LITMIR.BIZ

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out of his grip. “No. I need my own transportation, at least until I can get something untraceable.”

      “Then Abby and I will follow you,” he insisted. “Where are you parked?”

      “In the back. The blue car right there.” She pointed through the heavy glass of the outside door.

      Isaac scooped up the dog’s leash. “All right. We’ll go first and make sure there’s nobody lying in wait. You stay here until I give the okay.”

      Surveying the parking area until he was satisfied it was deserted, he pulled his smaller holdout gun from the ankle holster he always wore and started toward the parked cars. If Daniella was telling the truth, it was his duty to protect her. If she was making up stories in order to evade law enforcement, his job was to keep track of her. Either way, she was not getting out of his sight.

      Isaac cautiously drew closer to Daniella’s vehicle.

      He felt a tug on Abby’s leash.

      When he looked back and saw the determined little dog firmly planted in a sitting position and staring straight at the blue sedan, he realized his canine partner had just saved at least two lives: his and the frightened woman’s.

      Abby was never wrong. There was no doubt. Someone had planted an explosive device in the nurse’s car.

      * * *

      Waiting at the door, Daniella saw the officer returning rapidly and interpreted his closed, somber expression as either anger or angst. In a smooth motion, he encircled her with one arm and had her back inside her apartment without time for discussion, let alone argument.

      “I want you to stay put for right now, understand?”

      “No. I told you. I have to leave.”

      “Not in that car, you don’t.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder to indicate her sedan. “I’ve notified local police. I’m going back outside with my dog to guard the scene until the regular officers relieve me. After that, we can go wherever you want.”

      “Police? What are they for? I already told you...”

      “I don’t care what you did or who’s after you, lady. Pull yourself together and listen to me. My dog sensed a problem in or around your car, and nobody is going to touch it until the bomb squad has had a chance to look it over. Am I clear?”

      She wanted to answer verbally but her body refused to cooperate. There was no breathable air in the apartment. The walls were closing in on her.

      She staggered back until she felt her legs contact the front edge of the sofa cushions, then plopped down on them with a whoosh. Her jaw hung slack. Her eyes refused to focus properly. This was even worse than she’d imagined. If Isaac Black had not arrived at just the right moment, she’d have gotten into her car, just as her mother had, and then...

      Tears gathered in Daniella’s eyes and spilled silently down her cheeks. Her voice was thready. “Are—are you sure?”

      “No. But Abby is and that’s good enough for me. Now, stay put and let me take care of everything.” He drew the living room blinds while his sweet-tempered dog wagged her tail and licked Daniella’s fingers.

      When he returned and gathered up the leash, he paused with one hand on the doorknob. “Lock this after me.”

      Her “Okay” was little more than a weak whisper, but at the moment she couldn’t manage anything more forceful.

      “It’ll be all right,” Isaac assured her. “Just sit tight and don’t move.”

      “Can I pack a few things?”

      “No!” was almost a shout. “Listen carefully. We know that couch is safe because Abby didn’t react to it, but I don’t want you wandering around in here until I’ve had a chance to let her explore every room.”

      “You—you think there’s a bomb in here, too?”

      “Probably not. But are you willing to take the chance?”

      “No. Of course not.” She whisked away her tears with the back of her hand.

      “Good. Now you’re being sensible.”

      The door closed quietly behind the K-9 officer. Daniella twisted the dead bolt, listening to its click for added assurance. She was safe, at least for the present.

      The fortuitous arrival of Isaac and his remarkable dog still amazed her. Could God have somehow spurred him to make this impromptu visit?

      She shook her head, clenching her jaw tightly. No. God might protect innocent people, but she was far from naive. Her lack of initiative had gotten her mother killed, and her foolish choices afterward had sent her into perpetual hiding.

      Although she had no trouble praying for others, she’d long ago given up asking the Lord to watch over or guide her.

      Ella Fagan, aka Daniella Dunne, didn’t deserve God’s love or his forgiveness. The most she could hope for was the wisdom to once more escape her father’s vendetta.

      Her whirling thoughts would not, could not, carry her further than that.

      For all she knew, there would be no life beyond the next few days.

FOUR

      With local police waiting outside for the bomb squad, Isaac returned to the apartment. When there was no response to his light knock, he rapped harder.

      “Who is it?”

      “Isaac Black and Abby.”

      The moment Daniella opened the door, he smiled. “Good job. I’m glad you’re being so careful.”

      “Careful?” She made a wry face. “I’m scared to even breathe, thanks to you. Do you really think there’s another bomb in here?”

      “No, I don’t. But letting me and Abby check the apartment while you sit on the couch and stay out of trouble is the smartest choice.”

      She shrugged. “Okay.”

      His attention now fully on Daniella, Isaac noted that she was wearing jeans and a T-shirt instead of her hospital scrubs. He scowled. “You changed clothes since your shift?”

      “Yes, after I got home this morning and showered. Since I was so wide-awake I was planning to run a few errands before taking a nap. I’m almost out of cat food.”

      “You’ve already been in the bedroom?”

      “Yes.” He saw her blanch as reality grew.

      “All right. How many cats do you have?”

      “Just one. Puddy is black with long hair.” She eyed Abby. “Don’t let your dog scare him. He doesn’t have all his claws.”

      “I’ll keep Abs on a leash.” Isaac started for the closest room, the kitchen, noting that it led to a hallway. “This will only take a few minutes. If she doesn’t react we’ll be right back.”

      “What if she does?”

      “If she does, then we’ll both go out the front door and I’ll have the bomb squad come in here, too.”

      “Terrific.” Daniella made a silly face.

      Isaac had to smile again. “It’s good to see that your sarcastic side is still operational.”

      “It’s a coping mechanism a lot of nurses have, I guess.”

      “So do cops. Civilians don’t usually understand how much it helps us when we have to deal with crime and loss so often.”

      It was clear from the expression on her face that Daniella understood perfectly. Whatever her full background was, she was a sensible and, he hoped, a reasonably stable person. Why that should be important

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