Page 3 of Covert Mission

“Don’t, please. I didn’t say nothing. I swear,” Pico begged.

“Police. Freeze!” Seth snapped. “Hands in the air.”

The man facing Pico didn’t move.

“Get your hands up,” Seth ordered. “Now.”

Pico’s eyes widened. “Look out.”

Seth turned to meet the unknown threat. Pain exploded at the back of his head.

The world went black.

CHAPTER TWO

TEAGAN PALONI EYEDthe black truck in the parking lot at the running trail’s entrance. So, her running companion had beaten her here and got a head start on the day’s run.

That was unusual for Seth. He normally waited for her to arrive. Perhaps he had a busy day ahead and couldn’t wait. She studied the lone vehicle in the lot, uneasiness growing in her gut. She didn’t like the unusual since trouble often accompanied it.

Teagan started her run at a nice, easy jog. Almost a mile from the trail entrance, she skidded to a stop. Two bodies lay in the middle of the trail.

Teagan’s stomach knotted when she recognized the nearest man. Seth. She ran to him, scanning for an assailant as she sprinted the last few feet separating her from her friend.

She knelt beside him and touched her fingertips to his neck, checking for a pulse. The steady throbbing had her breathing a sigh of relief. Thank God. Blood pooled under his head, though.

Carefully, she checked his head and discovered a large gash. Teagan frowned. He’d been pistol whipped and, unless she missed her guess, Seth needed stitches to close the wound.

Much as she hated to get involved with the police, Teagan needed to report the attack on one of their own. After all, he was one of Ardmore’s finest, and his cop buddies would want to know about Seth’s injury.

Before she made that call, she should check on the other man. Getting to her feet, she crossed the distance between Seth and the second man, crouched, and checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

Not a surprise since a bullet struck the second man in the heart.

She returned to Seth and called the police. After giving their location and the information that Seth was an Ardmore police detective, Teagan studied the crime scene and took several pictures.

At first glance, the scene looked as though Seth had shot the second man and killed him. But who had clubbed Seth in the head?

Once she’d uploaded the photos to her Fortress Security account, she deleted them from her phone and turned her attention back to Seth. “Come on, Seth. You need to wake up. We’ve got big trouble, my friend.” She tapped his cheek with her fingers. “Seth?”

He flinched and groaned.

“Hey, can you hear me?”

Another groan. “Teagan?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“What happened?”

“That’s what I need you to tell me. Looks like you’ve been pistol whipped.”

His eyes opened at those words. He frowned. “Head hurts.”

“I bet. You need stitches, and I think you have a concussion to go along with the headache.”

Seth raised his hand to his forehead. “Pico.”

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