Run the Risk

Cash finished up and bounded after her, and wonder of wonders, she stopped and knelt down to pet him.

Good dog, Reese thought. “He disturbed you?”

“I felt bad for him. He needs attention. He’s still a puppy.”

“Yeah, see, the thing is, I sort of found him. Or rather, he found me. I wasn’t really planning on having a dog, but—”

“It was kind of you to take him in.” She seated her narrow rump on a concrete step and good old Cash practically crawled into her lap.

And, her smile soft and amused, she let him.

Who knew a dog had so many uses? Alice looked very peaceful while loving on his dog. Her average brown hair fell forward, half hiding her average face. She didn’t seem concerned with getting her beige slacks dirty or getting dog hair on her green tank.

She set aside her purse and the candy and put all that extreme focus on his dog.

So how did a stray accomplish what Reese couldn’t, in such a short time?

Determined to find out, Reese started to sit beside her, but his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, saw it was Logan and groaned.

Alice glanced at him.

He handed her the leash. “You mind? Just for a sec.” Without waiting for her reply, he turned his back on her, took a few steps away, and answered the call.

“Make it fast,” Reese said. He didn’t want to be too rude to the neighbor lady, now that Cash had finally managed to break the ice.

“He plans to break in to my place tonight.”

For the sake of privacy, Reese took a few more steps away, dismissing the dog and Alice-something-or-other. Undercover operations were kept tightly compartmentalized to avoid security leaks. No way in hell did he want a civilian listening in. “Rowdy Yates?”

“None other.”

Unexpected. “You know this, how?”

A pause, and then Logan said, “Overheard her talking on the phone with him.”

“She talked with him in front of you?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then how—”

“I listened through the wall. With an audio device.”

Damn it. Reese looked up at the blazing sun, now in shades of red, pink and purple. Lately, the nights hadn’t been much cooler than the days. “I’m betting you didn’t have a search warrant for that?”

“No.”

So he couldn’t mention it. It couldn’t come up, ever. Again…great. “You tell the lieutenant?”

“Not yet. Only you.”

At least there was that. “Let’s keep it that way.”

“She expects me to keep her apprised.”

Yeah, Lieutenant Peterson liked to stay in the loop on everything. She remained inflexible in her efforts toward a clean sweep of the force, and grumbling from the ranks hadn’t swayed her off that course.

Reese was just as determined to keep her in the dark on this. “I’ll take care of it then.” In his own way, in his own time, with everyone’s best interests at heart. Logan wouldn’t like that, but that’s how it had to be.

There was more at play than his need for justice and revenge.

“I’m short on time anyway, so that works.”

Reese glanced back at his neighbor. She stood now, walking Cash over to a shady spot in the grass. “If I’m on surveillance, then I can just happen to catch Rowdy breaking in.” For Alice, Cash followed along politely.

Stupid dog. He shook his head and smiled.

He hoped Alice watched her step, because he hadn’t yet had a chance to clean up any messes.

“That’s how I figured it,” Logan said. “No one needs to know I overheard the details.”

Reese checked his watch. He felt the neighbor watching him with curiosity. Not the best time to finally show interest,  honey.

“Might take me an hour or more to get there.” He had his own team on hold, ready to go at the drop of a dime. They were loyal to him, not to the lieutenant, and not to Logan.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I don’t have an exact time,” Logan said, “but I have to be at her place soon, so it won’t be until then.”

“Put it on hold for as long as you can. Maybe be out on the balcony or something. Even after I get there, I’ll need time to set up. You can do that?”

“No problem.”

Could it be true? Could Logan have really caught up with the elusive Yates? Wondering at what cost, Reese asked, “What about the sister?”

Logan’s silence worried him more than anything.

Just to piss him off, Reese said, “Want me to have her cuffed, too?”

“Don’t touch her.”

Well, well, well. That sentiment was clear enough. “She’s going to be hurt, Logan. No way around it.”

“You think I don’t already know that?”

If only Logan had let it go. But he hadn’t—maybe because he didn’t realize just how persuasive Morton Andrews could be. “I take it she doesn’t yet know what motivates you?”

Logan laughed without humor. “No.”

It seemed believable to Reese that Logan no longer knew his motives, either. “Well, don’t worry about it. She won’t be your problem after tonight.” Or would she? By the day, it seemed problems were adding up. Reese would have to deal with them before it all got insurmountable.

After an exaggerated silence, Reese prompted him. “Logan?”