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

by Valerie Hansen

  “True enough.” Justin Blackwood scowled at Hanover. “So, we have Hanover on setting the bomb in the house and two counts of attempted murder. Anything else to add to the list?”

  “Three counts of attempted murder, if he drives a black pickup truck,” Jacey said. “I saw the truck run the red light and deliberately hit Misty Walsh.”

  “You can’t prove I was the one driving,” Hanover protested.

  “But I’m sure we’ll find traces of Misty’s blood and tissue on your truck, won’t we?” Sean countered. “Face it—we have you linked to everything.”

  “I didn’t give antifreeze to the dog,” Hanover whined.

  “Yes, you did.” Aiden Gomez stepped out from behind a tree, cradling a pup against his chest. “I saw you at the kennel that night. And Reba admitted to me that she lost her ID. You used it, didn’t you?”

  “Useless little punk!” Hanover tried to lunge upward, but Sean yanked him back down. “You couldn’t have seen me from where you were standing.”

  Sean couldn’t help but smile at how easily Hanover had walked into that one. Apparently being under pressure wasn’t working so well for his former boss, either.

  “Enough!” Blackwood lifted his hand up. “Hanover, I suggest you exercise your right to keep silent, as anything you say can be used against you in a court-martial. Let’s go.”

  When the Special Forces cops took Hanover away, Sean finally allowed the EMTs to look at his leg. The injury wasn’t serious, and only an inch longer than the gash on his arm.

  “We’ll give you a lift to the ER,” the EMT offered.

  “No, thanks. Just wrap it up and I’ll be fine.” The danger was over, but he wasn’t about to leave Jacey alone.

  The house was gone, her apartment was gone, which left his apartment, if she’d be willing to sleep on the sofa.

  Or a motel off base, which didn’t really appeal, either.

  Then he had a better idea. “How about I take you to Gram’s house for the rest of the night?”

  “Oh, it’s late and I don’t want to inconvenience your grandmother,” Jacey protested.

  “Trust me, we won’t be. I have a feeling she’ll enjoy meeting the woman who helped bring down a lieutenant colonel.”

  “I haven’t done that yet,” she pointed out.

  “You will.” He had the utmost confidence in her.

  “I have Greta, too,” she added. “I think it’s best if I stay in a motel. A dog-friendly motel.”

  “Gram loves dogs.” He wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Will you please trust me on this?”

  Jacey hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll trust you. But we’ll need to stop by the kennel to pick up additional K-9 supplies. Everything I had in the house is gone.”

  “Fine with me. Let’s go.”

  Despite it being close to 2200 hours, his grandmother was still up. She opened the door and greeted him with an enthusiastic kiss. “Sean! You’re early—I wasn’t expecting you until the end of the week!”

  “Gram, I’d like you to meet Jacey Burke. Jacey, this is my grandmother, Maureen Morris. We’d like to stay for the night, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Sure, dear,” Gram agreed.

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Ms. Morris. Friend, Greta. Friend.” Greta sniffed at Gram, then plopped onto her haunches. “Morris?” Jacey repeated. “Is that your mother’s last name?”

  “Yes. Thankfully, my stepfather never offered to adopt me.”

  Gram sighed. “I warned your mother he was no good, but she didn’t listen.”

  Sean kissed her wrinkled cheek. “I know, and I’ll always regret how he kept us away from you. But it’s okay. Everything worked out just the way God planned.”

  “Oh, Sean.” Gram hugged him close. “I’m glad to hear you say that.”

  “You can thank Jacey for bringing me back to my faith,” he confessed.

  Jacey’s cheeks turned pink. “I have a feeling you would have come back on your own—I just gave you a gentle nudge.”

  He wanted so badly to tell her how much he loved her, but before he could think of a way to broach the subject, Jacey continued.

  “Ms. Morris, I have to confess, I’ve had a crush on your grandson ever since high school.” Jacey winked at his grandmother. “Despite all the adversity he had to go through, he has turned out to be an exceptional man and an amazing cop.”

  It was his turn to blush. His grandmother arched a brow.

  “I like her, Sean. She’s the first woman friend you’ve introduced to me and I can see why. Don’t mess things up, you hear?” With that Gram turned and walked away. “Good night!” she called over her shoulder.

  Jacey chuckled and shook her head. “She’s something.”

  “Yes,” he agreed, taking a step closer. “And so are you. I love you, Jacey Burke. If you must know, I had a crush on you back in high school, too.”

  “Oh, Sean.” She slid her arms up and around his neck. “The way you kept pulling away from me, I thought you only liked me as a friend, nothing more.”

  “Far from it. I was only afraid I’d fail to protect you, the way I failed to protect another woman who I’d promised to protect. She was killed by her ex-husband because I let my guard down. I was convinced I needed to keep you at arm’s length to keep you safe.” He gazed into Jacey’s beautiful deep-brown eyes. “When Hanover held the gun on us, I knew I’d readily sacrifice my life to save you. I love you, Jacey. I know it’s fast, and we have barely gone on a proper date, but I hope you’re willing to give us a chance.”

  “Done,” she said with a smile. “Because I love you, too.” She went up on tiptoe and kissed him.

  He cradled her close, his gaze catching the bright star glittering on the top of Gram’s Christmas tree. He reveled in her embrace, knowing that God had planned to bring them together all these years later.

  For this moment right now.

  * * *

  Jacey had loved spending time with Sean’s grandmother, but after three days was grateful to be assigned a new apartment back on base. She decorated the small Christmas tree, the third one, but who was counting? And silently reviewed her many blessings.

  First and foremost, Sean. They’d attended Sunday services together and she loved standing beside him in church, listening to his deep baritone as he sang along with the choir. She never felt as close to a man as she did while worshiping God.

  Sean filled her in on everything that had taken place when he’d returned to work the morning after the bomb had gone off. Over the next three days, Sean had collected the evidence needed to level charges against Master Sergeant Doug Hanover. When one of Hanover’s fingerprints was found inside her old apartment after the fire investigation was complete, the charge of arson was added to the list.

  The bullet fragment matched Hanover’s gun, and the fingerprint on the dropped bullet was a partial match to him, as well. And a search warrant turned up Reba Pokorny’s ID. Sean was happy to have a strong case against Hanover.

  Jacey and Misty had renewed their respective formal complaints against Lieutenant Colonel Turks, and Jacey had heard from Heidi that a third female airman had come forward after Heidi’s story hit the newspaper. Jacey was convinced even more women would be strong enough to tell their stories, as well, and this time, she was confident that her allegations would be taken seriously and that Turks would stand trial for his crimes, just as Hanover would.

  A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Greta let out a quick bark, her tail wagging as she stared at the door. Jacey peered through the peephole to verify Sean was the one standing there.

  She unlocked the dead bolt and opened the door. “Hi, you’re early.”

  “I know. Captain Blackwood sent me home and told me to take the next couple of days off.” He swept her into his arms for a long kiss. When he finally came up for
air, he added, “I bolted out of there before he could change his mind.”

  She laughed. “I’m always happy to see you. Check out my Christmas tree. Dinner won’t be ready for a while. There’s time to relax and make yourself comfy.”

  “Thanks.” He shrugged out of his coat. “By the way, Gram insists on having us over for Christmas brunch. I tried to tell her to let us do the work, but she refused to listen.”

  “Your grandmother is one stubborn lady,” she teased. “I can see where you get it from.”

  “Me?” His eyes widened with pretend innocence. “You’re the most stubborn woman I know.”

  That made her laugh, but then her smile faded as she caught a glimpse of a snow-globe Christmas ornament that reminded her of Jake. “I’m glad you’ve invited me to spend the holidays with you,” she said with a sad smile. “I only wish Jake could join us.”

  “I believe he’s here, in your heart and in mine,” Sean said, pulling her close.

  “You’re right.” She did her best to push her feelings of melancholy away.

  “Hey.” Sean tipped her face up to meet his gaze. “After everything you’ve been through, I’m not going to wait until Christmas to give you your present.”

  “Oh, Sean, I don’t need gifts,” she protested. “Just being with you is wonderful enough.”

  His smile broadened. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  She tilted her head to the side, confused. Then he slowly dropped down to one knee and held out a small red velvet ring box. Greta wagged her tail, sniffed him, and sat down beside him, but he never took his gaze off Jacey’s. “Jacey Marie Burke, I know it’s taken us ten years to find each other again, but now that we have I never want to let you go. Will you please marry me?”

  Tears of joy blurred her vision and her heart swelled with love. “Oh, Sean, yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.” She tugged him to his feet and threw herself into his arms. He caught her close and spun in a small circle. Greta thought it was a game and jumped and barked around them.

  He kissed her again, and insisted on sliding the beautiful diamond engagement ring on her finger. Then they stood together staring at the Christmas tree. “Gram is going to be so excited,” he said, pressing a kiss against her temple. “She told me not to dawdle in asking you to marry me.”

  Jacey smiled. “I hardly think a week is exactly dawdling, but I appreciate her concern.” She leaned her head against Sean’s arm. “I love you so much.”

  “And I love you, too. Just don’t make me wait too long for the ceremony. If Gram has her way, she’ll have the whole thing planned before we know it.”

  “We wouldn’t want to disappoint Gram,” Jacey agreed. And even though this would be her first Christmas without Jake, she couldn’t deny it was already the best Christmas ever.

  * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Holiday Amnesia by Lynette Eason.

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you’ve enjoyed Sean and Jacey’s story. Working on this Military K-9 continuity with such an amazing team of authors has been both an honor and a privilege. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who serve our country, and while I’ve enjoyed researching the air-force rules and regulations, please excuse any errors as my own.

  If you haven’t read the entire Military K-9 series, please do so. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

  I enjoy hearing from my readers so if you’re so inclined, stop by my website at www.laurascottbooks.com to drop me a note. Or you can find me on Facebook at Laura Scott Author, or on Twitter @laurascottbooks.

  Yours in faith,

  Laura Scott

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

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  Holiday Amnesia

  by Lynette Eason

  ONE

  Dr. Robin Hardy looked up from her microscope and frowned when the voices reached her over the Christmas music she had playing softly through the one earbud she wore. She never wore two when working just in case someone needed her attention. A habit she’d developed after being scared out of her skin by coworkers tapping her on the shoulder.

  Some people played only music. She liked the radio app and the commentary that came with it. And she’d hoped the cheery tunes and upbeat voices would lighten the heaviness in her heart.

  So far it hadn’t worked.

  A part-time professor at the Middle Tennessee State University, she spent the majority of her time teaching virology research to eager young minds.

  The rest of the time—too much time, some might say—she worked in the lab along with several other scientists. None of whom were on the schedule to be here tonight. She’d come because she’d craved something to take her mind off the fact that she’d been betrayed by someone she’d considered a good friend. With the potential to be something more.

  Hurt feelings and righteous anger didn’t promote restful nights. So, she worked. And fumed. And vowed never to trust another charming, good-looking, smooth-talking male again.

  Toby Potter, with his dancing eyes, finger-magnet five o’clock shadow and perpetually mussed caramel-colored hair, had used her. The rat. Pretending he cared when the whole time he was just getting close to her so he could get close to her research and have firsthand knowledge of what was going on in the lab. And while she just wanted to be mad, tears once again blurred her vision.

  Stop thinking about him.

  Easier said than done. It was hard to turn off the hurt. She blinked and sniffed—and tried to focus. The voices grew louder. Unable to hear more than the fact someone else was in the lab, she supposed a couple of fellow scientists had decided to put in a few more hours just like her.

  But they probably weren’t using work to distract them—to keep their minds off of people better just forgotten. Unfortunately, work wasn’t doing anything to help her forget.

  She studied the specimen, trying to see it through her tears. And finally gave up. She’d thought Toby was different, that his interest in her work was because he was interested in her. Boy, was she a lousy judge of character.

  Heated words snapped her head around. “What in the world?” she muttered.

  Curious, she removed the slide from the scope and returned it to its secure slot in the box next to her. She slipped off the gloves and tossed them into the hazardous waste bin. Most of the lights had been turned off and she usually liked it that way, but right now, they held a foreboding that crept over her. The farther she walked from her workstation, the darker it got, the blackness like a glove closing around her.

  She shivered.

  Then laughed at herself, mentally reviewing the security in the lab. No one without authorization could get in. And no one with authorization was anyone to be afraid of. While the university lab wasn’t a Level 4 secure lab working with deadly pat
hogens, Robin still considered her research and teaching an important part of the process for training upcoming scientists. And it was very secure.

  Light returned. Someone else was working at the far end of the large building in a corner station. Or had been working. Possibly. Right now, the two men standing face-to-face looked like they were ready to start throwing punches.

  “The bidding has already started. I need that virus now!”

  “It’s not ready. I told you. I’m still working out some issues, but I should have it soon.”

  Their words echoed through the large area.

  Virus? Bidding? She didn’t recognize the first voice, but the second one belonged to Alan Roberts—a virologist like her.

  “How soon is soon?” the first voice asked.

  “Soon! Okay? I’ll call when I’m ready.” A pause. “I’m serious. I think I’ve got it, I just need to run a couple of more tests and then it’ll be ready.”

  “How much longer?”

  “Twelve hours, okay?” Alan threw the notebook onto his workstation area and it landed on top of the manila file folders that always seemed to overflow his desk. “I have to make sure it’s right. The first test said it was.”

  “Then why more tests?”

  “To make sure. If you sell a defective product, your investors might take exception. Just let me do my job, then you can do yours.”

  “Twelve hours. That’s it. I’ll let the buyer know we’re a go.”

  “Fine,” Alan said. “You have my account number. Make sure the money lands there like it’s supposed to.”

  “Of course.”

  Robin eased closer, careful not to do anything stupid like knock something over or misstep. She could see the two men huddled in the corner. She and Alan shared a love of the classics, and he usually had a jovial personality in spite of his daughter’s medical bills. Leukemia had taken its toll on the family.