by Jamie Hill
“Shooter is down,” another officer called. “Is the witness secure?”
Beck and Thorpe pulled Willie up. “Ten-four,” one of them shouted.
Nick rose and grabbed Jordan’s hand, jerking her up.
“Get him upstairs now!” someone else yelled.
Beck glanced back at them. “Let’s go.” He and Thorpe gripped Willie so tightly, Jordan wasn’t sure the smaller man’s feet ever hit the floor. They raced up another flight of stairs, Nick and Jordan on their heels, until they stood in front of a courtroom.
“This is it,” Beck told them. “We’ll take him from here. Nice work.”
Jordan barely had time to catch her breath. “Yeah, thanks. Good luck, Willie.”
The terrified man caught her eye. “Thanks, Jordan. You guys saved my bacon, and I’ll never forget it.”
A rush of emotion filled her. “Just get in there and testify. Make this all worthwhile.”
He nodded and allowed a small smile before Beck whisked him off.
Thorpe motioned to Nick. “You might want to get that checked out.” He followed Beck and Willie, and the courtroom door closed behind him.
She glanced at Nick. The left sleeve of his leather jacket was ripped and bloody. “Ay Dios mio! What happened?”
He waved her off. “It just grazed me. It’s nothing.”
Jordan grabbed his arm and inspected the wound. “You were shot, Nick! We’ve got to get you to the hospital.”
“Nah, I just need a Band-Aid.”
“Estupido. Stupid.” She looked around for another courthouse cop and asked, “We need a first aid kit. Is there one somewhere—?”
The woman nodded and led them to a nearby office. “Right in here.” She opened the door to the small room and pulled out a box of supplies.
“Take your jacket off,” Jordan instructed.
Nick made a face at her. “Bossy.”
“Damn right. Off.”
He did as she asked without further complaint.
Jordan looked at the wound which didn’t appear deep, but was bleeding profusely. She ripped open a gauze pad packet and pressed the bandage to his bicep. “We’ve got to go to the hospital. You might need stitches or something.”
“Just find some tape to hold that thing on. I’ll be okay.” He glanced at his arm. “Someone found out I don’t like cats, I guess.”
“You’re such an ass.” She peeled the pad back. “Nick, it hasn’t stopped bleeding. You can’t just ignore it.”
“Sure I can. This is no big deal.”
Jordan pulled her cell phone out and speed dialed Rhodes. “Chief, yeah, it’s Jordan. Willie E. is testifying as we speak, but there was some trouble getting him in there. A courthouse cop was wounded—he may be dead, I don’t know. And Nick was shot in the arm.”
“Shot in the arm?” the chief yelled back, so loudly Jordan had to hold the phone away from her ear.
“I’m fine!” Nick called out. “It’s nothing.”
Jordan made a face at him and told her boss, “It’s a flesh wound, but it’s bleeding pretty badly. I think we need to have it checked out. Marshal Pierce is being less than cooperative.”
“Put me on speaker,” Rhodes ordered.
Jordan complied and held the phone out.
Her chief continued, “Get his butt to the hospital and call me when he’s been cleared to leave. If they want to keep him, you have my permission to use cuffs.”
“I’m fine,” Nick protested.
“Call me when you’ve been cleared to leave the hospital. You got that Pierce? Burke?”
“Yes, Chief,” they both replied, and Jordan ended the call.
Nick made a face. “Since when did you become such a goody two-shoes?”
Jordan steeled her gaze. “When you left and I had to figure out who I could trust and who I couldn’t. It was a real eye opener.”
He blinked, taken aback.
Her dart had hit its mark. “Come on.” She picked up his jacket, resisting the urge to inhale the masculine leather aroma. “We’ve got a cab to catch.”
* * *
Nick didn’t have the energy to resist. Jordan called a cab to drive them to the nearest hospital. She tucked his gun under her jacket next to hers and he was taken to an ER examining room. Two hours and a bunch of needless tests later, his arm had been poked, prodded, disinfected, and wrapped. He was given a shot of something to ease discomfort and released with more pain meds, antibiotics, and instructions to keep the area clean and dry.
“Ridiculous,” he muttered as he joined her in the waiting room.
She tossed her magazine aside. “They think you’ll live?”
“Won’t know for sure until I get some food. I’m starving.”
“God, me too! I ate some stale chips from the vending machine, but that didn’t cut it.” She stood and touched the hole in his coat. “Sorry about your jacket.”
He shrugged. “You’re worth it.”
Jordan stared at him. “You think this was my fault?”
“Your fault? Of course not. But I do think that bullet would have hit you if I hadn’t shoved you out of the way.”
“Well how flipping gallant of you. Whatever. Okay, Sir Galahad, I’ve seen just about enough of this town. I vote for picking up fast food on the way to the airport so we can get the hell out of here.”
He touched the sleeve of her jacket. “Or we could take Evan’s advice and grab a room for the night. Eat a leisurely dinner with room service and get a good night’s sleep before we go back.”
She stared at him blankly. “You’re kidding, right? Did they give you drugs or something?”
Nick smiled. “As a matter of fact they did, and I’m getting kinda drowsy. That’s why I thought one night in Hot’lanta wouldn’t hurt.”
“Yeah, not going to happen. We’ll choke down some food and you can sleep on the plane. I just heard from the chief that Willie’s testimony was everything the prosecutors had hoped for. He’s headed to his new destination and our job is done. Let’s go home.”
Suddenly very tired, Nick didn’t argue. “Food first?”
“Absolutely.” She ushered him out the door.
They ate in the taxi and bought enough food for the driver so he was happy. He delivered them back to the airport where Evan had arranged a commercial flight home.
His stomach full, all Nick wanted to do was sleep. Jordan gave him the window seat and propped a pillow for his head, and that’s the last thing he remembered until they landed.
In the parking lot she snapped her fingers at him. “Keys.”
“Excuse me?” He blinked, groggy.
“Give me your keys and I’ll drive you home.”
He fumbled around his pocket. “I can drive.”
“I’m sure you can, but not tonight. They gave you something to take the edge off and you need to rest. I’ll drive you home and get you settled, then take your truck. You can call me tomorrow when you want it back.”
He stretched and yawned. “Or you could just stay.”
Jordan snorted. “Right. Let’s go, Romeo.”
Nick could only comply. Whatever the hospital had given him had knocked him on his ass, and she was right, he couldn’t drive. He allowed Jordan to drop him at the safe house and walk him inside.
His arm had grown stiff and sore, and was now aching. “Fuck that hurts!” He peeled his jacket off carefully.
She watched him. “You have your meds? Can I get you a glass of water or anything?”
“Nah, I’ll manage. I’m gonna try to sleep it off. I’ll be good as new by tomorrow.”
“I’m sure you will.” She wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Jesus, Nick. Not even a bread crumb in here. What are you supposed to eat?”
“I can order in. No problem.”
Jordan poured a glass of tap water and returned to the front room. “Nothing is ever a problem for you, is it?”
He smiled. “I’m not a complainer.”
“I never said that. Where are your pills?”
Nick fished two bottles from his pocket and handed them over.
She read the labels. “You can have one of these every six to eight hours as needed for pain. Take the antibiotics three times a day until they’re gone, which means when the bottle is empty, not when you’re feeling better.” She dumped one of each into her hand and held them out.
“Bossy,” he murmured, but swallowed and washed them down with water.
“Take off your boots and go lie down.”
He grinned. “You trying to get me into bed?”
She scowled and shoved his good arm lightly. “Yeah, idiota. That’s exactly what I had in mind. Actually, I was making sure you laid down before you fell down. You going, or you want me to leave you to manage?”
He yawned again. “I’m going. I’m beat.” He kicked off his boots and padded to the bedroom.
“I know,” she said softly.
He unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it into a chair as he went.
She helped remove his holster, returned his gun to it, and stuck it in his nightstand drawer.
“Thanks,” he murmured as he kicked off his trousers.
“That’s far enough,” she cautioned.
Nick smiled and threw back the covers on the bed. “Nothing you haven’t seen before.”
“Yeah, and my nightmares have finally stopped. Just lie down. You can lose the boxers after I’m gone.”
“I have a better i-dear.” His words were starting to slur.
Jordan covered him up and patted his chest. “Another day, handsome.”
Did I hear her correctly? He tried to open his eyes, but the lids felt heavy.
He felt her run a hand through his hair and touch his cheek. He forced his eyes open and saw her gazing at him. There was something different in her eyes than he’d seen the past few days. Affection? His voice was a whisper. “You sure you don’t want to stay?”
Jordan lowered her face until it was just above his. “I’m not sure about anything anymore.” Her eyes softened as she gazed at him with tenderness.
That is affection! Or perhaps she was showing compassion because of his injury. In his groggy state, he couldn’t quite tell.
“Sweet dreams, Nick.” She brushed her lips over his quickly then backed away and turned off the light.
He reached for her but she was gone. The house went dark and the front door closed. He shut his eyes and let the meds take over.
* * *
When he woke the next morning, his arm stung like blazes but his head felt better and not so fuzzy. He crawled out of bed, used the bathroom, and peeled back the bandage to inspect his arm. The bleeding had stopped and it looked better. He figured he would probably live.
Returning to the bedroom, he sat on the edge of the mattress. Had Jordan kissing him last night been a dream? It wasn’t much of a kiss, but their lips had touched. He couldn’t have imagined that. She’s coming around.
Buoyed by the thought and very hungry, he dressed and headed into the kitchen. The one meal he’d eaten yesterday hadn’t stuck with him. And of course, the cupboards were bare.
Ten-thirty a.m. He’d told her he could order in, but no restaurants delivered at that time of day. He was forced to do the one thing he really wanted to do anyway. Call Jordan. He reached for his cell and dialed.
She answered on the third ring. “You made it through the night. How do you feel?”
He smiled. “Good morning. Arm hurts, but I feel better. Thanks for last night.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she protested.
“Yeah, I know. Nothing you’ll admit to. Well I’ve got to admit, I’m starving again and it’s too early to order anything. Want to pick me up and we can get some lunch?”
“It’s ten-thirty in the morning.”
“We’ll go to IHOP. Pancakes works for me.”
She chuckled. “How about I bring your truck back and you can go eat yourself? You don’t need me intruding on your weekend. You should rest as much as possible. I know I plan to.”
“How about you don’t tell me what I need? One meal isn’t going to kill you. After we eat I’ll drop you off at your place and you can rest to your heart’s content.”
“Nick—”
“See you whenever you get here. I’m ready now and I’m famished, but no hurry. Bye.” He hung up before she could bow out.
His truck pulled into the driveway about thirty minutes later. He opened his front door to give her some static and saw Evan Rhodes walking up the sidewalk, tossing his keys. Jordan had pulled her Jeep in behind, and was waiting in it. She gave a small wave.
He tried not to frown, and gave Evan a smile. “Morning. What are you doing here?”
The chief handed over his keys. “I was going to check on you anyway. Jordan said she needed to get your truck back and I offered to help. How’s the arm?” He lifted the edge of Nick’s T-shirt to look at the bandage.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
“You were shot, and that’s always something. Judging by the amount of paperwork we have to fill out, it’s huge. We’ll get to that on Monday. For now, make sure you take it easy. I need you at one hundred percent before you two fly off to Los Angeles.”
“For the case that’s really supposed to be dangerous.” Nick rolled his eyes.
“I know, right?” Evan shook his head. “The courthouse guard is going to make it, by the way. They apprehended the shooter, and the defendant was found guilty. All in all, a happy ending.”
“So, it was worth it.”
“One of my people getting shot is never worth it, but since you seem to be okay, I guess you could say that. The Atlanta boys said you and Jordan were professional and helpful. They gave you both high marks.”
“Helpful and professional? Wow. With that glowing recommendation, I should put in for a raise.”
Evan laughed. “Whatever, it goes on your record and it looks good. Cooperation with other departments is always a good thing. Anyway, glad to see you’re okay. Don’t overdo it. Jordan says you’re on pain meds so you should probably take it slow this weekend, get plenty of rest.”
“What else am I going to do? I don’t know anyone here anymore. Rest is all I got going for me.”
“Good.” He retreated down the sidewalk. “I need to get going. The wife has a Saturday to-do list a mile long. See you Monday, Nick.”
“Yeah.” He followed Evan a few steps and motioned to Jordan to roll her window down. “You still want to get breakfast?”
She shook her head. “No thanks. You go ahead. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Right.” He frowned this time and turned around to lock his front door. They drove off, and he went in search of food.
After a meal of pancakes, eggs and bacon, and several cups of coffee, he finally felt full. He ordered a sandwich to go for later and loaded back into his truck. Instead of going home, he headed to Jordan’s. He parked in her driveway and proceeded to her front porch, where he knocked.
She answered, wearing what looked like flannel pajamas. His heart thudded, but he tried to remain calm. “Hey.”
“Nick. What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t just want to have breakfast with you. I wanted to talk. Can I come in?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t think so. It’s not a good idea.”
“What’s not? Talking?”
“Being alone with you.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what I wanted to talk about.”
Jordan shook her head. “I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Go home, Nick. Please.”
“Okay, but I need to tell you one other thing. It floored me when you said you couldn’t trust me. I never cheated on you, Jordan. That was never our issue. You know that.”
Her eyes flashed. “Oh, I know that. Maybe I could trust you, but I couldn’t rely on you. You left me, Nick. You left when I needed you the most.”
He caught her eye. “I didn�
�t know. You have to believe that, because you were the one keeping secrets. I didn’t know you needed me.”
“That’s bullshit! You knew and you didn’t care. We had more than one argument where you told me as much.”
She was twisting the story in her mind, and he needed to somehow make things right. “Jordan—”
“No.” She held up her hands. “Listen, that stuff is past history. Even if we could somehow put it behind us, there’s still no chance for us in the future. I don’t see us making it work.”
He ran the back of one finger over her forearm. “It would work between us. It always did. You can’t argue with that.”
“I’m not talking about sex, Nick. It would have to be more than that. I’m not going to have a fling with you.”
He smiled. “Flings can be fun.”
Jordan shook her head. “I’m thirty-five years old. That isn’t what I’m about anymore. I’m looking to settle down with a guy who wants the same things that I do.”
“Yeah, well, life isn’t like the movie Pretty Woman. Everyone doesn’t get the fairytale ending.”
She scowled. “It doesn’t have to be like the movie Shrek, either. Not all girls want to be with an ogre.”
His hackles raised, he inhaled and blew out the breath to calm himself before he spoke. “An ogre? Are you fucking kidding me?”
One hand on the door, she took a step back. “Go home, Nick. I’ll see you Monday.” She closed the door in his face.
Nick stared at the spot where she’d been standing. For the second time in as many days, she’d totally surprised the hell out of him. It wasn’t a particularly good feeling.
Chapter Four
California State Prison, Corcoran
Level IV Housing, General Population
Corcoran, California
Saturdays were for visitation, and it was the most anticipated day of the week. His son was coming today, and that always cheered him up. He loved both his kids equally, but Tracy understood him just a little better than Tessa. Or at least, they each understood him in different ways. Twins, born just minutes apart, the boy took after him in looks and interests. Luckily for his daughter, she inherited her mother’s dark haired good looks and fine features. She was a classic beauty as her mother had been. Both women enjoyed the finer things in life, but Tessa hadn’t been forced to work as hard as her mother had. He hated to admit he spoiled her, but deep down he knew he did.
