reached out for the countertop to steady herself before she passed out altogether.
“Easy,” Rawlings whispered and put his arm around her waist. He eased her to one of the kitchen chairs. “Keep your head down. Breathe deeply.” She did as he directed but he wasn’t satisfied. “No, slow down. Innnnnnnnn. Now ouuuuuuuuuuut. Better.”
They remained like this for a full minute. Olivia had the absurd thought that they sounded like an expectant couple practicing Lamaze breathing techniques. She carefully straightened and looked at Rawlings. His face was inches from hers and his eyes had softened, returning to their muddy, pond green hue. “Thank you,” she murmured. “You came just in time.”
Rawlings glowered. “Yes, we did. That’s our job, remember? When you talked Laurel into investigating the Donald siblings, you put both of your lives in danger. All I asked you to do was to
“They would have come for her anyway!” Olivia protested but silently felt the chief had spoken the truth. After all, the robbery victims were old enough to have attended Pampticoe High with both Ellen and Rutherford. Laurel was two years younger than the others and had only ridiculed Ellen. Her articles about the siblings may have drawn their attention to her. If she hadn’t started writing about them, it was likely they would never have remembered her at all. “Where is Laurel?” Olivia asked, needing to know that her friend was safe.
“Sitting in my car. She’s both shaken and plenty mad over having to stay behind while we charged in, but she’ll get over it.”
Olivia gave Rawlings a grateful smile. “I’m relieved she didn’t witness how this played out. By the time she comes back into the house, the Donalds will be gone and I’ll have this mess cleaned up.” She briefly gestured at the bloodsplattered floor and countertop.
She and Rawlings watched as one of Rawlings’ brawny officers fastened Ellen’s limp wrists together in front of her body using a plastic restraint and then the officer sat down beside her to wait for the paramedics to arrive.
“I like Ellen much better when she’s unconscious.” Olivia stood and wrestled with the child lock of the cabinet beneath the sink, searching for cleaning supplies.
“Get back in that chair. The only thing you’re doing is going to the hospital,” Rawlings commanded and waited until she was seated again. “This place is about to be invaded by EMTs and an army of cops. The scene must be thoroughly documented.”
“Then let Laurel take me to get stitched up,” Olivia said. “You know how slow emergency rooms are. By the time I’m finished, your team should be done here.”
Rawlings got down on his knees and put his hands on her shoulders. “Only if you promise to go straight there. No stopping to purchase a pound of raw liver for Haviland, though God knows the dog deserves it.” He glanced over at the poodle. “Well done, sir. You could show our K-9 unit a thing or two. Our department might need to look into those advanced canine training classes you took.”
Olivia was overwhelmed by the urge to kiss Sawyer Rawlings. She raised her good arm and put her palm flat against his rough cheek. “Haviland’s not my only hero,” she whispered and pulled his head toward hers. Closing her eyes, she pressed her lips against his lips and felt his hand slide up the skin of her neck. It came to rest at the nape but his fingertips stretched a bit higher, gently grabbing her hair and sending a ripple of heat through her body. She responded by opening her mouth more fully, inviting him to kiss her more deeply and with more urgency.
The tread of heavy footsteps reentering the house ruined the moment. They hastily broke apart, flushed and glassy-eyed with desire.
“Put your arm around my waist,” Rawlings directed huskily.
“I am perfectly capable of walking outside without assistance, thank you,” she answered stiffly, noting that the officers were watching their chief with interest.
Rawlings frowned. “Do as I say or I will carry you out.”
Feigning reluctance, Olivia allowed Rawlings to support her, but in truth she wanted to feel his touch, no matter what the circumstances were. She leaned into him, smelling coffee and soap and the sandalwood of his aftershave, and Haviland brought up the rear, looking as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
Outside, Laurel was pacing back and forth on the lawn. The cruisers bearing the Donald siblings were already gone.
“Oh,
“She has a deep laceration and needs to be taken to the hospital,” Rawlings said with perfect calm. “Can you drive her? I need to stay on site until the other officers arrive.”
Laurel nodded vigorously. “Of course!” Taking Olivia’s purse from the chief, she sprinted to the Range Rover and hopped into the driver’s seat.
As Rawlings opened the passenger door, Olivia leaned toward him and whispered, “Please make sure everything looks normal before she comes home. I know that’s not exactly your job, but I’m asking as a favor to me.”
With Laurel busy digging through Olivia’s purse for her keys, Rawlings felt free to brush Olivia’s neck with his lips. “Since you asked so nicely . . .” He then eased her into the car and opened the back door for Haviland.
“No stopping,” he told Laurel firmly. “No matter what she says.”
Laurel squared her shoulders. “Yes, Chief. I promise.”
Olivia had no intention of avoiding the hospital, but she asked Laurel to drop her off at the emergency room and take Haviland to the park.
“He’s not allowed inside anyway,” she reminded Laurel when her friend began to argue. She insisted on waiting until Olivia had registered and moved back to the triage area before driving off with Haviland.
The entire ordeal took over two hours. Olivia’s cut was deep enough to merit a layer of dissolvable stitches to help the rent tissue mend, followed by fifty-some sutures to knit her layers of skin back together. She received a tetanus shot, instructions on how to clean her wound, and an appointment for suture removal in ten days’ time.
During the ride back to Laurel’s house, Olivia’s arm throbbed mercilessly. She’d been given plenty of shots to kill the pain while the doctor cleaned and repaired her wound, but now there was a steady ache and her entire arm felt heavy and swollen. The nurse had given Olivia a sling, and though she hated to wear it, she couldn’t imagine letting her limb hang on its own.
Not only had Laurel let Haviland dash after the park’s squirrels to his heart’s content, but per Olivia’s request she’d taken him to the vet to ensure he had no injuries. As soon as Diane declared the poodle healthy as usual, Laurel called The Boot Top and asked Michel to prepare something special for the canine champion.
“My mother-in-law is picking up the twins so we can go straight to the restaurant,” Laurel said. “I’m in no rush to go home.”
Olivia leaned back against the headrest. “Good. I could use a drink.”
Being that it was past lunchtime, The Boot Top’s bar was empty and the lights were set to their daytime setting. Olivia immediately adjusted the dimmer slide until the room was plunged into semidarkness.
Taking up Gabe’s position behind the bar, she checked the ice supply and reached for a tumbler. “What’s your pleasure?” she asked Laurel.
“Normally, I’d say it’s
“Purely medicinal,” Olivia said, beginning to mix Laurel’s cocktail. “You’ve had a rather extraordinary morning after all.” She glanced at her friend in concern. “What does Steve have to say about all this?”
Laurel shrugged. “He doesn’t know yet. His whole office takes a long lunch hour, and when I called his cell, he didn’t answer. I told his folks that I was taking you to the hospital, but that’s as much information as I wanted to arm
“I’ll have what she’s having!” Millay called out as she strolled into the bar, Harris close on her heels.
Olivia paused in the middle of pouring out a generous measure of Chivas Regal. “This is a pleasant surprise. Have you both called in sick?”
Millay glanced at her watch. “I’ve got two hours before my shift starts and Harris snuck out of a meeting. We had to show up after Laurel called and told us what went down today.”
