Hooking Lexi’s leash to the first ring on her harness—the one that meant they weren’t working or tracking—Hugh pressed the door’s release bar and stepped into the chilly mountain night. As they walked toward his truck, he tipped his head back. Despite the sodium lights illuminating the lot, the stars were bright. The moon was just a sliver, but it stood out sharply against the deep black of the sky. The color reminded him of Grace’s hair.
The sappiness of that image ripped him out of his thoughts, and he faced forward, focusing on his pickup. There were only a few other cars dotted around the lot. After six years on the force, plus a lifetime in Monroe, the station parking lot was a familiar, comfortable place. Tonight, however, it looked different…foreign.
The ever-present wind was sliding half of a Styrofoam takeout container across the asphalt, making a scratchy sound as the box skidded beneath a car. Despite the lights, the shadows were deep, giving plenty of cover to whoever needed it. Hugh’s skin prickled with that same feeling of being watched, and he held back a grunt of frustration. Why was he being so paranoid? No one was there.
He was almost sure of it.
It took a great effort to keep his steps measured—and an even greater one to keep them even. He didn’t want to hurry to the truck, though, any more than he wanted to limp and show weakness to whoever was lurking out there. Even Lexi seemed infected by his mood. Her ears swiveled like satellite dishes, trying to pick up the faintest sound.
As they drew close to the truck, he dug his keys out of his pocket—but when he pulled them out, his fingers fumbled, and he dropped them. They hit the pavement with a discordant jangle that sounded too loud in the sudden stillness. Even the wind seemed to be holding its breath.
With a huff of annoyance, Hugh bent to pick up the keys, extending his bad leg to the side in an awkward pose he was glad no one was there to witness. As he rose, keys in hand, Lexi started to bark.
It wasn’t her normal bark. There was a frantic, almost shrill edge to her yelps. Bunching her hindquarters under her, Lexi turned and bolted.
Within a second, she hit the end of the leash. Already off-balance, Hugh stumbled along behind her for several steps. When his startled brain began working again, he stopped, turning his head to look behind him, searching for whatever had spooked Lexi worse than he’d ever seen before.
All he saw were shadows before another jerk on the leash pulled him forward. He quit hesitating and started to run behind her. His confident—almost overconfident—K9 partner was so terrified that she was dragging him along at the end of her leash. If there was something so bad that it made Lexi bolt, then he should probably follow suit.
Before they reached the edge of the lot, there was a bright flash and a thump so loud that it echoed through his whole body. He went airborne as the night lit up around him. There were crashing sounds and a chorus of car alarms, but they were all muffled, as if his head was buried in a pillow.
Hugh hit the ground hard, his skull bouncing painfully off the pavement. His vision spun, the white light from earlier fading into darker oranges and reds. Confused, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, hardly even feeling the gravel that dug into his arms. He squinted, trying to focus his blurry, shifting vision. A pickup was on fire.
His pickup was on fire.
Fragmented thoughts filled his mind, and he tried to tie them together into some sort of coherent string. He needed to have Dispatch call Fire. What had just happened? He’d been looking into Grace’s background. Beautiful, scared Grace… Focus! Otto had sent him home. He’d been walking out to his truck with Lexi…
“Lexi!” he yelled, and his voice echoed strangely in his head. He twisted, trying to come to his hands and knees, but his balance was off, and his thigh refused to support him, sliding out to the side when he attempted to pull his knees under him. “Lexi!”
A cold nose touched the side of his neck, and he turned toward his K9 partner, sliding shaking hands into her ruff.
“You okay, sweetie?” he crooned, his voice rough with smoke inhalation and emotion. Sliding his hands over her, he checked for any injuries, but she didn’t seem to flinch from his touch. Instead, Lexi leaned into him, her weight throwing him off-balance. Unable to catch himself in time, he toppled onto his back.
The stars, hazy from smoke, seemed to squiggle in random patterns that made his head start to throb. He was suddenly so cold. Hugh felt a shaking Lexi pressed against his side, and he welcomed her warmth.
Suddenly, Otto’s face was there, blocking the stars. His mouth was moving, but Hugh couldn’t make sense of any of his words. Otto looked scared, though, more scared than Hugh’d ever seen him look before. Vaguely, he knew that he needed to tell Otto what was happening. What was happening? Oh right. Now he remembered.