Secret Past

by Sharee Stover

  “Chief Bridges will assign you a new handler to avoid a conflict of interest.”

  Katie jerked to look at Daniel. “A conflict of interest?” she squeaked.

  He nodded. “I’ll stay on as a marshal until the Marinos’ case is closed. For now, he’s promised to keep us in the same town while I’m courting you. If you’re willing to have me.”

  She rubbed her arms again, maintaining her distance. His admission, though admirable, would cost him too much. “Daniel, I would never take your ambitions away.”

  Daniel pushed up from the chair with a groan.

  Katie immediately rushed to his side, helping him to stand.

  He slid his hands around her waist, pulling her closer, drinking her in with his dark eyes. “Katie, when I thought I’d lost you, I realized that nothing else mattered to me.”

  “But what about your dreams of making chief...”

  “If the only point of my career up to this point was to find you, I’ll retire today a happy man. I can always find another job, but I’ll never find another Katherine Tribani Isabella Marino. I love you.”

  Katie’s heart danced in her chest. “I love you too.”

  “I’m so glad we got that settled.” Daniel lowered his head, his lips a breath away from hers. “Remember, I can’t leave anything unfinished, so you’re still stuck with me. If you’ll have me.”

  She grinned. “Promise?”

  “I promise.” Daniel’s hand rested on the back of her head, drawing her to him.

  Katie lifted her face, giving him the access he searched for. The kiss was a gentle, sweet caress.

  He winced and pulled back. “Sorry, didn’t realize that would hurt so much.” Daniel put a finger against his swollen, split lip.

  Katie laughed. “I’ll take a rain check until you’re healed.”

  “Count on it.” He grinned and winked, revealing the dimple she’d come to love.

  “Does it get better than this?” Katie stayed wrapped in Daniel’s embrace, careful not to squeeze too tightly.

  “Are you kidding? It only gets better from here.”

  EPILOGUE

  Six months later...

  Daniel parked next to the black SUV at the base of the Manitou Incline. His backup had arrived as scheduled and would keep a watchful eye on him and Katie. No worries about an ambush today.

  Lush evergreens, bushes and slim trees bordered the path, embracing them with the colors of spring. Couldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting. Wish you were here, Garrett, but I hope I have your blessing.

  “I can’t believe it’s finally over. No more witness protection. Thanks for the mini-escape before I move to North Carolina.” Katie pulled on her backpack. “Though I’d hoped for a nice dinner and a movie. Something a little more romantic.”

  “What’s more romantic than physical exertion? Besides, I need to know you can make the climb again.”

  “I’ve already proven I can do it.”

  “Yeah, but we had killers chasing us.”

  “Whatever.” She gave him a playful poke.

  “Ready?”

  “Race you.”

  “Arrogance is a terrible trait.”

  “Come on, flatlander.” Katie glanced over her shoulder and her grin sent a shiver of delight through Daniel.

  They advanced at a steady pace. The jovial bantering slowed as they neared the center of the Incline.

  Daniel paused, dropping to rest on a step. “Need. Water.”

  Katie slid beside him and passed a bottle.

  He took a drink and handed it back to her. “You’re not even panting.”

  “A benefit of being younger. I didn’t want to point out that elderly man’s moving faster than you.” Katie gestured toward the gray-haired hiker. “I think he started after us.”

  Daniel growled, hugging her.

  “Careful. This place is full of potential impaling hazards.” She giggled.

  He pecked her cheek and took the last swig of water. “All right, let’s finish this.”

  “For the record, I’m not the one who needed a break.”

  He shot her a feigned look of irritation.

  They hiked on; words between them became fewer as the climb grew harder.

  “We could cut the hike shorter—we’re almost to the false summit,” Daniel offered.

  “Are you kidding? Toughen up, Knight.”

  He’d created a monster.

  Several feet higher, Katie’s lighthearted taunting stopped. “Why. Is. It. So. Hard. To. Breathe.”

  “Because you’re still a flatlander.”

  She pinned him with an emerald glare but didn’t stop moving.

  When at last they reached the top, they shuffled to the center, reclining under the shade of a sparsely leafed tree.

  Nervousness plagued Daniel. Help me to do this, Lord.

  Katie inhaled. “Mountain air’s the best.”

  “Not many mountains in North Carolina.” He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

  “That’s okay. I don’t care where we go, as long as you’re near. Although I’m not going to lie—I’d love to live here.”

  “I agree. But with the transfer to the North Carolina office, I’ll be able to stay near you and not have to travel as often.”

  “That’s the best part. I still can’t believe Priscilla testified and Giovanni confessed to everything.”

  “He couldn’t wait to brag on his nefarious brilliance. He’s got no hope of ever getting out of prison.”

  “I still wish I’d gone to Anthony’s funeral.”

  Daniel pushed down frustration over the topic they’d discussed a hundred different ways. “You couldn’t if you wanted to.”

  “I know...” She stood, looking out over the ridge.

  His beautiful day was going south quickly. Daniel removed the ring box from his backpack, revealing the one-carat round diamond solitaire. With a fortifying breath, he touched her lightly on the shoulder.

  Katie turned, her eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect O as he dropped to one knee in front of her.

  Daniel’s pulse was so loud in his ears he couldn’t hear himself speak. “Katie, since the day you came into my life, I’ve never been bored or happier. I want a lifetime with you. Will you be my wife?”

  Katie nodded with a shimmer of what he hoped were happy tears. “Yes!”

  He stood, slipped the ring on her finger and she lunged into his waiting arms. Daniel leaned back, gazing into her eyes. “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Daniel lifted his beautiful fiancée’s chin, claiming her lips with his. When they finally came up for air, he couldn’t resist. He spun Katie in a circle chanting, “We did it. We did it.”

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed SECRET PAST, look for these

  other books from Love Inspired Suspense:

  FUGITIVE SPY by Jordyn Redwood

  WILDERNESS PURSUIT by Michelle Karl

  Keep reading for an excerpt from MISSION TO PROTECT by Terri Reed.

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  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for sharing Katie and Daniel’s story. I often begin writing by asking myself “what if” questions, and Secret Past is evidence of that. What if everything I believed was a lie?

  Katie’s whole world was turned upside down, not just over the loss of her mother, but in discovering her own secret past. She relied on her faith to strengthen her and had to take a leap of faith in trusting Daniel to help her navigate through the lies to find the truth. I love that we have God’s voice whispering His truths to us to help us navigate in a
world filled with conflicting information. He has promised in Isaiah 30:21, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” I’m so glad God hasn’t left us alone to find our way. And one undisputable assurance we have is God’s love for each of us.

  I enjoy hearing from readers, so please visit me on my website, shareestover.com, or drop me a line at authorshareestover@gmail.com.

  Blessings to you,

  Sharee

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

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  Mission to Protect

  by Terri Reed

  ONE

  The back door of Canyon Air Force Base’s military working-dog training facility stood open. It should have been closed and locked tight.

  Alarm slithered through lead trainer Master Sergeant Westley James like the venomous red, yellow and black coral snake inhabiting this part of Texas.

  Something was wrong.

  As he entered the building an eerie chill went down his neck that had nothing to do with the April early-morning air. The stillness echoed through the center as loud as a jet taking off. His pulse spiked. He rushed to the kennel room and drew up short.

  The kennels were empty. All of them.

  Lying on the floor in a pool of blood were the two night-shift dog trainers, Airman Tamara Peterson and Airman Landon Martelli. Each had been shot in the chest.

  Grief clutched at Westley’s heart. Careful not to disturb the scene, he checked for pulses. None.

  They had both been murdered.

  Under the left arms of Tamara and Landon were a red rose and a folded white note, the calling card of a notorious serial killer.

  Horror slammed into him. The news report he’d heard this morning on his way to work had become reality.

  Boyd Sullivan, aka the Red Rose Killer, had escaped prison and was back on base.

  * * *

  Staff Sergeant Felicity Monroe jerked awake to the fading sound of her own scream echoing in her head. Sweat drenched her nightshirt. The pounding of her heart hurt in her chest, making bile rise to burn her throat. Darkness surrounded her.

  Where was she? Fear locked on to her like a guided missile and wouldn’t let go. Panic fluttered at the edge of her mind.

  Memories flooded her system.

  Her father!

  A sob tore from her throat.

  The familiar scent of jasmine from the bouquet of flowers on her bedside table grounded her. She was in her bedroom of the house on Canyon Air Force Base in southwest Texas. The home she’d shared with her father before his accidental death a month ago.

  Her breathing slowed. She wiped at the wet tears on her cheeks and shook away the fear and panic.

  Just a nightmare. One in a long string of them.

  According to Dr. Flintman, the base therapist, she suffered mild post-traumatic stress disorder from finding her father after his fall from a ladder he had climbed to clean the gutters on the house. Knowing why her brain was doing this didn’t make the images seared in her mind any less upsetting.

  She filled her lungs with several deep breaths and sought the clock across the room on the dresser.

  The clock’s red glow was blocked by the silhouette of a person looming at the end of her bed.

  Was her mind playing a trick on her again? Or was she still stuck in her nightmare? She blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes.

  Her breath caught and held.

  No trick.

  Someone was in her room.

  Full-fledged panic jackknifed through her, jolting her system into action. Self-preservation kicked in. She rolled to the side of the bed and landed soundlessly on the floor. With one hand, she reached for the switch of the bedside-table lamp, while her other hand searched for the baseball bat she kept under the bed.

  Holding the bat up with her right hand, she flicked on the light. A warm glow dispelled the shadows and revealed she was alone. Or was she?

  With bat in hand, she went through the house, turning on every light. No one was there.

  She frowned and worked to calm her racing pulse.

  This wasn’t the first time she’d thought someone had been in the house.

  But this time had seemed so real.

  Back in her bedroom, she looked again at the clock. Wait a minute. It was turned to face the wall. A shiver of unease wracked her body. The red numbers had been facing the bed when she’d retired last night. She was convinced of it.

  And her dresser drawers were slightly open. She peeked inside. Her clothes were mussed, as if someone had rummaged through them. She wasn’t a neat freak or anything, but her military training and her air force father had taught her to keep her things in proper order.

  What was going on?

  Was the stress and grief of her father’s passing messing with her brain, as her therapist suggested? Was she losing her mind?

  Wouldn’t that just be the icing on the cake? Her mother already thought she was nuts for choosing to join the United States Air Force and train military dogs for service rather than follow in her footsteps and pursue a high-powered career in corporate law.

  Felicity set aside the baseball bat.

  Maybe someone was pulling a joke on her.

  She dismissed the idea quickly. She didn’t know anyone that cruel.

  She turned the clock to see the time. Five after five in the morning. Perfect. The one day she could sleep in, and her psyche wouldn’t let her. She wasn’t expected at the training center until tonight. She usually had Sundays off and worked the Saturday-night shift, but had traded with Airman Tamara Peterson, who was taking a few days of leave to visit her parents and wanted to head out Sunday morning.

  Felicity glanced at the clock again. Maybe she could nap for an hour or so more, then go to church.

  Noises outside the bedroom window startled her. It was too early for most people to be up on a Sunday morning. She pushed aside the room-darkening curtain. The first faint rays of sunlight marched over the Texas horizon with hues of gold, orange and pink.

  They provided enough light for Felicity to see a parade of dogs running loose along Base Boulevard. It could only be the dogs from the K-9 training center.

  Stunned, her stomach clenched.

  Someone had literally let the dogs out. Most of them, by the looks of it. At least a hundred or more canines filled the street and were quickly leaving the area.

  Felicity’s chest constricted. Had Tamara or Landon, the other trainer on last night’s shift, forgotten to lock the gate? That didn’t seem likely. Both were experienced trainers. Uneasy dread gripped her by the throat.

  A dog barked, reminding her that the canines needed to be rounded up and returned to th
eir kennels. She didn’t want any of them to get hurt. Some of the dogs suffered PTSD from their service, while others were being trained to serve. Many were finished with their training and ready to be partnered, but set loose like this...

  Galvanized into action, she hastily dressed in her battle-ready uniform.

  On the way out the door, she grabbed her cell phone, intending to call her boss, Master Sergeant Westley James. Before she could dial, her phone pinged with an incoming alert text from the training center.

  Urgent. Dogs’ kennels tampered with. Red Rose Killer escaped prison and believed to be on base. Use caution. Report in ASAP.

  Felicity stopped in her tracks. Her heart fell to her feet then bounced back into her throat as fear struck hard through her core.

  The Red Rose Killer.

  Boyd Sullivan. Cold eyes, merciless.

  She shuddered.

  Two years ago, after being dishonorably discharged from the air force during basic training, Boyd had returned to his hometown of Dill, Texas, and killed five people whom he’d believed had wronged him in some way.

  The media had dubbed him the Red Rose Killer because he would leave a red rose and a note for his intended victims, taunting them with the warning—I’m coming for you. Then he made good on his threat, and each victim was found with an additional red rose and a new note tucked under their arm, with the words Got you.

  A Dill sheriff’s deputy and her K-9 partner had been the ones to bring down Sullivan. He’d been captured, convicted and sent to prison.

  And now he’d escaped and was on base.

  Why would he release the dogs? She remembered he always liked the furry creatures.

  She dialed Westley’s cell.

  He answered on the first ring. “Felicity. Did you hear the news?”

  “Yes. There are dogs everywhere in base housing,” she told him.

  “They are everywhere on base period.” His voice sounded extra grim. “We need to bring them in.”

  “I’ll retrieve as many as I can here and bring them over to the kennels.”

  “Good. I’ll send others over to help.” There was a pause then he said, “I should tell you there have been two murders.”