Trail Of Evidence. Lynette Eason

a fellow Capitol K-9 member, and kept her eyes on Jonas’s house. It looked empty and deserted. Just the way they wanted it to look. If someone planned to return to the scene of the crime, she and Nicholas would be waiting. “What time is it?”

      “Five minutes later than the last time you asked,” he said.

      “You sound like my grandfather.”

      “You sound like a five-year-old. It’s 4:45 a.m. An hour of the night that should have me in bed dreaming of a vacation on the beach, not conducting a stakeout.”

      She snorted and swung her gaze back to the area around the house, looking for movement, a flash of light. Anything. And got nothing.

      She could hear the dogs breathing behind her. They were suited up, their protective vests on and ready to go. And so was Brooke. She itched for a break, a chance to go after someone who could give them a break in this case.

      Instead of going after Felix to question him about the phone, they’d simply sent an officer to watch the house where he was staying. Felix was safe for now and if the person who wanted the phone came back and they caught him, Felix would never have to know how fortunate it was he chose to spend the night away from home. Talking to the boy could wait until morning. Catching the person who wanted the phone was priority. The sun would be up in a couple of hours, but Brooke just had a feeling something was going to happen.

      Her heart, protected by the Kevlar vest she’d donned earlier, thumped a heavy rhythm. Anticipation swept through her. It was about time something good happened.

      General Margaret Meyer apparently thought so, too. The Capitol K-9 Unit existed because of her. Her current position as the White House Special In-House Security Chief gave her a lot of power and leeway. Gavin reported straight to her and she expected top-notch results from her team. Which they gave her. When Gavin had presented her with the need for some manpower due to a possible break in the case, she’d been more than happy to spare Nicholas from his current duties at the White House to help Brooke track down the lead.

      “So who is this guy?” Nicholas asked. He sipped on a drink they’d picked up from the local gas station.

      “What guy?” Brooke knew exactly who he meant, but she needed to buy some time to figure out just how much she wanted to reveal about Jonas. Then again, it wasn’t like there was that much to say. Nicholas simply lifted a brow and she shrugged. “We met about eight years ago. He was doing an internship and I was a rookie K-9 cop.”

      “And you hit it off?”

      “We did.”

      “Was it serious?”

      She hesitated. It had been serious. Too serious. “We were friends. We had a lot in common and spent some time together, but—” she shrugged “—it just didn’t work out.”

      “It just didn’t work out, huh? Let me guess. He wanted more and you ran away.” She sucked in a deep breath and shot him a sharp look. Nicholas shrugged. “Sorry if I struck a nerve, it’s just what you do to every guy who shows interest in you.”

      “I do not.”

      “Do too.”

      Brooke snapped her lips shut. She would not get into some juvenile argument with him. Because they both knew he was right.

      Her phone rang. She lifted it to the ear that didn’t have the earpiece she’d use to communicate with Nicholas should they get separated. “Hello?”

      “Hi,” Jonas said.

      “Hi.” Did she hear footsteps? “Are you pacing the floor?”

      A short, humorless laugh filtered through the line. “Yes.”

      “Well, you can stop. Nothing’s happening—” A shadow to her left caught her attention. She nudged Nicholas who nodded. He was already watching him, tracking him with his eyes. The dark SUV blended into the nighttime surroundings. If they opened the doors, the interior lights would stay off. Even her cell phone was on the dimmest setting. There was no way the guy now approaching the back of Jonas’s house would know they were watching him. “Gotta go. Someone showed up. I’ll call you in a bit.” She hung up on his protest and opened the passenger door. Nicholas was already approaching the house, his weapon drawn, his dog, Max, at his side.

      Brooke pulled her own gun, let Mercy out of the back and went in the opposite direction of Nicholas. She rounded the corner of the house just behind Mercy. The dog barked and made a beeline for the figure at the back door.

      “Police! Freeze!” Brooke called.

      Nicholas started to close the gap. “Don’t move!” The man turned, raised his hands. Instead of deciding he was caught, he spun and darted for the back fence that separated Jonas’s house from the neighbor behind him. The dark-clad figure scaled the fence and dropped to the other side. Nicholas went after him. Brooke called to Mercy and together, she and the dog went another route.

      Back around the side of the house, Brooke was just in time to see the would-be intruder bolt down the street. Nicholas let Max go with the command to stop the fleeing fugitive, so Brooke kept Mercy beside her. Max cut loose with a low woof and loped off in pursuit, his strides long and even. Brooke lost sight of him as she and Nicholas raced to catch up. The guy was fast.

      Brooke figured Max was faster.

      Until she and Nicholas almost slammed into the tall chain-link fence when they turned the next corner.

      * * *

      She’d hung up on him. Jonas glared at the phone as though the blame lay with the device. He growled and stomped out of his temporary bedroom at the veterinary office.

      Brooke had hung up on him because someone was near his house and probably trying to break in. Their surveillance plan worked, but would she be in danger now? He paced to the door. Two officers sat in the parking lot. He knew another one was parked at the back. And one was at the Fuller household where Felix was spending the night.

      Not that he expected that someone would be able to figure out where Felix was if they were looking for him, but he had to admit knowing an officer was watching out for his son made him feel better. He and Brooke had discussed picking Felix up and bringing him back to the office for the night, but they decided not to. Brooke argued that he was probably safer where he was at this point. It wasn’t the Fuller house that had been bombed or the Fuller house that had been broken into. They’d come looking for the phone, not Felix.

      He appreciated the fact that no one was taking any chances with his safety, but now Brooke might be in danger.

      But that was her job. She was probably in dangerous situations all the time. That was what she did, right?

      Yes, but it didn’t make it any easier for him to deal with. Not when she was in danger because his son had taken a phone that didn’t belong to him and the wrong people had tracked him down.

      He had to know she was all right. He walked to the front desk and grabbed his keys. His car was in the first parking spot. He paused for a second. What if he went to find her and just got in the way?

      But he wouldn’t. He’d drive past his house and see if anything was happening, make sure everything was under control. Jonas headed out the door and walked over to the police officer who was exiting his vehicle.

      “Sir? You need to go back inside.”

      “I’m going to run an errand.” He switched directions and headed for his car, his worry pushing him and spurring him to move faster. “I’ll be back shortly.”

      “I don’t advise you leaving on your own.”

      “I wouldn’t if it wasn’t an emergency.”

      “Let me call it in and see if they want someone to tail you then.”

      “I don’t have time to wait, but I’m going to my house for a few minutes. You can send someone there.” He slid into the driver’s seat, cranked the car and backed