Colton P.i. Protector. Regan Black

handler, would be on edge, hoping for the best and braced for the worst.

      As efficiently and graciously as possible, she accepted the concern from her colleagues. Although she was impatient to get out there with Shane, she was glad to hear the dogs were only slightly off today and new security guards had been hired to prevent another mishap.

      Mishap. As if a missing attack dog was on the same level as a puppy’s bladder giving way indoors.

      With the microchip scanner in hand, she was nearly out the door when she noticed Tyler Miller hanging back as if he didn’t want to intrude. A little shy, he was a smart kid willing to do any task and was good with the dogs. In her eyes, he was as valuable to the program as any of the trainers. Smiling, she walked over to speak with him. At fourteen, he was already taller than her. They’d met at the community youth center. It had taken a few months, but she’d finally convinced him to visit the training center. Now he spent every available hour here. Through the course of working with him, she knew he didn’t have a great home life and his experiences at school, the youth center and the training center might be the only good examples he had.

      “How are the puppies doing today, Tyler?”

      He shrugged a bony shoulder, his long, dark hair falling over his brown eyes. He gave up studying his shoes to meet her gaze. “They seem a little bummed. What about you?”

      “I’m just fine now.” If she said it enough it might feel true. Physically, it was true. She thought he could use a hug, but she kept her arms to herself. Tyler had told her early on he didn’t do hugs.

      He shuffled his feet. “They said you were in the hospital.” His gaze slid away, then back, hot with temper. “Were you hurt bad?”

      “No,” she replied. He seemed so angry on her behalf she tried to downplay it even more. “The overnight observation was only a precaution. I promise you, I’m fine. I had a weird reaction to whatever drug was used on me.”

      “As long as you’re okay. I was worried when I heard about it.” His eyes drifted over her shoulder and he took a quick step backward. “I’ll get back to work. Take care.” He gave her a half smile as he turned and disappeared down the hallway to the kennels.

      She only noticed Shane and Stumps had come up behind her once Tyler was gone. Knowing what she did of Shane’s background, she’d wanted to introduce them.

      “You seem a little rattled,” Shane said as she walked out with him and Stumps.

      “I’m fine.” In a perfect world, she would have broken into a run. She fought the urge to look back over her shoulder. Doing so would only reveal too much to an investigator as observant as Shane. “More security is a good first step,” she said, hoping to shift his attention to a safer topic.

      “You’re pale again.”

      Clearly, that tactic failed. “I’m fine,” she repeated.

      “What happened last night—”

      She cut him off with a look as he opened the passenger door for her.

      “All I’m saying is that no one would blame you if you took the day off.”

      “We need to find the dog.” Her eyes didn’t hurt anymore, but she donned her sunglasses anyway and closed the door herself. Staying home wouldn’t help Nico. Right now, she wasn’t even sure she could stay home alone and stay sane.

      “Let me do the talking when we question the Larsons,” he said, pulling away from the curb.

      It was a reasonable request. He was trained in investigation. She was trained in dogs. “As long as you let me give the commands if Nico is there.”

      “Deal.”

      That might be the first agreement between a Gage and a Colton in a long while. Well, if she didn’t count her little brother Vincent’s lovesick vow to marry Shane’s cousin Valeria Colton. At nineteen, they just couldn’t seem to accept they were too young for that kind of pledge. “What do the Coltons think of Valeria and Vincent?”

      “How should I know?” Shane muttered. “We’re not a hive mind.”

      Did the man have to be so aggravating? “What do you think of their relationship?”

      “I think nineteen is too young to make any lifelong commitment,” he replied. “And despite their claims to the contrary, I’m sure they’re still dating.”

      She shouldn’t have been surprised they agreed on that point, too. It was common sense. Both families had voiced worry for Vincent’s safety, with the Groom Killer on the loose.

      “He’s your brother,” Shane said. “Can’t you reason with him?”

      “He’s nineteen,” she laughed. “No one can tell him anything he doesn’t already know. We’ve all tried.”

      She remembered the challenges of being a teenager, when every choice felt like it carried life-and-death consequences, and her childhood had been nearly perfect. Just one reason she invested her time at the youth center, mentoring teens like Tyler. “Do you ever volunteer at the youth center?” she asked.

      Shane snorted. “I’m hardly role model material.”

      “I disagree,” she blurted without thinking.

      He parked the car on the street, across from the Larson offices. “Care to elaborate?”

      “Not really.” Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut? She looked over at the modern-style glass building. It wasn’t exactly out of place, yet something about it felt too shiny to be real.

      “Nice building,” she murmured, refusing to turn and risk meeting Shane’s hard blue gaze. The sign stated the Larson brothers owned a real estate company. If that was true, they’d made some smart or lucky deals to come into their fortune so suddenly.

      “Ready?” She reached for the door handle.

      “Tell me why you think I could be a role model,” Shane demanded.

      “That can wait.”

      “Call me an in-the-moment kind of guy.” The words were full of a bitterness that made her feel terrible.

      She was sure that was exactly what he wanted by the not-so-subtle reference to his eighteen months in prison. A year and a half stolen from Shane when her grandfather manipulated the case to pin a murder on him.

      “You haven’t let circumstances define you.” She hoped that would be enough. They had a dog to find. His choked laughter told her otherwise. Pushing her sunglasses up to the top of her head, she faced him at last. “People admire you for what you’ve accomplished.”

      “People?” His eyebrows lifted. “Evidence and confessions aside, people have been waiting nearly a decade for me to do something that proves I should be locked up.”

      “That isn’t true.”

      “Isn’t it?” He barreled on. “We both know my sister is the prime suspect in your brother’s murder because our father is Rusty Colton and we were raised on the rough side of town. Blood tells.”

      “When the victim spells out her name with his own blood it sure does.” She regretted the words immediately. She held up her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. I don’t really believe Demi killed Bo.” She was surprised she didn’t get frostbite from his brittle, cold glare. “I do believe you could be a benefit to those kids.”

      He leaned across the console. “Being exonerated by a good DNA test and a witness who found God doesn’t make me role model material.”

      “No, it doesn’t,” she agreed, refusing to let him intimidate her further. “What you’ve done since as a business owner and a K9 officer does. Your perseverance and determination to build a life and reputation against steep odds would be a big inspiration to kids struggling to find a way out