Harlequin Romantic Suspense May 2018 Box Set

by Regan Black

  Then the loneliness had set in and Brayden had shown him that working with a K9 had multiple benefits—companionship being first and foremost. Stumps was always game for a walk, no matter the hour. Having the dog’s company whenever he was overwhelmed by the invisible walls closing him in gave him solace no person could provide.

  In prison, Shane had learned to protect himself—body and mind. He’d learned emotions of every variety got men killed in the zoo that was life behind bars. Get too happy and a guard or inmate would find a way to steal the joy. Wallowing in depression made a man vulnerable to the smallest attack. Anger and pride clouded sound judgment and made a man stupid, but honesty…well, there was no place for honesty in a prison.

  It was one thing to know the truth and another to talk about it.

  Which led him right back to Danica. He wanted her—that was true. Also true was how much he didn’t want to feel anything for her. Their professional situation was a requirement. The rest of his feelings for her should be irrelevant.

  “I’ve messed up, Stumps.” He stopped at his mother’s grave. “I let her get under my skin and I can’t lie to myself about it anymore.”

  He sank down beside his mother’s headstone. Rusty had done that much at least for his third ex-wife. The shred of decency in his father had surprised Shane. Upon his release from prison, Shane had expected Rusty to ask for reimbursement for the service and burial. Instead, he’d poured Shane a beer and raised his own glass in a silent toast to his mother. That was the last time he’d crossed the Pour House threshold.

  Although this corner of South Dakota was full of nocturnal wildlife, the Red Ridge cemetery remained in a perpetual hush. The night stretched out, wide open and full of possibilities. Stumps stretched out against his hip, making his head available for Shane’s hand.

  Shane indulged the dog and let his mind wander over the past and the present. Not the future. It had taken only a year and a half behind bars to cure Shane of that kind of dreaming.

  Maybe Danica had a point and he was assuming the worst about Tyler. “She definitely had a point,” he said to the dog. “Otherwise I would have kept my cool.”

  It irritated him to admit it even to Stumps.

  “He’s hiding something and if it is related to the cases I’m working, he should understand there will be consequences.”

  When Danica’s grandfather had hauled Shane in for questioning, he was eighteen, a legal adult, and his mother couldn’t intervene as Tyler’s parents had done. He didn’t think it would have made a difference on the outcome, but it would have been nice to see someone going to bat for him. The list of things Shane couldn’t find a way to forgive was long, but the one that burned hottest was that Danica’s grandfather had convinced Shane’s mother he was a killer.

  That she could think him capable of such a crime had shattered the last of Shane’s faith in the world at large and Red Ridge in particular.

  “I hope you know how things turned out, Mom. I miss you.”

  The sun was warming the eastern horizon when Shane and Stumps went home for a few hours of sleep.

  * * *

  Danica had no intention of skirting her responsibilities at the training center, but losing Nico and then the puppy dumped more guilt on her than she could manage gracefully. When the morning slipped away with no sign of Tyler, her guilt multiplied. She’d been on the verge of losing her temper time and again this morning. Despite the cloudy weather, she’d taken herself on a walk into town to clear her head and regain her composure.

  If she happened to walk by the shiny glass office building the Larson brothers owned, that could be simple coincidence.

  Danica told herself the ache in her heart was all about the dogs and had nothing to do with a certain P.I. who was conspicuously quiet and absent today. Both dogs had so much potential and she didn’t want to see it wasted. She couldn’t stop thinking about how to get them back.

  Stealing dogs—or anything else—from the Larson twins was tantamount to a suicide mission. Everyone in town suspected them of illegal activities, yet RRPD couldn’t get any charges to stick. In Danica’s mind, that meant it was time to fight fire with fire. If someone, namely Shane Colton, would give her a better option, she’d happily take it.

  It the meantime, she’d clear her head and do a little recon simultaneously. The Larson brothers had four dogs now. That didn’t mean they knew how to deal with them. And Evan was far less confident, especially around Nico, than his brother Noel. It was a recipe for a disaster.

  All morning she’d considered reaching out to Evan, by phone or email, warning him of what Nico was capable of. She’d mentally drafted letters and quickly tossed them out the proverbial window. Anything anonymous would be ignored and anything she signed left her wide open to any number of retaliations. Noel and Evan were too bullheaded to heed a warning anyway.

  So she walked the area where the puppy had recognized Tyler yesterday. It wasn’t quite lunchtime and she had started to feel a bit like a shark as she circled the block repeatedly. Any minute, she was sure someone was going to call her out for loitering. Hopefully she’d spy something worthwhile before that happened.

  At last, she heard the yips of a young puppy and the grumbling voice of whoever held the other end of the lead. Danica started walking toward the sounds, keeping a tight lid on the well of deep emotions throbbing in her veins. She saw Evan with both dogs today. Nico was alert and heeling well, though Evan kept leaning away from him. His reluctance toward Nico wasn’t grossly obvious today because he was so distracted by the puppy’s refusal to obey his commands.

  Whatever they were trying to do with the little Malinois wasn’t working. She considered it a small improvement that he wasn’t on a retractable leash today. For a rambunctious puppy a retractable leash posed more problems than it solved. Then Evan stopped and yanked the leash hard, tightening a choke collar on the puppy.

  Danica winced at the resulting pained yip and whine.

  “Get back here, runt,” Evan said in a menacing voice that left the puppy cowering.

  “Hey, Evan,” she called out. Striding across the street, she prayed her bravado held up. “Cute puppy.”

  He glared at her. “What do you want?”

  Danica was tempted to answer honestly. “Nothing.” She stuffed her hands into her pockets where she had always had a treat stashed. The puppy remembered. He sat and peered up at her expectantly.

  “About damn time,” Evan said.

  “Out on an obedience run?” she asked.

  “Apparently, I’m chief dog walker now,” he muttered. “Noel calls it bonding.” The angry gaze he directed at the puppy held far less confidence as he glanced at Nico. “Only one of them knows how to behave.”

  She wondered if Evan had any idea how much easier she could make his life. “Puppies have so much energy.”

  “And tiny bladders,” Evan groused. “Go do business,” he snapped at the puppy.

  “True.” Although it wasn’t the command the puppy had been taught, he’d caught on fast. Survival instincts were strong. For a moment, she imagined the thrill of victory if she just scooped up the little guy and ran off. The reality that she’d probably be shot by Evan or, worse, or attacked by Nico before she made it to the end of the block burst the happy-thought bubble.

  “You know we teach obedience classes, right?”

  “Get over it, Gage. These aren’t your dogs. We’ve proven it.”

  She rocked back on her heels. “Yeah, sorry about that. It’s tough when so many dogs look alike,” she said with more calm than she thought possible. “Even an expert can make a mistake under duress.”

  The puppy had finished “doing business” and was snuffling around every blade of grass. “Does Nico—I mean, the dog that reminds me of Nico—know the purpose of this outing?”

  Again, at the sound of his name, his gaze slid to Danic
a.

  “He’s fine. Leave us alone.”

  “Attack dogs smell fear,” she said conversationally. “Is there a reason this guy makes you nervous?”

  “Maybe I’m just a cat person at heart,” Evan snapped. “Get out of here.”

  “Sure. I was just passing by.”

  “Right.” Evan stepped forward. “Probably best if you don’t pass this way again anytime soon.” Nico came to his feet, his ears perked and his gaze intent on her, the object of Evan’s ire.

  This was the real threat and one she anticipated. “You need to calm down,” she said. “That dog is well-trained even if you aren’t.”

  “You don’t know anything about this dog, because it is not yours!”

  Nico growled and the puppy, now on alert, was watching from the strip of grass with clearly confused loyalties. Damn it. She couldn’t risk a dog fight or an attack.

  She held her ground and raised her hands, a sign Nico should recognize as surrender. “Hold,” she said under her breath in Dutch. It wasn’t a command or motion that would guarantee her safety. If Evan gave him the command, nothing would stop Nico from attacking her. If she let that happen, Nico would likely be put down as dangerous and uncontrollable. No matter what Evan said, no one would believe it if he claimed he’d let Nico loose as self-defense against Danica.

  Look at that—there were advantages to being short, after all. Of course, Shane’s conviction proved people didn’t always trust fact as much as presentation and circumstance.

  “I’m going,” Danica said. “If you want to take that obedience class, call the center and ask for Hayley.”

  “You know what?” Evan grabbed her wrist with the hand holding the puppy’s leash. “I think we should go upstairs and wait for the cops. This is the third day in a row you’ve hassled me and my dogs.”

  Her mind blanked. She’d trained for years to be able to defend herself. If Nico wasn’t here, she would hand Evan his ass on a platter. She couldn’t let him take her off this street.

  “No one hassled you yesterday,” she protested. She wanted to shout for help but that would only compound the risk with Nico. “We didn’t come near you. Let me go.”

  “Not a chance.” Evan’s grip tightened and he started dragging her back toward the office.

  “This is the wrong move, Evan.”

  “Threats now, Danica? I’d like to see you—”

  He broke off, his face blanching at something behind her. He released her so fast, she tripped backward.

  A familiar hand at her back steadied her. Shane. At his heel, Stumps was in working mode, ears perked and stance forward. By the hard line of Shane’s jaw and the furrowed eyebrows over his sunglasses, she could see he’d already decided she wasn’t here by accident. Caught, she could only hold her ground and hope for the best.

  “Hi.”

  * * *

  Shane ignored Danica’s greeting. Inside he was fuming that she’d taken such a risk confronting Evan while he was out with both dogs. She didn’t know it, but she’d managed to interrupt his own search for the exchange between the thief and the Larson brothers.

  “Evan, were you harassing Miss Gage?”

  “The opposite, in case you’re out here in the interest of justice,” Evan snapped. “She’s been harassing me.”

  He spared her a glance as he moved a half step in front of her. “She’s hardly a threat to you. Especially when you’re protected by your dogs.”

  Evan sneered. “Of anyone, I’d think you’d be willing to take my word on this. You know how the Gages like to spin fact from fiction.”

  Shane felt the old anger at Sergeant Gage flame through him. This time less of it spilled over to Danica and it sputtered out almost as quickly. He’d figure out what that meant later.

  “You need to put your dog at ease, Evan.” He kept his voice friendly, but businesslike. “We don’t want any mishaps.”

  He turned to Danica. “I’m glad I bumped into you. I could use your help if you’re free for a bit.”

  “Of course,” she replied, seizing the lifeline he’d thrown.

  He put himself and Stumps between Evan and Danica as they walked down the block.

  “Stay away from us,” Evan shouted after them.

  Shane didn’t say a word and thankfully Danica kept quiet, as well.

  He’d slept for all of three hours before taking the list of men Danica had given him into the police station. After he had a brief conversation with Finn, the names had been split into manageable groups and assigned to various officers to clear for the recent attacks and murders.

  Shane had worked on his part of the list for a time before he turned his attention back to the dog thefts. He wanted to clear Demi’s name and bring her home, but he found himself equally motivated to protect Danica and get those dogs back under her care. All of the vets on the list she’d given him were checking out as legit. He’d been working on a possible connection point when he stumbled on her and Evan. Her stunt might have jeopardized any small forward progress he was making.

  The disappointment flattened him. He simultaneously wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until he believed she was okay and shake her until her teeth rattled. “What were you thinking?”

  “I was going to give him a couple of tips. For the dogs.”

  Shane choked. “Of course you were. I didn’t want you on this case,” he said through clenched teeth. They turned a corner and the police station came into view. On the rise beyond the station, he could see the roofline of the training center.

  “I know,” she replied, squeezing his hand.

  He didn’t recall lacing his fingers with hers. Rather than pull away, he gave her a squeeze back. “What were you thinking?” He paused to collect himself. The fact was he’d been terrified when he came on that scene. “I trusted you.”

  “Oh, you did not,” she shot back. “You don’t trust anyone in my family.”

  He sucked in a breath. For the first time, he actually wanted to deny it. “I trusted you not to jeopardize the case,” he said instead.

  “Oh.”

  With her gorgeous hair pulled up, the sun fighting through the clouds lit the gold mixed in with all that red in her sleek ponytail. It gave him an excellent view of her profile and the little tick in her jaw.

  He was feeling a similar muscle twitching in his jaw, too. “Were you trying to steal the dogs back?”

  “Rescue,” she corrected him firmly, making him laugh despite himself. “And not really. I knew that would backfire.”

  “At last logic prevails,” he deadpanned.

  “What were you doing out there?”

  “Stumps and I went over to see if we could find any sign of the place where the thief handed the dogs over.”

  She brightened, her smile hopeful as she turned her face up to him. “That’s a smart idea.”

  “It might have been, but now I’ll need to stay away.”

  Her smile evaporated and her gaze fell to the sidewalk. “I’m sorry. What now?”

  “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “The dogs didn’t levitate over to the Larson office.”

  “And the new microchip indicates they had some vet intervention. Any luck on that?”

  He shook his head and her shoulders slumped. The pose made her look like a sorrowful elf. Damn it. He would not let her down. “I don’t suppose you thought to ask Evan about the acquisition or vet care.”

  “No.” Her ponytail rippled as she shook her head. “Turned out I was more interested in helping him manage the dogs so he doesn’t command Nico to kill anyone by accident.”

  “He doesn’t like the dogs, does he?”

  A grin toyed with those tempting lips. “Looked mutual to me.”

  “You’re the expert,” he said, smothering a laugh. “No wonder I never liked him.”

&n
bsp; “What now?” she asked as they stopped in front of the police station. She crouched down to give Stumps some love.

  “I guess we both go back to work. And stay there,” he added, in case she misunderstood him. “Despite the microchips, we know the Larson twins have the stolen dogs. That means there is a connection between them and the thief. Finding the thief is still our best option.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Only if you can find the thief’s contact at the training center.” He halted her immediate protest with a shake of his head. “Stop fighting the truth. We both know someone helped the thief get in.”

  She pursed her lips. “I’ll go back to work and I won’t let anyone know you suspect them all.”

  He was grateful his sunglasses hid his reaction to that comment. “The goal of investigating is to make sure we pinpoint the right suspect. Do I need to walk you to the door?”

  She stared at him a long moment, hands planted on those slender hips. “Did you know I wanted to be a cop?”

  “No.” He wondered why she thought it was relevant. “Was it a height issue?” he asked, baiting her. Baiting himself, really. He kept wanting to pluck her up and kiss her.

  “It was a Colton issue.” She drilled a finger into his chest. “Specifically you. I didn’t want lives riding on my decisions, good or bad.”

  He waited, sensing she wasn’t done, and noticed that she pulled back. There was more to it.

  “People make mistakes,” she said, her voice rough. “I know you know that.” She stopped again and gathered herself. “I decided to train dogs so I can help people make fewer mistakes.”

  Since working with Stumps, he’d wondered if an evidence dog might have helped prove him innocent long before the district attorney filed the charges against him. “I’m out here every day to make sure the cops get it right.”

  “I know,” she said. “And I commend you for it.” She turned on her heel and walked away.

  He stared after her, stunned. Why did she continue treating him like a human being? She hadn’t even railed at him for slipping out without a word last night.