by Laura Scott
A PROMISE TO PROTECT
As a skilled SWAT team negotiator, Isaac Morrison has defused many a crisis situation. But safeguarding Leah Nichols and her young son may be his most challenging mission yet. Leah’s brother—his best friend Shane—has gone missing while working undercover. Now it’s up to Isaac to protect mother and child from Shane’s enemies. He doesn’t know whom they can trust, but he’s determined to catch the gunmen threatening their lives. Isaac knows he needs his best protection skills against their formidable adversary. Because he can’t risk the consequences to the little family who has stealthily claimed his heart.
SWAT: Top Cops:
Love in the line of duty
“Uh, why don’t you wait here?” Isaac stopped in the hall,clearly not wanting Leah to tag along. “We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
What was with the sudden secrecy? She suppressed a sting of hurt. She didn’t like the way Isaac was trying to put her off, and had no intention of sitting around and waiting for him. She squared her shoulders and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “No way. I’m coming with you.”
Isaac stared at her for a long moment, a flash of helplessness, or maybe it was frustration, darkening his features before he threw his hands in the air. “Fine, suit yourself.”
“I will.” She trailed behind the two men, her stomach twisting with every step. Then she saw it—a small hole in the center of the windshield. And she knew without being told that it had been made by a bullet.
Someone had taken a shot at Isaac.
Books by Laura Scott
Love Inspired Suspense
The Thanksgiving Target
Secret Agent Father
The Christmas Rescue
Lawman-in-Charge
Proof of Life
Identity Crisis
Twin Peril
Undercover Cowboy
Her Mistletoe Protector
*Wrongly Accused
*Down to the Wire
*Under the Lawman’s Protection
*SWAT: Top Cops
LAURA SCOTT
grew up reading faith-based romance books by Grace Livingston Hill, but as much as she loved the stories, she longed for a bit more mystery and suspense. She is honored to write for the Love Inspired Suspense line, where a reader can find a heartwarming journey of faith amid the thrilling danger.
Laura lives with her husband of twenty-five years and has two children, a daughter and a son, who are both in college. She works as a critical-care nurse during the day at a large level-one trauma center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spends her spare time writing romance.
Please visit Laura at laurascottbooks.com, as she loves to hear from her readers.
UNDER THE LAWMAN'S PROTECTION
Laura Scott
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
—Psalms 91:4
This book is dedicated to my friend Olga Lita. Thanks, Olga, for the wonderful support you’ve provided over the years. Your friendship means more to me than you’ll ever know.
Contents
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
EPILOGUE
DEAR READER
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
EXCERPT
ONE
SWAT team member Isaac Morrison paused outside the sheriff’s-department headquarters and replayed the garbled voice-mail message for the third time.
Ice...cover blown...danger...help Leah and Ben...
The voice sounded like his buddy Shane “Hawk” Hawkins, and the use of his old nickname, Ice, gave credence to the fact that Hawk had left the message despite the unknown phone number. Was Hawk calling from a throwaway phone? Possibly. Isaac had tried to return the call twice, but it wouldn’t go through.
Strange to be hearing from Hawk now, when they hadn’t really been in touch for the past sixteen months, but the urgency in Hawk’s static-filled message was impossible to ignore.
What in the world was going on? Isaac jogged to his Jeep, located in the far corner of the parking lot beneath a street lamp, his brain whirling with possibilities. Leah was Hawk’s sister, and if he remembered correctly, Ben was her young son. By now the boy would be about five or so, and the thought that they might be in danger spurred Isaac into action. He revved up his Jeep and headed toward the interstate, wincing a bit at the fact that the time was approaching eight o’clock at night.
Hawk had left the message well over an hour ago. Isaac had had his phone on silent during his most recent tactical situation. He’d been called in as a negotiator at a local bank, where a drug addict had held a woman hostage in order to get money to fund his habit. Thankfully, they’d managed to take down the man before he shot or injured any innocent bystanders.
A good day for the Milwaukee County SWAT team, but the brief moment of satisfaction quickly evaporated with this latest threat. What if Isaac was already too late to protect Leah and Ben? He stomped on the accelerator, pushing the speed limit. He knew that Hawk’s sister was the only family his buddy had left in the world, and the two were extremely close. The situation had to be serious for Hawk to call for help.
Isaac had met Hawk twelve years ago at Saint Jermaine’s Youth Center, which was basically a school for delinquent teens, and during their first month there Hawk had saved his life. They’d been friends ever since, but Hawk had never asked for anything from him.
Until now.
Isaac hoped that Leah was still living in the same small home he remembered, located just inside the city limits. If she’d moved since the last time he saw her, he was in trouble, because he couldn’t even remember her married name. Nelson? Nichols? Even though her husband had died roughly four years ago, he was pretty sure she hadn’t remarried. Otherwise why would Hawk call him? Surely he would have contacted her new husband if she had one.
Isaac drove through the dark, damp March night, wondering if Leah would even remember him. He’d met her only a few times, and the last occasion must have been at her husband’s funeral. The only good thing now was that he was still wearing his uniform, so at least she would be able to recognize him as one of the good guys.
Ironic that he and Hawk had both turned their troubled lives around to go into law enforcement. Hawk had taken a job with the City of Milwaukee Police Department, while Isaac had gone the route of joining the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department. As they were located in two completely different jurisdictions, their paths hadn’t crossed in the line of duty.
Hawk had mentioned that his cover was blown, so he must have been investigating something serious while being undercover. But what? It would have helped to have some idea of the source of potential danger.
As he approached Leah and Ben’s house, located at the bottom of a dead-end street, Isaac cut his headlights and slowed to a stop several yards away from the end of her driveway.
&nbs
p; For a long moment he sat there, watching for any signs of life. But the windows were dark, and from the street he couldn’t see any hint of light or movement inside. At eight-thirty on a Friday night, it was hard to believe Leah and Ben would be already asleep.
Either they weren’t home yet or he was too late to save them.
Every nerve in his body rebelled at that thought, so he decided to investigate. He reached up to pull the bulb out of the dome light and then slipped out of his Jeep, hugging the shadows as he made his way closer to Leah’s small house. In contrast, her yard was spacious and boasted several tall trees, one with a tire swing hanging from a thick branch. Seeing the swing reminded him of his dead son, and for a moment the pain of losing Jeremy nearly sent Isaac to his knees. He missed his son so much, but forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand. He tore his gaze from the swing, sweeping a wide glance across the yard to make sure that nothing was out of place.
No signs of a crime didn’t mean one hadn’t taken place. The warning itch along the back of his neck couldn’t be ignored.
Moving slowly, he made his way around to the back of the house. There were still no lights anywhere and all was quiet. Leah didn’t have anyone living to her left, but the neighbors to the right must be home, based on the blue glow of a television set in what appeared to be a living room. Surely if something had happened here, they would have been alerted.
He checked the back door to verify it was locked. He made a mental note to tell Leah she needed motion-sensor lights mounted in the backyard as well as out front above the garage. He was a little surprised that Hawk hadn’t already taken care of that. Isaac rounded the corner of the house and abruptly stopped in his tracks, flattening himself against the siding when he saw a figure dressed from head to toe in black. The man had a ski mask covering his face, and he was stealthily making his way through Leah’s front yard.
Hawk was right. Leah and Ben were in danger!
Isaac wished he’d asked a few of his SWAT teammates to come along, especially Caleb or Deck, but it was too late for that. Even if he called them, they were forty-five minutes away, and there wasn’t a second to waste. He pulled his weapon and crouched low, trying to keep the intruder in his line of vision.
He considered calling 911 for backup, but feared the masked man would hear him. Using a cell phone, he’d have to give the dispatcher his location and even soft, muffled sounds carried loudly through the night. Right now, Isaac had the element of surprise on his side.
But he froze when the intruder hid alongside the large oak tree, the one with the tire swing hanging from it.
Clearly, the masked man was waiting for Leah and Ben.
Belatedly, Isaac noticed a pair of headlights approaching along the street, growing brighter and brighter as the car neared the house. The vehicle was an older-model sedan, but with the lights in his eyes, he couldn’t tell for sure if the driver was male or female.
The possibility that Leah and Ben were coming home at this exact moment sent a shiver down his back. Had the masked man been following them? Or had his timing been pure luck?
Isaac didn’t believe in coincidences. And he couldn’t help wondering if the guy in black had a partner waiting somewhere nearby. He hadn’t seen anyone, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t still out there.
Isaac stayed at the corner of the house, his eyes trained on the oak tree. He had to assume the masked man would wait until the most opportune time to attack. The sedan pulled into the driveway and idled outside the garage. Isaac thought it was odd that the garage door didn’t open, especially after several seconds passed.
Then he saw the driver’s door open.
The events unraveled in slow motion. The masked intruder made his move, darting out from behind the tree and roughly grabbing the arm of the woman who’d gotten out of the car.
No! Isaac sprinted across the yard toward them. “Stop! Police!”
In a heartbeat, the man in black spun around, holding Leah in front of him as a hostage. Isaac froze when he saw he was pointing a gun at her temple. Her eyes were wide with terror and she kept glancing helplessly at the car, where her son was crying. Isaac couldn’t afford to give him any reason to shoot.
“Look, no one has to get hurt here, okay?” He used his best negotiating tone and lifted his hands, pointing his weapon upward, indicating he wasn’t going to shoot, either. If the masked man did have a partner, Isaac was dead meat, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. Maybe the people watching television next door would hear the commotion and call the cops? He could only hope.
Isaac forced himself to calm down enough to go through the techniques he’d perfected over the years. “Listen, I’m sure this is just a big misunderstanding. Why don’t you let the woman go?”
The masked man glanced around frantically, either looking for help or trying to figure out where Isaac had come from and if he had backup. The second thought gave him hope that the intruder didn’t have a partner hidden out in the darkness. “Get out of here,” the man said in a rough, muffled tone. “This isn’t your business.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” Isaac tried to hold the man’s gaze, but it wasn’t easy in the darkness. The dome light of the sedan was the only illumination aside from the quarter moon hanging low in the sky. “I’m a cop and I can’t let you hurt this woman. Why don’t you tell me what you want? I’m sure we can work something out.”
“Go away or I’ll shoot.”
Isaac knew the key to negotiating was to find some sort of common ground. Not easy to do when you knew nothing about the stranger holding a gun. But he sensed the guy didn’t want to shoot Leah or would have done so already. That might be something to work with. “Please put the gun down. I have backup coming in less than five minutes. If you put the gun down, I promise no one will get hurt.”
The masked man ignored him, glancing around as if trying to figure out his next move.
Isaac eased forward, still holding his hands up. Leah’s pale face surrounded by a cloud of dark curls looked scared to death, and he blocked the image from his mind. If he allowed himself to worry about her, he’d mess this up. He had to remain focused on the intruder.
Unfortunately, Isaac had absolutely no clue what was going on, which had him at a distinct disadvantage. “Do you want money? Is that it? I’ll give you my wallet if you’ll let the woman go.”
“Stop talking!” The masked man was losing control of the situation, and Isaac knew he had to find a way to make that crack in the guy’s plan work to his advantage.
Inside the car, Ben was crying out for his mommy, and the noise seemed to be grating on the gunman’s nerves. Isaac risked a glance inside the vehicle, and suddenly the man made his move.
“Take her!” he shouted. With a herculean push, he threw Leah away from him and turned to run.
Isaac had little choice but to grab Leah, preventing her from hitting the ground. She clutched him tightly as he stared over her shoulder as the man in black disappeared in the darkness.
As much as he wanted to chase after him, Isaac stayed right where he was. He held Leah steady, knowing his priority needed to be protecting Hawk’s sister and her son.
* * *
Leah Nichols closed her eyes for a moment, silently thanking God for keeping her safe. But she couldn’t understand why the masked man had tried to kidnap her in the first place. What was going on? She had no idea, but couldn’t shake the idea that whoever the guy with the gun was, he’d be back.
She had to get Ben out of here now! She needed to get someplace safe and to call her brother. Shane would protect her and her son.
Leah shoved away from the cop, trying to pull herself together. “Thank you,” she murmured before turning back to the car, where Ben was still crying in the backseat. “Hey, Ben, I’m here. It’s okay. We’re fine.”
“Leah, you and Ben should come with me.”
She spun toward the cop, shaken by the fact that he knew their names. “Who are you?” she demanded. “And why are you here, anyway?”
“Don’t you remember me? Isaac Morrison? I’m friends with your brother, Hawk, er, Shane. He sent me here to look after you.”
Leah narrowed her gaze and shook her head. She vaguely remembered Hawk’s friend Ice, also known as Isaac, but hadn’t seen him in years. Since her husband’s funeral? Maybe. Yet could she really be sure this cop was who he said he was? She had only a vague memory of Shane’s friend, but his height and his military-short, sandy-brown hair did seem familiar.
On the other hand, it seemed strange to her that Shane wouldn’t come to help her himself. Or send one of his buddies, such as his partner from the force. This cop’s uniform wasn’t at all similar to the type that her brother used to wear. A fact that put her on edge.
“I appreciate your help, really, but I’ll be fine on my own. Thanks anyway.”
She slid back into her vehicle, intending to leave, but the cop grabbed her door before she could get it shut. “Leah, I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s pretty clear you need protection. I swear I’m not going to hurt you or your son.”
Leah battled a wave of helplessness. Should she really trust this guy?
“Here, listen to this message.” The cop hunkered down next to her, playing with his phone. Abruptly, a brief static-filled message blared from the speaker.
Ice...cover blown...danger...help Leah and Ben...
The words sent a chill down her spine. She recognized Shane’s voice, and the fact that her brother was clearly in trouble concerned her. “You need to help Shane,” she blurted out. “I’ll go to a hotel or something, but you need to help my brother.”
But the cop was shaking his head. “No, I’m not leaving you and Ben alone. Don’t you understand how much danger you’re in? How long do you think it will take the bad guy to track your car? He was waiting here for you when you got home, and I’m sure he knows what type of vehicle you’re driving. He probably even has the license-plate number.”
