Chapter 4 Boyfriend Duty #3
At the sound of the EMT shouting Aurora’s name, A.J. paused his jog to his truck. What in the world? He whipped his head around in time to see her sag forward on the bench. The only thing that kept her from tumbling to the floor was her seatbelt.
“Aurora!” He sprinted back to the ambulance and started to climb in, but the EMTs motioned for him to remain standing outside.
“Let us do our jobs, sir.”
“What’s wrong with her?” He craned to see around the EMT’s bulky jumpsuit.
“If I had to guess,” the EMT’s voice was grim, “I’d say we’re looking at a gas leak.”
His partner was on his walkie-talkie, reporting the situation. Whoever he was speaking to promised to send someone to check on the gas line at the rental house.
Aurora moaned and stirred, clutching her stomach.
She’s back! Though A.J.’s heart thumped with gratitude, he feared she wasn’t out of the woods yet.
Her terrified gaze roved in his direction, lips moving like she was trying to tell him something.
He ignored the EMT’s renewed warning and leaned closer. “What is it, darling?”
She mouthed the word again, and he was finally able to make out what she was saying. Bandit. If there was, in fact, a gas leak, then her rescue cat was locked in with the poison. Good gravy!
“Throw me her purse,” he begged. “Her cat’s still inside the house.”
The EMT vehemently shook his head. “You can’t go in there, sir. It’s not safe.”
Watch me! A.J. wasn’t about to stand there and do nothing while Aurora’s beloved pet asphyxiated. Since there was no time to lose and the EMT didn’t seem inclined to hand over the house key, A.J. ran to his truck and tore through the go-bag he always carried with him.
Digging out his gas mask, he put it on as he raced to the front porch of the lake home. Instead of slowing his speed, he took a flying leap and crashed the heel of his boot through the doorknob.
The door banged open and slammed against the wall. Ignoring the shouts of the EMTs behind him, he did a rapid sweep of the living room, pushing over chairs and end tables. Bandit wasn’t there.
Where are you, you furry little varmint?
A.J. moved down the short hallway, banging open the first door he came to, which turned out to be Aaron’s bedroom.
He dropped to his hands and knees to look beneath the bed and found nothing, not even a dust bunny.
The room was surprisingly clean. Too clean.
There were no picture frames. No books. No discarded socks or shorts. Nothing personal whatsoever.
Inside Aaron’s closet was a similar story.
The silver hangers holding his shirts and pants were lined up in perfect one-inch intervals, all facing left.
The deputy’s orderliness stopped just shy of being creepy.
The only other item of interest in the closet was a lockbox resting on the top shelf.
The logo on it was what interested A.J. It was a snake coiled to strike in the center of a black diamond, a logo he was all too familiar with.
It belonged to one of the companies he was investigating on behalf of the JSA.
What in the world was it doing in Aaron’s closet?
So far, A.J. hadn’t succeeded in uncovering much of anything about the company.
The JSA was unable to help since Diamondback Corporation kept its cards so close to its chest. Their membership paperwork had been handled in proxy by Diamondback’s attorneys, leaving its ownership and who they employed a mystery.
But his JSA investigation would have to wait for now.
At the moment, A.J. had a cat to locate.
He exited the bedroom and dashed to the next room.
He found Bandit snuggled in a ball on the bed with his head beneath a pair of fluffy lilac pillows.
Though he didn’t stir when A.J. approached him, his back moved up and down in a slow, steady rhythm. He was still breathing!
Sending up a silent prayer of thanks, he snatched up the cat and zipped him inside his jacket. Hopefully, the pillows had given him a modicum of protection from the lethal effects of the gas.
Returning outside, A.J. removed his gas mask and filled his lungs with fresh, cold air. Bandit wiggled inside his jacket, but didn’t try to climb out.
The ambulance was still idling with its lights flashing and back doors ajar.
“You found him,” one of the EMTs crowed. It was the same guy who’d warned him it was too dangerous to attempt a rescue. “Boy, am I glad you had a gas mask on hand!”
A.J. was only half listening. His gaze latched onto Aurora, who was sitting up again. She was holding an oxygen mask to her nose. Lowering it, she beckoned for him to bring Bandit closer. “He needs it more than I do.”
“We need to get this man to the medical center,” the other EMT reminded as he puttered over Aaron.
A.J. quickly climbed into the ambulance to drop Bandit into Aurora’s arms. Then he jumped to the ground. “I’ll meet you there,” he called over his shoulder.
Ten minutes later, he was locked in a negotiation with the ER front desk attendant. “I need to check on Aurora Cannon.” He repeated her name for emphasis. “I followed her ambulance here. She’s expecting me.”
The woman behind the glass gave him a dispassionate once-over. “And you are?”
“A.J. Pike.” He pulled out his wallet and flashed his driver’s license and military ID at her.
She glanced doubtfully at them.
“Her fiancé,” he added. It wasn’t true…yet. Lord willing, it would be soon. It was something he’d been praying about a lot lately, even more since their heart-to-heart yesterday.
The woman’s expression didn’t change, so he tried a different tactic. “I’m supposed to pick up a cat.”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Without any further ado, she mashed the button that opened the silver door to his left. “We don’t normally allow animals in the ER. Well, other than service animals. You’ll find Miss Cannon in the third bay.” Her gaze moved to the person standing in line behind him.
A.J. started walking before she changed her mind and didn’t stop until he reached the third bay. “Aurora?” He called her name softly.
“Back here!” She sounded overjoyed to hear his voice. “Come in!”
He parted the curtain and stepped around it, relieved to find her sitting up in the bed. “Hey, you. Are you feeling any better?”
“Much.” She gave him a wry smile. “This precious little guy is too, thanks to you.” Bandit was sprawled across her lap. He cracked his eyes open to peer at A.J. Then he settled his head more comfortably between his paws and closed them again.
“Glad I could help.” He stepped closer to her bed. “How’s your brother?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “The EMT said the cut on his wrist looked infected. They’re giving him antibiotics and fluids.” The despair in her voice was palpable. “I’m really worried about him, A.J. He’s still recovering from his bullet wound, and now this.”
He hated the necessity of grilling her for more information while she was in a hospital bed, but his sense of justice demanded it. “I take it the cut on his wrist is new?”
She nodded sheepishly. “It’s his story to tell, not mine. I hope he shares it with you soon. I’ve asked him to.”
Unfortunately, her answer didn’t give him much to go on. He reached for her hand. “I have something to get off my chest, as well.”
Her cheeks turned an enchanting shade of pink. “Should I be worried?”
“It depends on how you feel about what I’m about to tell you.” He toyed with her fingers. “My ticket through the door a few minutes ago was telling the front desk I’m your fiancé.”
“Oh.” The pink in her cheeks blossomed to a rosier hue. “Well, it worked,” she said lightly.
“Yeah, it did.” He trailed his other hand down Bandit’s back and felt the rumble of a purr. “I also promised to take this guy off your hands if you’re going to be here much longer.”
“Not if you help spring me out of this joint.” She gave him an imploring look. “They offered to keep me overnight for observation, but I’d rather go home.” Her voice abruptly dwindled. “If that’s even possible with the gas leak.” She sniffed. “It might be better if you take me to a hotel.”
He carefully considered her words. “Yes, I’ll spring you out of here, but I’d rather you crash at my place while we get to the bottom of the gas leak.
” Until they figured out whether it was an accident or something more concerning, it might not be safe for her to be alone.
“My place isn’t fancy, but I’ve got extra blankets and a couch.
Or you can have my room, and I’ll take the couch. Your choice.”
“Do I get a vote?” Aaron Cannon’s voice carried weakly through the curtain.
A.J. and Aurora stared at each other in surprise. Then he gently released her hand to tug the curtain open.
Aaron waved two fingers at him. He was strapped to an assortment of machines—a heart monitor, multiple IV cords, and oxygen. A much thicker bandage than before circled his wrist.
Seeing A.J.’s gaze on the bandage, Aaron moved it beneath the blanket to hide it from view.
“Yes, you get a vote on where Bandit spends the night, as long as it’s with me.” Aurora’s musical voice broke through the rising tension between the two men.
When neither of them answered, she trilled out a chuckle. “I tried to convince them he’s my emotional support pet, but I don’t think they bought it.” She hugged Bandit closer, making him purr louder.
Aaron’s expression softened as he watched her. “Sounds like the Cannons owe you a bunch of thanks, Pike.”
A.J. waved away his thanks. “Sorry about the gas leak.”
Despite his weariness, Aaron sat up straighter. “The sheriff is checking it out as we speak. We’ll know more soon.”
A.J. found the anger simmering in the deputy’s eyes telling. “You don’t think it was an accident?”
Aaron glanced worriedly at his sister. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think about a lot of things right now. According to the doc, I was poisoned.”
That didn’t sound good. “You mean in addition to the gas leak?”
Aaron nodded gravely. “Which may explain why I lost my balance and fell into the crime scene before you arrived yesterday.” He pulled his bandaged wrist out from beneath the blanket and held it out for A.J. to get a better look at it. “This is the souvenir I took home with me.”
A.J.’s brain raced to connect the dots. If he was understanding everything correctly, Aaron was confessing to contaminating the evidence. No wonder the details hadn’t added up!
“I documented everything with before and after photographs,” Aaron continued gravely. “But if you want to turn me in—”
“I don’t,” A.J. said flatly. It was the truth. Tampering with evidence might cost Aaron his job at the police department, but it wouldn’t get him indicted as the mastermind behind a long list of jewelry heists.
“See?” Aurora declared in an aha voice. “I told you we could trust him.”
A.J. swung in her direction, unaware she’d ever considered not trusting him.
“Don’t look at me like that.” She blushed and clasped her hands beseechingly at her brother. “Please, please, please tell him what’s going on!”
“Can’t.” He shook his head balefully. “Not without checking in with Uncle Cary first. Without a green light from him, our heads could roll over this.”
Uncle Cary? A.J. couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
What were the odds their Uncle Cary was the same Cary Cannon serving as the newest member of the JSA Board of Directors?
It would certainly explain the logo on the lockbox in Aaron’s closet.
Did it mean he was a member of Diamondback’s team of elite security consultants?
If he was, it was a clear conflict of interest with his duties as a deputy.
Even more concerning was the diagram the JSA had shared with A.J.
, showing an uptick in jewelry heists in concentrated areas across the country.
Each of the upticks lasted about a month and involved three to five heists before moving on to another area, keeping the law enforcement community baffled.
They could see the pattern, but they’d been unable to connect the pattern to any names thus far.
What if it was because the heists were an inside job like the JSA feared? One way to prove it would be to compare Aaron Cannon’s whereabouts during each of the upticks in robberies. If his transfers from police department to police department coincided with them, well…
There’s our guy. Case closed.
Sadly, the feeling that A.J. was finally on the right track wasn’t accompanied by the usual burst of elation. Linking Aaron to the heists would also link Aurora to them, at least indirectly. He knew for a fact she’d visited her brother in Pinetop, and she was present in Heart Lake now.
No matter how much A.J.’s heart wanted to protest the connection, his analytical mind couldn’t deny the growing likelihood she was involved.
Somehow.
Some way.
Even if she didn’t know it.
The possibility that Aaron might be using his own sister as a distraction to A.J.’s quest for justice sickened him all the way to his soul. Was Deputy Aaron Cannon capable of that kind of evil—purposely blurring the lines for A.J. between love and duty?
Only a very dangerous man indeed would force another man to make that kind of choice.