Smoking Hot

by Karen Kelley

  forgot. Ethan wants you to go by Dwayne Freeman’s and ask if he knows where his brothers were last night. That new math teacher’s house was papered and whoever did it got a little carried away. They busted a taillight on her car and shoe-polished that antique light at the front of her house. The teacher said she put the boys in detention for a month, and the rumor going around is that they were going to get even with her.”

  Raine stifled her groan. She had enough of Dwayne’s company earlier tonight. “Yeah, sure,” she muttered. “I’m on top of that one.” But she didn’t say what she was thinking. She pushed the button on the mike. “I’ll head that way now.”

  “If you need backup, let me know.”

  Backup? Dwayne was a jerk, but she could handle him.

  She slowed as she drove past the bank. A flicker of light caught her attention. It was so brief she thought her imagination was playing tricks. Who wouldn’t see boogeymen when the seed was planted? And the stranger had planted a whole row.

  The rational side of her brain said keep going. Follow up on Dwayne’s brothers. Why would anyone want to rob a bank in a small town?

  She pulled around the corner and stopped. This was stupid.

  Totally insane. She grabbed the mike and spoke. “Unit eight will be— ” She paused, knowing Darla never remembered the ten codes.

  “What’s that, Raine?” Darla asked.

  Raine counted to three, then keyed the mike again. “I thought

  I saw a flash of light inside the bank. It’s probably nothing, but I’m going to check it out.” So much for protocol.

  “Want me to get Leo to back you up? He’s over at the truck stop.”

  “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

  “Okay, sweetie.”

  Darla didn’t sound worried. Neither should Raine. The last major crime in Randolph was when Dwayne’s brothers robbed the laundromat and got a bag full of quarters. They might have gotten away with it, but two of them were going around town buying gas and junk food. They paid the merchants in quarters.

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Ethan had brought them in. He said they confessed as soon as he read them their rights. Every day after school they picked up trash along the side of the road. They might think twice about their actions after six months on clean up detail.

  Raine brought the windows up and locked the car. She had an obligation to see if her mind was playing tricks or if the flash of light was real. So what if the other deputies taunted her tomorrow about her imagination working overtime. She shook her head.

  What was a little more fuel added to an already burning fire?

  She slowed her steps as she went around the corner, scanning the area, but all was quiet, peaceful. The bank was a beautiful old building built in using brown brick hauled all the way from Mexico. It sat between the pharmacy and a dry goods store.

  Between the pharmacy and the bank was an alley, a shortcut to the sheriff’s office when Raine was still in school.

  She’d sit in her father’s office doing homework until he left for the day, then he would take her home in the patrol car. Her mother hated the relationship Raine and her father developed.

  Lucille forbade any talk about work. How could they not talk about it? Law enforcement was in their blood. Maybe that was why she left them. If they talked about the weather, would she have stayed? Doubtful.

  As Raine drew closer, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She stopped and glanced around one more time. Nothing.

  She tried to shake the bad feeling crawling over her, but couldn’t.

  The intruder’s words echoed in her head.

  There will be two men in the bank near the vault when you investigate a light.

  Unless the intruder was involved, how would he know?

  And why warn her? Maybe he’d developed a guilty conscience.

  Something told her there was more going on with him, but every time she tried to figure out what it could be, her head pounded until she gave up.

  She flipped the snap on her holster, peering around the side of the pharmacy and down the alley. Empty. Her hands trembled.

  She leaned against the building and took a couple of deep breaths.

  She’d once been described by a fellow officer as fearless. She wasn’t, but she loved the adrenaline rush.

  She walked down the alley until she was at the side door of the bank. It would take an explosion to unhinge the reinforced steel. Someone would have heard the noise. She tested the knob. Locked.

  Of course it was locked. This was Randolph. They didn’t have crime. At least, none that would make headlines in a major newspaper. She started to turn away, but hesitated at the last moment when the hairs on the back of her neck tingled. Her dad used to tell her she had a natural instinct when something wasn’t quite right. He also told her to always trust her feelings.

  Instead of going back to her car, she tested the door once more. Again, nothing budged. The tingling persisted. “What am

  I missing?” she murmured as she ran her hand over the rough textured brick that framed the door.

  One of the bricks shifted. Her heart skipped a beat. She slowly moved her hand over the bricks, dislodging two of them.

  The door might be heavy duty reinforced steel, but the brick surrounding it had been there a long time.

  Loose bricks didn’t mean there was a bank robbery in progress, she told herself. That didn’t stop the fluttering in her stomach.

  There was one way to find out. She carefully removed four bricks and set them on the ground.

  She looked through the opening, but it was too dark to see anything. She cringed at the thought of sticking her arm inside a dark hole. It reminded her too much of gathering eggs and sticking her hand beneath a hen. The stupid birds always pecked her.

  Just like gathering eggs, she gritted her teeth and did it anyway.

  The lock wasn’t hard to release. It was a little too easy, in fact. As if someone made sure the lock was oiled. She opened the door and stepped inside the narrow hallway. At the other end was an open door that led into the main part of the bank. The lights were always left on low in the lobby. Only a scant amount of light spilled out.

  She glanced down the shadowed hall. It seemed to stretch for miles.

  Something else bothered her. The door that led to the lobby was always kept closed. An employee could have left the door open. Friday night, the end of their week, a hot date— it happened.

  A streak of light flashed past the opening.

  Raine sucked in a breath, not daring to exhale. Muffled voices drifted from inside the bank and down the hallway.

  She eased back outside, heart beating faster. Once she was out the door and halfway down the alley, her breath came out in a whoosh. Trembles raced over her as she pressed the button on her mike. “Darla, you there?”

  There was a moment of silence. She was starting to worry when her radio crackled.

  “She went to the bathroom,” Justin’s voice squeaked over the airwaves.

  Darla would really appreciate him telling everyone in the county who owned a scanner that she was peeing. Raine almost pitied him.

  She reached into her pocket for her phone and realized it was still on the passenger seat. What the hell was happening to her?

  “Darla’s been gone for a while and should be back pretty quick— ”

  Raine heard the door to the dispatch office slam against the wall.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Darla’s voice came over the airwaves. “I told you I would answer any calls on my portable radio.”

  “You didn’t, though.”

  “Because I flushed the toilet and I didn’t want to broadcast my location,” she snarled.

  Raine gritted her teeth and waited for Darla to realize Justin still had the mike open and their conversation was being broadcast for everyone’s amusement. Until Justin released the button, Raine couldn’t communicate with dispatch. At this rate, she would have
time to jog back and get her phone.

  “Sorry,” Justin said.

  “Don’t let it happen again.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Ma’am? Did you call me ma’am? You’re not that much younger than me. I’m not sure you even— ”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “Why are you still holding the button down?” Darla’s voice trembled with suppressed anger.

  “Sorry.”

  It hadn’t taken Darla long to figure out she was quickly gaining notoriety as late night entertainment. She might not be too smart when it came to picking husbands, but she knew dispatching inside and out. Darla once said she’d been a screw-up all her life. Being a dispatcher made her feel as though she could finally do something right.

  Except for the ten codes. Someday they would work on that.

  “Take…your…finger…off…the…button.” Darla spoke slowly, clearly. There was a distinct clicking noise, then Darla’s voice came over the radio, still shaking. “I’m sorry, Raine. Did you need something?”

  It was about time. “There’s a burglary in progress at the bank.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Very.”

  “I’ll send backup.”

  “I’m going to investigate. I’m turning off my radio.” Raine didn’t wait for Darla to respond before she turned the knob.

  She’d wasted too much time already. Darla would go into a long spiel about Raine waiting for backup and she didn’t have time to listen. She removed her gun before moving back to the door and eased inside the building.

  When her back was pressed against the wall, she realized how vulnerable she would be if she continued forward. There would be no place for her to run if the burglars realized someone was in the hallway.

  She could turn around and wait for backup. Ethan was probably on his way, definitely Leo. They would keep her safe and have her guard the front while they checked out the inside of the building. She would be completely out of danger. They might be jerks ninety-nine percent of the time, but they would make sure she was out of harm’s way.

  As if she was going to let that happen! Why the hell should she let them have all the fun?

  Her respiration increased as she swiftly made her way down the hallway. She didn’t stop until she was at the open door. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, releasing adrenaline. Energy flowed through her body. The cop who said she was fearless definitely had it all wrong. It wasn’t fearlessness. It was the excitement, the danger of the job that sent her pulse racing.

  Living on the edge was a high like no other.

  A flash of light in the other room ricocheted and bounced off the wall before continuing on. She forced her breathing to slow, then took a quick look into the other room, but didn’t see anyone.

  The bank was one large room, except for three offices on the east side. Four teller windows were on the north, and the walk-in vault was on the west side. The floor was still the original hardwood. Carpet would have muffled her steps a lot better. Old floors had a way of squeaking at the wrong time.

  There was a silk wisteria in a gray planter not far from her.

  The branches were covered in green leaves and purple silk blooms that draped down like clusters of grapes. The tree would give her a better vantage point to determine exactly what she was up against and it would get her out of the hallway.

  After making sure the coast was clear, she quietly moved into the open, keeping low, moving quickly. Once she was in position, she drew in a calming breath. The adrenaline rush, the release of endorphins was heady, but she knew from past experience that feeling invincible didn’t make her invincible.

  The view from behind the tree was better. She could see

  Flashlight Man standing near the vault with his back to her. He was built like a bulldozer, but other than a dark blob, she couldn’t tell anything else about him.

  “In and out,” he whined. “That’s what you said. You know I don’t like closed-in spaces. I’m claustrophobic.” He turned in her direction, swinging the flashlight around the room.

  Raine quickly ducked. The beam of light swept past her without pause. She tentatively raised her head. Bulldozer had his back to her again. She didn’t recognize the voice, but that didn’t mean a thing because the black ski mask he wore muffled his words.

  Another man stepped from the vault. He was dressed similar to Bulldozer—dark clothes and a ski mask pulled over his face—but he wasn’t as large. He shined his light directly on Bulldozer.

  Bulldozer stumbled back a step. “I’ve got asthma and this mask is making it hard to breathe, and this sweatshirt itches.” He tugged at the collar.

  They’ll be wearing black ski masks. One of them will be tugging on the collar of his dark sweatshirt as though it’s scratching his neck.

  A cold chill of foreboding enveloped her. She quickly shook off the feeling. It was only a coincidence.

  “Will you shut the fuck up? As soon as we get these bags loaded we can get the hell out of here. Quick and easy, just like I told you.” He grabbed the flashlight out of Bulldozer’s hand and shoved against his shoulder. “Now get in there and fill those other bags.”

  Apparently, he was the leader.

  Bulldozer quickly ducked inside the vault. “It’s dark in here” came his muffled voice.

  The leader mumbled something Raine didn’t catch, but she would bet it wasn’t pretty. She was starting to feel like she’d been cast in a bad B-movie and she already knew the ending. What?

  Was she actually starting to believe the intruder? Maybe he was right about the bank being robbed, but not about her dying tonight. No one was that good at predicting the future, and she had a different ending in mind.

  She weighed her options. There were two burglars and one of her, but she had the advantage since they didn’t know they were being watched. Foiling a bank heist might get the other deputies off her back. She hated office politics.

  As much as she wanted to take these idiots in without asking for help, it wouldn’t be the smart move. Raine knew she had to go back the way she came and wait for the perps to leave. They wouldn’t stand a chance when they made their escape down the alley because she and the other deputies would be waiting.

  She was nearly to the door when the quiet of the night was shattered by a souped-up car zooming down the street a few blocks over. The car’s muffler growled like a lion ready to feed. She knew the car from the sound— a red Mustang that belonged to seventeen-year old Cory Bradley. He had way too much time on his hands and extremely indulgent parents.

  Raine froze at the same time the thief’s flashlight made another sweep. The beam swept past her before she could get out of its path. The light swung back in her direction.

  She had no choice. “Hands in the air,” she yelled as she faced the robber, her gun pointed directly at him. He reached for the ceiling. “You, inside the vault, get out here where I can see you.”

  “I told you this wasn’t a good idea,” Bulldozer said as he stepped out.

  “Shut up!” the leader growled.

  “Hands in the air,” she said again. “If you don’t think I won’t put a bullet in you, just try me. I haven’t shot anyone since I patrolled Fort Worth’s north side and I might be a little trigger happy.” She’d never actually shot anyone, but this was a need-to- know situation.

  Bulldozer reached toward the ceiling.

  The hairs on the back of her neck tingled again. She frowned.

  There will be a man behind one of the desks who sees you enter the bank. When he bumps the chair behind the desk, you’ll turn toward him. His gun will discharge. The bullet will hit you center chest. You’ll be dead before you hit the ground.

  Bulldozer’s eyes strayed to her right, toward the desks.

  Her lungs felt as though they were deflating. She couldn’t draw in a breath deep enough to get oxygen to her brain. Everything around her slowed.

  There was a dull thud as a chair
bumped a desk.

  You’ll be dead before you hit the ground, you’ll be dead before you hit the ground, you’ll be dead before you hit the ground sing-songed inside her head, but she was frozen in place.

  If she could relive her life, she would have sex a lot more often. Odd how she would think about sex right before she died.

  Chapter 6

  Strong hands shoved her forward as the deafening report of a gun echoed through the bank. The side of her head slammed into the hard floor. Bright lights flashed in front of her eyes. The room blurred and voices faded.

  “Fuck! I didn’t mean to shoot her,” someone said.

  “Idiot! Someone probably heard your gun go off!” someone else yelled. “Grab the bags and let’s get the hell out of here.”

  The voices all sounded the same as they ran together. Did that mean she had a brain injury or something?

  “Do it! Now!”

  Her head pounded harder. Please be quiet, she silently prayed as the thudding inside her head grew louder and the sound of running feet grew faint. The bank robbers were getting away. She blinked, trying to force her vision to clear. Where was her gun?

  She reached out to feel along the floor but a sharp pain shot down her arm.

  Oh God, had she been shot?

  She gingerly felt the side of her head. No blood. She wiggled her fingers. Nothing wet ran down her arm, either. If she’d been shot there would be blood. Her head pounded as she sat up. She’d really whacked it good. She waited for a wave of dizziness to pass, then looked around for her gun. Her intruder was right about everything except being shot and killed. She was still alive.

  She needed her gun. Moving to her knees, she looked behind her. The air left her lungs with a whoosh when she spotted a body and the puddle of blood. She remembered someone pushed her out of the way. “Oh crap,” she whispered. He took the bullet for her.

  She scooted to her knees and knelt over him. There was a lot of blood. Too much. “That was a stupid thing to do!”

  The intruder from her home opened his eyes. “I didn’t think so at the time. It’ll only sting for a minute.”

  He was going into shock. Blood oozed from the center of his chest. He was going to die because of her. Where was her backup?