Page 41 of Chasing a Kidnapper

Trouble. He was in deep trouble. It took all his willpower and concentration not to pull over to the side of the road and sweep her into his arms for a proper kiss.

And as he drove, he couldn’t help but think that kissing Trisha was inevitable. That it was bound to happen.

The same way the sun rose in the sky every day.

The bigger question was what in the world he was going to do about the fact that one kiss would never be enough.

Trisha was hyperaware of West sitting beside her. There seemed to be a tension between them now, and she silently lectured herself for giving in to the impulse to kiss his cheek. He’d just been so kind and supportive. She’d reacted without thinking about it.

In some corner of her mind, she’d thought they could be friends. Maybe spend some time together. She liked and respected him, as more than just colleagues.

But that was asking for trouble. It would be better if they parted ways, never to hang out together again. Sure, she’d see him around the police station, but that would have to be enough.

Work pals, nothing more.

“Do you think Renee’s stepbrother, Nick Cutter, could be our shooter?” She decided the best way to ease the tension was to get back to the case.

“That’s a strong possibility,” he admitted. “However, stealing Renee’s car by helping himself to the keys is easy, compared to boosting a car without them.”

“Yeah, it’s rare for people to leave their keys in the car.” Part of her training had been to learn some of the tricks car jackers pulled. “Was there a vehicle registered to Nick?”

“No. But you make a good point. He could have purchased something used from a private party. Maybe the temporary plate in the rear window wasn’t fake.”

Trisha appreciated the way West treated her like an equal. As if her thoughts and opinions mattered. “That makes sense. Renee could have lied about not speaking with Nick. He probably abandoned the ride after she warned him of our interest.”

“Yeah, but then why bother to report the vehicle as stolen in the first place?” West asked with a scowl.

“She might not have realized her spare key was missing until after she made that call.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what else to think. Other than to try to find a connection between Nick Cutter and Bryan.”

He nodded. “We should check the gym membership. Maybe they met there at one point.”

That possibility lightened her mood. She had never been in the line of fire as much as she had over the past few days. Thankfully, her instincts had kicked in enough that she could avoid being hit while returning fire.

But once the immediate threat had passed, she couldn’t help thinking about Gabriel and what would happen to him if she was killed in the line of duty, like Kenyon had been.

She made a mental note to discuss Gabriel’s future with her sister, Raina. She had already planned to have Raina step in as Gabriel’s guardian, but now Raina was taking care of Kenyon’s twin boys.

A baby might push her sister over the edge. Then again, knowing her sister, Raina would insist she’d be fine. And would absolutely step up to take of her son if needed.

It wasn’t smart to dwell too much on the what-if scenarios. She was good at her job and intended to be around for a long time. Besides, recent gun trafficking aside, this area of the state didn’t see the high rates of crime like other cities did. Plains City wasn’t Chicago, New York or Los Angeles.

Kenyon Graves was the first officer their department had lost in the past three years. And that was under extenuating circumstances.

She pushed those depressing thoughts aside as West pulled into the precinct parking lot. He released Peanut from the back hatch and joined her as they headed inside.

The Plains City Police Department was in the center of the city, a four-story building in which the ATF had the entire top floor. What Trisha liked the most was that there were plenty of restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance.

After passing through the front desk, they headed up to the second floor where most of the cubicles were located, along with the large conference room.

“I only have a few minutes before I need to leave for the autopsies,” West said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to wait here. It shouldn’t take too long.”

“Not a problem.” She glanced at Peanut. “Are you taking her with you?”

West hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, she’ll be fine. Give me, say, fifteen to thirty minutes, okay?”

“Sure thing.” She stepped to the side as West and Peanut retraced their steps down to the main floor. The medical examiner’s office building was only a few blocks away.

She caught sight of a beautiful woman with shoulder-length brown hair and big brown eyes coming out of the conference room with her K-9, a springer spaniel, at her side, along with a small carry-on suitcase. The woman’s concerned features had Trisha walking over.

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