Page 73 of In Her Sights
“Not that way,” John said, sounding slightly out of breath, but not nearly enough for a guy who’d just sprinted after a killer, put fire out with his bare hands, and then carried a full-grown, unconscious man over his shoulders. “Explosives.”
“This way, then.” Norah did an about-face and led the way around some toppled shelving. “The northeast corner. I checked out the blueprints on file with the building department while I was waiting.”
“Of course you did,” Cara said, raising her phone to her ear. From her side of the conversation, she was telling the dispatcher where the cops should meet them.
“Watch for trip wires. And who called the cops? You, Norah?” Molly followed her sisters, glancing back to make sure that John was doing okay with his burden. As soon as they were out and somewhere with better lighting, she was going to check the burns on his hands again.
“In a way.” Norah lifted her arm, letting her sleeve fall to reveal her medical alert bracelet. “I pushed this after Sonny grabbed me, and then Cara called them once we got the belt off to tell them not to just send an ambulance.”
“Good.”
Hurrying after her sisters, Molly snuck another glance to check on John. Her concern must’ve been obvious, because he grinned at her.
“Worried about me?” he asked.
“Making sure you didn’t drop the skip.” Despite her teasing words, she couldn’t help but smile back. “You know, just because you’re the one who’s carrying him out doesn’t mean you get credit for bringing him in. Quit trying to steal my skips.”
His laughter boomed out, making her smile, her heart full of love and triumph and sheer relief. Her plan might’ve been hastily concocted and gone a little sideways in the middle, but they’d done it. They’d gotten their guy, and no one had been blown up.
It was a good day to be a bounty hunter.
* * *
It was just two hours before dawn when they finally made it home. Warrant rushed to greet them, first making a beeline for John. Molly took one look at their bedraggled group and said, “Showers and bed. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”
Cara and Norah didn’t offer any protest, instead murmuring their good-nights as they headed wearily up the stairs.
“What about you?” John asked, scratching Warrant in just the right spot behind his ear so that the dog’s hind paw paddled in time with the motion of John’s fingers.
Ignoring the question, Molly frowned at his hands. “Careful of your burns.”
He made a dismissive sound. “These are barely first-degree. They can hold up to a little petting, especially for such a good dog. Isn’t that right, Warrant? You’re the best puppy in the world, aren’t you?” Warrant’s tail beat a happy tattoo on the floor.
Although she wanted to protest, the sight of John fussing over their dog was too cute, and it robbed her of her ability to be stern. Besides, she was too tired to get worked up about anything, even if the thought of John in pain made her heart hurt. She made her way to the kitchen, swallowing a groan at the thought of staying up to finish what had to be done.
“What happened to showers and bed and nothing else?” John asked, following her.
“I just have one thing to do, and then I’ll happily go unconscious.” She opened her laptop and blinked the blurriness from her eyes.
He frowned. “What’s so important that it can’t wait until after you sleep?”
“Barney’s invoice.” Despite her exhaustion, saying those words made Molly smile.
John grinned back before plopping down on the chair next to her. Warrant immediately stretched out under the table, laying his head possessively on John’s foot. “You’re right. Making the cheap bastard pay up will be deeply satisfying.”
As she opened the bookkeeping program, her smile faded. “I just hope he keeps his word about not pushing to move up Mom’s hearing.”
Reaching over, John took her hand, his bandaged palm scratchy against hers. “He will. We’ll make sure of it. And we’ll find Jane. Now that Sonny’s locked up again, we’ll be able to concentrate on searching for her.”
“Thank you.” She gave his fingers a gentle return squeeze before extricating her hand so that she could type up Barney’s invoice. Now that the life-threatening part of the night was over, her anxiety was starting to build again. There were so many problems literally banging down their door. “It’s not just Barney who’s a threat. Everyone thinks the necklace is hidden in the house—including the Denver cops.” That reminded her of Bastien. “Do you think Detective Mill is dirty like his partner?”
“I don’t have any proof, but I have a source who’s heard whispers about him.”
Her fingers went still as she looked at John. “What kind of whispers?”
“Gray-area whispers.”
“What does that mean?”
