Duty Bound Guardian (Capitol K-9 Unit)

by Reed, Terri

  “I can’t believe Mr. Floyd’s attitude didn’t change.” She clenched a fist. “I sure hope this ‘mess’ as he put it is resolved before I have to go to court.”

  “When is the custody hearing?”

  “Tomorrow,” she managed to say around the lump of emotion in her throat. Tomorrow, her and Juan’s futures would be decided. She had no control of the outcome of the custody hearing

  But none of this was out of God’s control, she reminded herself. She had to trust He knew what was best for them all. Sometimes that was so hard to do. But faith was not easy. Trusting was not easy. No one had promised anything would be easy.

  Adam turned the key and the engine roared to life. “I’m sure Juan is anxious to come home with you.”

  Her heart ached. Folding her hands in her lap, she stared out the front window. The gray clouds had parted, allowing a peek of blue sky and sunshine to bathe the earth in a warm glow. The cherry blossoms surrounding the Washington Monument glistened in the sunlight as he turned the vehicle down Independence Drive. “He doesn’t know I exist.”

  “What?”

  More guilt heaped on her head. Her heart ached with sorrow and regret. “I haven’t been able to bring myself to visit him. I don’t want either of us to get our hopes up.”

  “He’s your nephew. The courts will side with you.”

  “There are no guarantees. According to my lawyer the decision could go either way considering...”

  “Considering?”

  “The judge might consider my situation too risky to bring a child into. I did take out a civil protection order on Mark.”

  She hated that her marriage hadn’t turned out as she’d expected. But then life never did live up to her dreams. She’d learned long ago that having expectations only led to disappointment. Better to live each day, each moment in the present than to indulge in fanciful plans and imaginings of the future. Maybe that was why she liked history so much. The past was done. “And now that I’m a suspect in a crime...”

  “Not a suspect anymore.”

  Her breath caught. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  She let out a relieved exhale.

  “And I don’t believe a judge would hold your ex-husband against you.” He pulled into the parking lot of her building. “You should go meet Juan.”

  “I will. Eventually.” A knot tightened in her chest. “I don’t want to do anything that would hurt him.”

  “Visiting him won’t hurt him.”

  “What if he becomes attached to me and I have to leave him there if the judge ruled against me? I’d rather wait and see how the hearing goes.” She popped her door open. “Thank you for the ride.”

  His mouth quirked. “We’ll walk you up.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t have to. I’m fine. Really. And safe. There’s no reason for you to sit and wallow with me. I’d rather you were looking for the arrow.”

  “Don’t leave the building without an escort. The police will send a patrol car over. I won’t leave until they arrive.”

  Touched by his consideration, she nodded. “I won’t leave without an escort. I promise.”

  “I’ll check in with you later. If you need to go anywhere call me. I’ll take you.”

  He took his job of protecting her seriously. His commitment was admirable. Respect for him expanded in her chest. “I will.”

  She entered the building and waved to Adam to let him know she was okay. The lobby was quiet. The doorman, Rob—a twentysomething college student—was busy with Mrs. Creps, an elderly woman who lived on the second floor and needed assistance with her mailbox. Behind the reception desk a muted baseball game played on a small, portable television. Lana considered saying something about his lack of attention to the door but then decided she wasn’t up for lecturing him, not when Mrs. Creps obviously needed help. He’d probably seen her walking up.

  She rode the elevator up to the fifth floor and then walked the short distance to her apartment. She was rarely home during the day so the lack of noise was a bit disturbing and made her wonder what her neighbors did for a living. She wasn’t the most social tenant. Other than nods and polite small talk she didn’t know the other inhabitants of the building. After living through the trauma of her marriage and divorce, she preferred keeping to herself.

  She slid her key into the lock but the door was ajar. The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose. She pushed the door wide. Someone had ripped her couch to shreds, the stuffing all over the carpet like puffs of clouds plucked from the sky. Books littered the floor. The dining table and chairs were smashed to bits. The chaos stole her breath. Panic seeped into her bones.

  Someone had trashed her apartment.

  * * *

  Adam waved a thank-you to the DC patrol officer who arrived a few moments after Lana disappeared inside her building.

  Adam couldn’t believe Lana hadn’t had any contact with her nephew. Okay, he got that she was trying to protect them both from getting their hopes up. Becoming attached to the boy then being denied custody would be a horrible blow, but even if she were denied, Juan was still her kin and she should still be a part of his life.

  Somehow Adam would have to convince Lana that meeting her nephew was the best thing she could do for them both. Why he felt the need to get involved in her affairs, he couldn’t say. Must be the hero complex his brother had accused him of once.

  Free to leave now that backup was here to watch over Lana, Adam hoped to make it to headquarters in time for the weekly update. He prayed one of the team’s informants would have intel regarding the Golden Arrow and if the artifact was for sale on the black market.

  If they could catch a bead on who had the arrow then they could reacquire the relic for the museum and Lana could have her job back. Hopefully, before the custody hearing.

  The vehicle’s Bluetooth connected to his cell phone and sounded a loud trill into the cab of the small SUV. Ace whined. His ears must still hurt.

  Adam quickly hit the answer button on his steering wheel. “Donovan here.”

  “Adam, it’s Lana.” Her voice trembled with distinct fear.

  Adrenaline rushed through him. He threw the vehicle in Reverse and backed away from the exit. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. But I need you. Can you come back? I’m downstairs at the front desk.”

  He pushed aside the jolt of shock at hearing her say she needed him. Something was wrong and she was reaching out to him. He wouldn’t fail her. “On my way.”

  He clicked the call off and spun the steering wheel, sending the SUV into a half spin. He sent up a quick prayer that nothing horrible had transpired. Curiosity wound through him. He’d know soon enough what trouble had occurred. Once the vehicle faced the correct direction, he punched the gas and drove the short distance back to the front entrance of the ten-story, sprawling apartment complex.

  He parked and jumped out while motioning to the patrol officer sitting in his car to join him. The sliding glass doors of the building opened and Lana hurried out. Her olive complexion had lost color, her wide dark eyes full of fear.

  He rushed to her side. “What happened?”

  She clutched at his arm. “Someone broke into my apartment. The door was open and the inside...” She swallowed. “It’s destroyed.”

  Shock dropped through him like a falling meteor. “How?” His gaze shot past her to the young man standing at the desk talking on the phone. An older man had attended the front desk last night and this morning.

  “I don’t know. Rob says he saw no one go in or out that wasn’t supposed to be here.”

  After explaining the situation to the patrol officer and sending him to check the rear of the building for a break-in, Adam released Ace from the vehicle, leashed up, then stalked inside the building and straight toward the kid behind the front reception desk. Lana and Ace stayed close to his side.

  Rob’s eyes widened when he saw Adam and Ace. “That was fast. I was just talking to the police.” />
  “How long have you been on shift?”

  “I came on at nine.”

  “Have you left the desk at all since you came on shift?” Adam eyed the small television set where a muted baseball game played.

  Rob followed his gaze. Flushing a deep red, he said, “I haven’t left the desk. I know when anyone comes or goes.” He gestured to the security monitor. “There are cameras all over. No one goes anywhere in this building without being seen.”

  “I want to see this morning’s videos.”

  “Uh, sure.” He grabbed keys from a drawer. “The system’s in the utility room.”

  After carefully reviewing the video footage of the front entrance from the moment he’d escorted Lana out of the complex at seven-thirty until the time that Lana returned, only a handful of people had come and gone. All were identified as tenants.

  The same for the back entrance. The cameras inside the building showed a tenant currently using the laundry facility. Another was working out in the rec room. The elevator cameras didn’t reveal anything new and there were only cameras stationed at the bottom-floor stairwell entrances. No one had used the stairs that morning.

  Did the perp live in the building? Was this break-in tied into the break-ins at the museum? To Rosa’s and Michael Jeffries’s deaths? This case kept expanding and becoming more convoluted with each passing moment, like a big spiderweb, weaving back and forth and intertwining. But who was the spider setting this all in motion? Or was Adam imagining connections that didn’t exist?

  The not knowing irritated him like a pebble in a shoe. He turned to Lana. She’d been hanging back, quietly observing as he watched the video feed. Though her eyes held a large dose of worry, she was stoic and in control of herself. No weeping, no hysterics. Just like the night at the museum. He admired her self-control. She wasn’t one to crack under pressure. “You doing okay?”

  Her mouth stretched in a tight smile. “Peachy.”

  “When the CSU techs get here, will you be ready to go upstairs and walk through the apartment with me?”

  “Only if you and Ace give me the all-clear,” she stated, her chin tilting up in challenge.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  They rode the elevator up to the fifth floor. All was quiet. They approached her apartment door. Ace put his nose to the carpeted hallway and sniffed all the way to Lana’s apartment, but the lack of a growl told Adam there wasn’t anyone in the apartment. However, the door stood wide open as if yawning. Adam threw Lana a curious glance. Had she left it open or had the perp waited until she’d left the floor before taking advantage and leaving? Possibly walking away as if nothing were amiss.

  “I left the door like that. I didn’t go in.”

  Mildly surprised considering she’d gone on the offensive when she’d seen the arrow in jeopardy, he gave her an approving nod. “Good. You’d be surprised by how many people would have gone barging in to see what was missing. Totally messes up the crime scene and jeopardizes any evidence collected not to mention you’d have no idea if the intruder was still inside.” He gestured for Lana to back up a few steps to where they would wait until the apartment was searched for any trace evidence. “The crime scene techs will be here soon.”

  She rubbed her arms. “Why would someone do this?”

  Remembering that she had a civil protection order out on her ex-husband, Adam asked, “Do you think your ex-husband might have gained access somehow?”

  She grimaced. “I don’t see how. The front and back entrances are the only ways into the building. We would have seen him on the video cameras.”

  Adam stroked his chin as his gaze shot down the hall to the lit sign for the stairs. “Not necessarily. The intruder could have gained access to the roof and come down the stairwell.”

  “Well, I can guarantee you Mark is not Peter Pan and didn’t use pixie dust to land on the top of the building.”

  He liked that she could joke even when upset. “Maybe he’s part monkey and climbed.”

  “Or sprouted wings and flew.” She shook her head with a smile touching her lips. “I can’t imagine that no one would have seen a man scaling the side of the building in broad daylight.”

  Okay, so that theory was flawed. Adam wasn’t sure how the perp entered.

  But obviously he had. If the way the perp had circumvented the alarms system at the museum was any indication, the man knew his way around technology. The apartment building’s security wouldn’t be a challenge. Adam was only glad Lana hadn’t been in the apartment when the intruder arrived.

  She might have defended herself or worse yet, called on her martial arts training and attacked the perp again. And ended up with more than a knock on the head and a few stitches. The thought of her hurt clawed through him with dread and anguish, leaving behind scratches of unease. The intense response wasn’t limited to Lana alone. He told himself he’d be upset if any witness he was protecting were hurt.

  The DC patrol officer joined them while they waited for the CSU team.

  “As far as I can tell the back entrance hasn’t been tampered with,” the young officer told Adam.

  Adam wasn’t surprised considering what they’d seen on the security video.

  An hour later, the crime scene technicians finished up while Adam, Lana and Ace waited outside in the hallway. Ace rose to sniff the tech’s shoes, lost interest and sat on his haunches waiting for a command. “Not much evidence to collect. We lifted a few prints. We’ll run them, see what pops.”

  “Stop by the front reception desk and take a look at the security system. There’s a chance it’s been tampered with,” Adam instructed the techs. “Also, collect the video feed. Have facial recognition identify everyone on the tapes.”

  “Will do,” the lead tech said.

  The DC officer accompanied the CSU team to the ground floor.

  When he and Lana were alone, Adam gestured to the apartment. “Shall we?”

  Squaring her shoulders, Lana nodded. Ace stuck close to Lana’s side as she moved tentatively into her apartment. Her lips pressed together and she blinked rapidly. Adam recognized the signs of fighting tears.

  He slid an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay to mourn the damage and be angry at the person responsible. It’s better to let all the emotions out than to keep them stuffed inside.”

  “Are you speaking from experience?”

  He’d opened himself up for that question. Regret balled in his chest. Deciding to answer honestly, he said, “Yes.”

  The damage for him hadn’t been a torn-apart home but a destroyed career.

  Dreading more questions, he cleared his throat, wishing he could as easily clear the past. But he couldn’t. And talking about it with this woman who was virtually a stranger wasn’t happening. There was work to be done. “Can you look around to see if anything is missing?”

  She nodded and gingerly worked her way through the apartment. A few minutes later, she said, “There doesn’t seem to be anything missing. However nothing is where I left it. Someone was searching for something. But I don’t have anything worth stealing.”

  Adam wasn’t sure what to make of the recent events. The mystery of why someone had broken into Lana’s apartment gnawed at his mind. Needing action and knowing Lana was no longer safe staying in the apartment, he said, “Pack a bag. I’m moving you to a secure location.”

  She blinked. “Where?”

  He hated to admit he wasn’t sure where. Taking her to his apartment wouldn’t be appropriate. His studio wasn’t set up for female houseguests. A thought popped into his mind but he’d need to okay it with his captain. And then his brother.

  He took out his cell phone. “I’ll let you know the details in a few minutes.”

  Accepting his words, she disappeared into her bedroom. He dialed his captain. When Gavin came on the line, Adam filled him in on the situation. “I need to move Lana. I thought I’d see if Joe and Ruth could take her in for a few days.”

  “If
your brother and his wife are amenable that would be a good solution,” Gavin said. “Keep me in the loop.”

  After assuring his captain he would, Adam called his brother Joe. He quickly gave him the details.

  “Let me call Ruth and get back to you in a sec,” Joe said and hung up.

  Adam tucked his phone in his pocket and stared at the broken chairs. Only a few hours ago he and Lana had sat at the table eating pastries and drinking coffee. The day had started out with such promise. But then Lana had basically been told she wasn’t wanted at her job and now her apartment had been trashed.

  Sometimes the unfairness of life got to Adam. If he didn’t believe in God’s goodness and mercy, Adam wasn’t sure how he’d cope.

  Lana stepped into the living room with two rolling suitcases and a large bag slung over her shoulder. Adam pressed his lips together to keep from chuckling.

  She made a sheepish face. “I didn’t know how much to pack or for how long, so I figured more is better than not enough.”

  She was rattled and holding it together at the same time and his respect for her billowed. “There are no baggage fees.”

  He was grateful to see her quick smile.

  His phone trilled. His brother calling back.

  “Ruth says bring her over,” Joe said when Adam answered.

  Relief flooded Adam. “Thanks, bro. I owe you one.”

  Joe snorted. “Dude, one? You’re not very good at math.”

  Adam laughed. “True.” Joe had been Adam’s rock when Adam’s world imploded five years earlier. Joe had suggested to General Margaret Meyer that she hire Adam for the elite K-9 unit she had put together. To Adam’s surprise and delight she’d offered him a position despite his troubled past. He would always be grateful to his brother for his guidance and support and the general and the K-9 unit’s captain for taking a chance on him. “See you later.”

  He put the phone back in his pocket, then reached for Lana’s bag. “We’re all set then. I’m taking you to a very safe place.”