“I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered. It was for both Brandon and the dog.
A brief whine answered her. Then a large, furry body lay down next to her, just barely touching her shoulder and side.
“He’s going to stay here with you.” Brandon rose. “Can you lay here until the ambulance comes, Sophie? Please?”
Then she realized things hurt. Her shoulder, her hip. Shooting pain was coming from her ankle. Maybe the only thing that didn’t hurt was her head.
“Is it bad?” She stared up at Brandon as he lifted his smartphone to his ear. Sirens were already approaching.
Brandon held out his hand. “Give us space please. Stay off the black top!”
People must be gathering. He was stepping out to take command of the situation. He was walking away from her. Again.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered it. She always said it quietly. Because she didn’t want him to actually hear her.
A soft woof answered her instead. Careful not to turn her head, because Brandon asked her not to, she looked as far to her side as she could. There was Haydn lying next to her. His eyes were dark, almost as black as his fur. And his gaze was steady on hers. Calming. He wasn’t going to leave her.
“Okay, Haydn,” she whispered to her new friend. “We’ll wait right here for him.”
It’s what she’d always done. And this time, she had company.
Acknowledgments
This book was written with the support of so many, from the initial draft to the final edit round.
Thank you to Courtney Miller-Callihan for helping me figure out the best path forward from the initial concept of the True Heroes series to the challenges faced in seeing this story completed.
And thank you to Caroline Acebo for your patience, helping me really take Alex and Elisa’s story to the next level. I am grateful to be working with you both.
Thank you to Christopher Baity, executive director of Semper K9 Assistance Dogs, for the opportunity to meet some of your dogs and for answering my questions about the training of service dogs for psychiatric alert.
Writing can be an isolating profession in many ways, but once in a while you meet people who inspire you to do nifty things. Huge thanks to Katee Robert and Christi Barth for your advice, feedback, and help in brainstorming. If I am still sane, it’s only because your encouragement and reality checks helped me stay that way.
Home isn’t always about a building or a room. Sometimes it’s about the people in your life who are home to you. Thank you to Matthew Beckerleg for reminding me to take care of myself, and for taking care of me when I’d forgotten to. And thank you to Alex Delgado for being the best roomie I can ever imagine.
I’ve saved the best for last. Massive thanks to my readers for joining me on this journey. There wouldn’t be a True Heroes series without you, and I hope you’ll continue with me for more to come.
About the Author
Piper began her writing career as “PJ Schnyder,” writing sci-fi and paranormal romance and steampunk, for which she won the FF&P PRISM award as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.
Play Find the Piper around the Internet for insight into her frequent travels and inspiration for her stories.
PiperJDrake.com
Facebook.com/AuthorPiperJDrake
Twitter @PiperJDrake
Instagram.com/PiperJDrake
YouTube.com/PiperJDrake
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
A Preview of ABSOLUTE TRUST
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Piper J. Drake
Fall in Love with Forever Romance
Newsletters
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Piper J. Drake
Excerpt from Absolute Trust copyright © 2016 by Piper J. Drake
Cover design by Elizabeth Turner
Cover copyright © 2016 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the
author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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ISBN 978-1-4555-3606-1
E3-20160705-DA-PC
Ultimate Courage Page 26
