Page 61 of Rogue Wave

“How many years do you think I’d go to jail for murdering an octopus?” she asked in a clearly agitated voice, but I just grinned at how cute she was.

Since I wasn’t busy at the moment, I decided I would head over in her direction to make sure I prevented a murder. Being a good sheriff and all. Plus, any excuse I had to see her, I would take.

“I don’t think we have a specific statute for that in the state of California, so I’m not sure,” I replied, trying to contain my laugh as she groaned on the other end of the phone. “What did Nigel do now?”

“First, he punched one of our seahorses just because he could. Then, he wasn’t happy with the shrimp I gave him for dinner, so he retaliated by splashing me in the face. My hair is dripping wet now.”

She grumbled and let out a frustrated growl while I just sat in my car and enjoyed hearing the sound of her voice, even if it was frustrated.

“Oh, it gets worse,” she emphasized.

“I’m sorry.” There was definitely humor in my response, and I was happy she couldn’t see my smile on the other side of the phone.

“And then…” She let out a startled gasp, and then her voice quivered. “Hey, you…you can’t be here.”

I felt my mouth tick up as I wondered which animal had escaped and she was talking to this time. But a second later, my blood ran cold at the sound of the deep, gruff male voice that replied.

“I needed to talk to you, and you wouldn’t take any of my calls.”

No animal sounded like that.

“I was ignoring your calls on purpose, Rourke,” Hazel said with a bit more conviction. “This is a restricted area. You can’t be back here.”

Her ex? How the hell did he get into the back of the aquarium?

“Hazel, if you can hear me, see if there is a safe place that you can get to with other people around,” I told her, putting my car into reverse and pulling out onto the main street. “I’m on my way to you, and⁠—”

The call dropped, and I felt the same level of panic rush through me that I had felt during the Nigel phone-stealing incident, along with new levels of anger.

I used my radio to tell dispatch what was going on and to tell them to send whoever the closest deputy was because I was on the other side of town and knew it would take me at least five minutes to get there.

I drove as fast as I could with lights and sirens on, my heart racing just as fast as my car. I tried calling Hazel back multiple times, but it kept going to voicemail. Every possible worst-case scenario kept running through my head as the minutes dragged out.

I finally arrived and pulled my SUV to the front door. There were no other patrol vehicles there, so I was on my own for now.

Shadow wasn’t an attack dog, so bringing her in would only slow me down. I left her inside my car with the engine still running but the doors locked as I raced inside.

The security guard from the other day was standing by the door, so I shouted to him as I ran up.

“Hazel’s in trouble. I need to get to her now,” I barked out.

He turned immediately, letting me inside, and following behind me as he used his walkie-talkie to lock the facility down. We raced through the building, me following him since I wasn’t sure where to go.

“She was feeding the octopus when she called, so she’s likely near the tank,” I told him, hoping she still was so we could find her soon.

“Through there,” the man said, pointing to the door at the end of the hall.

“Use your badge, but I go in first,” I told him, holding my arm out. “I have deputies behind me, so please make sure someone lets them in.”

I had my gun drawn as Allen scanned his badge and the door lock clicked. I swung open the door and walked through.

Hazel was to my right, and her ex, Rourke Wesson, was across from her to my left. Both of their heads spun in my direction as soon as the door opened.

A quick scan of Hazel verified she was alive and not bleeding, though visibly frustrated, and then I turned to Wesson.

“Back away and put your hands on your head,” I ordered him.

“I’m not here to hurt her,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I just needed to talk to her. I haven’t touched her.”