Wedding Takedown. Geri Krotow

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СКАЧАТЬ done. I’ll see you in the morning.”

      The sound of the deep voice, obviously making a phone call, startled Kayla and she stumbled, landing on the damp ground with a soft thud.

      “Who’s there?”

      The harsh voice matched the throat clearing, the furious man she’d heard before. She was in trouble. Kayla crawled on her belly around to the other side of the bales and without stopping rose to her feet and ran for her life.

      * * *

      Rio’s headlights illuminated the open side door of the barn and the figure in front of it. He saw a dark shape darting toward the back of the barn as he got out of his vehicle. As he chased the assailant, weapon drawn, the figure blended into the darkness that surrounded the barn. Rio swore under his breath and tapped the microphone on his communication gear.

      “Suspect ran into the fields behind the barn. Do we have units on the other side of the woods? I’m turning back to investigate a possible victim near the east side door.”

      “Roger that, Rio.”

      “Send a unit to Waverly Street to intercept possible escape.” Waverly bisected the wooded area the dark figure had vanished into.

      Heading back to the barn, he let out a silent thank-you that the female lying outside wasn’t Kayla—the hair was too dark, the woman too tall. As he drew closer he saw that not only was she facedown, but she’d also been shot in the back of the head. Blood stained the ground around her head in a black halo. He kneeled to feel for a carotid pulse. The entire left side of her head was gone.

      Muttering another oath, he searched for the pulse just in case. Just in case the blood and torn flesh looked worse than the real injury.

      Unfortunately, his initial assessment was correct. As he expected, there was no pulse.

      “I’ve got a dead female, probable homicide. Call in forensics and the coroner.”

      “Have you located the caller yet, Rio?”

      “No joy. Still looking.” His gaze landed on her van. “Going to investigate her van.”

      “Do not go into the van or barn without backup, sir.”

      What the dispatcher was telling him was standard protocol. But Kayla could be in either place, bleeding out. He couldn’t stand on protocol.

      “Kayla!” He called over and over, pulling open the doors of her van as he searched for any sign of her.

      Nothing.

      Her phone.

      He directed his frustration at dispatch. “She still on the line?”

      “The line’s still open but there hasn’t been any communication since about seven minutes ago.”

      It felt as if he’d been on the case for days instead of ten minutes. But time was never reliable during the heat of a crime. Judging from how warm the victim’s body was, she’d been breathing just minutes earlier.

      “Has anyone intercepted the suspect?”

      “No, but local residents in the neighboring subdivision report someone running through their yards, alerting dogs. One caller saw someone dressed in black get into a late-model sedan and drive away.”

      “Did they get plates?”

      “No. We’ve got a sheriff’s chopper inbound.”

      A single assailant so far. Either he’d shot Kayla, too, and she was on the ground nearby, or she was still hiding, worried for her life.

      “Kayla!” He ran back to the barn and entered the kitchen, flipping on the light switch next to the door. The commercial illumination revealed a scene of total chaos. Pots and pans of all sizes were everywhere. A butcher block had been knocked over and several chef knives were strewn over the tiled floor. One knife lay closest to the door, blood on it.

      “Kayla!”

      “I’m here.”

      He spun around, weapon drawn, his aim steady.

      “It’s me, Rio. Kayla. Or don’t you remember?”

      Slowly he lowered his gun and allowed his arms to drop to his sides. Never had the sight of someone been so welcome. A charge of hot attraction went from his heart to his dick, and if there wasn’t a dead body that needed tending to outside of the kitchen they stood in, he knew he’d have her in his arms and laying across the prep table, naked, in a minute flat. So much for his professional pride.

      “Kayla.”

      He saw the wariness in her eyes. Not fear from the shock of what she’d just been through, but what he’d put there when he’d never called her back after she told him she couldn’t see him anymore.

      Even that wasn’t enough to keep her from catapulting herself into his arms, forcing him to take a step back. His butt hit the edge of the prep table as his arms went around her, and he felt a sudden flash of regret that they weren’t here as lovers, instead of as a murder witness and cop.

       Chapter 3

      Sirens screamed through the night as uncontrollable shudders shook her shoulders and made her legs quake. For just this moment, she allowed the strength and certainty of Rio’s embrace to hold her up as they stood outside, waiting. She didn’t refuse the comfort his arms gave. His heartbeat was strong and reassuring under her left ear. She pressed her head harder against his chest, her arms tight around his waist.

      Rio’s waist.

      “You’re okay, babe.”

      Babe.

      The cocoon of their embrace evaporated as effectively as if Rio was a hypnotist and he’d snapped her out of a trance. A trance she couldn’t afford to wander into, not if she was going to keep her emotions regarding Rio in check. It’d taken this long to finally accept there was no hope for them. This was the same man who went undercover, whose life was at risk each and every day he went to work. Definitely not the kind of man she envisioned herself with for the long run.

      “I’m okay. But she’s not, is she? Is she dead, Rio?”

      “Yes, she’s dead. Do you know who it is, Kayla?”

      She blinked. Rio was every inch the cop. She knew more than ever what mattered most to Rio. Being a detective.

      “Yes, I know her. Knew her. But not personally. I mean, not well. She was in our yoga class until she had to quit because she’d taken on this job with the mayor. It was going to be her big break into politics. She was so young, Rio, so alive. She was asking, begging for help. And I couldn’t do anything...” She didn’t finish, didn’t have to as she looked at the body of the woman, facedown and forever still.

      “Did you catch a look at who did this to her?”

      “Only СКАЧАТЬ