Bound by Duty

by Valerie Hansen

  “I sure hope so. He scared me plenty.”

  “Are you okay now?” Although he expected her to affirm her well-being, he hadn’t imagined she would be so candid.

  “Yes,” Zoe said, her smile softening. “I’m okay. You’re here.”

  She averted her gaze, but not before Linc noted the glistening of unshed tears and felt his gut clench in empathy.

  SIX

  “I don’t care what some anonymous blogger wrote. There’s no way Zoe Sullivan faked a prowler to try to distract us from the search for her brother,” Linc told Captain Justin Blackwood. “For one thing, I saw a guy fleeing.” They and others were gathered in the Security Forces headquarters for a meeting of the team assigned to bring down Boyd Sullivan. Besides the regular air force members, there was Oliver Davison of the FBI and Special Agent Ian Steffen from the Office of Special Investigations.

  Blackwood nodded. “All right. We’ll go with that conclusion. I’ve talked to my daughter about the incident, and she’s denied having anyone in the Sullivan apartment with her, but I’ve done enough interrogating to suspect she may be lying.” He shook his head slowly. “Makes me wish I hadn’t deployed so often when she was growing up. I hardly know her.”

  “We can’t go back,” Master Sergeant Westley James chimed in. “If we could, I’d save the lives of my two murdered team members.” He cleared his throat. “Of course, I did end up marrying Felicity after successfully protecting her, so some good did come out of the Sullivan incursion.”

  “True.” Blackwood addressed the group. “Any other leads on our escaped felon? I want to hear your ideas even if you don’t think they’re relevant.” He was quite serious when he added, “Remember, besides the murders, Boyd Sullivan’s the reason we’re still missing so many valuable K-9s.”

  Special Agent Davison spoke up. “Some of my people participated in a ground search for your dogs, as you know. Senior Airman Ava Esposito helped organize the grid and worked with her search-and-rescue K-9, Roscoe. One of the others said he was the survivor of a chopper crash.”

  Linc nodded. “Probably Senior Airman Isaac Goddard. He’s trying to bring a heroic German shepherd home from Afghanistan and adopt him, so I know he has a heart for dogs.”

  “Anything else?” Blackwood asked, scanning his team in the conference room.

  Linc cleared his throat. “Well, sir, it’s not directly related to the missing dogs, but there is something odd Sergeant Sullivan said recently. I checked her file again and didn’t find much about John Flint, her late husband. What’s the deal on him? Could he have had any connection to her brother?”

  Hesitating long enough to make Linc uneasy, the captain said, “Some of her personal information has been redacted. It’s my understanding it was done as a reward for actions she took on behalf of Homeland Security, but there’s no way I can access their sealed files. If you want to know more, I suggest you ask her directly.”

  “Do you think she’ll tell me?”

  “If you get closer to her, she might,” Sergeant James interjected. “I hear she’s already beginning to rely on you and Star. That’s good.”

  Uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, Linc cleared his throat. “Are you ordering me to make this personal?”

  “I can’t do that, Sergeant. But I can tell you it’s important that we put an end to the Red Rose Killer’s actions both on and off the base. If Zoe Sullivan holds the key to doing that, I expect you to take every advantage offered, even if it means sacrificing some personal comfort.”

  “She seems good at heart,” Linc argued.

  “Then it won’t hurt you to befriend her, will it? I’ll make it easy for you. Except for required days off, she’ll be your only assignment. Make the most of it. Since you two already seem to have a slight bond, I’m going to rotate your relief so she concentrates more on you. The new duty schedule will be posted this afternoon.”

  “Yes, Master Sergeant. I’ll do my best.”

  And he would. Linc wasn’t thrilled with the suggestion that he pretend to become personally involved with Zoe and her son; he was simply resigned to the need for it. As assignments went, it wasn’t bad as long as he kept a tight grip on his feelings and guarded his heart well enough. He’d do it for the air force, for his country. The way he viewed it, he wouldn’t be doing anything wrong as long as he didn’t lead Zoe on or let her believe he was romantically interested in her.

  The trick was going to be convincing himself that subterfuge was a necessity and that he wasn’t becoming the kind of lowlife his father had been. He’d spent most of his adult life living down that odious man’s sins, and any inkling that his own honor might be at risk gave him a sense of foreboding. Linc knew he was as human as anyone, but he had long ago vowed that he would never display even the slightest hint of dishonesty. He would not follow in his thieving, lying father’s footsteps. Ever. Neither would his loyalty ever come into question. Not if maintaining it literally killed him.

  * * *

  Zoe had Freddy up and dressed for Sunday services in plenty of time. She had seen a dark-colored SUV parked in the street below her apartment and assumed it belonged to the Security Forces. Was Linc in it? Part of her yearned to see him again, while another part of her worried that she might be starting to get too dependent upon him—and his K-9 partner.

  Freddy had no such qualms. “Is the doggy going to church with us?” he asked, bouncing on his tiptoes with excitement.

  “I don’t know, honey. It’s possible.”

  “You asked. I heard. So he’s going, right?”

  Zoe had to smile at the child’s expectations of the perfect day. “The Security Forces man may bring Star if they’re on duty today. We’ll have to wait and see.”

  “They could come anyway.”

  “I know. I know.” But the chances of that were probably slim, she added to herself. No telling why Linc had acted so put off when she’d suggested he accompany them to church, but she didn’t think it had anything to do with her or Freddy. No, it was something else. Something deeper. He wouldn’t be the first soldier to turn from God after experiencing combat, although oftentimes the reverse was true. Strong Christians could be formed in the trenches, too. It all depended on the man or woman and their willingness to trust in a higher power rather than relying only upon themselves. Bowing a knee could be tough for someone who had always felt totally self-reliant.

  Or for someone who simply chose evil over good, as her brother had. Sadly, she was beginning to lose hope that Boyd would ever repent. At this point, the most she could hope for was that he’d stop hurting others and be brought to justice. As much as she’d loved the boy he’d been when they were growing up, she could not accept his adult self. Whatever goodness was still inside him had been masked by a blackness that encompassed his heart and made him a different person. Someone who had to be stopped. In that regard, she almost wished he would contact her, because she wouldn’t hesitate to turn him in.

  A small head ducked beneath her hand and she felt Freddy’s silky hair. “Don’t be sad, Mommy. If the doggy doesn’t come, you can pet me. See?”

  Laughing, Zoe gave his hair a gentle tousle. “Okay. But you have to promise to behave in church and not bark.”

  The child’s eager “Ruff, ruff” made her chuckle more.

  “Careful or you’ll be eating kibble instead of cookies.”

  He giggled, eyes sparkling. “I’m not really a dog. Little boys need cookies.”

  “Okay.” She smoothed the skirt of her dress and patted her knot of hair that she’d twisted neatly and clipped at her nape. “You ready?”

  “Uh-huh.” Freddy grasped her hand.

  “Then let’s go.”

  The closer Zoe got to the street, the more butterflies there were cavorting in her stomach. Would Linc be waiting? Would he go to church with them? She kept telling her
self he wouldn’t, but in the back of her mind was the hope he would. Why it mattered, she wasn’t sure, but she desperately wanted him with her. Going to services was a step in the right direction, and perhaps she was meant to be the catalyst that led him back to the fold.

  Yeah, right. Some Christian disciple I am when all I can think about is how safe he will make me feel, she countered. That was the basic truth. She wanted Linc and Star with her for protection far more than for altruistic reasons, and it was just as well to admit it. Matter of fact, she was going to tell him the same thing the first chance she got.

  Which was about to be...later, Zoe realized as an unfamiliar enlisted man got out of the SUV and greeted her.

  “Good morning, Sergeant Sullivan,” the younger airman said with a broad grin. He gestured at the car. “I’m here to give you a ride to church.”

  “No, thanks. We usually walk.”

  He sobered. Seemed nervous. “Sorry. I was told to drive you, and if you don’t want me to get busted, I’d appreciate it if you’d get in.”

  Zoe noted that his neck and face had reddened and he was breaking a sweat. “Who did you say sent you?”

  “Um, Tech Sergeant Colson.”

  “I see. You have written orders then?”

  “No, ma’am. It’s just a ride.”

  If the young airman hadn’t sounded so unsure and acted jittery, she might have got into the car without question. Looking around her, Zoe noted others passing by on the sidewalk and in the street. At least she and Freddy weren’t isolated there. Once she entered the vehicle, she’d be hidden behind its tinted windows and lose any advantage she had now.

  Despite the fact that the driver opened the rear passenger door for her, Zoe didn’t get in. Instead, she slowly backed away. Her eyes narrowed, taking in everything about the airman and committing his features to memory. The trouble was, he looked a lot like every other immature green recruit. Acted it, too.

  “You’ll—you’ll be late for church,” he said with a wheedling tone.

  “If I am, I am.” Still balancing Freddy on her hip, Zoe took her cell phone out of her purse and quickly found the number Linc had entered the day she’d chased away the prowler. In seconds she had him on the line.

  “Colson.”

  “This is Zoe Sullivan. I want to thank you for sending a car for me, but it’s really not necessary.”

  “What did you say?” His shout was loud enough that she eased the phone away from her ear. By the time Linc added, “I didn’t send anybody to get you,” his words were practically broadcast volume.

  Zoe saw the driver’s face pale. “It—it was just...” he began before wheeling, jumping into the car and hitting the gas. The tires slipped and screeched on the pavement. Holding her son close, Zoe stepped up on the curb and melted into a small crowd of onlookers.

  Her phone was still on, Linc’s voice strident. “Where are you now?”

  “The street in front of my apartment. He drove off. I don’t know who he was. He said you sent him and I—”

  “Stay there. I’m on my way,” Linc ordered. She heard the roar of a motor in the background as he added, “ETA less than five. Are you and the boy all right?”

  “We’re fine. I didn’t fall for the trick.”

  “Can you ID the vehicle or the driver?”

  “It looked like one of your black SUVs. The driver was just a nervous kid.”

  “The same one you caught in your apartment?”

  “I don’t think so. This guy was shorter. And less belligerent.” She pulled Freddy closer and backed farther from the curb until she was partially standing behind the trunk of one of the cottonwoods lining the street. “How much longer before you get to me?”

  “You should be able to hear my siren. I’m only a couple blocks away, turning off Canyon Drive and passing the Base Command Office.”

  “Copy. We’ll wait right here.”

  As the wailing of Linc’s siren grew louder, Zoe’s fear waned. She had thwarted an enemy once again, and her knight in shining armor was about to ride up on his prancing steed and protect her.

  On second thought, she didn’t need any knight. She needed information, some of which her so-called knight might be withholding, she realized, because he didn’t trust her. Maybe now he’d open up more. As long as she was even partially in the dark about what was going on behind the scenes, she was more vulnerable.

  A chill chased up her spine as she thought about their near abduction. Only common sense and a niggling warning in her subconscious had kept her from believing the clean-cut young airman and getting into that car. How many other traps were waiting? How many more dangers would she have to identify and avoid before this nightmare was over?

  A black SUV that was the twin of the first one rounded the corner on to her block and skidded to a halt, its siren winding down like a balloon losing air. Zoe had no doubt who was behind the wheel of this one. The sight of Linc Colson leaping out and releasing his K-9 from the rear brought immense relief. It also brought unshed tears to her eyes, tears that were quite embarrassing.

  She blinked them away before Linc got close enough to notice. Smiling, she looked up at him. “You made good time. Where were you?”

  “Waiting at the church. What happened to your assigned guard?”

  “Beats me.” She shrugged. “At first, I thought it was the kid who said he was here to pick me up. But when he got out, I could tell he wasn’t part of the security team.”

  “Who was he?”

  “I’ve never noticed him before. This is a big base. I could have walked right past him—and a hundred just like him.”

  “I have my people looking into it,” Linc said. “Part of this is my fault. I thought your night guard would escort you as far as the church. He said when he saw the car pull over and park, he assumed I was picking you up and he left. That kind of mix-up won’t happen again.”

  “I certainly hope not.” Zoe spoke from the heart. “I suspect the problem is that you people aren’t watching me for my sake. You’re here because you expect Boyd to show up.”

  “Granted. That doesn’t mean I’m going to take your reports of trouble lightly.”

  “Honest?”

  “Honest,” Linc promised. “If we manage to apprehend the airman who was here this morning, will you be able to ID him?”

  “Yes. As soon as he began acting suspicious, I paid special attention to his face. Trouble is, I couldn’t read his name tag and he resembles half the guys on base. How did he manage to get the keys to one of your SUVs?”

  “That’s another very good question.”

  Zoe sighed as she helped Freddy into the rear seat of Linc’s vehicle and, in the absence of a car seat, fastened his seat belt. “In retrospect, this guy seemed more scared than menacing, as if he knew he was in the wrong and didn’t want to be there.”

  “Interesting. Do you think your brother would be capable of fooling a clueless recruit into doing his bidding?”

  “My brother again? Why do you keep blaming everything on Boyd? I mean, if he wanted to talk to me, he could just call.”

  “On the burner phone you smuggled to him in prison?”

  Astounded, Zoe gaped at him. “What are you implying?”

  “Master Sergeant James and I paid a visit to the prison and spoke with a cell mate of your brother’s. He told us Boyd had a burner phone in his possession before his escape.”

  She stood tall, shoulders back, chin up, and faced him. “Well, he didn’t get it from me.”

  Noting Linc’s sigh, she wondered if she might be getting through to him. He did nod. “Okay. Then where do you think it came from?”

  “How should I know? You’re the security guy. Was I the only one who visited the prison?”

  To her relief, Linc shook his head. “No. One of our aircraft mechanics was there, too. Jim Ahern
.”

  “I think my brother had mentioned him before.”

  “He may have. They were buddies before Boyd was dishonorably discharged.”

  “Then why all the interest in me? Why don’t you put a watch on Ahern, too?”

  “We’re not ignoring that possibility,” Linc said. He started to reach for the front door on the passenger side. Zoe stopped him. “I’ll ride in the back with Freddy, if you don’t mind.”

  Although Linc easily acquiesced, she could tell he wasn’t thrilled that she’d refused to sit next to him. Well, too bad. Every time she began to think he might be on her side, he came up with another accusation and proved the opposite.

  When Zoe admitted to herself that she wished he wasn’t going to church with them, her conscience reared up and gave her a swift kick. Just because somebody was a thorn in her side, that didn’t mean that person didn’t need the Lord. Maybe Linc was more in need of God’s mercy than she was.

  Her glance caught his in the rearview mirror, and she was surprised to sense actual concern. Long after he broke eye contact, she continued to observe him. Analyze him. Admire him, despite his contrariness. There was something about the sergeant that impressed her in a way she didn’t understand. Moments ago, she’d been wishing he wasn’t there, yet now his presence was giving a lift to her spirits and bringing peace to her heart.

  That was crazy.

  It was also patently true.

  SEVEN

  Seated in the last church pew with his charges, Linc was fine as long as he kept his focus on doing his job, which meant not allowing himself to relax and enjoy Zoe’s or Freddy’s company. Star, on the other hand, was having no such qualms and was leaning against the boy’s tennis shoes, panting.

  The K-9 didn’t have Linc’s background to create bias. Lies had cost him the lives of men in his former unit, something he would never be able to forget, and more lies threaded through his memories of his father. The parent he’d believed to be a hero had turned out to be nothing more than a thief and a coward, a familial sin he was still doing penance for in his own way.