“I’m logical because I’m not high on testosterone.”

She reached for the car handle and glanced toward the house.

What was that?

She froze and stared harder into the dark. There it was again. Somebody was definitely crouched in the shadows against the side of the house below her wraparound porch.

“Michael.” It was a whisper. “Look.” Keeping her hand below the dashboard, she pointed. “Can you see it? There’s somebody there.” Her voice wavered and she pressed the lock on her door.

“I see it.” He was instantly alert. “Stay here.” He reached in his console and slipped out of the vehicle before she could say another word.

She’d spotted the gun as he’d removed it from his console, and it’d shocked her into silence. What was he doing? He was licensed to carry concealed, but she’d never seen a gun in his hand outside the shooting range.

The person hiding next to her home couldn’t miss seeing Michael exit the truck and leave her behind. Michael casually jogged up her steps, yelling back at her. “I’ll go grab it for you and then we can leave!”

Her heart rate escalated. The shadow near the porch hadn’t moved. She watched Michael unlock her door with a key from his ring and dart inside, leaving her front door wide open.

She blinked. What would Jack think if he knew Michael had a key?

Her eyes widened as she spotted a new shadow on her porch, slinking along the house. Michael. He’d snuck out the back door and was creeping to position himself above the person hiding below.

Her jaw locked and every muscle contracted. Without looking, she dug in her evening bag for her cell and clutched it to her chest. She watched Michael silently move to the top of her porch rail and then drop directly onto the shadow crouching below. She squawked as the two shadows blended into one and rolled roughly onto the driveway.

With one eye on her phone and the other on the two men wrestling in the snow, Lacey dialed 911.

Mason had crawled out of a warm bed on an early Sunday morning to make a special trip to the city jail. It wasn’t necessary, but he simply had to see this in person. He drove into the sleeping city, still chuckling at the description the police officer had given of Jack Harper’s arrest.

Arrested for assault while fighting over a woman at some fancy shindig. The cop hadn’t mentioned the woman’s name, but when Mason heard Michael Brody was on the pressing end of the assault charges, he knew the woman had to be Dr. Campbell. Mason strode down the narrow hallway, exchanging greetings with uniforms he recognized, and stopped in front of a holding cell.

Ohhh. Priceless. The surly arrestee sat on a bench, dressed in a tux with a ripped lapel and something sticky dried in his hair. Mason stuck his hands in his pants pockets, rocked back on his boot heels, and soaked in the view. The furious glare directed his way didn’t faze Mason one bit. He gave Harper a toothy grin, wishing he had a cigar.

Damn, he forgot his camera.

Too bad Dr. Campbell’s ex, Frank Stevenson, wasn’t still locked up. Mason could have set him loose in Harper’s cell just to watch the fun. It’d be like dumping a lame chicken in a wolf’s den. Harper would eat him alive. Mason snickered at the image.

The wolf snapped at him. “What’s so fucking hilarious?”

Mason tipped his head, studied the angry man, and shared his analogy. The wolf softened and managed his own half grin.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind a punching bag about now. Stevenson’s face would be perfect,” Harper muttered.

Mason twisted his lips. Harper impressed him more and more at each meeting. Cocky, but honest and direct. Passionate about good causes, and Dr. Campbell was a good cause in Mason’s book. Harper had probably been a good cop. Too bad about the shooting.

After Harper’s first interview, Mason had looked deeper into the incident. Harper had been shot while on the job. The department had said the shooting left Harper emotionally unstable and unable to perform his duties safely. Harper had done his time with the station shrink, but he’d finally left the Lakefield police force.

Harper was king of the hill when he was in his element. Like when Mason and Lusco had visited him at his office. Harper had staked out his territory and reigned supreme. In that job, the man was able to control his environment and the people around him, something nearly impossible to do as a cop. Mason had a feeling Harper rarely lost his temper with his employees. His contractors, maybe. Mason could see Harper taking a bite out of an ass or two that didn’t fulfill their end of a bargain.

Now Harper was once again out of his element with the headstrong dentist. Always trust a woman to throw a man for a loop. Like his ex-wife…Mason immediately put his ex out of his head, but it’d brought his son to mind. Mason hadn’t seen Jake since…Christmas? February was about to start and he hadn’t seen his son since the holidays. Phone calls with the kid, sure, but no face-to-face stuff. Kid was busy. A senior in high school this year. Basketball. Studying. All that crap.

“Callahan.”

Mason snapped out of his thoughts. Harper had stood and walked over to the bars. He was standing two feet from Mason and he hadn’t even noticed. “What?”

“I asked when I’m getting out of this shit hole. You know perfectly well there’s a woman I’m trying to keep an eye on.” Jack studied Mason’s face. “Not enough sleep last night? Sorry you had to get out of bed so early.” He smiled.

“No. I was just realizing I hadn’t seen my son since Christmas. Lives with his mom.” Embarrassment immediately flushed Mason’s face. He hadn’t meant to reveal personal facts to a guy he barely knew.