Armed and Dangerous Read Online Free

small office, studying a case, using his good hand to flip loose pages on his desk. The right one was in a cast from his fingers to his elbow and rested in a sling. Shane had planned to rake his partner over the coals for not telling him about the assignment with Daisy, but now he just felt like crap.
    If he’d shot the suspect when the man had turned toward him for that brief moment, gun in hand, Taylor wouldn’t have been hurt.
    â€œAre you gonna come in?” Taylor asked. “You’re giving me a complex just staring at me.”
    Shane shook himself. “Sorry, just thinking.”
    â€œUh-oh. Now we’re in trouble.” When Shane didn’t laugh, he paused in scanning his papers. “What’s up?”
    â€œI just came from talking with Austin and Daisy.”
    â€œAbout the four missing people and the undercover gig?” he asked, sitting up straighter.
    â€œYeah. Why didn’t you tell me about it?” He tried to keep the accusation out of his tone, but there was an edge all the same.
    â€œI was going to. Austin talked to me a few days ago, then this happened,” he said, holding up his cast. “Didn’t matter at that point because I couldn’t do it anymore and I knew the captain would ask you.”
    â€œMakes sense.”
    Taylor cocked his head, studying his friend. “You’re bugged about this. Why? Because he offered it to me first?”
    God, that made him sound petty. “Some. It’s stupid and I don’t really know why it bothered me.”
    â€œI don’t know what’s eating you about it, but I can shed some light on the reason, since he apparently didn’t explain.”
    â€œHe didn’t.”
    â€œIt’s simple. You’re the most recognizable of all of us, partner. After your shooting and then helping capture Jesse Rose last year, your mug was in every paper and on all the news channels, remember? He didn’t want to take the chance of somebody at the club recalling where they’ve seen you before.”
    â€œI’m such an idiot,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb. “I didn’t even think of that.”
    â€œAnd did it occur to you that he also asked me because I’m a good detective and I might do a good job?”
    â€œOf course,” he muttered. “That’s not it at all.”
    â€œHow much of what’s bugging you has to do with Daisy?”
    â€œYou’re too perceptive for your own good.” He sighed. “I don’t think working with her is such a good idea.”
    â€œWhy not? Daisy’s a good cop.”
    His friend looked so perplexed that Shane had to bite back a laugh. “I’ll let you think about that for a minute.”
    Understanding dawned on his partner’s face. “Oh. Well, I’m sure you can restrain yourself for however long it takes. It’s not like you don’t have a posse of ladies to keep you busy.”
    He shrugged, not liking how slutty that made him sound—even if it was true. “There aren’t
that
many.”
    â€œSure,” Taylor said dubiously. “Was there something else you needed?”
    â€œNo. I’ll let you get back to it.”
    â€œYeah, can’t wait. ’Cause reading over autopsy reports is so much fun.”
    â€œAutopsy? On who?”
    â€œNone of our missing four from the club. This came in from the medical examiner on that girl who was found on Monday, out by the dam.”
    â€œThe floater?”
    â€œYep. Nikki Thompson. Interesting case. Ligature marks on her wrists and nowhere else. No water in the lungs, so she didn’t drown. No recreational drugs or alcohol in her system, either.”
    â€œMurdered and dumped, then.”
    â€œLooks like it. The ME found the faintest trace of Rohypnol, but the strange thing is there was no evidence of sexual assault.”
    â€œThe body being in the water might have compromised the