Guardian Of Justice. Carol Steward

don’t need to know that. Mickey will definitely be back, and when he arrives, he’ll have a greeting committee.”

      Kira still couldn’t believe the Drug Enforcement Administration was watching a house here in the middle of rural Colorado. She knew meth labs were common here, but they didn’t usually reach the level of the DEA. “Why is the DEA involved?”

      “Didn’t you notice the bags of meth and bricks of coke in the corner?” he asked quietly.

      “Cocaine?” As soon as she said it, she popped her hand over her mouth.

      “Who knows what all we’re going to find.”

      Kira looked around. “You’re kidding, right?”

      “I think you need to get the children out of here as soon as possible.”

      FIVE

      As Kira walked toward the home, she took a deep breath, saying a quick prayer for God to give her wisdom to help this family. She paused before going inside, wondered which foster home, if any, had space available for two kids tonight. “Lord, would you prepare a home for these children while I go through the paperwork? I know the system is full, but I need a miracle, again.”

      “So, that necklace is more than just a decoration, huh?” Dallas said as he rejoined her again.

      “Definitely. I couldn’t get through a day without God. Some days we have a lot of talks. What about you?” Kira glanced quickly at the attractive officer, trying not to stare into his touch but tender gaze. He’s nice looking, she thought.

      “We have an on-again off-again relationship, it seems,” he said quietly as they reached the door. “In this line of work, you can’t survive without God to cover your back, but the attendance records in any church are pretty dismal.”

      “That’s the nature of the job, unfortunately.” Kira didn’t have time to think about his comments now. She had work to do. While the drug task force evaluated the contamination threat of the home, Kira and Dallas convinced the mother that she had no options left. Finally, Shirley gave the information Kira needed about parents and possible extended family members who might be able to take care of the children while she was “away.” Kira explained that a family group conference would be scheduled to meet with a review committee from Social Services to discuss care of the children. In the meantime, Kira would investigate the suitability of each family member.

      The mother was angry, Cody quiet and Betsy just plain afraid. A female officer came and sat with the kids in the other room while Kira talked with the mother.

      “Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration will be here soon,” Dallas said, prompting her to finish up. “They’d like the kids out of here before they arrive. We need to have a doctor make sure the kids haven’t been exposed to any harmful chemicals or drugs.”

      The mother began swearing again as they were taken away.

      “What about the drugs,” Kira asked quietly. “Are they making them in the home, too?”

      “No, it’s not a kitchen, so we don’t have those risks to deal with. But just in case, they’ve had the children change clothes. And since it’s become such a big problem in the area, we have those new regulations to follow. We need to have the children checked out at the hospital. As for Mickey and Shirley, their problems are much bigger than you can imagine. Best we just get the kids into a home, where they can move on.”

      Her jaw dropped.

      “Come on, how soon will you be ready?” Dallas motioned toward the kids’ bedrooms. “Let’s get their things and go, so that the DEA can do their work.”

      Kira looked around each child’s room. There wasn’t much that they would be allowed to take, yet somehow they’d filled a few bags. “Anything else you need?”

      “I want my bear!” Betsy demanded.

      Dallas knelt down next to the girl. “I have a brand-new stuffed animal I’d like to give you, Betsy. I know it’s not the same but—”

      “I want my bear.”

      Kira offered Betsy a hug, while Cody hit them all over the head with the cold, hard facts. “They had to take it, Betsy. Mickey stuffed it with drugs, remember? The police have to take it now.” His voice was filled with bitterness.

      “Mama…” Betsy whimpered.

      It never failed to amaze Kira that children clung to the familiar even when it wasn’t worth holding on to. Getting the kids’ essentials together drained her, for it brought back too many memories of her own childhood misery.

      “We need to leave now,” she said softly. “I’m going to find a nice home for you to stay at until I’ve had a chance to talk with your aunt.”

      “No, I want Mommy,” Betsy whined, running down the hallway.

      Dallas caught her and lifted her into his arms. “Come on, Betsy, let’s find that new toy I have for you.” He carried her to the patrol car while Cody lagged defiantly behind.

      What little rapport Kira had managed to build with the girl diminished just as quickly once Betsy figured out she was being taken away from her mother. She wanted nothing to do with Kira now.

      Cody caught up with Officer Brooks immediately when Betsy screamed for her mother.

      “I’ll take care of her, she’s my sister.” Cody puffed his scrawny chest out and reached for Betsy. Officer Brooks relinquished the little girl without a word.

      That surprised her, but why, Kira wasn’t sure. She studied him a moment before turning to watch the boy’s response to his sister’s fear.

      “It’s going to be okay, Bets,” Cody said in a soothing voice. “I promise, I’ll take care of you.” He paused only long enough for Dallas to open the back door of Officer Williams’s patrol car. Williams had taken Dallas’s cruiser to the impound lot for the investigator to run prints and record the damage. They didn’t want the kids to see the destruction Mickey had done. They’d already been through enough.

      As Cody waited for his sister to climb into the car, he turned to Officer Brooks. “Thanks, man,” he said quietly.

      Kira couldn’t believe what she thought she heard. She shot a quick glance at Dallas just in time to see him deliberately wipe a smile from his face. “Just doing my job.”

      Kira carried the children’s belongings, feeling slightly left out. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had thanked her for removing them from a dangerous home setting. She waited for Dallas to close the door before she said anything. “What was that about?”

      “It’s our job. You can’t let feelings get in the way.”

      She stood there, stunned, while Dallas took the grocery bags holding the kids’ few belongings, and put them into the trunk. She knew he was right, but it didn’t stop the pain. She was the one who’d been terrorized, she’d found Betsy, then she’d convinced Dallas that they needed to be removed from the home. Yet he received the thanks, the hugs and the glory.

      How dare he claim they couldn’t let themselves get emotionally involved? “How, exactly, do you turn off the emotions, Officer Brooks?”

      “I thought we agreed that you’d call me Dallas. I’m doing my job. There’s no room for emotions.”

      She didn’t believe him for a minute. “Job well done, then. If you wouldn’t mind taking us to the police station so I can get my car, I’d appreciate it.”

      “I’ll be happy to, after we have the kids checked out at the hospital. Hopefully, that won’t take too long, since the house wasn’t where the meth was cooked.”

      Kira called the Social Services number and discussed the case with the staff member on duty. A few minutes later, as Dallas and Kira