Be With Me(25)

Stil , he gunned the engine and raced toward the house, a cloud of dust bil owing in his wake. He skidded to a stop beside one of the patrol cars and hopped out.

Jeremy met him at the door with an upraised hand.

“I need you stay outside,” Jeremy said.

Definitely not a social cal .

“What the f**k is going on?” Hutch demanded.

“Where are Birdie and Reggie?”

“They’re fine,” Jeremy said quickly. “Birdie drove Reggie home to pick up a few things. They’l be back later.”

“What happened?” Hutch gritted out.

“Someone broke in.”

Hutch tensed, his jaw ticking. He curled and uncurled his fingers.

“Regina played it right,” Jeremy said, as if sensing Hutch’s turmoil. “She made sure Birdie was safe.

She cal ed it in and waited for backup.”

“Did you get him?”

Jeremy shook his head. “We’re dusting for prints now. We suspect . . . we suspect it’s the same guy from the other night.”

“What?” Hutch stared at Jeremy in disbelief.

Jeremy shoved his hands into his pockets and walked farther out onto the porch. He glanced at Hutch as if weighing whether or not he wanted to say what it was he wanted to say. Final y he turned back to Hutch, giving him a long, measuring look.

“How much did Regina tel you about what happened the other night?”

Hutch snorted. “Nothing. We hadn’t gotten around to that yet.”

Jeremy grimaced. “The guy knew who she was.

We suspect the attack was premeditated, and Regina was his target.”

“What the f**k?”

Jeremy nodded. “He cal ed her Reggie. Regina said only you, Sawyer and Cam cal her that. It may or may not have any bearing on the matter, but he also made a veiled threat. He told her it was ‘time to make him pay.’ ”

“What the hel does that mean?”

“I wish we knew,” Jeremy said grimly. “Could have to do with her father. I just thought you should know because I don’t think Regina should be alone after what happened today. It could be that the two incidences are unrelated, but I doubt it.”

“I’m going to get over to Reggie’s then. You said she and Birdie headed that way?”

“A deputy fol owed them so they wouldn’t be alone,” Jeremy said.

“Good. Thanks, Jeremy. I real y appreciate it.” Jeremy nodded. “She’s a cop. A damn good one.

We look after our own.”

Hutch shook Jeremy’s hand then hurried back to his truck. He peeled away, anxious to get to Reggie’s house as soon as possible.

They’d made a huge mistake in not pressing Reggie for answers after she’d given her report at the station. What he and the others had considered an unfortunate result of her job, of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time, had in fact been a calculated attack on her. They’d taken the incident too lightly. They’d left her and Birdie unprotected.

He swal owed the gnawing fear in his throat. They were obviously going to have to have a come-to-Jesus moment with Reggie. It wouldn’t be pretty. But if there was some ass**le out to get her, he was damn wel going to have to come through him, Sawyer and Cam to get to her.

It took a good twenty minutes to get back into town. Reggie lived in a smal two-bedroom house just half a mile from the police station. When Hutch pulled up, he had to park on the street because of the three vehicles parked in the drive. Reggie’s RAV4, Birdie’s Camry and the sheriff’s deputy’s car.

He strode up to the door and was met by the deputy. He identified himself, and the deputy let him pass.

The house looked and even smel ed like Reggie.

Her imprint was everywhere, from the eclectic décor to the clutter piles that looked unorganized but were in fact arranged in a precise manner.

He stopped at her computer desk and picked up a framed photo of him, Reggie, Cam and Sawyer. He smiled, remembering the day it was taken. They’d gone out to the lake after graduation and spent the day in the sun, laughing and enjoying life.

He set the frame in its place and walked back to where he heard Reggie and Birdie’s voices. He stuck his head into Reggie’s bedroom to see her insert a clip into her pistol, flick the safety on and then shove it into the holster at her waist.

Birdie looked up and saw him.

“Hutch! What are you doing here?”

Reggie looked up, her expression unreadable.

“I was worried,” he said as he walked into the bedroom.

He stopped and brushed a kiss across Birdie’s cheek. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Birdie smiled. “I’m fine. Regina took good care of me.”

Hutch turned to Reggie, and they stood staring at each other for a long moment. He reached out and cupped her shoulder with one hand before final y pul ing her into his arms.

She didn’t resist.

“Are you al right?” he asked against her hair.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

He pulled her away and cupped her chin. “Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“Good, because when we get back to the house we have a lot to talk about,” he said evenly.

She blew her breath upward, sending the curl lying over her brow flying sideways.