Sheriff

TWO

“I know a way,” Brody drawled, drawing skeptical looks by the FBI agents. The way the dog had alerted on the trail had been impressive, but he didn’t appreciate the way the feds acted as if he wasn’t even there.

Especially Julianne. Her indifference hurt, more than it should have.

They’d retreated from the woods, returning to the road. Two of his deputies’ vehicles were parked on either side of the prison van, and Brody knew that he needed to head over there to talk to them. But not yet.

She stared at him. “How?”

“From the air.” He waved a hand. “I’m a trained paratrooper, I can parachute down landing inside the compound.”

Genuine surprise widened her eyes. “Brilliant.” She swung toward Max, who nodded in agreement.

“We need to contact Dylan, see if we can get a chopper here, ASAP,” Max said. “Not too close, though, because we don’t want anyone from inside the compound to hear it.”

Brody scowled. “Para-jumping with dogs can be dangerous.”

“We learned to do this in our training program,” Julianne said in a brisk tone. “We can go in alone, no reason for you to come along.”

“Yes, there is. My county, my problem.” He couldn’t stand the thought of her going in without him and possibly facing an ambush. “Besides, this will be tricky. It might be better if you stay here in the woods as backup in case the whole thing goes south.”

She took a step closer and jabbed her finger into his sternum. “Listen, Brody, this is our case and I’m going in. You want to come along? Fine. I’m not staying behind. Understand?”

The steely determination in her eyes proved he was fighting a lost cause. Julianne had always been driven to prove herself capable and he knew she’d go in no matter what. He wanted to capture her hand and press it against his chest, but he didn’t.

She’d only pull away from him, the way she had six years ago.

“Okay, okay. We’ll do this, together.”

“Max and Opal are going in, too.” She tilted her head. “Where did you train to be a paratrooper?”

“Brief stint in the army.” Brody didn’t want to mention his messed-up knee that had sent him home early. Three surgeries and it was almost as good as new.

Almost.

Unfortunately, the army didn’t want to take a chance with his bum knee, so they’d given him a choice, climb the officer ladder or an early honorary discharge. Climbing up the ranks hadn’t interested him so he’d returned home and was offered a job as a deputy. Then somehow managed to become elected sheriff the following year.

Hometown hero and all that. Which was ridiculous since he was anything but. Julianne had left him after their disagreement over her best friend Lilly’s disappearance. She’d insisted Lilly would never have run away, despite all the signs that pointed toward the girl doing just that.

Forcing himself to let go of the past, he swept his gaze over the area. “It would be nice to have deputies guard the perimeter, but that means taking them off roadblock duty, something I’m not willing to do.” Brody knew even if he could mobilize every officer he had on staff, it still wouldn’t be enough.

Max finished his phone call. “Dylan’s looking for a place for a chopper to land. He’s also looking for an area for us to use as a landing spot near the house. He figures that there must be something to use if the Duprees are using the air to get access.”

Despite his annoyance with his authority being usurped, Brody was impressed. “Wish we had those kinds of resources.”

“We’re getting the chopper, a pilot and one additional staff member.” Max’s gaze was on Julianne and Brody couldn’t help wondering if there was more between the two of them than professionalism. The flash of jealousy was annoying and unwarranted. Julianne’s personal life wasn’t his business.

No matter how much he wished otherwise.

“Who?” Julianne asked with a frown.

“Zeke Morrow, and his K-9 partner...an Australian shepherd named Cheetah. Zeke asked to join the team weeks ago, and I’ve been working on getting him assigned as Jake’s replacement. The paperwork has finally cleared, and Zeke really wants in on this.”

She stared at Max in apparent surprise, but then blew out a breath and nodded. “I get it, Jake’s his half brother. If I were in Zeke’s place, I’d want in on the mission to find him, too.”

“Boss?”

Brody turned to where two of his deputies waited beside the prison van. The other two deputies were combing the area, looking for clues. “Coming. Julianne, I’ll need your help with recreating what happened.”

She hesitated, but Max nodded. “Go ahead. It will take some time to get things rolling here.”

“The sooner we get inside, the better,” she muttered. But she fell in step beside Brody and headed over to the van.

Brody did a quick round of introductions. “Deputy Dan Hanson and Deputy Rick Meyer, this is FBI Agent Julianne Martinez.”

Julianne offered her hand. “Nice to meet both of you. I’m the one who stumbled across the prison break.”

And almost died for her efforts, Brody thought grimly.

Julianne took them through the events step by step. When she got to the part about the gunman telling her to stop and raise her hands in the air, Deputy Rick Meyer interrupted.

“You get a good look at him?”

Julianne nodded. “Yes. About five-ten, weighing roughly 180 but some of that bulk could have been from the body armor. Thin blond greasy hair and narrow, light eyes. He wore a scruffy beard and had a half-inch scar at the bottom left corner of his mouth.”

Once again, Brody couldn’t help being impressed. “You got a better look at him than I did.”

“Really? You’re the one who threatened to plant a bullet between his eyes.”

“I know, but that was mostly a way to distract him, so that he’d focus on me, instead of you. To be honest, I didn’t have a clear shot from where I was standing.”

“I managed to hit him in the right arm,” Julianne continued. “He dropped his weapon, then took off.”

Brody glanced at Thunder. “Your dog might be able to track him for us.”

“Yes, but only if you have some clothing of his to provide Thunder the scent to follow. Blood alone won’t work.”

Brody considered that idea for a moment. He didn’t have anything belonging to the gunman, but he certainly had personal items belonging to Nate Otwell, the man who’d escaped.

His former best friend whom Julianne had never completely trusted.

He let out a disgruntled sigh. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, there was no way to deny he needed her help, and the dog’s, too.

The time had come to fill Julianne in on what had transpired before the prison break.

Even if that meant proving that she may have been right to leave him, six years ago.

* * *

Thunder found the gun and they also discovered several drops of blood left behind by the gunman, but of course the trail disappeared at the edge of the road.

“Did you see what kind of vehicle was waiting for him?” Rick asked. Deputy Dan Hanson was sending antagonistic vibes, but Rick Meyer seemed genuinely willing to partner with her.

Maybe Hanson was one of those who resented having women in law enforcement. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to deal with overblown macho egos. Or the last.

In her line of work, she was often surrounded by an overabundance of testosterone.

“No. I was still making my way through the trees when I heard the vehicle take off.”

“Too bad Thunder can’t tell us.” Brody patted the animal’s head and she bit back the urge to snap at him. Thunder wasn’t a pet, he was her partner.

“Thunder, heel.”

Instantly, the dog came to her side and sat straight upright, waiting for the next command.

“He’s on duty, just like I am,” she explained when the three men stared in surprise. “We need to figure out our next steps.”

“The medical examiner is on his way to pick up the driver’s body,” Rick said. “We already know the slug should match the weapon you recovered in the woods.”

“Keep looking for the other slug,” Brody said. “Julianne can show you where she was when the guy fired at her.”

“This way.” She led the team of deputies to the area where she’d been. “Here’s the rent in the tree bark from the path to the bullet.”

They’d found the empty shell casing near where the gunman had dropped the weapon, so Julianne held it out for Thunder. “Find, Thunder. Find!”

Her partner went to work, scouring the area and tracking the scent of gunpowder. The ground was covered in leaves, twigs and other brush, but she knew Thunder could find the missing bullet fragment.

Fifteen minutes later, he alerted on the spot, circling the area, scratching at the ground, then dropping onto his rump. Julianne walked over, gently edged the debris aside, and smiled with grim satisfaction.

“Found it.”

“Well, I’ll be,” Rick said in amazement. “That dog is smarter than most of the people I know.”

“Good boy.” Julianne rubbed his silky ears and slipped him a treat. “Good boy, Thunder.”

Dan made a rude noise under his breath, but drew on gloves then picked up the bullet fragment and dropped it in a specimen bag. “How many shots did he take at you?”

Julianne lifted a brow. “Just the one.”

“Hmm.” Deputy Hanson took the evidence back to his squad car.

She decided not to waste time worrying about Hanson’s opinion of her abilities. Glancing at her watch, she realized roughly ninety minutes had gone by, and she was feeling dehydrated and hungry. Which meant Thunder needed to eat and drink, too. The hour was close to dinnertime and she hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast.

“Max? What’s the ETA on the chopper?”

“Two hours, maybe less. They’re coming in from Houston and Dylan has found a small airstrip not far from here for them to use. He sent us a secure email with the location. He’s still working on an aerial view of the compound.”

She wondered how Dylan was holding up back at headquarters while his fiancée, Zara, was training at Quantico to become a part of their team. “We need to take care of the animals. How about I meet you at the chopper in ninety minutes?”

“Sounds good.” Max turned and walked with Opal through the woods. No doubt he’d left his vehicle near the cabin he’d investigated before the gunfire rang out.

Julianne headed in the opposite direction, but then halted when Brody came along. “I’ve got things to do before the jump.”

“I know, but we also need to talk about the prison break. I thought we could grab a bite to eat at Rusty’s...they have outside tables now, which would work out well for Thunder.”

Rusty’s was their old hangout, and the last place she wanted to go was tripping down memory lane. But Thunder needed to eat and so did she, so she pushed the past back where it belonged and nodded stiffly.

“Fine, I’ll meet you there.”

Brody hesitated. She could tell he wanted them to drive together, but too bad, he’d have to get over it.

She needed some time alone before facing him again. Being home for the first time in six years was bad enough, but seeing Brody again?

That was something else entirely.

* * *

Brody tried to look at Rusty’s through Julianne’s eyes, noticing the changes that had been made to the bar/restaurant over the past few years.

The place had been painted a deep forest green with white trim. The tables outside were covered by green-and-white umbrellas to shade customers from the relentless sun. Patrons actually came here for the food, which hadn’t been the case when they were young.

Rusty’s had blossomed under new management, and he thought for sure Julianne would notice and approve of the changes.

She was late, and he wondered if she’d stood him up. Not her style, but then again, things hadn’t ended well between them.

He saw her drive up in a black SUV with a very small K-9 logo on the back. She slid out from behind the wheel followed by Thunder who jumped gracefully to the ground. The years they’d spent apart disappeared as if they’d never happened. She was still as stunning as ever. And he found himself wishing things had turned out differently for them.

After opening the back, she set one dog dish on the ground and filled it with water. After he drank his fill, she fed him from her hand, which he found curious. Only when the dog was cared for did she cross over to where he was waiting.

“The outside is different but has the menu changed?”

“Yeah. Joe Clancy runs the place now with his wife, Sue Ellen.” He pushed a menu over. “We’ll talk after we order.”

A server came over with water and sweet tea, took their requests then disappeared back inside.

Julianne drew designs in the condensation that collected on the side of her glass. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had Texas sweet tea.”

Six years, two weeks and three days, but who was counting?

She finished her water first, then tried the tea. “It’s sweeter than I remember.”

“You don’t have tea where you live now?”

“I got out of the habit of drinking it.” She pushed her glass aside, sidestepping his not-so-subtle question. “So tell me. What’s the story behind the prison break?”

He held her gaze. “I arrested Nathan Otwell for drug running, human trafficking and prostitution. The judge agreed to hold him without bail because of the overwhelming evidence against him.”

“Evidence? Like what?”

“I tracked him to an abandoned cabin where he was holding five people hostage, getting ready to sell them to the highest bidder.” To this day, Brody would never forget the scene he’d stumbled upon. “Because of my testimony, Otwell was being transported from our small jail here to the maximum security prison over in Cadworth County.”

“Nathan Otwell,” Julianne repeated, her expression incredulous. “I don’t know what to say. The guy who escaped was huge and bald, I didn’t recognize him as Nate. I can’t believe it.”

“Sure you can,” Brody countered in an even tone. “You never liked him in the first place, even before Lilly ran away. You were convinced Lilly’s disappearance was the result of foul play just because she and Nate were seeing each other.” He paused, then shrugged. “You were right about Nate, though. In the time I was gone in the army, he reverted back to his criminal ways.”

She surprised him by reaching over to put her hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry, Brody. I know how much you believed in him. That must have been difficult for you.”

For a moment he wished they could go back six years, to the time before their last argument had torn them irrevocably apart. But he knew better than most there was no going back.

He needed to keep moving forward. No matter how difficult.

“It was worse for the people he abused and sold into slavery.” He didn’t try to hide the bitterness in his tone. “They’re the real victims here. And I can’t imagine what they’re going to think now that he’s escaped.”

“I know.” Her gaze was sympathetic.

“I’m not going to let him get away with it. I need to find Nate, Julianne. I need your help.” He gazed down at the dog lying beneath the table at her feet. “Yours and Thunder’s.”

The dog perked up when he heard his name, his tail thumping on the ground as if in acknowledgment.

“I have to get Max’s approval,” she warned. “But since I’m an eyewitness to the shooting of the van driver, I’m sure he’ll agree. From what you’re telling me, we need to get Nate and his accomplice back into custody as soon as possible.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me, yet. First we need to get into the Dupree compound and hopefully rescue our missing FBI agent. Once we’ve done that, we’ll focus on picking up Nate’s trail. Hopefully he won’t have gotten too far, especially with the roadblocks and other measures you’ve put into place.”

“Agreed.” He paused, as the server brought their food. They ate in silence for several minutes, enjoying their Tex-Mex meal when Thunder unexpectedly shot to his feet.

“What is it, boy?” Julianne pulled her gun from the holster on her waist and glanced around the parking lot as if searching for whatever had gotten the dog’s attention.

“Does he do this often?” Brody put a hand on his firearm, too, but didn’t see anything out of place.

For all they knew, Thunder had scented a squirrel. Or some other animal.

But even as the thought filtered through his mind, he rejected the idea. He might not know much about K-9 officers, but he knew they were trained not to be distracted from their duty. And Thunder’s duty included protecting Julianne.

“Sometimes, but I don’t see anything amiss, do you?”

“No.” Brody couldn’t deny that having the dog standing on all fours, ready to attack, was unnerving. “Maybe we should take the food to go.”

“Works for me.” Julianne finally glanced over at him. “We’ll be early, but that’s okay.”

He waved to get the server’s attention and pulled out his wallet to pay for the meal. The outside patio was mostly deserted, patrons favoring the air-conditioned inside rather than the hot and humid outside tables.

A low growl rumbled from Thunder’s throat.

“He senses danger,” Julianne said in a low tone.

Brody nodded and tossed cash on the table. “Forget the leftovers, let’s get out of here.”

She nodded and fell into step beside him. They’d taken a few steps toward her black SUV when Thunder abruptly stopped and backed up a step. He growled low in his throat and pushed at Julianne with his nose, as if to move her out of the way.

“What is it?” The moment Julianne said the words, Brody saw a figure wearing black running away from the parking lot, toward the back of the restaurant.

Reacting instinctively, he grabbed Julianne’s arm. “We have to get out of here now!”

They’d gotten a good ten yards from the SUV when a loud explosion rocked the earth, sending them tumbling to the pavement.

He rolled over, raking his gaze over the scene. The FBI vehicle was on fire. Restaurant patrons leaving the building screamed and ran away from the restaurant.

Where was the guy dressed in black?

“Thunder! Heel!” Julianne’s panicked voice had him searching frantically for the dog.

Thunder came running from behind the back of the building heading straight for Julianne. Brody was relieved the dog was all right, and wondered if the guy once again had a getaway vehicle to flee the scene.

“What do you have there, boy?” Julianne asked, struggling to her feet.

It took Brody a minute to realize there was a bit of fabric caught in the dog’s mouth.

Thunder had been close enough to get a piece of the perp, but once again, the guy had evaded capture.

Grimly, Brody knew that this was only the beginning. They’d see this assailant again. There was no mistaking the fact that he and Julianne had been the main target of this guy’s attack.

All trails leading back to Nate’s jailbreak.

THREE

Julianne swept her gaze over the area, grappling with their near miss.

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.”