A Nose for Trouble Page 7

  His gun glinted as he moved it from pointing at her head to her tactical vest, his bitter laugh amplifying in the narrow space. He stepped sideways, closer to the door, moving into her peripheral vision. Behind Brennan and Morley, the other three gunmen spread out. Two hugged the walls of the buildings, the third advancing into the space Johnny vacated. She tracked Navarro with her gun, her upper body twisting as she maintained her stance. She couldn’t afford to look away from the others, and she didn’t want to turn away from Brennan either. By sheer force of will, she kept her gun steady. She wouldn’t show them her terror.

  “You weren’t wearing that last time. You know Cole’s the one who shot you, right?”

  His terrifying grin widened.

  “For fook’s sake. Stop your chelpin’ and—”

  Charlie barked, a savage, blood curdling tirade that echoed through the alleyway. Morley shifted, his focus on the Belgian Shepherd. Ellie saw Brennan used the distraction to his advantage. Though unsteady, he scrambled to his feet, stumbled sideways, and knocked the unsuspecting man off balance as Charlie leapt at him. Morley staggered back and his head hit the wall with a sickening crunch as Brennan yelled for Ellie to run.

  White heat flared from Morley’s gun and he screamed as Charlie’s jaws clamped around his wrist and refused to let go. The gun fell, the impact releasing another bullet. Ellie fired at Johnny, then dropped to the ground as a third projectile careened past her neck, spinning her away from the cars she’d edged toward, leaving blood and powder burns in its wake. More bullets zinged past, only this time they were coming from behind her. Over the din, she heard Wilson shouting.

  “Get out of the way, Marsden.”

  There was no time to wonder why he was there or if he was alone as she turned and ran for what little cover the parked cars offered. Johnny pivoted and shot at Charlie before leaping through the doorway back into the groomers. The Belgian Shepherd yelped, and her body shuddered, her weight taking Morley to the ground with her. Neither moved.

  The alley exploded in a hail of bullets and gun flare, swallowing Ellie’s scream of denial. Blue lights flashed along the walls. Footsteps pounded down the pavement.

  “Police. Drop your weapons. I said, drop your weapons.”

  That was McClane’s voice, deep and commanding.

  “Get down on the ground. Hands above your head.”

  And that was Henderson, barely out of the academy, yet sounding as experienced as his fellow officers.

  Then Johnny reappeared in the alley and Brennan staggered forward.

  All the oxygen vanished, and time slowed as Ellie zeroed in on him. Fear tightened her chest and squeezed her heart.

  No! No! No!

  With Johnny’s gaze fixed in her direction, he hadn’t noticed Brennan. Even in the dim light, she could read the determination in his movements. She’d been his lover long enough to know how stubborn Brennan was. She knew what he was about to do.

  Stand down, damn you! You’re in no condition to fight. You can’t stay on your feet, let alone wrestle a weapon away from someone else.

  Ellie leapt to her feet, making herself an easy target. She needed to get him away from Johnny. She needed him to be safe. Damn it! She needed to tell him she’d been wrong. She needed...

  Brennan lurched sideways, but somehow regained his footing.

  The tightness in her chest spiralled throughout her body. Her legs wobbled. Her arms shook. The gun rocked in her grip, and the scar on her side throbbed to remind her of everything that led to this moment. The Brennan she knew would never be so disorientated, but whatever changed in the years they’d been apart, his ability to do his job wasn’t one of them.

  “Stand down, Johnny!” she shouted, drawing his attention. Then she threw his words back at him. “You’ve got nowhere to go.”

  “About time I shut you up, bitch!”

  Time caught up with a vengeance.

  More gunfire blazed through the alley. Glass shattered as a windscreen imploded. McClane dropped beside her, his right leg a mass of blood and shattered bone. His piercing screech of pain tore through the air for scant seconds before he passed out. Two of Morley’s men hit the pavement with twin thuds. Another bullet zinged past Ellie, and she returned fire, hitting her target. The third gunman released an agonised scream as he tumbled backward. The now all-too-familiar metallic scent of blood bloomed once more. None of them got up again. Johnny’s cold and all too confident gaze met hers as she faced him, but the way he bared his teeth told her he was beyond caring what happened next. Ellie’s hand jerked as she fired her gun, knowing he did the same. Pain registered in her left arm. Then she fired again.

  “Ceasefire! Ceasefire! Marsden! Ellie! We got him,” Wilson shouted. Then he moved to her side. “Ellie! We got him. It’s over.”

  He brought his arm across hers and pressed down, pointing her gun at the ground, not moving until she met his eyes and nodded. He stared at her a moment longer before he turned and walked away, but not before she saw the tears in his eyes. She understood that for Wilson, his moment for revenge had at last arrived. It was easy to imagine his thoughts would be with his wife and daughter now. Was he silently begging forgiveness that it had taken so long to avenge them? Or was he awash with a sense of peace that this part of his heartache could finally be put to rest? She could only hope it was the latter. That she could find some sense of peace, too.

  Ellie took a deep breath, and when the gun smoke dissipated, she saw Henderson crouched over McClane and calling for the ambulance. She moved toward Wilson and looked down.

  Sprawled on his back in the doorway lay Johnny, a mangled, bloody mess where his face used to be. And then she saw Brennan, his arms outstretched, reaching for her.

  “Ellie? Ellie. Tell me you’re okay. Please be okay.”

  Eyes wide, mouth open, she stared at his chest where blood seeped through his shirt. His face paled as he followed her gaze, gave a half-hearted grin, and fell to his knees.

  “Ellie,” he managed to say before he slumped to the ground.

  “Brennan. No!”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  WHATEVER THE HELL WAS beeping, Brennan was about to take a hammer to it. The incessant noise was driving him crazy. He yawned and a vile taste filled his mouth. An odour invaded his nostrils that reeked of cleanliness and antiseptic. Stark white greeted him when he opened his eyes. Clamped to his left forefinger was a plastic peg. His eyes followed the attached wires to a small machine. As he stared at it, it beeped. Stiff cotton scratched at his limbs when he tried to move, but it was nowhere near as painful as his chest. The showdown in the alley felt like a sordid dream.

  Ellie? What happened to...

  A soft moan penetrated his rising panic. Next to him in a chair, fast asleep, her hand entwined in his, was... “Ellie?”

  She sat up in the chair, yawned, blinked, and then looked over at him.

  “Oh, you’re awake.”

  “Hey, I wasn’t the one caught napping.” He smiled and squeezed her hand tighter. If this was a dream, he wasn’t letting her go, and if this was real, only she could keep them apart.

  “I’ve been here all night. You’ve been in and out of consciousness for days. Between an infection and being shot, you had one hell of a fever.” She leaned closer. “Do you remember what happened?”

  “You and your partner interrogating me already?” He gave her his cheekiest grin.

  She looked away, and his gaze followed. Then he realised Charlie wasn’t by her side.

  Oh hell! Ellie and Charlie were more than just working partners. They loved each other. And while he loved her too, he would never be a part of the special bond there was between the dog and her handler. Charlie saved his life by following her instincts and her training. Her attack on Morley had given him time to gather his wits and help Ellie.

  If they’d shot Charlie while she was helping him... If she’d died, then how would Ellie come back from that? How would she forgive him then?

  His jaw
clenched so tight his teeth cracked.

  And what about Ellie? Did she still care for him? After all he’d done. Could they work things out? Was he a fool to think they deserved a second chance?

  “I’m so sorry, Ellie.”

  “For what? Doing your job and saving my life? Twice.”

  She’d pulled away at his stupid interrogation comment and his heart constricted, but now her hands reached to hold his.

  “For the secrets, the lies, the things I had to do,” he said, intent on giving her the apology and the explanation he’d denied her. Only how the hell would he apologise for Charlie?

  “Like shooting me, you mean?”

  The blood drained from Brennan’s face, and his grip on her hands tightened.

  “Johnny had to believe you meant nothing to me. If I hadn’t taken that shot and offered him a head start, he would have killed you. I couldn’t take that chance. I never stopped loving you, Ellie. Like an idiot, I tried to convince myself when the job finished, you’d forgive me. But how could you after what I’ve done?”

  A knock sounded, the door opened, and Kayla poked her head around the door.

  “Apologies for the interruption. Special visitor to see you, officers.”

  A bundle of energy skidded into the room, snuffled their hands apart and demanded they pat her.

  “Charlie! Charlie, you’re okay?” The dog licked his hand as though assuring him. “I thought...” Brennan began.

  “Johnny hit the muscle in her shoulder. The pain knocked her out. Doctor Barnes is a miracle worker. He got the bullet out and saved her life.”

  Ellie grinned at Kayla, who looked pleased about the compliment on her good friend’s behalf.

  “So now we’ll all have matching scars. My side, your chest, and Charlie’s shoulder.”

  Brennan stared at the bandage on Ellie’s neck. He hadn’t noticed it until she turned to look at the door. Her movement caused her shirt sleeve to rise, and he spotted a second bandage. His upper lip curled into a snarl. Hands balling into tight fists, he pictured himself punching Navarro’s carved-up face. The bastard hurt her. He’d done his best to block Johnny’s shot, and his bullet hit her anyway. Yeah, it had been a crap shot, but he could have killed her.

  A fine sheen of sweat covered his skin, and it had nothing to do with pain, medication, or whatever the hell else was going on here. The blood drained from his face, taking the warmth with it. His teeth bit into the tender flesh inside his cheeks, but the discomfort did nothing to stop the tears welling in his eyes. Johnny had come so close to taking away the only woman he’d ever loved. And it would have been his fault. His horror to bear.

  He took a deep breath, winced through another throbbing spasm, and met her concerned gaze.

  “Ellie! I’m so—”

  “I’m fine,” she cut in. “It’s just a graze. No stitches required. The same with my arm. The hospital kept me in overnight for observation. At Wilson’s insistence, I’m sure. It’s a miracle Johnny’s bullet missed me considering the short distance between us, but I have you to thank for that.”

  She smiled then, and Brennan pinned all his hopes on the soft curve of her lips before it vanished as fast as it appeared. She spoke again, gesturing between them.

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, Charlie is apologising for biting you,” she said as the Belgian Shepherd nuzzled his wrist.

  Brennan shook his head. “I deserved it for hurting you. I’m sure she knows that. But how...?”

  Charlie barked, determined to have her turn for attention. The single yap was enough to motivate Kayla, who’d been discretely watching their interaction from the doorway. After a few minutes, she came forward.

  “I better take Charlie back to the vet clinic before the hospital staff see her or Doctor Barnes discovers she’s missing from his surgery,” Kayla said. “She’s supposed to be resting too.” She gave Ellie a poignant look. “I’ll catch up with you later. My phone’s charged if you need me. This time I won’t miss your call.”

  No sooner were she and Charlie out the door, not that the dog was keen to go, than Ellie jumped to her feet and paced between his bed and the door. The light-heartedness consuming him moments before vanished. In its place, Brennan’s stomach churned, and he swore as he moved, the cotton sheet scraping against his ankle reminding him of Charlie’s bite. He sat up and another spasm of pain shot through his chest. None of it hurt as much as the intense look on her face. She couldn’t forgive him. She must hate him. He was sure of it. He wished he’d died in the alley. Death was better than this. Then Ellie stopped pacing, her thighs banging against the side of his bed.

  “You stepped between me and Johnny, you idiot. Thank God the bullet missed any vital organs, and you pulled through. Johnny could have killed you. Why the hell would you do that?” She took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice sounded calmer. “I shot him, but it was Wilson’s bullet that killed him. Wilson overheard McClane mentioning the accent. We’d been talking about the case, your case, earlier and that’s what tipped him off. He called Henderson, and they raced over. I got a lecture about switching my phone off, but I couldn’t chance it ringing when I was moving into the alley.”

  As though the fight and anger left her, Ellie stepped back and fell into the chair she’d vacated moments ago.

  “I need to get back to the station soon. Wilson will want my report. Henderson’s beside himself with the first bit of excitement Trinket Bay’s had in twenty years, so he says. I think he’s driving the Senior Sergeant a little crazy. He and our First Class Constable have a regular comedy act going. I dread to think what they’ll be like when McClane’s back on duty, not that he’ll be happy manning the front desk. With his injured leg, he won’t be doing much else for a while, but nowhere near as long as Morley’s prison stay will be.”

  Brennan nodded, sensing an opening in the conversation. “I’ll be here a while, I suppose, recovering, and then testifying at Morley’s trial in Perth.”

  He wouldn’t meet her eyes. He knew she wouldn’t make it easier for him either.

  Twin sighs filled the room.

  “I don’t suppose I could stay in Trinket Bay with you and Charlie?” he asked at last.

  He pinned her with his gaze then, the one he knew smouldered its way through her heart and into places that heated with desire, the same desire she evoked in him. Voice thick with emotion as hope flared, he added, “I promise Ellie, I will never take a case like this again. I’ll never leave you, unless that’s what you want.”

  It seemed an eternity before Ellie stopped staring at him, her face a becoming shade of pink, before she leaned forward, once more holding his hand in both of hers.

  “How can you do that, Brennan, when it’s your job to work undercover and take these bastards off the streets? I... I should have remembered that. I know there’re some things you can’t share with me, that others depend on your ability to keep a secret to ensure their safety. Like you tried to keep me safe.”

  Her grip on his hand tightened, and the heart monitor blipped as Brennan fought to keep his breaths even.

  “I should have trusted you. I should have known when you started acting strange that this wasn’t an ordinary undercover assignment. You weren’t acting like yourself, but I... I was afraid I was losing you. That you didn’t love me anymore. We both know how tough this job is on relationships. I also know it’s who you are. And I’d never take that away from you.”

  She said more, but Brennan focused on six little words.

  She’d thought he didn’t love her anymore. That meant she still loved him, didn’t it? She still cared for him, still wanted him, didn’t she? Maybe there was still a chance. Hope soared once more.

  “I need to tell you something, Ellie.” He swallowed hard, his other hand reaching across to hold hers. Now she was close, he wasn’t letting go. “I was thinking, with McClane injured, maybe Wilson would consider a transfer. I mean, sure the job won’t be as action-packed as I’m used to,” he atte
mpted to sound casual, “but to be honest, I could use a bit of downtime. Plus, I have some making up to do, if you and Charlie will let me.”

  For a moment, there was silence in the room, then Ellie grinned. Her hands left his to reach for the pins in her hair before dropping the bits of metal and plastic onto the mattress.

  “We have much to talk about, Detective Sergeant. And we will have that talk. But it can wait a while longer.”

  Their gazes locked once more. He knew by the way his jaw dropped with an audible click and the urgent need to blink that he was staring in amazement. Just as he knew by the way Ellie’s eyes sparkled as her pupils dilated that mischief shone in hers.

  “Move over,” she commanded.

  He scooted over as best as he could, tender ankle, sharp pain in his chest, and whatever the hell they’d hooked him up to be damned. The ridiculous beeping noise kicked up a notch for a few seconds, then settled into its previous rhythm. He grinned. It wouldn’t stay that way for long.

  Ellie lay on her side, all soft curves pressed against him, one leg across his thighs and her arm snaking around his waist, taking care to avoid his injuries. He bore the assault of her kisses across his bared skin, which turned featherlight as her lips neared his bandages. He fought for control. His body wouldn’t listen. She moved, a breast pressing against his uninjured side as she kissed her way along his jawline. He figured his approving growl would put Charlie’s vocals to shame.

  The monitor beeped faster to match his increasing heart rate.

  “Maybe we should take things easy,” Ellie said, her breathy voice his damnation.

  “To hell with easy,” he replied.

  His lips found hers. The monitor went crazy. His last coherent sentence might have been a mumbled comment about using the chair to block the door.

  The End.

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