Partners Read online

  Raising her good arm, she reached around and scooped the loose waves toward her back. Though she didn’t mean for it to happen, her eyes became glued to the bronzed male flesh just inches away from her face. His smell infiltrated her senses, and she determined that he had a great taste in body soap, aftershave, or whatever it was that she found so intoxicating about his scent.

  She scanned the tattoo that decorated Kai’s chest and upper arm, and flowed around to his back. It must have taken a genius to do such fine artwork. The flowing lines and melding colors were perfect. It was even better than hers, and she’d been real picky. Obviously, he worked out because the proof stared her in the face. Of its own accord, her gaze travelled down, and she noticed that his pants clung low on his shapely hips where the tanned skin seemed unending. Good lord! He didn’t have a tan line. Her gaze kept roving. Every muscular configuration worked together to form a body most other men admired… and women longed for.

  Gently, he put pressure on her upper arm, and she quickly switched her gaze to his expression. He turned to her and winked. “There. See? Merely a scratch.”

  Embarrassed, Aurora nodded. “Yeah, whatever. I can feel it.”

  “I don’t believe this. You’re squeamish. A cop who can’t look at a wound? That’s the best one I’ve ever heard.” He stopped jeering and worry crept into a voice that had softened. “Hey, you gonna pass out?”

  “Don’t be a smartass, Kai. It’s just my own blood I can’t stand, or people I love. Anyone else, no problem.” Sirens screamed from close by and offered the two a reprieve from their bickering.

  Before Kai had arrived in Las Vegas, Aurora’s informant had directed her to a felon’s apartment, one of the guys Rhondo hung with. They’d made the arrest and brought the lowlife in for questioning.

  Given that he had information Aurora desperately wanted and needed, she’d turned up the heat a little. Not surprisingly, the perp had squealed like a baby. Convinced it was in his best interest to share this lead, he’d assured her the subject, Earl Rhondo, accused of rape along with a bundle of drug-related charges, would be there.

  Rhondo, the scumbag, had beeped on her personal radar months ago, ever since the night he’d attacked and almost killed her former partner, Debbie. Since then, Aurora had had her sights set on the monster, and she’d pushed hard to get the lowdown on his whereabouts. Rhondo’s plans to party that night had led her to bring her brand spanking new partner along, so they could gatecrash the shindig.

  Sure enough, they’d caught the fiend red-handed, with his pockets full of drugs, and paraphernalia everywhere. Young and scared, not at all as loyal as Rhondo would have liked, his flunkies rushed out, leaving him behind to fight his own battles.

  From the moment the cops entered the room, Kai had had his weapon out, with the sights trained on the man they’d come to take down. A young hooker, who’d hidden behind the filthy sofa, took her courage in her hands and shoved Kai, then rushed Aurora… who tripped her up with a maneuver right out of the movies. A well-placed karate chop struck the silly girl

  unconscious.

  Rhondo, taking advantage of the distraction, made his move. The asshole pulled out a knife and grabbed Aurora, whose back had been turned for a second. He wrapped his arm around her neck and gave the order. “Drop ‘em. Both of you.”

  Unable to argue, Aurora had let go of her gun. Then she told Kai: “Shoot the son-of-a-bitch.”

  Rhondo had tightened his hold on the lethal-looking knife and started to drag her backwards. When she’d struggled, it had given Kai his chance. Only, he was supposed to have shot the bad guy, not her.

  Kai propped her against the wall and wiped his hands on his jeans. “You’re going to be fine now. I’ve still got a lead on Rhondo. I know exactly where he’s headed, and I intend to nab him before he cleans out his safe. If he retrieves his fake passports, we’ll lose him again.”

  Aurora was confused. “Again? I thought you were new to Las Vegas.” She narrowed her eyes and gave him the hard, demanding stare that would have sent most of her team looking for somewhere else to be.

  “Nah. I’ve tracked him here before, but he disappeared.”

  “Why do I get the feeling what’s between you and Rhondo is personal?”

  Kai looked away, slapped his hands down on his knees, and stood, his movements smooth and fluid. “I’ve worked his file for some time. It’s probably why Cory paired us up. We both want the creep, just for different offences.” He listened as the approaching sirens stopped, indicating that help was just outside. “Sounds like the backup team finally made it. You’ll be in good hands.”

  “What!? Hey, you can’t go without me. We’re partners. Forget the ambulance. I’m coming with you.” She tried to stand but instead fell back and motioned to him. “Don’t just stand there like a model in freeze frame, for chrissakes. Help me up.”

  He stood with his arms crossed and stared at her until she extended her good hand and waved it him angrily. Then he reached down and gently helped her rise.

  With Kai’s support, Aurora wobbled to her feet and took in a couple of full breaths to clear her head. “I’m good. Let’s go.”

  “No, you aren’t. And don’t argue.” He held up his hand in front of her face and got it slapped for his audacity.

  “Aurora, you have a t-shirt tied around your arm, and it’s full of blood. Look… here’s Rhondo’s new address. It just showed up on the radar. I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, but I think he’ll head over there and get his stuff.” He pulled a crinkled card from his pocket and flipped it to reveal an address scrawled on the back. “Meet me there when you’re patched up.” `

  He strode toward the door, until she whistled for him to stop. When he turned, she motioned to his nakedness. “Better cover up the body before we have every horny female in the neighborhood chasing after your car.” Reaching into an open closet to her left, she snatched a turquoise and black plaid cowboy shirt and held it up.

  He moved closer to take the shirt, and then the cheeky bugger grinned. “Thanks, sunshine. You give a nice compliment.”

  “I can give a nice kick in the ass also.” She’d have donated a month’s salary to rescind her earlier flattery. “Must be the pain screwing with my eyesight.”

  Just then, Hampton arrived at a dead run, sweat streaming, dripping off his patchy red cheeks. “Sorry we got held up, you guys.” He puffed out each word as he tried to catch his breath. “A freight truck overturned, causing a four-car pileup. Ours was the fourth car. I ran the last few blocks to get here.” Disgust rang in Ham’s voice and couldn’t be camouflaged.

  Aurora watched as Kai took the opportunity to sneak behind everyone and make good his escape. Then a few moments later, Lieutenant Ashton arrived and the scene became even more hectic.

  “Aurora, I was heading home when I heard over the radio that you’d been shot. Figured Debbie would have my ass if I didn’t check it out. I’m happy to see you on your feet.”

  “It’s just a scratch, Cory… uh, I mean Boss. And tell my old partner to stop worrying over me all the time. Pretty soon she’ll need to concentrate on the little junior lieutenant growing in her tummy.”

  “Tell her yourself. I don’t have that kind of nerve.” Acting silly, the tall redheaded guy shook his head and made his eyes swell in mock fear.

  Aurora laughed and then winced. Damn arm hurt like hell.

  Noticing her paleness, Cory bellowed, “We need some medical—”

  Ambulance attendants rushed in before he could finish the sentence, and put the stretcher down beside her.

  “Get that thing away from me.” Her growl got their attention, and they stopped. She wouldn’t tolerate being stuffed into a cot on wheels like a big baby. “Just patch me up. We have to move. Boss, Kai gave me the address where he’s sure Rhondo is heading. Probably where he has his drugs and money stashed. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s stored some fake ID’s there. Most likely the same ones we figured he used the last time
he disappeared. Kai suspects he’ll try and grab the lot.”

  “Okay. Let the medics patch up that arm… and don’t look at it, or we’ll need the smelling salts.”

  Aurora couldn’t believe her ears. “Your big-mouth wife spilled the beans, didn’t she?”

  “Nah, I forced it out of her.” Was that a wink? It had to be, considering she knew Cory didn’t have a nervous eye or a twitch.

  “Wait till I see her,” Aurora mock-threatened.

  “Put that thought on hold for now. Get cleaned up, and we’ll head out.” He scrutinized the room, and soon orders were given to anyone standing around looking stupid. “Don’t just stand there, tape off the crime scene and get whatever prints you can.” Two officers who’d just arrived were stopped in their tracks. “You two, canvass the neighborhood for any potential witnesses. Maybe someone got a good look at one of the vehicles or the partiers. An officer has been injured and the culprit is going down. Now move!”

  Also Author of…

  Vegas Series

  — Action–Packed Thrillers! —

  Vegas Series – Complete Boxed Set

  Partners (Book 1)

  Roll the Dice (Book 2)

  Vegas Shuffle (Book 3)

  High Stakes Gamble (Book 4)

  Spin the Wheel (Book 5)

  Let it Ride (Book 6)

  ***

  The Vicarage Bench Series

  — Spirit Travel at its Best! —

  Vicarage Bench Anthology (Books 1-3)

  She’s Me (Book 1)

  He’s Her (Book 2)

  We’re One (Book 3)

  Together Again (Book 4)

  Together for Christmas (Book 5)

  Together Always (Book 6 Released in May 2014)

  ***

  Angels with Attitude Series

  — Angels Playing Cupid! —

  The Angels with Attitudes Series (Books 1-3)

  My Cheeky Angel (Book 1)

  His Devious Angel (Book 2)

  Loveable Christmas Angel (Book 3)

  ***

  Elvis Series

  She’s Not You (Book 1)

  Love Me Tender (Book 2 Released in June 2014)

  ***

  Undercover FBI Series

  Special Agent Francesca (Book 1)

  ***

  Other Titles

  The Surrogate’s Secret

  Mimi’s Mix (Box Set)

  ‘Tis the Season (Box Set)

  Hearts, Flowers & Romance (Box Set)

  Christmas Runaway

  All of Mimi’s books can be purchased from her website:

  https://mimibarbour.com

  About the Author

  Mimi Barbour lives on the beautiful east coast of Vancouver Island and fills her days with writing and promoting her work. The rest of her day is spent in her garden, doing minimal housework, and visiting with her husband while he cooks their dinner.

  “The favorite part of my job is meeting the characters from each new book. Designing them the way I want and having them act however I think they should. It’s thrilling, especially when most of my make-believe folks are so very interesting. They’re fun and surprising, and in most cases people I would love to interact with in reality.”

  Contact Information

  My website: https://www.mimibarbour.com/

  My blogspot: https://mimibarbour.blogspot.com

  Follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/MimiBarbour

 

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