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The doors to the patient rooms line both sides of the hallway, and I tiptoe past them, the soft sounds of sleep and the occasional murmur from those in restless dreams drifting out.
I reach the end of the hallway, where the coroner’s office is located. My heart pounds as I pull out the keys, my hands trembling with anticipation.
The first key I try doesn’t work, nor does the next, nor the next.
Breath held, I shove the final key into the lock, but the door refuses to budge.
Frustrated, I wiggle the key, trying to force it to open the door. I can’t have made it this far, only to fail now. But desperation won’t force the door to unlock, and I sag against it in defeat.
I’ll just have to try a different way to get what I need.
Just as I’m about to turn away, a voice sounds behind me. “Freeze! Put your hands where I can see them!”
My pulse spikes, and my hands reflexively shoot into the air.
Crap. For the second time in Hartford Cove, the fuzz has found me.
BAD ROWE
“Stay where you are,” the voice behind me commands. “Don’t move.”
Through the pounding of my heart, I realize that the voice of the patrolman sounds familiar.
“Keep your hands up.”
The firm order sends a shiver down my spine, and I begin to turn, wanting to see the face behind the voice.
“Stay still,” the man commands, and there’s no mistaking it now. The timbre, the authority in that voice—it’s Ambros.
I freeze, my heart still racing, as he approaches from behind.
Reaching past me, he pulls the keys from the doorknob, his body brushing against mine. He slips them into his pocket without moving away again.
“We received a report of an intruder,” Ambros says, his voice low and laced with amusement. “What should I do with this little thief I’ve found?”
I raise my hands higher, placing them on the door, and spread my legs to shoulder-width apart. “Oh, no, officer, you caught me. Is there anything I can do for you not to turn me in?”
“Are you trying to seduce me? The sheriff warned me you’re a slippery thief when cornered.” Ambros cups my waist, his large hands nearly wrapping all the way around me. His lips brush against my neck as his hands slowly slide over my hips. “Are you hiding anything I should know about?”
His touch sends shivers of desire through me, and a smile tugs at my lips. “I sure am.”
“Oh?” His hands slip beneath my baggy T-shirt and dip into my waistband. “Sounds like I need to do a thorough investigation.”
Before things can heat up, the door to one of the patient rooms creaks open, and we both freeze.
Mrs. Smith’s voice cuts through the silence. “This is a clinic full of wolf shifters, and there’s a pup present. If you two want to roleplay, go somewhere else so the rest of us can rest in peace.”
“You should rest in peace,” I mutter as Ambros’s hands leave my pants.
“I heard that,” Mrs. Smith snaps.
I straighten my T-shirt, and one side slips off my shoulder. “Go back to bed, or no more bacon for you.”
Her huff drifts down the hall, followed by the sound of her door closing.
Ros and I exchange a look and stifle our laughter as we hurry down the hall and out of the clinic.
On the sidewalk, Ros locks the front door, then gestures for me to lead the way back toward home.
