Page 21 of Twin Threats In Austin
He smiled as he thanked the desk sergeant and then began heading out to her SUV. “As a matter of fact, I have.” Not that he wanted to have any more in common with the beautiful detective than he already did. Or any more chemistry for that matter. Certain things were outside of his control. Whether he acted on the attraction was up to him. Not only would it be unprofessional to hit on Rochelle, but he also had no idea if she felt the same.
“You can drop me at my truck,” he said as they reclaimed their seats.
“Okay.”
The drive didn’t take more than twenty minutes. Twenty silent minutes. Twenty minutes that he surprisingly didn’t want to end.
Rochelle pulled up next to his truck and then idled the SUV’s engine. She glanced at the clock. It read 11:48 p.m. “Shall we pick up around six o’clock in the morning?”
“Sounds good.” He didn’t need much in the way of sleep. A few hours of shut-eye, and he’d be good to go. Camden had developed the habit of rising early and going to bed late while growing up on a horse ranch. Ranchers’ days were long, filled with back-breaking work. Not that he’d ever minded.
Why was saying good-night so hard?
Chapter Eight
Rochelle turned up the A/C in the SUV to help stay awake on the thirty-minute drive home. As it was, her eyes were trying to close. Working to the point of exhaustion was a bad habit. Except, how could she do anything else when time could mean the difference between saving someone’s life or them becoming a murder victim? Kidnapping cases were the hardest to work on.
She lived on a tree-lined street in a cul-de-sac where bicycles littered lawns on school breaks. With this being Thanksgiving week, the kids would be out in full force.
As she pulled up to her two-bedroom bungalow, she cut off her headlights. The way houses were arranged in the cul-de-sac meant her headlights shot straight into the bay window of her next-door neighbor.
Exiting the vehicle, a cold chill caused her to clutch her shirt, tuck her chin to her chest, and hurry around the SUV. Movement to the left caught her attention. Squirrel?
Not at this time of night.
Rochelle was already halfway across her yard when she saw the boot. Someone was standing behind the tree in her neighbor’s yard. Her pulse skyrocketed as she reached for her service weapon in her shoulder holster.
Instinct had her wanting to bolt toward the door. Training had her moving toward the nearest tree for cover.
The crack of a bullet split the air. Rochelle ducked. Wood splintered.
Now, her pulse raced so loud she could hear thumping in her ears. Her heart battered the inside of her rib cage as she took cover behind the tree. The distance to her front door measured roughly fifteen feet.
Nothing would stand in the way of the shooter if she made a move for the door. Plus, she would have to manage unlocking the door, making herself an easy target in the process. Nope.
Rochelle identified herself as law enforcement and directed the shooter to toss their weapon, then come out with their hands where she could see them.
With the tree putting mass between her and the shooter, she risked a glance when no response came. A shot rang out.
Lights came on inside several of her neighbors’ houses. A few images flashed in her mind. One had the shooter taking her neighbor or their kids hostage. Let him get inside the house and then there’d be a hostage situation that could end with multiple fatalities. Another had her neighbor taking matters into his own hands with a shotgun, and ending up shot in the process.
Dogs barked as panic seized her.Stay calm.
The shooter picked that moment to flee. He wasn’t much more than a shadow moving in the night.
“Halt, or I’ll shoot,” she demanded. But he was too far away and there were trees preventing her from getting off a dependable shot. There was no way she would risk a stray bullet.
So she gave chase.
Shadowman was a lot faster than her. Plus, he had a head start and longer legs. He must be a good jumper too because he hopped fences like they were nothing. Then again, he came prepared. It was easy to research a neighborhood with all the maps on phones and computers doing all the hard work. As far as Rochelle’s needs were concerned, she knew the streets and that was about it. She never ventured into her neighbors’ yards.Garages weren’t as common in this area of Austin, so most folks parked out front.
After running for several minutes, she cut her losses. Shadowman was gone.
After holstering her weapon, Rochelle leaned against a tree to catch her breath and palmed her cell phone. Her first call was to her supervisor. The next, to Camden. He answered on the third ring with the sound of running water in the background. Shower?
Rochelle didn’t need the naked image of Camden stamping her thoughts right now. “Someone was waiting at my home.”
“What the hell?” The water turned off as a frustrated exhale came through the line. “Send me your address. I’m coming over.”
