Guarding the Witness

by Margaret Daley

  “You’ve brought me here and I pulled a few strings with Walter’s help. It’s a good thing you put me on your list to join you if I chose to or no matter how much I pleaded I would never have gotten this far.”

  She’d remembered doing it before leaving the office in Alaska, thinking she might say something to him at the hospital. Give him a choice of coming with her. But she’d changed her mind so she hadn’t thought anything about it—until now. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, everything is great now that I’m here.” He slammed the door and strode to her. “I thought once I got better and was back at my job that I would be fine. I’d convinced myself that what we had between us wasn’t reality. That I didn’t need you. That my job was all I needed.”

  Arianna’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. “And it isn’t?”

  “No. It took me five months of physical therapy and desk duty before I was allowed back in the field. But it was never the same. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get you out of my head or heart. I began to hate going to work. That never has happened to me. I’d thought when I gave your parents the letters I would feel better. That made it worse.”

  Her thundering heartbeat clamored in her head. “Why?”

  “Your dad cried when he read your letter. I felt very uncomfortable witnessing that. I tried to leave, but they insisted I stay with them for a few days and tell them all about my time with you. I did. When I left, they gave me some letters for you. I took them, not wanting to tell them I didn’t have a way to get them to you.” He halted for a few seconds and sucked in a deep breath. “Leaving them was hard, but not as hard as watching you fly out of my life. I love you. I’ve left the U.S. Marshals Service. I’m not leaving here until I convince you to marry me.” His intense gaze seized hers.

  “So you’re physically all right now?”

  He nodded. “I wouldn’t have been able to go back to work if not.”

  “Good.” Arianna threw herself at him, winding her arms around him. “I didn’t want to hurt you. The last time I saw you I was nearly too afraid to even kiss you goodbye.”

  “And if I remember, it wasn’t even what I would call a proper goodbye kiss.”

  “How about a proper welcome one?”

  His embrace caged her against him as he slanted his mouth over hers. She poured nine months of bottled up emotions into the kiss, taking and giving at the same time.

  When he pulled a few inches away, he captured her face in his palms. “I love you, Arianna.”

  “My new name is Kim Wells.”

  He chuckled, laugh lines at the corners of his brown eyes. “I love you—Kim.”

  “I love you,” she murmured right before she planted another kiss on his mouth.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Tracking Justice by Shirlee McCoy

  Dear Reader,

  I am excited to continue writing more stories about strong women who are bodyguards. But the men they meet are equally strong. It is fun to come up with stories that feature two capable protagonists who can take care of themselves. I have another book planned in this Guardians, Inc. series, so look for it in the future.

  I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at margaretdaley@gmail.com, or at 1316 S. Peoria Ave., Tulsa, OK 74120. You can also learn more about my books at www.margaretdaley.com. I have a quarterly newsletter that you can sign up for on my website.

  Best wishes,

  Questions for Discussion

  Trust is important in a relationship. Arianna didn’t trust anyone because of the job she was in and a betrayal by Dirk. Brody didn’t know if he could even trust the people he worked with after someone betrayed the safe house location. Has anyone caused you to distrust him/her? Why? How did you settle it?

  Who is your favorite character? Why?

  Arianna and Brody were running for their lives with assassins after them. Have you ever been really scared? How did you deal with it? Did you turn to anyone for help?

  Brody’s job was to protect Arianna. He was determined to do that and get her to the courthouse to testify. To what lengths have you gone to protect someone? Where would you draw the line?

  What is your favorite scene? Why?

  What would you have done if you had been in Arianna’s shoes and witnessed a murder?

  Arianna had to give up her career, family and friends, everything she knew, because she was testifying against Rainwater. She was scared of the unknown future. She didn’t know what she would do. What if you were put in a similar situation? How would you deal with having to totally start over in a new life?

  Arianna couldn’t forgive Dirk. She almost went to prison because of his betrayal. Her past ruled her life. Is there something in your past that has done that to you? How can you get beyond that?

  Arianna fell in love though she tried not to since she knew there wasn’t a future for her and Brody. Have you ever done something against your better judgment? How did it turn out?

  Although Arianna knew she should forgive Dirk, that God wanted her to, she couldn’t. Have you ever done something you knew you shouldn’t? How did that situation turn out?

  Who do you think was the mole in the U.S. Marshals office? Why?

  Arianna was determined to testify against Rainwater even though it would change her life forever. That took courage. What have you done that required courage? Did any scriptures help you through it? Which ones are they?

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

  You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

  Enjoy four new stories from Love Inspired Suspense every month!

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  ONE

  Police detective Austin Black glanced at the illuminated numbers on the dashboard clock as he raced up Oak Drive. Two in the morning. Not a good time to get a call about a missing child.

  Then again, there was never a good time for that; never a good time to look in the eyes of a mother or father and see terror and worry or to follow a scent trail and know that it might lead to a joyful reunion or a sorrowful goodbye.

  If it led anywhere.

  Sometimes trails went cold, scents were lost and the missing were never found.

  Knowing that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

  Austin wanted to find them all. Bring them all home safe.

  Hopefully, this time, he would.

  He pulled into the driveway of a small, bungalow-style house, its white porch gleaming in exterior lights that glowed on either side of the door. Just four houses down from the scene of a violent crime and the theft of a trained police dog the previous afternoon. An odd coincidence.

  Or maybe not.

  Two calls to the same street within nine hours? Not something that happened often in a place like Sagebrush, Texas.

  Justice whined, his dark nose pressed against the grate that separated him from the SUV’s backseat. A three-year-old bloodhound, he was trained in search and rescue and knew when it was time to work. Knew and was ready, even after the eight-hour search they’d been on earlier.

  Austin jumped out of the vehicle and started up the driveway, filing away information as he went. Lights on in the front of the house. An old station wagon parked on the curb
. Windows closed. Locked?

  A woman darted out the front door, pale hair flowing behind her, a loose robe flapping in the cold night air as she ran toward him. “Thank God you got here so quickly. I don’t know where he could have gone.”

  “You called about a missing child?”

  “Yes. My son.”

  “The dispatcher said that you don’t know how long he’s been gone?” Austin had heard the call go out shortly after he’d left his captain’s place. Hours of searching for Slade’s stolen police dog, Rio, had turned up nothing but a dead-end scent trail and mounting frustration. Austin had been exhausted and ready to go home. Now he felt wired and ready to hit the trail again.

  “I thought that I heard Brady call for me, and when I walked into his room, he was gone. That was about ten minutes ago.”

  “Has he ever run away?”

  “No.”

  “Ever talked about it?”

  “No! Now, please, can you help me find him?” She ran back up the porch stairs, her bare feet padding on the whitewashed wood.

  Austin jogged after her, stepping into a small living room. Neat as a pin except for a small pile of Legos on a light oak coffee table and a college textbook abandoned on a threadbare sofa. No sign of the woman.

  “Ma’am?” he called, moving toward a narrow hallway that led toward the back of the house.

  “Here.” She waved from a doorway at the end of the hall. “This is my son’s room.”

  Austin followed her into the tiny room. Blue walls. Blue bedding tangled and dripping over the side of the twin mattress. Crisp white curtains. A blanket lay on the floor near the open window, the frayed edges ruffled by the wind.

  “How old is your son, Ms...?”

  “Billows. Eva. He’s seven.”

  Billows?

  The name sparked a memory, but Austin couldn’t quite grab hold of it. “Did you and your son have an argument about something? Maybe a missed curfew or—”

  “He’s seven. He’s not even allowed to be outside by himself.” Her voice broke, but her eyes were dry, her face pale and pinched with worry. A pretty face. A young one, too. Maybe twenty-three or four. Too young, it seemed, to have a seven-year-old.

  “Did you argue about homework? Grades?”

  “We didn’t argue about anything, Officer—?”

  “Detective Austin Black. I’m with Sagebrush Police Department’s Special Operations K-9 Unit.”

  “You have a search-and-rescue dog with you?” Her face brightened, hope gleaming in her emerald eyes. “I can give you something of his. A shirt or—”

  “Hold on.” He grabbed her arm as she tried to move past. “I need to get a little more information first.”

  “Find my son. Then I’ll give you whatever information you want.”

  “Unfortunately, without the information, I won’t know where to begin searching for your son.”

  “How about you start out there?” She gestured out the window.

  “Was it open when you came in the room?”

  “Yes. And the curtains were just like that. One hanging outside. Like, maybe...” She pressed her lips together.

  “What?”

  “It looks like someone carried Brady out the window, and Brady grabbed the curtain to try to keep from being taken. But I don’t know how anyone could have gotten into his room. The window was locked. All the doors and windows were locked.”

  He nodded. He could see the scenario she’d outlined playing out. The little boy woken from a sound sleep, dragged from his bed and out the window, grabbing on to whatever he could to keep from being kidnapped.

  He could see it, but that didn’t mean it had happened that way. Most children were abducted by family or friends, and most didn’t even know they were being abducted when it happened.

  “You’re sure everything was locked?”

  “Of course.” She frowned. “I always double-check. I have ever since...”

  “What?”

  “Nothing that matters. I just need to find my son.”

  Hiding something?

  Maybe. She seemed more terrified than nervous, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know something about what had happened to her son.

  “Everything matters when a child is missing, Eva.”

  Missing.

  Gone.

  Disappeared.

  The words just kept coming. Kept filling Eva’s head and her heart and her lungs until she wasn’t sure she could breathe.

  “Do you need to sit down?” Detective Black touched her elbow, his dark blue eyes staring straight into hers.

  “I need to find my son.” The words stuck in her throat, caught on the roof of her mouth, and she didn’t know if they even made a sound when they escaped through her lips.

  “I’m going to help you do that. I promise. But I need to know if there’s some reason why you were careful to keep your doors and windows locked. Someone you were afraid of.” His voice was warm and smooth as honey straight from the hive, and Eva might actually believe every word he was saying if she weren’t so terrified.

  “My parents were killed two years ago, but it had nothing to do with me or my son.”

  “The killer was caught?”

  “No.”

  “Is it possible—”

  “It’s not possible!” She nearly shouted, and Detective Black frowned. “I was estranged from my father when the murders occurred. There’s no connection between my life now and what happened to my parents.” She tried again. Tried to sound reasonable and responsible because she was afraid if she didn’t, the detective would linger in Brady’s room for hours instead of going to look for him.

  “Is Brady’s father around?” He leaned out the window without touching it, eyeing the packed earth beneath.

  Did he see anything there?

  She wanted to ask, wanted to beg him to get his dog and go after her son, wanted to go after Brady herself, run into the darkness and scream his name over and over again until she found him.

  “No,” she answered a little too sharply, and Detective Black raised a raven-black eyebrow.

  “You’re not on good terms?”

  “We’re not on any terms.”

  “When was the last time you and Brady saw him?”

  “Brady has never seen him,” she retorted. “The last time I saw Rick was six months before my son was born.”

  “Have you spoken to him on th—”

  “I haven’t had any contact with him since the day I told him I was pregnant. He’s not in my life. He’s not in Brady’s life. He didn’t want to be. He was married, okay? He and his wife moved to Las Vegas two months before Brady’s birth. That’s it. The whole story.” She’d been nineteen and foolish enough to believe every lie Rick had told. It didn’t hurt like it used to, but admitting it to the detective still made her blush.

  “Is there anyone else? A boyfriend? Fiancé?”

  “No. Just me and Brady. That’s all there’s ever been.” She swallowed hard and turned away. Holding back tears because crying wouldn’t solve her problems. Wouldn’t help her son.

  “When did you last see Brady?”

  “I checked on him at midnight. Right before I went to bed. He was sleeping.”

  “You went to bed after that?”

  “Yes! I went to bed. I fell asleep. I thought I heard Brady call for me, and I went to his room. He was gone. Now, will you please go find him?”

  “I will. A soon as—”

  The doorbell rang and Eva jumped, her heart soaring with wild hope.

  Brady.

  Please, God, let it be him.

  She shoved past Detective Black, not caring about niceties. Not caring about anything but getting to the door, opening it, seeing Brady’
s face.

  Only it wasn’t him.

  Her heart sank as she looked into the eyes of a uniformed officer.

  “Ms. Billows? I’m Officer Desmond Cunningham. We have a report of a missing child?”

  “My son. There’s already a detective here.”

  “He’s with our K-9 Unit. He’ll start searching for your son while I interview you.”

  Thank You, God. Thank You, thank You, thank You.

  She stepped back so he could enter the house, wishing she’d had time to straighten up the living room, put the sofa cover over her threadbare couch. A twenty-dollar Goodwill find that worked fine for her and Brady but wasn’t great for company.

  Such a silly thing to think about.

  Such a stupid thing when her son was missing.

  She pressed a hand to her stomach, sick with dread and fear.

  “He’s been gone for twenty minutes already,” she said, the horror of the words filling her mouth with the coppery taste of blood.

  “It takes a little time to get a search team mobilized, ma’am, but we’ll have plenty of people out here before you know it.” Officer Cunningham offered a reassuring smile, his dark eyes filled with sympathy.

  Seeing it there in the depth of his gaze was too difficult, made the tears she’d been holding back too tempting. She turned away, met Detective Black’s steady gaze.

  Deep blue. Bottomless. Unreadable.

  “Were you home this afternoon, Eva?” he asked, and she shook her head because she wasn’t sure she could speak without tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “Was Brady?”

  “He was with his babysitter. Mrs. Daphne lives two doors down,” she managed to say past the lump in her throat.

  “Is that close to Slade McNeal’s place?” he asked.

  And odd question, but she’d answer whatever he asked if it meant getting him outside searching for Brady.