Love Inspired Suspense July 2015 #1 (19 page)

“You just lost a parent. Naturally you'd look for an anchor.”

“Ha! The only anchor my father would have considered providing is one he could tie around my ankle right before throwing me overboard. It's not that, Isaac. It's you. And me. And if you won't let me ride along with you this time, I'll throw a hissy fit that will curl your hair.”

“Is that so?”

“Try me.”

Instead of being angry at the threat, he started to laugh and pulled her into his embrace. “I'd love to see you revert to acting like the younger kids at the foster home, but your tantrum will have to wait.”

“We're going?” If her shoulder hadn't been throbbing, she'd have jumped up and down.

“We're going. Together. Grab your purse and meet me at the SUV. I'll go tell Jake I'm taking you with me and pick up Abby.”

Daniella assured herself she couldn't have been happier if he'd dropped to one knee and proposed. That thought stopped her in midstride. Her decision to admit feelings of affection hadn't gone quite that far.

She knew she wanted desperately to be near Isaac. Being away from him caused true pangs of longing and made him seem so appealing, so amazingly right for her, that it took her breath away. Was that love? Was it enough?

More important, would it be enough for the rest of their lives? She didn't want to commit to anything until she was sure. So, how long would that take—and would she recognize it if and when it occurred?

Daniella grabbed her purse, gathering the strap in her hand rather than chance bumping her sore shoulder, and proceeded to the K-9 unit vehicle.

The yard was empty, as if the earlier mayhem had never occurred. Her glance kept returning to focus on the door. Watching. Waiting.

It swung open. Abby nosed out ahead of Isaac. A grin split Daniella's face and her heart leaped the moment she laid eyes on him. Yearning built within her until she could hardly contain her exuberance.

His eyes met hers. He smiled that amazing smile she so adored, and it was meant for only her.

No more questions remained. She loved Isaac Black. That was all there was to it.

Instead of climbing into the passenger seat on her own, Daniella paused until he'd secured Abby in the rear compartment and looked for her.

“Need some help?”

“Yes, please. My arm hurts,” she said, which was the truth as far as it went.

Isaac approached. Opened and held the door.

Daniella tossed her purse in first, then slipped her uninjured arm around her hero's neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss him gently.

His lips softened. He slid an arm around her waist, lifted and steadied her, as he deepened the kiss.

That ideal response was all the proof she needed. Isaac loved her. Now all she had to do was convince herself to accept that unexpected gift and adjust her plans accordingly, which might be tough to do after spending the past ten years insisting she was perfectly content to spend the rest of her life alone.

To Daniella's astonishment and dismay, she discovered it was far easier to fall in love in the first place than it was to deal with the changes that that love might be bringing.

Isaac seemed to tremble slightly as he set her away and guided her into the SUV.

When she tried to fasten her seat belt one-handed and failed, she realized that most of the unsteadiness was coming from her.

And when he reached across the seat to secure her belt for her and their fingers brushed, she wondered if it was possible her anatomy instructors had been wrong when they'd taught that bones were so strong.

She was positive hers were about to melt.

EIGHTEEN

I
t didn't surprise Isaac that the interrogation of Leon Ridge was lengthy. It took hours of constant questioning before Ridge caved and implicated the congressman at all. When he did, questions about corruption and taking bribes were answered and some suspicions confirmed, but law enforcement was far from done grilling Leon.

Although they now had a plausible motive for Rosa's murder, namely Juan and his birthmark, they were still working on the details of Michael's shooting death. All Leon Ridge would admit was his part in the wounding of Harland Jeffries and he claimed that had happened after Michael was already dead. The fact that Erin Eagleton's name was also mentioned bothered Isaac, yes, but nowhere near as much as it bothered Chase Zachary, another member of the K-9 team, who was better acquainted with her.

After Daniella's first trip to headquarters, she had quit asking to go along again, much to Isaac's relief. The hardest part for him was seeing her at home with his siblings and not picturing her as part of the family. He'd hinted about it over and over, trying to judge her level of commitment and ending up more confused instead.

She was an enigma; one day kissing him as if she were head over heels in love and the next treating him with no more casual affection than she displayed toward his brother and sister.

Becky counseled patience while Jake urged him to make his feelings clearer. Stuck somewhere between the two extremes, Isaac tried to find balance.

It seemed only fair to share some details of his work with Daniella, particularly since she'd been directly involved in the past and he wanted her to understand how vital his job was.

They were sitting together on the porch swing, slowly rocking, when he decided to bring up Leon Ridge. “Looks like we were right about Harland Jeffries being dirty.” Isaac was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, fingers clasped between them. “Leon's started talking.”

“Was he an eyewitness to the shootings at the estate?”

“Not exactly. He claims the congressman called him in a panic, though,” Isaac told her.

“That's something. Maybe we won't have to bother poor, scared little Tommy again.”

“Probably not. Apparently, the boy didn't see much more than what he's already told us. Nobody did. Two men were yelling at each other and the white-haired one had a gun. That's about it.”

Isaac straightened and slipped an arm over the back of the swing, ready to lay it across her shoulders if she seemed agreeable, particularly since she wasn't wearing the sling.

“So, what did happen?” Daniella asked.

“If you can believe Leon, Jeffries insisted he hadn't meant to hurt Michael. They'd been arguing about taking proper care of Juan, the little boy with the birthmark in the photo we saw at the foster care safe house. Michael was supposedly threatening to go public about his father's affair with Rosa Gomez and Juan's birth, for the sake of the child's future. They struggled. The gun went off and Michael was wounded.”

“Why didn't anybody call for help?”

Isaac shrugged. “Good question. Maybe Michael died too quickly. We can't be sure. Anyway, Harland phoned Leon and together they figured out an alibi. Leon swears he was only supposed to lightly wound the congressman so Harland could claim the same assailant was responsible for killing Michael. He almost overdid it, though. Harland passed out before he could call 911 and could have died before he regained consciousness.”

“But—” Daniella was frowning and slowly shaking her head “—where does my father fit in all of this? He wasn't working for Jeffries, was he?”

“No, not according to Leon, and everything we've been able to substantiate so far has proved true. It looks as if Harland was so mentally unbalanced after shooting Michael he wasn't thinking straight. When I recently interviewed him about the bomb that went off during his press conference, he figured I knew he was responsible, which was correct. Unfortunately, to his twisted mind, my visit to his office also meant I knew more about his other crimes than I actually did, including the death of his son. Leon says the guy was convinced that getting rid of me and blaming it on Fagan was the answer to all his problems.”

“That's crazy.”

“Uh-huh. Very. I had already reported most of what I knew. Besides, you and Cassie both heard Tommy ID the congressman as the armed man, so logically, you two should have been on his hit list, too.” He paused, thinking about all that had taken place and how blessed they were to still have each other.

“So, what now?”

“Captain McCord has requested a search warrant for the Jeffries estate and the congressman's office. We're planning to raid both at the same time.”

“When?”

Isaac checked his watch, then replaced his arm behind her shoulders and pulled her closer. He sighed deeply when she snuggled against him. “In a few hours. We'll wait until dark to minimize the danger to bystanders.”

“Surely Harland won't be in his office then.”

“We hope not. We'd like to confine the risk to his estate.”

“And to yourselves,” Daniella added as she laid her palm on his chest. “I wish you didn't have to be involved.”

“You mean you wish I had a different job?”

Leaning away slightly, she studied his face for a few moments before starting to smile. “No. I can see you're doing exactly what you were meant to do. It's Jeffries who worries me. If he's as mentally unbalanced as you say he is, how can you be sure you won't be greeted by a hail of bullets?”

“Like I've said before, Gavin—my captain—has been close to Harland ever since he was a teenage resident of the foster home on the Jeffries estate. He'll go in first and make sure the congressman is unarmed, if he's home.”

“This must be really hard on your captain.”

“It is.” Isaac clenched his jaw as he considered that truth.

“Um, speaking of hard jobs, I want you to hurry home. There's something I'd like to talk about.”

“So, talk.” He glanced at his watch again. “I've got a few minutes to spare.”

“Oh, no, you don't.” She shook her head so hard her silky hair swung back and forth over her shoulders. “I've seen you use your job as an excuse to run off in the middle of an important conversation, and I'm not taking any chances.”

“You're serious?”

“Totally.”

Isaac leaned closer and used one finger to tilt up her chin before giving her a tender kiss. “In that case, here's a little something for you to think about while I'm gone.”

* * *

Abby was part of the assault team that entered the Jeffries mansion on McCord's signal. Other officers raided the congressman's DC office at the same time.

Gavin McCord was standing in the center of the ornately furnished living room and holding a small black book when Isaac and Abby approached him.

“I want you to check the whole house for any trace of explosives,” McCord ordered. “I don't think you'll turn up anything like that, but it never hurts to play it safe.”

“What about Harland? Did you find him?”

“No. The few servants he has left swear they haven't seen him since breakfast.”

“Do you believe them?”

McCord nodded, disgust and disappointment evident. “I suppose the political grapevine warned him somehow. I should have anticipated that.”

“Well, at least his focus is off Washington. He has to know his political career is finished. Where do you think he went?”

“Probably overseas, wherever he's stashed a getaway fund.” The captain waved the notebook. “It looks like it's all in here, the bribes, the deals under the table, the coconspirators. He even orchestrated the plot to steal George Washington's golden arrow from the American Museum a few months back. I've already ordered the arrest of his other aides.”

“All of them were crooks?”

“No. He apparently kept a few on payroll who were squeaky-clean, probably in case he needed an alibi or a handy scapegoat. We'll sort them out.”

“Where did you find a book like that? I can't believe he'd be careless enough to leave it lying around.”

“He didn't. It was hidden in his safe room, the last place I checked when nobody could locate him.” McCord started off and motioned Isaac to follow with Abby. “You can start in there, then work the rest of the house with the team while I coordinate with Fiona and our other techs to search his personal online records.”

“What about Erin Eagleton? Did Ridge exonerate her?”

“No.” McCord stared at Isaac before pulling out a cell phone and punching a number, then holding up a hand to signal Isaac to wait.

“Fiona,” he barked, “get me everything Jeffries had in his records that has anything to do with Senator Eagleton or his daughter, Erin, I don't care how obscure.”

Isaac could hear her forceful, enthusiastic “Yes, sir” and that made him smile. If anybody could dig out the truth, it was Fiona. For all her quirks, she was the best computer tech in the business, although she'd had more than a few moments of inattentiveness since she'd fallen for one of their secondary K-9 officers, Chris Torrance.

Remembering how clues had pointed to Erin being on the scene when Michael was shot and how the congressman had implied that she must have pulled the trigger, Isaac was worried. Judging by the expression on the captain's face, he was, too. Without the murder gun to check for a ballistic match or fingerprints, placing blame was anybody's guess.

Was Jeffries thinking of his own escape at this time or had he disappeared because was he bent on finding and harming Erin so she couldn't refute his claims?

Only time would tell. Isaac just hoped nobody else had to pay for the crooked congressman's sins.

The body count was already far too high.

* * *

Daniella was sitting on the front porch, wearing a quilt like a shawl and waiting for Isaac, when he finally got home.

Parking, he let Abby loose and plodded wearily up the steps. “Do you know what time it is?” he asked.

“Yes. It's after two a.m. If you'd let me come with you we could have had our little talk on the drive home.”

“Can't it wait until morning? I'm beat.”

She laughed lightly. “It is morning.”

“So it is. Okay. Got room for me on that swing?”

“I'll make room.” She patted the slatted bench next to her. “This shouldn't take long, unless you make the mistake of arguing with me.”

“You know I'd never do that.” He was sending a look at her that was half scowl, half smile. “You're not getting up the courage to tell me you've changed your mind
again
and are leaving, are you?”

“Don't bother putting on that hurt expression. You won't need it. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just nervous.”

“Why should you be afraid? Your sworn enemy is dead, Leon Ridge is in jail, there's a warrant out for Jeffries and the case against him is coming together. We'll have him in no time.”

“I'm not concerned about criminals. Your unit and the other cops can worry about them. From now on I'm staying out of it.”

“So...?”

She laid her fingertips over his lips, ostensibly to silence him, and he kissed them instead.

“Stop distracting me.”

“Why? You keep distracting me.”

Daniella blew a noisy sigh. “I want to talk about the future—our future.”

“Ours?”

She laughed again, her cheeks blooming in the dimness of the single porch light. “You shouldn't be surprised. I've done everything I can think of except come right out and ask you if you love me.”

“Of course I love you!” Watching tears glimmering in her emerald eyes, Isaac couldn't decide whether to kiss her into silence or let her keep talking.

He was about to choose the kiss when Daniella began to whisk away sparse tears.

“Okay,” she said, sniffling and smiling. “So when are you going to tell me what you plan to do about it?”

“What do
you
want to do?”

“Uh-uh. No fair. If I have to tell you that I want you to sweep me off my feet and ask me to marry you, it won't be as romantic.”

Stunned by both her boldness and the way her ideas had meshed so perfectly with his, Isaac laughed. “Suppose I surprise you one day soon with a ring? Will that do?”

“It might, if you don't wait too long.”

“I'll do my best,” he said, sobering. “I'll always do my best for you, honey. You know that, don't you?”

She reached up and cupped his cheek.

Isaac placed his hand over hers, then drew it down to kiss her palm. There would never be a dull day married to this extraordinary woman, he realized, counting his blessings again and again. And he would guard his life for her sake as well as his own.

“I think your sister was right when she said the Lord brought us together,” Daniella whispered. “So it's a good thing we fell in love. I sure wouldn't want to disappoint God after He went to all that trouble.”

Isaac gave her a heartfelt kiss. “I agree. Prepare to say yes when I pop the question.”

He saw her lips tremble, her eyes glisten, as she smiled and said, “I can hardly wait.”

* * * * *

If you liked this
CAPITOL K-9 UNIT
novel,
watch for the next book in the series,
PROOF OF INNOCENCE by Lenora Worth

And don't miss a single story in the
CAPITOL K-9 UNIT
miniseries:

Book #1: PROTECTION DETAIL
by Shirlee McCoy

Book #2: DUTY BOUND GUARDIAN
by Terri Reed

Book #3: TRAIL OF EVIDENCE
by Lynette Eason

Book #4: SECURITY BREACH
by Margaret Daley

Book #5: DETECTING DANGER
by Valerie Hansen

Book #6: PROOF OF INNOCENCE
by Lenora Worth