knowledgeable, but he made her a little edgy. Okay…maybe more than a little, she acknowledged to herself as she slowly made her way to the door, stopping to glance at the newspaper headlines before exiting. She was stalling, but it was less time she had to spend confined in a vehicle with Jake.
He was a large, bulky, muscular man that seemed to take up a lot of space, even though they were riding in a Ford Expedition. He loomed over her five foot five height by at least seven inches and he was built like a bulldozer. There wasn't an inch of fat on his body and his sculpted muscles seemed to strain the material of his police issue uniform.
His features were ruggedly handsome. Dark blonde hair and brown eyes set into a face with a steel jaw that was usually lightly sprinkled with a dark blonde shadow and lips that rarely smiled.
It wasn’t that he mean or discourteous to her. He answered her questions with patience and seemed interested in helping her reach her career goals.
Lilly couldn't really put a finger on the reason for her discomfort with him. She had absolutely no reason to be tense, but he somehow exuded...danger. Occasionally, she would catch him staring at her so intently that she wanted to squirm, almost like she was a specimen under a microscope.
She tried to shake it off as she exited the convenience store. It was ridiculous to feel uneasy with Jake. He was a veteran at the Sheriff's Department, a sergeant who took his responsibilities seriously.
Lilly grabbed the door handle of the Expedition, opened the door and swung herself up into the seat of the large, marked SUV. As she secured her seat belt Jake quickly put the unit in gear.
"We need to investigate a possible breaking and entering on this side of town. Suspicious activity outside of a house with no lights on and nobody home." he informed her casually, in his low, baritone voice. "It's right around the corner so I opted to go. You willing to do a little overtime?"
"Yes. Of course,” she answered as she dropped her coffee into a cup holder. She knew it was time for both of their shifts to be over, but Jake always did what was best for the community, and they were close.
He turned the corner into a small subdivision and pulled up silently in front of one of the ranch style homes. He had cut the lights before he slid to the curve and cut the engine immediately.
Jake opened the door quietly. He motioned towards a house to the left of them, letting her know where he was going and ordered her softly but sternly, "You stay here and lock the doors. Don't come out until I tell you it's clear."
He slipped into the night like a phantom, his dark colored uniform blending in with the shadows. She could see him approaching the house slowly and then he rounded a corner at the back of the house.
He was gone, completely out of her sight.
Lilly locked the doors, her heart thundering. The minutes crept by as she watched the house anxiously. She wondered if he had called for back-up. She didn't see any other units arriving.
"Oh...for God's sake!," she whispered, chastising herself. "He knows what he's doing."
As she watched the house nervously she reminded herself that this is why she preferred being in the lab. She liked things orderly. Doing field work would make her a wreck.
Lilly checked her watch every ten seconds. Five minutes had passed and there was still no sign of Jake or any activity. Was he okay? What if someone had taken him by surprise and fled? He could be injured and needing help.
Six minutes.
Seven minutes.
She opened her window a crack to listen for noises. She could hear nothing stirring, no voices or calls for help. No lights. Wouldn't Jake be using his flashlight?
Eight minutes.
She couldn't take it anymore. She unfastened her seat belt, unlocked the doors and