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  Partners

  Book One of the Vegas Series

  By

  Mimi Barbour

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the

  author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons

  living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  COPYRIGHT 2014 by Mimi Barbour

  Partners

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever

  without written permission of the author except in the case

  of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Steven Novak

  Edited by Robert Reid

  Edited by Christine Kirchoff

  When attractive Las Vegas detective Aurora Morelli makes a friend, she takes the relationship very seriously…and if anyone hurts that person, they’re going down! While Aurora may be slim and dainty on the outside, she has the heart of a lion, and when angry, the manners of a she-cat. The sick schmuck who dared attack her partner, Debbie, is now her prime target, and nothing or no one will stand in her way—except maybe her new partner, a purse-carrying, Bruce Willis lookalike who arrives in town seeking vengeance on the same culprit.

  Kai Lawson doesn’t want a partner. Especially if she’s one he has to protect. After all, his mind is solely on getting to the animal who raped his sister. The same guy responsible for her suicide. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. That was Kai’s plan, also.

  A Note from the Author

  Afterword

  Also Author of…

  About the Author

  Contact Information

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Roll the Dice

  Chapter One

 

  Partners

  Book one of the Vegas Series - A Short Story

 

  Chapter One

  Two weeks ago, life had been normal. Aurora had gone to get a cup of the sludge they called coffee and left her partner Debbie working at her desk on their backlog of case files. On her way back to their office, Lieutenant Cory Ashton had caught up with Aurora and they’d stepped into the room together, both coming to a dead stop.

  Debbie, who’d lately taken to the layered look with sloppy clothes, had bent over to pick something up from the floor and her extra-large t-shirt had draped open. Her pregnant belly had been revealed for all to see.

  “What the hell?” Cory erupted and his explosion cut off Aurora’s absurd exclamation.

  “You’re pregnant.” Even as the words left her mouth, Aurora wished them back. No need to worry since Cory’s voice rose to a bellow and drowned out her obtuse remark on the obvious.

  “Girl, why didn’t you tell me I’m going to be a father? A guy appreciates knowing these things.” The excited man swept the curvaceous blonde into his arms and hugged her until a smile wiped the horrified expression from her face. Flying high, happier than Aurora had ever seen him, Cory continued. “We need to celebrate. A man doesn’t find out he’s going to be a daddy every day.”

  Shock zipped around inside Aurora, and the memory of the horror eight months ago emerged and wouldn’t be squashed. Was this Cory’s baby? She watched her partner closely. No one knew the girl in the same way that she did. For the first time, Aurora couldn’t read her. Innocent pleasure had wiped away all traces of wariness, and Aurora had to accept that adoration shone in eyes that were empty of treachery.

  Cory kept his arm around Debbie’s shoulder and caught Aurora trying to sneak away. “Do me a favor doll? Make a reservation at the pub and tell them to expect a bunch of us. As soon as I convince this beauty to marry me, we all need to drink some toasts… on me.”

  A couple of hours later, Aurora, cradling a beer, sidled up to a glowing Debbie and suffered the girl’s hug. “It’s a special day, Rory, you’ll have to put up with me.” Pearly whites shone as Debbie’s happiness forced a response from Aurora.

  “Yeah, whatever. And don’t call me Rory.” Aurora allowed the hug and even returned it. Then she backed away and stared her friend down. “Give. What’s the story?”

  The blank stare that met hers didn’t quite ring true, but the words were believable. “Cory came to see me a few days after Rhondo’s assault. You remember he was out of town when the attack happened? He wanted to make sure that the skunk hadn’t damaged me, broke my spirit, you know. Anyway, one thing led to another and we found ourselves undressed and—”

  Drolly Aurora interrupted “I do know that part.” Her tone brought a smile to Debbie’s flushed face.

  “Well it was incredible. Truth to tell, it scared the shit out of me. However, I knew the rules. I couldn’t stay working with you and carry on with him. So, I called it a one-night stand and shut him down. Hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Twisting her water bottle in both hands, she stared at the floor. “You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been a bit grouchy lately?”

  “Grouchy? Are you kidding? We could have handled a bit of grouchiness. Your viper’s tongue has drawn blood from every person in the department. They’ve taken to hiding when you’re sighted.”

  “Heck, don’t hold back.” Debbie giggled. “Sorry. Between morning sickness and unrequited love, my hormones were touchy.”

  Aurora thought back over the last months and recalled instances where the tension between Deb and the boss had sparked, but she’d just put it down to Debbie’s recent bad mood and temperamental personalities. After all, her partner could be stubborn as a mule, and Cory took his management role very seriously.

  Little did Aurora know then that everything would change for her, and so quickly. Once the secret had been revealed, Debbie gave in to the pressure from all sides and agreed that the time had come to either take on a desk job or go for maternity leave. After all, as detectives, the girls were hands-on and almost every week saw them getting into some sort of physical altercations.

  Her choice to take leave had shocked Aurora at first, but once she thought about it, she supposed it would have been her decision also. After all, the baby would be born very soon. She still didn’t know how Deb had hidden her pregnant state for so long. Being a bit chubby to begin with had obviously worked in her favor. Once her secret became exposed, she admitted to dieting carefully and dressing different. Silly idiot!

  One of the smartest, most hard-working cops Aurora had ever met, but when it came to her personal life, the girl had no brains at all. The puzzle irked her. How the hell could Debbie keep a baby a secret? When she’d asked her, Deb’s reply had her shaking her head.

  “I just didn’t want to deal with it, so I… I didn’t.”

  “But you had to know you’d get caught sooner or later.”

  “Sure! And I figured when that happened, then I’d take care of it.” Gruffness covered her embarrassment.

  Aurora never turned away from reality. In her mind, facing it dead on worked much better. Now she had to deal with what tore up her insides. Life had changed and she hated it.

  ***

  A few mornings later, nostalgia forced Aurora to drop her pen and cov
er her face. Appalled by the sickly wrenching in her stomach, Aurora finally understood. So, this is what missing someone feels like.

  Kind of sad and lonely mashed together, eating away at you all day long. Aurora had never tackled this before. Worse thing of all, the annoying ache refused to go away. Being that she seldom allowed gloomy thoughts to grab hold and mess with her head, this crap had to stop.

  Looking around her messy office, seeing the empty desk across from hers, sorrow gnawed away until she gave in. The absence of her old partner left behind a hollow emptiness, a sensation she would never admit to anyone else. What did you expect? Chastising herself had become her new habit. Not having the person you trust more than anyone else in the world backing you up sucked big time.

  The computer’s flashing screen caught her attention as the file she’d been waiting for finally appeared. Since the night of the attack, everyone in their office had been following up leads on Earl Rhondo. At the beginning, Debbie had been feverishly searching, every thread, every clue; even the most obscure tip-offs were checked. She’d been like a crazy person. Except, nothing popped. It’s as if he’d disappeared off the face of the earth.

  Aurora had been as bad as Debbie. She wanted that sucker more than she’d ever wanted anyone. In fact, by pursuing him the way she had, she’d pretty much driven all her contacts crazy. However, this slime ball had made it personal. He’d hurt Debbie, and she had full intentions of making him pay.

  Through her ongoing research, she’d found out certain things about him. He loved the ladies but whores—not so much. That he preferred his ladies screaming and fighting made it even more essential she find him. Who knew how many women the maniac had destroyed? Women who hadn’t come forward! The statistics of these kinds of unreported crimes were sickening. The females, who survived the horror, got on with their broken lives and the perpetrators moved on to their next victim.

  Her investigation had shown he’d been incarcerated once for eighteen months. Had done his time and swore to his cellmate he’d die before returning. A sinister thought formed when she’d learned this. She’d relish putting his ugly face behind the bars he’d swore never to see again.

  Not being a gambler in a city where people lived and breathed gambling might seem strange. But there was one sure thing she’d roll the dice on. Once she found the prick, he’d be going down. And she would find him. Others had told her she had a one-track mind. The track she now fixated on had Earl Rhondo at the end

  Chapter Two

  All of a sudden, the door swung open. The person who’d been the focus of her thoughts appeared. Wearing a snug maternity t-shirt and black tights, she looked striking.

  “Hey partner, you still annoyed at me?” Debbie, glowing, wore a cheeky grin.

  Aurora quickly hid her welcoming smile and played at being the caustic cop who everyone recognized. “Slumming today, Mrs. Ashton?” She stood up and approached the very pregnant blonde who waited, apprehension obvious in her expression.

  The yearning on Deb’s face, her need for reassurance, forced Aurora’s arms to open seemingly of their own accord. Hugging, an action that didn’t come easily to Aurora began before she could put on the breaks. Debbie took full advantage. She moved in close and clung. After a quick squeeze, Aurora backed away. The familiar musky perfume fed the previous sadness and had Aurora blinking quickly to stem the threatening moisture. God she wished things were the same as before, when the two of them shared the joined desks and worked as a unit. It wasn’t to be. Instead, she’d be having a new partner, and Debbie would be having a baby.

  Seconds of rethinking made her inner bitch smile. I guess if I had my druthers, getting a new partner isn’t so bad.

  She’d felt the protrusion of Debbie’s big belly against hers and a silly yearning started up again from deep within. It’d been that way since the baby had become obvious. During every moment spent with a radiant Debbie, strange feelings surfaced and were getting harder to hide, especially from herself. Not in a million years could she ever imagine being in that condition. Then why the hell was she mooning over every baby that came into her sight? She had to get over this shit. “Enough with all this girlie stuff. You’ll have the department thinking I’m getting soft instead of the badass they’re used to.”

  Debbie’s quirky grin appeared “Face it my friend, we all know you’re a marshm…”

  “Don’t say it or I’ll have to hurt you. Even for me, hitting pregnant ladies goes against the grain.”

  “Yeah! Yeah!” Debbie used Aurora’s favorite comeback against her and then laughed until the restraint Aurora fought against melted and she chuckled too.

  “Seriously, what brings you to this dungeon now that you’re a free woman?”

  “Have to pick up Cory. He promised me a night out, and I’m holding him to it. You’re welcome to join us.” Debbie said. Since the day her pregnancy had been revealed, Cory had moved in on Debbie. Their romance had flared, and they’d pulled off a Vegas wedding only a few weeks ago.

  “Thanks, but I’ll take you up on that another time. I’ve got some good leads I’m working on and need to keep searching.” She pointed at the computer screen as if it gave credence to her refusal. No way did she want to play third party in a dinner date between her boss and old partner. When those two were together, the lovey-dovey crap was nauseatingly romantic. Just like the stories in the romance books that Aurora secreted all over her house. Mind you, only through torture, would she ever admit to reading them.

  Debbie accepted her refusal. “Okay, if you’re sure. What’re you working on now?”

  Aurora stepped behind the desk and quickly closed the page. “Sorry, Ma’am. This is for department eyes only.”

  Instantly, the big belly shifted as Debbie’s stance took on attitude. Thankfully, before she could utter the swear words hovering on her lips, her husband came up from behind, wrapped his arms around her big belly and hugged. The smile that lit up Debbie’s face was a thing of beauty. It swelled the gladness that Aurora felt every time she saw them together.

  “Hey Aurora, did my gorgeous wife invite you to come with us tonight?”

  “I did but… surprise! She refused.”

  “Go, shoo! Working here!” Aurora held open the door.

  “You’re sure?” The two lovebirds spoke as one.

  “Oh, yeah. Go have some fun.” Aurora waved them away. Then she watched as the two, now holding hands, moved towards the elevators. The familiar ache raised its ugly head. She couldn’t call it jealousy because she cared about her friend too much to resort to being that low. More like envy, or craving, or just the desire to know that for once in her life a man cared about her in the same way.

  The stupid sigh she couldn’t help grabbed her attention and she shook off the silliness. Get your ass back to work and stop mooning around. The familiar mantra clamoring in her head grounded her and she moved back behind the desk.

  As soon as Aurora jiggled the mouse the screen lit up and she brought up the earlier page. Her eyes scanned the details she’d collated. Missing—Earl Rhondo scum of the earth, six feet tall, one hundred and seventy-five pounds of muscle, fat and meanness.

  The very man who’d waited in Debbie’s apartment on the night of July fourth and almost got away with rape. Even though Aurora had managed to stop the assault in time, her partner had suffered terribly. Broken wrist, lacerations and contusions were a few of his parting gifts plus bruises that marred her whole body especially her poor face. Worst of all was the heart that took months to mend, and the normally sunny disposition that turned dark and somber, full of recriminations for not having being able to stop the animal.

  Today, only Aurora saw the shadow behind her friend’s smile, noticed the nervous habits that were new to a girl who’d always been steady as a rock. The chewed nails and lying ‘tells’ that she’d been trained to see. Yet even with her, a wall had risen after that night. Debbie lived on one side and the world on the other. No one would get close without an invitat
ion, and they weren’t forthcoming.

  Could be that until the sick prick Rhondo was behind bars where he belonged, her old partner would continue to sleep with her gun within reach and her nerves on high alert.

  That’s why Aurora had worked so hard to catch the slimeball. Spending hours of her free time trying to dig him out from the hole he’d crawled into. She’d used every resource and all her connections, but so far, the man played ghost.

  “Hey, Morelli. Your guy Luke called. At least he gave the code words, ‘May the force be with you’. Idiot wouldn’t say a word until I answered ‘and with you’.” Det. Hampton shook his gray head sadly, the sour look making his bushy eyebrows meet above the glaring eyes.

  “Humor him. He’s a good snitch. Just has this thing about Star Wars. What’d he say?”

  “Wants you to meet him in the alley.”

  Aurora’s chair smashed against the wall. She reached in the desk drawer for her gun, checked the chamber and put it in the side holster on her waist. Her tone changed from conversational to confrontational in the time it took her to close down the screen. “What else?”

  “Nothing. That’s it. You want me to go with you?”

  “Thanks Ham, but he’s harmless. I’ll go alone.”

  The other detective held her arm as she moved to pass. “Then why do you look so pissed off?”

  “The alley is behind Debbie and Cory’s apartment. Remember, he moved in with her cause she’d just found the new place and fixed it up. We used that spot for a meeting place when we were after the Mexican street gangs. Just don’t know what the hell Luke’s doing there now. I’ll call in if there’s any trouble, don’t worry.”

  “Okay. Just be cool.”

  “Yeah, yeah!” Aurora felt a ringing in her ears that only ever happened because of two situations. Either the noise would pre-empt her passing out from the sight of her own blood… or that of someone she loved. Or it would drive her mental when something wasn’t right. Mind you, this time it wasn’t a loud ring. Just a soft pinging that forewarned.