by Susan Hayes
Dave was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened. She loved him. In the middle of all this madness, she’d told him that she loved him and made it clear she was staying by his side, then wandered off to make coffee like she hadn’t just changed his life forever. He’d liked her when she was still fighting her demons and needed him to protect her, but now… Damn, he loved this woman who was brave enough to face her fear and stand by him.
“Coffee would be good. It might be a long night.”
Ben raised his hand. “After witnessing that I’m wishing for something stronger than java, but I’ll take what I can get. I thought the world was supposed to end if my brother ever uttered those words.”
“Bite me.”
Ben nudged his canine partner with his toe. “You heard him, boy. Bite him!”
All three of them burst out laughing, only to stop when Ben’s radio squawked. Dani came back into the living room and glanced out the window into the gathering dusk, her fingers clenching and unclenching.
They listened intently to the information coming in. Bobby had been spotted two blocks away driving a beat-up sedan. The time had come.
Dave stood and crossed over to stand beside Dani. “Remember, no matter what happens, you stay inside the house. He’s not getting another chance to hurt you.”
“I don’t want him to hurt you, either,” she said softly, then added, “but I know this is your job. Just promise me you’ll be careful…and if you get a chance, hurt him for me.”
God, he loved her.
“I promise to be careful, and I swear that if I can, I’ll make him sorry he ever came looking for you and Casey.”
Ben leaned down and snapped a leash onto Chase’s collar. In seconds the dog was on full alert, his eyes locked on his handler as he waited for his next command. Both men checked their weapons and took their positions, Ben near the back door, Dave near the front.
The next part was the one he didn’t like at all. Dani needed to draw Bobby in. “Walk past the window, sunshine, but make it quick. I don’t want him having time to do anything but see you.”
She flashed him a nervous smile. “Pushy.”
“You like me pushy. Now move your ass before I decide this is a really bad idea.” He held his breath as she made her way across the room, picked up a glass, and walked back again.
“Now what?” she asked.
“If he was anywhere nearby, he knows for sure you’re here, so now we wait. It will be completely dark soon. My bet is he’ll make his move once he thinks no one can see him. The moment he steps foot on the property, they’ll arrest him. It’ll be over soon.”
The next few minutes passed with agonizing slowness. Dave caught himself checking his watch and forced himself to relax. They were on Bobby’s timetable now, and like most cowards, he wouldn’t make his move until he thought it was safe.
When the moment came, it wasn’t what Dave expected. Instead of a loud voice demanding Bobby freeze, there was a soft scuffing noise on the front stairs. At first he thought he’d imagined it, but then he heard the sound again. He looked at Dani and pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed toward the back of the house where Ben was standing guard.
She nodded in understanding and went to get Ben, creeping on her toes to avoid making any noise.
The plan to let the on-duty cops handle things went out the window the second he caught the scent of gasoline. The bastard had already set one fire back in Seattle. There was no way in hell Dave was going to stand by and let him set fire to his house. Changing the plan might cost him his promotion, but that didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered but keeping Dani safe and ending this once and for all.
Dave drew his weapon and opened the front door, the gas fumes so strong here that they made his eyes water. He blinked away the tears and looked around for Bobby, expecting to find him nearby.
There was no one there.
It took a moment for that to sink in. No one was around, not even the officers who should have been standing watch. Fuck.
Something had gone very wrong.
Dave turned in a quick circle, scanning the immediate area for threats. There! Flickers of orange-and-yellow flames danced in the darkness. It was a small fire, but it appeared to be spreading fast. He could see the men who should have been watching his house responding to the blaze, and he knew that whatever happened next, he’d have to deal with it alone. His mind raced as he tried to guess what Bobby’s next move would be. He wasn’t rational. Hell, the son of a bitch was barely sane. A knot formed in the pit of Dave’s stomach as the answer came to him. Bobby knew this was the end of his game. He only had one move left. Dani.
Dave sprinted around the house, barreling through the open gate he knew he’d left locked. He came around the corner at a full run, surprising Bobby in the act of dousing the back stairs in gasoline. The bastard was grinning as he worked, but that grin vanished the second he looked up at Dave.
“If I can’t have them, no one can!” he screeched as he dropped the canister of gasoline and reached behind him.
“Police. Freeze!” Dave shouted.
“Fuck you!” A lighter appeared in Bobby’s hand and he was flicking the wheel, trying to light it.
Dave reacted instinctively. If he let Bobby ignite that lighter, his house would go up in flames, putting Dani and his brother at risk. This ended, now. He launched himself at the smaller man, intending to tackle him, but Bobby cackled manically and bolted, still fumbling at the lighter in his hand.
“No!” Dave lost precious seconds regaining his balance before he could start pursuing Bobby again. Gun in hand, he took off at a flat run. Bobby was scrambling over the fence by the time Dave rounded the corner of the house, vanishing before Dave could get a shot off. With a curse, Dave added an extra burst of speed and scaled the fence without slowing. He had to get to Bobby before the bastard made it to the front of the house and the door that Dave had left open.
He ran faster.
Bobby had his foot on the first stair by the time Dave made it to the front yard. “Stop right there and put your hands up.”
Bobby just laughed and kept moving up the stairs, his laughter coming in sing-song snippets that matched the pace of his steps. The lighter caught, the tiny flame burning brightly in the darkness, and Dave reacted instantly.
He fired, then launched himself at Bobby. He had to get to the lighter before the gas ignited. Dave hit Bobby hard enough to knock him sideways and the smaller man staggered from the blow. They grappled for a moment and Dave managed to knock the lighter out of Bobby’s hand, sending it spinning through the air, far from the gasoline. With the primary danger dealt with, Dave managed to toss Bobby backward, off the gas-soaked stairs. He dove after him, and even before they hit the ground, Dave know that when this fight was over, only one of them was getting up again.
****
Dani didn’t even reach Ben before all hell broke loose. There was shouting, and she could smell the acrid odor of gasoline coming through the front door. She turned to go back, but Ben closed the distance between them and grabbed her arm, preventing her from moving.
“Wait here!” he ordered. Seconds later there was more noise, this time from the back door, and both of them spun around. Again, the sounds faded before they could move.
“What’s happening?” she whispered, and Ben shook his head in response, his finger to his lips.
Both of them heard Dave’s voice barking orders near the front of the house again, and Ben loosed Chase with a low command Dani didn’t understand. Chase seemed to, though, because he flew past her with Ben only two steps behind. Before they reached the front door the night was shattered by the terrible sound of gunfire.
Dave.
Memories assailed her, dragging her back to the night Bobby had come after her with a gun in his hand and a cruel light in his eyes. That night he’d nearly taken Casey from her, and tonight it was happening all over again. This time it was Dave she might lose forever, and the tho
ught tore her heart from her chest. She wasn’t that woman anymore. Back then, she’d been a victim, but no longer. She was ready to face her fears and stop letting the past rule her.
Despite her promise to David to stay out of harm’s way, Dani found herself running to the front door. She would stand up for herself, and that meant she wouldn’t hide while others fought to protect her. Those days were over. Ben threw an arm out, stopping her from going out the door.
“No, you don’t,” he said in a voice that brooked no argument.
“I need to see!” she insisted.
“Don’t let her come out here, Ben. She doesn’t need to see this.” She recognized Dave’s voice and her heart leaped for joy. He was alive.
“Dave, are you hurt? Talk to me, damn it! You promised me you’d be careful.”
“I’m fine, Dani.” His tone was flat and dull, but otherwise he sounded like himself.
“And Bobby?” she prompted.
“He’s never going to be a problem for you or Casey again.” There was a long, empty pause before Dave spoke again, and this time his voice sounded even duller. “He’s dead.”
All the air whooshed out of her body in one long exhalation and she had to lean against the doorjamb to keep herself standing. Bobby was dead. Relief made her giddy and she barely repressed a totally inappropriate giggle. The nightmare was over, and part of her wanted to dance even as another part mourned the death of a man she’d once loved.
“You okay?” Ben asked her.
“I will be,” she replied. “But not until I see David. I need to know he’s really okay.”
“Bro, come away from there. They’ve got it handled. Dani needs to see you.”
“Later. Once you two have given your statements can you take her to Mom’s for the night? I’m going to be tied up for hours. You know how long these things can take.”
Feeling rejected and angry, Dani shoved past Ben and stepped out onto the porch. Once she was there, it was easy to see why the officers had been distracted. The playground a few houses down had been torched. There were flames consuming the picnic tables and play area, throwing an eerie orange glow over the neighborhood.
The light made it easy for her to see what Dave had wanted to protect her from. Bobby was lying face up at the base of the stairs, his unseeing eyes staring up at the night sky. David stood a few feet away, talking to two uniformed officers.
She flew down the steps and around Bobby’s body, headed straight for Dave. “Don’t you dare push me away, David Wilde.”
His head snapped around and he stared at her in surprise. “I told you to stay inside!”
“And I didn’t blindly obey you. Get used to it,” she shot back. She stopped two steps away and glowered. “I needed to see you.”
“I didn’t want you to see me like this. Hell, I didn’t want you to have to see what I did,” he said, gesturing to his bloodstained clothes, then to Bobby’s corpse.
She frowned at him. “Why not? You did what you had to do to protect me, and your house. That son of a bitch tried to kill me and my baby, remember? I’m not going to be devastated by his death. You know what I am? Fucking relieved, and mad at you for thinking I couldn’t deal with this.”
“Uh, Lieutenant…maybe you should take a minute to talk to your girlfriend. We can finish this up later.”
Both men were gone before Dave could even answer, leaving them alone.
“You should have stayed in the house,” he said, reaching for her with one bloodstained hand but pulling it back when he saw the gore.
“I could say the same thing to you. What happened to letting the on-duty cops deal with this?” She walked right up to him and threw her arms around his waist, ignoring the blood and the stench of gasoline to give him a fierce hug.
“I heard him out there and figured out what he was doing. Since everyone else was distracted by the fire…”
She stood on her toes and kissed him. “Don’t do it again. When the gunfire started my heart stopped beating.” She slapped his chest. “At least promise me you’ll wear a bulletproof vest the next time. Maybe that’s what I’ll get you for Christmas this year.”
Some of the darkness left his eyes at her words, and a hint of a smile touched his lips. “Christmas, huh. Does that mean you’re thinking about sticking around?”
“It does. So stop trying to push me away.”
He kissed her cheek tenderly. “I thought that—”
She cut him off. “I know what you thought, but I’m not her. I will never reject you for being a cop or having to make the hard choices. You have blood on your hands because you were protecting me, and I love you for it. You go do what you need to, and when you’re done come home. I’ll be here, waiting for you.”
****
It was a long, strange night for Dani. It took hours for everything to be dealt with, but eventually everyone was gone and silence replaced the chaos and noise. Both families had been given the news. The fire was out. The gasoline had been washed off the stairs. Bobby’s remains had been removed, and she’d answered every question that had been put to her. The media had arrived at some point, but eventually even they gave up and went home. After everyone was gone, Dani had collapsed onto the couch, too numb to do anything more.
It was the first time she’d been completely alone since Bobby had reappeared in her life. Since then, she’d always made sure someone she could trust was nearby. Sitting in the silence of Dave’s living room, Dani tried to come to terms with the fact she would never have to worry about Bobby again. He was gone. She and Casey would be safe now. They were free. It was hard to believe that the nightmare was finally over.
Dave texted her updates whenever he could, but it was after midnight before he sent one final message saying he was on his way home.
She was watching for him at the window when he pulled into the driveway, her hand pressed to the glass. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like days had passed since she’d last seen him.
He looked up and saw her standing there and waved, his weary expression morphing into a smile. She noted that he’d changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, both emblazoned with the words Chicago Police.” She got to the door before he did, opening it for him. He came in, kicked the door closed and swept her into his arms, crushing her to him in a bear hug that barely let her breathe.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
“I missed you, too. Is everything okay? Are you going to be in trouble for what happened?” Once her emotions had quieted down, that had been her greatest concern.
“I’m not in trouble. There’ll be a proper investigation, but because the whole thing was witnessed by other officers and there was a real and verifiable threat, I’m not worried. I’m taking a few days of voluntary leave, and once that’s over I expect I’ll be back at work with no problems.”
“Good.” She wriggled in his hold until he loosened his grip a little. “Are you hungry? Want a drink? It’s been a long night.”
“What I want is you, but what I need first is a shower. I don’t want to touch you until I’ve scrubbed every trace of this day off of me.”
“You know, I think there’s a way we could combine both those things. I could help you wash it all away if you like?”
The next thing she knew he had her in his arms and he was jogging up the stairs. “There’s nothing I’d like better.”
Dave hip-checked his door open and walked inside without putting her down. Last night’s tour of the house hadn’t included the master bedroom, and Dani looked around with avid curiosity. Unlike the rest of the house, the bedroom was furnished and decorated in a way that reflected Dave’s personality. The king-sized bed was set in a four-poster bed frame of solid wood, and the rest of the furniture was clearly from the same set. The walls were pale gray with dark blue trim. The curtains and linens were blue and gray as well, and the overall effect made Dani giggle.
“What are you laughing at?” he asked as he carried her through the room and thro
ugh another door into the en suite bathroom. The décor in here echoed the bedroom, soft grays and blues with white tiles on the floor and the shower.
She waved her hand around them. “You. I swear if I cut you, you’d bleed blue blood. You need some new colors in your life.”
He nodded. “I think you might be right. Want to help me pick them? We could start with some sunshine yellow.” He stripped off her top and held it up to the wall. “Or maybe some of this color. What is this color, anyway? Pink?”
“Coral,” she corrected him. “You’re serious about this?”
“I’m very serious. I wanted to make this place more welcoming before I invited you and Casey over. Since that didn’t happen, I’d like your help making this into more of a home…that way when I ask you to move in with me, you’re more likely to say yes.”
Her heart stuttered, then did a complete somersault. “You’re asking me to move in?”
He gave her an affronted look. “Not yet, no. That would be rushing things. First I want you to help me make this place over. Then I’ll ask you and Casey to move in with me.”
“I guess we’ll have to add that to the list of things we need to talk about.” She slid her hands under his sweatshirt and started easing it off his body. “But first, we shower.”
His mouth crushed down on hers and they finished undressing each other in silence, every caress and kiss fueling their passion until it burned away everything else. Somehow they made it to the shower without letting go of one another. Water poured over them from a rain forest style showerhead, making their bodies slick and only adding to the heat of their embrace.
Dave let go of her with one hand to start scrubbing at himself. Understanding what he needed, she grabbed the soap and lathered it between her hands before laying them on his chest. “I’ve got you,” she crooned to him in soothing tones.
He hung his head so that the water poured over him, hiding his face. “I didn’t want you to see me covered in his blood. I wanted to protect you from that part of my life.”
