When Love Matters Most. Kate James

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СКАЧАТЬ What are the risks? I don’t want Zeke to be a guinea pig if there are any risks.”

      So much for warming to him. Did he really think she’d do anything that wasn’t in the absolute best interest of an animal? “As I said,” she continued in clipped tones, “we can discuss the options at the appropriate time. In the meanwhile, I want to talk to you about his future.”

      He frowned. “What about his future?”

      She might not intimidate easily, but this cop set her nerves on edge. She thought she heard her own gulp and hoped it wasn’t audible to him. Thinking of Zeke and what he’d been through firmed her resolve. Whether he’d like what she had to say or not, she had a responsibility to her patient. “You should retire Zeke,” she said emphatically.

      He paused, and seemed to reflect on it. “Is that a medical opinion?” he asked curtly.

      “No. It’s a humane one,” she retorted.

      “Well, it’s not up to me. How long will you need to keep Zeke here?”

      “Probably a week but, as I said, he’ll likely need rehab. And he should be retired from active duty.”

      “Yeah. I heard you the first time.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Unless you need anything else from me, I should get going.”

      Need anything from him? How about a personality? Or a little courtesy? A simple thank-you would’ve been nice. He couldn’t fathom how much it took out of her when she feared she might not be able to save a life. With Zeke, it had been touch and go because of the amount of blood he’d lost. “No. We’ve got everything we need.”

      He crushed the coffee cup, tossed it in a waste receptacle and started to walk away. Unexpectedly, he paused. “Look, thank you for what you did for Zeke. For saving his life.”

      It was almost as if he’d been reading her mind. Without the harsh undertones, she liked the deep timbre of his voice. How strange that goose bumps formed on her arms.

      “Just doing my job,” she said, wanting him gone because of the sudden discomfort she felt in his presence. When the front door chime sounded, she glanced toward it, and the tightness in her chest eased. She smiled broadly when she saw her next clients, twelve-year-old Tammy Montpelier, her mother and their miniature Doberman, Gustav. “I’ll be right with you,” she said before shifting her attention back to the cop. In that brief moment, his frown had returned. What was it that made him so moody? It had to be more than concern for his dog, since she’d told him the dog would be fine.

      “I’ll be in touch tomorrow to check on Zeke,” he said.

      “No problem.” What an odd man, she thought as she watched him walk out the door. Leading Gustav, Tammy and Mrs. Montpelier to an examination room, she tried to block Rick—and the disconcerting sensation he stirred in her—out of her mind.

      * * *

      RICK’S EMOTIONS WERE a muddle. He felt light-headed with relief over Zeke. At least the dog was going to be fine. He wished the same could be said for Jeff. The last he’d heard, the doctors had restored Jeff’s heart function with a defibrillator, but he was back in the OR. The doctors were concerned, although they said he had a fighting chance. And Jeff was a fighter.

      Rick tried to ignore the worry, but that just left the anger and guilt to consume him.

      He couldn’t shake the feeling that what had happened to Jeff and Zeke was his fault. Intellectually he rationalized that it was nonsense, but it didn’t negate the feeling. Jeff was a good cop but relatively young. With his own experience and more personal insights into how the cartels operated, Rick wondered again if he would’ve been able to detect that it was a trap. The simple fact that they’d had a tip—from a questionable informant—and that the van was found apparently abandoned should’ve been reason enough to exercise extreme caution. Who’d abandon a vehicle voluntarily if it contained drugs? Why hadn’t the Narcotics Task Force guys see that, if Jeff hadn’t?

      Rick had no answers. Second-guessing was futile, but Jeff was part of his team, so Jeff was his responsibility. Rick had decided to go to the San Ysidro border area the night before because the Sinaloa Cartel was rumored to be active there. Then he’d caught that boy trying to smuggle the kilo of marijuana across the border. Although Rick had never run drugs as a kid, it had struck too close to home, and he’d taken pity on the boy. He’d made arrangements to get him to Child Services instead of booking him. And that skirting of the law, even with the best of intentions, had taken considerably more time than arresting him would have. The result was Jeff and the Narcotics cops handling the incident without him.

      Was his fixation on the Sinaloa Cartel all these years later—although they were no longer the SDPD’s biggest concern since the Los Zetas Cartel had risen to prominence—a contributing factor? Rick had to admit that, right or wrong, he couldn’t forgive or forget. Had his personal grudge caused him to make the wrong decision, and consequently a good cop, a young father, was fighting for his life?

      And if it was an ambush, why? To send a message to the SDPD K-9 Unit because of the significant headway they’d made in shutting down the cartel’s usual smuggling routes? It was plausible.

      When he reached his SUV, he let Sniff out to relieve himself and stretch his legs before they headed back to the police division. He watched Sniff favor his left rear leg as he ambled about. Lying down for long stretches wasn’t good for his partner. Watching Sniff, he considered next steps.

      The unit needed to debrief, and he planned to have a one-on-one with Logan. He was almost certain that the Los Zetas Cartel was behind the trap. That made sense, since they were the ones who’d been impacted the most. Yet they were still the dominant force. The SDPD needed to take down their operations in San Diego.

      Rick checked his watch. Logan should be back from the hospital by the time he got to the division.

      Helping Sniff into the vehicle because he couldn’t make the jump on his own reminded him that he wanted to take him to the clinic for a checkup. And that got him thinking of the new veterinarian, Madison Long.

      He’d treated her terribly. She hadn’t done anything to deserve it. It was just that he was angry, worried and—if he was rationalizing—he might as well add sleep deprived. He felt rotten about having questioned her competence. She had to be good at what she did. Jane and Don wouldn’t have brought her into the practice and entrusted her with the care of the SDPD canines if she wasn’t.

      Rick wasn’t rude or ungrateful. His parents had raised him better than that. All the more reason for him to feel ashamed of the way he’d behaved. He knew he’d made a horrible impression, and couldn’t really blame her for being abrupt with him. He could come up with all the excuses he wanted, but the bottom line was that he’d been a jerk. The vet had saved Zeke, and he should’ve shown her all the gratitude in the world for that alone.

      Then she’d voiced his own thoughts about Zeke’s having earned an early retirement. She was clearly a caring person. He wished he could have said yes, but Zeke wasn’t his dog. With Jeff in the hospital, he’d make the recommendation. The decision, however, was Logan’s. Something else he’d have to discuss with the captain. Had it been just that morning that he’d contemplated approaching him about retiring Sniff?

      He and Logan had been talking about a renewal of the canines, planning for the future by bringing in some younger dogs. If they were going to be training, they might as well train a few young dogs at the same time. СКАЧАТЬ