“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” he sing-songed.
Sandy heard him start up the stairs. The guy wasn’t even trying to be quiet.
“You know I’m going to hurt you even more if you make me have to look for you, Carrie!” he snapped. Apparently, his patience was at an end.
Sandy remained still, wanting him to lose his temper.
“Detective McLean, ping if you’re still in place,” her boss ordered softly through her earphone.
Sandy reached up silently and tapped her earpiece, giving the ping that would alert her team and boss that she was in place and prepared to take the bastard down.
“Officer Swanell, ping if you’re in place.”
Another ping. Sheriff Davenport went through the other officers that were standing by in the various rooms of the house. Each of them pinged back, indicating that they were not only ready, but waiting eagerly.
Finally, the bastard reached the top of the stairs. Stepping into the bedroom, the man lifted his arm. Sandy, safely off to the side of the door, waited.
“Now I have you, Carrie! And no, I’m not going to kill you. Yet!” He laughed, the sound coming across as more than slightly maniacal.
There was a gunshot and Sandy moved fast. She grabbed the bastard’s arm and twisted, forcing the pistol out of his hands. Simply because he’d shot the woman’s air mattress, which certainly didn’t deserve to die, Sandy continued to twist. Whoops! His arm came out of his shoulder socket.
“John Mingram, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Carrie Andrews. For the assault of Carrie Andrews.” Sandy continued, listing every offense they had collected while the bastard shouted obscenities. The other officers poured into the room, pointing their weapons at John. He wasn’t going anywhere. Not with Sandy pressing him against the wall and his arm twisted at an odd angle behind his back.
Since the bastard kept kicking and shoving, trying pointlessly to dislodge her, no one really cared that the guy’s arm had popped out of his socket. It happened.
When she had her handcuffs on him, she hauled him back, one hand to steady him, the other on his hands to protect him. Still, he resisted and, stupidly, he tried to head butt the officers standing a few feet away.
One of the officers simply lifted his knee, effectively fending off the attack. John hit the floor, his breath caught in his throat as he clutched his throbbing testicles.
More officers streamed through the doorway, the sheriff in the lead. “What happened to him?” Sheriff Davenport asked, eyeing John with only mild concern.
“Resisted arrest. Then tried to attack Moe,” Sandy explained. Moe nodded confirmation. “It’s all on video, sir.”
Richard nodded, then moved off. “Fine. Get him into the squad car.”
Epilogue
“This is Andrea Gibbons reporting for the six o’clock news,” the reporter announced, smiling into the camera. “Today, dramatic events happened at the courthouse as Judge Evan Crawley was arrested after receiving news of his pending impeachment. You’ll remember last week that charges were brought against Police Chief Pleurs as well as Judge Crawley. It was discovered that they were complicit in the assault of a woman three years ago, at which time, it was discovered that the police chief and judge ignored evidence of the brutal beating by one of the city’s very own detectives. Since then, numerous other people have come forward with stories about how the judge and police chief accepted bribes, ignored evidence, and personal misconduct. A look at the judge’s personal finances revealed that he paid cash for a lake house worth more than three million dollars.” She went on to reveal the annual salary of a judge in the state. “And now, the weather for this weekend is going to be a chilly start to October.”
Carrie walked out of the courthouse and took a long, deep breath. Derick’s arm was still around her waist and she leaned her head against his shoulder. “You okay?” he asked.
Carrie thought for a long moment. “He’s going away for a long time,” she said, referring to John. “So yeah. I’m better than okay.”
Derick hugged her again and pushed his sunglasses higher on his nose. “Come on, Ms. Matlock. Let’s go home. I think that Zeke made a cake to celebrate.”
Carrie laughed, flipping her strawberry blond hair over her shoulder. “That man loves to cook!”
“Hey, give him a break. Abby was due last week. He can barely think straight.”
She laughed when Derick lifted her up, tucking her into the passenger seat of his truck. Gone were the baggy jeans and she now wore a pair of denims that hugged her figure. At Derick’s insistence, she’d gained about ten pounds and Carrie felt much healthier with the additional weight. They’d been married for a month now and she couldn’t be happier. Especially since a very lovely police detective had asked about buying the house that she’d finally finished renovating.
“I love you,” she whispered to him as she leaned in to kiss him.
He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. “I love you too,” he replied.
Author’s Note: I truly hope that you enjoyed Derick’s story. If you wouldn’t mind, would you take just a few moments to leave a review? Just click HERE – and thank you!!
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Keep flipping for a sneak preview of “Joe”! (There are four books in this series! Mike, Zeke, Derick and Joe! All four of these were previously released to my subscribers for free. I try to release at least one free novella to my subscribers every year – and subscribers always get news of sales, free book introductions and other fun events! If you’d like to subscribe, Click HERE)
Excerpt from “Joe”
Release Date: December 25, 2020
Click HERE to get Joe’s Story!
She hadn’t seen him coming. Sandy stared at the man stepping through the door, stunned by the raw power and lethal grace. The tray of glasses trembled as she stumbled slightly, which only made the situation worse. At the sound, his eyes scanned the room, narrowing on her.
For a long moment, they simply stared at each other, the awareness arching between them like an electric current. She could feel the weight of his eyes on her, as intimate as any caress. Pulsing beats of power surged through the room and Sandy wondered how the others didn’t notice.
Someone shrieked behind her and, thankfully, the spell was broken. She turned, searching for the source of the noise and realized that it was only Lexie Cain, Colonel Mike Cain’s wife, entering the room in search of the bride to be, Carrie Andrews, and her fiancé, Major Derick Matlock.
Sandy looked around, realized that she was standing awkwardly in the pathway between the kitchen and the small dining room/living room. Others were trying to slip around her so she moved forward, delivering the drinks to the engagement party guests who were sitting in the living room.
Taking a deep breath, she smiled and moved away, needing a moment. Just one small moment, to recharge and refocus. That look had been intense and Sandy didn’t need “intense” in her life right now. Or ever. She had her life in order and a distractingly gorgeous man was not on her agenda.