Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

TEAGAN PALONI EYED the black truck in the parking lot at the running trail's entrance. So, her running companion had beaten her here and got a head start on the day's run.

That was unusual for Seth. He normally waited for her to arrive. Perhaps he had a busy day ahead and couldn't wait. She studied the lone vehicle in the lot, uneasiness growing in her gut. She didn't like the unusual since trouble often accompanied it.

Teagan started her run at a nice, easy jog. Almost a mile from the trail entrance, she skidded to a stop. Two bodies lay in the middle of the trail.

Teagan's stomach knotted when she recognized the nearest man. Seth. She ran to him, scanning for an assailant as she sprinted the last few feet separating her from her friend.

She knelt beside him and touched her fingertips to his neck, checking for a pulse. The steady throbbing had her breathing a sigh of relief. Thank God. Blood pooled under his head, though.

Carefully, she checked his head and discovered a large gash. Teagan frowned. He'd been pistol whipped and, unless she missed her guess, Seth needed stitches to close the wound.

Much as she hated to get involved with the police, Teagan needed to report the attack on one of their own. After all, he was one of Ardmore's finest, and his cop buddies would want to know about Seth's injury.

Before she made that call, she should check on the other man. Getting to her feet, she crossed the distance between Seth and the second man, crouched, and checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

Not a surprise since a bullet struck the second man in the heart.

She returned to Seth and called the police. After giving their location and the information that Seth was an Ardmore police detective, Teagan studied the crime scene and took several pictures.

At first glance, the scene looked as though Seth had shot the second man and killed him. But who had clubbed Seth in the head?

Once she'd uploaded the photos to her Fortress Security account, she deleted them from her phone and turned her attention back to Seth. "Come on, Seth. You need to wake up. We've got big trouble, my friend." She tapped his cheek with her fingers. "Seth?"

He flinched and groaned.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

Another groan. "Teagan?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"What happened?"

"That's what I need you to tell me. Looks like you've been pistol whipped."

His eyes opened at those words. He frowned. "Head hurts."

"I bet. You need stitches, and I think you have a concussion to go along with the headache."

Seth raised his hand to his forehead. "Pico."

"Is that the name of your friend?"

A slight nod. "Is he all right?"

Huh. Well, that was an interesting question. "I'm sorry. He's dead."

Seth started to roll to the side but flinched.

"Don't move. You could have internal injuries and moving around might make things worse. I called 911. Help will be here soon."

"You sure Pico is dead?"

"Positive. One shot to the heart." Sirens sounded in the distance, moving closer by the second. "Talk to me. What do I need to know?"

"He was my CI. Someone killed him."

"Not you?"

He blinked. "Of course not. I talked to him for a couple of minutes, then he ran off. I heard him yell. When I reached him, a man had him on his knees. Someone bashed me in the back of the head. That's all I remember."

Not good. She could already see where this would go, and it wasn't good for Seth.

He sighed. "You should go. Dangerous to stay here."

She snorted. "You couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag right now. I'm not going anywhere."

"Not the morning I had planned," he murmured. "Hate hospitals."

Teagan smiled. "Who doesn't?"

"You armed?"

"Of course."

"Cops will take your weapon."

"I don't think so."

"If they do, I'll make sure you get it back."

"Don't worry about it, Seth. I have more."

His lips curved. "A dangerous woman of intrigue and mystery."

Within minutes, law enforcement and emergency medical personnel filled the trail.

Amidst the chaos, a broad-shouldered man jogged to the scene and held up his badge. He crouched beside the gurney on which Seth lay. "Can't leave you alone for two hours without you getting into trouble."

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Noah."

"What happened?"

"A CI wanted to meet. Before he told me much, he ran off and into trouble. I tried to stop it. Someone hit me from behind."

Noah glanced at the body lying a few feet away and whistled softly. "Pico, huh? Sorry, man." He turned back and sized up Teagan. "Who's the pretty lady?"

"Meet Teagan. Teagan, this is Noah, my partner."

The paramedic approached. "We need to take Detective Dixon to the hospital."

"Sure." Noah stood. "I'll catch up with you in the emergency room."

Teagan watched as the EMTs pushed the gurney toward the parking lot, then turned to Noah. "I want to go to the hospital with Seth." She had a feeling the detective shouldn't be alone. If whoever had clubbed him on the back of the head recognized him and was worried that Seth knew too much, his life was at risk. At the moment, the handsome cop wasn't in the best position to protect himself.

"Why are you here, Teagan?"

She shrugged. "Seth and I run together most mornings when I'm in town."

"Do you travel a lot?"

More than she wanted. Made building a relationship with Seth difficult. If he wanted one, that is. The detective had yet to ask her for a date. Perhaps she should make the first move. "Enough."

"You planned to run together this morning?"

"He arrived before I did. Normally, he waits for me. This morning, he didn't." She indicated the pool of blood on the concrete. "This is where I found him."

Seth's partner grilled her about her actions and had her show him exactly where she'd stepped. After he'd run through her story several times, Teagan held up her hand. "Look, you can ask me more questions at the hospital. I want to check on your partner."

"Just how close are you two?"

Not close enough for her. How Seth felt was an unknown. "We're friends."

"Nothing more?"

Now, how did she answer that one? "Our schedules are erratic."

"That doesn't tell me much."

"He's your partner, Noah. He'll tell you what he wants you to know."

He scowled. "I need your contact information."

She slid her hand into her pocket, withdrew her business card, and handed it to him.

His eyebrows soared. "Fortress Security? You work for them?"

"Call the switchboard. They'll contact me if I'm tied up."

"What exactly do you do for them?"

She smiled. "You'd be surprised. I'll see you later." Teagan could feel Noah watching her until she jogged around the curve and out of sight.

Once certain she wouldn't be overheard, Teagan called Iona Byrne, her team leader.

"What's up?" Iona asked.

"I won't make it to team training today."

"Explain."

"I'm going to the hospital." She summarized the events on the trail, then said, "I don't think Seth should be alone."

"He's a target?"

"No proof, but yeah, I think he is."

"Need backup?"

"Not yet."

"We'll be ready in case you do. Updates every two hours."

"Copy that." Teagan slid her phone into her fanny pack with one of her knives and finished the rest of the mile back to her SUV at a dead run.

Minutes later, she climbed into her vehicle and drove to Ardmore Hospital. She walked into the lobby of the emergency room and approached one of the desk clerks. "An ambulance brought my boyfriend, Seth Dixon, here a few minutes ago. I want to see him."

"Name?"

"Teagan Paloni."

"Have a seat, Ms. Paloni."

So, she'd stretched the truth a bit by claiming to be in a relationship with Seth. He needed someone who had his back. The way things were looking, one of several people could be behind the attack on Seth, and he wouldn't know who to blame because he hadn't seen his attacker.

Her hands clenched. Didn't matter that he was a cop. Seth was hurt. His reflexes wouldn't be at full speed for a while, and Teagan could protect him.

The security guard approached Teagan. "Ms. Paloni?"

"Yes."

"Come with me, please."

Huh. Looked like her claim to be Seth's girlfriend worked. Did that mean the handsome detective had verified her claim to another cop or one of the medical personnel?

The guard waved a badge in front of a scanner and led Teagan through a maze of corridors to a small exam room. He motioned to the closed door. "Your boyfriend is in there."

"Thanks." Teagan waited until the security guard left before she knocked on the door and stepped inside.

Seth lay on his side on a hospital bed. Although he still wore his running pants and shoes, a hospital gown covered his upper torso.

He smiled when he saw Teagan. "Hey," he murmured and held out his hand.

She wrapped her hand around his. "Hi."

"So, you're my girlfriend." His eyes lit with amusement.

"It's the only way I could get in to see you. Sorry about that."

"I'm not."

Teagan blinked. "You're not?"

"Nope. I'd planned to ask you out to dinner during our run this morning. This saves me some time."

"Really?" Well, well. Looked as though she and Seth were on the same page after all.

"Oh, yeah. I wanted more time with you than drinking a cup of coffee." He grimaced. "This isn't what I'd envisioned, though."

"How do you feel?"

"Like my head is about to explode."

"Head injuries and concussions are painful," she said, sympathetic to his plight. In the course of her work, she'd suffered a few of those herself.

Seth's gaze sharpened. "Sounds like the voice of experience."

"Unfortunately."

"An accident?"

"My job."

He studied her for a moment. "Are you ready to tell me what you do for a living?"

Teagan squeezed his hand. "You haven't looked me up in your system already?"

"Cheating. I wanted to find out the old-fashioned way by asking when the time was right. Hasn't worked out before now."

"Fair enough." She drew in a breath. Hopefully, Seth wouldn't reject her when he discovered who she worked for and what she did for a living. "I work for Fortress Security."

His facial expression went blank and unreadable.

Was that good or bad?

"Brent Maddox's group."

She nodded and waited. Although Detective Dixon was sharp, he'd demand an explanation. No way would he let this information sit without digging for every detail she could give.

Seth watched her in silence for several beats, then gave a slight nod. "You're an operative, aren't you?"

Yep, sharp as a tack. "Why do you say that?"

"Come on, Teagan. You're always armed to the teeth when we run. You have several weapons on you all the time, including a gun and at least two knives."

She held up four fingers.

His mouth gaped. "Four knives? Holy smoke, lady. Isn't that overkill?"

"Not when you deal with the worst of the worst that humanity offers, like we do."

"You know how to use those knives?"

Teagan smiled.

His smile matched hers. "My girlfriend is mysterious, dangerous, and sexy as sin. I am one very lucky man."

Her cheeks burned. "I just used the girlfriend thing as an excuse to get in here."

"No way, sweetheart. You're not backing out on me, are you?"

He sounded as though he was going to keep her. Did he really mean that, or was he simply yanking her chain? "Seth…."

A knock sounded on the door and a woman in a white lab coat walked in, a stethoscope draped around her neck, followed by another person wearing scrubs. "Detective Dixon, we're ready to do a CT scan of your head. Once that's finished, we'll stitch your cut."

"Sure, Doc." Seth squeezed Teagan's hand. "Wait here for me. Please."

She should go, but knew she wouldn't. Danger still circled him like sharks in the ocean. She couldn't leave him to face the danger alone. Teagan gave a slight nod.

"Thanks," he murmured, and kissed the back of her hand.

Seconds later, the med tech pushed the bed from the exam room, leaving Teagan to deal with her rioting emotions alone.

Good grief. A simple kiss to her hand sent Teagan's heart rate into the stratosphere. If Seth Dixon ever kissed her for real, she might melt into a puddle on the pavement.

Fifteen minutes later, the tech wheeled Seth back into the room and locked the wheels. "The doctor will be here soon to stitch the cut, Detective. Rest until she returns."

Seth wrapped his hand around Teagan's. "Noah will be here before long. He'll have to interview me."

She grimaced. "He's already grilled me several times on my role in this morning's events."

"Part of the process."

"I'm aware. Doesn't mean it's pleasant to be on this side of the interview process."

"Do you interview people in your line of work?"

Interview was a pleasant word for what she and her teammates did. They interrogated subjects if the need arose. "Sometimes."

"I'm sorry I didn't have time to ask you for a date."

"You'll get another opportunity."

"Will you accept?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind dating a cop?"

"Do you mind dating a woman working in black ops?"

"Nope. Actually, it's good to know you can take care of yourself if I'm not around and that you'll have my back if I need it. I'll still worry about your safety, Teagan. That's who I am, and I won't apologize for it."

Some of the tension wracking her body eased from Teagan's muscles. "You sound as though you're planning to keep me."

"You bet I am. My mama didn't raise a fool. I know an excellent woman when I see one, and baby, that's you."

Another knock sounded on the door and the doctor entered the room with a nurse who carried a stitch tray. "Ready to have this cut treated, Detective Dixon?"

"The sooner, the better, Doc. I have plans with this beautiful woman."

The physician glanced at Teagan. "Do you want to step outside into the corridor?"

"She stays," Seth said firmly. "Teagan's tough. She can handle watching me get a few stitches."

"If you get dizzy, ma'am, please sit before you fall on my patient or on the floor."

"I'll be fine." She and her teammates had stitched each other's wounds plenty of times on missions, even though Violet was the Artemis team's medic.

"Where would you like to go to dinner?" Seth murmured as the doctor worked on his injury.

"When you feel up to it, how does Stone River sound?"

He smiled. "Steak and potatoes."

"Absolutely. A girl has to eat, you know."

"My kind of woman."

Throughout the next few minutes, Teagan kept Seth's attention focused on her by asking questions about his favorite books, movies, and television series. By the time the doctor finished her work, Teagan had learned that Seth loved anything filled with action, despised cozy mysteries, and enjoyed Mexican food more than any other.

The doctor tugged off her gloves. "All right, Detective. You're all set. I'd like you to stay around for an hour until we get your CT scan results. If the scan is clear, you'll be free to go home."

"Thanks, Doc."

The doctor and nurse left.

Seconds later, another knock sounded on the door, and Seth's partner Noah walked in. His gaze fell on their entwined hands. His eyebrows rose. "You've been holding out on me, Seth. So, what did the doc say about you, partner?"

"I'll live."

"Uh huh. How many stitches?"

Seth grimaced. "Too many."

Noah glanced at Teagan. "Well?"

"Twenty. They're waiting on the CT scan results to see if he can leave the hospital."

Seth's partner whistled. "You don't mess around, Seth."

"What's happening with the investigation?"

"Crime scene team is still working at the site. Pico has been transported to the medical examiner's office."

Narrowing his eyes, Seth said, "And?"

"Your weapon was taken to the lab for testing."

"I know it's standard procedure, but I didn't fire my Glock."

Noah hesitated.

"What?"

Seth's partner sighed. "Your weapon has been fired recently."

"That's not possible. The last time I fired my weapon was last week at the range, and I cleaned my weapon that night. I haven't fired it since."

"Like you said, it's just procedure, Seth."

"No, it isn't. You're holding back on me. Are you telling me Pico was killed with my gun?"