plans.” Shaking her head even though he couldn’t see her doing it, she added, “I’d rather hang out with you than have to break in a new bodyguard.”
His muted chuckle came through. “Break in? Is that how you see our interaction? I’m not sure I like that opinion, Sergeant. It’s not very flattering.”
“Okay. How about if I admit how scared witless I was this morning and appeal to your sympathetic nature? I desperately need a friend—or at least somebody who doesn’t view me as crazy or dangerous. Or both.” Zoe lowered her voice and softened the tone. “I can’t explain it any better than that, Colson. This hasn’t been the worst day of my life—yet—but it’s running a close second or third.”
“All right. Do you know where the base dog-training complex is located?”
“Yes.”
“I’m at the vet hospital between it and the enlisted rec center. You can’t miss it. And don’t try to walk all this way no matter how much you love Texas weather. Take a cab.”
Smiling into the distance, Zoe could barely glimpse flags flying on the far side of the base. If she’d been clad for running or PT, she might have left her car behind and considered a brisk walk. Dressed in her uniform and the matching pumps that the outfit called for, however, she was far less inclined to go for a long hike, even on sidewalks.
“No worries,” Zoe told Linc. “I drove over here this morning so I could drop off Freddy at preschool.”
The temporary silence on the other end of the line gave her pause. She scowled when Linc said, “Tell you what, either I’ll come pick you up or you need to take a cab.”
“Why? I told you I have my car.”
His sigh was audible. “Yeah. You parked it there, right?”
“Of course, I did. I couldn’t very well stuff it in my briefcase and carry it into class with me.”
“Meaning it has sat unguarded for how long?”
“Just a few minutes.” She looked at her watch. “Maybe fifteen at the most.”
“Call a taxi.”
The finality of his command jolted her rather than inciting anger. “You think somebody did something to my car? Why here? Why not back at my apartment?”
“One, we kept an eye on it there and two, that parking lot is always real busy. The place you parked this morning is far more isolated.” He cleared his throat. “Humor me, Zoe. Be on the safe side. Call a cab. And do it now, before word gets around that you’ve been relieved of duty and your enemies start to figure out your new behavior patterns.”
“I really hate feeling so vulnerable.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I’d be there right now if Star hadn’t got hurt.”
“I’m the one who should apologize. You’re worried sick about her, and here I am causing you even more problems. I’ll be there ASAP. Watch for my taxi.”
“Thanks,” Linc said.
She could tell he meant it. “No, thank you, Sergeant. You may be the only one on base who believes in me. I do appreciate it.”
“The cab,” he said gruffly.
“Gotcha. Hanging up now and dialing a ride.”
Despite the first pangs of an impending headache, Zoe did as she’d promised. Then she slowly approached her parked sedan and gave it a once-over, even leaned sideways to peer under it. Nothing seemed tampered with or added.
Before her life had been so disrupted, she might easily have pulled out her keys and driven despite Linc’s dire warning.
Now she wouldn’t touch that car if her life depended upon it. She straightened, fighting an unexpected wave of dizziness. And little wonder. If Linc was right, her life actually might depend upon following his orders. She wasn’t about to ignore his advice and test the concept.
* * *
When Linc completed the call, he noticed Captain Roark’s arched eyebrows, so he explained. “Sergeant Sullivan is coming here since I can’t go to her right now.”
Roark shrugged. “You could, you know. Star is in good hands.”
“I suppose so,” Linc said, “but my CO told me to stay with her until I could make a detailed report on her condition. We assumed Sullivan would be secure while she was teaching.”
“I take it she isn’t?”
Shaking his head, Linc said, “She may be safe enough but she isn’t teaching. They relieved her. I don’t understand why. She hasn’t done anything wrong. Everything’s circumstantial.”
The veterinarian grinned. “Never try to reason out orders from up top, Sergeant. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you expect them to always make sense.”
“Gotcha.” He eyed the doorway, wishing the tech would hurry up with those X-rays. “What’s taking so long?”
“Tell you what. Why don’t you go wait out front for Sergeant Sullivan while I see about your dog? If I need you, I’ll send for you.”
“That makes sense, I guess.” There was no way Linc could divide himself in two, so tending to one task while Roark followed up on another seemed the wisest choice.
Taking a deep, settling breath of fresh Texas air once he reached the sidewalk, Linc was struck by the conundrum he’d just acknowledged. A few weeks ago, there would have been no hard choice to make. He would have opted to remain with his K-9 partner and let someone else fill any other gaps.
Now, however, he saw that his loyalties were being divided, and he didn’t like it. In his mind, he visualized being at war with himself, as if he were both friend and foe in an ongoing battle in which there could be no clear-cut winner. If he directed all his energy toward Star and neglected taking care of Zoe and her little boy, he chanced letting harm come to them. If, on the other hand, he concentrated on the woman and child too much, he could lose Star, as present circumstances painfully demonstrated.
Almost convinced to turn and go back inside, he spotted an approaching taxi. To his chagrin, his heartbeat increased in speed and he felt beads of perspiration welling on his forehead. If Zoe was in that cab, then he’d know she was okay. What if she wasn’t?
Keying his mic, he radioed Captain Blackwood and identified himself. “I’m still at the vet’s. They’re taking X-rays of Star. Roark thinks she’s okay.”
“Good. Call me back when you know for sure.”
“I will. But there’s been another development,” Linc said. “Sullivan has been relieved of duty. She’s on her way to join me here.”
“What? Why weren’t we notified?”
“I imagine we will be. I just thought it best not to wait for the information to go through channels. When she told me, I instructed her to come here instead of my going to pick her up.”
“Good.
