Keller County Cops Book Seven: Code of Vengeance (2 page)

Thankful she'd already spent so much time in the darkness, she didn't have to wait for her eyes to adjust. Didn't take her long to spot Dirk, hunkered at a bar near the main stage beside a buxom blonde in a tight black sheath. Talk about being poured into a dress. Keegan had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Dirk seemed mesmerized by the over-endowed woman, however, and that didn't surprise her one bit. She'd tried to tell Jenny what a scumbag the guy was, but her sister wouldn't listen. She'd thought she could reform Dirk by dragging him to church and feeding him the gospel. Of course it hadn't worked, because the bastard liked his sinful lifestyle. Why walk the straight and narrow when you can screw strippers?

Keegan made a mental note of what the snake had on, then slipped from the bar the same way she'd come in. She had to leave the alley, though, because Dirk would exit via the front door, and she had no idea where he'd parked his truck. He drove a dove gray Chevy with a personalized tag that read,
lv2play.
Once he left the club and headed toward it, she'd waylay him. All she had to do was find a spot to hunker down and wait.

She found a good hiding place next to a stairwell diagonally across the street from the Kitty Kat and dropped onto her knees to better blend in with the shadows. A layer of grit bit into her skin through her yoga pants. She grimaced but put the pain out of her mind. A little physical discomfort was a small price to pay to get rid of the trash that had murdered Jenny.

Ten minutes passed. Fifteen.

After enduring the agony for another half minute, she shifted off her knees with a bitter wince, dropped back against the wall, and balanced herself atop a narrow ledge running the length of the building. Her backside grew numb almost immediately, but she overrode the new ache and riveted her gaze on the door. The placed closed at one a.m.

Only a little while to go.

A few minutes later, the door opened and a dark-haired man emerged with a scantily-clad brunette hanging on his arm. The woman shoved him against the wall a few feet from the door, kissed him, and rode his leg.

"For God's sake," Keegan muttered, averting her eyes. "Get a room."

They were still going at it a few minutes later when three men who'd obviously had one too many tumbled out the door. They halted and taunted the couple making out against the side of the building, and then wandered off laughing and shouting to each other as they went their separate ways. Every single one of them clambered into a vehicle and drove off.

Stupid drunk drivers. I'd call the cops, except I don't want to lose my chance of jumping Dirk. Dear God, please don't let any of them kill anybody on their way home.

The door opened again, and the man she was after stepped out of the club with a dark scowl on his face. He glanced at the lovebirds, sneered, and shook his head in derision. Then he jerked his keys out of his pocket and stomped off across the parking lot at a determined clip. Keegan smirked. The blonde at the bar must've turned him down. Good for her.

She rose on shaky legs and popped the snap on the strap holding the hunting knife. All she needed was to make one swipe of the razor sharp blade across his neck, and she'd finally have the revenge she craved. No more nightmares about him hurting Jenny, no more self-defense classes, no more plotting to nail his sorry white trash ass. Only peace.

Dirk reached the sidewalk and started across the street toward a small side parking lot at the end of the building where she crouched. Eager to catch him before he climbed into his truck, she pulled out the knife and crept toward the end of the building.

She reached the corner the second he stepped onto the sidewalk on her side of the street. His truck hunkered at the back of the lot, and no one else was around. That meant no witnesses. Glee filled her. All she had to do was dash up behind Dirk once he reached the Chevy, do the deed, and get the hell out of there. Mission accomplished.

Just as she stepped into the open, however, a man barged from the club.

"Hey, you!" He ran straight toward her. "Stop!"

Keegan froze.

"That was my girlfriend you just tried to pick up, you sick bastard!" the man shouted.

Dirk whipped around, and Keegan retreated into the shadows. Not a moment too soon, because the stranger plowed right up to Dirk and shoved him against the bumper of his truck.

"Amy's
my
girl." He stuck his finger in Dirk's face. "Keep your fucking hands off her."

"Hell, no. The bitch offers, I'm gonna take her up on it."

"Who are you callin' a bitch?"

"Your fat slut girlfriend, that's who." Dirk bumped up against the taller man. "And just so you know, that bitch came on to
me
. Wagging those tits in my face, practically beggin' for me to bang her. She's one man-hungry heifer."

"You goddamned son of a bitch," the stranger growled.

Dirk shoved him. "Get the fuck away from me."

"No effing way." The man pulled out a knife and drove it deep into Dirk's big belly. He yanked up on the blade, and with a surprised groan, Dirk dropped to his knees. The stranger twisted the knife before jerking it free and wiping it on Dirk's shirt. "That'll teach you to screw with my woman, you pig."

With a bitter laugh, he left Dirk to bleed out and jumped into a battered black pickup truck parked only a few feet away. Seconds later, he roared off into the night, spewing gravel as he whipped from the parking lot.

Keegan looked around, hoping someone else had seen the attack, but the area was empty. Even the couple making out against the wall had disappeared.

"Damn you, Dirk." Even though she'd been about to kill him herself, she dashed over to him and pressed two fingers to his neck. He had a weak, thready pulse and was fading fast. Blood poured from the wound in his gut.

He opened his eyes. Even though they were glazed with pain, a flash of recognition, topped by resignation, crossed his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but only emitted a watery surge of red-tinted liquid. It dripped down his chin to pool on his chest.

"I know you killed Jenny, Dirk." Keegan leaned in close. "Why'd you do it? She loved you with all her heart. This is your chance to come clean and tell the truth."

"Help... me..." he sputtered, more blood dripping from his lips.

Keegan dug out her phone, called 911, and gave the operator Dirk's location. Not because she wanted to, but because her own moral code wouldn't allow her to stand by and watch him bleed out when she hadn't stabbed him. She owed Haley that much.

Crazy, maybe... but it made sense to her.

"Your name, ma'am?" the operator asked as Dirk gurgled again. "Ma'am?"

No way.
Hand trembling, Keegan ended the call.

Dirk blinked slowly, the blood on his lips glinting as he attempted to speak. Did he want to confess? Probably not. The bastard wasn't wired that way.

He closed his eyes, and she switched her gaze to his broad chest.

Was he still breathing? She couldn't tell and didn't care, but at least by calling for help she'd given him a fighting chance. That's more than he'd done for Jenny.

The wail of a siren sliced through the too-quiet night.

Afraid she'd already hung around for too long, Keegan re-pocketed the phone and came to her feet. Time to go.

She glanced down at Dirk one last time, cursed his vile soul, and then dissolved back into the shadows. Her enemy was down without her having to dirty her knife. She'd thought Dirk's death, or rather, his
imminent
death, would satisfy her, and yet somehow she still felt empty. The immense hole torn in her heart when he'd murdered Jenny continued to gape wide. Keegan didn't know if she'd feel any better if
she'd
been the one to stab him, but now she'd never know.

"Where's
my
retribution?" she murmured to herself.
"My
revenge?"

A Keller County Sheriff's Department cruiser raced down the street. Desperate for anonymity, Keegan pressed her back to the cool brick wall.

A female deputy climbed from the car and strode toward Dirk's prone form, her hand resting on the butt of her pistol. She was confident and strong, her determined stride telling the world she wasn't afraid of anything, not even in this seedy location.

Keegan shivered.
She
wanted to be that strong and confident one day. Confident enough to be a good role model for Haley. She might not have custody of the child, but she often visited her niece, if only to give her mom and dad a break. They'd lost Jenny, too, and deserved some time to relax. Raising a grandchild, especially one as young as Haley, was hard work.

The deputy halted near the body and looked around, her narrow-eyed gaze landing on the area where Keegan hid before moving on to scan the parking lot.

Keegan held her breath until the cop glanced away. She didn't want to be associated with Dirk
or
the crime, even though she'd called for help. Better to remain in the shadows, out of sight, until the cavalry arrived. Then she could slink back home and decide what came next.

The deputy finally gave up on finding a witness, dropped to her haunches beside Dirk, and pressed two fingers to his thick neck. The look in her eyes told Keegan he was gone.

Good.

Dirk's death made her heart sing, and yet so many other cruel men still lived. Men who hurt women they supposedly loved and then worked the system so the DA never brought charges against them. Men who deserved to die the same way Dirk had.

Keegan clenched her hands.
I'll be more than happy to oblige them.

Along with that thought, a strange new warmth spread through her. Finding abusive men who beat the system would be no problem, since she worked in the court system. All she needed was a little more strength and self-assurance. A little more luck.

Then maybe she'd finally find the vengeance she craved.

The deputy rose and spoke into her shoulder mic just as another KCSO cruiser pulled to a stop at the curb. Afraid the second officer might search the area more thoroughly, Keegan turned and slipped back through the inky darkness to the Kawasaki.

Tomorrow was a new day. A new day to find another target.

For Haley.

*****

"That you, boss?"

"Yeah, Abby." Keller County Sheriff Rick Blaylock cringed because he knew what was coming. Abby Bowman, his newest investigator, was working a case at a tourist venue down near the beach, and dispatch had just ordered her to another crime scene.

She hesitated. "I'm still working the shooting at Trader Tom's. Can't get away for a while. Is anyone else available to head to the other scene?"

"Unfortunately, no. Mitch is running down that witness for court in the morning. I can't spare him right now. Jonah's on vacation, Cash is at the hospital with Tessa, and Brody's on his damned honeymoon. You two are the only ones on the schedule tonight."

"Call C.J. I'm sure he's asleep, but he won't mind helping out."

"Are you kidding me? He's just worked eight days straight without a break." Rick shook his head. Abby had married C.J. Bowman a little over a year ago, right before she'd made detective. "If I wake him on your recommendation, he'll never let
you
hear the end of it."

"That's okay." She laughed. "I'm used to his crazy rants."

"I'm sure you are. Still, I don't enjoy abusing my men. I'll take this one."

"Sheriff--"

"Don't worry about it, Detective. I don't have a reason to hurry home."

"What about Boozer?"

"I dropped him off at Mom and Dad's this morning. They keep him every day while I'm at work anyway. Won't matter if he stays overnight."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"I've got it, Abby. Heading down to the Kitty Kat Klub right now."

"Yes, sir. Tell Tiffany we're still on for drinks on Saturday."

"Sure thing, Detective." With a wry chuckle, he ended the call.

He didn't usually work cases, but a surge of violence had accompanied the hot July weather and the department
was
extremely short-handed. Wouldn't hurt him to pick up the slack. Might even give him a little extra exposure if the press got wind of it. He was up for re-election, and with crime on the increase, the public would no doubt appreciate seeing their sheriff put boots on the ground and get down and dirty with the criminal element.

Hell, he
hoped
they'd appreciate it. His main opponent in this year's election, Henry Maillet, had already spent a bundle criticizing Rick for three back-to-back shootings by a couple of his SERT officers -- members of the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team -- even though the Board of Review had deemed them all to be good shoots, followed by Captain Frank Wainscott's subsequent resignation. Wainscott, a twenty-year employee of the KCSO and a five-year member of the Board of Review, had kicked up a ruckus during the investigation and then had a complete meltdown in Rick's office when he'd confronted Wainscott about it.

"The whole world's going to hell in a hand basket," Rick muttered to himself as he trekked outside to his department-issued SUV. "Why do I even want to stay in office?"

He didn't know the answer to that question, but he did know he wanted to continue to serve Keller County. Thus the trip across town to the department's latest crime scene.

The blue lights atop Deputy Tiffany Ransom's cruiser helped him zero in on the body, in a small gravel parking lot across the street from the Kitty Kat Klub. Rick would love nothing more than to shut down the city's strip clubs, but the courts had stalled the campaign he'd started when he'd first been elected and the county attorney had advised him to drop the issue.

He parked at the curb behind Tiffany's ride and got out. She met him on the sidewalk.

"Sheriff?" She frowned. "Didn't expect to see you down here tonight. Where's Mitch?"

"Out chasing a reluctant witness. If he doesn't find the guy, our case will fall apart in court tomorrow."

"Guess I shouldn't expect him to make it home in time for breakfast, then."