Free Officer out of Uniform (Lock and Key Book 2) by Ranae Rose Page B

opposite had happened when Randy had been nine – his granny had dropped dead after a stroke.
    He couldn’t remember ever being sorrier about anything else, before or since then.
    Besides, with the warden’s death all over the news, a triple-homicide committed via rifle in broad daylight would likely have everyone within a mile’s radius calling the police as soon as the shots were fired. And the dog would pitch a fit loud enough to raise the dead, unless he spent a fourth bullet on it. Taking those three out that morning would’ve been Randy’s grand finale, his last act before it was all over.
    He had much bigger plans than that.
    He’d kill Dryden when the time was right. Quietly and slowly, if he could.
    Maybe he’d even take out the blonde and let Dryden stew in his misery for a little while. She wasn’t Dryden’s kin, but he cared about her – he’d made that obvious when he’d walked her to the car. He’d moved like he’d had a splintery stick up his ass, always looking over his shoulder, keeping one hand on her like a little flesh and bone could stop a threat he couldn’t even see coming.
    Dryden was one of Riley’s PERT officers – part of the team of COs that’d shot Troy on the day of the escape. Randy had searched his name on Reynolds’ ancient computer after tearing open the utility bill payment he’d taken from the mailbox the night before and had found a local news article mentioning that an Officer Dryden had been injured during the search.
    There was no question about it – Randy was gonna take what Dryden cared about away from him before he killed him. Now that he and his girlfriend were gone and the old woman was back inside her house, he’d start with the dog.
    Reaching into the same pocket he’d carried the stolen water bill in the night before, he pulled out a plastic baggy. Inside, there was a bologna sandwich marinating in lime green liquid. As quickly and quietly as he could, he emerged from the woods and approached the chain link fence that surrounded the little back yard. There, he dumped the soggy sandwich in the grass and turned on his heel, high tailing it back into the pines.
    The dog would wander out into the yard eventually and find the treat waiting by the fence. The bread had soaked up plenty of the green stuff, and he’d slathered the meat with it like mayonnaise. Next time he came back, he wouldn’t have to worry about the dog getting in his way.
     
* * * * *
 
    “This coffee tastes like shit,” Grey declared. “I’m going to buy a metric ton of decent quality grounds for the break room this Christmas. You’re all welcome.”
    Henry couldn’t have cared less what the coffee tasted like. After a tense night spent protecting and – barely – resisting Sasha, he was dead on his feet. As he waited for roll call, he gulped down the contents of a Styrofoam cup like it was bitter, liquid gold.
    Henry had already filled Liam and Grey in on what’d happened at his place the night before.
    “You’ve got an elderly neighbor, right?” Liam said. “She have any cats? Those things love to tear into garbage.”
    Henry shook his head. “No, no cats. Besides, my trashcan wasn’t touched.”
    That was the weird thing: nothing appeared to have been touched. It’d been eating away at him all morning.
    “Could’ve been raccoons,” Grey said. “Those little bastards are more trouble than cats. Maybe Wolf scared ‘em away.”
    “Maybe. I can’t afford to just assume it was something cute and fluffy though.” Henry downed the rest of his coffee, even the grounds left at the bottom of the cup. Grey was right – they sucked. He chewed the acidic grit anyway, knowing he’d need the energy for his shift.
    The prison was on lockdown. No surprise, after the warden’s death. Most of the inmates had wedged their heads firmly up their asses in celebration. In order to prevent riots, the whole place had been put on lockdown, and there was no end in sight.
    Every little