Читать книгу The Military K-9 Unit Collection - Valerie Hansen - Страница 51

FOUR

Linc wasn’t surprised by the way Star treated the trusting little boy after a proper introduction, but his own reactions to the situation gave him pause. A feeling of tenderness he had not anticipated flowed over and through him, leaving a sense of peace and rightness behind. What was that all about? He didn’t even like kids. At least he didn’t think he did. Truthfully, his experiences with small children were limited, and he’d always viewed them as sort of alien creatures. Cute but unknowable. So how had he apparently managed to connect with this one?

He cast a sidelong glance at Zoe and was awed by her expression, as well. The way she was gazing at her son left no doubt of her love and devotion. From what Linc could recall, nobody had ever looked at him that way, not even his own mother, and as far as his dad was concerned, he might as well have been invisible—unless he’d misbehaved. Then his father had taken plenty of notice and dished out serious punishment.

Such thoughts pulled Linc from his earlier calm and left him wondering what Freddy’s father had been like. There wasn’t much background information in Sergeant Sullivan’s personnel file, but since she’d chosen to revert to her maiden name, he figured there must have been notable conflict.

“You’re doing fine,” Linc told the child. “Just pet her gently. She likes her ears scratched like this.” He demonstrated, then laughed when Freddy tried it. “Not so hard, okay? Star wants to keep her ears attached to her head. She needs them to hear with.”

Freddy giggled. “Silly.”

Linc’s grin was genuine and widening. He really got a kick out of this kid. “Here. Let me tell her to lie down and you can scratch her tummy. She loves that, too.”

Instead of bending over Star as she dropped to the floor and rolled onto her back on command, Freddy threw himself down beside her and reached across her body to wiggle his fingers in her short soft hair. “Tickle, tickle.”

She turned her head without rising and gave his cheek a lick. Childish laughter filled the room, and the boy put his hands over his face. “Eww. She kissed me.”

“Because she likes you,” Linc replied. He looked at Zoe. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“It does my heart good to see Freddy so happy. If it takes a little dog slobber to make that happen, how can I mind? Besides, the newest info on keeping kids healthy is to raise them with animals and let them build up resistance to germs.”

“Good to know.” Linc startled slightly when his radio went off, and he cupped a hand over his earbud, listening to the dispatch coming over his radio.

Zoe gently touched his forearm. “Is everything okay? It’s not Boyd, is it?”

“No.” Linc put on his blue beret and gave Star’s leash a tug. “We have to go downstairs for a few minutes. A couple of our dogs that were still missing after they were all released last month have been sighted coming this way. I’m supposed to keep an eye out and try to capture them.”

It was all he could do to avoid looking at the place where her hand still lay. The sensation was electric. When she withdrew her slim fingers, he almost wished she hadn’t.

“We won’t go far,” he said, rising. “Hand me your cell phone and I’ll enter my number. We’ll be right downstairs if you need anything.”

“I can manage my brother if he does show up,” Zoe countered, complying anyway. “He doesn’t scare me.”

“Well, he should.” Linc gave her back her phone and paused just long enough to put his dog’s working vest back on her. That also gave him time to be certain Zoe was taking his warning seriously. When she sobered, he was satisfied.

Star accompanied him to the door, tight at heel position. Linc glanced back. “Lock this after me.”

“I will.”

“Now,” he added, when she didn’t immediately act.

“Yes, sir,” she said, giving him a smile and a mock salute.

More chatter was coming in over his radio. Linc keyed his mic. “On my way. I’ll meet you in the street.”

With a last look at the woman and child, he turned on his heel and left. Normally, he would have waited until he was certain she had locked her door, but the last messages indicated that several of the missing dogs were nearby. His plan was to position himself on the lawn of the apartment building and wait, hoping that Star’s presence would draw the others in. Many of the highly skilled K-9s had been found and returned to the CAFB training facility, but there were still thirty-two dogs missing, including four special animals. He wanted to find all the dogs, of course, but locating Glory, Patriot, Scout and Liberty would be a real coup.

A Security Forces SUV was approaching slowly, driver and passenger scanning the area. Linc waved them down.

“I haven’t spotted any loose ones yet, but I just got down here,” Linc called.

Novice trainer Bobby Stevens, the driver, nodded and glanced up at the apartment windows. “We have an audience. Did they see anything?”

Linc followed the same line of sight and felt his heart skip like a flat stone thrown onto the surface of a placid lake. Zoe and Freddy were peering out their open window, watching the drama in the street unfold.

“No. I was working up there with Star when I got the call. We were all sitting in the living room.”

The SUV passenger, Master Sergeant Caleb Streeter, chuckled wryly. “Must be nice getting to sit around all day, Colson, while the rest of us bust a gut chasing reports of dogs.”

Under different circumstances, Linc might have returned the taunt. Instead, he chose to tamp down his pride and stay silent. The most important task was catching the Red Rose Killer, and as long as Zoe Sullivan was on base, she was still their best, most important lead.

In the shadowed corners of his mind lurked the realization that he also wanted to keep her safe. Her and her little boy, a child whose openness and charm had touched his heart in a way he couldn’t begin to explain. Maybe it was Freddy’s lack of a father that made him identify with the boy, Linc mused, remembering the shame his own dad had brought upon him and his mother by going AWOL, becoming a thief and finally being arrested and jailed.

That was one thing he unfortunately had in common with Zoe. Neither of their families was anything to be proud of. And neither of them could do a thing about changing the past. Linc had spent his adult life trying to rise above the stigma of his untrustworthy, unreliable father.

The comparison between his situation and Zoe’s struck him like the blast from a jet engine. He was not a bit like his father, so why did everybody seem to think Zoe Sullivan would side with her brother, given the opportunity?

Because she’d kept in such close touch with Boyd, he reasoned, clenching his jaw. That was the difference, and it was a big one.

His eyes were drawn to the apartment window again. As a single mother who had the responsibility of caring for Freddy, would she jeopardize his well-being for the sake of a killer? Approaching the question logically, Linc didn’t think so. The trouble was Boyd had always been good at hiding his true nature, at least at first. The women who had refused to date him and men who had somehow crossed him had paid the price for thwarting the emotionally twisted man. Could his seemingly innocent sister be the same kind of person?

A loose German shepherd, tail flagging and ears erect, drew Linc’s thoughts back to the current task. The dog was trotting toward Star, panting as if smiling and acting ready to play.

Linc crouched down. “Come here, boy. That’s a good boy.”

Although the dog slowed and lowered its head as if deciding whether or not to flee, it continued in their direction, then stopped nose to nose with Star. Linc’s hand moved slowly, surely, until he was able to slip a looped leash around its neck. The shepherd wore no collar or ID band but since each member of the training project had been microchipped, he knew the dog would easily be identified.

Streeter had left the vehicle, and Linc handed him the dog he’d caught. “Looks like this poor guy missed a few meals. Do you want me to hang around down here a little longer, just in case others show up?”

Streeter shook his head. “No. I’ll load this one and cruise the rest of the neighborhood.”

“Copy,” Linc replied. He didn’t particularly like taking orders from a sergeant who was technically not his boss, but it was a reasonable request. Besides, he wasn’t eager to return to the Sullivan apartment until he’d figured out why being there had rattled him so.

He’d realized he’d carelessly let down his guard. That was a mistake. A huge mistake. One he would not repeat.

* * *

“Look, Mama. Another puppy!” Freddy was peering through the screen as Zoe steadied him.

“I see them. Looks like your friend Star has somebody to play with.”

“I wanna go play, too.”

“Not now, honey. The policeman is working and so is his dog. We have to stay up here and just watch.”

“Aww.”

“No whining.” Zoe tried to distract him. “How about a game on the iPad? You can make some doggies wag their tails.”

“Naw. I wanna watch real puppies. They’re soft. I love them.”

“Not all dogs are as nice as Star,” Zoe warned, “and she might not be fun if Sergeant Colson didn’t tell her it was okay. You need to be very careful with all dogs. Ask permission before you try to pet them. Promise?”

Freddy nodded vigorously, but Zoe had doubts he’d take her advice until he was older and wiser. That was the trouble with small children. Until they’d had experience, they were willing to try just about anything. After today, she would have to be doubly vigilant about his interactions with strange animals.

A noise behind her caught Zoe’s attention. Frowning, she froze. What was that? It sounded like the squeak in the hallway floor. Listening intently, she didn’t hear it repeated. Nevertheless, she started to glance over her shoulder.

Nothing there. She began to feel foolish. Boy, am I jumpy. She was turning back to the window when she sensed more than saw movement in her peripheral vision. Instinct made her tighten her hold on her son. Was there actually somebody there?

An instant later, she whirled and put substance to her jitters. A figure in a dark hoodie was tiptoeing across the far end of the small living room!

Zoe thrust Freddy behind her and held him there, hoping and praying she didn’t look as scared as she was. With the hoodie masking the side of his face, there was no way to identify the intruder. One thing was certain—he was too slightly built to be Boyd.

“Get out of here,” Zoe ordered, relieved that the quaking of her insides wasn’t reflected in her voice.

The figure stopped dead. Nobody moved. Zoe could feel the pounding of her pulse in her temples.

A weapon. She needed a weapon. Anything with which to defend her innocent child. But what? The only people on base who were armed were members of the Security Forces and posted guards. Casting about, she saw nothing usable. That left bravado as her only option, and lots of it.

“I said get out of here.” It was a commanding order, almost a shout, and Zoe felt her son grasping her legs from behind, the way he did when he was frightened.

A hand with slim but masculine fingers rose to pull the sides of the hood closer. The man dipped his head, averted his gaze momentarily, then pulled something from his pocket.

A knife!

Zoe gasped. Her resolve deepened, hardened, became the wall she needed to protect her little boy. She dropped into a combative stance, feet apart, arms extended and ready to fend off the coming attack. No lowlife with a blade was going to get past her. Not if she had anything to say about it.

Freddy had backed off and begun to cry as she’d prepared to do battle. The attacker turned to the boy for an instant, then focused back on Zoe.

She grabbed her jacket off the couch and wrapped it around one forearm, never letting her concentration stray. The man seemed hesitant, as if having trouble choosing his next move. That was to her advantage. She didn’t want to face him hand to hand but intended for him to believe she would.

Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t swallow, let alone muster a convincing threat. So there they stood as the seconds ticked off, Zoe braced and ready and her adversary hesitating until the hand with the weapon began to visibly shake.

She had him worried. Good. Now all she needed to do was force him to bolt. Would a charge do it? Maybe. And maybe it would trigger his predatory instincts and drive him toward her.

Before she could decide, Freddy touched the back of her leg and whimpered. “Mama?”

Habit caused her to react. She eased her stance momentarily and lowered one outstretched hand toward the boy. That was all the opening her enemy needed. He leaped at her, falling short because she dodged just in time.

With a guttural roar, she charged, coming in low and catching him at the waist the way a football player would take out an opponent.

The man stumbled backward and fell.

Zoe went for the knife and managed to grab his wrist before he threw her off and started to scramble away with his weapon.

She raised the hoodie-wrapped forearm in case he chose to turn and slash at her. Time seemed to slow to a snail’s pace. He flipped onto his hands and knees, combat boots slipping on the slick flooring, and crabwalked until he could regain his footing.

Zoe screamed, afraid he was going to detour toward her son.

Freddy was already at the window, waving his hands and yelling, “Help,” in his screechy little voice.

The attacker threw the bolt and jerked open the door. Momentum carried him into the hallway.

Breathless, Zoe followed, inhaled as deeply as she could and let loose with a blood-curdling shriek. “Colson! Stop him!”