Defense Breach

by Lisa Phillips

  Office of Special Investigations, OSI, had arrived and would be taking lead on the case under the supervision of Ian Steffen. Nick also spotted FBI special agent Oliver Davison, who’d been a frequent visitor to the base—not only because of his search for the Red Rose Killer, but also to see his fiancée, Senior Airman Ava Esposito.

  Of course, he would show up. At this point, anything bad that happened on the base was suspected of being caused by Boyd Sullivan. And Oliver was one of the most determined people on the elite investigative team formed especially to hunt Sullivan down and bring him to justice. Truth was, they all wanted the killer caught and were working overtime in order to do that.

  Nick belonged to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit and had gotten the call shortly after the explosion happened. He’d raced from his home and arrived to find the organized chaos he was now in the middle of. If the EOD unit had been called, then someone thought the damage to the building had been caused by a bomb—and they wanted to make sure there weren’t any more explosives waiting to go off. Which he would be happy to do just as soon as he could get close enough.

  Security Forces with assault rifles flooded the area and stood ready should there be another attempt to attack, although Nick figured whoever was responsible was long gone. But Canyon Air Force Base had an action plan for this kind of thing and it had been put into place immediately.

  From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Heidi Jenks, one of the base reporters, talking to an OSI investigator.

  He scoffed. Boy, she didn’t waste a second, did she? He sure hoped the investigator knew how to keep his mouth shut. The last thing they needed was for her to write a story before the facts were even determined.

  She ran a hand over her wavy blond hair and rubbed her eyes. He frowned. Where was her ever-present notebook? And why did she look so disheveled?

  Annie pulled on the leash and Nick let her lead him over to a large block of concrete. She sat. And he stiffened at her signal, which indicated a bomb. While he didn’t think the piece of concrete itself was going to explode, it obviously had explosives residue on it. She looked at him expectantly. “Good girl, Annie, good girl.” He took a treat from his pocket and she wolfed it down.

  He set his backpack on the ground and pulled out the items he needed to take a sample of the cement. Once that was done, he placed the evidence back in his pack and scratched Annie’s ears.

  “What was that?” a voice asked. A voice he recognized and sometimes heard in his dreams. Against his will.

  He looked up and found himself staring at a pair of bandaged knees. The blood on the torn pants had a story to tell. Nick stood and looked down into Heidi Jenks’s blue eyes. Eyes he could drown in if he’d let himself. But she was so off-limits in the romance department that he banished the thought from his mind as soon as it popped in.

  “No comment.”

  “Come on, Nick.”

  “Just something I want to take a closer look at.”

  She turned away to look at the smoking building. Fire trucks still poured water onto it. It could take hours to put the fire out. “It was a bomb, wasn’t it?” she said when she turned back to him.

  He pursed his lips. “Why do you jump to that conclusion?”

  “What else could it be?” She shrugged. “Why else would you and Annie be here along with other members of EOD? You’re going to have to check to make sure there aren’t any more bombs, aren’t you?”

  Nick knew Heidi because he’d read her newspaper articles and some of the stories she’d written. Most people would consider them to be fluff pieces, but the truth was, he could see her heart behind them. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, he liked it. He and Heidi had had a few conversations, and each time, he’d wanted to prolong them. Which was weird for him. He didn’t do conversations with people like Heidi. Users who just went after the story without worrying about the fallout. Even though his gut told him she wasn’t like that. But she had to be. Otherwise he could lose his heart to her. And that couldn’t happen. No way.

  “Good deductive reasoning,” he told her. “But did you think it was possible that I just wanted to see what was going on?”

  “No.”

  “Hmm. You’re right. Annie and I’ll have to check for more bombs as soon as we get the green light. And that’s not confidential so I’m not worried about you saying anything.”

  She sighed. “Look, I know with all the rumors circulating, no one wants to talk to me, but this…this is different.”

  An anonymous blogger had been reporting on the Red Rose Killer, his targets and the investigation. Reporting on things that no one but those involved in the investigation could know. Rumor had it that Heidi was the blogger. As a result, she’d been mostly ostracized from anything considered newsworthy when it came to the Red Rose Killer. But Heidi was persistent. He’d give her that.

  He nodded to the torn pants and bandaged knees.

  “What happened to you?”

  She glanced down. “I got knocked off my feet by the blast.”

  He raised a brow. “You were here?”

  “Yes.”

  Well, that put a new light on things. “Did you see anything?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Either you did or you didn’t.”

  A scowl pulled her brows down. “Then I think I did.”

  “What did you see exactly?”

  She drew in a deep breath. “Like I told the OSI agent, I think I may have seen the bomber.”

  *

  At Nick’s indrawn breath and instant flash of concern, Heidi felt slightly justified in her dramatic announcement. She shrugged, not nearly as nonchalant as she hoped she came across. “Honestly, I don’t know if he was the bomber or not, but I sure saw someone who looked like he was up to no good. He had on dark clothing and a hoodie—and a ski mask. Why wear a ski mask unless you don’t want anyone to know who you are? Anyway, he took that off right before he turned around and looked at me.”

  “Tell me everything.”

  As she talked about the man in the hoodie with the ice-cold blue eyes running from the scene, Nick’s frown deepened. “You might be fortunate he was in a hurry to get away.”

  “I think that’s a reasonable assumption.” Just the thought of him sent fear skittering up her spine.

  “So, he knows you saw him.”

  “Oh, yes, he knows. OSI is rounding up a sketch artist for me to work with.” She shivered and crossed her arms at the memory of the man’s brief pause, as though he’d considered coming after her. Thankfully, he’d been in a hurry, more worried about getting away from the impending explosion. But she had seen his face. Well, some of it. The hoodie had hidden his hair color and some of his features, but she’d be able to identify those blue eyes anywhere and anytime.

  “All right, stick close,” Nick said. “I’m going to let Annie keep working and we’ll see what she comes up with.”

  For the next thirty minutes, Heidi did as instructed and stayed right with him. Not just so she could collect facts for the story, but because she was just plain rattled. Okay, scared. She’d admit it. She was afraid and feeling decidedly out of her depth.

  But watching Nick and Annie work was a good distraction. She felt safe with Nick in a way she couldn’t explain, and she couldn’t help admiring his strength and confidence, the total focus and dedication he had to his job.

  Her father had been like that.

  Before he’d died.

  A pang of grief hit her and she shook her head. It had been two years and she still missed him like crazy. But he’d been a wonderful example of the ethical reporter she strived to be. She was determined to follow in his footsteps, determined to make him proud. Thinking of her father naturally sent her thoughts to her mother. A strong woman who’d loved her husband, she’d nearly been shattered by his death. His murder. He’d been killed by the big corporation he’d exposed as a front for the mafia. Killed by his best friend, who’d been the CEO of that c
orporation.

  A lump formed in her throat.

  Her parents had argued late one night. She’d come over for dinner and fallen asleep on the couch. When she’d awakened, she’d heard the harsh whispers coming from the kitchen. She’d stayed still and listened, hearing her mother begging her father to stop looking, to “give it up.” Her father had been adamant. “I’m not looking the other way, Kate. I can’t.”

  “I’m afraid, Richie,” she’d whispered. “I’m truly afraid something will happen to you.”

  And it had. Not even two weeks later, a jogger had found his body washed up against the shore of a nearby lake. Her father had taken a bullet through the back of his skull. Executed. She lifted her chin. But his work would live on through her. The men who’d killed her father had been captured, tried and imprisoned—including the best friend who’d put the hit out on him. But it didn’t bring her father back. It was up to her to carry on his work.

  Truth, baby girl. Nothing’s more important than exposing lies and bringing truth to light. Keep your focus where it should be. Don’t step on people to get to the top. Don’t excuse people who do wrong no matter who they are—and you’ll do just fine.

  Her father’s words ringing in her mind, she watched as Nick finally stood from the last place Annie had alerted on and tucked a small bag into the larger one he carried. “All right,” he said. “I think I’m done here for now.”

  “Did you find anything else?”

  “I’ll have to let the lab decide that.” He dug a hand into his front pocket and rewarded Annie with a treat and a “Good job, girl.”

  His gaze slid to her and he opened his mouth as if to say something, then snapped it shut and gave her a grim smile.

  He wasn’t going to tell her anything. He didn’t trust her. She gave a mental sigh and shrugged off the hurt. What did she expect with everyone thinking she was the anonymous blogger, posting about everything going on in the investigation of the Red Rose Killer? Things no one but the investigative team should know. The blogger had everyone on edge and pointing fingers.

  While it was true she was upset she hadn’t been assigned the story, that didn’t mean she was going around shooting off her mouth about things she shouldn’t. The fact was she didn’t know anything. Other than what was reported in the papers—and by the anonymous blogger.

  But Nick didn’t know that. He didn’t know her other than from a short snippet of conversation here and there. They often ran into each other at the Winged Java café and he always made a point to speak to her—but he kept himself at a distance. Like he didn’t want to get too close. For some reason, she wanted to change that.

  His eyes narrowed on a spot over her shoulder. She turned to look. “What is it?” she asked.

  “I thought I saw something move.”

  “Everything’s moving around here. What are you talking about?”

  “In the reserve just beyond the tree line.” He strode toward it, Annie on his heels.

  Heidi went after him, not about to miss out. Had the guy that set the bomb off stayed behind to watch the action?

  But that wouldn’t be smart.

  Then again, where was the rule that said bombers had to be smart? “You think it could be one of the missing dogs?” she called after him.

  Several months ago, after killing two trainers in the Military Working Dog program, Boyd Sullivan had opened all two hundred and seven kennels and released the animals. While the more highly trained dogs had stayed put, one hundred ninety-six dogs, some PTSD therapy dogs—and dogs with PTSD themselves—had escaped. Most had been found and returned to safety, but there were still twenty-one missing.

  Nick reached the tree line and stopped, planting his hands on his hips. Heidi caught up and he shook his head. “No, it wasn’t a dog. This shadow had two legs.”

  “Okay. You see him?”

  “No.” He sighed and rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. “Maybe I’m just imagining things. Like my nerves are so tight it’s causing hallucinations.”

  “But you really don’t believe that, so you want to keep looking, right?”

  He slid a sideways glance at her. “Yes.”

  “Then I’m going with you.”

  “It’s probably nothing.”

  “I’ll just tag along and make that decision myself, okay?”

  “No, not okay. Stay here.”

  “The longer you argue with me, the less likely you are to find out if you saw something.”

  He shot her a black look and turned on his heel to go after whatever it was he thought he saw.

  She shrugged and fell into step beside him, doing her best to ignore the pain in her knees. They were going to be sore for a few days, so she might as well get used to it.

  Usually Heidi didn’t notice how small she was in comparison to the men she worked with on a regular basis, but being next to Nick made her feel positively tiny. And feminine.

  Which was stupid. Okay, not necessarily stupid, but seriously—why was she so hyperaware of him? Why did she notice every little thing about him? Like the way his blue eyes crinkled at the corners when he was amused. Or the way his jaw tightened and his lips flattened into a thin line when he was annoyed. Or how his dark hair was never allowed to grow too long. She shouldn’t notice those things. But she did.

  Nick was no more attracted to her than he was to the tree they’d just walked past, so she really needed to get over whatever it was she felt for him. The last thing she needed was to set herself up for heartbreak.

  “I think he went this way,” Nick said, pulling her from her thoughts.

  She followed even though she didn’t see what he did.

  The farther they got from the kennel and all of the action, the more she thought he’d seen a bird or something. She hoped so, anyway. The adrenaline crash was coming now that the danger was over. It was over, wasn’t it? “You see anything else?”

  “No. I’ve lost sight of him.”

  “So it was definitely a him?”

  “Yes.”

  Before she knew it, they were standing in front of her home. “Wait a minute, he came this way?” she asked.

  “Yeah, that’s what it looked like.”

  “This is my house, Nick.”

  “I’d better check the area. Stay put.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “And you keep ignoring me.”

  This time she listened and let him do his job. With Annie at his heels, he walked around the left side of her home, then the right, which was next to the home that Staff Sergeant Felicity James shared with her husband, Master Sergeant Westley James. Felicity was still a target of the serial killer, but at least she had her husband to keep an eye out for her. Westley was part of the investigative team looking for Sullivan. A team Heidi really wanted to be a part of.

  Nick returned with a frown.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. I thought I saw some footprints in the grassy area along your back fence, but I didn’t see anyone.”

  “I see. That’s a bit concerning, but it could be from anyone walking back there, using it as a shortcut.”

  “I suppose. Could be.”

  “Okay, well, I’m ready to call it a night,” she said.

  “I don’t blame you. I’ll wait here and make sure you get inside safely, then I’ll head back to the training center. I don’t think Annie and I can do much of anything else, but I’ll see if OSI wants us to.”

  “I’ve given my statement, so they know where to find me if they have any more questions for me.”

  “Perfect.”

  He stood there a moment longer, looking down at her as though hesitant to leave. “Are you going to be all right?” he asked.

  “I think so. Why?”

  He glanced around one more time. “I don’t like that we wound up here while we were following him. He disappeared too easily. Too quickly. If what you say is true, that guy got a good look at you.”

  “If it�
��s true? Really?” She sighed. “I’ll be fine, Nick. Good night.”

  A scuff of a foot just ahead and around the side of her house stopped her.

  Nick turned toward the noise. “What was that?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Probably nothing.” Maybe. Without thinking, she slipped her hand into his.

  He squeezed her fingers, then released them. “Stay behind me.”

  Not quite ready to argue with him, she followed his order as he and Annie led the way. They walked down the sidewalk in front of Heidi’s home and were almost to the end of the small property when she saw the shadow skirting around the side of her house. “Hey! Can I help you?” she called.

  The shadow took off.

  Nick and Annie followed. The fleeing person wove in and out, between the houses, down alleys. Heidi fell back slightly as she realized there was no way she could keep up with Nick’s long stride.

  She didn’t realize he’d stopped until she was almost next to him. Nick had the guy close to being boxed in a corner with no escape. There were buildings on either side of him and an open parking lot too far away from him to flee. He must have realized it the same time she did.

  Because he spun and lifted his arm.

  “He’s got a gun!”

  The words were barely out of her mouth before something heavy slammed into her, and she hit the pavement.

  Copyright © 2018 by Harlequin Books S.A.

  ISBN-13: 9781488088216

  Defense Breach

  Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Phillips

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 22 Adelaide St. West, 40th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.