Colton K-9 Cop

“I am,” Donovan confirmed. “I can be to the site in three minutes. What are the known details?”

“LSP security called it in. Initial report says a car on fire and a woman shaky but standing.”

“She walked away from a car bomb?”

“Reports say she was outside it and tossed back by the blast.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Thanks, Officer. Backup will meet you there.”

Donovan took a left out of his parents’ driveway instead of the right he’d planned. Flipping on his lights he headed out over the two-lane Farm to Market road that lead back into town and on toward the corporate headquarters that stood at the opposite edge of Whisperwood.

He’d already spent the morning with the town’s chief of police and now it looked like he’d spend his evening with him, as well. The town was big enough to keep a sizable force, but they had to tap into the Austin PD for specialties like bomb squad support. As LSP had grown along with the town, Donovan had often wondered why the local PD hadn’t been given more resources, but knew that wasn’t always an easy battle.

It was one that big companies readily fought when they preferred to employ their own security.

Perhaps that folly had come back to bite them?

By all accounts LSP’s owner was a local maverick who was as delighted to be a pillar of the community as he was to rub the town’s noses in it when he wanted to do things his way. Bold and daring, Sutton Taylor had favored the town he’d grown up in to set up his world-renowned pharmaceutical company.

Donovan turned onto Lone Star Boulevard, the well-paved road that ran in front of LSP’s headquarters. The scrub grass and occasional ruts that made up the drive across town vanished as he came onto LSP land.

The guards at the main entrance waved him through the gates before he’d barely flashed his badge and Donovan headed straight for the billowing smoke still evident at the back of the parking lot. Alex sat sentinel beside him, his body strung tight as a bow as he waited for his orders.

Even from a distance, Donovan could tell the scene was contained. Two LSP security vehicles were parked near the still-smoldering car and a crowd had gathered at the edge of the parking lot, obviously evacuated from the building. The security team seemed to have it under control, the individuals corralled far enough back to avoid any additional fallout from the wrecked car. With the destruction already wrought on the burning sedan, the car was the least likely source of any remaining danger.

Instead, he and Alex would go to work on the scattered vehicles still in the lot.

He parked, his already alert partner rising farther up on his seat. Within a few moments, he had Alex at his side, leashed and ready for duty. One of the security guards moved away from a huddled woman and walked toward him. The man was grizzled, his body stiff with age, but his clear blue eyes were bright and alert.

Sharp.

The man nodded. “Officer. I’m Gus Sanger. I’m in Security here at LSP.”

“Donovan Colton. This is Alex.” He motioned for Alex to sit beside him, the move designed to show his control over the animal yet ensure no one missed the dog’s imposing presence.

“You got here fast. K-9’s out of the Austin PD.”

“I was in Whisperwood on another assignment.” Donovan shook the proffered hand before pointing toward a pretty woman covered in soot. “Is she hurt?”

“Claims she isn’t. That’s Ms. Reeves. Bellamy Reeves. She’s banged up and has a few scratches on her elbows and a bigger gash on her arm the EMTs bandaged up, but I’d say lucky all in all.”

At the utterance of her name, Donovan stilled. Although he hoped it didn’t show to Sanger, Alex recognized it immediately, shifting against his side.

Bellamy Reeves? The same woman he’d spoken to so many years ago in the Whisperwood corner store...

“Do you mind if I go talk to her?”

Sanger nodded, his gaze dropping to Alex. “Does he go everywhere with you?”

“Everywhere.”

“Good.”

Donovan walked to the woman, taking her in as he went. She was turned, her gaze focused on her car, but he could make out her profile and basic build. Same long legs. Same sweep of dark hair. And when she finally turned, he saw those same alert gray eyes, that were mysterious and generous, all at the same time.

She was still pretty, even beneath a layer of dirt and grime from whatever happened to her car. Which he’d get to in a moment. First, he wanted to see to her.

“Ms. Reeves?”

She had her arms crossed, the bandage Gus mentioned evident on her forearm and her hands cradled against her ribs as if hugging herself. She was drawn in—scared, by his estimation—and doing her level best to hide it. “Officer?”

He ordered Alex to heel at his side, then extended his hand. “I’m Officer Colton. This is Alex. We’re here to help you.”

Whether it was the use of their names or the fading shock of the moment, her eyes widened. “You.”

“It’s me. How are you, Bellamy?”

Those pretty eyes widened, then dropped to Alex. “He’s so big. Just like I knew he would be.” She instinctively reached for Alex before pulling her hand back.

“You can pet him if you’d like. He’s not formally working yet.”

She bent, her gaze on Alex as her hands went to cup the Lab’s head and ears. Donovan didn’t miss how they trembled or what a calming effect Alex seemed to have on her as she petted that soft expanse of fur. “You grew just as big as I knew you would. But I hope you’ve learned some restraint around plastic toys.”

“Grudgingly.” Donovan smiled when she glanced back up at him, pleased that she’d remembered them. “We nearly had a repeat incident with a few Barbie high heels but I managed to recover them before he swallowed them.”

“He’s a little thief.”

“One who fortunately matured out of the impulse.”

She stood back upright but kept a slightly less shaky hand on Alex’s head. “You’re here because of this?”

“I was in town on another assignment today and hadn’t left yet. Are you okay?” The assignment was a bit of a stretch but somehow, saying he had to visit his mother or risk her wrath didn’t seem like the most comforting comment.

“I’m fine. Gus looked at me quickly and I don’t feel hurt other than the scrapes. Shaken and sort of wobbly, but nothing hurts too bad or feels broken.”

“How close were you to the car?”

“I’d gotten in and realized I hadn’t closed the trunk. I was behind the car when it just—” She broke off, the disbelief still clear in her eyes. “When it just exploded.”

“We’re going to take a look at it but first I need Alex to sniff the rest of the cars that are still here so we can get these people out of here. Can you wait for me?”

“Where else am I going to go?”

For reasons Donovan couldn’t explain, he sensed there was something more in her comment. Something that went well beyond a car bomb or the shaky aftereffects of surviving a crime.

Something terrible had taken the light out of her beautiful gray eyes.