Kurt (The K9 Files Book 12) Read online

  Chapter 9

  Laurie Ann led the way and showed him Jeremy’s bedroom, which was another large room, with his big gaming setup, his messy bed, his dirty clothes on the floor, his sports team posters and a big hockey jersey all on the wall.

  And Kurt smiled. “Typical boy’s room.”

  “Well, I’m grateful it’s not pinup poster girls,” she said with an eye roll.

  He laughed out loud. “At that age I wouldn’t be at all surprised.”

  “Neither would I,” she said, “so I’ll be grateful for what we have.” She laughed. At that, she walked over to the spare room, which was on the other side of the house and faced the street.

  He looked it over and said, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but any chance you want to sleep in here tonight and let me stay in the master?” he asked. “At least that way, if the guy comes back, he’ll find me, not you.”

  She hated to put him in danger like that. “I don’t want you to get into trouble because this asshole’s after me.”

  “I’d love to get into trouble because this asshole’s coming for you,” he said gently. “I live for guys like this.”

  She frowned at him. “You always were like that,” she said, “you and that badass attitude.”

  “Well, now I have the skills,” he said with a small smile, “to go with it.”

  “Are you sure?” she said. “I don’t want you hurt, and you’re already injured.” At that, he shook his head, and she could see she’d insulted him. “Or you’re not that badly injured, are you?”

  He lifted his pant leg and showed her his prosthetic.

  She stared in surprise. “I didn’t know,” she said. “I had no idea.”

  “Good,” he said, “the last thing I want is for you to see me as handicapped.”

  “I can’t imagine a less handicapped person in my life,” she retorted. “But I still don’t want you setting yourself up as a victim here.”

  “Hardly a victim,” he said with a smile. “A willing target. And then, when he comes inside, he’ll have to deal with me.”

  “If you’re sure,” she said doubtfully.

  “I’m very sure,” he said. “It’s still early yet tonight, but let’s get whatever you need for the night moved over.” She grabbed her big down comforter, and he smiled and said, “I’m not planning on sleeping on the bed,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “You might as well sleep in my bed.”

  “I’m not sure I’m ready for that,” he said with an odd note.

  She looked at him and asked, “In what way?”

  “I’ll want so much more,” he said, “and sleeping with all those smells and scents will be that much harder.”

  She flushed, realizing exactly how much passion still simmered underneath the surface for him too. “We always were good that way, weren’t we?” she said with a half smile.

  “We were deadly,” he said. “I’ve never met another woman who made me lose control quite like you.”

  “Ha! And I didn’t even know that’s what I was doing,” she said with a big grin.

  He burst out laughing. “That’s another thing,” he said, walking over and taking her in his arms, where he could just hold her. “We always laughed. I remember that very distinctly.”

  “Yep,” she said, “we always could see the bright side, and we always could laugh at each other and at the world,” she said. “It’s a sad day if we ever lose that.”

  “Sometimes it’s a sad world,” he said.

  She leaned back and looked up at him. “Absolutely. Now let me go make up the bed in the other room for me,” she said. “Then we’ll see what we can make up for you here.”

  He stepped back, and she quickly carried the bedding and her nightie into her spare room.

  She could use the second bathroom just fine, even though she preferred her own en suite, but it wasn’t like this would be a forever scenario. And, if it made life easier and made him feel better, then fine, although she really didn’t want to see him hurt. Now that she knew he was missing a leg, it was that much worse. And she knew immediately that he would hate that she thought that way.

  She groaned, hoping it was low enough, but he heard it.

  He turned, looked at her, and said, “What?”

  She decided that honesty was the best answer, and she said, “I was thinking it wasn’t fair because you’re already injured with a prosthetic, and you shouldn’t be doing this, and then I realized how angry you would be if you thought I was thinking that way.”

  “And I will be,” he said, “if you continue to think that way.” He studied her intently. “I am no less the warrior than I was,” he said, “and I damn well will not tolerate anybody thinking that.”

  His voice had that clipped edge that told her how very desperately unhappy he was to hear her voice that. “But I still needed to say it,” she said gently. “Anything else would have been a lie.”

  At that, he burst out laughing. “And I remember that too,” he said. “You could send me from fury to laughter in a heartbeat.”

  “I never quite understood why you were so volatile,” she said in a musing voice, “but you were. You’d be up, and then you’d be down.”

  “And that was all you,” he said. “You’d send me into this fury, by saying something completely insulting, and then it would be so obvious that you hadn’t meant it as an insult in any way, and I’d break up laughing.” He shook his head. “I don’t know if it was the naiveté or if we were just so very different, but it seemed like everything about you was so fresh and young and different.”

  “That would have worn off quickly,” she said with a smile.

  “Maybe,” he said, “but it sure hasn’t worn off over all these years.”

  She looked up at him, shadows in her eyes, and she said, “And what if it’s not for real?”

  “Well,” he said, “I guess we have to take the walk together and see. Because otherwise anything less will seem like I missed out on something very major all over again,” he said, “and I couldn’t live with that.”

  She smiled and felt tears in the back of her eyes. “You used to say the damnedest things,” she said, “and this is just the same thing all over again.”

  “But I meant them then, and I mean them now,” he said. “You were always very precious to me. I don’t know why I needed to get out of town, but obviously I understood more than I thought I would about just how bad and how much I needed to grow up and how I couldn’t do that here.”

  “And it never occurred to me,” she said, “how long the memories of the people here were.” She added, “If I thought moving my job and my son was an easy thing, I’d consider moving, just so you could have a fresh start somewhere else.”

  “It’s okay,” he said, “because I’ve been through enough places and done enough good works in the world that I can stand tall and proud. I know I made a lot of mistakes back then, but,” he added, “they weren’t all fatal, and I recovered from most of them.”

  “And the detective?”

  “Screw him,” he said with a casual air. “If I worried about every asshole out there in the world, I’d do nothing but fight, and I gave that up a long time ago.”

  She smiled. “Once again you have all the answers,” she said, shaking her head. “And that was something I couldn’t believe either. While I dillydallied and didn’t know what to do and how to do it, you’d already made decisions and were ahead of me in no time.”

  “I was never hampered by a lack of decision-making,” he said. “I was hampered by jumping in too quick and not thinking things through. You used to think things through, and, when you were done, you would come back with a decision. By then I was already ten steps down the path, but it didn’t mean they were the right ten steps or that they were even on the right path,” he said with a sideways grin.

  She walked into the guest bathroom and then looked down at her watch. “Oh my,” sh
e said. “And here I was ready to brush my teeth, so I could turn around and go to bed, but it’s still early yet.”

  “It doesn’t feel very early,” he admitted. He checked his watch. “It’s nine-thirty. When do you normally go to bed?”

  She shrugged. “About ten-thirty normally.”

  “And now?”

  “I’m tired,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind going to bed soon, but it doesn’t have be right now.”

  “I’ll do a walk around the property anyway,” he said. “So go ahead and get ready for bed, and I’ll take Sabine for another visit outside, and, when we come back in, it’s probably better if we just go to sleep.”

  “Is that because you’re not expecting to get much sleep?” she asked shrewdly. “Or some other reason?”

  “Lots of reasons,” he said, “but your guess is as good as any. I just don’t want to end up in a situation where we’re both exhausted tomorrow when dealing with Jeremy.”

  “Ouch,” she said, thinking about her son and Kurt. “I’m really hoping that goes well.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “I’m obviously hoping it will too, but I also know that just because it might go well tomorrow doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done.”

  “I know,” she said sadly. “You’re right.”

  As she watched, he got up, called Sabine to him, and the two walked back downstairs. She didn’t know how long he would be gone, but she took advantage and quickly went through her nightly ritual and then realized she wanted a shower anyway. She hopped in, had a quick shower, and, by the time she came out, she heard them downstairs, rummaging in the kitchen. She wondered if they were looking for more food. Anything was possible. She dressed, and, with her wet towel hung up on the hook on the side, she stepped out and called down to him and said, “I’m out of the shower, if you want one.”

  “That’s a good idea,” he said, coming upstairs. “I’ve locked up downstairs, and I didn’t see anything outside.”

  She smiled with relief. “You know what? My stranger could have had nothing to do with us,” she said. “It could have been a complete accident. Maybe he was looking for a completely different house.”

  “Maybe,” he said.

  She smiled, reached up, kissed him gently on the cheek, and said, “Have a good night.” And she walked into the spare room and closed the door.

  He deserved a medal for this, dammit. Kurt stared at the door to the room that he so badly wanted to join her in and then turned and forcibly walked toward the master. He didn’t want to chase her out of her usual bedroom, but, given the circumstances, this was the most sensible way to do things. And he wasn’t planning on sleeping in her bed because he knew he’d never sleep. The memories would crush him. After he’d washed up, he pulled a set of blankets from the closet and stretched them out on the floor and laid down. Sabine came over, and he had laid down a blanket just for her and patted it. She immediately curled up at his side and cuddled in close. He wrapped his arm around her and whispered, “Just for tonight, girl.” She whimpered a little bit, and he gently stroked her until she fell asleep.

  He lay here, quietly thinking about all the things he could do with his life, realizing it was definitely time for some decision-making. He hadn’t expected to be here or to even want to stay here in town, but the decision had been made for him. As he lay here, his phone buzzed. Badger. Kurt went through his messages and then ended up calling him. “The shepherd’s beside me,” he said. “I sent you a picture.”

  “I know. I just saw it. Looks like she’s in decent hands.”

  “I don’t want to give her up,” he said.

  “You don’t have to,” Badger said. “I’ve cleared it with the commander.”

  That was terrific news. He hugged Sabine gently. “Good,” he said.

  “And of course the commander wants to know that you’re capable of keeping the dog in good health and shape.”

  “Meaning, do I have a job and all that other good stuff.”

  Badger laughed. “Something like that.”

  “Doing a lot of thinking about that right now,” he said, “considering where I’m at.”

  “And how’s your son?”

  “Well, I’ve met him. He’s the spitting image of me, that’s for sure. He’s a big strapping kid, and he’s just thirteen,” he said. “I still find it hard to believe.”

  “Well, you’ve only had a couple days to digest that new info. Even now that Kat’s pregnant,” he said, “it’s taking us quite a bit of adjustment time. So you’ve got an almost-adult ready-made son, and it’ll take time too.”

  “We’ll have a barbecue tomorrow, as a family,” he said, “but I’m staying at her house tonight in her bedroom on the floor,” he said for clarity, “because she had an intruder in the backyard today.”

  “What?” Badger’s voice sharpened. “Is it connected to what’s going on with the dog or with you?”

  “Well, the gang certainly gave her a hard time, and I stepped in. Of course then we had the older guy, trying to shoot Sabine,” he said. “The local detective from my youth still has it in for me. So we’ve made some enemies in a very short time frame.”

  “You can always judge a man by his enemies.”

  “Well, we got a bunch of them on our ass right here, right now, so, whatever it means, this latest guy wasn’t here for tea and cookies.”

  “They never are,” Badger said. “What do you need?”

  “Well, I’d love a weapon, but I don’t have one, so I’ll make do without,” he said. “Did I mention that the detective here is still a pain in the ass?”

  “Yep. I’ve already made a few phone calls about him. You should be getting a couple phone calls about it.”

  “In what way?”

  “Well, one was a discussion about a job,” Badger said. “I said I wasn’t sure where you would end up and what you were up to or what thoughts you had about a new career.”

  “What kind of a job?”

  “A watchdog for the cops.”

  “Something like internal affairs?” he said, frowning.

  “Not quite. You wouldn’t be doing the investigations into their behavior, but you would be keeping the reports and going over them, how they’ve acted, depending on various circumstances. More like pointing out where they could improve.”

  “Well, the detective certainly wouldn’t like that,” Kurt said with a laugh.

  “I don’t know if I’d like it either. But it’s a good-paying job, and it would be something that you’re uniquely qualified for,” he said. “They would like to talk to you.”

  “Interesting,” he said. “Is that for the city?”

  “In this case it would be a federal overseeing position.”

  “Ah. So did the governor put this in place?”

  “He’s been looking for somebody for quite a while. It wouldn’t be just that city necessarily, but it would be for the state. And, once he found out that you were there and that you were potentially looking for a local job, he immediately asked if you’d be interested.”

  “Well, I would be interested,” he said. “I’m not too sure how I feel about any of it though. And they may not take it kindly when I’ve got such a bad rep myself in this town.”

  “Sure, but your past is also what makes you uniquely qualified for the position. You were on the other side growing up there. Now you’re on the good side.”

  “Hmm. I certainly have to think about it.”

  “Well, you have until tomorrow morning. Then he’ll be calling you.”

  “Wow,” Kurt said, “that’s not exactly giving me a whole lot of time.”

  “Nope, but life’s like that. Besides you’ve got a wife and a son now, don’t you?”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said. “I hardly have that yet.”

  “What! Then you’re not the guy I thought you were,” Badger said in a teasing voice. “I’ve never seen you hesitate.”

  He snorted. “I want to get it right this time.”


  “Sometimes you have to go by instincts and figure out what’s right as you go along.”

  “Well, right now, I’m making sure that no asshole comes up this damn trellis to attack her,” he said. “My son apparently is staying with his best friend overnight. So I need to make sure that, while he’s gone, I capture the asshole planning on giving Laurie Ann a hard time.”

  “And didn’t you say also one of the gang guys knew your son?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Just want to make sure he doesn’t get involved.”

  “That’s not the plan,” he said.

  “You already know that somehow, sometimes, plans go sideways regardless. So take care and watch your back.” With that Badger rang off.

  Kurt lay back down beside the dog. He thought about it. A watchdog over law enforcement. Wouldn’t that be something? He smiled and realized that, although he had a college education, he hadn’t told Laurie Ann about it.

  But Badger knew, and he had probably passed that on. Kurt had a degree in behavioral sciences and law enforcement. Maybe, maybe, he had another pathway after all. With a smile on his face, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

  Chapter 10

  It was hard to go to sleep. Laurie Ann read a romance book for another hour, even as she half listened to sounds in the house. She heard Kurt on the phone but not the conversation itself. Just lying here and waiting was deadly. When she finally fell asleep, it was already close to midnight. She tossed and turned, and, when she woke again, it was only one a.m. She groaned, pulled the covers up to her neck, rolled over, and fell asleep. She woke up again to find it was two a.m. She knew it would be one of the worst nights she’d had in a long time. She needed sleep in a bad way.

  Just then she thought she heard a noise and froze. She couldn’t imagine what it could be, and she lay here, straining her ears. She hopped softly out of bed and went to the door. As soon as she opened it, Kurt’s voice whispered, “Don’t move.”

  She froze and realized that something was going on and that he already was on top of it. She didn’t want to ask, in case the silence was just as important as no movement. She waited and waited, and finally he moved, approached her.