand getting these paintings uncrated and hung.” Rica dimmed the lights in the front of the gallery. “I’ll be leaving soon myself.”
Caroline kissed Rica’s cheek. “Thanks again. You’ve made me so happy.”
“You d
eserve it.” Rica hugged Caroline. “Now go, before Bri busts something. From the way she’s looking at you, I think you better go straight home.”
“Oh, she always looks at me that way,” Caroline confided with a tiny smirk.
“Lucky you.” Rica laughed. “Get out of here, you two.”
Rica held the door for them, still smiling as they sauntered off, arms around each other. She watched them, wondering what it would have been like if she’d met Carter when she was their age. Her father had made it clear before she was out of her teens that he expected her to marry, preferably the man of his choice. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself when she thought of Lorenzo Brassi and his dark hungry eyes, undressing her, devouring her, as if she were already his. But Enzo was gone, and she had Carter. She would have fallen in love with Carter at any age, and that thought was enough to warm her all the way through. She closed the door and went in search of her phone, unsure why she suddenly felt so unsettled. All she knew was that she needed to hear Carter’s voice.
*
“He’s out?” Caroline asked softly, dropping abruptly onto the side of the bed. She clasped her hands together in her lap and stared at Bri.
Bri nodded, hating the tremor of fear she heard in Carre’s voice, even though Carre tried hard to hide it. “We don’t know he’s here, babe. Okay? You just need to be careful. Don’t walk around alone at night. Make sure the doors are locked. Keep your phone with you all the time, even when you’re in the house.”
“What about you? Will you be all right?”
“Hey,” Bri said, putting a swagger in her voice. “I’m a cop, babe. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Caroline laughed and shook her head. “You are so full of it.” She patted the bed next to her. “Come here and hold me for a few minutes.”
Bri covered the distance in one second flat. She stretched out on top of their platform bed and pulled Carre into her arms. “It’s going to be okay, babe. Reese will find him, if he’s here.”
