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Protect And Serve
Terri Reed
PERSON OF INTERESTWhen rookie K-9 officer Shane West and his German Shepherd partner find the lead police dog trainer murdered, he’s determined to bring the killer to justice. But then he discovers Gina Perry hiding nearby—a pretty junior trainer who had the motive, means and opportunity to kill her boss. Gina insists her troubled brother is the real murderer…and this isn’t the first time he’s killed. And when Gina’s brother comes after her, Shane is assigned to protect her and uncover the truth. Suddenly, Shane—a cop who always hoped to join a big city force—vows to stay by Gina’s side as a murderer lurks in the small town shadows.Rookie K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners.
PERSON OF INTEREST
When rookie K-9 officer Shane West and his German shepherd partner find the lead police dog trainer murdered, he’s determined to bring the killer to justice. But then he discovers Gina Perry hiding nearby—a pretty junior trainer who had the motive, means and opportunity to kill her boss. Gina insists her troubled brother is the real murderer…and this isn’t the first time he’s killed. And when Gina’s brother comes after her, Shane is assigned to protect her and uncover the truth. Suddenly, Shane—a cop who always hoped to join a big-city force—vows to stay by Gina’s side as a murderer lurks in the small-town shadows.
Rookie K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners.
Gina had almost been killed.
Shane ran a hand over the back of the truck’s seat. Applying a little pressure on the backrest, he could feel the sharp tip of the arrow where it had gone through the metal of the truck. So close. He breathed out a prayer of thanksgiving.
Another inch and the arrow would have skewered Gina in the back.
Gina came out of the police station. “Tell me what’s happening.” She spotted the arrow sticking out of the back of the cab and gasped. “Do you think… Did my brother do this?”
Shane wouldn’t sugarcoat the truth. “Unless there’s someone with a vendetta against the K-9 trainers, which I doubt, I can’t think of anyone else who wants you dead. Can you?”
She wrapped her arms around her middle. “No.”
Shane didn’t like her standing outside, making herself an easy target if her brother had followed them to the station. “Come on, let’s get back inside.”
Gina followed Shane into the station and sank onto a bench.
Bella, Shane’s K-9 partner, went to her and put her chin on Gina’s knees.
That told Shane a lot.
ROOKIE K-9 UNIT:
These lawmen solve the toughest cases
with the help of their brave canine partners
Protect and Serve—Terri Reed, April 2016
Truth and Consequences—Lenora Worth, May 2016
Seek and Find—Dana Mentink, June 2016
Honor and Defend—Lynette Eason, July 2016
Secrets and Lies—Shirlee McCoy, August 2016
Search and Rescue—Valerie Hansen, September 2016
TERRI REED’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publishers Weekly top twenty-five and Nielsen BookScan’s top one hundred lists and have been featured in USA TODAY, Christian Fiction Magazine and RT Book Reviews. Her books have been finalists for the Romance Writers of America RITA® Award contest, the National Readers’ Choice Award contest and three times in the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award contest. Contact Terri at terrireed.com (http://www.terrireed.com) or PO Box 19555, Portland, OR 97224.
Protect
and Serve
Terri Reed
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
—2 Timothy 1:7
To my family and my critique partners
for your encouragement, love and support.
And to my editors Emily Rodmell and Tina James
for inviting me to write this book and for believing in me. Thank you!
Contents
Cover (#u69fe8851-9a2f-5c12-8162-bb3ddee1b79b)
Back Cover Text (#ua289a412-6b3b-5c87-ab42-d52b31dad3a3)
Introduction (#u13848fa5-cd90-5321-bc4b-8d498c028a07)
About the Author (#u18f74a82-fba3-5ccb-8aa5-3699cd518901)
Title Page (#u2631dfae-c865-5540-b5c6-e235bf1205c4)
Bible Verse (#u5409d85d-d60c-5369-ad0f-0cc1a11e1494)
Dedication (#uba723f08-5d6a-5a28-92d2-89a36b6c4c21)
ONE (#ulink_70c0ba8b-3189-5407-9631-388514168a72)
TWO (#ulink_a017af45-66fd-554e-b1e6-fb94c1bccc34)
THREE (#ulink_c6a27bfc-63e0-5d91-9743-568b59bc7af9)
FOUR (#ulink_e876f80f-4163-5f5d-8206-0157ec2a0d20)
FIVE (#ulink_61fc4de8-741d-5876-a68f-34581382842b)
SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
ONE (#ulink_d6f4b993-7e99-595d-907b-3c7dec0a4c13)
“Georgiiiinnnaaa!”
Gina Perry froze midstride in the center of her bedroom. An explosion of panic detonated in her chest. She recognized the unmistakable singsong tone of her brother.
Oh, no. No, no, no. Tim had tracked her to Desert Valley, Arizona.
Frantic with alarm, she whirled around to search the confines of her upstairs bedroom. The sliding glass door to the terrace stood open, allowing the dark March night air to fill her house.
Where was he? How had he discovered where she’d been hiding? Had she made a fatal error that brought him to her door?
She stumbled backward on shaky legs just as her brother stepped from the shadows of her closet.
Light from the bedside table lamp glinted off the steel blade of a large knife held high in his hand. His face was covered by a thick beard, his hair stuck out in a wild frenzy and the mania gleaming in his hazel eyes slammed a fist of fear into her gut.
Choking with terror, she turned and fled down the stairs.
She couldn’t let him catch her or he’d make good on his threat to kill her. Just as he had their father two years ago.
Her bare feet slid on the hardwood steps. She used the handrail to keep her balance.
Tim pounded down the stairs behind her, the sound hammering into her like nails on a coffin.
Her breathing came out in harsh rasps, filling her head with the maddening noise. She made a grab for her phone on the charger in the foyer but missed. Abandoning the device, she lurched for the front door and managed to get the lock undone and the door opened.
Without a backward glance, she sprinted into the night, across the small yard to the road. Rocks and debris bit into her bare feet, but she ignored the pain. Faster!
Dear God, help me!
The Desert Valley police station was only half a mile down the quiet residential road on the west side of town. Street lamps provided pools of light that threatened to expose her. She ducked behind the few cars parked along the curb and moved rapidly through the shadows.
She had to reach the police station. Only there would she would be safe.
There, Tim couldn’t hurt her.
“Sisssster! I’m coming for you!”
He wasn’t far behind. She’d never make it to the station before he caught her. But the K-9 training center where she worked was closer. If she could get inside, she could call for help.
Grateful the moon hid behind cloud cover on this spring night, she stayed in the shadows and prayed she’d make it to safety. Just a little farther now. Her lungs burned from exertion. Her heart pounded in her chest.
Not daring to glance back to see how close Tim had gained on her, she ran for the training center and dove behind the bushes growing along the fence of the small outdoor puppy-training yard. She sent up a silent plea to God above that Tim wouldn’t find her in the bushes.
“You can’t hide from me,” Tim shouted, his voice taking on the manic tone she knew all too well. A tone that had always sent her into hiding when they were kids.
Her body trembled with fear. She curled into herself, hoping to make herself smaller, less of a target for him to spot. The unmistakable sound of his heavy breathing as he passed by her hiding place tormented her. She bit her lip, drawing blood, the coppery taste making her gag. She clamped a hand over her mouth.
“You betrayed me, Gina. For that you’ll pay. I’m going to kill you as soon as I find you.”
His voice sounded farther away now. He’d moved past the yard and was nearly at the end of the next building. She breathed a small sigh of relief. But she couldn’t relax. She wasn’t safe yet. She had to get inside the training center.
Cautiously, she made her way along the training yard fence in a low crouch. The gate to the yard was open. Odd. All the trainers were careful to keep them closed and locked in case a dog escaped from the center and made it outside. It was as much for the dogs’ protection as the general public’s.
She rounded the corner and froze.
Someone lay faceup on the ground, half in, half out of the gate.
Moving closer, Gina recognized Veronica Earnshaw.
Gina’s boss.
Panic crawled up Gina’s throat and she gasped for air.
There were two gaping wounds in Veronica’s chest.
Oh, no. No! Had Tim done this? Had he come to the training center first and, when he’d failed to find Gina, hurt Veronica instead?
Gina scuttled closer. Please, Lord, don’t let her be dead. “Veronica?”
With a trembling hand, she put two fingers against Veronica’s neck.
No pulse. Gina’s heart sank.
