Operation K-9 Brothers Series, Book 1

by Sandra Owens

  “Why would you do that?”

  “I’m a Navy SEAL on medical leave. I’m also my team’s dog handler.” He wasn’t a certified service dog trainer, but he’d talk to Ron, see if he’d certify the dog once he was trained.

  “I still don’t understand why you’d help us.”

  “Because, even though I’ve never met your husband, he’s my brother. I have the time and the knowledge. Besides, I’m bored, so you’d really be doing me a favor.” Added benefit, it would help keep his mind off missing Nichole.

  “Can we go get a dog right now, sir? I’m going to name it Trucker ’cause my daddy loves trucks.”

  Jack smiled at the boy. “That’s a fine name, but it’s up to your mother.” He met her gaze, let her see the truth of his offer in his eyes.

  “I’ll pay you what I can,” she finally said.

  “No, ma’am. We’ll find a suitable rescue dog, and you’ll have a small fee to adopt it. You’ll also need some supplies, but it won’t be all that much. I do have to ask, is your husband agreeable to this?”

  She put her hand on her son’s head. “Go wait for me in the car.”

  “So we can go get a dog?”

  “We’ll see.” After he left them, she said, “He’s not exactly agreeable, but then he’s not agreeable about anything these days. In desperation, I told him that I would leave and take our son with me if he refused to do this. I don’t mean it, but I don’t know what else to do. I only told him that to push him into doing this. I really am desperate.”

  There were the tears again. “Then let me help you and your family.”

  “Okay.” She glanced at the scars on his arm, then put her hand on them. “Thank you.”

  Uncomfortable with her gratitude and her soft touch on his mangled arm, he had to force himself not to step away. “Like I said, you’re doing me a favor.” His first thought had been to take them with him to pick out a dog, but that really wouldn’t work.

  “There is something you and your boy need to understand. I know he’s eager to go right now, get a dog, and take it home. It can’t happen that way.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because he’ll likely fall in love with a dog that’s unsuitable for what your husband needs. Also, the dog needs to come home with me first.”

  “But he’ll be so disappointed.”

  “A service dog isn’t a pet, and that’s what your son will want to make him. The dog needs to come home with me for a while so I can work with it.”

  “But—”

  “Tell you what. After I’ve worked with the dog for a week, I’ll bring him by so you and your family can meet it. But I’m going to be firm on this. Typically, a service dog goes through several years of training. That means your husband’s dog will be more of a companion, but it will be trained.”

  She seemed to think about that for a few moments, then said, “I don’t know.”

  “Would it make you feel better if I promised to keep the dog myself if it doesn’t work out?”

  “Actually, it would.”

  They exchanged contact information, and since Ron still wasn’t back, Jack headed to a no-kill shelter to look for a dog while ignoring his phone’s beeping, telling him he had messages.

  He was on a mission.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Nichole smiled at seeing Deke walking toward her. “This is a nice surprise.”

  “Thought you’d want to know that Gregory’s awake and talking,” he said.

  “That’s great news. He said Jack didn’t do it, right?”

  “Unfortunately, no.” He glanced around, his alert gaze landing on the people strolling past her booth. “I shouldn’t even be here talking to you, but I can’t stand by and watch my friend get railroaded,” he quietly said. “I tagged along with Detective Margolis when we got the call from the hospital that Lane Gregory was awake.”

  “He’s saying Jack did that to him?” She’d thought Jack couldn’t break her heart any more than he already had. She was wrong. Never again would she trust her judgment in men.

  “Yes, but only after Margolis told him that Jack has been arrested for the assault.”

  “That doesn’t seem right. Shouldn’t he have been asked first who did it before Jack’s name was brought up?” Her belief in Jack returned.

  “Yes, and Margolis and I had words about it after we left the hospital. He told me to butt out of his investigation. Unfortunately, he’s made up his mind that Jack’s guilty, and now with Gregory accusing him, he considers the case closed.”

  “Honestly, I’m not surprised Lane would jump on Jack being punished, whether he’s guilty or not. Isn’t there something you can do?”

  “I can go to my captain, and I will if it comes down to it, but he won’t appreciate me putting my nose in another detective’s case any more than Margolis does. Not to mention, I have to work with Margolis after this is over, and he’s the kind of man who’ll cause me as much trouble as he can.”

  “What can we do?” Whether Jack wanted her involved or not, she couldn’t stand by and let Lane ruin his life. She might not matter to him, but he mattered to her. Besides, it was because of her that Jack was in this mess. Lane wouldn’t have fixated on Jack if not for her, if he hadn’t gotten it in his head that the only reason she wouldn’t come back to him was because of Jack.

  “My hands are tied. At least for now. Your brother is friends with Gregory, so I thought maybe he could get your ex to tell him who really beat him up.”

  The last thing she wanted was for Mark to get anywhere near her ex, but she might not have a choice if it meant getting the truth out of Lane. “Let me think about it.”

  “I understand.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared down at the floor for a moment before lifting his gaze to hers. “I hate asking this, but I’d appreciate it if you kept our talk between us. Even from Jack. He won’t like you having anything to do with your ex.”

  “I have no desire to cause trouble for you at work or to have Jack upset with you. But I hope you meant it when you said if it becomes necessary, you’ll talk to your captain.”

  “I will.”

  After Deke left, she glanced at her watch, and since it was almost five, decided to close up early. As she drove home with Rambo, she tried to decide what to do. As much as she didn’t want Mark involved, he was a grown man who’d changed for the better because of Jack’s influence. Maybe it was his decision to make.

  “Honestly, I wasn’t sure who you’d believe, Lane or Jack,” she said after arriving home and telling Mark what Deke had said. “I mean, you’ve been friends with Lane longer than with Jack, so—”

  “Lane wouldn’t hesitate to lie if it served his purpose. What are we going to do to help Jack?”

  “There’s only one thing I can think of, and that’s get Lane to tell us who really did beat him up.” What she really meant was Mark would have to do it, but he’d have to come to that conclusion himself. Although his loyalty seemed to be transferring to Jack, he’d hero-worshipped Lane until recently. She wouldn’t ask him to choose between them.

  “I don’t want you anywhere near him, Nic, so I’ll do it.”

  * * *

  Nichole stood outside Lane’s hospital room door that evening. Even though Mark had his phone recorder activated, and she could listen to the conversation later, she strained to hear.

  “You need to keep your sister away from that asshole,” Lane said. “He’s dangerous. Look what he did to me.”

  “Yeah, I know. I told her not to trust him, but she’s hardheaded and bossy,” her brother replied, causing her to scowl. “What I don’t get is how one dude got the better of you. Come on, man. You’re badder’n that. I’ve seen you take on big-assed dudes and them lookin’ a hell of a lot worse than you in the end.”

  Nichole held her breath as the silence stretched
out. That was clever of Mark to challenge Lane like that, but he wasn’t going to take the bait.

  “The day one dude gets the best of me is the day ya might as well bury me in the ground. Ain’t gonna happen.”

  And there it was! Nichole slapped a hand over her chest, pressing against her racing heart. Please, Lane, tell him it wasn’t Jack, she prayed.

  “Whatcha mean? The cops are saying it was just Jack Daniels that made your face look like it was bashed in by a baseball bat. It sure ain’t pretty, bro.”

  Her brother’s language skills were deteriorating by the minute. Even though she hated hearing him sound like an ignorant dolt, she understood that he was matching Lane, who really was a dumb bonehead.

  “You gonna rat me out to your sister?”

  “Nah, man. I ain’t no snitch. ’Sides, she’s so fed up with me that she don’t believe a word I say anymore.”

  Her brother had missed his calling. He belonged on stage.

  “You repeat what I’m gonna tell you, and I’ll come find you,” Lane said.

  Nichole shivered, knowing Lane meant it. She shouldn’t have let Mark walk in that room.

  “Read you loud and clear, bro. So, what really did happen?”

  “I got in a little trouble with some badass dudes. They were looking for me. My bad luck, they found me right after Daniels left. I can take on two and come out on top, but three? Not a fucking chance.”

  “Damn, that’s some bad luck.”

  Her brother had done it! He’d gotten the proof they needed that Jack hadn’t done it. She pumped a victory fist in the air. She felt guilty for the little bit of doubt that had crept into her mind over the past few days, but Jack was partly to blame for that. If he’d seen her, talked to her, told her he was innocent, those snippets of doubt would have never popped up.

  Now get out of the room, Mark.

  As soon as they got home, she called Jack, wanting to tell him about the recording, but got his voice mail again. He could ignore her phone calls, but he couldn’t ignore her if she was at his door first thing in the morning.

  * * *

  I’m on the way over.

  Jack read the text message from Nichole, then deleted it. He now had a record, and he was probably going to prison. His attorney had called to tell him that Gregory was awake and talking, claiming that Jack had been the one to beat him up. Had he? He didn’t want to believe he could lose it so badly that he’d put a man in a coma and not remember. Damn that black hole in his memory.

  She was on the way to his house, and there wasn’t anyone in the world he wanted to see more—including his SEAL brothers, whom he loved to the depths of his heart—but if he saw her, he’d lose his resolve to do the right thing. He owed her an apology, a big one, but he’d do it in a letter. Or maybe he shouldn’t. It would be better for her to let her hate him.

  He loaded Dakota in his truck and left. Nichole needed to realize he wasn’t good enough for her, not anymore. “Cry Me a River,” he heard his buddy Double D sing in his ear. Jack snorted. DD was forever quoting song titles that managed to fit any situation. Even though Noah Alba—Double D because he always carried a pair of dice once belonging to his father in his pocket—was on the other side of the world, he’d somehow managed to ghost himself into Jack’s stateside life.

  Damn, he missed his teammates. He missed Nichole even more.

  He’d visited a no-kill shelter yesterday afternoon but hadn’t found a suitable dog for the Jacobys yet. Since this was going to be a fast-tracked training, the dog needed to be young but past the rambunctious puppy stage.

  He found the perfect candidate at the second shelter of the morning.

  The dog was a golden retriever–German shepherd mix with intelligent brown eyes and a calm temperament that the shelter had named Larry. The shelter’s vet estimated his age close to three years old.

  After filling out the paperwork and paying the adoption fee, Jack clipped the leash he’d brought to the dog’s collar and walked him outside. He squatted in front of Larry. “Here’s the deal, pal. Your new name is Trucker, and you’re going to have a special job in life. Time is of the essence, and your intelligent eyes tell me you’re a quick learner. That’s important considering...well, I’m not going to get into all that right now.”

  Trucker’s gaze stayed on him, his ears perked up. It was a good sign. “Let’s just say that I’ve got a mess on my hands, but that’s got nothing to do with you other than we’re gonna have to work fast.” He stood. “Come on, Trucker, there’s someone you need to meet.”

  As he’d guessed, Trucker right away recognized Dakota as alpha and lowered his head in submission. That was going to make things easier since he planned to use Dakota in the dog’s training. After introducing them, he got both dogs loaded into the truck, Dakota in the front passenger seat and Trucker in the back.

  The first thing he did when he got home was give Trucker a bath. After drying him off, he let the dog explore the house. While Trucker was investigating the different rooms, Dakota sat at the entrance to the hallway, her ears up, listening.

  “We have an important job,” he told her. She glanced at him. “Yeah, we have to get him trained for one of our brothers in need. You up for it, girl?”

  If it hadn’t been for his dog, he wasn’t sure what his mental state would be. When he’d first arrived home, she’d helped him stay calm, had been there to get him through his nightmares, had given him a reason to get up in the mornings. He’d taken care of her, and she’d returned the favor tenfold. Now they would pay it forward, giving another brother a tool to help him get better.

  Dakota disappeared down the hallway, returning a minute later with Trucker following her. She led him to her bed, and when he curled up on it, she walked to Jack, settling down at his feet. It grew quiet, too quiet. He slapped a hand over his bouncing leg. A run, that was what he needed.

  After changing into shorts and running shoes, he headed out, leaving Dakota to keep watch on Trucker. He’d hoped to outrun his thoughts, the future he no longer had, the worry that he was going to prison, and most of all, the ache of missing Nichole. It wasn’t happening, so he ran faster.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jack hadn’t been home, and he still wasn’t answering his phone or responding to her texts. Nichole was dying to tell him that Lane had admitted to Mark that he was lying when claiming that Jack had beat him up, but she didn’t have a clue where to find him.

  After arriving at the River Arts District and getting her booth opened, she called Deke, told him about the recording and how she and Mark had obtained it.

  “It’s doubtful his attorney will be able to get it allowed in court as evidence, but she needs to hear it,” Deke said. “If nothing else, Detective Margolis won’t be able to ignore Gregory’s confession.”

  “Thank God.” The detective had already wasted almost a week trying to nail Jack for something he didn’t do. “We copied it to a thumb drive, so Mark can drop it off to her.”

  He gave her the attorney’s contact information, then said, “It’s great that you got it, Nichole, but you and your brother stay away from Lane Gregory from now on. He’s bad news.”

  “I know, and we will.” She was embarrassed that she’d ever had a relationship with a man like Lane. “The good news is that my restraining order against him has been processed.” The hearing had been yesterday, and when Lane hadn’t shown up to protest it, the judge had granted the order. Nichole hadn’t bothered to mention that he wasn’t there because he was in the hospital.

  “That is good news. Now the cops can act if he comes anywhere near you.”

  “And believe me, I will call them if I see his face.”

  He chuckled. “You better. Talk to you later.”

  “Okay. And, Deke, thanks for everything.”

  “I’ve only done what I felt was right.”

 
She hoped Jack realized what a great friend he had in Deke. Next she called the attorney’s office, expecting to have to leave a message. Instead, Ms. Boyd was available to talk. Nichole introduced herself, then told her about the recording.

  “Can you get that to me today?” Ms. Boyd said.

  “My brother can drop it off to you. Will it help?”

  “At the very least, it will get the detective on the case off Jack’s back and looking for the real guilty person.”

  “That’s great. My brother will drop off the thumb drive shortly.”

  After talking to Mark, she called Jack’s number again. When she got his voice mail, she didn’t leave a message. She’d already left three, and he was making it clear that she didn’t matter to him, that those words hadn’t just been drunk talk. And for the first time since he’d slung those hateful words to her, she really believed him.

  “Darn it, Jack.” Also, for the first time, she acknowledged what her heart had been trying to tell her. She was in love with the man, not just falling for him.

  Lane had fascinated her, much like her first high school biker bad boy had. Where a high school bad boy had been pretty much harmless, a grown-up one like Lane wasn’t. As it turned out, Lane hadn’t been even close to fun. He hadn’t been a bad boy with a soft heart and an enthusiasm for life like the first boy she’d loved. It had taken her entirely too long to realize that, so stupid her. She’d finally found a good boy to love, and where had that gotten her? Heartbreak, that was what. Maybe she wasn’t meant to be in love.

  That was a sad thought that hurt deep in her heart. She squeezed her eyes shut against the stinging tears. This wasn’t the place to have a meltdown.

  “These fairies are adorable,” a woman said.

  Nichole blinked away the tears. “Thank you.” She forced a smile she didn’t feel. The woman was holding one of her glittery fairies that Nichole had made on a night when she was bursting with happiness. Would she ever feel that way again?