Chapter Twenty-One

Driving up to a police blockade, Dusty pulled off slightly to the side, waiting for the sheriff to notice him. Sam turned from the first vehicle in line, glanced in Dusty’s direction, then strode over.

Grim worry covered Sam’s face. “I was hoping you’d show up.”

“What’s up?”

“Shooter tried to rob the convenience store. One of my off-duty officers was inside at the time. He drew on the guy, but took a hit before he could do any damage. The manager was also shot. Perp ran into the hospital. Security chased him out the back door, but not before he grabbed a hostage and ran. We haven’t seen or heard anything from him since.”

“Who’s the hostage?” Dusty’s breath caught as he waited for the answer.

“From what I know, he left the hospital, found a young woman getting out of her car in the visitor’s lot and took her hostage.” Sam met his gaze steadily. “Clarice Livens. She’d just showed up for her volunteer shift at the front desk.”

“Shit.” Dusty forced himself to breathe. He read the same anger and concern on Sam’s face.

“We’ll get her back.” Sam’s words carried more optimism than Dusty presently felt.

Dusty studied the nearly chaotic scene in front of him as people gathered around, media pulled in and the few local cops tried to keep everyone at bay while presumably also searching for the man responsible. A challenging task for a force three times the size of Jackson Station.

“With all the houses around here, and the woods, he could be anywhere. From what Tom said, the guy’s armed to the teeth and has a death wish.”

“The wounded?”

“Manager is critical. Tom will survive but be out of commission for a while.” Sam scowled. “If the perp gets into a business or house, he’ll make a big splash just to show he can.”

“Then I’d better get on it.”

“Consider yourself deputized. Whatever you can do, go for it. I’ve got your back. I want this guy before he takes out half the town, or, worse, finds a way into a place with a lot of innocent people. Trent will say the same. He mentioned giving you a call, but you beat us both to it.” Trent held the police chief position in the small town of Jackson Station. Another former Army member, he’d spent his fair share of time overseas as well. Dusty counted him as one of the few friends he’d made since moving to town.

Sam met Dusty’s gaze. “I called for the tracking dog, but the K9 unit is two counties over. It’ll be a while before they can arrive.”

“Got anything that smells like the guy for Ben to sniff?”

“Not really. But, you’re more than welcome to begin at the store. Jerry’s guarding it. I’ll radio ahead and let him know you’ll start there.”

“Keep your men away. I work best alone.”

“I’m coming with you.”

Dusty frowned, but shrugged. Sam’s county, his responsibility. He much preferred to work with just Ben, or at most, with a special ops team covering his six. Sam had spent some time in the Army, which boosted him above an average cop. Too bad he didn’t reach the highly trained top ranks.

At least with the sheriff along, he’d be spared a dozen questions afterward. “Don’t slow me down.”

“Not a bit.” Sam patted the top of Dusty’s door. “I’ll meet you at the store in a minute.”

Dusty parked his truck farther down a small gravel side road, lifted Ben out, and quickly put together his sniper rifle. Within a couple of minutes, he’d jogged the short distance to the corner, located Jerry and stepped into the store. “Ben. Duft.” The commands were issued in German, the language Ben had learned to listen for and obey as a pup. Anytime he heard the language he turned intensely serious, as if he realized the game of find and seek had deadly implications.

The Belgian Malinois sniffed around the area, nose to the floor. Dusty pointed out a trail to the door, then out. Sam stepped forward, his gun still in the holster at his waist. Dusty spared him a glance before focusing back on Ben. “Verfolgen.”

Ben lifted his nose and started loping, his head up but dipping now and again to double-check the trail. Just like Ben had done in Afghanistan, he followed the culprit with intense focus. He didn’t bark. He didn’t look around. Instead, he stuck with a winding path first to the hospital, then the parking lot and through yards, around outbuildings, and finally into the wooded section.

Suddenly Ben picked up speed, his tail straight out like a rudder.

Their tango was close. Too close for the sniper rifle. Dusty pulled out his SIG nine millimeter and pointed the barrel at the sky. He noted Sam followed suit, his weapon at the ready, staying right behind him every step of the way. Anything within fifty yards would fall into his range. Over that, he’d shift back to the rifle.

Dusty collected the dog and slowed his pace. Dashing in without visual contact bordered on stupidity. He needed to scope out the situation and formulate a plan of action. The hostage’s life depended on it. Ben’s life depended on it. The dog would obey his every command, even die in an attempt to bring down the tango. Dusty wasn’t about to let that happen.

Grass squished under his boots, but he didn’t make a single sound as he worked his way from bush to tree to rock, always searching, always considering his next move to a protective position.

A woman’s cry blasted across the area. Dusty moved steadily closer, Ben right at his side, his ears pricked. Finally he caught a glimpse of movement, and circled around for a better angle. Gesturing to the east, he pointed out their target. Sam nodded.

Approximately twenty meters away a grubby man dressed in jeans and a hoodie held the short, dark-haired woman with a tight grip on her upper arm—definitely more than hard enough to leave bruises. The tango turned this way and that, constantly looking over his shoulder as he growled orders to the nearly hysterical woman.

“Shut up. One more sound from you and I’ll kill you on the spot.” He waved his handgun in her face before aiming back at the way they had come.

A nervous man with a weapon made for a dangerous man with a weapon. Most likely he’d pull the trigger at a moment’s notice, just from excitement. Dusty watched for an instant more, then fell into old habits.

Calm and cool determination washed over him. He’d been in this same sort of situation more than once. It always ended the same way when the SEALs were involved. Carefully, he laid his rifle on the ground, needing only his handgun for this particular task.

For an instant, he debated giving the guy a chance. On military missions SEALs moved in, killed with precision and disappeared under the cover of darkness, few the wiser. However, this wasn’t a military mission and the local cops tended to be a bit softer in their dealings with criminals. Thus, he’d let the man make his own choice, already knowing what it would be.

He nodded toward Sam. “Go ahead and warn him.”

“Police. Drop the gun. Release the woman. Get on the ground. Now. Or I’ll send the dog in.” Sam poured authority and command into his words.

The tango swung around, drawing a whimper from his hostage as he yanked hard on her, nearly sending her nearly stumbling. “I’ll kill her. I swear I will.” He used her body as a shield, but their differences in height left his head an easy target.

“Drop. The. Gun. Now,” Dusty barked out. “Angreifen.”

Ben surged out of the cover, barking wildly as he sped toward the couple.

Dusty stepped out as well, his gun sighted on the man. Purposely, he put himself in a vulnerable position, giving the man an opportunity to take his shot and to divert attention from a charging Ben.

Everything happened in a blur. The man fired at him, then shoved the gun against the woman’s head and screamed at the fast approaching dog. The bullet slammed into a nearby tree. Dusty pulled the trigger. Once.

The man collapsed just as Ben arrived, sinking his teeth in the man’s leg and shaking with all his strength. The woman screamed and hurried out of the line of fire, only to stop and stare at the unmoving body. Her hand covered her mouth as a flood of tears began to fall in earnest.

“Ben freilessen. Kommen.” He called Ben back as he walked closer. He didn’t doubt the man had breathed his last, but he needed to check. A single glance told him the answer. No one could survive such a traumatic head wound.

Sam approached and shared a look with Dusty. Awe flashed through his eyes.

Dusty turned his attention to the woman. She appeared fairly unhurt, though quite shaken. “Miss? Are you all right?”

Her gaze lifted from the dead man to him, then to the sheriff. Panic mixed with astounded relief covered her face. “I… Thank you.”

“If you’ll come with me, ma’am, we’ll get you back.” Sam held out his hand.

She wrapped her arms around her middle and began walking. Dusty followed, pausing long enough to pet and praise Ben and to collect his rifle, letting Sam run the show from there on out.

They had barely covered one hundred meters when a couple of deputies hurried over. Their stares took in first Dusty then the woman.

Sam tilted his head in indication of their back trail. “Suspect down just over the small rise. Call the coroner and get a cleanup crew. And, Tyler, please take Miss Clarice. She’ll need to get checked out. I think a cup of coffee might be in order as well.”

“Yes, sir.” Tyler held out his arm and spoke softly to the woman, leading her away.

Sam blew out a long breath. “Damn.”

Dusty watched her go, knowing her nightmare wasn’t nearly over yet. Emotional scars ran far too deep to ever forget.

“Why did you step out in the open? Shocked the shit out of me.” Sam turned toward him, having long since holstered his weapon.

“He would’ve shot the hostage and my dog. He was nervous, in a corner. I figured his shot would miss due to the adrenaline surge and wasn’t about to take a chance on that bastard killing them both.”

“So you put yourself in his sights as a distraction?” Sam’s voice rose with disbelief.

“Yeah.” Ben leaned against Dusty’s legs. Reaching down, he rubbed the dog’s head, as proud of him as he’d always been. Despite Ben’s advanced age, he still performed at a high level, more than up to the task for today’s crisis.

Sam looked at Ben, then lifted his gaze. “You sure I can’t talk you into working for me?”

Dusty shook his head with a grim smile. “No thanks. Now and again in a pinch, I don’t mind helping out. But the stable keeps me too busy.” Not to mention he’d retired from active duty for a reason. The last thing he wanted to do now was sit in a patrol car all day, chase down speeders and watch all his hard work catching real criminals fly out the window as they received a slap on the hand and were released back into the community. Too little reward, too much red tape. No way.

“Understood.” Yet another cop appeared, spoke to Sam, then dashed off. Sam sighed wearily. “I hate press conferences.”

“Don’t blame you a bit.”

Sam shook Dusty’s hand and pinned his gaze. “I’m putting you in for a medal.”

“No.”

“You deserve something, Dusty. Shit, you did what a dozen cops couldn’t do in record time. Think of the lives that you potentially saved.”

“No.” Dusty added emphasis to the adamant rejection. SEALs didn’t like public attention and never truly felt comfortable with a big fuss after doing their jobs, much preferring to remain in the shadows and slip away unheralded.

“You SEALs are all the same.”

For the first time since the radio had announced the event, Dusty grinned with humor. “Once a SEAL, always a SEAL.” With that said, he picked up Ben, loaded him into the truck and climbed in.

Sam shook his head. “You guys saved my ass in Iraq. Now today. I can never thank you enough.”

“You just did.” Dusty slipped the key in the ignition, cranked the motor and pulled onto the street, heading for the nearby hospital.

He needed to check on April, assure himself she was fit and fine and bring her home. His home. Maybe for good.

* * * *

“Thirsty, huh? Well, you’ve earned it and more.” Dusty watched Ben drink from the bowl he kept in the truck. He’d poured a full bottle of cool water into the container earlier, only for the dog to suck the bowl nearly empty. Refilling, Dusty patted Ben’s head and sighed.

He sat in the parking lot of the hospital. While probably still on lockdown, they would receive word soon enough that the danger had passed. In the meantime, due to the overnight rains and heavy cloud cover, the temperature wasn’t awful while sitting with the windows down. A light breeze stirred now and again, adding to the more temperate day.

His thoughts turned to April. If the suspect had run into the hospital, started firing, or even chosen her for a hostage… His gut constricted at the thought of April injured, scared or in the slightest bit of danger. Protective instincts surged to the fore, pushing other minor issues to the bottom of the totem pole. I’ll kill any man who dares hurt her.

The truthful words stuck like Super Glue.

Why April? Why now? The questions brushed through his mind even as his soul warmed contentedly. His track record with women left much to be desired. Yet April remained, maybe not quite as flashy or outgoing as some of the others, but she possessed an inner goodness and toughness that put the rest of the women to shame. In essence, she’d stumbled into his life, made the sun shine brighter, soothed his inner turmoil and stepped up not only with the workload, but in understanding. He could spend a decade or three searching for someone like her and still end up empty-handed.

Checking his watch, he found April still had a bit over four more hours in her shift. As much as he needed to see her, reassure himself she was fine despite the scare, he found the timing sucked. He could venture inside and spend a couple minutes with her, but she wouldn’t be able to leave for some time yet. For a moment he considered his options but he simply knew he couldn’t drive away without setting eyes on her.

His phone rang. Checking the number, he immediately answered. “April? Is everything all right?” Concern speared him in the chest. She never called while at work, since cell phone use was forbidden except during lunch or when off the clock.

“Yep. Well, it is now, I guess. We were on lockdown for a while due to a shooter at large, but they say the threat is over.”

Dusty reached out to scratch behind Ben’s ear. “Good thing.”

“Anyway, I wasn’t really calling about that, I was calling to let you know that I’m getting off work early since our census has dropped.”

He perked right up. “When do you get off?”

“Right now. I just finished giving report. I’m gathering my stuff and getting ready to walk out.”

“I’ll be right outside waiting for you.”

Silence reigned for a long moment. “You’re in town today?” There was bewilderment in her voice.

“Yeah. I stopped by to see about you and was just about to walk in the front doors, but this is better. I’ll wait here for you.”

“Okay.”

She walked out, searching the parking lot, spied him and headed directly toward him, clicking off the phone in the process. A few more strides brought her right up to his driver’s side window. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Dusty studied her face, saw the genuine smile appear and felt his heart thump against his ribs. He found no sign of fear or anxiety, only happy welcome in her pretty blue eyes.

Her gaze flickered over to Ben, who climbed on Dusty’s lap to get closer to her. Dusty flinched as a large paw landed directly on his groin. The dog’s weight immediately followed. Quickly, he grabbed Ben’s foot and moved the appendage to a more comfortable position, unwilling to risk being unmanned at this stage in the game.

“Hello there, superstar. How’s my favorite war dog today?” April scratched the dog’s scruff then tilted her head. “You came to town and brought Ben with you?”

He could almost see the wheels turning inside her head.

“At this time of day…” Her eyes widened in realization. “You were part of the manhunt.”

Way too perceptive by far. He shrugged but didn’t say more. Besides, he much preferred to turn the conversation to a lighter topic, such as getting her home and kissing her senseless.

Except his parents were there. He groaned audibly.

Her face clouded. “What’s wrong?”

“I almost forgot. My parents dropped by today for a visit. They’re still at the stable.”

Her lips languidly curled up at the corners. “How long are they going to stay?”

“I don’t know.”

She reached up and cupped his cheek, then laughed. “It’s hard when your family craves your attention.”

Dusty rolled his eyes. “I liked my life just fine for the past three years.” He couldn’t resist brushing his lips across her palm.

“Maybe so, but you have to admit it’s kind of nice to have them around to hug you, love you and call you George.” Mischief twinkled in her eyes.

He snorted in amusement. “Not quite sure about that.”

“But you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” The words soaked into his very soul.