Protect and Serve (Rookie K-9 Unit)

by Terri Reed

  She turned her head to place a kiss in his palm. “Thank you.” After a moment, she looked to him. “Can you help me to my feet?”

  He jumped up and lifted her off the ground, then slowly set her on her feet. He pulled her close for a hug and kiss, thanking God that she was safe. A few minutes later they walked out of the shelter hand in hand.

  * * *

  They were crowded into the conference room. Shane stood behind Gina’s chair, his hands warm on her shoulders. She couldn’t stop herself from reaching up to place her hand over his. That he’d found her in the middle of the woods was a feat she’d despaired wasn’t possible. Her relief at seeing Shane and Bella had been overwhelming. Seeing Bella in action had been amazing. Though she’d trained many dogs over the years to take down a suspect, she’d never seen a dog in action during a real crime. Now her respect for the K-9 officers and their partners had tripled. Her job was important, and the officers and their canines were critical in the field.

  And now with her brother in custody, the adrenaline and fear seeped from her, leaving her feeling weepy and joyful and exhausted all at the same time.

  But what had her heart still thumping in her chest was the way Shane had tended to her. He’d been gentle, loving. His kiss lingered on her lips, making them tingle. They hadn’t had a moment alone since they’d walked out of Tim’s makeshift shelter, so she hadn’t told Shane how she felt. She wasn’t sure she was brave enough to.

  “Thank you, Shane and James,” the chief said in a voice choked with pride. “You will be receiving commendations for your service in bringing in the prime suspect in Veronica’s murder.”

  “Uh, sir,” Gina spoke up. “Tim didn’t murder Veronica.”

  All eyes swung to her. The room filled with stunned silence.

  Shane’s hands flexed against her collarbone. “What are you saying?”

  She looked up at him. “I asked him why he killed her but he said he didn’t.”

  “Of course he’d deny it,” Officer Bucks spat out. “He’s a criminal. He’s not going to confess to murder so easily.”

  She shook her head and turned her gaze to Chief Jones. “Sir, I believe Tim. He found me from the publicity shot that Veronica had had taken for the center. He came to the center and followed me home and then to the church, where he spied on me before he returned to my house to wait for me. He was trashing my house at the time of Veronica’s death. Veronica’s murderer is still out there.”

  Everyone started talking at once. The chaotic noise filled Gina’s head, making her temples throb.

  “Excuse me,” Carrie Dunleavy called from the doorway.

  The chief held up a hand, calling for quiet. “Yes, Carrie?”

  “Chief Weston of the Flagstaff PD is in your office. He’d like to speak to you and Officer Weston.”

  Gina’s gaze jumped to Shane. What was his father doing here? His jaw tightened and his green eyes glittered with concern. Her heart squeezed tight. She prayed the elder Weston wasn’t here with bad news.

  He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I have to go talk to my dad. I’ll be back.”

  She nodded as he removed his hands from her shoulders, leaving cool spots that sent a shiver racing through her.

  “Okay, folks,” the chief said. “We’ve jobs to do. Ryder, you take point on questioning the suspect.”

  Jones tipped his chin toward Shane. “Officer Weston, after you.”

  The two men left the room with Bella at Shane’s side. Gina remained seated while the others filed out of the conference room. Carrie Dunleavy moved to stand next to Gina.

  Gina glanced up at Carrie with a questioning look. “Is everything okay?”

  “I just wanted to say I’m glad you’re okay,” the station’s secretary said. “We were all worried about you.”

  “Thank you,” Gina replied, touched by Carrie’s sentiment. Gina decided she needed to make more of an effort to befriend the woman.

  “Too bad Weston will be transferring out sooner than expected,” Carrie said. “I was under the impression you two had a thing going on.”

  Gina swallowed back the surprise bubbling up inside of her. So that was why his father was here, to insist that Shane be released to join the Flagstaff PD. Her shoulders slumped with disappointment because she knew that was Shane’s goal—to work with his family. She didn’t even have the fortitude at the moment to correct Carrie’s assumption that there was more going on between Gina and Shane than there actually was.

  “Carrie, I hear the phone ringing,” Whitney Godwin said as she plopped down in the chair next to Gina, her canine, Hunter, at her feet.

  “Oh, thank you.” Carrie turned and hurried away.

  Whitney touched Gina’s arm. “I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you.”

  “It’s been an ordeal,” Gina confirmed. “Tim needs help. I hope now he’ll get it.”

  “And what about you and Shane?” Whitney wagged her eyebrows. “Is Carrie right? Do you and the handsome rookie have a thing going on?”

  Needing to confide in someone, Gina faced her friend. “I’ve fallen in love with him.”

  Whitney’s eyes widened and a smile spread across her pretty face. “I thought so. You two are so good together. I could tell you both had feelings for each other during the training.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter, because he will be leaving,” she replied. “Whether it’s now or later.”

  “Then go with him,” Whitney said in a tone that suggested the thought was a no-brainer.

  “I don’t know if he feels the same.”

  “You haven’t told him how you feel?”

  Gina shook her head. “No.”

  “You should. Don’t wait. Take it from me, if you delay in confessing your feelings, you might miss the opportunity and then...” Whitney trailed off, her gaze taking on a faraway look, and sadness dampened her expression.

  “Whitney?” Gina wondered if her words were more personal than just advice. Whitney had never named the father of her baby.

  “Just tell him before it’s too late,” Whitney said.

  “Is that what happened to you?” Gina tugged on her bottom lip, debating whether to mention the conclusion she’d come to when she and Shane were babysitting Shelby. “Whitney, is Brian Miller Shelby’s father?”

  Startled, Whitney stared at Gina. “How did you...?”

  “Shelby has Brian’s green eyes.” She touched Whitney’s hand. “When you and Brian were in the training session last year I had a feeling you and he were seeing each other.”

  “You never said anything.”

  “I didn’t want to pry.” Empathy cramped her chest. “It must have been hard for you to have a baby alone. I wish you’d have confided in me. I would have helped you.”

  A tear welled in Whitney’s eye. “I wish I had. I was going to tell Brian that night, but then the fire happened and it was too late.” She wiped at her tears. “I didn’t get a chance to tell my brother either before he was killed in Afghanistan.”

  Gina hugged her. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I’m here for you—you know that, right?”

  Drawing back, Whitney nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I’ve felt so alone. But I have my neighbor and her family. They take good care of Shelby when I’m at work.”

  “That’s good, but don’t close yourself off to love. One day you’ll meet someone who will fill the void left by Brian and your brother.”

  Whitney arched an eyebrow. “I could give you the same advice.”

  With a rueful smile, Gina agreed. “Yes. I should take my own advice.”

  Whitney sobered. “So if your brother didn’t kill Veronica, then who did?”

  Shifting back to the question of the day, Gina couldn’t stop the shudder coursing over her. “I would ha
zard a guess it was the same person who hurt Marian Foxcroft.”

  “Probably. She’s in a coma, you know.”

  Sympathy twisted Gina’s insides. “I was sorry to hear that. I’ll pray she wakes up soon.”

  “Me, too.” Whitney leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I’ve been looking into Brian’s death. For all intents and purposes it does appear like an accident. But I knew Brian. His family died in a house fire. There is no way he’d have ever lit that candle, let alone put it in a place where it would topple over and catch the house on fire.”

  A chill skated across Gina’s flesh. “As much as I hate to say this, I think we have a serial murderer in our midst.”

  * * *

  “Dad, stop,” Shane said, holding up a hand to cut off his father’s diatribe. They stood in the chief’s office facing each other. Dad was dressed in his chief’s uniform, all his medals and bars reminders of his status. “You don’t get to make this decision.”

  Dad wanted Shane to be released from his obligations here in Desert Valley and return with him to Flagstaff. But Shane wasn’t going to bow to his father’s expectations or rants. He’d done enough of that in his life. “I’ve agreed to stay on here until the department’s unsolved cases are resolved.”

  “You did your part by bringing in that criminal,” Trent Weston said between clenched teeth. He was a man who expected others to bend to his will.

  “I did, but there’s more work to be done.” Shane glanced at the chief, who sat behind his desk taking in the family drama playing out before him. Shane didn’t blame Jones for not wanting to intervene. Family dynamics could be tricky. Shane refocused on his dad. Though he was at his father’s eye level, Trent Weston had an intimidating presence that made him a formidable chief of police and father.

  “Look, Dad, when it’s time for me to leave Desert Valley, I’ll be going wherever I’m assigned, whether that’s Flagstaff or some other department in the state.”

  “That’s not what we agreed to when you left for your training.”

  “True, but I’ve decided that I need to live my life for me. Not you.” Gina had made him realize how much he’d been living to please his family rather than to fulfill his own destiny that God had planned for him.

  Dad pressed his lips together and narrowed his gaze. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

  With that his dad spun on his heel and stormed out. Shane stared after him. Wow, that had gone way better than he’d anticipated.

  “Good for you, son,” the chief said as he rose. “Now, we’ve got work to do. If Gina is to be believed and her brother didn’t kill Veronica, then we have a murderer still loose.”

  “I do believe Gina, sir,” Shane said.

  “Then let’s get busy.” The chief led the way out of his office.

  Shane went in search of Gina and found her still in the conference room with Whitney. When he stepped into the room, Whitney jumped up from the chair. “I’m sure I’ve got to be somewhere.” She sent Gina a look rife with unspoken meaning. “Don’t wait.”

  Whitney grinned at Shane and then she and Hunter left the room.

  “What was that about?” he asked as he took the seat next to Gina.

  She swallowed as she faced him. Her eyes were huge in her face. Something was wrong. Concern arched through him. He gathered her hands. “What wrong?”

  Her fingers laced through his. “Nothing is wrong. I have something I need to say.”

  Why did that sound so ominous? “Okay.”

  “You may not want to hear this, but I need to say it before I lose my nerve,” she said, her voice trembling. “I know you’re going to leave Desert Valley. Probably sooner than later, but I can’t let you go without telling you that I, uh, well—” She took a deep breath. “I love you, Shane Weston.”

  If he hadn’t been sitting, her words would have knocked him flat on his behind. She loved him. Joy like he’d never experienced blasted through him, making his chest tight and his breathing restricted, but no inhaler was needed. “I feel the same way,” he managed to say past the lump in his throat.

  “What?”

  He breathed in and let it out slowly as a calm happiness took hold of him. “I love you, Gina Perry. I think I have since that first day I walked into your training class.”

  A delighted smile spread over her lovely face. “Really?”

  “Yes, really.” He leaned in and planted his lips against hers. They kissed for several minutes of pure bliss. When they broke apart, he said, “I don’t know what the future holds or where I’ll end up assigned to, but would you... Do you think you’d, uh, well, be willing to...” He couldn’t believe how badly he was botching this up. How did he ask her to leave her life for him?

  “Yes,” she said.

  He stilled, daring not to hope she meant what he hoped she meant. “Yes, what?”

  She grinned. Her hazel eyes sparkled. “Yes, I’ll go wherever you’re assigned.”

  He let out a relieved sigh. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

  Then he kissed her again.

  * * * * *

  If you liked this ROOKIE K-9 UNIT novel,

  watch for the next book in the series,

  TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES by Lenora Worth.

  Book 1: PROTECT AND SERVE

  by Terri Reed

  Book 2: TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

  by Lenora Worth

  Book 3: SEEK AND FIND

  by Dana Mentink

  Book 4: HONOR AND DEFEND

  by Lynette Eason

  Book 5: SECRETS AND LIES

  by Shirlee McCoy

  Book 6: SEARCH AND RESCUE

  by Valerie Hansen

  Keep reading for an excerpt from PICTURE PERFECT MURDER by Rachel Dylan

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  Dear Reader,

  I hope you have enjoyed the first installment in the Rookie K-9 Unit continuity series from Love Inspired Suspense. Writing about the men and women who work with police K-9 dogs has given me a great appreciation for the work of the K-9 officer and handler team. As a dog lover I enjoy incorporating canines into my stories.

  Gina was able to work with many men and women and a variety of dog breeds as a trainer. Pairing her with Officer Shane Weston was a good match, just as Shane and Bella were a good match. Both Shane and Gina had personal issues to deal with that made falling in love difficult, but eventually they were able to let go of the past and find it in their hearts to let love in.

  I know you’ll enjoy the upcoming books in this series, as the authors are all fabulous, and it has been a privilege to work with them.

  May God bless you abundantly,

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  Picture Perfect Murder

  by Rachel Dylan

  ONE

  The loud barking didn’t rouse Lily Parker from a deep sleep. No, she was still wide-awake even though her head had hit the pillow an hour ago. Sleep didn’t come easily, because of the recurring nightmares involving her last mission with the CIA. The mission that had changed her entire life.

  Her bedroom was dark, and she glanced over at the bright red numbers on her alarm clock. She’d been working late in her darkroom developing her latest photographs, so seeing that it was three in the morning wasn’t much of a surprise.

  “Grace,” she yelled out to her yellow Labrador. But Grace kept barking loudly downstairs. She’d rescued Grace from an animal shelter in a rough part of Atlanta six months ago. Clearly her dog hadn’t gotten the memo that it wasn’t acceptable to bark in the middle of the night.

  “Okay, I’m coming.” Reluctantly, Lily threw back the down comforter, leaving the warmth of her bed, and stood up. She grabbed her fuzzy robe from the navy chaise in the corner and walked out of her bedroom. Grace’s barking only grew more persistent.

  When Lily was almost at the bottom of the stairs, she thought she heard something that couldn’t have come from Grace. She paused for a moment, debating whether she should run back up the steps to grab her Glock from the nightstand.

  However, as a former CIA agent, she wasn’t easily rattled. Knowing Grace, she’d probably become fixated on a tree branch, a possum or even something as silly as a bag blowing in the wind. She proceeded down the rest of the stairs and flipped the switch for the hallway light. But no light came on. She stepped into the pitch-black living room and suddenly felt she wasn’t alone. Was someone in her house?