Operation Unleashed Read online

  Stepping up to the plate will put him in the line of fire…

  For Drew Kiley, married life isn’t what he had in mind. Driven to “I do” by a sense of familial responsibility, he assumes the role of husband to his brother’s wife, Alyssa…and the role of father to his nephew, Luke. It seems to be the logical solution in light of his brother’s abandonment. But Drew doesn’t know the whole truth about his brother’s past. A rescue from a canine companion sets Drew and Alyssa on a perilous course of extortion, kidnapping and secrets unveiled. United in their determination to protect Luke, Drew and Alyssa learn to depend on each other. But as tensions escalate, so does a deep undercurrent of desire that casts their marriage in a different light.

  “Don’t,” Drew said, snapping her out of her painful memories. “Don’t say things you don’t really mean.”

  There was an undertone of something in his voice that made her breath stop. A tightness, an edge, something.

  Heat. That, too. In his voice, and in his eyes as he looked at her.

  “But I do mean it,” she said softly. “I’ve only just realized I’ve meant it for a while now.”

  “Lyss—”

  She put a hand on his chest, over his heart, and his words cut off as if her action had sucked the very air out of him. She could feel the thud of his heart, felt a skip in her own heartbeat as his accelerated at her touch.

  Dear Reader,

  I never grew up with a brother. I had one, but he died as an infant before I was born, so I never had that kind of sibling relationship with a male. Perhaps that’s why it fascinates me so. Or perhaps it’s because it’s so very different from the sister/sister relationship I do know. But my husband had four brothers, and a son and daughter, so I’ve had great opportunity to observe and learn. And I have a niece and nephew who are playing out that growing up together right now. Right about here is where I should say the story in this book is not a representation of any of those relationships!

  If you grew up with brothers, I envy you. It’s something I missed, and although I suspect I would not have appreciated it every step of the way, that it intrigues me is obvious since they keep cropping up in my work. And to those of you who would say, “If you’d had one, you wouldn’t feel that way!” I can only say I’m the victim (grateful recipient?) of that writer’s curse…the words What if?

  In a previous book (Operation Reunion) I explored that brother/sister connection. In this book, it’s two very different brothers, one long dead but still affecting the other, in fact shaping his entire life.

  I hope you enjoy it!

  Justine

  OPERATION

  UNLEASHED

  Justine Davis

  Books by Justine Davis

  Harlequin Romantic Suspense

  Always a Hero #1651

  Enemy Waters #1659

  ^Operation Midnight #1695

  Colton Destiny #1720

  ^Operation Reunion #1745

  ^Operation Blind Date #1759

  ^Operation Unleashed #1803

  Silhouette Romantic Suspense

  ‡Lover Under Cover #698

  ‡Leader of the Pack #728

  ‡A Man to Trust #805

  ‡Gage Butler’s Reckoning #841

  ‡Badge of Honor #871

  ‡Clay Yeager’s Redemption #926

  The Return of Luke McGuire #1036

  *Just Another Day in Paradise #1141

  The Prince’s Wedding #1190

  *One of These Nights #1201

  *In His Sights #1318

  *Second-Chance Hero #1351

  *Dark Reunion #1452

  *Deadly Temptation #1493

  *Her Best Friend’s Husband #1525

  Backstreet Hero #1539

  Baby’s Watch #1544

  His Personal Mission #1573

  *The Best Revenge #1597

  *Redstone Ever After #1619

  Deadly Valentine #1645

  “Her Un-Valentine”

  Silhouette Desire

  Angel for Hire #680

  Upon the Storm #712

  Found Father #772

  Private Reasons #833

  Errant Angel #924

  A Whole Lot of Love #1281

  *Midnight Seduction #1557

  Silhouette Bombshell

  Proof #2

  Flashback #8

  Silhouette Books

  Silhouette Summer Sizzlers 1994

  “The Raider”

  Fortune’s Children

  The Wrangler’s Bride

  ‡Trinity Street West

  *Redstone, Incorporated

  ^Cutter’s Code

  Other titles by this author available in ebook format.

  JUSTINE DAVIS

  Justine Davis lives on Puget Sound in Washington state, watching big ships and the occasional submarine go by, and sharing the neighborhood with assorted wildlife, including a pair of bald eagles, deer, a bear or two and a tailless raccoon. In the few hours when she’s not planning, plotting or writing her next book, her favorite things are photography, knitting her way through a huge yarn stash and driving her restored 1967 Corvette roadster—top down, of course.

  Connect with Justine at her website, justinedavis.com, at twitter.com/justine_d_davis, or on Facebook at facebook.com/justinedaredavis.

  MAX

  I was used to female German Shepherds, so when Mandy died, I immediately sought out another Shepherd. A woman invited me out to see her dogs; she had at least 7 Shepherds. When I got there, I asked, “Which one is mine?” She pointed to a smallish brown and white male dog, with floppy (not pointy) ears. So I said, “What’s that?” And she said, “That’s Max. He’s part Brittany, part Pointer. You can have him.” I wanted a Shepherd. Female, not a male mutt. But the thought of having fur to pet and cuddle led me to lead him to the car. By the time I got home, I was in love! Max had eyes the color of sherry, he craved salad, and he was my constant companion and faithful guy for 13 years. The night my mother died, he went into my mother’s room and walked around her hospital bed, as if to say, “Goodbye.” And less than a year later, Max became suddenly, catastrophically ill—and I was having to say “Goodbye” to him. It is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. He died in 1995, and I still miss him every day. Max the wonderful dog—I still love you.

  —Binnie Syril Braunstein

  This is the latest in a series of dedications from readers who have shared the pain of the loss of a beloved dog. For more information visit my website at www.justinedavis.com.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

 
Chapter 32

  Epilogue

  Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  Quinn Foxworth had never really realized just how loud a dog’s bark could be. For an instant, when Cutter exploded into earsplitting noise inside the closed vehicle, a vision of distant sands and guard dogs trumpeting a warning of an enemy inside the perimeter shot through his mind.

  That hadn’t happened for a long time. He consciously eased his muscles, especially his hands, on the steering wheel and instinctively slowed the SUV down.

  “Loud when he wants to be, isn’t he?”

  Quinn looked over at his fiancée, and the last of the memory vanished. He was grateful she hadn’t noticed his reaction. And then her gaze locked on his and he saw in her eyes that Hayley hadn’t missed a thing. But she had intentionally not prodded.

  No wonder he loved her beyond measure.

  “Yes,” he said belatedly, having to raise his voice just as she had to be heard over the cacophony from the back of the SUV.

  “He’s not usually like that in the car,” she said. “You know he has exquisite manners. Well, except for when that guy tried to reach in.”

  “Good for him. And lucky for the guy it wasn’t me.”

  She smiled. Yeah, he loved her all right. And their wedding wasn’t soon enough to suit him, even though it was less than a month away.

  The barking suddenly morphed into a howl, and Cutter clawed at the back hatch of the car.

  “Well, that’s a new one,” Hayley said, wincing at the sound.

  “Easy, dog,” Quinn said, but the howling continued.

  He’d learned by now that ignoring Cutter was never a good idea. They were on a rather narrow lane, headed home from the indulgence of a breakfast out, but they’d passed a park a few yards back. He checked the mirrors, then put the SUV in Reverse. The moment they began to back up, the howling subsided to a mild whine that at least allowed room for thought.

  He backed up until he could swing into the small parking area. The whine stopped. But Cutter was clearly still on full alert, ears and tail up, staring out toward the park.

  “I suppose he wants out.”

  “It’s raining,” Hayley said, “of course he does.”

  With a sigh, Quinn hit the button that raised the hatch. Before he could even get his door open Cutter was out and running across the wet grass of the park.

  “Well, he’s thoroughly unleashed now,” Quinn muttered as he walked around the back of the car to where Hayley stood, watching the dog go.

  “Did that look full of intent to you?” she asked.

  Hayley was focused on Cutter. Quinn stole the moment to just look at her again. He never got tired of the little jab of wonder that struck him when he realized she was his, that she would always be by his side.

  “Quinn?”

  “Sorry,” he said, not meaning it in the least. “I was distracted by the view. As usual.”

  He loved that she still colored up when he said stuff like that.

  “Thank you,” she said simply. “But...”

  She gestured toward the far side of the park, where their rascal of a dog was approaching the child who sat on one of the swings. A blond boy in jeans and a sweatshirt but no jacket, with a small backpack beside him. He was staring at the ground, digging a sneakered toe into the mud.

  “If you mean did all that ruckus in the car and then the beeline over there seem very specific, then yes,” he said in answer to her original question. “We’d better go rein him in. Don’t want the kid getting scared.”

  She nodded, and they started across the grass. The rain was coming down steadily, but lightly. Cutter was almost there, but the boy hadn’t seemed to notice. In fact, he didn’t seem to be noticing anything except the way the mud oozed around what looked to be fairly new, once white sneakers.

  Cutter had come to a halt about two feet away from the boy. “Maybe he just wants to play,” Hayley said. “There haven’t been any kids around for him to play with lately, since Brian moved away.”

  The dog sat. Waited.

  “Well, he’s not playing,” Quinn said. “And the kid doesn’t look much like he wants to.”

  “It is raining.”

  “When I was that age, I couldn’t have cared less if it was raining if there was playing to be done.”

  Hayley laughed, a light, lovely sound that never failed to expand the warmth he always felt when he was with her.

  “Not every boy is a bold adventurer such as yourself,” she teased.

  “That’s what I get for being born before kids became tethered to a video game console.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  She turned her gaze back to the pair they were nearing. Cutter had reached out with his nose, and the boy had responded perfectly, holding out his hand, low and slow, for the dog to sniff. Someone had taught him, Quinn thought.

  And then the dog rose and went forward, turning sideways to lean against the boy’s knees. The boy moved then, reaching to pat the dog. Cutter leaned harder. The boy’s fingers burrowed into thick fur. And Cutter leaned even more. They were just close enough to hear the odd sound the boy made before he leaned forward himself, wrapping his arms around the animal’s neck as if he were a life preserver. Cutter twisted his head up and back, and swiped his tongue across the boy’s cheek. A smile broke through, and only when he saw it did Quinn realize just how downcast the boy had seemed.

  “You’re right, Cutter isn’t acting like he wants to play, either,” Hayley finally agreed. “In fact, he looks like...”

  Her voice faded away. Quinn nodded. Spoke quietly.

  “Yeah. He looks like he’s protecting.”

  “Standing between that boy and the world,” she said softly.

  Quinn let out a compressed breath. “I knew it had been too quiet these last couple of weeks.”

  When the boy looked up at them, his expression wary, they stopped a few feet away. Cutter looked at them, his tail wagging in greeting. He made a quiet little whuffing sound, but never moved away from the boy.

  Quinn held back slightly, letting Hayley take the lead with the child.

  “Hi,” she said softly. “That’s Cutter, if you were wondering what his name is.”

  The boy clung to the dog. “Cutter?”

  That earned him another swipe of the tongue that made him smile despite his wariness.

  “What kind of dog is he? I like how he’s black in front and brown in back.”

  “We’re not sure, exactly. He looks like a sheepdog that comes from Europe.”

  “Oh.”

  “Are you here by yourself?” Hayley asked.

  The boy’s expression went back to wary. His gaze flicked to Quinn, then back to Hayley. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”

  “That’s a good plan.” Quinn spoke for the first time, gently. “But Cutter’s already introduced himself.”

  “My mom says sometimes bad people use dogs or cats to try and trick kids.”

  Hayley smiled. “Good for your mom. She’s right, and I’m glad she warned you about that. So why don’t you take us to her? Then we can talk to her and not be strangers anymore. And she can decide if it’s okay for you to get to know Cutter.”

  The boy sighed. “She’ll say no. She’s mad again.”

  “At you?” Quinn asked.

  “Sort of. And at my dad.”

  Hayley glanced at Quinn. He nodded; the boy seemed to talk more easily to her, understandably. “What did your dad do?”

  “He said something bad about my father.”

  Uh-oh, Quinn thought. Already into a domestic situation. Divorce, stepfather, that could get ugly. Except the boy had called him his dad. Did you do that with a step-father you didn’t like? Then again, the kid was ver
y young. Maybe he was just calling him what he was told to call him.

  “Your dad and your father don’t get along?” Hayley asked, using the boy’s terms.

  “He’s really my uncle. My father’s dead.”

  Hayley blinked again.

  “Who’s your uncle?” Quinn asked, starting to feel as if he’d stumbled into some kind of comedy skit. But the boy’s expression wasn’t the least bit amused.

  “My dad.”

  Quinn wasn’t much good at guessing ages on kids this young, but he put this one at somewhere in the six to eight range. Six in size, but older in the sadness in his eyes. A kid that young shouldn’t be able to look like that. Younger even than the ten he had been when his parents had been killed. But at least this one still had his mother. And...whoever the father figure in his life really was.

  “It’s my fault,” the boy said in a tiny voice.

  Hayley moved then, closer. He knew this woman, knew she wouldn’t be able to just leave a child who sounded so miserable. He wasn’t sure he could walk away himself. Hayley teased him—lovingly—about being a protector to the core. Maybe she was right.

  Hayley crouched in front of the boy on the swing. She didn’t say any of the things most would, like “I’m sure it’s not,” or “You must have misunderstood.” Instead, she simply asked, “Why is it your fault?”

  The boy dug the toe of one sneaker deeper into the mud beneath the swing. “It just is. If I went away, then they’d be happy.”

  Hayley went very still. Quinn understood. No child should feel that way, but to hear it from one this young was unsettling.

  “I’m sure they would miss you terribly,” Hayley said softly.

  The boy stayed silent then, as if he’d suddenly remembered he was still talking to strangers. Or as if he didn’t believe a word of it.

  And Quinn suddenly realized Cutter was staring at him. That intense, unsettling gaze was unwavering, and by now Quinn knew all too well what it meant.

  Fix it.

  He no longer bothered rationalizing it, not even to himself. He’d simply had to accept, by virtue of an undeniable amount of empirical evidence, that the dog knew what he was doing and somehow communicated it to anyone who would pay attention. And he seemed to instinctively know who would get the message, just as he always seemed to know who was in trouble and needed his help.