Guard Duty
IF YOU TELL, YOU DIE. As a potential murder witness, rookie K-9 police officer Valerie Salgado is living with a death threat and caring for her young niece. And things get worse when FBI agent Trevor Lewis comes to Sagebrush, Texas.In exchange for her help on his case, Trevor offers Valerie protection, but Trevor has more walls around him than a maximum-security prison. And now Valerie must convince him that she, her niece and her K-9 partner would make the perfect family, if they can stay alive….Texas K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners
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âIF YOU TELL, YOU DIE.â
As a potential murder witness, rookie K-9 police officer Valerie Salgado is living with a death threat and caring for her young niece. And things get worse when FBI agent Trevor Lewis comes to Sagebrush, Texas. In exchange for her help on his case, Trevor offers Valerie protection, but Trevor has more walls around him than a maximum-security prison. And now Valerie must convince him that she, her niece and her K-9 partner would make the perfect family for him, if they can stay alive....
Valerie stared at the email... and felt shaken from the inside.
Bethany is such a pretty baby. It would be a shame to have anything happen to her.
âEverything okay?â Trevor asked, coming to stand beside her desk.
She forced the fear from her voice. âSure. Why?â
âYour hands are shaking.â He cupped his hand over hers.
She felt the warmth of his touch, saw the concern in his eyes. Would he think her weak if she revealed her fear? There probably wasnât anything that made this man afraid.
The warmth in his gaze told her to risk sharing. âI just got this.â
Trevorâs jaw hardened as he looked at the screen. âThis is all part of a game. Threatening your kid to upset you.â
She let out a shaky breath. âThen itâs working.â
TEXAS K-9 UNIT:
These lawmen solve the toughest cases
with the help of their brave canine partners
Tracking JusticeâShirlee McCoy, January 2013
Detection MissionâMargaret Daley, February 2013 Guard DutyâSharon Dunn, March 2013 Explosive SecretsâValerie Hansen, April 2013 Scent of DangerâTerri Reed, May 2013 Lone Star ProtectorâLenora Worth, June 2013
SHARON DUNN
has always loved writing, but didnât decide to write for publication until she was expecting her first baby. Pregnancy makes you do crazy things. Three kids, many articles and two mystery series later, she still hasnât found her sanity. Her books have won awards, including a Book of the Year award from American Christian Fiction Writers. She was also a finalist for an RT Book Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year award.
Sharon has performed in theater and church productions, has degrees in film production and history and worked for many years as a college tutor and instructor. Despite the fact that her résumé looks as if she couldnât decide what she wanted to be when she grew up, all the education and experience have played a part in helping her write good stories.
When she isnât writing or taking her kids to activities, she reads, plays board games and contemplates organizing her closet. In addition to her three kids, Sharon lives with her husband of twenty-two years, three cats and lots of dust bunnies. You can reach Sharon through her website, www.sharondunnbooks.net.
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
âPsalms 10:17,18
For Bart, the nervous Border collie,
who has brought laughter and unconditional devotion into my life.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Sharon Dunn for her contribution to the Texas K-9 Unit miniseries.
Contents
ONE
âK-9 unit 349. Convenience-store robbery, corner of State and Grand. Suspects are on the run.â
As she pushed the talk button to respond to dispatch, rookie officer Valerie Salgado felt that strange mixture of fear and excitement that came every time she responded to a call on patrol.
âCopy. Iâm about five blocks from that location. Any idea what direction our perps were going?â
Dispatch responded. âClerk doesnât know which way they ran. Three males. Two Caucasian, one African American. All dressed in dark clothing.â
For the past few months, every call had an extra sense of danger attached to it. A rash of robberies, drugs and murders that had been escalating in Sagebrush for years had recently been linked to a crime syndicate with an unknown leader.
Valerie hit her siren and sped up.
Maybe this was just a run-of-the-mill robbery, but maybe it was another symptom of a city under siege.
In the back of the patrol car, Valerieâs K-9 partner, Lexi, paced from one window to the other, emitting an almost ultrasonic whine. The only one more excited to catch a criminal than Valerie was her two-year-old Rottweiler.
Dispatch came across the line. âClerk says that two of the men were armed.â
Valerie took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. âAt least we know what we are dealing with, huh, Lex?â
The dog whined as though she understood.
As she neared the convenience store, Valerie scanned the streets and sidewalks for any sign of movement. Now that it was 10 p.m. and dark, it would be easy enough for the robbers to blend into surroundings if they were smart enough to walk instead of run. Traffic was light, and most of the shops were closed. The all-night burger joint up the street had attracted a little bit of a crowd.
