“You want to face whatever’s in there alone?” Zep asked.
“Do you honestly believe there’s some supernatural creature in there?”
“No, of course I don’t, but I do know Archie,” Zep replied, his voice going low. “I know he sounds like a crazy old man at times, but he does know his livestock. If he says something upset those goats, then something was in there. Might not be now.”
“So what you’re saying is we might open that door to a goat massacre.” It was not a pleasant thought. “I left New York for this.”
“I think New York has its share of predators, city girl,” Zep replied with a low chuckle she wished she didn’t find so sexy. “But I don’t think there’s one in that barn.”
“Why?”
There was that chuckle again. “Because it’s so quiet. I assure you if those goats were being attacked, they would not be silent about it. There would be a lot of noise. According to what Archie told me, they were bleating like crazy about twenty minutes ago and then everything went silent. I think whatever was in there is likely gone now.”
They’d made it to the barn doors, and sure enough, there was perfect silence coming from inside. She held out a hand to let Zep know she wanted a minute and was surprised when he went still, too.
She should order him back to the house, but the truth was she didn’t mind having some company, and he might be able to help. The darkness could be disorienting, and sometimes these old barns could be minefields. “Have you been in this barn? Is it like some of the others I’ve seen?”
“Do you mean is it full of things that could potentially stab you, and have they been left in places where you could step on them?” Zep proved that he was a perceptive guy, but then she’d never bought his himbo act. “Nah, Archie’s pretty neat. But I don’t like the thought of you going in alone. It’s dark in there and a single flashlight isn’t incredibly helpful. I know where the lights are.”
“All right, but you do what I tell you to do,” Roxie insisted. “If I tell you to run . . .”
His lips quirked up, but there was nothing humorous about the expression on his face. “I’ll run and leave you to be eaten by whatever attacks. I promise, Deputy. You know I always protect myself. I’m that guy.”
Once again she got that feeling that always hit her when she played the tough cop around him. It was a feeling she hated—like she’d disappointed someone important. Zep Guidry had been a much-regretted mistake. Not someone important. Not someone who should make her feel anything beyond minor irritation.
But one night he made you feel something you hadn’t felt in forever. He made you want something beyond a peaceful day, a cold beer, and a good night’s sleep. He reminded you that once you’d wanted something more than a place to hide and lick your wounds.
Yeah, that was precisely why she was going to stay away from him. The trouble was it was a small town and there wasn’t much cover. She ran into him a lot, and often she was irritated enough to shove his cute butt in the back of her squad car because he liked to cause trouble.
Tonight’s encounter was different. “All right, I’ll open the door and give you cover. You make your way to the light switch.”
“I will endeavor to do my best, Deputy,” he said, and she could hear that arrogant smirk of his in his tone.
She looked down and pulled open the barn door. It looked like Mr. Johnson didn’t lock the place up at night, but then he might not actually lock the door to his house, either. She’d noticed hers was one of the only houses in the area with a security system. She’d had to drive an hour to find one she could buy and had to install it herself.
She opened the door and saw the glow of eyes flash and then disappear.
Like the flash that night right before the bullet had roared through her world, tearing apart something special.
“To your left!” she shouted.
She followed her instinct and leapt toward Zep, tackling him, ready to take that bullet this time.* * ** * *
Zep hit the ground, the wind knocking out of him, but the shock was mostly to his brain. Roxie. What had happened that caused the normally perfect oasis of calm that was Roxanne King to turn into a tidal wave? He’d seen a vague flash of eyes in the darkness, and then she’d yelled at him and launched herself bodily his way.
He went still because he sensed that she’d panicked, and that wasn’t something she ever did.
Well, except that morning after she’d made the smart choice to take a chance on him. Then she’d panicked, and when Roxie was panicked, she could be on the mean side.