by Lexie Davis
“Excuse me,” she said.
Ryder kept his eyes on Rick while Blake left the room. “I need you to write a statement and sign it.” He snatched a notepad from the counter and handed it to Rick. “This time, Mr. Romano, don’t leave anything out.”
* * * *
“Who?” she asked McKenna. The other officer pointed.
The man stood with his back to her. Approximately six-feet tall, he wore a leather jacket and black jeans with dark boots. She didn’t recognize the style or the size as anyone she knew. She walked to her desk, grabbed her weapon, and stuffed it in the small of her back.
“I’m Detective Warren. May I help you?”
The man turned around and those obsidian eyes, ones that haunted her for way too long, shined back at her. A toothpick bobbed in his mouth while he chewed, before he reached to pull it out. Blake’s stomach churned as her respiration rate increased. Levi.
“Long time no see,” he said with an eerie grin. “Never would have thought you left me to join the police force but stranger things have happened.” He glanced down at her knuckles. “What happened to your hands?”
“I beat the shit out of someone. What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you. Can we go someplace more private?”
“No. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. I don’t care about your opinion or your concerns. I, quite frankly, don’t ever want to see you again.” Blake gripped the edge of a nearby desk. “So the best thing for you to do is turn around, walk out of here, and pretend we’ve never met.”
Levi narrowed his eyes. “Or what?”
Without thinking twice, Blake reached for her gun. She pointed it directly at him. “Or I make you.”
“Uh, is there a problem here?” Ryder’s voice came from her side.
“Not yet, Detective.” Blake narrowed her eyes. “But, if Mr. Holmes doesn’t leave the premises right now, there will be.”
Her finger brushed against the trigger, and Blake took a deep breath. She pictured this moment so many times in her mind. The confrontation. She brushed the trigger again a little harder this time. His heartless nature shined in his eyes, menace on his face. He hadn’t changed one bit.
Ryder pushed past her and stood between her and Levi. “I’ll escort you out.”
Blake finally lowered the gun, though she watched Levi and Ryder until they left her sight. She moved to the window and pulled the blinds down, keeping her eye on the parking lot. Ryder shoved Levi against a black sedan. She knew Ryder would retaliate, and he didn’t disappoint. His right fist landed against Levi’s cheek, knocking the man down. Ryder said something to him and turned his back, heading to the door again. She let the blinds go and stood there waiting for Ryder to return.
He came in and stopped in front of her for a brief second with a hard look on his face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. Get an officer to pick up Stevens and Cummings for questioning. I’m taking the vial to the lab to see if it matches anything in the toxicology report.” He pushed past her.
“Ryder?”
He stopped, keeping his back to her. “Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
He turned back for a moment, his gray eyes going soft for a second. “Anytime.”
After three long hours of nothing but coffee keeping her awake, Blake pushed aside Amanda and Josh’s statements and rubbed her eyes. Amanda admitted to the vial being hers, stupidly, so if the substance came up in the vic’s system Amanda went down for murder. She even entertained them with a little story of how she got it, putting Josh Perkins, the waiter, on the scene as well. He had priors in drug dealing and trafficking. Amanda wanted to kill Sophie, used the drug Josh gave her, and waited. She also gave them another interesting bit of information. She and Josh were lovers.
Stevens, however, had come down with the flu and unfortunately couldn’t make it to the station. If she didn’t have other things on her mind and an intense lack of energy, she would have gone to the rich bastard’s house and dragged him there herself.
“Something to make tomorrow interesting.” She rubbed her neck, reading over Romano’s and Cumming’s statements.
“Go home, Warren.” Ryder handed her a bottle of iced tea. “You’ve had a busy enough day.”
She twisted the cap and took a swig. “Did you talk to Lou?”
“No, but I will. Tomorrow, bright and early. Now, go home.” Ryder glanced toward the door. “I’ll walk you out.”
Blake gathered her stuff and led Ryder outside. She’d parked his SUV on the opposite side of the building. Ryder grabbed her hand and pulled her against him, wrapping an arm around her as they walked in silence. Blake rested her head against his shoulder, allowing him to give her the comfort she needed.
“What did you tell him?”
He pressed his lips against her temple and smiled. “I told him to stay away from you. That if he came back he wouldn’t have to worry about your gun. Mine is much bigger, and I never miss a shot.”
Blake stopped him and turned in his arms so that she faced him. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she relaxed against him. “Do you think he’ll listen?”
“I hope so.” Ryder rubbed her back. “I’ll meet you at home.”
She leaned back and pulled his mouth down to meet hers. “Don’t be too long.”
Blake climbed behind the driver’s seat with Ryder standing beside her, making sure the car worked properly. She knew he felt guilty for the last time that landed her a bed in a hospital. He made sure she had her cell with her to call him if anything happened. Satisfied, he kissed her again and shut the door.
She backed up and pulled out of the parking lot into traffic. Snow and ice covered the hazardous roads. She took it slow, keeping her eyes out for small spots of ice hidden on the road. She had spent most of the early morning hours in bed, sleeping in until ten. But she’d worked on this case the entire day, and finally, possibly found the break they needed. Her mind ached, her body was sore, and her knuckles burned.
Her phone rang, startling her from her thoughts. She reached for it and glanced briefly at the screen. She didn’t know the number. “Warren.”
“You think you’re so tough, don’t you? You and your boyfriend. You think you can kick me out of the police station, which I admit is your turf, but you can't kick me away now. Pull over.”
Blake’s breath stopped in her throat. She glanced in her rearview mirror and saw bright headlights that hadn’t been there a while ago, shining back. She swallowed hard as the car behind her sped up, nearly riding her bumper.
“Leave me alone, Levi.”
“Or what? You ran out on me. I don’t appreciate that. Do you have any idea how much that pissed me off? I thought about punching your sister for simply telling me you skipped town.”
Blake struggled with what she should do. If she sped up, she could wreck and die either by hitting a tree or in the hands of a madman. But she needed to do something to get away from him.
“You never deserved me. I’m hanging up now.”
“Watch what you say to me.” The line went dead.
She glanced up at the rearview mirror as the car behind her pulled off onto a side road, leaving her alone on the main highway leading to Ryder’s house. She struggled to keep her cool as she found Ryder’s cell number and pushed “Talk”.
“James.”
“He followed me.” The words spilled out of her mouth. “He called me, threatened me, and told me to watch what I say to him.”
“Whoa. Where are you?”
“I’m almost at your house.” She turned down Ryder’s street. “I’m about to pull in your driveway.”
“Okay. Go inside, get your gun and lock the doors. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Blake pulled in the drive and glanced around. Darkness surrounded her, the moon nowhere in sight. Shadows danced everywhere, mocking her as one lone street light shined behind her. Her heart raced in her che
st. She judged the door to be thirty feet from the car. She could make it if she ran.
“Don’t hang up on me.”
“I’m not. I just left the station so it’ll be a few minutes before I get there.”
She found the key, grabbed her purse and pressed the door lock. It was stupid not to carry her spare gun in the first place, but she did and now paid for it. She also left her other gun back at the station. She ran to the door, shoved the key in the lock, and stepped inside.
“Are you inside?”
“Yeah. I’m locking the door—” Something from behind hit her square in the back, knocking her to her knees. The phone went flying into the darkness as Blake scrambled away from the attacker.
He grabbed her feet, flipped her over, and landed a solid kick to her stomach. Her mind soared as the pain seared through her body. Her gun sat on the coffee table. If she could get to the coffee table, she’d be okay. She crawled and kicked, moving around the sofa to the other side. The attacker tried to climb on top of her as he wrapped a piece of string around her neck. She fought, pushing at his hands. She wouldn’t give up.
Landing a solid blow to his stomach with her elbow, the string loosened, allowing her a much needed breath. She pulled at the gloved hands, leaning over to bite one, which gave her a few seconds of reprieve. He let her go as he howled in pain.
She pushed him off and rolled to her back, kicking at his knee caps. He fell backward, and Blake’s adrenaline shot through her. She moved toward the coffee table, grabbing the gun in the dark. She raised it just as the attacker stood up for round two. He took one step closer, and the next few moments passed in slow motion.
Blake’s finger poised on the trigger and pushed. The sound blasted into the silence, and she watched the figure fall backward with the aid of the street light shining into the house. She waited for more movement, staring at the figure until someone ran into the house, flipping on the lights.
Ryder stopped when he saw the body in the foyer. Gun drawn and pointed at the body, Blake met his eyes. Ryder had his weapon out, and she finally lowered her gun. She took a deep breath, but it didn’t help. Ryder crossed the room and knelt down to check the intruder’s pulse.
“He’s dead with one hell of a shot to his forehead.” He stood up and tucked his gun in its holster. “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Blake dropped her gun and raised her shaky hands to her face. “I opened the door, and he knocked me to my knees. He wrapped a string around my neck. I was scared to death, and I fought him. I’d left my gun on the coffee table and I just pointed and shot.”
He stepped over the body and came toward her. He pulled her up from her spot on the floor and held her. “It’s okay.” He cupped the back of her head and held her against him. “Seth Cameron should have never been released.”
She pulled away and stared into his eyes. “Seth Cameron?”
“Yeah.” Ryder pressed his lips against her forehead. “I’m going to call it in. Why don’t you write your statement of what happened and have it ready for them by the time they get here.”
He sat her on the couch and went to make the call. Blake took out a notebook and started writing what she went through from the moment she stepped inside the house. She lay back on the couch and listened to Ryder talk.
“Okay. Thanks.” Ryder clicked the phone off and came to her. “They’re sending the team out. Do you need anything?” He knelt in front of her and brushed a piece of hair from her eyes.
She shook her head. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Blake pushed Ryder out of her way as she ran down the hall. Sweat popped out of her pores, and she laid her head against her arm, kneeling in front of the toilet, closing her eyes.
Ryder ran a wash cloth through cool water and draped it on the back of her neck. “You thought he was Levi, didn’t you?”
She didn’t respond.
Ryder came closer, taking a seat on the side of the bathtub. “Maybe I should have shot him for you, in the parking lot?”
“You don’t need to go down for murder on my account.” She sat up and used the wash cloth to wipe her clammy face. “I wanted to shoot him. You have no idea how bad I wanted to pull the trigger.”
“What kept you from it?”
“I’m not like these people I put away. I don’t take people, no matter how evil, from their families. His mother is my mother’s best friend. He supposedly hasn’t talked with her in seven years—since right after I left. She loves him. I don’t know why, but she does. He’s her son and I pictured telling Willow he died on my account. I couldn’t do it.” She closed her eyes. “Plus you stepped in my way.”
Sirens wailed and lights flashed as the team pulled into the drive “I’m going to let them in.” Ryder stood and left the room without another word said.
* * * *
Seth Cameron had entered the house through a window Ryder and McKenna patched up. By the time Ryder cleaned up the mess and got the crew out of his house, it was nearly three in the morning. He flipped off the lights as he made his way to the bedroom where he left Blake. He didn’t bother asking her if she wanted to sleep alone, knowing she didn’t.
He entered the dimly lit room. Blake lay curled on her side in the middle of the bed wearing his shirt. He didn’t understand what had developed between them. In such a short time they went from being enemies to an old married couple. Ryder chuckled at the irony of it.
He pulled his shirt off and undid his pants, kicking them to the side. It’d been one hell of a day, and he couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. He turned to pull the blankets aside, and Blake’s eyes popped open.
“Just me.” He crawled in and lay back, pulling the blanket over his body. “Oh, I love my bed.”
She smiled, closing her eyes. “Turn out the light.”
He stared at her, at the red marks marring her neck. After they took the body away, he gave his partner Blake’s statement. Nobody debated that Seth Cameron’s death was anything but in self-defense. He and a few other co-workers tried to get her to go to the hospital for a check-up, but she refused.
Ryder rolled toward her and brushed his finger lightly against the red mark. Blake’s eyes opened, but she didn’t say anything. He traced the ugly marks before leaning down to kiss them, wishing he could erase everything that happened tonight. His hand slid to the side of her neck.
She pushed at him gently until he met her eyes. Hers filled with tears. She swatted at them, looking away as she did.
Ryder didn’t bother speaking. He moved only to turn off the light and returned to wrap his body around hers. He surrounded her as much as possible, hopefully reminding her she wasn’t alone.
She’d been alone for far too long.
Chapter 8
Christmas came and neither Blake nor Ryder felt much like celebrating. They made plans with her family and her friends but avoided his completely. She wasn’t sure why.
Lilly greeted them with a hug when they entered and informed them dinner would be ready in twenty minutes. Her boyfriend, Mike, sat in the living room, scared out of his mind. He worked as a reporter, and cops weren’t necessarily his friends.
“Mom said Willow and Levi can’t make it to dinner.” Lilly took her seat next to her boyfriend and smiled, a bit awkwardly.“So, what’s new in the world of crime fighting?”
“Nothing we can disclose.” Blake sat next to Ryder on the couch. She didn’t know why he agreed to accompany her. Maybe because of the recent events or because he knew she didn’t want to face them alone—either way she liked his company.
He propped his arm on the back of the couch, turning his body in toward her. “What is it that you do, Lilly?”
She smiled. “I’m a pharmaceutical sales representative. I mainly cater to the hospitals in Minneapolis, but my territory is the entire state of Minnesota. I don’t do much overnight travel though.”
“That’s interesting.” Ryder’s fingers brushed against Blake’s arm.
They ch
atted a bit more until Lisa announced dinner was ready. Blake couldn’t wait to get the event over with and put it behind them.
“Blake, honey, you’re not eating much. Is everything okay?” Lisa’s worry showed on her face.
“I’m fine.”
Ryder slipped his arm around her, resting it casually on her chair. “We didn’t get much sleep last night. Work has got us putting in all kinds of crazy hours.”
“Do you want to lie down?” Lisa stared at her daughter. “You look pale. Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you need to see a doctor.”
Blake shook her head. “I’m fine, Mom.”
Halfway through dinner, she developed a headache. It wasn’t an excuse to leave, but Ryder used it as such. She’d promised Betsy she’d stop by after leaving her mother’s, but she didn’t feel like doing that either. She called her friend to reschedule after the holidays.
“Are you okay?” Ryder asked as they pulled in his driveway.
“I don’t know.” She glanced out the window. “I think the case is getting to me. I want to solve it, but it seems we’re going in circles, and I haven’t got a clue what I’m supposed to be doing.”
He reached for her hand, brushing his fingers over hers. “It will get solved, but these things take time. Stop stressing over it.”
She met his eyes. “Holidays don’t help. I miss my dad. He taught me everything I know, and he’d know exactly which direction to go in with this case. I’ve thought about him more than once while working on this, and I can’t help but wonder what he would do.”
Ryder unbuckled his seatbelt. “You’re doing exactly what he’d do. Using your head. Come on, you need a break, and I’m going to take your mind off work.”
She pursed her lips. “What are you going to do?”
He grinned. “You’ll see.”
* * * *
Ryder fixed them both a cup of hot chocolate, started a fire, and put in an old Christmas movie, one he discovered she liked. He invited her to lie on the couch with him, and she surprised him by accepting the invitation.
