Читать книгу The Military K-9 Unit Collection - Valerie Hansen - Страница 56

NINE

Star was napping on the sofa beside Freddy, but Linc was so uptight by the time Zoe finished relating all the questionable instances of the past few weeks he had to pace.

Reaching the boundary of the small living room, he spun around to face her and pointed at the tablet on the kitchen table in front of her. “I can’t believe you didn’t bother to mention all this.”

“Most of it could have been my imagination. You said yourself that I’ve been under a lot of stress.”

“Forget that. Think. See yourself as the victim and assume all these things were done to unsettle you. Who would be that vindictive?”

She huffed and arched both eyebrows. “Lately? There isn’t enough paper on this pad to list the names of all the people who seem to be upset with me. Ever since Boyd showed up at Canyon Air Force Base and my name was linked with his, I haven’t even had an invitation to go out for coffee.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I wish I were. I go to work, do my job, come home to Freddy, then do it all over again the next day. My social life is the pits.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Yeah?” She rolled her eyes. “Believe it, Colson. Sharing this pizza with you is the closest I’ve come to having company in weeks.” He heard her huff before she continued. “But at least that beats being hit on by airmen who think that just because I’m a single woman I must be ready for romance.”

“There is the problem of crossing ranks being forbidden. Don’t they understand how much trouble you’d be in if you accepted dates with them?”

Zoe chuckled. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t seem to bother them to try. I think it’s probably a challenge to see if their macho appeal is enough to get me to step over the line. Most of them are pitiful.”

“Gotcha.” Linc rejoined her, sat with his elbows resting on the table and pulled the list to him. “I suppose there’s no way you can recall names, is there?”

“Mostly, no. A lot of the offenders were my students of course, because I have the most one-on-one contact with those. I think a few even thought they could overturn my decisions to wash them out by romancing me. There were times when it was actually hard to keep a straight face.”

“Maybe you’re selling yourself short,” he said quietly, watching her for clues to her innermost feelings. “There are lots of men on base who would count themselves fortunate to get a date with you.”

To his chagrin, she laughed. “I don’t see them lining up because I’m such a great catch. And that’s for the best. I already told you. I have no intention of getting involved. I have my job and Freddy. That’s plenty for a satisfying life.”

“I’ve enjoyed being with you today. That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

His ego took a jolt when she looked him straight in the eyes and said, “You’re here because you’re working. Nothing more, nothing less. When the job is over, you won’t give me or my son a second thought, and you know it.”

Mentioning their “almost” kiss seemed inappropriate in view of her candid opinion. Besides, Linc began to wonder if the physical attraction between them was merely a result of proximity. After all, he was a normal man and Zoe was a beautiful woman. There was bound to be at least a little overt interest. He certainly couldn’t deny that he admired her. She was beyond strong willed and intelligent, not to mention she had integrity.

Finally, he could admit he believed her when she insisted she’d had no recent contact with her nefarious brother. And he also believed that someone was trying to convince her she was mentally unbalanced. Given what she’d already weathered in life, he had to assume she was smart enough to discount such blatant maneuvering. Perhaps it was time to tell her so.

Linc reached across the table the way he had when she’d needed comforting during their meal. Once again, Zoe let him touch her hand. “Look,” he said, “I know this is a rough time for you. And I don’t deny there’s tension when I’m working with you. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy your company, too. The more I learn, the more I trust you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. We’ll still be keeping an eye on you in case Boyd shows up, but I believe you when you say you had nothing to do with his escape or presence here.”

Glistening unshed tears made her eyes sparkle. The urge to reach out with his free hand and cup her cheek was so intense Linc almost acted on it. He thought he’d regained his self-control until a solitary tear slid down her cheek.

Before he could stop himself, he’d brushed it away with his thumb. The sight of the vulnerable, innocent woman reached inside his heart and settled in as if making a home there. This kind of pure empathy was beyond his ability to resist. Without meaning to get in this deep, he had carried out his captain’s orders to befriend her. Boy, had he.

The biggest problem Linc had now was how he was going to keep his emotions tamped down enough to properly do his job. This was why family members were seldom assigned together. They mattered too much to each other. And right now, right here, Zoe Sullivan meant more to him than was good for either of them.

His relief K-9 officer showed up on time, removing his reason for staying. Linc was not happy that the night watch had fallen to a rookie. Nevertheless, it was not his place to question his superiors’ decisions, so he checked in with the airman, then headed for his quarters with Star.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The sensitivity Linc had shown when they’d been together in her kitchen had stuck with Zoe long after he’d left.

He’d taken copies of her lists with him, promising to check which of her possible suspects may have been off duty when the majority of her home invasions had taken place. Given the number of them, such a search was going to take time. In fact, she began to wonder whether one perpetrator was responsible for everything. The more she mulled over her life, the more people she noted who were not happy with her.

Such was the lot of a dedicated instructor whose final decisions about a candidate’s flying abilities and reasoning in a crisis could make or break his or her career. The percentage of female pilots she had washed out was about the same as male. Although, with fewer women applying for flight school, the actual numbers were smaller. Then there was the gender bias some of the students had against her. Yes, this was the twenty-first century but old habits died hard, even now. Life off the base in rural Texas was proof of that, although since she rarely ventured into nearby towns, she hadn’t often run afoul of good old boys and their antiquated attitudes.

Deep sleep came more easily than Zoe had expected. Freddy had been so tired after the stimulating Sunday he’d had that he’d gone to bed without argument and she had soon followed.

Morning light was beginning to filter through the blinds in her bedroom when she finally stirred. Stretched. Swung her legs over the side of the bed, onto the floor and felt...

Bolting upright, she gasped. Lifting her bare feet, she looked down and her eyes widened with shock and fear. The soles of her feet were covered in a warm, sticky red substance.

Blood.

The smell was so cloying. She started to gag, then forced herself to calm down. To take stock of the situation. Am I hurt? No. Nothing physical seemed to be wrong with her. But then where had the pool of blood come from? Whose could it be?

“Freddy!” Zoe leaped up and dashed toward her son’s room with no thought of the bloody footprints she was leaving in her wake. A scream lodged in her constricted throat, kept there by sheer force of will as she braced herself to face the worst nightmare of her life. She slid to a stop at her son’s open door, one hand on the jamb to steady her trembling body and keep her knees from buckling.

A sigh replaced the scream in her throat when she found Freddy lying on top of the covers in his pajamas, soundly asleep and clearly unhurt. As she watched, he made a sound like a sleepy kitten and rolled over to face her. He was fine.

“Thank You, Jesus,” she whispered breathlessly.

Zoe knew he’d be terribly frightened if he saw her feet, so she edged away and turned back, retracing her crimson footprints. The blood wasn’t from her or Freddy, so where had it come from? Why hadn’t she awakened? Moreover, who had managed to invade her privacy once more to carry out such a heinous act?

Fear-based adrenaline had borne her to her son’s room. Now, though, she shook so badly she could hardly continue to move. She leaned on the walls, working her way along until she was back in her own room.

The foul puddle remained beside her bed and she could see where she had initially stepped. A strong urge to wipe up the mess almost overcame her before she reached for her cell phone instead. She must not touch anything. She had to summon help. To call...Linc Colson. No one else would do, not even others on the Security Forces.

Hand still extended, she struggled to subdue her tremors enough to properly pull up his number and prayed that the strong stomach on which she prided herself wouldn’t fail her. An unexpected vibration almost caused her to drop the phone before she could dial. She was receiving an incoming call. From Linc!

All self-control fled the moment she heard his voice. Before he could finish his good-morning greeting, she was shrieking unintelligibly. It was the closest she could come to shouting, “Help me!”

* * *

Linc had been standing in the street observing her apartment window when he’d called. There was no way to tell what Zoe was trying to say, but he didn’t need words. Her shrillness and sobbing were plenty.

“I’m coming!” Phone pressed to his ear, he straight-armed the outer door and raced up the stairway. Star was way ahead of him. He noted a fleeing figure dressed in black at the far end of the hallway and made the split-second decision to drop the leash, point and command, “Get ’em!”

Training dictated he must follow his K-9. And he would have. If Zoe had not appeared in her doorway with both feet covered in blood.

Linc’s heart and gut clenched simultaneously. Sliding to a halt he shouted, “How bad?” as he eyed her from head to toe, expecting to see injuries. Would his skills be sufficient to save her life if she was bleeding out?

“It’s—it’s not mine,” she stuttered. Arms extended, palms up, she simply stood there as if in shock.

“What do you mean it’s not yours?” Linc’s already-taut muscles knotted more. He could barely get “Freddy?” out or believe Zoe when she shook her head.

“No. Not him either.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. I just checked. I don’t know where this awful stuff came from. There’s a big puddle of it in my bedroom.”

Linc saw her start to waver as if she might faint. He reached out, ready to steady her if need be, yet failing to fully grasp her explanation. She was panting as though she’d just finished a marathon and her eyes weren’t focusing well. They were wide and glassy.

He reached for her. She started to pull away and staggered. Linc caught her by the arm. “You need to sit down.” Truth to tell, so did he.

“I—I—I woke up and...”

“This happened while you were asleep?”

Another nod.

“Did you see anything, anybody?”

“No. I’m a sound sleeper except for sometimes when Freddy makes a noise at night. I never heard a thing.”

“Okay.” He guided her all the way inside, preparing to close the door behind them.

She started to fight him. “Let go. I need to wash. I have to get this off me!”

There was panic in her tone. Little wonder. Though Linc commiserated, he stopped her. “No. You can’t wash until the crime scene techs get here. We’ll need pictures of everything in situ. I mean, where it is now.”

In the background, he heard Star barking ferociously. She had someone cornered. “I need to go help my dog. Will you be okay?”

Zoe nodded and leaned against the doorjamb. “Yes. Go. Catch whoever did this and bring him back so I can take a good swing at him.”

“Atta girl. I mean, affirmative, Sergeant.”

Star’s barking reached a crescendo. Linc knew that as soon as it stopped she’d capture her prey with a painful bite and be holding fast until given the command to release.

His boots hit the floor hard, the sound echoing along the empty hallway, reminding him of a beating heart. His own was pounding, more from seeing what had been done to Zoe than from actual exertion.

Star gave one last intense growl before a human screamed. She had him! Good girl, Linc thought. Hold.

The screams turned to curses. Almost to the corner where he’d last seen his K-9 partner, Linc heard a scrambling sound followed by Star’s yip. Then all was silent.

He whipped around the corner so fast he almost lost his footing.

For the second time in minutes his heart stopped. There lay his dog, alone and prostrate. It took several more seconds before Linc was close enough to tell she was still breathing. Falling to his knees beside her, he gently touched her quivering side.

“I should have stayed with you,” he whispered haltingly. “I’m so sorry, Star.”