K-9 Defence. Elizabeth Heiter

the truck.

      Surprise and panic shot through her as Kensie’s gaze darted to the perpetrator. Colter.

      “Get out of the truck now!” Colter yelled at her, his voice deep and commanding. Rebel stood beside and slightly behind him, teeth bared.

      The panic intensified. She fumbled with her seatbelt as Danny climbed to his feet. She tried to open the door, but there was no door handle on the inside, just an empty space where it should have been.

      Kensie shoved at the door, but nothing happened. She launched herself across the bench seat, straight toward Danny.

      He was squaring off, facing Colter, as though he was about to take a swing. But across the street, people were starting to come out of businesses, maybe because they’d heard Colter’s yell.

      Danny paused, and while she still could, Kensie shoved herself out of the truck. Her body brushed past him and he started to turn toward her.

      Her heart was pounding out of control, her limbs heavy and awkward in her fear. Then Colter’s hand closed around hers, pulling her first to him and then shoving her behind him. The fear shifted, no longer for her own safety.

      Two men who’d come out of the hardware store were slowly walking their way. Talise stood outside with a cell phone to her ear and her eyes on the police station down the road.

      She knew Colter was strong from the way he’d practically lifted her off her feet just now, but with his bad leg, would Danny hurt him? Kensie’s whole body began to shake as she glanced back toward the police station, willing officers to come outside.

      “Drive away while you still can,” Colter said in a low, menacing tone that sent shivers up her arms.

      Rebel crouched low on her haunches and took a slow step forward, growling deep in her throat.

      Danny took one last glance at the approaching townspeople, then gave Rebel a nervous look. He let out a string of nasty curses directed at Colter. Then he jumped in the truck and pulled away so fast she and Colter had to leap backward to avoid being hit.

      As soon as Danny was gone, Colter spun toward her. The fury on his face was unlike anything she’d ever seen. His jaw was hard, his lips turned out in a near snarl. His eyes were narrowed into furious slits. But he took a deep breath and the tension disappeared, his face smoothing back into what seemed to be his default—not happy and mild, but serious and steady.

      Next to him, Rebel straightened, then sat, as if nothing had happened.

      “I’ll help you,” he told her.

      “What?” She was almost more shocked than when he’d pulled Danny out of his truck.

      “On one condition.”

      “Okay.”

      “It’s just me, Kensie. You don’t get into some random jerk’s truck. That guy—” He broke off, blowing out a breath, then finished. “I help you and no one else.”

      The fear that had filled her a moment ago drained away, leaving her exhausted. But a smile built up inside. This was what she needed. This was who she needed. Colter was her best chance to change everything that hurt in her life.

      He held out a hand. “We have a deal?”

      Kensie placed her hand in his, liking the way his fingers closed solidly over hers, as if he knew she was strong enough not to be crushed. “Deal.”

       Chapter Four

      Danny Weston had nearly kicked his ass.

      Colter shoved down the embarrassment and tried to be thankful for the show of support from the townspeople. Despite the fact that he’d been here almost a year, the people of Desparre barely knew him. But they probably knew Danny. And what they knew, he was pretty sure they didn’t like.

      On a good day, Colter could take a guy like Danny down with ease. But it had been a long time since he’d had a good day. He knew his limitations and, right now, his leg was screaming at him.

      It was a small price compared to the one his brothers had paid, but it stung to be so useless in a situation he should have been able to handle himself. Some badass Staff Sergeant he was.

      Of course, he wasn’t a military man at all anymore, except in his mind.

      Turning around and heading back into town after he’d dropped Kensie off had been a fluke. A nagging sense that he’d regret it if he didn’t help her look for her sister, even if he had no idea where to start.

      He glanced at her now, absently petting Rebel from the seat beside him. Her lips were clenched in a tight line and her head was bowed slightly, as though Desparre was beating her. She’d barely said a word since she’d followed him back to his truck, but she’d done a poor job of hiding her shaking.

      Anger at Danny for making her feel that way overtook his embarrassment, but even that was quickly eclipsed by fear. Fear over what could have happened if she’d ridden off in Danny’s truck instead of his.

      And nothing had been done about it. Police had shown up and taken his statement—and Kensie’s, about the missing door handle inside Danny’s truck. But the officers had shaken their heads, telling Colter he was lucky Danny wasn’t pressing charges for assault. When Colter argued about the door handle—obviously meant to keep someone trapped—they’d said it wasn’t a crime to have a broken truck.

      As someone who’d run investigations himself, Colter understood their dilemma. But that same experience told him Danny was still a threat.

      He shot another glance Kensie’s way, unable to stop himself from drinking in a quick look at her. Reassuring himself she was safe.

      Catching his look, she said softly, “Danny said he was Air Force. I thought I could trust him.”

      “I really am a Marine,” Colter blurted.

      Thankfully, she looked more perplexed than startled by his outburst.

      “An MP. Military Police,” he clarified. “I served for almost a decade, rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. I doubt Danny Weston’s gotten any closer to the service than walking past a recruiting booth.”

      “I shouldn’t have believed him.”

      Her voice was so low he almost didn’t catch it. His hands tightened on the wheel of his truck as he continued his slow, steady drive along one of Desparre’s back roads out of town. “The guy’s a creep, but he’s smart. Good at getting people to trust him. Especially women.”

      “I think he was in the grocery store. He heard me talking about you. It seemed like he knew you.”

      “Yeah, he knows me. But we’re not friends.” Colter and Danny had crossed paths a few times since he’d moved to Desparre. Once had been in the bar where Danny was trying a little too hard to get a local woman to go home with him. Colter had walked her to her car, but he suspected if there hadn’t been people watching, Danny would have come at him that night. A few times since, Colter had seen him around, and the guy had set his radar off.

      He had no idea what had brought Danny to Desparre, but he suspected it wasn’t good. And he didn’t trust the guy within a mile of Kensie.

      “Just steer clear of him, Kensie.”

      “Yeah, I got it.”

      There was an edge to her voice that he suspected came as much from fear as it did from anger.

      He drew in a deep breath through his nose, trying to calm his emotions. Yeah, it hadn’t been smart of her to get into a stranger’s truck, but how mad could he be when he’d essentially asked her to do the same thing with him?

      She didn’t know him. She was acting on blind faith and desperation. They were feelings he knew well. As