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That's all I can tell you…just know that I need your help, Kayla.

Kayla Ryan forced her friend's desperate words from her head. She had to concentrate. She blinked as a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. With her full attention and her weapon focused on the corner of the building at the end of the alleyway, she took a moment to consider the scenario. Her target had taken cover around that corner. She wondered vaguely if he understood yet that he was trapped. He'd rushed away from the scene of the crime and into this alley to evade capture. But this particular alley dead-ended at a twenty-foot brick wall. Scaling it without the proper gear would be pretty much impossible. This guy had to be from out of town.

Kayla risked a glance behind her and wished like hell that backup would arrive. But in her gut she knew that in all probability she would have to handle him on her own. Crimes like robbery rarely occurred in the small town of Athens, Arizona. Creeps and criminals found the offerings in the larger cities of Casa Grande, Tucson and Phoenix much more to their liking. At times the sheriff's department was spread a little thin covering all the small towns and communities of Pinal County.

It wasn't as though she'd had time to order takeout and sit around waiting for backup. With most of the shops closed for the evening, she and her partner had conducted a final cruise through town before calling it a night when she'd noticed the suspicious activity outside Mullins Diamond Shop. Two suspects had fled the scene on foot, each going in a different direction — and each carrying a bag no doubt containing snatched goods.

That was the thing about late summer in Arizona — the intense heat brought out the crazies.

Dammit. She had an appointment to keep. She could either go in after this guy or wait for him to realize he couldn't escape and come charging out. He was armed. Desperate.

Better to make an offensive maneuver than a defensive one, her favorite instructor back at the police academy always said. Keeping her precision aim steady, she flattened herself against the wall and moved silently toward the corner where she'd watched her target disappear only seconds ago. A smile slid across her lips when the distinct sound of a muttered curse hissed through the night air. He'd no doubt just encountered that towering brick wall.

Adrenaline surged through Kayla's veins as she reached the corner — all that stood between her and an armed perp. Her heart rate remained amazingly calm, her respiration even. She'd learned long ago, well before the police academy, how to control her responses in any given situation. Athena Academy, the private school located on the edge of Athens that she'd attended as a young girl, had taught her a great deal more than academics. It had prepared her well for achieving the grade of lieutenant in record time in the sheriff's department.

The thought of her old school made her think of Rainy. I need your help, Kayla.

Kayla didn't have to look at her watch to know it was almost time. Her friend's urgency sang in her blood…a song of danger…of fear. Something was very, very wrong.

Leather slipping against fired clay echoed in the darkness. He was trying to climb the wall. Now was her chance…maybe the only one she would get.

Her grip tightened on her police-issue weapon as she eased around the corner, her gaze cutting through the darkness and instantly locating her target. The glow from a distant streetlamp provided just enough illumination for her to see that he'd abandoned his booty from the jewelry shop in an attempt to hasten his escape.

Not going to happen.

"Drop your weapon," Kayla ordered. He stopped dead still as the sound of her weapon cocking bounced off the enclosing walls, conveying a lethal message.

The man, tall and thin but seemingly athletically built, held up both hands in the universal gesture of surrender, but the handgun remained clenched in his right.

"Drop your weapon and assume the position," she ordered, moving forward one cautious step at a time. He would make a move. She sensed it with every fiber of her being. The only question was whether or not she could get close enough to counter the move before it was too late.

"Whatever you say, officer," he said. He tried to sound frightened but Kayla heard the underlying confidence in his tone. He wasn't afraid…he was certain. Certain he had the situation under control.

Another smile tickled her lips. She might be young and she was definitely female, both of which he likely considered to be to his advantage, but she was an Athena graduate.

He moved.

The whole scene lapsed into slow motion as he lowered his arms while simultaneously turning around one infinitesimal increment at a time. She lunged forward, moving closer to the danger, needing to put herself within striking distance in advance of his planned maneuver.

His gaze locked with hers in the near darkness and in that instant she realized that her instincts were right on the money. The business end of his weapon swung in her direction but she was ready for the attempt. Her right foot came up in a swift, smooth action that knocked the weapon from his hand before he could release the trigger he had depressed. The gun flew through the air, the round discharging from the barrel and ricocheting past the back of Kayla's head as she engaged the perp in a hand-to-hand exchange.

She twisted, artfully tripping the man, who outweighed her by a good fifty pounds. They went down. The air hissed through his clenched teeth when they hit the ground. But he wasn't done yet. Using his one advantage — his weight — he rolled and pinned her to the ground.

He struggled to gain control of her weapon. She tossed it beyond his reach…as well as her own. Her heart rate kicked into a higher gear, pumping the fueling adrenaline to her muscles. She shoved against his chest and distracted him with an attempt at kneeing him in the groin.

The bastard made an evasive move and laughed. "Whoa now, little lady, no need to make this personal." He slammed her back against the concrete. She allowed it, let him feel as if he'd gained the upper hand. "You definitely don't want to do that."

His smile dimmed when she chuckled good-naturedly. "You're right. I don't want to do that." Before he could fathom her intent she'd landed a blow to his larynx that would disable a charging bull. Both his hands went to his throat as he gasped for breath and flailed to get away from her.

Kayla rolled to her feet, retrieved her weapon and reholstered it, since deadly force definitely would not be necessary. She grabbed his right arm and pinned it behind his back to snap a cuff into place.

"You have the right to remain silent," she told him as she clicked the matching metal bracelet on his left wrist. "If you give up this right —" she assisted him to an upright position "— I might just have to kick your ass again." She leaned close to his ear. "We wouldn't want the boys on the cell block you're going to call home for the next five-to-ten to get wind of that, now would we?"

The sound of a wailing siren in the distance signaled backup was close. She didn't give her collar a chance to respond to the rhetorical question as she shoved him toward the street. To her extreme relief, her partner was leading his collared creep in the direction of the arriving cavalry, as well. If she were lucky, he'd take care of the final booking and report. She had only one thing on her mind now. Getting to Athena Academy…to her friend…for the promise.



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