Adored (Masters and Mercenaries #8.5)(7)

He was probably looking for the dentist. He was dressed too casually for business.

She grabbed the tissues off Sharon’s desk and was about to turn when the man suddenly shifted toward her.

The hoodie covered his eyes, but she wasn’t really looking at him anymore. Nope. She was standing stock-still at the sight of what was in his hands.

A gun.

She managed to scream right before he pulled the trigger.





Chapter Two



“Derek, I want this * found. Do you understand?” Three hours later, Mitch could still feel his heart pounding.

Harvey Dixon had taken a shot at Laurel. He’d shot at her through the ceiling to floor glass windows the real estate agent who had sold him on this building had sworn gave the place a professional feel.

They gave the place a clear line of sight to shoot into it. He was done with that shit. Steel-enforced walls. He would have them put in as soon as possible. Surely Big Tag knew some crazy doomsday preppers who could outfit his office with everything one would need to keep out people who shot at his paralegal.

“He understands, Mitch. You’ve yelled at him for an hour,” Laurel said with a sigh.

Derek Brighton, a lieutenant with the Dallas Police Department, merely shook his head. “He can yell all he likes. He’s had a scare.”

“I was the one who nearly got shot and no one even offered me a lollipop.” Laurel looked sulky at the thought.

The EMT had offered her more than a lollipop, Mitch was sure. The kid couldn’t have been much past twenty-five and he’d flirted like mad with Laurel before declaring her perfectly fine.

“And I want another EMT. She needs to go to the hospital.” That was what people who got shot did. She’d almost been shot. Maybe the kid had spent so much time flirting with her that he’d missed a gunshot wound. It could happen. Adrenaline could make a person ignore pain.

He wanted to run his hands over her himself. It had been his first instinct. He’d needed to feel her skin under his palm, to make sure she was warm and alive. He’d pulled her up, but before he could get her in his arms, she’d stepped back, keeping a professional distance between them.

“I think I might send you to the hospital, buddy. You look like you might have a heart attack. Why don’t you sit down, Mitch?” Derek was a friend from Sanctum. He’d shown up with the first responders, having recognized the address. “You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet.”

“I don’t want to sit.” He still might have a damn heart attack. Since that moment he’d heard the glass cracking and realized what that sound had really been, his heart had kicked into overdrive. He’d run out into reception only to find Laurel on the ground. It had taken him a moment to realize she wasn’t hurt. Before she’d turned over and reached a hand up, he’d thought she was dead.

Hollow. The world for a moment had been so utterly hollow.

“All right, well, I think we have what we need. I hate to tell you this, but it wasn’t Harvey Dixon. I just got a report that he’s in a rehab facility and has been for the last two weeks. I informed his brother and he’s already on his way over. Turns out he hadn’t talked to him lately. He found some stuff Harvey had written in a journal a couple of months back. Besides, we’ve got this guy on camera. He’s a good twenty years younger than Harvey Dixon. The dentist next door says he’s had some trouble with break-ins. Kids come looking for drugs. He claims to have complained to the landlord but apparently the landlord is a difficult *. His words, not mine.”

Mitch sighed. He was the freaking landlord. “Trust me. I’ll have a new security system complete with those eye scan things. No one’s getting in here again.”

“That could be bad for business,” Laurel said with a sigh.

“Yeah, well, I don’t care about business anymore.” Except he better because until his new ventures started coming in, he had one ex-wife who would haul him in front of a California judge if he missed her alimony check.

Derek held out a hand. “I’ll get this kid. He was probably high. I already have some officers canvassing the area to see if he’s local. I’ll check with the other buildings. I saw some security cameras up and down the street. We might be able to get a better view of him. You want me to give Big Tag a call?”

Big Tag had recently had a set of twins. Another reason to never get a woman pregnant. Sometimes they gave birth to litters. “Nah. If Harvey Dixon is actually locked up in rehab, I suppose we’re all right. Can someone inform me if he checks himself out?”

“I’ve already asked the facility to let me know. He’s there on court-ordered rehab, so he can’t leave unless he wants to spend his time in prison instead. I’ll monitor the situation and let you know what I find out. I’ll also check phone records and see if he’s called anyone, but Dixon was fairly certain he was after you, so I don’t see why he would take a shot at Laurel.” Derek gave Laurel a smile. “I’m thrilled you weren’t horribly murdered. If you’re still up for it, Karina and I will be at your place at eight on Friday, okay?”

Laurel paled. “Oh, actually I’m not going to be able to go, but thanks. Please tell Karina hello for me.”

Derek’s eyes narrowed. “You all right?”