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“I’d bet money. And her and me are gonna have a nice talk.” His accent said New York, and for some reason for Danni, it was unnerving. Maybe she watched too many mob movies.
Danni’s mouth went dry. They were after her. Mentally she filed away the two names she heard. Hobbs and Jareb. Two figures dressed in black stepped out of the alley, and Danni jerked farther behind the tree. They weren’t cops, they were searching for her, and they were too close for comfort.
Think fast. What’s my escape route?Danni knew this area like the back of her hand. As a patrol officer and as a detective, she’d been here many times. The flood control channel sprang to mind. If she could get there, she could hide.
She heard footfalls approaching and didn’t want to be caught here. Hunched over, Danni turned away from the tree and scurried up the driveway as fast as possible. From here she could cut across three backyards and reach the flood control.
She jumped into the first backyard and was just beginning to believe she’d evaded her pursuers when one of them yelled, “Over here!”
She didn’t look back and leaped over the small hedge around the second yard. Adrenaline fueled her flight across the yard and over the next fence. Dogs started barking. There was a big one at this house, but Danni had the good fortune to be the first one in the yard. The startled dog barked and came after her, but she was over the last fence and on her way to the flood control before he was in full protect mode. The first pursuer behind her was not so lucky as she heard more serious growling punctuated by yells and cursing.
Danni kept going and hit the bike path on top of the flood control channel at a full run. She knew she couldn’t keep it up. Her objective was the Orange Street bridge. There, the bike path dipped down to go under the bridge. Above the path the bridge supports created a shelter. If it wasn’t being used by the homeless, Danni felt confident she could conceal herself there. She just needed to reach it before her pursuers sighted her.
Once she was under the bridge, she climbed up into the space between the path and the supports. It was a tight spot, but unless they saw her clearly, they wouldn’t know she was there. After the Orange Street undercrossing, the channel split into aY. They’d have to guess which way she went.
She worked to slow her breathing, certain they’d hear her pounding heart, and drew her weapon, straining to hear. Footfalls ran past, down, and then up the other side. She held her breath and then realized she wasn’t alone in the hiding spot. There, crouching on her right, was a dog. The low growl gave it away.
“Shh,” Danni whispered. Amazingly the dog quieted down.
More footfalls sounded, then voices.
“Where’d she go?”
“She has to be here. No way she made it to the Y.”
The sound of feet on dusty, sandy asphalt got closer. Danni tensed and forgot about the dog.
“I bet I know where she went.” New York made the comment with a smile in his tone.
Danni prayed. She heard one of them coming her way, jumping off the path, moving toward where she was hidden. Just when she was sure he’d see her, the dog launched itself from the hiding place, instantly becoming a fur missile, all teeth and angry growls. The man cursed and she heard a dull thud as he fell back down to the bike path.
“Not another dog!”
Another one screamed. Then came the sickening sound of something striking the dog, who howled in pain. Hand on her gun, it took all of Danni’s self-control not to launch herself out of hiding and protect the poor animal.
“It bit me good, in the same place the other dog got me,” the one called Hobbs howled in a high, reedy tone. “Ahh, I’m bleeding.”
“Where’d it go? I’ll kill that mangy mutt.”
“Put the gun away! We don’t need cops everywhere.” New York was in control here.
“I think it got an artery.” Hobbs cursed. “I’m really bleeding.”
“Cops can’t do anything to us.”
“Shut up, the both of you! Between him bleeding to death and you wanting to kill everything, I can’t think.”
“Where’d the mutt go? I’m gonna kill it. Help me stop the bleeding, please.”
A cell phone rang. New York cursed and answered the phone. All Danni heard was yes, no, then yes again.
“We got to go,” he said when the call ended.
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t want to get into it. Come on, let’s get you to a hospital. The girl is long gone.”
“Here, wrap this around your arm and stop whining. You’re worse than a girl, Hobbs. Move now.”
