Love Inspired Suspense July 2015 #1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

go?”
    â€œAway. Anywhere he can’t find me.”
    â€œI’ll drive.”
    Daniella twisted out of his grip. “No. I need my own transportation, at least until I can get something untraceable.”
    â€œThen Abby and I will follow you,” he insisted. “Where are you parked?”
    â€œIn 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.
    â€œI want you to stay put for right now, understand?”
    â€œNo. I told you. I have to leave.”
    â€œNot 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.”
    â€œPolice? What are they for? I already told you...”
    â€œI 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?”
    â€œNo. 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.
    â€œIt’ll be all right,” Isaac assured her. “Just sit tight and don’t move.”
    â€œCan I pack a few things?”
    â€œNo!” 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.”
    â€œYou—you think there’s a bomb in here,