Valiant Defender Read online

  His daughter’s been taken...

  The last showdown in the Military K-9 Unit series

  After relentless searching, Captain Justin Blackwood’s closing in on the Red Rose Killer. But when his daughter becomes a target, the hunt turns personal. With the help of his new partner, Captain Gretchen Hill, and his K-9, Quinn, Justin will race to save his daughter and bring down his nemesis once and for all...or die trying.

  Aside from her faith and her family, there’s not much SHIRLEE McCOY enjoys more than a good book! When she’s not teaching or chauffeuring her five kids, she can usually be found plotting her next Love Inspired Suspense story or wandering around the beautiful Inland Northwest in search of inspiration. Shirlee loves to hear from readers. If you have time, drop her a line at [email protected].

  Also By Shirlee McCoy

  Military K-9 Unit

  Valiant Defender

  FBI: Special Crimes Unit

  Night Stalker

  Gone

  Mission: Rescue

  Protective Instincts

  Her Christmas Guardian

  Exit Strategy

  Deadly Christmas Secrets

  Mystery Child

  The Christmas Target

  Mistaken Identity

  Christmas on the Run

  Classified K-9 Unit

  Bodyguard

  Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

  Valiant Defender

  Shirlee McCoy

  www.millsandboon.co.uk

  ISBN: 978-1-474-08648-6

  VALIANT DEFENDER

  © 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.

  Published in Great Britain 2018

  by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

  All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

  By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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  www.millsandboon.co.uk

  “I need to find my daughter.” If Quinn could find a scent trail, they might be able to follow it to Boyd’s location.

  “You need to slow down, Captain.”

  “That’s an easy thing to say when it’s not your daughter in the hands of a serial killer,” Justin responded, regretting it immediately. He knew Gretchen cared deeply about the work she did and about the people she worked for.

  “Maybe. Probably. But we have a job to do here, and the first step in that is figuring out where he took her.”

  “That’s what Quinn and I are going to do. Find!” he commanded and the Malinois took off, sprinting downstairs and out the door. Sirens were blaring, lights flashing on the pavement. Backup was there, but Justin ignored everything but his K-9 partner.

  * * *

  MILITARY K-9 UNIT:

  These soldiers track down a serial killer

  with the help of their brave canine partners.

  Mission to Protect—Terri Reed, April 2018

  Bound by Duty—Valerie Hansen, May 2018

  Top Secret Target—Dana Mentink, June 2018

  Standing Fast—Maggie K. Black, July 2018

  Rescue Operation—Lenora Worth, August 2018

  Explosive Force—Lynette Eason, September 2018

  Battle Tested—Laura Scott, October 2018

  Valiant Defender—Shirlee McCoy, November 2018

  Military K-9 Unit Christmas—Valerie Hansen and Laura Scott, December 2018

  Dear Reader,

  What a blessing and joy to be able to end the Military K-9 Unit continuity! I love writing about K-9 teams, but the military angle was a new one for me. Military handlers and their dogs have a special bond, and I hope I’ve conveyed that in Valiant Defender. More important, I hope that I’ve offered you a satisfying ending to a wonderful series. Gretchen and Justin are compelling characters. Driven by their desire for justice, they pursue the Red Rose Killer with tenacity and faith. As you follow them on this journey, I pray that your faith will be strengthened and your hope renewed. Happy reading, my friend!

  Blessings,

  Shirlee McCoy

  How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

  —Psalms 36:7–9

  To my continuity buddies, Dana, Laura, Lenora, Lynette, Mags, Terri and Val, with much affection and admiration. And, most especially, to Emily, who puts up with all our writing shenanigans.

  Contents

  Cover

  Back Cover Text

  About the Author

  Booklist

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Dear Reader

  Bible Verse

  Dedication

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  Extract

  About the Publisher

  ONE

  Canyon Air Force Base was silent. Houses shuttered, lights off. Streets quiet. Just the way it should be in the darkest hours of the morning. Captain Justin Blackwood didn’t let the quiet make him complacent. Seven months ago, an enemy had infiltrated the base. Boyd Sullivan, aka the Red Rose Killer—a man who’d murdered five people in his hometown before he’d been caught—had escaped from prison and continued his crime spree, murdering several more people and wreaking havoc on the base. He’d released two hundred highly trained military dogs from the base kennel and created a feeling of unease among the community. Sullivan wanted to destroy everyone and everything that he blamed for his failures.

  Justin planned to stop him.

  “What are your thoughts, Captain?” Captain Gretchen Hill asked as he sped through the quiet community. A temporary transfer from Minot Air Force Base, Gretchen had been in Texas for several months, observing the way Justin, himself a K-9 handler, c
ommanded the Security Forces. When she returned to her post, she’d help set up a K-9 unit there.

  “I don’t think we’re going to find him at the house,” he responded. “But when it comes to Boyd Sullivan, I believe in checking out every lead.”

  “The witness reported lights? She didn’t actually see Boyd?”

  “She didn’t see him, but the family that lived in the house left for a new post two days ago. Lots of moving trucks and activity. She’s worried Sullivan might have noticed and decided to squat in the empty property. Since she lives on the same court, she’s terrified.”

  “Based on how easily Boyd has slipped through our fingers these past few months, I’d say he’s too smart to squat in base housing,” Gretchen said.

  “I agree,” Justin responded. He’d been surprised at how much he enjoyed working with Gretchen. He’d expected her presence to feel like a burden, one more person to worry about and protect. But she had razor-sharp intellect and a calm, focused demeanor that had been an asset to the team. She didn’t shirk duties, didn’t complain about long hours, didn’t stand back and take notes while others did the job. She’d thrown herself into her temporary assignment wholeheartedly.

  As much as Justin had dreaded her arrival, he was going to miss her when she was gone.

  “Even if he decided to spend a few nights in an empty house, why turn on the lights? He knows this base. He knows that everyone on it is on high alert and searching for him.”

  “If he’s there, he wants us to know it,” Justin responded. It was the only explanation that made sense. And it was the kind of game Sullivan liked to play—taunting his intended victims, letting them know that he was closing in. He left red roses and notes before he struck. I’m coming for you. He loved to kill, but terrorizing people was his drug of choice.

  He needed to be stopped.

  Tonight. Not in another month or two or three.

  For the sake of the people on base and for Portia’s sake.

  Just thinking about his sixteen-year-old daughter being targeted by Sullivan made Justin’s blood run cold. A year and a half ago, Portia had come to live with him unexpectedly and reluctantly, forced to give up her school and friends after her mother died in a car accident. The loss had hit her hard. A shy teenager who seemed to have trouble connecting with her peers, she’d turned to the internet for comfort and amused herself by blogging. Unfortunately, she’d chosen the wrong topic, and had been unmasked as the anonymous blogger on the Red Rose Killer.

  She’d had no idea, of course, that Justin and Boyd had crossed paths long before Boyd’s escape from prison. She’d had no idea just how much danger she was putting herself in.

  While Justin and his team had struggled to find Boyd and identify the anonymous blogger, Portia had been quietly listening to their conversations and gathering information that she’d posted online. Worse, she’d mocked Boyd—a man who was as arrogant as he was dangerous. That, along with being Justin’s daughter, had put her in the crosshairs of the killer. She’d received a threatening note from Boyd a week ago, and that terrified Justin.

  If anything happened to Portia, Justin would never forgive himself.

  Please, Lord, help me keep her safe.

  The prayer flitted through his mind as he turned into a cul-de-sac and eyed the darkened windows of the houses there. This was the quiet residential area of the base. Single-family homes that housed the larger families of airmen and officers.

  “It’s the brick two-story, right?” Gretchen asked, leaning forward as he approached the house.

  “Yes.”

  “And our witness was certain of what she saw?”

  “Yes. She said the house was lit up like a beacon. Almost every room in it. She noticed when she brought her dog out for a walk. Her husband is deployed, and she didn’t want to check it out herself, so she called it in.”

  “It could have been a cleaning crew. That is a nice-size house, and there are plenty of air force personnel with big families who’d love to have it. I doubt it’s going to stay empty long,” Gretchen suggested as Justin pulled into the driveway of the two-story brick home. Currently there were no lights in any of the windows. The front door was closed, as were all the visible windows. Someone may have been there, but the place looked empty now.

  “That thought crossed my mind, but I want to check it out, anyway.” He turned off the engine, and his K-9, Quinn, shifted impatiently in his travel crate. The Belgian Malinois loved his work, and he was anxious to get out and do it. Trained in suspect apprehension, he had a great nose and a strong prey-and-play drive that made him easy to train and a pleasure to work with. When they’d first been partnered together, Quinn had reminded Justin of Scout—a German shepherd he’d found as a puppy and fostered until he was old enough to enter the K-9 training program. At the time, Justin already had a K-9 partner. Scout had been partnered with another officer and earned a reputation for being a superstar on the team, but he’d remained one of Justin’s favorite dogs.

  Now he was missing, along with two more of the four superstar German shepherds that had been released from the kennels by Sullivan.

  “Ready, boy?” Justin asked his K-9 as he climbed out of the SUV.

  Quinn shifted again, whining softly.

  “What’s the plan?” Gretchen asked, following him to the back of the SUV.

  “Quinn and I will do a perimeter search. He’ll know if someone is here.”

  “You and Quinn? And I’m supposed to wait here and twiddle my thumbs?”

  “You are going to keep your eye on the front door. I don’t want anyone escaping out the front while Quinn and I are around back.”

  “Come on, Captain. You know that’s not going to happen.”

  “When it comes to Boyd Sullivan, I know we need to expect the unexpected.” He opened Quinn’s crate and hooked the dog to his leash.

  “When it comes to Sullivan, you’d be happy if you could keep everyone away from him. Admit it. You want me to stay here so I don’t get anywhere close to the guy we’re after.”

  She was right, but he wasn’t going to argue the validity of his feelings. The fact was, he was Boyd’s target, and he didn’t want Gretchen to be collateral damage. “Stay here, Captain.”

  He headed around the side of the house, Quinn heeling beside him. The dog was nearly prancing with excitement, his nose in the air, his tail high.

  And Gretchen, of course, was following, her boots thudding softly on the grassy side yard.

  “I told you to stay with the vehicle,” he said, not glancing in her direction. His focus was ahead—the dark backyard and shadowy corners.

  “Unfortunately for you, we’re of equal rank and equal authority. This is your base, so usually I do things your way, but going into a situation like this without backup is dangerous. So, this time, I’m doing things my way,” she said, and he couldn’t argue. If Boyd weren’t a factor, he wouldn’t have told her to stay at the SUV.

  They were both well-trained military police officers.

  They’d both reached the rank of captain.

  She was as capable as Justin.

  He was still worried.

  Quinn turned a tight circle at the corner of the house, his ears twitching, his scruff raised.

  He’d caught a scent. Justin released him from the leash.

  “Find,” he commanded, and Quinn barked once, excited. Eager. He bounded toward the back door of the house, head high, obviously detecting a scent.

  Please, God, let it be Boyd, Justin prayed silently.

  He wanted this over. He wanted Boyd behind bars, his victims finally receiving the justice they deserved, their families finally receiving closure.

  Portia safe.

  Quinn snuffled an old mat that had been left near the back door, turned a quick circle and bounded away. He worked silently, nose to the ground, trotting alon
g an invisible trail. Left. Right. Toward the back of the house and then away.

  No bark of alert. No sprint back to indicate that someone was nearby. They’d been doing this together for years, and Justin knew his dog well enough to know that the Malinois sensed no danger.

  His skin crawled, anyway.

  He had a feeling about this. One he couldn’t shake. Boyd might not be there now, but Justin’s gut said he had been.

  “What do you think?” Gretchen asked quietly.

  “Whoever was here is gone,” Justin responded, watching as Quinn ran back to the door. He nudged it with his nose, and it swung open, creaking on old hinges.

  Quinn didn’t enter. He just glanced back over his shoulder to see if Justin was following.

  “Front!” Justin called, and Quinn sprinted back, stopping short directly in front of him and sitting there, tongue lolling, a happy smile on his face.

  “Why would Boyd enter an empty house and then leave?” Gretchen asked, her gaze focused on the open door. “He’s been keeping pretty well hidden. He obviously has safe places to go to ground.”

  “I was wondering the same thing,” Justin admitted, walking to the door and shining his flashlight on the opening. He was looking for signs of a booby trap, evidence that Boyd had left something dangerous behind. He wasn’t the kind of criminal who did things without careful planning and thought. He was smart, meticulous and, thus far, one step ahead of Justin and the base police.

  “A booby trap, maybe?” Gretchen suggested what he was thinking. “Or a bomb?” She crouched, peering into the dark house.

  Justin continued his search of the door. From what he could see, there was no trip wire and no evidence that the door had been booby-trapped.

  “If he was here, he had an agenda, and it wasn’t just finding a place to hang out for a couple of hours,” he responded. “I’ll call in our explosive detecting team. Nick Donovan and his K-9, Annie, can check things out before we go in and look around.”