Cold & Deadly (Cold Justice: Crossfire #1)(36)

“Maybe you should take some time off. Go on vacation. Take a break.”

“You need me in the office.”

Savage’s mouth thinned. “I’m not compromising your health—”

“Stow it. I’ll be in tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” Savage cleared his throat. “We need you, but you look like shit. I asked headquarters for enough money to fund another five full-time negotiators at CNU, which would take some of the pressure off us. They said they’d think about it.”

Dominic grimaced. “Don’t hold your breath.”

Savage pulled up in Dominic’s driveway in front of his three-car garage. The place was way too big for one person but had a pool, good security and a large fenced back yard for Ranger to patrol. Talking of his dog, there was Charlotte opening the door and holding Ranger on a leash. The dog practically dragged her down the steps when he saw Dominic.

He pushed open the door, holding onto the plastic bag of belongings, swearing as his damaged shoulder screamed. Nothing was broken, he’d heal, but in the meantime, he’d need to lay off the chin-ups.

Ranger ran towards him, tail wagging, tongue out. The dog shoved his nose into his junk—ugh—and they both whimpered pathetically.

“He’s definitely okay?” Dominic asked Charlotte, not liking the fact he kept looking over her shoulder waiting for Ava Kanas to appear. How pissed was she gonna be with him?

What could he do to fix it?

“Ranger’s fine. Vet checked him over, and Agent Kanas dropped him off at CNU this morning.”

Dominic bit down on asking how Kanas had looked. Was she okay? What the hell had happened last night? Had she discovered anything about Van’s final moments? Had she been hurt? But his boss was watching and would not approve of his interest.

Interest?

Yeah, that’s what the cool kids were calling it nowadays.

“I bought you some groceries and brought over some home-made soup from my freezer. Put it in your fridge for when you get hungry.” Charlotte often house-sat when he was away so she had a key. She winced at the state of his face. “You should, you know, hire someone to buy food for you. You already have a cleaner and a gardener. It’s just one more step.” She laughed and rubbed her hand down his good arm in a maternal way.

He blinked. He wasn’t used to anyone taking care of him. The Sheridans weren’t that kind of family.

“I think you should go the whole hog and hire a live-in housekeeper,” Charlotte joked.

“Or a nanny,” Savage muttered scathingly under his breath.

“You’re just jealous,” Charlotte told their boss with a grin.

“He has a freaking cinema in his basement. Of course, I’m jealous.” Savage grinned.

Dominic gave Charlotte a one-handed hug. “Thanks, Char. I appreciate your help.” Already overcome by fatigue, he petted his dog, and they shuffled tiredly toward the house.

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Savage asked. The guy didn’t miss much. It was that innate perception and attention to detail that made him so good at his job.

“I can stay if you like.” Charlotte looked anxiously at his battered face. “I don’t like the idea of you being out here alone. I could work in the basement. You wouldn’t even know I was here.”

He kissed the top of her head affectionately. “I’ll be fine, but thank you.”

He liked his own company. Having lots of rooms meant it was easier to avoid his family when they occasionally descended on him. And that thought reminded him he needed to respond to his father’s phone messages, even though Savage had given the governor a medical update earlier. Great.

“I’ll take another pain pill and sleep like the doctor ordered. Thanks for everything. See you at the office tomorrow.” He shut the door on Charlotte’s exclamation of distress. Let her lecture Savage on time off and recovery. Dominic had a hunch he needed to check out. A thought that kept niggling at his brain and wouldn’t go away. He picked his personal cell phone out of the plastic bag, dialed a number and listened to it ring.

Eventually she picked up.

“Kanas? Get your ass over here.”





Chapter Eleven





Ava sat in her little Nissan in Sheridan’s huge driveway. It was nearly two o’clock in the afternoon, and the sky was full of dark clouds that threatened to rupture at any moment.

What was she doing here?

After the shooting at the bar last night, she’d called Ray Aldrich to give him an update. Aldrich had been more worried the incident made him look soft than the fact she’d almost died. She’d told the guy she’d been following up on what had happened to Sheridan while memories were still fresh, but as soon as he’d discovered she and Sheridan had chosen that particular bar because it was the last place Van had been seen alive, he’d freaked and put her on indefinite leave.

The fact he hadn’t supported her after she’d been forced to kill a man in self-defense made the anger inside her froth and boil and scratch at the back of her eyelids with watery claws. While she was glad Sheridan hadn’t been disciplined considering he’d almost died in a car wreck, the differing standards were staggering.

So, she’d been shocked to hear from Sheridan. Shocked he’d been released from the hospital with only minor injuries. Shocked he wanted her to come over to his house to discuss what had happened.