Battle Tested. Laura Scott

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       TWO

      Vanessa wasted several precious minutes fumbling in her bag for her phone. When she finally found it, she punched in the emergency number for the base police. “This is Lieutenant Gomez and I’m with Captain Isaac Goddard. We’re on the corner of Webster and Viking and have reason to believe Boyd Sullivan is hiding in the bushes. Hurry!”

      “I’ll send someone over,” the Security Forces dispatcher promised.

      She kept the phone in one hand and gripped the back of Isaac’s uniform with the other. Her entire body began to shake, and she abruptly understood a small part of what Aiden and Isaac went through while battling their illness.

      The thought of coming face-to-face with Boyd Sullivan made her break out in a cold sweat. She’d never felt helpless and vulnerable like this, until tonight. First the attack, and now this.

      “The cops from the south gate are closest,” she said in a low voice. “I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”

      “I know.” Isaac’s hands were fisted, his elbows flexed at his side, as if he were expecting a physical fight.

      Tango emerged from the bushes, tail wagging. He stood looking at them for a moment, then turned to duck back between the branches.

      She frowned. “What was that about?”

      “I’m not sure. Tango is a therapy dog, but he’s still trained well enough to know when danger is near.”

      “So, Boyd isn’t hiding in there?”

      “Probably not. Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Isaac took a step forward, but she didn’t let go of his uniform, choosing to go with him rather than remain on the street alone.

      “Vanessa, you should stay here.” Frustration was audible in his tone.

      She shook her head. “Better to stick together.”

      Tango came out of the bushes again, gave a sharp bark and wheeled around to return to the brush. She relaxed her grip on Isaac’s uniform, sensing the dog wanted them to follow.

      Surely, the golden wouldn’t lead them into harm’s way.

      “Call off the cops,” Isaac said, parting the branches with one hand and using his flashlight app on his phone to illuminate the darkness. “False alarm.”

      She inwardly debated letting the police come anyway, since she needed to report her attack, but she would rather talk to Justin personally. Decision made, she called the dispatcher back, confirming there was no immediate danger and that the call could be canceled. She slipped the phone back into her bag, then crept closer, hearing the rustling and odd whimpering sounds before her eyes landed on a cluster of puppies.

      “Did we find some of the lost dogs?” Six months ago, Boyd Sullivan or his accomplice had sneaked onto base and let nearly every single K-9 in the Working Dog Program out of their kennels, a little over two hundred of them. Over time many of the lost animals had been found, but there were still several missing, including three extremely valuable German shepherds named Glory, Scout and Liberty.

      “I’m not sure. There are four pups here, but it’s odd because there’s no sign of the mother. I doubt the mother is one of the lost dogs or we would have found her by now. The puppies appear healthy and well cared for, so I don’t think she abandoned them without a good reason.”

      “She must be one of the training dogs, don’t you think? Maybe she was attacked by a coyote?” It was horrible to think of a pack of coyotes ganging up on the mom, who likely would have attempted to lure the predator away from her babies. “We have to try to find her.”

      “Agreed, although we need to get these pups to safety first.” He gestured to the puppies. “These look to be a few weeks old—not that I’m an expert. And they’re snuggled together to stay warm.”

      “My house is at the end of this block. Let’s bring the puppies there and get them warmed up, then let the cops know what happened.” Vanessa wondered how Aiden would like the puppies. Her brother tolerated Eagle, her Doberman, but didn’t find any comfort in the animal. And while she was hopeful he’d connect with a therapy dog such as Tango, he’d already failed in the first attempt to match him up. Ruby, the first dog who’d been assigned to him, had been a loving Irish setter, but Aiden hadn’t connected with Ruby on any level. Perhaps the adorable puppies might have a better chance of getting through to him.

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