Top Secret Target

by Dana Mentink

  “Then again, some things are hard to forgive. You sure know how to humiliate a man,” Heidi said in a low voice only Kendra could hear.

  Kendra stared her down. “If you’ve got something to say, spill it.”

  “I was just thinking how you embarrassed Boyd Sullivan that day when you were observing the K-9 demonstration here on base and his dog wouldn’t perform. It was right before he washed out, remember? You verbally annihilated him in front of everyone. The look on his face was painful to see.”

  “Are you sympathizing with Sullivan?” Kendra said. “Maybe you feel like he didn’t deserve a prison term? Maybe you helped him out after he escaped?”

  Heidi’s eyes turned stone-hard, her silent pause taut as a steel wire. “No,” she said after a moment. “Just wondering if you’d had any more threats against you.”

  Wasps. A shooting. A guy eyeing her like a mouse in the snake pit. Threats? “Nothing I can’t handle, but thanks for your concern.”

  “Watch your back,” Heidi said.

  “Is that a warning or a threat?”

  Heidi said nothing. She merely stalked from the room.

  Kendra felt like she’d just made another enemy. Two minutes flat. A record, even for the woman she was impersonating.

  * * *

  Captain Justin Blackwood rubbed his tired eyes, waving Ethan and Kendra into chairs as he disconnected the phone. “Teenage daughters,” he said with a sigh, “are more volatile than gasoline.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ethan said. He’d heard the stories about the captain’s daughter, Portia, and he sympathized with Blackwood.

  Kendra sat next to him in a row of desks and Titus sprawled on the floor, soaking up the coolness of the tile. Since Linc was on gate duty and FBI Agent Oliver Davidson and Office of Special Investigations Agent Ian Steffan were absent, the team consisted of newlyweds Master Sergeant Westley James, along with his German shepherd, Dakota, his wife, Felicity, and Senior Airman Ava Esposito with her dog, Roscoe. They sat facing Blackwood, who perched on the edge of a table in front of an enormous white board.

  Westley wriggled his eyebrows at Ethan. “You’ve been a busy boy.” He shifted his gaze to Kendra. “Congratulations on your reunion, ma’am.”

  “So sweet,” Felicity said, “only she’s not Jillian.”

  Ethan started and Westley looked from his wife to Kendra. “What...?”

  “She’s shorter and Jillian doesn’t have a dimple, not to mention the fact that Jillian would have already started chatting you up, Westley. She can’t help flirting with handsome men, married or not.”

  Kendra sighed. “It’s hard to fool a woman. I’m Kendra Bell.” She explained her credentials and the plan with Colonel Masters.

  “Harebrained scheme if you ask me,” Felicity said. “Any progress?”

  “I’ve been shot at, driven off the road and stung by a nest of wasps. Does that count as progress?”

  Westley whistled. “Well, you’ve stirred someone up, that’s for sure.”

  Captain Blackwood called the meeting to order then. After a brief preamble, he questioned his team. “Where are we in the investigation?”

  “Nowhere,” Esposito said. “Roscoe and I have been searching all over this area and I’ve seen no sign of Sullivan, or any more of the missing German shepherds, for that matter, though we did retrieve three other dogs in the last twenty-four hours.”

  “She’s referring to the dogs that Sullivan let out the night he killed Landon Martelli,” Ethan explained to Kendra. The knot in Ethan’s gut tightened when he said his friend’s name aloud. He cleared his throat. “The German shepherds are highly trained canines, the elite. I can’t imagine them bolting, yet we still haven’t found them.”

  “It’s bizarre,” Esposito said, “but that’s a small point compared to finding Sullivan.”

  “Sullivan’s accomplice is clever,” Blackwood said. “Covering tracks as fast as the guy makes them.”

  “Linc’s looking at the prison records again,” Westley said. “Going over the visitor list. We must have missed something.”

  Blackwood stepped away to take a phone call. When he returned, his expression was hardened into the military mask that meant bad news was coming. The room went quiet.

  “A witness who saw the killer leaving the scene of the Baylor marine murder gave police enough for a sketch.” He turned his phone around to show them.

  The air seemed to leak out of the room as they stared into the drawn face of Boyd Sullivan.

  “He’s been spotted at a corner store as well, this morning,” Blackwood added.

  He looked at Kendra. “So it’s confirmed, then. Looks like Sullivan is in your neck of the woods now, at least for the moment.”

  How long would he stick around? Ethan mused.

  Until “Jillian Masters,” aka Kendra Bell, is dead, his gut told him.

  Ethan ground his teeth in frustration as they hit the road back to Baylor. Now they had proof that Sullivan was zeroing in on Baylor and the woman he thought was Jillian.

  Beside him, Kendra spoke. “Can you stop there?” She pointed to a gas station. “I have to use the bathroom.”

  He pulled in, letting Titus out to stretch his legs in the shade of some trees. A couple of kids eyed Titus as kids always did, but their mother pulled them back. Ethan was grateful. Military dogs were not pets, they were warriors, always poised for battle. Titus could be playful and loved kids, but now was not the time. The stakes were too high.

  Titus stopped mid sniff, head cocked.

  “What is it, boy?”

  Ethan saw nothing that would upset the dog, but he knew that Titus had an arsenal of sensory detectors that far surpassed anything Ethan could muster. He moved closer, leaving Titus enough room to orient himself, and waited to see what the dog would show him.

  Ethan’s blood began to pound as Titus gave a little agitated shake of the head, a sign that meant there was trouble ahead.

  SEVEN

  Kendra stepped from the bathroom into the alley, heading toward the truck. A soft sound stopped her. The scuff of a shoe against the cement? The whisk of a shirtsleeve skimming the brick wall? Tiny hairs along the back of her neck prickled. She reached for the gun at her side that wasn’t there.

  Turning in a quick circle, she saw no one.

  “Ninny,” she told herself. Paranoia, pure and simple. Don’t let Andy and Sullivan inside your head.

  Continuing down the alley, she picked up her pace, passing a pile of stacked pallets. In a blur, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her, and she was shoved against the wall, her cheek jammed to the rough brick.

  Heart thundering, she jabbed out an elbow, catching her assailant in the neck, but it set him back only long enough for her to whirl around and face him. His grip on her arm remained, tightened, and he forced her back until her head banged against the wall. It took a moment for her to place him. The tall man, the pilot, dressed in Marine fatigues, the one who’d been watching her at Canyon. His eyes flared with rage.

  “I thought that was you. What are you playing at, Jillian?”

  She struggled in his grip. “Let go of me.”

  He shook her until her teeth clacked together. “Not until you give me some answers. I’ve been trailing you since I saw you at Canyon.”

  “I’m not giving you anything,” she gasped. The fingers of his other hand tightened the collar of her uniform into a ligature around her neck. She tried to claw at his eyes, but his grip prevented it.

  He pressed close. “We were taking a break while you got your head together, remember? That’s what you told me. Now I hear you’re back with your ex? The happy couple?”

  Her mind struggled to put it together. “Stop...”

  He leaned close, his mouth to her ear. “You’re not going to toss me out like a piece of garbage, do
you understand me? We had a good thing going and you’re not going to throw it away for that straight-laced hick of a dog trainer. Do you hear me, Jillian?”

  He punctuated each word with a tightening of his grip. Her vision blurred and she knew she had to make a move to prevent him from choking her. Before he could track the movement, she shoved her free hand up through the circle of his arms and jabbed her rigid fingers into his neck near the throat. Gagging, he reeled back and she sagged against the brick, struggling to get her feet to cooperate to flee.

  There was a sound of scrabbling paws, a thunderous growl that echoed in the alley as Titus exploded into view and leaped onto the man’s back. Kendra panted in relief.

  The man roared as the dog bit at his back, tearing sections of uniform away.

  “Release,” Ethan thundered.

  Immediately the dog let go with a howl of displeasure, furry body still quivering.

  Ethan trained his sidearm on the fallen man and eyed Kendra. “You okay?”

  She nodded, breathless.

  “Get up,” Ethan ordered her assailant. “Hands behind your head.”

  The man climbed to his feet. He moved too quickly and Titus stood, teeth bared, barking so loud it made Kendra’s ears ring. Ethan silenced the dog.

  “Slowly,” Ethan advised. “Just so you know, the only thing keeping this dog from tearing you to pieces is me, so I suggest you stand still, very still, and tell me what I want to know.”

  The man glared.

  “Name?”

  After a nervous glance at the dog, he said, “Captain Bill Madding.”

  “You a marine, or just playing dress up for the day?”

  His mouth pinched. “I’m a naval aviator. I fly Cobra helicopters while you play around with dogs.”

  “Yeah? A hotshot pilot and you still got plenty of time to accost women?”

  Madding shook his head, his arms dropping until Titus growled, when he raised them again. “I was mad. Hearing that she’s back together with you. I mean...” He drilled her with his eyes again, searching, and she saw the moment realization dawned. He peered closer.

  “Wait a minute,” he said. “You’re not Jillian. Who are you?”

  Kendra pushed to her feet, willing her lungs back into a normal breathing pattern. “How do you know Jillian?”

  He blinked. “I... We went to flight school together. We’re colleagues.”

  “You’re more than that,” she said.

  He pressed his lips together.

  She brushed the grit off her arms. “If you don’t want to be brought up on assault charges and lose your wings, you better start talking.”

  He swallowed. “Jillian and I are in a relationship, a serious one, have been for years. She wanted to ease off until after my divorce was drawn up, but when it was done, we got back on track.”

  Kendra sneaked a look at Ethan. Disgust shone on his face. “So you were having an affair with Jillian while you were still married?”

  “My marriage had been over for a long time.”

  “You still had a piece of paper, didn’t you?” Ethan snapped, his drawl thickening. “That’s a vow before God, or doesn’t that mean anything to you?” Titus stiffened, whining at Ethan’s intensity, but Ethan holstered his gun and calmed the dog with a pat. “I guess it means about as much to you as it did to her.” He shook his head. “Never mind. I’m calling your Marine cops. They can sort you out.”

  “No,” he said. “Don’t do that. Look, I’m sorry I went at you,” he said to Kendra. “It was stupid and impulsive. I apologize. I’m set to deploy in a few days and I’ll be gone for seven months. I won’t be any trouble to you or Jillian.”

  Ethan’s eyes blazed. “No way, Marine. You had your hands around her throat, hotshot. You need some prison time to consider the error of your ways.”

  Madding’s expression went from desperate to something craftier. He arched an eyebrow at Kendra. “Okay. Turn me in and I tell everyone who will listen that you’re impersonating Jillian Masters. How’s that going to help your investigation, huh?”

  Ethan’s shoulders tensed. “You’re not gonna blackmail—”

  “He’s right,” Kendra said. “Let him go.”

  “No,” Ethan breathed, his ire now burning at her. “No way. He doesn’t deserve it.”

  She walked to him, talking in a low voice. “Ethan, he can end this investigation by blabbing what he knows. Let him go. This isn’t related to the Sullivan case.”

  Ethan looked at the ground and then blew out a long slow breath, his hands fisted on his hips.

  “I guess I’ll be on my way then.” Madding straightened his rumpled uniform. “I don’t know what you’re working on, but Jillian Masters has stirred up plenty of hornet’s nests around here.”

  Her breath caught. “Did you decide to teach her a lesson by leaving the wasp nest at her house?”

  His expression was blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I hate bugs and that would be a waste of time anyway. Jillian’s not scared of anyone or anything on this planet.”

  But she’d agreed to go into hiding, Kendra thought, so Madding did not know Jillian Masters as well as he thought.

  With a loud hiss of breath, Ethan about-faced and called to Titus to follow. The dog did as he was told. “If I ever see you assault a woman again,” Ethan called over his shoulder to Madding, “the dog gets his way.”

  They escorted Madding to the parking lot and watched him get into his car. When they did the same Kendra took time to calm her still jittery nerves. Madding’s rough hands brought back memories of Andy. She tugged at the collar of her uniform.

  “Sure you’re okay?” Ethan said.

  “Yeah. I had it under control, but thanks for the assist.”

  Ethan glowered. “I should have spotted him tailing us. Rookie mistake. I won’t make it again.”

  Back in the truck, Titus swabbed the back of her neck until she batted him away. “What’s up with you, dog? I thought he didn’t like me.”

  “You’re growing on him.”

  And Titus was growing on her, too, the seventy-pound goofy bundle of ferociousness and loyalty. “Thanks,” she whispered to the dog, “for having my back.”

  Ethan’s brow furrowed and his grip on the steering wheel was unrelenting. He drove fast, too fast. She wanted to say something to break the awkward silence, but she couldn’t come up with a single thing. She noticed for the first time a rolled-up scarf at her feet, with dark purple thread and fringe at the ends. “Spiffy scarf.”

  He shifted on the seat, running a palm over his crew cut. “Yeah, uh, my mom knits them for me. When I deploy I make sure to take a picture of me wearing it and send it to her. She thinks I’ll be cold, even though I’ve tried to tell her it’s 120 degrees on a daily basis in Afghanistan. Guys razzed me plenty when they found me taking that picture.”

  Kendra stifled a chuckle. Did he know how blessed he was to have a mother like that? She looked at his strong profile and decided that he did. After all, he was a man who risked his buddies’ ridicule to please his mother. “You’re a good son.”

  “She struggled when my brother died. Deserves a little extra TLC.”

  His brother. She wanted to ask, but now he was fiddling with the radio, rifling through static and stations. “Don’t whine, Titus. Give me a minute. He’s particular about his music, that dog. Turn on rap and he’ll tear the car apart.”

  He settled on a slow country tune and Titus risked one more lick to the back of her neck before he settled down in the small space behind the driver’s seat for a nap. The miles wound by and Ethan was silent. Okay, if she was going to get to know her enigmatic partner any deeper, it would be on her to make it happen.

  “Ethan, does it...did it bother you to hear Madding talk about cheating on his wife with Jillian?”

  He dr
ummed on the steering wheel. “Reminded me of the betrayal. That hurt worse than a bullet for a long time.”

  “I get that. When you realize the person you loved isn’t who you thought they were.” Andy had been so charming when he wanted to be, but that wasn’t who he really was.

  “Yeah. Makes me some kind of crazy to have agreed to this charade with her father, huh?”

  Not crazy, Kendra thought as she caught the pained twist of his mouth. Ferocious and loyal.

  She reached out and grazed his forearm with her fingertips. “Thanks again for what you did back there.”

  He shrugged and shot her a cocky grin. “See? Told you we gotta be together on this investigation. And you thought I was only good for making frittatas.”

  She laughed. Just like his dog, Ethan was growing on her, too.

  EIGHT

  Ethan took Titus out into the woods behind Jillian’s rented house that evening as the sun continued its descent. Kendra joined him, rolling her neck, relishing the cooler temperature and the sweet smell of sun-warmed grass, a welcome relief from the case that grew more puzzling with each passing day. “I’ve been on the phone with Colonel Masters. He wanted to know about our progress. He’s anxious.”

  Ethan snapped a long lead on Titus. “He should be. He lost a marine and he’s got people like Bill Madding working for him.”

  “Masters wants me to report to his office tomorrow for a briefing.”

  “We’ll be ready.” He shook his head. “Yeah, don’t even bother with ‘I don’t need you to come along.’ Sullivan’s got access to Baylor now and Canyon. You’re getting an MP and his dog along whether you like it or not.”

  She sighed. “Whoever’s helping Sullivan is doing a bang-up job avoiding arrest. Maybe when your people review the list of prison visitors...”

  “Already did that once, but it’s possible we missed something.”

  He bent to Titus and ruffled his ears. “All right, boy, ready? Find it.”

  The dog took off, nose to the ground, tugging on the lead.

  “I hope you’re not expecting to find a real cadaver.”