Lara Lacombe - Colton K-9 Bodyguard

“Let him go,” Finn had said dryly. “I’ll send some men out to talk to him later. In the meantime...”

Why would the man lie? Micah wondered. His story was easily verifiable. What did Tucker stand to gain by sending the police on a fool’s errand?

Chunk suddenly pulled against his lead, interrupting Micah’s thoughts. He focused on the dog, who was now staring intently at the door of one of the stores. “Find something?” Micah asked softly.

Chunk made a low ruff sound in response, and Micah felt his heart pick up speed. He gave the dog his head, and Chunk led him directly to the door, which Micah could now see was ajar. He realized with a little shock that it was the back door to Bea Colton’s bridal salon, and his gut tightened. He hadn’t seen Bea since he’d left for basic training. Once upon a time, he’d thought she was the love of his life. He’d learned the truth the hard way, and the lesson still stung.

Chunk huffed at the door and Micah carefully pulled it open. It was pitch-black inside the store, and he paused on the threshold. Chunk was trained to detect human blood, but he didn’t have any way of communicating if he was scenting something fresh or old. If there was a body inside, Micah didn’t want to surprise the killer and wind up with a bullet for his trouble.

“Police,” he called out loudly. “Identify yourself.”

He could hear the faint wail of a siren in the distance, but there was no sound from within the store. Moving carefully, Micah dropped Chunk’s leash and grabbed his flashlight, keeping his other hand on the butt of his gun.

Chunk darted into the store, presumably heading for the source of the scent. Micah quickly swept the room with his flashlight, searching for any signs that he wasn’t alone. The beam of light revealed nothing but racks of dresses and boxes stacked neatly on shelves. He took a breath and slowly exhaled, focusing on the feel of the room. He didn’t sense anyone else, didn’t hear any breathing or furtive sounds like someone was trying to hide. The place was empty.

There was a switch by the door, but it didn’t work. He ran the beam of his light along the wall again until he caught the glint of the fuse box on the far side. He flipped a few breakers back into position, and the room flooded with light.

Micah blinked against the sudden brightness. “Chunk?” he called. He wasn’t worried about the dog—Chunk would go to the source of the smell he’d detected and no farther.

Chunk barked once, and Micah oriented to the sound. He rounded a rack of dresses and found his partner sitting next to a body on the floor.

A very feminine body...

Micah knelt next to the dog, his breath caught in his throat. No. It couldn’t be.

“Please, no,” he whispered.

As the first on the scene, he had to help her. His hands shook a little as he reached out and grabbed the woman’s shoulders. Carefully, slowly, he turned her onto her back and got a good look at her face.

The bottom dropped out of his stomach. It was Bea Colton.

Chapter 2

Micah stared down at Bea’s bloody face, his heart in his throat. Was she—?

Her chest rose and fell, and relief washed over him as he realized she was still alive.

He reached for his walkie-talkie. “Brayden, I need backup. Call an ambulance.” He quickly relayed his position and returned his focus to Bea. Chunk nosed him inquisitively, and he realized he had forgotten to reward the dog for his find.

“Good job, buddy.” He dug in the pouch on his belt for a treat and absently handed it over. Chunk gobbled it up in one bite, then set about exploring the rest of the room.

“Bea?” Micah gently brushed the hair back from her forehead, noticing the nasty gash along her hairline as he did so. He glanced around, searching for something he could use to stanch the flow of blood from the wound. But all he saw were racks of wedding gowns and frilly lace veils. Bea would kill him if he ruined one of them, so he yanked his shirt from his belt and used his utility knife to cut off a strip from the T-shirt he wore underneath his button-down. It wasn’t sterile, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

She didn’t stir as he pressed the fabric to her head, and his worry grew. He wasn’t sure how long she’d been unconscious, but since her wound was still bleeding freely, the attack was probably recent. But where was her assailant?

No one had run out of the store into the alley, at least not since he and Brayden had arrived. They must have escaped through the front door. For a split second, Micah considered checking to see if the door was unlocked, but he didn’t want to leave Bea alone while she was still unconscious. Brayden would be here any minute, and he could look around for clues.

“Police!” Brayden’s voice boomed into the otherwise silent store, and some of Micah’s worry eased.

“Over here,” he called.

Brayden was at his side in an instant, his gaze taking in the scene. “What happened?” He knelt beside Micah, frowning at the sight of Bea’s bloody face. This was Brayden’s cousin, and though Micah knew Bea’s and Brayden’s branches of the family weren’t exactly close, it couldn’t be easy to see her this way.

“Not sure,” Micah replied. “Chunk alerted, and when we came in, he found her. No signs of an intruder, but I’m thinking they escaped out the front door since we didn’t see anyone in the alley.”

“I’ll go check.” Brayden stood and headed for the stockroom door. “Uh, Micah?”

“What?”

“I think Chunk has found something else.”

Micah turned to see the dog pacing back and forth in front of the door that led into the store proper. Chunk let out a low whine, and it was clear he was interested in something beyond the door.

“Can you take him?” he asked Brayden. “I don’t want to leave her alone.”

“No problem,” Brayden replied. Technically, Chunk was trained to work with Micah, but he would be fine with Brayden for a moment, especially in a closed environment like the boutique. “Chunk,” Micah commanded. “Go find.”

The dog let out a happy yip and shot into the other room when Brayden opened the door. After a few seconds, Micah heard his characteristic alert bark and knew the dog had discovered something.

Another injured person? Or a corpse?

Micah kept his shirt pressed to Bea’s head, silently willing her to wake up. He was no doctor, but the longer she stayed unconscious, the more his worry grew. “Come on, Bea,” he said softly. “Wake up for me.”

She stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

“Bea.” He breathed out her name on a sigh of relief. “You’re okay. I’m here.”

Her dazed eyes focused on him. “Micah?” Her voice was weak, and her tone held a note of wonder as if she couldn’t believe she was really seeing him.

“Yes, it’s me. I’ll take care of you.”

“Don’t leave me.”

Her request pierced his heart. As if he could walk away from her now. “I won’t. I’ll stay with you. I promise.”

She smiled faintly, then closed her eyes again and appeared to drift back into unconsciousness.

“Oh, no you don’t. Wake up. Please keep talking to me.”

She frowned slightly. “Hurts.”

“I know, baby, but you need to stay awake.”

“Okay,” she said agreeably. But her eyes remained closed.

Where’s the ambulance? he thought desperately. The sooner Bea got to the hospital, the better.

Brayden returned at that moment, Chunk by his side. The dog trotted over to Micah and nosed the pouch on his belt, clearly ready for another reward. “Well?” Micah asked as he gave Chunk a treat. He glanced at the pair and then returned his gaze to Bea. Stay awake, he silently pleaded with her.