Military K-9 Unit Christmas: Christmas Escape ; Yuletide Target

by Valerie Hansen

  “Not if it isn’t safe. I hadn’t thought about how she was going to ride with us.”

  Seeing Rachel’s tears begin to glisten, Kyle said, “Look. A lot has happened already and I know you’re not thinking clearly. That’s where I come in. Trust me. I’ve got this.”

  Shoulders sagging, Rachel nodded. “I know. I just feel so confused. I’d finally reconciled with my sister and now she’s gone again. It’s like I was robbed. Twice.” She draped her jacket over Natalie to serve as a blanket before sliding into the front passenger seat.

  Kyle fought to keep from identifying too closely with Rachel’s plight. It was no use. And, considering how bereft she seemed, he figured he owed it to her to commiserate. “I do understand, believe me. It’s hard. Any unexpected loss is, especially when it’s a younger person.”

  She sighed. “I really did love my sister even if we hadn’t had contact during the past six years. I keep wondering if things would have been different if I’d stayed with her instead of letting Peter scare me off.”

  “Sure. Maybe he’d have beaten you senseless, instead.”

  Kyle noted her sidelong glance at the second seat as he started the vehicle, and toned down his responses, beginning with, “Sorry.” He started to back out of the parking space. “How much do you know about the whole home situation?”

  “Not a lot beyond what I witnessed years ago. Angela managed to tell me some things but it’s probably not enough to get him thrown back in jail. At least not until the forensic report is in.”

  He knew she was purposely being evasive by not mentioning a medical examiner. Surely anyone who had been so severely beaten and had named her attacker on her deathbed would be believed. The problem was whether or not this Peter guy was going to accept any legal edict. Even if he wasn’t put in prison for killing Rachel’s sister, he should never gain custody of the sweet little girl nodding off in the back seat.

  “We can take her home to your apartment and look over what she brought with her. Then I’ll go down to the base exchange and buy whatever else she needs.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know.” Backing out, he joined a line of cars waiting to leave the lot.

  “Then, why?”

  “Let’s just say it’s the right thing for me to do and I don’t mind a bit. Okay?”

  “Sure. I get it. I have the Christmas spirit, too.”

  Kyle’s head snapped to the side. “Who said anything about Christmas?”

  “I’m sorry. I thought, since there are decorations hanging from every lamppost and store windows are all lit up for the holidays, that was influencing you.”

  “Well, it isn’t.” His hands had fisted on the steering wheel so firmly his knuckles were turning white.

  Her voice was soft, tender. “I understand completely.”

  “What do you mean?” There was no way she could know his story without digging into his past. He’d been very careful to keep his history to himself after selling his civilian practice and reenlisting as an air-force veterinarian.

  “Holidays can be tough on everybody,” Rachel said. “There really are no perfect family gatherings or ideal celebrations. After my parents died, Christmas was never the same, even when Angela and I tried to make it festive.” She took another peek at the snoozing little girl before she added, “That was before Peter came on the scene, of course. Once he and Angie were a couple, we didn’t even try. And now...”

  “Okay. One thing at a time,” Kyle said, purposely changing the subject. “Do you have a place for her to sleep? Enough food in the house? Blankets, pillows, that kind of thing?”

  “Yes. She’ll need some decent clothes for preschool if there isn’t anything suitable with her. And probably shoes. Those flip-flops aren’t going to be warm enough.” Slowly shaking her head, Rachel made a face. “I don’t imagine she’s used to having much, given the way she looks today.”

  “According to what Senora Alvarez told me when we went to the cafeteria, your sister had a rough time. So did Natalie.”

  “Undoubtedly. My biggest concern isn’t her past—it’s her future. How am I going to keep Peter away from her?”

  “Once we’re on the base it will be relatively safe.” The line of cars was moving too slowly to suit Kyle, but since it was almost his turn at the exit he tamped down his anxiety.

  Rachel cited recent history. “Oh, really? Look what that serial killer Boyd Sullivan did. He sneaked on and off base for months before he was caught. If he could do it, so can Peter.”

  “Sullivan was a special case. He was a certified nutjob. Those are unpredictable.”

  “And Peter isn’t?” Her volume increased on the final word.

  “Shush. You’ll wake Sleeping Beauty.”

  “She is beautiful, isn’t she?” Rachel’s smile was so tender as she gazed at the napping little girl that Kyle’s heart clenched almost as tightly as his fists. Visions of another little girl, of his precious Wendy, melded with the current image of Natalie and gave him a jolt. He hadn’t been there for his own daughter or for his wife when they’d needed him, and that failure had eaten away at him for four long years.

  Was God giving him a second chance to protect an innocent little girl who had no other champion? Perhaps, but the opportunity was bittersweet. How much better it would have been if his little family had never been torn apart by that drunk driver in the first place.

  And how much more he would have trusted in his Christian faith if his prayers for their survival had been answered that awful winter night. He hadn’t wanted to let them go, to lose them forever, yet he had. It had been a terrible struggle to go on without them, to accept his loneliness and live with it. He’d made a new life by returning to the air force, where he knew he could do the most good, and had kept his emotional distance from fellow officers as well as the enlisted personnel assigned to him. Until now.

  Kyle knew he was entering uncharted territory and his misgivings were almost strong enough to cause him to back off. Almost. But not quite.

  His innermost thoughts were directed to God while he continued to fidget and inch the SUV forward in line. Why, God? And why at Christmastime? You know how this hurts so why a woman and little girl? And why me?

  He didn’t need an audible reply to know the answer. The trauma of the past made him particularly suited to this task. He had lost to evil once by not being totally diligent, not making himself available when his gut told him he should. It would not happen again. No matter what developed in regard to his vet tech and her niece, he was going to be there for her. For them.

  He would not make the same mistake twice.

  A horn honked behind them as the space at the very front of the line was vacated. Rachel jumped at the noise. So did Kyle. Checking for cross traffic on the street, he also glanced toward the hospital and caught his breath.

  “Rachel,” he said abruptly. “Look over there. Is that...?”

  She followed Kyle’s gaze, then immediately whirled to face him. Her complexion paled and her lips parted. She didn’t have to speak to tell Kyle who they were seeing. Peter VanHoven had somehow figured out what they were up to and was racing for his battered red truck.

  Accelerating as much as he dared without drawing undue attention, Kyle angled the black SUV into a spot in front of a slow-moving gray sedan and joined passing traffic.

  He saw the red truck come to life and start down the same crammed exit lane that had delayed their departure. Rachel swiveled in the seat to watch so Kyle made it her assignment. “Let me know how long a line he gets stuck in, okay?”

  “Oh, no!” Her gasping reply sent a shiver the length of Kyle’s spine.

  His hands gripped the wheel, his senses on full alert as he angled to check his mirrors. “What? I can’t see him anymore. Where did he go?”

  “Over the curb,” she shouted. “He’s al
ready in the street. Ahead of us!”

  FOUR

  Rachel couldn’t breathe. Every muscle in her body knotted, and she felt trapped in the kind of nightmare where she opened her mouth to scream and no sound emerged. The only thing remotely functional was her brain’s ability to call out to her heavenly Father. There were no apt words. Just a silent plea for divine help.

  Thankfully, she was braced against the dash with one hand, the other on the back of the seat, when Kyle whipped the steering wheel and accelerated. The SUV bumped up over the right-hand curb with a twist of its chassis. All wheels were spinning when they hit the lawn. Grass churned and clumps flew out behind them.

  Horns honked. Bystanders put cell phones to their ears. She finally found her voice. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting away.”

  “You’re causing a scene. People are staring at us.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” he countered. “Peter already knows where we are or he wouldn’t have jumped the line to get ahead.”

  “But...”

  “Just hang on. Is Natalie okay?”

  “Yes. She’s stirring but still asleep. She must be exhausted.”

  “No doubt.” His next turn was so abrupt the rear of the SUV fishtailed. Straightening out the vehicle and dropping its tires back onto the pavement, Kyle asked, “Do you still see him?”

  “No, I...” Her breath caught. “Yes! He’s turning off like you did. I hear sirens but they sound far away.”

  “Could be for some other reason,” he said. “Keep watching.”

  She had no intention of doing anything else. The old red pickup was on their tail all right, but it apparently didn’t have four-wheel drive, because it was doing a lot of slipping and sliding while digging curved trenches in the turf. That was an unexpected plus.

  “He’s losing traction on the grass,” she shouted. “We’re pulling ahead.”

  “As soon as he hits the asphalt again he’ll have power,” Kyle yelled back. “I’m going to head for the highway so we don’t cause an accident on these city streets.”

  “Will we be able to outrun him?”

  “Temporarily. But the hospital found you, so he’ll be able to, too.”

  “If it was just the two of us I’d say stop and have it out with him.”

  “So would I,” Kyle agreed. “We can’t take a chance with Natalie. Once you—we—took off with her, we stepped across a line. Involving the police at this point won’t help us. And it might help Peter.”

  Rachel was nodding. “Right. If it was only foster care she faced I wouldn’t worry too much. We can’t trust Peter to leave her alone. He’s likely to kidnap her and disappear.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  Two more sharp turns and they were starting up the on-ramp to the highway. Rachel spotted a problem. “This is east. We want to go west.”

  “All I care about is speed and safety,” Kyle said flatly. “Keep watching.”

  “I am, I am.” She had swiveled to face forward again so she could peer into the right-hand outside mirror. Blue car, white car, semi, space, Peter! She screamed. “He’s hiding behind that truck in the far right lane.”

  “I don’t see him.”

  “Hang on. You will.” One of Rachel’s hands was fisted around the door handle. The other grasped the edge of her seat. In the mirror’s reflection the big truck was falling back. A flash of red swerved out to pass and nearly collided with a second semi. Rachel gasped as that truck driver laid on his horn and barely avoided an accident.

  “He’s going to get us or somebody else killed,” Kyle shouted. “We can’t endanger Natalie like this. I’m going to try to lose him.”

  She refrained from comment because nothing that came to mind lacked sarcasm. They were caught between a rock and a hard place. To stop would put the little girl in ongoing danger and to continue as they were made that threat immediate. Nevertheless, she was glad it was Kyle at the wheel and not her. Defensive driving was not her strongest talent and she was already queasy from riding backward.

  “You may want to close your eyes,” he yelled as he whipped the wheel at the last instant, cut across two lanes and left Peter trapped on the wrong side of the speeding semis.

  Rachel rolled down her window and leaned out, preparing to lose her breakfast, but the gust of cold air shocked the nausea out of her. “You’re crazy!”

  “I’m successful,” Kyle countered with a tight smile. “He won’t have a chance to get off until the next ramp. By that time, we’ll have a good head start.”

  Wind whipped her hair, the tendrils stinging her cheeks. Tears filled her eyes. Had he really done it? Were they safe for the time being? After such a harrowing chase, it seemed impossible.

  She sagged against the door, her seat belt holding her. They were passing under the highway, ready to start back in the other direction, when she pushed away and closed the window. “I suppose I should thank you for scaring me to death. Would you mind driving like a normal person from now on?”

  Kyle turned briefly to flash a smile. He looked elated as well as short of breath. That was comforting. She’d have been really worried if she’d believed he viewed his stunt driving as everyday behavior.

  “Right. Normal. Normal is good,” he said. “The speed limit here is high. As long as we maintain our lead we’ll be fine.”

  “Do you think Peter will give up?”

  “It’s possible. I doubt he had time to listen to the whole story about Angela when he got to ICU. He may go back there.”

  “Wishful thinking?” Rachel managed a slight smile. “He knows enough. He wouldn’t have chased us if he hadn’t heard we had Natalie.”

  “That’s probably true.”

  “And speaking of my niece, I suppose, since this is a civilian matter, I’ll need to retain private counsel to defend my right to keep and raise her.”

  “Uh-huh. I have a couple of connections in San Antonio from my days in the regular world. If you’d like, I can contact them for you.”

  “I’d appreciate it. Thanks.” Realizing she was hoarse, Rachel was reminded that an apology was called for. “Sorry I yelled at you, Kyle. Guess I got a little too excited.”

  “We both did.” A gentle smile lifted the corners of his mouth and crinkled the outer edges of his dark eyes as he leaned to study the sleepy child in his mirror. “I don’t want to stop if we don’t have to. Can you make sure she’s okay from up here?”

  “Sure.” Undoing her seat belt, Rachel got onto her knees and leaned over the back of her seat. “Natalie’s breathing evenly and is totally relaxed. I guess she’s comfortable being with us even if you do drive like you’re competing in the Indy 500.”

  “I’m better than that,” Kyle teased. “All they have to do is keep turning left and going around in circles. I not only go both ways, I sometimes jump the car right off the ground.”

  “Tell me about it.” She rolled her eyes, straightened in her seat and clicked her belt back on before touching his forearm. His muscles twitched but he didn’t pull away. “I want to thank you. All kidding aside, that was some great driving.”

  She saw him eye the placement of her hand before he smiled again and said, “My pleasure.”

  Rachel chuckled quietly. “It was, wasn’t it? You enjoyed every minute of it.”

  “Not totally. If I’d been alone I would have. With passengers it was different.”

  “I trusted you.”

  She felt the shaking of his arm before she noticed it came from his shoulders. She gritted her teeth. He was silently laughing! At her. And after she had restrained herself from telling him what she’d really thought of his methods. “What’s so funny, Doctor?”

  “You are.” Kyle snorted. “For somebody who trusted me, you sure did a lot of screaming.”

  * * *

  Clouds had obscured the
sun, and wind had begun to gust across the sandy soil as they neared the air base. They were preparing to enter through the south gate when Kyle saw a dot of red closing the distance behind them.

  He quickly rolled down his window, flashed his ID at the guard and jerked a thumb behind him. “There may be a guy in a red pickup coming this way. Whatever you do, don’t let him through.”

  “Yes, sir. Shall I call Security?”

  “Not unless he gives you trouble. He hasn’t actually done anything to us that we can prove and we’d like to keep it that way.”

  In the background, Rachel gasped. Kyle held his hand out to signal her silence. As soon as they’d left the guard post, she said plenty. “Hasn’t done anything? What about my sister?”

  “That’s a different case. We can assume he’s out on bail. If we start bringing up the reason he’s chasing us, that will reveal who our passenger is and stir up a hornet’s nest. I doubt Peter will say much because he won’t want to call attention to his actions, either.”

  Slowing, Kyle watched the rearview mirrors until he was satisfied the gate guard had repelled their nemesis. “Done. We should be okay for a little while. I’ll drop you and your niece at your place and run over to the base exchange for whatever she needs.”

  “Start with warm clothes.” Rachel leaned to peer up at the sky. “Looks like a storm is brewing.”

  “That, it does.” He wheeled expertly into the driveway of her apartment building and parked behind it. “Want me to walk you in?”

  It didn’t surprise him a bit when Rachel insisted she was capable of managing Natalie and her belongings all by herself. Matter of fact, she had the child out of the SUV and well in hand by the time he circled and stood next to her. “What about sizes? Shall I guess?”

  “When in doubt, go big,” Rachel told him. “I’ll leave the tags on until we see what fits. We can return the rest.” Pausing, she smiled. “Thanks for doing this. We really do appreciate everything.”