The Military K-9 Unit Collection. Valerie Hansen

hear a clear reply, but her tone was enough for him to tell she wasn’t impressed with his suggestion. That was okay. He knew she’d already checked all the locks and was perfectly capable of taking care of such details. Habit and her enemy’s efforts at making her look unstable had spurred him to speak up.

      Freddy was standing at his feet, apparently waiting for an invitation to join him, so Linc patted the adjoining sofa cushion. “C’mon up, kid. And bring your friends.”

      Scrambling up with a small assist from Linc, the boy dumped his armload of toys in a cascade of synthetic fur.

      Linc smiled. “Who all have we got here?”

      “That’s puppy one.” He chose another. “This is puppy two.”

      Linc picked up a similar toy. “Is this puppy three?”

      Freddy giggled. “No, Sergeant Linc. That’s a kitty.”

      “Oh, sorry. My mistake.”

      “You can have her to sleep with if you want,” Freddy offered. “She’s a really good kitty. My favorite.”

      “Thank you.” Linc couldn’t help his growing smile. Freddy had not only presented him with a stuffed animal, he’d given his best. “That’s very nice of you.”

      “You’re welcome. I like you.”

      He ruffled the child’s soft hair. “I like you, too.”

      “You like my mama?”

      “Sure.”

      Apparently satisfied, the boy wiggled around, pushing aside toys, until he was snuggled tight against Linc’s side and partially tucked beneath his arm. Then he yawned so loudly Star looked up to check on them.

      “You go to sleep,” Linc said. “I’m tired, too.”

      “Uh-huh. ’Night.”

      Leaning over slightly, despite the throbbing in his temples, Linc placed a kiss on the top of Freddy’s head. “Good night, buddy.”

      When the boy snuggled even closer, laid a small arm part way across his ribs and whispered, “I love you,” Linc was stunned. All his life he’d believed he disliked children, yet this one had punched a Texas-size hole in his opinion—and in his heart.

      Leaning his head back again, Linc replied softly, “I love you, too, Freddy.”

      * * *

      Zoe heated the soup then peeked in to ask Freddy and Linc if they wanted theirs in bowls at the table or in mugs they could sip from on the sofa. But she found them asleep. So was Star, who was snoring loudly.

      Hesitant to disturb them, she gazed fondly at the scene of familial bliss. The only thing missing was her. In Zoe’s eyes, she belonged on the opposite side of Linc, also snuggled close, to share in the perfect peace and trust her son was enjoying.

      Instead, she returned to the kitchen and took the pot of soup off the stove. It would keep. So would her unacceptable dreams and wishes. Even if Linc did seem to be showing affection toward Freddy, she had to assume that feeling didn’t extend to her. She was a job, a duty and an often-unpleasant one. If Linc and his fellow Security Forces members weren’t after Boyd, they were chasing other bad guys, which had made her formerly stable life the subject of their ongoing investigations. Of course, Linc was here. Like the security team parked out in the street, he was actually working. And so was Star.

      Zoe plopped down in a kitchen chair, elbows on the table, head in her hands, and let her mind drift like a plane in a holding pattern—until it touched down on solid ground and came to a screeching halt. What was that noise? Was Freddy ready to be put to bed? Had Linc stirred because he was unwell?

      Rising as silently as possible, she tiptoed to the doorway to check on her guests. Star was the only one paying attention. Her head was raised, her ears forward, her nostrils twitching, seeking information available only to her keen canine senses.

      Zoe was now certain that the sound she’d heard hadn’t come from any of them. So what had disturbed her? She turned. Started back to the table. And spotted a piece of folded paper lying on the floor just inside her back door.

      Eyes wide, she froze. How had someone bypassed the guard outside and got this close? Zoe stared at the note as if it were an angry Texas diamondback poised to strike. It may as well have been, given the effect it was having on her.

      Trembling, she studied the double-locked door. Everything was intact. No one had tried to get in. But they had made it far enough to shake her world to its foundation.

      She took a step closer and started to bend and reach for the piece of paper. But she stopped and made the kind of judgment a prey animal makes. The door was solid enough to deter rapid entry but probably not thick enough to stop a bullet. Maybe whoever had left that paper was still out there, gun aimed and hammer cocked, waiting for her to make a noise that would tell them it was time to act. To fire.

      Trying to slow her rapid breathing, Zoe thought about grabbing a broom to retrieve the note by dragging it to her. Instead, she crouched and duckwalked out of the kitchen, not straightening until she was almost to the sofa. A light touch on Linc’s arm brought him instantly awake and ready for battle.

      “It’s just me,” she said, hands raised to deflect any instinctive efforts at self-defense.

      “What’s the matter?” He was scrubbing one hand over his face while the other palm rested on his sidearm.

      “A note,” Zoe whispered. “Somebody just shoved it under the back door and I didn’t know what to do.”

      Linc immediately radioed the situation to the guard stationed outside, then commanded Star to watch the boy and made his way to the kitchen with Zoe.

      She pointed. “There. See?”

      The paper crackled when Linc picked it up. They heard movement on the deck. A board creaked. Something slid across the wood. A boot? A step?

      Linc drew his gun. Frozen in place, they waited and listened for more.

      A sharp knock and an all-clear call from the other guard came in seconds. It was only then that Zoe realized she’d been holding her breath.