Ray snorted. “For the money, why else? No matter how many arrests we make, the drugs keep coming in. I soon realized I was on the wrong side of things. Far better to be rich than to keep beating my head against the wall.” He narrowed his eyes. “You picked the wrong cop. And I’m not going to tell you again. Toss down your weapon.”
She noticed Ray’s gaze shifted warily between her and Jarek. They had maybe one chance to take him out of the picture. And their success depended largely on the dog, who had stretched out on the floor beside Buck after enjoying the snack she’d given him. Would the dog attack if Ray gave the order?
She wasn’t anxious to find out.
Jarek had set the crowbar on a crate to her left. She subtly shifted that way, hoping to hide the weapon from Ray. “So you’re just greedy, is that it?”
“I’m smart enough to get my piece of the pie,” Bond countered. “Last warning. Ditch your weapon or I’ll shoot.”
“If you shoot us here, someone might report the gunfire.” She was stalling for time but understood Ray was getting impatient.
“Now!” he barked.
“Okay, okay.” She glanced briefly at Jarek to warn him she was about to make her move. “Fine. I’m tossing the gun.”
Her hands were still in the air, so she turned her arm and flipped the weapon over her head in a high arc. As she’d hoped, Bond’s gaze momentarily followed the gun. She swiftly turned and lunged for the crowbar, planning to throw it at Ray with all her strength.
But Jarek had bull-rushed the narcotics cop the moment she’d tossed the gun. The weapon in Ray’s hand discharged as Jarek slammed into him. The momentum carried them forward until they were on the ground, struggling for control over the weapon.
Di raced forward with the crowbar, her gaze searching for the opportunity to use it. The two men fought for the gun in Ray’s hand, their bodies entangled. There wasn’t enough space between the two men for her to use the crowbar to her advantage. The seconds stretched into agonizing minutes as she waited for the moment to strike.
Please, please, please . . .
Suddenly Ray shifted his weight, rolling over so that he was on top of Jarek. Without hesitation, she swung the crowbar down on the back of Ray’s head, striking him with a solid and sickening thud. He grunted and collapsed in a heap.
She locked eyes on Jarek. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Good job.” Jarek was breathless as he stared in surprise at the cop’s weapon sitting in his hand. Then he scrambled back, eyeing the fallen cop. “Stay down or I’ll shoot.”
Bond didn’t move. Was he even breathing? Swallowing hard, Di cautiously approached, fearing she’d killed him. Bending over, she placed her fingers along the side of his neck. Ray had a pulse, but it was faint. Blood matted in his hair where she’d hit him.
Slightly reassured, she straightened. Bond would survive long enough to spend the rest of his life in jail, which was fine with her. She nodded at Jarek. “He has a pulse but needs medical care.”
Jarek let out a heavy sigh. Before he could say anything, Rocco let out a whimpering sound. Alarmed, Di spun to face the dog. He was licking a gash along his side. The bullet Ray had fired must have creased the animal. She dropped the crowbar and headed toward the dog.
“Easy, boy. Good boy, Rocco. Easy now. I gave you a treat, remember?” She braced herself for his attack, but to her surprise, the dog didn’t bare his teeth or lunge toward her. His dark eyes watched her as she examined the wound. She was relieved it wasn’t too serious. “You’re going to be okay, boy. Hear me? You’ll be okay.”
To her shock, Rocco licked her hand.
“You’re a good boy,” she murmured. “If I had another peanut butter protein bar, I’d give it to you.”
“Di, you need to find the gun you tossed.” Jarek had Buck’s phone in his hand. “Schnor might be close by.”
She nodded, gave Rocco a reassuring pat, then rose to search for the weapon. Spying it on the floor, she quickly scooped it up.
“Officer requesting backup,” Jarek said into the phone. “Two drug dealers are down with at least one other suspect and possibly others still at large. I need multiple units to respond to three-twenty-one South Broadway, forthwith.”
She frowned as she crossed over to join Jarek. “What do you think? Could Schnor be out there?”
Jarek shook his head. His lip was swollen from the tussle, and it looked as if he’d sustained a bruise near his eye. “If he was out there covering Bond, I’d have thought he’d come in when the gunfire rang out.”
“Makes sense. He’d assume Bond killed one of us and come in to see what was going down.” She turned to eye Rocco. The dog didn’t seem to pose a threat, even with his injury. Some dogs became defensive when they’re hurt, but Rocco hadn’t tried to bite her. Either the treat had worked wonders, or Buck hadn’t completely ruined the dog with his training. Maybe both.
She sighed, hoping the local cops would arrive soon. “I feel bad that Rocco got hurt.”
“Me too, but it could have been worse.” Jarek gestured to where Buck was still stretched out on the floor, wrists cuffed and mouth gagged. Rocco remained at his side. “I was afraid we’d have to shoot him to keep him from attacking us.”
She nodded, as the same concern had plagued her. She’d never hurt an animal in her life and hadn’t wanted to start now. And strangely, she was starting to like Rocco.
