“H’lo?”
“Don’t tell me you were still in bed,” Wyatt said accusingly. “I might have to hurt you. I’ve been up all night, thank you.”
Jules rolled away from him, freeing his left arm to stretch and sit up on the mattress.
“You have an update for me?” Cal asked.
“Several. First, Matti is fine, and the boy’s—Sam’s—injury proved less serious than we feared. He was treated for a surface wound and kept overnight, largely because Matti hasn’t located a foster family yet.”
Cal twisted at the waist and looked over his shoulder to Jules. She’d tucked the sheet up to her chin and seemed to be dozing again. Her tumble of hair spread out on the pillow, and her fringe of eyelashes fanned across her ivory cheeks. Damn, but he could wake to the sight of her beside him for the rest of his life. She was—
“Cal, did you hear me?” Wyatt asked, interrupting his romantic woolgathering.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Sam spent the night at the hospital, but he’ll mend.”
He heard Wyatt grunt. “That’s what I thought. You stopped listening after the first update.”
“Uh. Sorry, what?”
“I’ve had my men scouring the city all night for the shooter. The shots seem to have come from some point across the street from the station, but so far, nothing of note has turned up. Not casings, not trash to indicate where he’d waited, no sightings by people in the area. He’s disappeared into the wind.”
“A professional, then,” Cal said darkly. “Knew what he was doing. Good aim, too, seeing as how he got Hamilton from a distance.”
Now, Jules turned her head quickly, her eyes flying open.
He held up a finger, indicating he’d talk to her in a minute after he finished with Wyatt. “And Officer Rutledge? Did he survive his surgery?”
“Thankfully, yes. He’s stable and awake last I heard, but he’s got a long road ahead to recover.”
“Look, I’m sorry I bailed on you last night rather than helping with the search,” Cal said, “but… I had other business that I had to handle. Personal business.”
“I get that.” Then after only a brief pause, Wyatt said, “How did Jules take the news about Hamilton?”
Jules sat up now, raking her hair back from her face with her fingers. The sheet slipped enough that he could see the swell of her breasts, and he instantly wanted her again, despite hours of lovemaking the night before.
“Cal? You there?” Wyatt asked.
“Yeah. I, uh—”
“She’s still there, isn’t she? She’s with you now. Probably naked. Am I right?” Wyatt asked, his voice low and conspiratorial.
“I’ll talk to you later. Let me know how I can help with the search for the shooter. I’ll make any resources you need from the sheriff’s office available to you.”
“Your nonanswer is an answer,” Wyatt said and chuckled. Sobering, he added, “Thanks for the offer of assistance. We issued an APB, of course, but without a description of the shooter, we’re kinda at a loss. I asked Forensics to rush the ballistics report.”
“Good.”
Wyatt sighed. “Ted called earlier.”
“Oh? And what did the good mayor want?”
“You have to ask? While he was in my custody, I lost a key witness in the drug trafficking investigation and had an officer nearly die in the same shooting. Ted wants a meeting. My guess is he’s gonna tear me a new one.”
The bed jostled, and Cal watched Jules slide from under the covers and pad into the en suite bathroom. He heard the shower turn on and tried not to think about her body slick with soap and—
“Want to come with me?” Wyatt said, pulling him from his sensual fantasy.
“To see Ted? Why? Don’t tell me Teddy scares you.”
