Dangerous to Her by Virna Depaul Read Free Book Online

desire and dread.

Chapter 5

    P icturing Mattie’s stunned, pale face and the abrasions on her arm left his heart beating like a jackhammer. Dom shoved Dusty Monroe into a metal chair bolted to the floor of the holding room and shackled him to it. He then whirled on Pete, who was breathing heavily and sweating. Another deputy, who’d obviously responded to Pete’s call for backup, nodded at Dom as he dragged the other inmate out of the room and slammed the door to the transport bay.
    “What the—” Closing his eyes, Dom sucked in a deep breath and reminded himself they weren’t alone. With a quick glance at Dusty, who averted his gaze, Dom motioned for Pete to join him in the corner of the room.
    “What happened?”
    The wash of emotions over Pete’s face was unmistakable. First, he looked stunned. Then confused. Then belligerent. The other man, shorter than Dom by six inches but heavier by at least fifty pounds, mentally pulled up his pants while sticking out his chest. “Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot, Jeffries. I’ve been securing this courthouse for over five years now. I don’t need some burned-out blue boy coming in here and copping an attitude with me.”
    Narrowing his eyes, Dom didn’t bother sticking his chest out. Lowering his head, he got in Pete’s face. “You lost control of a prisoner who broke into my courtroom and accosted a woman. I’m not going to ask you again. What happened?”
    Pete swallowed, then seemed to deflate before Dom’s eyes. “The other one said he had to use the bathroom,” he grumbled.
    Dom felt his brows pop into his hairline. “They were shackled together, Pete. Why didn’t you wait for me before you unhooked their waist belts? That’s procedure.”
    Pete’s response was an almost juvenile shrug. “They were low-level security. We were already running late and Johnson’s case was first on the calendar. He hadn’t gotten to talk to his attorney yet. I figured it would speed things up if I unhooked them myself.”
    Or maybe it would get him brownie points with the wealthy man and his powerful attorney? When Dom remained silent, his disgust obvious, Pete spat, “I know, I know. It was stupid. But Johnson’s attorney’s a big shot and I figured he’d file a complaint or something. How was I supposed to know that one would run?” He shot a glare at Dusty.
    “Did Johnson suggest you unhook him?”
    The way Pete pressed his lips together told Dom all he needed to know.
    “It was probably a setup from the beginning,” Dom gritted. “They might have even delayed things at the jail themselves. Did you sweep the holding room before you brought them in? Do you know—”
    “Look,” Pete interrupted. “I don’t answer to you, Detective . I need to get this prisoner back to the jail and get some paperwork filled out.”
    Staring at the man who’d been more than civil to him in the past, Dom took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m going to interview Dusty, but I need to check on the woman he attacked first. Watch him. When I get back, I’ll call the jail when he’s ready to be transported.”
    Shaking his head, Pete sputtered. “He’s not going forward with the calendar, so he’s going back.”
    Knowing he’d perfected it, Dom let a slow, menacing smile spread across his face. “Don’t test me, Pete. He’s staying so I can talk to him. You got a problem with that, you can take it up with your supervisor. Seems to me, though, that you have other things to worry about.”
    They stared at each other, neither one of them blinking. As Dom watched, Pete’s face flushed a deep red, and the vein in his temple started to throb. “Fine.”
    Dom held his gaze for a few seconds longer, then turned to Dusty. “Try something again and you’ll regret it, we clear?” Although the inmate didn’t speak, Dom saw his agreement in his eyes. With a muttered curse, he called for backup, not caring how that would look to Pete. When another