Targeted Risk (R.I.S.C. #7) - Anna Blakely Page 0,42
her side in seconds.
“Shit.” He grabbed the source of her pain—a chunk of burning wood—from her back and threw it to the side. “Are you okay?”
Juliet coughed again and winced. “I think so.” She hissed in a breath when she saw a large gash in his forehead and a scratch on his chin. “Are you?”
“Thanks to you.” Derek helped her to her feet.
“Lydia!” Her head moved on swivel as she searched for her beloved pet.
“There she is.” He motioned to her right.
Juliet spotted the plastic carrier lying on its side. Heart in her throat, she sprinted over to it. Relief flooded her system when she heard the sweet cat meow.
“Hey, baby.” She started to open the gate, but Derek covered her hand with his.
“I’d leave her in there. The last thing we need is for her to run off and have to chase her down.”
He was right. Lifting the carrier, Juliet looked through the tiny holes to assess Lydia as best she could. She was shaking and scared, but from what she could tell, the animal was okay.
With sirens blaring in the background, both she and Derek turned to assess the damage. The pain in her heart hurting worse than her shoulder when she saw Jay’s house. Or what was left of it.
“Oh, my god.”
Over half of the roof was gone, along with the front and right side of the structure. The entire thing was engulfed in flames.
“It’s me.” Derek spoke to someone on the phone. “I need you.”
In a daze, Juliet listened as he rattled off Jay’s address to whomever he was talking to. Thoughts of Jay and his destroyed home reminded her of her phone.
She immediately began scouring the grass around her. The phone had been in her hand when she’d been running to find Derek. She remembered having it just before the explosion.
There!
Two firetrucks and a car pulled up as Juliet ran to where the phone lay. She picked it up and immediately flipped it over to call, but her heart sank when she saw the busted screen.
“Hey, Derek? Can you call Jay and tell him—”
“Derek!” The man who’d been driving the car jumped out and jogged toward them. A woman with long, black hair much like her own exited the front passenger seat and followed in line.
“Damn, brother.” The guy started to reach for Derek’s wound. “You okay?”
Derek leaned back and pushed the man’s hand away. “I told you on the phone I was fine.”
“Thankfully, we were just leaving an unrelated scene two streets over when you called,” the woman commented. “That cut looks pretty nasty, D. You should let EMS take a look.”
Juliet agreed, but Derek shook his head in protest.
“It’s just a scratch, Riley.” He blew it off. “ I’m good.”
The other man looked around as if he were searching for something. “What about Mike? Where is he?”
Mike? That was the second time she’d heard that name tonight.
“You mean Jay?” Derek gave the other man a strange look. “This is his place now, Eric. Remember?”
The man named Eric frowned but then he nodded with a look of understanding. “Jay. Right. Sorry.”
“Who’s Mike?”
All three turned in her direction.
“Mike is, uh...he’s the guy who owned this place before Jay,” Derek explained. “And this is Eric, my twin.”
“Twin?” Juliet’s eyes widened with surprise. With the exception of the striking blue eyes, the two men looked vastly different.
Derek grinned. “It’s okay, you don’t have to say it. Everyone knows I’m better looking.”
“Just ignore him. Everyone else does.” Eric—who had short, dark hair and strong, handsome features—held out his hand. “Detective Eric West.”
Despite the situation, Juliet found herself smiling. “Juliet Farrow. I’m Jay’s...”
She wasn’t quite sure what she was. Girlfriend seemed strange, but then again, she did blurt out that she loved him.
Doesn’t count. You thought you were going to die.
Except it did count...because it was true.
“Jules is under Jay’s protection,” Derek finished for her. “He had a thing, so I’m keeping an eye on her until he gets back. Shit.” He pulled his phone from his pocket.
The detective shared a look with Derek before returning his gaze to hers. “Good to meet you, Juliet. This is Detective York, my partner.”
“Riley.” The woman shook Juliet’s hand. “You know, you look very familiar. Have we met before?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” But I bet you know my father.
Most members of law enforcement did.
“So what the hell happened?” Eric looked at his brother.
Juliet listened as Derek recounted the unbelievable events, including who they suspected was behind the attack. Eric and Riley