Alpha Warrior. Aimee Thurlo

stand behind my actions. They were entirely within department guidelines. I’ve done nothing wrong,” Nick said.

      “All right. Let’s get to it then.” Chief Franklin led the way out of his office and down the hall.

      When Captain Wright paused at one of the rooms to speak to another officer on duty, Nick slowed his pace. He didn’t want to go into the conference room until everyone was there.

      As he waited, Owens came up, blocking his way.

      “Say goodbye to your career, hotshot. By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be lucky to get a job mopping the restrooms,” he said, his voice loud enough for only Nick to hear.

      “Get out of my face,” Nick growled.

      “And if I don’t, then what? You’ll take a swing? Go ahead. We’ve got a roomful of witnesses,” he said, jabbing Nick in the chest with his fingertip.

      Nick grabbed Owens’s index finger and bent it back enough for the man’s eyes to water.

      Owens staggered back, bumping into the doorjamb, and looked around quickly for a witness, but it was fruitless. Everyone was pretending to be looking elsewhere—except for a man in an expensive business suit. Nick guessed he was the wife beater’s attorney. His word wouldn’t carry very far in this gathering.

      Drew, who’d come down the hall along with her uncle, stood back as former chief Earl Simmons stepped up. Giving Owens a look of pure contempt, he glanced over at Nick. “I caught all that, if you need a witness, Detective Blacksheep.”

      Owens glared at Earl.

      “Let’s just get this over with, Ray,” Della Owens said, interrupting the face-off by taking her husband’s arm and leading him into the conference room.

      Nick glanced back at Drew before going into the room. She smiled and gave him an encouraging thumbs-up, signaling him that she’d also seen enough to know the truth.

      DREW TOOK A SEAT IN THE staff office, her uncle Earl on one side, Beth Michaels on the other. Beth had been at the station when she’d heard about the attempted kidnaping, and had decided to stay, knowing Drew would be coming in. Beth had custody of the photo arrays—the mug files—mostly computer images these days.

      “Ray Owens is an idiot,” Beth said. “Even if Della refuses to defend herself, as an officer of the law, Nick had to step in.”

      “So what happens now?” Drew asked, watching the officer on duty confronting the reporters in the front lobby.

      “Chief Franklin will do what’s right for the department, but Owens has a lot of pull in this town, and the best friends money can buy. He and I have had our own run-ins. I still say the reason he beat my firm out of a construction contract with the state was because he had inside information.”

      Earl looked directly at his niece. “Right now, you’ve got other, more immediate problems. You have to move back in with Minnie and me until we know it’s safe for you to be on your own.”

      “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I can’t bring that danger home to you and Aunt Minnie.”

      “I can protect you both,” Earl said, his expression hard, his voice flat.

      Though he wasn’t the department’s chief anymore, that take-charge attitude still clung to him. Giving orders came as naturally to him as it had to her dad. She thought back to the days when her father had been alive. She’d always followed his orders. He wouldn’t have had it any other way. Then, after her parents’ death, she’d gone to live with her uncle, who’d also ruled his home imperiously and absolutely. But she was an adult now, and would decide which course was right for her. Uncle Earl missed police work and wanted to be part of the fight, but she wouldn’t expose her aunt to the dangers she was facing.

      Other officers soon came into the common area, often labeled the bullpen, and Drew’s uncle walked away to talk to old friends.

      Hearing loud voices coming from the conference room, Beth glanced over at the closed door. “I will never understand why Della puts up with that creep.”

      “All Nick did was defend the victim of an abusive husband. How did that ever get turned into a charge of police harassment?” Drew asked.

      “Della changed her story. She’s now saying that she fell down. Without her testimony, and no witnesses to what actually happened, at least inside their residence, Nick’s the fall guy.”

      “Owens is purposely trying to put the department on the defensive, hoping to distort the truth,” Drew said.

      “Exactly. Since that’s the umpteenth call our officers have answered at Owens’s house, Ray’s only way out these days is to claim police harassment. But everyone knows the truth, so the only option Owens really has is to cut a deal of some kind.”

      The door to the conference room opened and Nick came out alone.

      Earl Simmons went to meet Nick just as Owens and his wife came out. With Ray in the lead, the pair hurried toward the exit. Della’s head remained down and she avoided eye contact with anyone.

      Chief Franklin stepped out of the room next, and joined Nick. “You’re reinstated, Detective Blacksheep,” he said. “Pick up your service weapon and badge from the duty officer and get the MDT back in your vehicle,” he said, meaning the mobile dispatch terminal computer officers carried.

      “How’s this really going down on paper?” Nick asked the chief.

      “Mr. Owens will probably never admit spousal abuse, but he’s dropped his charges against you and the department and has agreed to enter anger management and couples counseling. It’s a win all around,” he said.

      “I’m glad that you convinced your old friend to see reason,” Earl said to Franklin. Though he’d deliberately kept his tone casual, the point had been made. “But you’ve still got another problem—me. My niece needs police protection.”

      Chief Franklin crossed his arms across his chest. “You’re assuming they’ll go after her again, Earl, and there’s no proof of that. I’m not sure I can spare any of my officers on speculation alone.”

      “You didn’t have a manpower problem when you put your best detective on suspension,” Earl said, cocking his head toward Nick. “That suggests you can spare him again.”

      Chief Franklin glanced toward the office area, catching Koval’s attention. “What’s your take, Harry?”

      “Some protection seems appropriate,” Koval said. “The way things went down indicates a certain level of planning.”

      Drew glanced around the room. She wouldn’t have minded some extra patrols around her apartment, and maybe someone who’d drop by—often—but she didn’t like being discussed as if her right to decide for herself had suddenly vanished. That’s the way it had been most of her life, but she was on her own now and didn’t have to take orders from anyone.

      She was about to make her wishes known in no uncertain terms, when Captain Wright suddenly whispered something in the chief’s ear.

      A moment later the chief looked up at her, then at Nick. “Detective Blacksheep, you’ve had more than your share of publicity lately. Photos were taken of you tonight by those reporters outside the building, and they’re probably already on the Internet and will be in the local paper by morning. Since you’ve become a high-profile officer, your undercover assignments are effectively over, so I’m assigning you to protect Drew Simmons until further notice. You’ll report to Detective Koval and Captain Wright. They’ll update me.”

      “Chief, you can’t pull me off my cases,” Nick protested. “I’m getting close to identifying Coyote. I’ve got a photo to work with now, so it’s just a matter of time before I can get his real name, and maybe set up a sting. Let me see this one through, otherwise months of work will be lost.”

      “You