Bound by Duty

by Valerie Hansen

  His father was a lot like Boyd Sullivan, he thought. Slick on the outside and rotten to the core. It wasn’t until Zoe nudged him and asked, “Did you have dill pickles or lemons for breakfast?” that he realized his disturbing thoughts were being revealed in his expression.

  “I feel as though I’ve been making a steady diet of sour lemons,” Linc replied, “in the form of unanswered questions and out-and-out lies.”

  “Not to mention the stuff that’s been happening to me while you’ve been assigned to watch me.”

  Linc saw a scowl beginning to knit her forehead beneath her bangs, so he continued. “It’s all part of the same package. If—and that’s a big if—you happen to be telling me the whole truth, we have more than one problem to solve.”

  “Duh. You think?”

  A hush was coming over the congregation. Linc laid his index finger across his lips. “Shush. We’ll talk about this later.”

  “Guaranteed,” Zoe said. As the congregation rose, she pulled a hymnal out of the rack on the back of the pew in front of them and expertly thumbed to the called-for page.

  Linc did not intend to sing along. He hadn’t been in a church since the deaths of some of his best friends and he was far from comfortable. Nevertheless, the music tugged at his boyhood memories of standing in a worship service beside his mother and following her lead as she gave voice to her strong faith. In that respect, Zoe kind of reminded him of his mom. Her pitch was perfect, her tone both soothing and inspiring.

  When she extended one side of the open hymnal toward him, he grasped the edge and made a small effort to join in. The more he sang, the more poignant the song seemed. For some reason, words that were familiar suddenly took on deeper meaning, each phrase drawing him closer to the faith he’d once professed.

  Linc resisted the inner call. He continued to sing until a catch in his throat made his voice crack. Keeping his eyes forward, he released the hymnal to Zoe and stood at attention. He was a soldier. A member of the elite Security Forces. His own man and afraid of nothing. He didn’t need the crutch of religion. He didn’t need anything or anybody except his badge and his dog.

  As positive as those thoughts were, they weren’t enough to banish the tightness in his throat or the sense that he was missing something vital. Something that was almost within his grasp.

  * * *

  Zoe usually felt at home in church, though she might not be at ease in any other group. Even her personal friends had acted rather distant since they’d learned who her brother was and what had been occurring ostensibly because of him. Although she would have liked to come up with a reason to deny some of the charges against her sibling, she knew without a doubt that he was capable of killing on a mere whim. He’d proved it to judge and jury. As much as she wished she could, there was no way to convince herself he might be innocent this time, either.

  She had some fond memories of her big brother looking after her when they were children growing up in Dill, Texas. She’d idolized him, following him everywhere when she was a little girl, but current events were undeniable. Boyd had not only confessed in court, he’d acted proud of his crimes and justified for committing them. Therefore, she had no rebuttal for those who blamed Boyd for the terrible things occurring since his escape. He was intelligent yet behaved in a way she couldn’t fathom, couldn’t identify with. The youth who had stood up for her against playground bullies had chosen to become an abusive adult rather than continuing to champion those who needed help. If he had stayed on the side of law and order, he would have made an excellent military officer or policeman.

  As for the personal problems she was currently facing, however, Zoe doubted Boyd would bother to create that kind of chaos. Not only was it unlikely that he’d have known she’d duck into the warehouse in time to see that supposed shooting, he wouldn’t have sent an enlisted man to do his bidding that morning when he could easily have contacted her himself. Not to mention whoever had been lurking in her apartment, particularly since Portia had vowed she knew nothing about the prowler and had convinced everybody she was not responsible. That made the whole scenario much, much more terrifying.

  Zoe’s thoughts were cut short when the service ended. Everyone stood. Zoe let Freddy climb up on the bench beside her, so he’d be at eye level and she turned to speak to Linc. “We usually go out for lunch on Sunday after church. Is that all right?”

  “You don’t have to ask me,” he said flatly. “If you aren’t too worried about being out in public, then go.”

  “I’d almost rather be out and about than back in my apartment, wondering who else is hiding there, ready to pounce. How about the Winged Java for lunch? You’re coming with us, right?”

  “Absolutely. I have the day duty. Let’s get back to the car so I can check my messages in private. I want to see if they managed to nab your SUV driver.”

  She shuddered. “He’s not mine. In fact, I hope I never run into him again.” Falling into step with Freddy propped on her hip, she said, “By the way, I keep imagining I’m catching glimpses of the shooter from the warehouse. I know it has to be impossible to tell, because his face was covered, but... I don’t know. I keep seeing guys who move the way he did, and it gives me the jitters.”

  “What about his supposed victim? Any sightings of her?”

  “No. That actually should be easier because she had reddish hair, but I haven’t noticed anybody who looks like her.”

  “Any more thoughts about the guy in your apartment?”

  “I’m just glad he didn’t show himself sooner and hurt Freddy,” Zoe replied. “Or Portia. Now that I think about it, he probably wasn’t one of our airmen. His face was shadowed by the hoodie but it looked grubby, as though he might be growing a beard. Airmen are always neat and their uniforms make them look so handsome.”

  “You in the market for another husband?”

  Cheeks warming, Zoe shook her head. “No way. I’ve had my fill of smooth talkers and romance. Been there, done that, have the T-shirt and the scars to prove it.”

  “You mentioned your late husband before. What was the deal with him anyway? I can’t find much on file. That is, if you don’t mind talking about him.”

  They had reached the SUV and Zoe had helped Freddy get settled before climbing into the front seat. Linc had briefly checked his messages, then pulled into traffic and was heading for the café before she chose to answer.

  “His name was John. John Flint. We met in basic and by the time we were both E-2s, we’d fallen in love and decided to get married.”

  “I figured out that much. What happened to him? I was told he died in an auto accident, but there are no details on file and all I could find for a cause of death is unknown. Did he die of his injuries?”

  Hesitating, Zoe studied Linc’s profile. As much as she wanted to deny it, there was something about him that inspired confidence. As long as she didn’t reveal the specifics of John’s crimes, she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to clue him in a little.

  “There are questions, suspicions surrounding the accident,” Zoe said, keeping her voice soft so Freddy wouldn’t overhear. “Officially, the accident caused his death. The reasons behind that crash are something else. I inadvertently unearthed evidence that my late husband had committed crimes and I turned in the evidence. The authorities began to speculate that perhaps he had been...terminated after that, because he knew too much and his usefulness had ended.”

  “Usefulness to whom?”

  “Good question. If they ever did figure it out, I wasn’t told.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The case eventually made its way to Homeland Security. They’re the ones who sealed the files.” She noted Linc’s scowl and the way his fists gripped the steering wheel. Little wonder. Mention Homeland Security and walls shot up. That agency was the be-all and end-all of national defense. The very fact that it had become involved marked John
’s death as the act of subversives. Or worse.

  “What did you find that implicated him?”

  “They asked me not to divulge those details,” Zoe explained. “I’m not sure what investigations grew out of the info they got from his laptop, but it no longer matters. John may not have directly murdered innocent people the way my brother has, but he was not the kind of man I thought he was when I married him. If he hadn’t died, I’d probably have divorced him when I learned what he’d been up to.”

  “Could any of that background be influencing what’s happened to you lately?”

  “I can’t see how. It’s been years.” Sighing deeply, she leaned against the seat. Bothered by the knot of hair at her nape, she pulled the pins that held it in place. Shaking out her tresses, she raked her fingers through them. Linc was watching her out of the corner of his right eye and that much intensity made her nervous. “What?”

  Color rose to infuse his cheeks. “Nothing.”

  “You may as well say it,” Zoe grumbled. “Boyd and Freddy’s daddy—the men in my life. I can really pick ’em, huh?”

  “You didn’t pick your brother. He came as part of the family package. My lineage isn’t much better.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. Listen, if I tell you something in confidence, will you promise to keep it to yourself?”

  “You’d trust me that far?” Her eyebrows arched theatrically. “Maybe you’d better not confess anything. I don’t want to be responsible if your deep dark secret gets out.”

  “It’s not about me. It’s about my dad. He was in the air force, too, only his record was far from honorable. They caught him stealing and drummed him out of the service. After that, his personal life fell apart and he left my mother. She raised me alone.” He leaned his head back, gesturing toward the back seat. “Kind of like you and Freddy.”

  “Is that why you seem to understand him so well?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. What I’m trying to say is, don’t beat yourself up about your past. We all make mistakes. It’s part of life. The good news is we can turn it around and make amends, because you and I are still alive and kicking.”

  What was he alluding to? Did he think his speech about his father was going to loosen her tongue? Sure sounded like it. She steeled her nerves and cleared her throat. “Listen, Colson, I went to my commanding officers and did all I could to make things right after John died. And I would do the same now if I had any clues about Boyd. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal.” Linc slowed as they passed the distinctive Winged Java café with its white coffee mug mural and lit red, white and blue decorative wings. There was a line of customers out front waiting for a chance to enter. “We’ll starve before we get a booth in there. What do you say we pick up a pizza from Carmen’s instead and eat it back at your place?”

  Zoe wanted to argue. She really did. But his suggestion made perfect sense, and she knew Freddy had to be hungry, even if her own stomach was too crowded with butterflies and angst to leave room for food. “Fine. I was going to invite you in, anyway. It looks as if this afternoon is going to be a hot one, and I see no reason to make that poor dog suffer in the heat.”

  “Can I come in with her?”

  Zoe huffed and nodded. “Yes, as long as you behave. No jumping on the furniture—or jumping to conclusions.”

  “Promise. And maybe if we go back over the recent incidents involving you, we can find some kind of pattern. It’s worth a try.”

  “I’ve been over and over it. There are no logical connecting factors.”

  “Only because we haven’t discovered them yet,” he argued.

  “It’s not my brother,” Zoe told him flatly. “Boyd may be a lot of things but subtle isn’t one of them. If he wanted to punish me, he’d come right out and do it. No. Whoever’s been messing with me is someone other than him.” She lowered her voice. “I’m actually more afraid of the unknown than I am of Boyd. I keep remembering the man in my apartment who pulled the knife on us.”

  Linc wheeled into the drive-through lane under a red-and-white awning outside Carmen’s Italian Restaurant. “Funny you should see it that way,” he said. “The same possibilities occurred to me.”

  She couldn’t suppress a relieved smile. “Hooray. Finally. Now we’re getting somewhere.” The reserved look on his handsome face told her Linc had not come as far in his reasoning as she had. That was okay. At least he’d made a baby step in the right direction.

  And for now we’re reasonably safe, she added, swiveling to grin at her cute little boy. Being committed to the air force meant she wasn’t free to go on the run from her enemies, nor was there any place on the base where she could hide. Not for very long at any rate. That meant standing her ground and bravely facing all foes just as the military she honored did, at home and around the globe.

  It might sound clichéd to outsiders, but she was a part of the best fighting force in the world and proud of it. So was the man who sat beside her and imparted both courage and strength. Linc Colson may not feel that close to her as a person, but she was ready to stand by his side against anyone and anything. What she could not accomplish on her own was more than possible with his support. They would succeed and get to the bottom of all that had been happening. Together.

  Full realization hit her like a rocket ignition. Zoe’s pulse sped, pounding until she wondered if the beats were audible. She had just mentally joined herself to Linc Colson in a way that surpassed anything in her past. The sense that they were already a functioning couple, standing as one, was so strong it left her breathless.

  Her first instinct was to deny those conclusions and banish any notions of partnership. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Like it or not, she wanted him beside her, now and for as long as unknown foes kept coming at her. So far, they had found no victim of the shooting she’d seen. The person in her apartment had escaped. And she had thwarted this morning’s effort to coax her into the wrong vehicle. So far, so good, but how long could that last? Considered together, those instances were enough to set her on edge and keep her looking over her shoulder all the time. Plus, there was the question of the whereabouts of her murderous sibling. Every day brought more angst and increased her fear. Only one element brought relief, and she was most grateful.

  Thank You, Lord, for sending Linc and his K-9 into my life, Zoe prayed silently. I don’t care why they’re here. I’m just thankful they are.

  EIGHT

  It didn’t take long to get to the Sullivan apartment with their food. Linc let Zoe handle the pizza box and shepherd her child while he and Star took point. The K-9 began straining at her leash as soon as they reached Zoe’s second-story apartment.

  “Whoa. Wait,” Linc ordered sternly. “I thought I’d convinced you to lock up.”

  “I did.” She leaned to peer past him.

  “Well, the door’s not even closed all the way, so something happened.”

  His outstretched hand became a barrier. “You stay out here with the boy while I check inside.”

  To his dismay, Zoe disagreed. “How do you know this isn’t a ploy to get you to leave us alone out here in the hallway so we’re vulnerable?”

  “That is a valid point,” he said. “Okay. Slip inside after I give you the okay and do your best to secure this door. It doesn’t look like it’s been jimmied so the lock should still work.”

  “How could—”

  “I don’t know. One thing at a time, okay? I’m going to make an entry and let Star tell me if there’s anybody in here who doesn’t belong. I’ll leave the door open and signal you to follow as soon as I’m sure it’s safer in than out.”

  Satisfied by her nod, Linc gave the door a push, stood aside with the K-9 and called out, “Security. Anybody in here?”

  Star seemed relaxed enough that Linc quickly motioned to Zoe and Freddy to follow him in. They stopped as orde
red and waited. The little boy was behaving with extraordinary restraint, probably because he was picking up vibes from the adults.

  Linc once again made a barrier with his outstretched arm to keep his charges in place. “Stay here and look around the room. Does anything look different or missing?”

  “I think the sofa was moved. It looks farther to the right than I left it. But why would anybody move furniture?”

  “Maybe you did it while you were cleaning and forgot.”

  “Sounds like my whole life lately. My possessions seem to have a mind of their own. I put my purse on one table and it ends up somewhere else when I look for it. Stuff like that.”

  “Do you think you’re just rattled because you’re worried?”

  “It’s possible.” She shivered and pressed her back to the closed door while Freddy hugged her knees.

  “We’ll talk about all that later.” Linc gave Star the command “Get ’em” and let her leash extend.

  Nose to the floor, the K-9 began to sniff. She coursed back and forth in the living room a few times but surprisingly she alerted on nothing, then proceeded to the kitchenette and then down the only hallway. A few minutes later, she was heading back to the entry.

  Linc gave Zoe a shrug and a slight smile as he followed his dog back through the living room. “Nothing positive. Not even a stray prowler.”

  “Not funny,” she said, making a face. “The last time took ten years off my life.”

  “You can spare them.” He unleashed his dog, relieved Zoe of the pizza box and strode toward the small kitchen. “If I hadn’t seen your file, I’d have thought you were still a teenager.”

  “There are times when I feel twice my twenty-six years,” Zoe replied. “How old are you?”

  “Four, in dog years, if you count them the old way. There’s a new complicated formula that’s supposed to be more accurate but seven to one is a lot easier.”