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  “What’s going on?” Del queried.

  Moz’s attention switched back to her to find her watching Kirk getting off the motorbike, her gaze flickering back up to Moz in puzzlement. The earlier glimmer of awareness in her eyes was gone.

  He’d make sure he saw it again. Later. Business first.

  “Del,” Kirk greeted pleasantly as he swung off the bike, tucking the helmet under one arm while slinging the leather jacket over one shoulder.

  “What’s going on?” she repeated.

  “Just need to have a little chat, that’s all.”

  “About what?”

  Moz moved forward, lightly touching her shoulder. “Let’s go inside.”

  Startled, her gaze flew back up to him. “Um…okay, sure.” Obviously still puzzled, she turned and led the way inside the house.

  Man, what a view. Okay, he was here for business first, but the sight of those curvy hips swaying in front of him, the flutter of the loose, flowery shorts against those slim thighs, that was a view worth admiring as they walked down the hallway.

  He glanced over his shoulder but Kirk was just walking behind him, gaze steady as they flicked from roughly the area of Del’s head to Moz, the cop giving a slight nod.

  Figured. The man only had eyes for his beloved Molly.

  Good. It saved Moz from having to punch him in the face.

  Not even bothering to wonder where that thought had come from, Moz returned his attention to Del, following her into the lounge room. No sooner had he come to a stop than his gaze fell on the little black kitten gazing wide-eyed at him from the back of the sofa.

  “Ah.” Kirk stopped beside him. “This just has to be the kitten I’ve seen on your posters all over town.” He slanted a look at Del. “You even talked Phil into putting it up on the notice board at the cop shop.”

  She grinned. “Doesn’t everyone check out the cop shop for lost and found?”

  Crossing slowly to the sofa, Moz held out his hand. The kitten eyed him with interest. Cute little bugger.

  “Not generally for pets,” Kirk replied.

  “Then you need to expand your protective circle to include them.”

  “Oh, we do in a fashion. So tell me, did you find its home?”

  “It’s a her, and her name is Missy. And yep, her home here is with me.”

  Moz drummed his fingers on the sofa, grinning as Missy stretched her neck up to peer excitedly at his fingers, her eyes going big and black, then she dropped down in stalker mode and started creeping forward. Feisty.

  “You don’t say.” Kirk placed his helmet and leather jacket on the floor just inside the doorway.

  “Yep.”

  “A little soon to claim her, isn’t it?”

  “Actually, she was given to me by her owner, so all’s good. I’ll take the notices down tomorrow.”

  Missy scampered forward, stopped, stiffened, whiskers quivering before she bounced forward to tap Moz’s finger. He obliged by lifting his finger and waving it in the air. Missy reared up on her little back legs, front paws waving as she batted at his finger.

  He grabbed her as she almost fell off the sofa, picking her up to cradle to his chest. Missy looked up at him, eyes still big, and he smiled down at her, half closing his eyes as he raised her up to face level. He blinked several times, she blinked back, relaxing in his big hand. A tiny little scrap of fur and spirit, she was enchanting. Man, he loved animals. Call him a sap, but he wasn’t afraid to admit it.

  “Can hardly find her in your massive paw,” Kirk commented, dropping down into one of the armchairs.

  “She is petite.”

  “Did you really say petite?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Don’t let Ryder hear you say words like that.”

  “Would that boofhead even know what the word means?”

  “You have a point.” Kirk watched in amusement as Moz placed Missy back on the sofa, where she proceeded to bounce up and down, chest to the backrest before scuttling along the back of the sofa in playful delight. “You won’t be lost for entertainment for awhile, Del.”

  “She’s adorable.” Perching on the edge of the other armchair, she glanced at Moz. “Feel free to pull up a pew.”

  Sitting on the sofa, Moz was pleased to find the big, old, comfortable furniture sturdy. Nothing groaned or creaked beneath his weight. Scott’s sofa had let out a twinge of protest one night, which had cracked up his friends. They could laugh it up, but sometimes he actually sat down and feared some spindly chair was going to give out and leave him on his arse on the floor. Sitting down on dainty chairs always gave him the jitters. Thankfully there was nothing dainty about the lounge furniture.

  Reclining comfortably against the sofa, he rested the ankle of one foot on the opposite knee, leaning his forearm on the upraised knee as he studied Del.

  She met his gaze steadily, not a hint of anything in her eyes except for curiosity which she then transferred to Kirk. “What’s up?”

  Perched on the edge of the armchair, Kirk loosely linked his hands while returning her gaze. “Tell us about last night.”

  “Last night?”

  “Last night.”

  “What about last night?”

  “Tell us how Missy came,” Moz said quietly.

  “Missy?” Del’s looked at the kitten busy burrowing under a cushion in the corner of the sofa. “Why do you want to know about - wait.” The puzzlement vanished, replaced with exasperation. “Did my mother ring you?” Her gaze flicked between Kirk and Moz. “Both of you?”

  “Actually, she just rang me,” Kirk replied. “Now, about Missy-”

  “For crying out loud!” Del sagged back against the armchair. “I don’t believe this.”

  “Your parents are just a little worried about you. Don’t get upset with them.”

  “Look, nothing much happened. Definitely nothing to go ringing the police about.”

  “Del,” Moz said quietly. When she didn’t look at him, he added a touch more authority. “Del, look at me.”

  She obeyed, a frown creasing her smooth brow. “What?”

  “Just tell us what happened.”

  “Then what? You’ll go over there and cause trouble?”

  Hmm, touchy. He regarded her steadily. “That was unwarranted.”

  “Seriously? You think so? After what happened yesterday?”

  There was no need to guess what she meant. “What happened yesterday has nothing to do with now.”

  “How do I know that?”

  His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Because I’m telling you.”

  “And I’m supposed to just believe that?”

  “Yes.”

  That simple reply seemed to take the wind from her sails. Her mouth opened, shut, soft lips pursed.

  God, he would love to grab her and kiss that rebellion away. No, not away, just dominate it for a short time. He’d enjoy the hot wrestle, the sizzle of carnal submission as she gave in to him, the searing sweetness as he stoked those embers of rebellion into scorching flames of desire.

  What he was feeling must have shown in his eyes because hers widened, her cheeks flushed, the frown disappeared.

  Kirk shifted, his eyes keen as he watched and listened to the byplay between them.

  Moz might have been entertaining a sudden hot fantasy, but he wasn’t a fool. His dick wasn’t ruling his head, his mind very much on the episode of the previous night. Getting side tracked wasn’t even contemplated.

  First he dealt with this business, then he dealt with Del. When Kirk was well and truly gone.

  Without removing his gaze from her, he asked with a hint of steel in his voice, “What happened?”

  That had a spark of anger flaring in her eyes, but before she could retort sharply, Kirk spoke quietly but firmly. “Del, we’re not going to go haring off over the road to cause trouble. What happened last night might have a bearing on something we’re investigating. Now tell us what happened.”

  “Investigating?” Her
head whipped around, the thick blonde braid sliding across her shoulder. “Investigating what?”

  “That I can’t divulge.”

  Moz slanted a look at Kirk. If the bloody bloke had said that in the first place they might have avoided irritating Del. The only reason Moz hadn’t said anything to her was because he didn’t know how far Kirk wanted to go in an explanation.

  Del looked accusingly at Moz. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

  “I wasn’t sure how far to go,” he replied honestly.

  She stared at him for several seconds before finally nodding, her shoulders relaxing. “Okay. Sorry. Guess I’m a little touchy right now.”

  Interesting. “Have you been threatened?”

  “What? No. Well…” She looked blankly at him before shaking her head. “I guess I’m getting this over-protective vibe everywhere and it’s a little annoying. I’ve lived out here safely for ages and suddenly my parents are worried about me, there’re new locks on my windows and…Never mind.” Taking a deep breath, she rubbed her hands on her knees. “Sorry. Rant over.”

  She was an independent woman, he respected that, but he also wanted her safe. So sue him, he didn’t give a rat’s arse. Another subject for later.

  Maintaining a relaxed façade, Moz stroked Missy as she walked across his lap. “Del, tell us what happened last night from beginning to end.”

  “Okay, well…” She scratched her chin thoughtfully, glancing up at the ceiling as she debated where to start. “I got home from work, had a shower, and was in the kitchen heating up food when I heard some yelling and dogs barking. Then I heard a yelp so I decided to check out what was happening. Grabbed a baseball bat and went outside.”

  Moz’s gut twisted a little. She’d gone outside armed with a baseball bat. Great.

  “Missy went straight past me being chased by a ruddy big dog, and it wasn’t friendly, let me tell you.”

  Kirk didn’t move, his attention focussed on her, cop face stoic.

  “A couple of men came over and got the dog.” Del shrugged. “That was pretty much it.”

  Like hell it was. “Just a couple of men,” Moz intoned.

  “Yep.”

  “That’s not what your mother said.”

  “Okay, there were four.”

  “Name them,” Kirk ordered quietly.

  “Brand Dawson, Pierce Harding, Cutter and some bloke called Fritz. I’ve not seen Fritz before, he’s not from around here.”

  If Moz hadn’t already known about the men, he’d have been swearing. He’d done his share of that already, which was a good thing otherwise Del would have been pissed at him being pissed.

  Truthfully, he was a little pissed just hearing her recount what had happened, mostly because she’d been willing to brush it off as just a ‘couple’ of men, when in fact it had been four. Of those four, one was unknown, two were dangerously stupid, the fourth, Cutter, was simply dangerous.

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “What time was this?”

  The fleeting glance she cast him now held a touch of wariness. “Um…you know…late afternoon.”

  “Try again,” he advised.

  Her shoulders straightened a touch defiantly. “Around seven thirty.”

  Okay, he knew roughly what had happened, but just hearing the admission from her own mouth was setting sparks off in his normally controlled temper.

  Obviously Kirk could see the steam starting to roll from his ears because he snagged Del’s attention. “Around seven thirty you heard men yelling, dogs barking, a yelping, and this dog came onto your property. Describe the dog to me. Big, small, savage, scars? Limping?”

  Forcing himself to relax, Moz listened. Letting his normal control slip wouldn’t help the situation. He had to get his personal feelings under control, don his inspector’s role, look for clues in her story. Del was the closest they’d gotten to the dog fighting ring, what she had to say could lead to a breakthrough. If he let personal feelings interfere while she was being interviewed by Kirk, he could stuff it all up.

  Personal feelings could come to the fore later. For now it was business. He couldn’t believe he had to keep reminding himself of it. Talk about brain farts.

  “The dog was big, powerfully built. Didn’t look a particular breed, more of a mongrel.” Del’s nose screwed up as she thought. “From memory, I think there was a scar on its shoulder, quite a long scar, and its muzzle might have had some scars but I can’t be sure.” She shook her head. “The lights also cast shadows, you know?”

  Missy climbed up Moz’s chest, intent on getting to the top of the sofa, and he absentmindedly lifted her up in his palm, placing her level with the sofa where she ran along the back happily.

  Kirk nodded encouragingly. “Anything else about the dog?”

  “I think it was contemplating having a go at me.”

  Jesus, just the thought of Del at the mercy of a savage dog had Moz’s gut tightening.

  Almost as though she’d caught his vibe, Del cast him a cautious glance. Woman had a right to be cautious, after all, she’d gone out alone in the freakin’ dark armed with only a baseball bat.

  “Um…” Obviously a little rattled at the way he was watching her, Del continued, “Then the blokes came and took it, so all’s good, right?”

  “You think?” he growled. Bloody oath it wasn’t good.

  Her eyebrows rose.

  Kirk reclaimed her attention calmly. “Can you describe the fourth man, Fritz?”

  Del bent her leg, one foot going beneath her bottom as she leaned against the armrest of the chair. “Not much to look at, really. Medium height, medium build, old clothes - jeans and t-shirt, thongs. Kind of brown hair, I guess, it looked like it in the shadows and light. Couldn’t see the colour of his eyes, I wasn’t that close.”

  Damned lucky for her.

  “Had a bit of a moustache, no beard.” Del shrugged. “I’m sorry, that’s all I can tell you.”

  Kirk was jotting the description down on a small notepad he’d plucked from his pocket.

  “Oh,” she added brightly, “the dog’s name was Killer.”

  Killer. He was going to have a stroke. Moz rubbed his eyes. Cripes, he never got this angry with a victim. And that was the whole bloody problem, Del could have been a victim, savaged by a dog or hurt by a group of four men, maybe both. A woman living alone and going out into the dark with only a baseball bat.

  Obviously Kirk thought the same. “I can’t tell you right now what is going on, Del, but you need to be careful. No more going out investigating things on your own, no going up on the roof. You hear dogs or men, you call the police station, understand?”

  “And me.” Damn, Moz could hear the roughness in his own voice but no way could he stop it. Leaning forward, he speared Del with his gaze. “You call me.”

  She looked between the men. “Look, what is going on?”

  “Like I said,” Kirk replied evenly, “we can’t tell you.”

  “You can’t tell me but you think you can tell me what to do?” Annoyed, she folded her arms. “I need more of an explanation than that.”

  “You’re not getting more,” Moz stated. “But you will do as you’re instructed, understand? It’s for your safety.”

  She stared at him for several seconds before throwing her hands up in the air. “Fine. Whatever.”

  Moz shook his head. Did she really think they were that stupid?

  Kirk’s eyes narrowed a fraction.

  “What?” she demanded. “I just agreed.”

  His gaze was steady, getting that look that unnerved a lot of people.

  Del avoided his gaze, looked at Moz, her brows lowering. “What?”

  “This is no game. There’re things going on that could result in you getting hurt.”

  “Okay, I get it.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.” When both men met this with silence, she repeated vehemently, “Yes!”

  “You hear a noise, you see something, you ring us,” Moz ordered.


  “Fine. Yes, I will ring you both.”

  “I’m holding you to that.”

  “I’m not an idiot,” she said tightly.

  “No, but you’re a stubborn woman with an independence issue.” Oops, he hadn’t meant to say that. Too late, it was out.

  Her mouth fell open. “I beg your pardon?”

  Ignoring the byplay, Kirk tapped the pen against the notepad. “Did the men say anything in particular?”

  Still glaring at Moz, she replied, “You mean apart from not taking my telling off well?”

  Moz was instantly on the alert, Kirk’s head snapping upright.

  “You told them off?” Moz asked incredulously, though why that would be he had no idea. The woman was apt to do anything, as he was fast finding out.

  “One of them kicked the dog in the ribs. There was no call for that.” Her brow darkened. “I also told them that if dogs can’t be controlled they should be tied up.”

  The woman’s tongue was going to get her seriously hurt. “How did they take that?”

  She shrugged. “Pierce said he knew. Fritz leashed the dog and took it away.”

  “Did they say anything else?” Kirk asked.

  Moz arched a brow. “Maybe the question should be, what else did you tell them?”

  Del looked him right in the eyes, her chin lifting. “I said that if I saw his friend abusing the dog again, I’d report him.”

  Shit. Moz dropped his foot to the floor and leaned forward, his gaze locking on hers. He admired her spunk, but at the same time her bravado was foolish. “You said that while those four men were right in front of you?”

  “I don’t think they’d have heard me if I’d shouted it across the road.”

  “You have no idea how dangerous this could get,” he said tightly.

  “I won’t sit back and watch an animal be abused, no matter what,” she replied fiercely.

  “Del-” Kirk began.

  “No.” She stood. “Okay, I won’t go on the roof, I won’t go outside and investigate at night if I hear something, but don’t expect me to just stand there and watch an animal be abused. I won’t do it.” Arms folded, she glared down at them both.

  Great, now she was getting really angry. He couldn’t blame her, not really, seeing an animal getting hurt was something he wouldn’t tolerate either, but neither was seeing her harmed. “I understand.”