Sheriff

Someone had tried to kill them. Her and Brody, specifically.

“I’m glad Thunder managed to bring back a clue.”

Brody’s comment helped her focus. She still held the ripped piece of fabric in her hand, the one Thunder had brought to her. Pulling an evidence bag out of her pocket, she quickly placed the scrap of fabric inside and sealed it shut.

Then she dropped to her knee, placed her arm around the dog’s neck, and gave him a hug and a treat. “Good boy.”

Thunder let out his musical howl, making her smile.

“The guy must have planted a bomb under your SUV,” Brody continued grimly. “If your dog hadn’t alerted us to the danger...” He didn’t need to finish his thought.

“Thunder has saved my life more times than I can count.” Rising to her feet, she scrutinized the area around the restaurant. Thankfully, it appeared no one else was hurt, the waitress was crying, but as far as Julianne could tell, she wasn’t bleeding. The picnic table Brody had chosen was covered in black soot from the fire, but seemed to be the only damage to the restaurant itself. Her vehicle wasn’t parked too close to other cars, although there was a yellow pickup truck with broken windows as a result of the blast. “I don’t see anyone with injuries, and there doesn’t appear to be much damage, other than to my car and the yellow truck parked close by. We were fortunate.”

This time.

Brody nodded, phone in hand. She listened as he called dispatch to let them know about the bomb and subsequent fire.

“How did he find us?” she asked, when he’d finished his call. “We came in two different vehicles and at two different times. I know I wasn’t followed.”

“Me, either. But it’s a good question,” Brody admitted. “Could be they just happened to drive past and noticed the K-9 logo on the back of your SUV. K-9s aren’t common around here.”

“Maybe. But how did they know it was mine? Max has one, too.” She didn’t like it. Surely the gunman she’d injured had made a point of getting away from here. Why bother to stick around?

Unless he knew about the roadblocks and decided to seek revenge. Given the history between Nate and Brody, revenge seemed plausible, but she couldn’t help thinking there was something else keeping Nate around. Unfinished business? Maybe.

A short round guy with short gray hair wearing an apron over cotton pants and a T-shirt came rushing outside. He paused, giving the waitress a hug, then made his way over to them.

“Sheriff, what happened? What’s going on?”

“Joe Clancy, this is FBI Agent Julianne Martinez. Julianne, this is Joe Clancy. He and his wife own Rusty’s now.” Brody paused, then sighed. “I’m sorry about this, Joe. I have reason to believe Agent Martinez and I were the intended targets. Don’t worry, it looks like only the cars next to Julianne’s were damaged, not your restaurant.”

“Looks like my truck has broken windows, but I guess that’s what insurance is for, right, Sheriff?” Joe blew out his breath in a heavy sigh, taking the attack on his property better than she’d anticipated. He ran his hand over his hair. “It could be worse. I’m glad no one’s been hurt.”

“Me, too. How’s your waitress?” Julianne asked. “She was the only other person in close proximity to the blast. Might be best if she went to get checked out in the ER.”

“She has a few bruises from landing on the ground,” Joe said. “I think she’s more scared than hurt.”

Julianne didn’t blame her. The incident had shaken her, too. Just standing here in plain view was making her nervous. What if the guy who’d set the bomb came back? She and Brody being here could very well be placing innocent lives in danger. Sirens wailed, indicating help was on the way. “We need to leave, Brody.”

“I hear you.” He turned to the restaurant owner. “Joe, Deputy Hanson is on his way to take over for me. He’ll file a police report that you can submit to your insurance company.”

Joe Clancy nodded and lumbered over to where the waitress still stood, wiping at her eyes.

“Do you need to stay until your deputy arrives?”

Brody shook his head. “For now, it’s probably best if we stick together.”

She couldn’t argue his logic. Besides, there wasn’t time to worry about it, they were expected to meet up with Max West at the chopper. “We’ll need to take your truck, since mine is toast. I’m also going to need to replace Thunder’s equipment that was inside. Thank goodness I still have the evidence bag with Jake’s shirt in my backpack.” The thought of losing one of their key leads made her stomach clench. This incident only proved she needed to keep the evidence with her at all times.

“Sure.” Brody led the way to his SUV, with the words Clover County Sheriff painted across the side. He automatically went to the driver’s side door, then hesitated. “Okay if I drive?”

“Yes, of course.” The Brody she knew wouldn’t have bothered to ask. Why was he being so open-minded now? Had he changed in other ways, too? Probably, but she told herself it didn’t matter.

The bottom line was that Brody hadn’t cared about her. He hadn’t trusted her.

Hadn’t believed in her, the way she’d needed him to.

Brody was a part of her past, not her future. As soon as they’d finished here, they’d both return to their respective lives.

On opposite ends of the country.

An hour later, after they’d stopped to pick up the items Thunder needed replaced, she joined Max at the designated meeting spot. The chopper arrived early, which suited her just fine.

Julianne wanted very badly to find Jake Morrow and knew that it was highly likely the hidden house in the woods belonged to the Duprees. Several weeks ago, after a shoot-out at a desolate warehouse, the kingpin Reginald Dupree had been arrested, but unfortunately, his second-in-command, Angus Dupree, had gotten away with Jake Morrow as his hostage. Jake’s K-9 partner, Buddy, had been injured but had thankfully recovered. Their team was desperate to find Jake, worried Angus would attempt to force Jake to provide inside information. Or, worst case scenario, ask for a trade: Jake’s life in exchange for letting Reginald Dupree go.

Each member of the team knew that freeing Reginald from custody was not an option.

“Zeke, this is Julianne Martinez and Sheriff Brody Kenner.” Max performed quick introductions.

“I appreciate being brought in as part of the team,” Zeke Morrow said, his expression solemn. He was tall, broad-shouldered with dark brown hair and dark eyes, and his partner, Cheetah, was a beautiful Australian shepherd with a black-and-white coat, mostly white around the animal’s neck and chest. Julianne found herself sending up a silent prayer that they’d find Zeke’s half brother alive and well.

“We’re glad to have you,” Max assured him.

Julianne echoed the sentiment, then tugged Max’s arm. “There’s an incident I need to tell you about.”

Her SAC’s expression turned grim. “Now what?”

“Somebody planted a bomb under my SUV while Brody and I were grabbing dinner at Rusty’s, one of the restaurants located outside of town.”

Max looked at Brody, then turned back to her. “A bomb?”

“Yeah. Thunder alerted us to the danger, and I happened to catch a glimpse of someone running away from the parking lot, toward the back of the building,” Brody said. “We managed to get away unscathed.”

“Thunder saved our lives,” Julianne added. “He alerted us to the danger. We caught a glimpse of someone running toward the building, and it’s likely he triggered the bomb early. Thankfully, no one else was hurt.”

Max leveled Brody a stern look. “This latest development is related to your prison break, isn’t it?”

“I think so, yes. I know this mission to find your agent is top priority but as soon as we’ve checked out the cabin, I’d like Julianne and Thunder’s help in tracking our escapee. When I checked in, the deputies manning the roadblocks hadn’t seen any sign of him, so that means he either slipped away or is seeking revenge against me personally for bringing him down. Based on the bomb, I’m figuring it’s the latter. I’m concerned about placing more innocent lives at risk.”

“Good idea. Better to go on offense rather than remaining on defense.”

Brody grinned at the football analogy and Julianne remembered how they’d loved to watch college football games on Saturdays. She lived in Montana now, and they had a college team but she still followed Texas A&M, her favorite.

Did Brody still watch them, too? A bittersweet longing swept over her. She missed what they’d shared.

She missed him. At least the way he’d been before Lilly’s disappearance.

“Thanks,” Brody said. “Now, let’s check the equipment, make sure we’re ready to roll.”