Read Online Officer on Duty (Lock and Key Book 4) by Ranae Rose - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ranae Rose
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sound of a latch being undone came from inside, but the barking didn’t get any closer. Nor was there any sound of nails scratching against the door. Still, he watched it open carefully, wary of a charging dog.
A woman came into view.
“You’re here,” she said, gripping the doorframe and peeking around the edge. “Thank God.”
“We understand your daughter is missing,” Jeremy replied.
Somewhere inside the house, the dog kept barking.
She drew a quick breath, nodded and flung the door all the way open. “She went to the beach with a friend this morning and was supposed to be back by two. It’s five-thirty now, and I can’t get ahold of her. We were supposed to go shopping – she’d never miss that on purpose.”
The woman was 40-ish, with hair that was dark at the roots and bleach-blonde everywhere else. She tucked a dry lock behind one ear and chewed her lip.
“How old is she?”
“Just turned sixteen.”
The dog’s barking reached a fever pitch, inciting the beginning of a headache between Jeremy’s eyes. “Ma’am, is your dog secured? It doesn’t sound too happy that we’re here.”
“Oh, he’s all bark and no bite. But yeah, I’ve got him shut in the kitchen. No need to worry.”
No sooner had she spoken than a crashing sound came from where the kitchen must’ve been. A gate – it looked like the kind used to keep babies off stairs – flew through the living room, followed by a brown blur.
The house was small and the dog was large and fast. It was at the door before anyone could blink.
It bowled its owner over, and she went down with a shriek.
Jeremy moved, but not before the dog latched onto his lower leg.
The pressure was immediate and crushing. A groan twisted up just below his breastbone and tried to escape, but he was breathless. He reached for his weapon by instinct.
“Shit!” Richardson was a blur of sound and movement behind him.
Saliva flew from the dog’s mouth as it shook its broad head. Jeremy barely kept his balance.
He was a hairsbreadth away from falling on his ass when the dog yelped, let go and convulsed.
He sucked in a deep breath and saw the Taser prongs sunken into fur, just behind the animal’s shoulders.
The electricity traveled from one prong to the other, the current contained within the target’s body.
Now that the dog had let go, the pressure was gone and a viscous ache flared in his leg. Still, he knew adrenaline was taking the edge off. It’d be much worse later, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now.
He drew his weapon and trained it on the animal. He didn’t want to shoot it, but he wasn’t going to let it maul anyone, either.
It yelped and twisted on the ground, saliva and Jeremy’s blood flying from its mouth. Its owner had risen to her feet again, and it rolled over against her legs.
Fuck. If it lunged at him or Richardson, he wouldn’t be able to fire. Not with a person standing behind it, ready to take any bullet that missed its mark.
The taste of adrenaline flooded his mouth, bitter and abundant. He fought the urge to spit, and the dog lurched up onto its feet.
The Taser’s five second burst of electricity was obviously over. Before Jeremy could react, the dog took off into the house at the speed of light.
“Shit,” Richardson repeated, and that was it – the dog was gone.
“Shut the door,” Jeremy said, moving forward.
The slack-jawed woman stumbled out of the way and he pressed it shut, leaning against it even after it latched.
“Oh my God!” She bent at the waist, hands on her knees. “I can’t believe he did that. He’s never bitten anyone. I can’t believe it!”
“I can’t believe you thought a baby gate would hold back an angry eighty pound dog,” Jeremy breathed, anger prickling down his spine.
She had known they were coming. She’d called and asked them to, for fuck’s sake. And she hadn’t even bothered to properly secure her aggressive animal.
A pool of blood had already spread
A woman came into view.
“You’re here,” she said, gripping the doorframe and peeking around the edge. “Thank God.”
“We understand your daughter is missing,” Jeremy replied.
Somewhere inside the house, the dog kept barking.
She drew a quick breath, nodded and flung the door all the way open. “She went to the beach with a friend this morning and was supposed to be back by two. It’s five-thirty now, and I can’t get ahold of her. We were supposed to go shopping – she’d never miss that on purpose.”
The woman was 40-ish, with hair that was dark at the roots and bleach-blonde everywhere else. She tucked a dry lock behind one ear and chewed her lip.
“How old is she?”
“Just turned sixteen.”
The dog’s barking reached a fever pitch, inciting the beginning of a headache between Jeremy’s eyes. “Ma’am, is your dog secured? It doesn’t sound too happy that we’re here.”
“Oh, he’s all bark and no bite. But yeah, I’ve got him shut in the kitchen. No need to worry.”
No sooner had she spoken than a crashing sound came from where the kitchen must’ve been. A gate – it looked like the kind used to keep babies off stairs – flew through the living room, followed by a brown blur.
The house was small and the dog was large and fast. It was at the door before anyone could blink.
It bowled its owner over, and she went down with a shriek.
Jeremy moved, but not before the dog latched onto his lower leg.
The pressure was immediate and crushing. A groan twisted up just below his breastbone and tried to escape, but he was breathless. He reached for his weapon by instinct.
“Shit!” Richardson was a blur of sound and movement behind him.
Saliva flew from the dog’s mouth as it shook its broad head. Jeremy barely kept his balance.
He was a hairsbreadth away from falling on his ass when the dog yelped, let go and convulsed.
He sucked in a deep breath and saw the Taser prongs sunken into fur, just behind the animal’s shoulders.
The electricity traveled from one prong to the other, the current contained within the target’s body.
Now that the dog had let go, the pressure was gone and a viscous ache flared in his leg. Still, he knew adrenaline was taking the edge off. It’d be much worse later, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now.
He drew his weapon and trained it on the animal. He didn’t want to shoot it, but he wasn’t going to let it maul anyone, either.
It yelped and twisted on the ground, saliva and Jeremy’s blood flying from its mouth. Its owner had risen to her feet again, and it rolled over against her legs.
Fuck. If it lunged at him or Richardson, he wouldn’t be able to fire. Not with a person standing behind it, ready to take any bullet that missed its mark.
The taste of adrenaline flooded his mouth, bitter and abundant. He fought the urge to spit, and the dog lurched up onto its feet.
The Taser’s five second burst of electricity was obviously over. Before Jeremy could react, the dog took off into the house at the speed of light.
“Shit,” Richardson repeated, and that was it – the dog was gone.
“Shut the door,” Jeremy said, moving forward.
The slack-jawed woman stumbled out of the way and he pressed it shut, leaning against it even after it latched.
“Oh my God!” She bent at the waist, hands on her knees. “I can’t believe he did that. He’s never bitten anyone. I can’t believe it!”
“I can’t believe you thought a baby gate would hold back an angry eighty pound dog,” Jeremy breathed, anger prickling down his spine.
She had known they were coming. She’d called and asked them to, for fuck’s sake. And she hadn’t even bothered to properly secure her aggressive animal.
A pool of blood had already spread
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