Military K-9 Unit Christmas: Christmas Escape ; Yuletide Target

by Valerie Hansen

  Exhaustion finally caught up with him, so he stretched out on the sofa and allowed sleep to claim him.

  The following morning, he woke up stiff and sore from sleeping on the sofa, but feeling better having gotten a solid nine hours of sleep. He stretched and padded into the kitchen to start coffee. He frowned, unable to remember if Jacey drank coffee or not. Just to be safe, he filled a red tea kettle and put it on the stove.

  He’d brought a carton of eggs over from his place, so once the coffee was brewed, he proceeded to cook breakfast. Jacey joined him a few minutes later. “Morning,” she said briefly before taking Greta outside into the backyard.

  The teakettle whistled and he turned off the flame beneath the burner. He watched through the window at the sink, admiring how pretty Jacey was, even first thing in the morning. It was too easy to remember how well she’d fit into his arms yesterday, and how difficult it had been to let her go.

  Jacey and Greta returned a few minutes later. “Coffee smells great.”

  “Help yourself. The scrambled eggs are just about ready if you’re interested.”

  “No complaints from me.” Jacey gestured toward the teapot. “You drink tea?”

  “No, but I wasn’t sure if you did.” He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Anyway, I thought we’d drive to the San Antonio crime lab to drop off the bullets prior to heading over to the Cozy Coffee Café.”

  “Sounds good.” She dropped into a chair and cradled her coffee mug. “I can’t believe Misty reached out to me. I wonder why she waited so long?”

  “Good question. You’ve been back on base since October, right?”

  “Yeah.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Maybe I was wrong about Misty being involved in what happened to Greta. What better way to throw off suspicion than to attempt to form an alliance?”

  He piled eggs on her plate along with toast and handed it to her. “You’re starting to think like a cop.”

  Her lips quirked in a smile. “Comes from hanging around one.”

  “Or from having good instincts.” He returned to the table with his eggs, then waited to see if she wanted to pray again. Sean had drifted away from his faith after Liz Graber had been killed by her ex-husband right under his nose.

  But he couldn’t deny liking the way Jacey had prayed before dinner last night.

  She clasped her hands together and bowed her head. He followed suit. “Dear Lord, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. And we ask that You keep us safe in Your care as we start our day, amen.”

  “Amen,” he echoed.

  Jacey glanced at him, thoughtfully. “I don’t remember seeing you at church services.”

  He inwardly winced. “No, probably not.”

  She looked a little disappointed, but then smiled. “You should see how beautiful the church is decorated for Christmas. It’s the best way to get into the holiday spirit.”

  He reluctantly nodded. “Maybe I should.”

  She didn’t push, but sampled her eggs. “Yum. Delicious.”

  “You seem to enjoy whatever edible items are placed in front of you,” he teased.

  She flashed a saucy grin. “I love any and all food I don’t have to cook.”

  That made him laugh. When they finished breakfast, they worked together to clean up the mess, and he couldn’t help thinking about how comfortable he was around Jacey.

  So much so that he’d almost told her about his stepfather’s physical abuse. Something he’d never told anyone, not even her brother, Jake.

  She’d backed off, so he let it go. Besides, he didn’t want or need her sympathy. Old history was best kept in the past as far as he was concerned.

  An hour later, after they’d both showered and changed, they were on the road in his recently acquired jeep. As always, he kept a careful eye out for any hint of a tail, but so far, he hadn’t seen anything suspicious.

  The drive to San Antonio didn’t take long, and they arrived at the Cozy Coffee Café ahead of schedule. He purchased them both large coffees, then took a seat a couple of rows behind Jacey’s table, where he was able to maintain a good view of the door, Jacey and the street outside the window.

  Jacey also sat overlooking the road, ignoring the curious looks the barista behind the counter shot toward Greta. Jacey had pointed out the K-9’s vest that identified her as a working dog, so the barista didn’t say anything about the animal needing to leave.

  The minutes ticked by slowly.

  At one minute past ten, Jacey straightened in her seat. Sean immediately saw what captured her attention: a redheaded female was standing at the street corner on the opposite side of the road.

  His pulse quickened, but he attempted to appear nonchalant. He stared down at the sports section of the newspaper in front of him without reading a word.

  “No!” Jacey shouted, jumping to her feet at the same instant he heard a distinct thud. Sean abandoned his newspaper and followed Jacey outside.

  A crowd of people were gathered around the prone figure lying at the side of the street. Misty’s bright red hair was unmistakable in the sunlight.

  “What happened?” Sean asked, wishing he’d ignored the stupid newspaper to keep an eye on Misty.

  “A black pickup truck sideswiped her.” Jacey and Sean pushed through the crowd to kneel beside Misty. “Did anyone call 911?”

  “I did,” a kid with baggy pants answered.

  Sean felt for a pulse, slightly reassured to find a fast and thready beat. There was a long laceration on her scalp, blood coalescing on her pale skin. Her left arm was bent at an odd angle, clearly broken.

  “Did you get a glimpse of the license plate?” he asked.

  “No, the plate was liberally covered with mud.” Jacey’s dark gaze was full of guilt. “I believe the driver of the truck was the same person who shoved me into traffic, poisoned Greta and shot at us.”

  Sean couldn’t disagree. This hit-and-run convinced him that Misty had information that would help Jacey’s case against Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Turks.

  Whoever had done this was willing to eliminate any and all potential witnesses.

  Without caring about the consequences.

  SEVEN

  There was so much blood, covering Misty and pooling on the road beneath her. Fighting nausea, Jacey put her hand on Misty’s uninjured arm. Overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, Jacey couldn’t get the image of the truck hitting Misty Walsh out of her mind; it played over and over again like a stuck loop.

  “It’s okay, Misty. Help is on the way.” The trainer was unconscious, but that didn’t stop Jacey from talking to her. The rise and fall of Misty’s chest was reassuring, but Jacey knew head injuries could be tricky. Especially since Misty’s was bleeding like crazy.

  Greta sat beside Jacey, sniffing at the female airman as if there was something she could do to help.

  “I hear the ambulance now.” Sean’s deep voice was oddly reassuring. He rose to his feet and scanned the crowd of gawkers. “Anyone see what happened?”

  “A black truck ran the red light and hit her along the left side.” The kid wearing saggy pants spoke up. “It was bad, man. Really bad.”

  Jacey found no comfort in the fact that the kid’s story mirrored hers. As she stared down at Misty’s pale features, she kept thinking that it should have been her lying there.

  Who knew that they were planning to meet today? Misty had called Jacey’s cell phone directly to make the arrangements.

  Was it possible one or both of their phones had been bugged? She knew her cell number was on file with the air force and that anyone with access could look it up. Or had someone close to Misty overheard her making the call?

  Jacey didn’t like any of the possibilities.

  The ambulance arrived and soon the EMTs had Misty bundled up on the gurney.

  “Wait.” Jacey stopp
ed them with a hand on the EMT’s arm. “Which hospital are you taking her to? She’s a senior airman from Canyon Air Force Base.”

  The two EMTs looked at each other and shrugged. “It’s the same distance either way. We’ll take her to Canyon if that’s what you’d prefer.”

  “I would.” She stepped back and glanced at Sean. “I’d like to meet her at the hospital, too.”

  “It will take some time before we’ll be able to see her,” he cautioned.

  “I know.” Logically she knew this wasn’t her fault; Misty had been the one to reach out to her, not the other way around, but this had all started with her allegation against Lieutenant Colonel Turks.

  Maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut.

  The minute the thought crossed her mind, she inwardly rejected it. No, what the lieutenant colonel did wasn’t right. She was fortunate enough to have escaped, but what if others hadn’t been able to?

  What if Misty hadn’t?

  The man was a menace, using his power as a weapon against women. No one deserved to be assaulted. Women could contribute to keeping the country safe just as well as men did. Even if she ended up being forced to resign from the air force, she knew she wouldn’t go back to change the fact that she’d pressed charges against Turks.

  She needed to believe that someday justice would be served.

  Greta sensed her inner turmoil and pressed her nose against Jacey’s hand. Jacey rubbed the K-9 between the ears and then crossed over to Sean. “We need to get out of here.”

  “I know. This way.”

  They walked back to his jeep in silence, each lost in their thoughts. When they arrived at the hospital, Misty was still being cared for in the ER.

  “I’m the Special Forces cop who was on the scene after the crash,” Sean informed the triage nurse. “I need an update on Misty’s condition.”

  “I’ll get the doctor for you.”

  Five minutes later, a man wearing scrubs covered by a long white lab coat came out to the waiting area. “Staff Sergeant Morris?”

  Sean and Jacey both stood and approached the captain. They saluted and then went at ease.

  “I’m Captain Robertson,” the doctor introduced himself. “I understand you were at the scene when this happened?”

  “Yes, sir.” Sean briefly described what Jacey and the other young man had seen. “I’d like to understand the extent of her injuries.”

  “Her left side took the brunt of the damage. She has a broken arm and leg. The arm has a significant compound fracture that will require surgery. She also has a collapsed lung on the left side that I was able to treat. I’m sure you noticed the laceration along the left side of her head.”

  “Has she woken up? Said anything?” Sean asked.

  “No. She hasn’t regained consciousness yet. I can have the nurse call you when she does.”

  “That would be great, thank you, sir.” Sean handed the captain his contact information.

  Awash in helplessness, Jacey watched the doctor walk away.

  “There’s nothing more we can do here,” Sean said quietly.

  “I know.” That didn’t mean she liked it. “Come, Greta.” She followed Sean outside to the jeep. “Now what?”

  “I’ll keep digging for suspects.”

  Jacey put Greta in the back and then slid in beside Sean. As he headed back to the house, she considered their next options.

  “We’ve assumed based on the log that the person Aiden saw in the kennel that night was female, but what if it wasn’t? I think we need to broaden our search to men, and not just those employed by the training center.”

  “How would a man who didn’t work there get access to Greta’s kennel?”

  She shook her head helplessly. “Steal it? Force someone to open it? Who knows? The fact is that we have to expand our pool of suspects.”

  “It’s already a large pool, but I see what you’re saying. I’ll look into it—don’t worry.”

  “We will.” The stubborn glint was back in her eye. “I’m involved in this. After what happened to Misty...” She couldn’t finish.

  Sean pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. He came around to open her door for her and for the second time in two days, she found herself cradled in his arms.

  “She’s strong. She’ll pull through this,” he murmured against her temple.

  “I hope so.” Her voice was muffled against his shirt and she breathed in his woody scent, then lifted her head to look up at him. “Thank you.”

  His brow levered up in surprise. “For what?”

  “Being there for me.” Keeping her gaze centered on his, she rose up on tiptoe and pressed her mouth against his.

  He froze, and she feared he’d pull away, but he didn’t. Instead he tugged her close and deepened their kiss. This was what she’d waited for. What she’d longed for. She reveled in his taste, the strength and warmth of his arms.

  After several long moments, he finally lifted his head, breathing deep. “We can’t do this. You’re killing me, Jacey.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah? Well, after waiting ten years for you to kiss me, I figured it was time to take matters into my own hands.”

  His jaw dropped. “Ten years? You mean—”

  “I’ve had a crush on you since high school.” Seeing Misty lying on the gurney and hearing the extent of her injuries had convinced Jacey it was time to tell him the truth.

  “I, uh, had no idea.” He looked completely poleaxed by her declaration.

  “I’m sure I was nothing more to you than Jake’s annoying little sister,” she teased. Greta poked her nose out from the back of the jeep, so she gestured for the dog to jump down.

  He stared down at Jacey for a long moment. “Not exactly,” he finally admitted. “I always thought you were pretty back then, but you’re beautiful now.”

  “Really?” It was her turn to be caught off guard.

  He nodded, then rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “I—Things weren’t good at home, so I pretty much stayed away from dating and friendships. Jake was the one guy I allowed myself to get close to, and even then, I never invited him to my house. I preferred hanging around yours, anyway.”

  “Because of your abusive stepfather?” she guessed.

  His eyes widened in shock. “Yeah, but I didn’t say he was abusive.”

  “You didn’t have to. It was an easy assumption.” She tilted her head to the side. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

  Sean let out a harsh laugh. “Me, too. But I finally convinced my mother to leave the jerk. But shortly thereafter, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and died within three months. After that, I joined the air force.”

  Her heart squeezed in her chest, and she placed a comforting hand on his arm. “I’m here if you want to talk.”

  “Thanks.” His smile was strained. “But I think our time is better spent trying to figure out who is behind all of this.”

  She hesitated, then nodded. “All right. But just know, I’m here for you.”

  As they went inside, Jacey lightly touched her fingers to her still-tingling lips.

  She didn’t regret kissing Sean, but had the sense that he didn’t feel the same way. His exact words were we can’t do this.

  Was it because of his abusive stepfather? Or something else?

  Either way, Jacey was determined to get to the bottom of what was going through Sean’s mind.

  She’d planned to keep her distance, but that wasn’t an option anymore. Certainly not after that toe-curling kiss.

  They’d been given a second chance at a possible relationship.

  If Sean had the courage to take it.

  * * *

  Kissing Jacey hadn’t been part of his plan. But now that he’d tasted the sweetness of her lips, he wasn’t sure he’d fi
nd the strength to stay away.

  Remember Liz Graber, he harshly told himself. The image of how she looked lying dead on the floor was burned into his memory. Knowing that her ex-husband had taken the opportunity to kill her right under Sean’s nose was a failure he’d have to live with for the rest of his life.

  The only redeeming fact was that Sean had worked tirelessly to piece together the trace evidence needed to lock the guy up behind bars. At the time, he’d assumed he’d be demoted, but apparently bringing Liz’s ex to justice had saved his reputation.

  But it hadn’t saved his heart.

  And here he was, making the same mistake with Jacey. Getting too close and not keeping a professional distance.

  If he was honest with himself, he’d say he’d already crossed the line by kissing her. Something he’d dreamed of doing ten years ago. And it rattled him to realize she’d felt the same way.

  His emotions were tangled up in Jacey, no matter how hard he tried to unravel the hold she had on him.

  Somehow, he had to keep his wits about him. No way was Jacey going to end up like Liz.

  Not on his watch.

  Jacey insisted on going to the training center for the afternoon, so he accompanied her and Greta, watching for a few moments as she put the animal through several training scenarios.

  While Jacey worked with the K-9s, he did his best to stay focused on doing background checks of all the personnel on base who had even minor blemishes on their record in dealing with women. If the issue was Jacey’s allegation against Turks, then someone must be holding a grudge against women who stand up for themselves against sexist behavior.

  But there were so many, it was depressing. There were only two interesting items he’d uncovered. One was an allegation of inappropriate conduct against Bill Ullman, the cop who’d initially investigated Jacey’s case, which had been filed just five months ago. The other was a formal assault complaint against his boss, Master Sergeant Hanover. The assault was two years ago, filed by a woman who Hanover had been dating. A lover’s spat? Maybe. Regardless, he saved a copy of both incidents, although at this point, he was leaning toward Ullman as his primary suspect.