CHAPTER 26
Two Months Later…
Leo wiped the sweat from his brow before taking a drink of water. The men waited while Cole visited his old stomping grounds at the K-9 facility.
When he returned, he slid into the passenger’s seat and turned to Leo. “The attacks on teams have stopped over the last two months because Sergeant Ford returned to the States for a medical emergency. He returned two weeks ago. I took a picture of the assignment board and K-9 schedules. The bastard barely acknowledged me. I talked to a buddy of mine. He says the teams have started getting antsy. The dogs seem off. These animals go through extensive training. For them to miss anything, it takes a miracle. He said during the training sessions, they’re missing marks. The K-9 handlers haven’t let them out of sight. We don’t typically do it anyway, but they’re not taking chances.”
“I’d say there’s tension among the ranks,” Leo swore. “I hoped to have this concluded by now.”
“When we go back to our barracks, I’ll have Bear blow up my picture. There’s a hidden code within the K-9 assignments, training sessions, and dog assessments. I remember seeing it when Brody got hurt. If we can figure out the connection, wemight get this handled soon rather than later,” Cole informed Leo.
“Did he suspect anything?” Leo asked.
“No. He thinks he’s too smart to get caught,” Cole smirked. “He’s always acted full of himself. The only time he acted like a decent person was when Colonial Rutherford made a visit. His replacement, according to my buddy, has only made one appearance in the last two months.”
“Hmmm,” Leo said, stoking the scruff along his jaw. “Let’s return to base. We have the others ‘fixing’ the compromised parts. They’ll return shortly, and we’ll put our heads together. I’m calling home. I haven’t seen or talked to my wife. How are Liam and Apollo doing?”
“They’re a good match. He fits right in with the team,” Cole admitted. “We need to find more men like him to handle the other K-9s.”
“When we get back,” Leo promised as they entered the base gates. Pulling out their IDs, they waited while the guards searched underneath the vehicles.
As they approached their barracks, Cole heard Apollo bark. He glanced at Leo, giving a slight smile as Liam stood on the opposite side of the door with his weapon drawn.
“Any problems?” Leo asked.
Frowning, Liam lowered his voice. “Sparky has garnered some attention with a few of the men. They harassed her earlier. Ice got between them.”
Leo gave a chin nod and headed to find her.
“I’m sending photos to Bear. When I return, I’ll keep Apollo with me while you shower,” Cole offered.
“No. I’ll take him with me,” Liam said, glancing down the hall. “I’ll tell Leo after he checks on Sparky. I kept an eye on her, but something tells me they wanted a diversion.”
“I’ll take watch while you call Addyson,” Cole said. “I spoke with Stormy this morning.”
“Thanks,” Liam said, a smile playing on his face.
“Man, you got it bad,” Cole teased. “Stormy and I hit it off fast. She’s my forever. It seems like you and Addyson moved fairly fast after she ran down the runway.”
“We’re doing nightly texts. Her shifts and mine haven’t lined up for the last couple of weeks. Damn, I miss her,” he said, sighing.
“Then stop wasting time talking to me,” Cole punched him in the shoulder. “Come on, Apollo. We don’t want to watch them make googly eyes at each other.”
* * *
Liam hurriedto the communications room and video-called Addy.
His heart raced as he waited for her to pick up.
Her image came across the screen, and she smiled. “Hello, handsome. Where’s Apollo?”
“He’s making a perimeter check with Cole while I visit with you. It’s nice to see your beautiful face. How are things on the mountain?”
“Pretty busy,” she replied. “We’ve taken a dozen admissions this week. My nurses have taken it all in stride.”
“What about Zeus?” Liam asked.
“He’s good.” She moved the camera to show him the dog sleeping at her feet in his bed.
