Shield of Protection Read online

  * * *

  Declan sat on the floor of the room in the Jamesons’ house, notepads scattered around, alternating between his phone and his laptop. The house was fairly quiet now with Jordan and Zach off at work with their dogs. Noah was at a training with his cadaver detection dog Bruno, and Mr. and Mrs. Jameson were attending a church fundraiser with Jordan’s wife Katie. The quiet didn’t seem to help him think. New York had to be the busiest city in the whole world, and his head swam with details. At least the beat cop assigned to keep watch on April’s apartment reported she was still there, and he was grateful for that.

  Carter followed his six-year-old daughter down the hall pretending to be a dinosaur, laughing before he returned to hand Declan a can of soda and a cold slice of pizza on a paper plate. Storm would have joined in the excitement if he hadn’t been snoozing on a comfy cushion shared with Carter’s dog, Frosty. Storm was part German shorthaired pointer, part couch potato.

  “The soda’s slightly shaken up,” Carter said. “Open with care. Got anything?”

  He took the soda and put the cool can on his forehead. “Only a headache.”

  “I was talking it over some more with Zach and Jordan this morning. Spade’s a bad dude, no question. He’s made a habit of hurting people badly who cross him, to make an example. Nobody will say a word against him. Scared, since someone went to the police and they found the informer dumped in the East River, minus his hands.”

  Declan waited, reading the thoughtful lines on his friend’s face.

  “A guy like that commits a crime for two reasons...profit or revenge.”

  Revenge. The word tickled a path in Declan’s brain. Who had managed to cause Spade pain recently?

  Carter’s phone buzzed, and he checked it.

  Declan typed the name “Judge Wyatt Flannery” into the search box. As the results appeared, his pulse revved into overdrive. He leaped to his feet. “I know what Spade’s planning.”

  Carter pocketed his phone. “My guess is April does, too. She just beelined out of her apartment. Fill me in on the way.”

  They both grabbed their gear and headed to get their dogs.

  Declan prayed they would not be too late. His phone trilled.

  “It’s Judge Flannery,” April said, “at the junior college.”

  “I know. We’re en route. Stay away from there, April. Did you hear me? Promise me you won’t...”

  But the phone had gone dead.

  SIX

  Worry gnawed at April as she jogged the six blocks from the subway station to the junior college. Though she wore a different jacket and tucked her hair into a cap, she could still hear the sound of Burner’s knife slashing through her coat the day before. If Declan hadn’t been there... She swallowed hard. Thoughts of Declan weren’t going to help. The police would arrive any minute, but so far there was no sign of them.

  The brick-fronted campus was crammed in a busy block on a crowded street. A small area between the buildings was crowded with folding chairs, obviously the place for the ceremony, complete with a podium and some potted plants positioned for color. Judge Flannery wasn’t anywhere around that she could see. A man stood off to the side of the podium, fussing with a video camera, and some thirty to forty people were taking seats and poking at their iPhones. She checked her watch. The event was scheduled to start in fifteen minutes. She was running out of time.

  Breath shallow, she finally spotted him. There. Her uncle stood against a tree, head down and shoulders hunched. She headed for him just as one of the college doors opened and a suited man, probably the dean, escorted Judge Flannery to the podium for a microphone check.

  Heart pounding, she raced to her uncle, who was heading straight for the judge. She grabbed at his wrist.

  Uncle Hal spun around, eyes wild. “Flannery’s the target. I have to stop him.”

  She held on tight. “The police are coming.”

  “They will be too late.”

  He broke from her grasp and ran.

  A police car with sirens screaming pulled up. Declan and Storm erupted from the car. They made it to April’s side in moments.

  “My uncle...” she said helplessly.

  Declan tracked her outstretched arm. “Stay here. Don’t move.” He ran with Storm toward the podium, easily closing the gap between himself and Uncle Hal.

  Carter Jameson and his dog were also on the move. In moments they were both closing in from opposite sides. Judge Flannery looked up from his notes in alarm.

  Burner appeared around the corner of the building, pulling a gun from his pocket.

  “Declan,” April screamed. She pointed.

  “Stop! Police!” Declan shouted, but Burner did not slow. Declan fired, knocking Burner onto his back before he had a chance to shoot. Carter and his dog, Frosty, made it to Burner first, restraining him with cuffs and calling for an ambulance. More cops arrived to secure the scene and calm the crowd.

  April found her uncle and embraced him. He felt frail and small, and she forced him into a chair, tears flowing unchecked down her face.

  “Sorry, honey,” he said. “It’s my fault you got wrapped up in this. You tried to warn me about Spade. Some father figure, huh?”

  Relief coursed through her, and her voice came out shaky. “The best. You’re the one God appointed to take care of me, remember?”

  He laughed and kissed her cheek.

  “We’re going to get that wound checked out properly now.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  Declan stayed with Judge Flannery until backup arrived, and then he and Storm sought out April and Uncle Hal. Burner’s arrest made her feel almost giddy as she surveyed the crowd. Judge Flannery and a police escort were heading back toward his vehicle. Flannery was safe, Uncle Hal was, too, and no one in the crowd had been hurt.

  Thank You, God.

  A tiny movement near the street caught her eye—a man whose posture looked familiar, though he was wearing a knit hat and muffled in a scarf. He strolled nonchalantly along the sidewalk, smoothly opened the door of Judge Flannery’s car and put a backpack inside. Then he ambled away. No one had seen him do it, only April.

  “Declan,” she screamed. He jerked a look at her.

  “Spade. There.” She pointed to the car. “He had a backup plan.”

  Declan hollered into his radio and instantly a dozen cops converged on the area, creating a human wall to keep the spectators well back from the bomb. Two more blocked off the street to traffic. April tried to spot which direction Spade had gone, but she’d lost sight of him.

  Then she saw Declan speaking to Storm. The dog trotted faster and faster until Declan was almost jogging to keep up. Suddenly Storm stiffened as if he’d gotten an electric shock. He rocketed directly for Spade, who had edged to the back of the crowd and removed his jacket and scarf. April gaped as Storm alerted by sitting down right at Spade’s feet. Though Spade no longer carried the backpack, Storm had detected the explosives he’d been holding, like the expert Vapor Wake dog he was destined to be.

  Declan pulled his weapon and ordered Spade to stop.

  Spade turned slowly, malice burning in his eyes. Another cop arrived and captured Spade’s hands behind his back.

  “You crossed the wrong man,” Spade spat.

  “No, Spade. You crossed the wrong woman, and now you’re going to prison right alongside your brother,” Declan snapped. “You’ll never touch April or her uncle again.”

  Carter moved in, Frosty barking furiously. “Bomb squad’s in position. If you’re done with the John Wayne speech, how about I take this guy to jail?”

  Declan laughed, holstered his weapon and patted his dog. “Good boy, Storm. Good boy.” Declan pulled the reward from his pocket. Storm snapped up the pink rubber bone, thrilled with his prize.

  Lieutenant Farro stepped past the wall of badges. “Nice
job, Maxwell. Training tomorrow morning at eight sharp. Don’t be late, and you’d better bring a lot of those ridiculous pink bones.”

  “Yes, sir.” Declan noted that the eyes of the officers were on him. None of them spoke, but he could see it in their expressions: admiration, approval and above all, respect. Finally, he had proven himself. It should have filled him completely, but he knew now what was missing, what he really needed to be the man God wanted him to be.

  He went to April then, where she stood on the edge of the crowd, and embraced her. He pressed her golden hair to his cheek, feeling her warmth, proof that she was alive, that his heart could still go on beating.

  “April,” he said, voice breaking.

  She breathed hard, sobbing into his chest. “Spade’s going to prison, right?” Tears soaked his front. “He’s not going to hurt my uncle?”

  “That’s right. We got him, you, me, Storm and your uncle.” He pulled away so he could look into her tearstained face. How could he ever have denied that he was hopelessly in love with this beautiful woman who was both his friend and the passion of his heart? “You...” He swallowed and tried again. “You are everything in this world that I want.”

  Her lovely blue eyes rounded. “We’ve been friends for a long time. You said...”

  “I said a lot of dumb things, but God’s set me straight. I love you, not as a family friend or Kyle’s little sister. I love you as a partner, an equal, the woman I was meant to be with for the rest of my life.”

  She exhaled softly, a sigh that he could not decipher. He took her chin in his hand and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Please, sweetness. I love you. Say you love me, too.”

  A tear spilled down her cheek, and he caught it.

  “I thought you would never say those words to me,” she whispered.

  He held his breath and waited. Don’t let it be too late. Finally, finally, she gave him what he needed more than anything.

  “I love you, too, Declan.”

  He kissed her tenderly, stroking his palm over her cheek. “Do you love me enough to change your name?” He kissed her again, long and slow. “How does April Maxwell sound?” he murmured into her ear.

  She giggled. “Like it was meant to be.”

  He swung her around and kissed her again, while Storm barked and joined in the game, still chewing on his pink bone. He spotted Uncle Hal grinning, along with his fellow officers.

  “You got that right, Sweetness,” Declan said. “And I’m never letting you go again.”

  * * *

  If you enjoyed meeting Declan and his K-9 partner, look for the stories of the brave officers and dogs of the NYPD K-9 Command Unit in the True Blue K-9 Unit series, coming soon from Love Inspired Suspense.

  Justice Mission

  by Lynette Eason, April 2019

  Act of Valor

  by Dana Mentink, May 2019

  Blind Trust

  by Laura Scott, June 2019

  Deep Undercover

  by Lenora Worth, July 2019

  Seeking the Truth

  by Terri Reed, August 2019

  Trail of Danger

  by Valerie Hansen, September 2019

  Courage Under Fire

  by Sharon Dunn, October 2019

  Sworn to Protect

  by Shirlee McCoy, November 2019

  True Blue K-9 Unit Christmas

  by Laura Scott and Maggie K. Black, December 2019

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Amish Haven by Dana R. Lynn

  Dear Reader,

  There’s an anonymous saying that goes, “Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail.” Isn’t that the beautiful thing about dogs? They are the most amazingly talented animals, but even better, they are completely devoted to their owners. It was such a pleasure to write this prequel about Declan Matthews and his incredible dog, Storm. Storm is poised to be one of the elite NYPD Vapor Wake dogs whose job is to detect the scent of explosive particles in the air. These astonishing K-9s can detect faint whiffs of explosive particles in the thermal heat plumes humans create as they walk. Hence, they can sniff out a single person carrying explosives among a sea of thousands of bystanders. Best of all, these dogs don’t work for accolades or money, but for the simple pleasure of playing with a toy or the priceless reward of praise from their human handlers. Could there be a better, more loyal friend than that? In this amazing series, you’ll meet all kinds of police dogs and their handlers, each with a passion to protect and the heart of a hero. Thank you for coming along with me as we hit the streets of New York with our true blue officers, both human and canine!

  Sincerely,

  Dana Mentink

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

  You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

  Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired Suspense every month!

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  Amish Haven

  by Dana R. Lynn

  ONE

  “You don’t need to be concerned. I have it covered.”

  Tyler Everson heard his boss’s voice as he walked past his office. He frowned. What was Gene doing here? Gene Landis, one of the most sought-after lawyers in the city of Chicago, had supposedly left three hours earlier to attend one of his wife’s benefit dinners. He shrugged. It was none of his business. Tyler knew as well as anyone that law was a demanding career. Those who wanted to succeed had to be willing to make sacrifices.

  He should know that. He’d lost his wife and child because of his job. Annabelle. He missed his wife still. And his sweet little Bethany. She’d be five by now. Did they ever miss him? A familiar ache spread through his chest. Unbidden, the memory of Annabelle leaving him came to mind. Her accusations of how he had become withdrawn and was no longer the man she had married echoed in the recesses of his mind. She was right, but not for the reasons she had thought. Tyler had wanted to run after her, to plead with her to stay. But he hadn’t. Because due to his job, there was the possibility that she and Bethany could be put in danger. Tyler could never prove it, but he believed that her life had been threatened once before. There had been an accident that had left her with severe injuries. He had never believed it was an accident. Tyler had received threats after he had sent a man to prison for life. Threats that culminated in a runaway truck smashing into their home and injuring his wife. He still had nightmares about it. Annabelle had been horribly injured. Her legs had suffered extensive damage. Every time he had looked at the scars on them, he knew he had been to blame for not taking the threats seriously until it was too late.

  She had been in the hospital while the police had investigated the incident. The police had looked into the threats, as well, but had been unable to find evidence against the man he suspected. In fact, they had concluded that the threats and the accident were unconnected. Annabelle had accepted their findings.

  Tyler believed differently. Six month
s later, the man who had threatened him died of a heart attack. He still couldn’t get over his fear.

  What if someone else came after him? He had made a lot of enemies on the job. Tyler knew that he couldn’t allow his family to be in danger. And so, even though they lived only an hour away, he stayed away.

  He shook his head, trying to clear the dark memories. They were better off without him. He couldn’t change what had happened. Most days he worked so hard that he could barely think by the time he reached his apartment. And that was the way he preferred it. Otherwise, the memories of the family he’d lost would hound him.

  He couldn’t regret his decision, though. He knew that he’d done what he could to protect them.

  No, it was better this way. How many people got the opportunity to be up for partner at a prestigious firm such as Landis Law at the age of twenty-nine?

  Tyler continued to the parking garage, his mind full of the case he was preparing to prosecute. It would be a tricky one. Would the witness’s testimony hold up? He had his doubts about the woman. She’d waffled on a couple of details. Part of him dreaded putting her on the stand. And not only because of her weak testimony. In his gut, he wondered if she was being honest. Having someone swear under oath was a serious thing—at least it was to him. His reputation depended on his providing credible witnesses.

  Arriving at his car, he unlocked it and placed his briefcase on the passenger seat. Then he remembered the brief. He unlatched the black briefcase and searched through it. His heart sank. The brief he’d printed out to review that night before tomorrow’s court case was still on his desk.

  With a sigh, he shut the car door and jogged back to the elevator. It would only take five minutes to go and retrieve it, but he hated inefficiency. His schedule was too jam-packed for him to be wasting time.

  Tyler returned to his office. There it was. He picked up the brief he’d printed out and flipped through it to make sure all the pages were present. If he had to come back for something else, he would not be pleased.