Protection Detail Read online

  A seasoned cop becomes the target of a killer. And so does the woman he’s falling for.

  Detective Lieutenant Thomas Watson had been off air force active duty so long, he thought he was safe. Until a gunman crashes his daughter’s wedding, reawakening the warrior inside him. He hires nurse Jane Boyle to care for his injured father so he can focus on bringing the gunman to justice. While Jane is the ideal caretaker, her dark past has landed her in witness protection. And the more she’s embraced by this family of cops, the more danger she’s in. For a shadow from Thomas’s own past might be willing to lend Jane’s stalker a helping hand…

  The Precinct: Bachelors in Blue

  “You’ve been shot.”

  She unbuttoned his cuff and gently pushed the plaid chambray up his arm to inspect the graze across his skin.

  “I’m so sorry you got hurt. I never meant—”

  As she turned the wounds into the light, their heated words topped each other’s. “You could have been run down. You could have been shot. When I give you an order, I expect you to—”

  “Screw your order. I won’t let anyone else get hurt. He was after me.”

  “—do what I say and stay safe. He was after me.”

  Jane froze as they blurted the exact same words. She tipped her chin up to see the shocked look in his eyes that she imagined mirrored her own.

  “I’m a cop. Bad guys don’t like me.” Thomas spread his fingers over hers. He dipped his head to put his face in hers and demand she look him in the eye. “But why would someone want to hurt you?”

  PROTECTION

  DETAIL

  USA TODAY Bestselling Author

  Julie Miller

  Julie Miller is an award-winning USA TODAY bestselling author of breathtaking romantic suspense—with a National Readers’ Choice Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award, among other prizes. She has also earned an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award. For a complete list of her books, monthly newsletter and more, go to juliemiller.org.

  Books by Julie Miller

  Harlequin Intrigue

  The Precinct: Bachelors in Blue

  APB: Baby

  Kansas City Countdown

  Necessary Action

  Protection Detail

  The Precinct: Cold Case

  Kansas City Cover-Up

  Kansas City Secrets

  Kansas City Confessions

  The Precinct

  Beauty and the Badge

  Takedown

  KCPD Protector

  Crossfire Christmas

  The Precinct: Task Force

  The Marine Next Door

  Kansas City Cowboy

  Tactical Advantage

  Assumed Identity

  Task Force Bride

  Yuletide Protector

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Thomas Watson—When the family of this widowed Kansas City cop is threatened, he proves that wisdom and experience are formidable weapons to protect the people he loves. Now if he could just figure out what to do about the mysterious nurse living under his roof—and getting under his skin.

  Jane Boyle—Relocated by WITSEC and hired by Thomas to take care of his injured father, Jane’s ability to keep secrets protects not only her, but the patient and family she’s grown to love. When the serial killer hunting her surfaces in Kansas City, the only place she feels truly safe is in Thomas’s arms.

  Seamus Watson—After being shot and suffering a stroke, Thomas’s eighty-year-old father has a long road to recovery ahead of him. But there’s some hero left in this retired cop.

  Millie Leighter—The Watsons’ longtime housekeeper and cook is sweet on Seamus.

  Marshal Conor Wildman—The US Marshal assigned to Jane’s case.

  Marshal Oscar Broz—Conor’s WITSEC boss is always in a bad mood.

  Al Junkert—Thomas’s former partner at KCPD.

  FBI agent Levi Hunt—He wasn’t supposed to know where Jane had relocated.

  “Mutt” Murray Larkin and Jeff Fraser—Thomas’s friends since their air force days when they were stationed in England together.

  The Unhappy Man—Who is watching the Watsons? And why is he so obsessed with hurting them?

  Badge Man—Has someone leaked Jane’s new identity and location to the serial killer who wants her dead?

  Ruby—The chocolate Lab mix isn’t much of a guard dog.

  For the Dixons and their Ruby, who taught our Maggie

  that not all big dogs are scary.

  Thanks for always saying hi to your shy neighbor.

  I’ve loved all our conversations about the dogs.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Manhunt on Mystic Mesa by Cindi Myers

  Prologue

  Thomas Watson’s face hurt from the effort it took not to cry when he saw his daughter in her wedding gown.

  “It’s okay, Dad.” Olivia Mary Watson had packed up all her tomboy clothes, her gun and her badge and put on a beaded ivory gown that made her look every inch the grown woman he reluctantly admitted she had become. She reached up to cup his cheek and smiled, reminding Thomas of the wife he’d lost to a drugged-up thief’s bullet when Olivia was a toddler. “I will always be your little girl.”

  She’d stopped being his little girl the day she’d become a Kansas City cop, like him, his father and her three older brothers. But a daddy was entitled to indulge his sentimental side on a day like this. They stood in the doorway of the changing room at the church while the pre-ceremony music played, but Thomas was remembering skinned knees, annoying big brothers and broken hearts that had required his advice, his patience and a hug.

  “You’re beautiful. You look so like your mother.” He fingered the veil of Irish lace his bride had worn thirty-five years earlier when he’d been a raw lieutenant stationed in the UK on his first overseas assignment. Mary Kilcannon had been a civilian working on the base. A late-night rescue from a drunk fellow officer in a bar had led to them talking until dawn, a first kiss and true love. A month later he and Mary were married, and what should have been a lifetime together began. Thomas didn’t mourn his wife anymore, but he missed her. There were a lot of life moments he wished he could have shared with Mary. Like the wedding of their youngest child and only daughter. He kissed Olivia’s cheek. “She would have loved to have been here today. I know she’s watching over us.”

  “It’s been twenty years. You’ve done your duty by us. We never wanted for anything with you and Grandpa and Millie to take care of us. But Mom would want you to find someone and be happy again.”

  “I date,” he insisted.

  “Escorting a female work friend to the annual police officer’s ball does not constitute dating.” She straightened his red silk tie, an homage to the February 14 date that all the men in the bridal party except for the groom
himself were wearing. “You’re a handsome man. You’re fit. You’re smart, a rock of dependability and caring. Maybe you could ease up on the whole alpha male of the pack thing you’ve got going on. But that’s SOP for any senior detective I know, and besides, you probably needed that to raise the four of us. You have a nice house and a good job consulting with KCPD. The right woman is out there waiting to snatch you up if you’d let her.”

  Thomas laughed. “Let your old dad get through marrying off my baby girl today before you start matchmaking for me.”

  “Old dad, nothing. You’re a catch.” Thomas gave her a stern look he couldn’t sustain in the glow of that bemused smile. “All right. I’ll allow you today.”

  Thomas walked her to the foyer outside the church’s sanctuary. “Gabe makes you happy?”

  “You know he does.”

  “I’d be pitchin’ a fit if I thought you were marrying a man who didn’t love you as much as you love him.”

  Olivia grinned. “You would not. You have never in your life pitched a fit.”

  Thomas paused when they reached the center archway at the end of the long aisle, waiting for the music to change. He looked up the aisle as his youngest son, Keir, stepped into his place at the altar beside his firstborn, Duff, and his middle son, Niall. Being a single father hadn’t been easy. After Mary’s death, he’d needed the help of his father, Seamus, and the older woman he’d hired to run the household, Millie Leighter, to help him raise four kids.

  Olivia had grown into a smart, courageous woman. And his boys, lined up as best man and groomsmen at the altar, had turned into three good men, three good cops—a streetwise detective who’d nearly given his life on one of his undercover assignments, a medical examiner with the crime lab with more brains than social acumen and a hotshot young detective who was probably going to be his boss at KCPD one day.

  Thomas’s smile thinned. “I might pitch one now.” Even as adults his sons could sometimes become the Three Stooges. Duff and Keir were trading one-liners under their breaths, and Niall was caught in the middle, trying to shush them both. His middle son adjusted his glasses and said something to both his older and younger brothers that snapped them to attention. “Did you put Niall in charge of corralling Duff and Keir today?”

  Olivia nodded. “You taught me to be prepared for any contingency. I figured Niall was the most reliable.”

  “Smart girl.” Now that her older brothers had gotten a look at their baby sister in a wedding dress, their whole demeanor changed. Their fidgeting stopped, and Thomas saw the love and pride on their faces. Thomas was surprised to see he wasn’t the only Watson man struggling today. “Your oldest brother is crying.”

  “Duff’s not as tough as he tries to be.”

  “Neither am I.” As Niall slipped Duff a handkerchief, Thomas wiped away his own tear. “I love you, Olivia Mary. You know that?”

  Olivia leaned against his shoulder for a moment. “I know, Dad. I love you, too.”

  The organist in the balcony over their heads started the processional music and the guests filling the pews stood. Thomas pulled his shoulders back to attention, squeezing Olivia’s fingers where they rested on his arm. “Let’s do this.”

  Thomas walked down the aisle, honoring his daughter and her marriage, ignoring the twinge of pain shooting through his stiff knee. Almost every bit of that leg had been blown out, torn up, scarred and rebuilt. He was lucky to still have his leg after that fiery wreck he and his partner, Al Junkert, had had in pursuit of a fugitive. That accident had taken him off the front line of law enforcement, but he’d eventually come back to earn his detective’s badge and lieutenant’s rank, working special cases and mentoring new detectives. So he was a veteran with a desk job, focusing on teaching and behind-the-scenes investigative duties now. He was still a proud man, and he’d be damned if he was going to limp down the aisle like some washed-up hero on this happy day.

  When they reached the altar, Thomas winked at his future son-in-law, Gabriel Knight, and succinctly answered the minister’s question about giving his daughter away. He caught Olivia in a bear hug before stepping back, marveling again at how much she reminded him of Mary in both looks and personality. As she exchanged silent greetings with her big brothers, Thomas saw parts of his long-dead wife in each of his children—Duff’s strength of will and tender heart, Niall’s smarts, Keir’s gift of the Irish gab as well as Mary’s tenacity. He hoped they got some good stuff from him, too, and that he’d done right by them all.

  Heading to his seat, Thomas traded a salute with Al, who sat a couple of rows back. Even after the accident that had taken their lives and careers down different paths, they’d remained good friends. He smiled at the silver-haired woman in the second pew. Millie Leighter was sniffling bravely into her lace hankie, losing the battle with her tears. As dear to him as a treasured aunt, Millie had been a godsend from the day he’d hired her to cook and clean and help him raise his children. Even with the kids grown and out of the house, she remained a vital part of the family. So when the next sniffle turned into a quiet sob, he leaned down and wrapped her plump frame up in a hug. Slipping her his own handkerchief, Thomas whispered, “You and I will both get through today okay. I promise.”

  Millie’s tears turned into a sweet smile and she nodded. Thomas straightened and slipped into the first pew beside his father. Seamus Watson moved his cane to the other side and tapped Thomas’s leg. When he looked down, he saw his father was handing him his handkerchief. “You’re going to need one, too, son.”

  Thomas arched his eyebrow, daring his father to be honest.

  The white-haired man put up a hand in mock surrender, then reached inside his black jacket to pull out a second handkerchief. “I brought two.”

  Thomas grinned as the minister spoke to Gabe. Yeah, they were all a bunch of tough guys.

  They’d survived tragedy. Their hearts had mended. He couldn’t be prouder of following his father into a career at KCPD, or seeing his children follow him into the same job. Thomas’s family was happy. Secure. The guilt over Mary’s death was a little less sharp than it had once been, and he’d done right by her memory. He’d done right by them. Maybe Olivia had a point. Maybe it was time he stopped being a dad and a cop 24/7 and thought about finding that woman Olivia had mentioned. Man, wasn’t that a scary thought—putting himself back out there after all these years. He wasn’t even sure he knew how to be in a relationship anymore. Maybe he should just sit back and watch the ceremony, and be content surrounded by the love of his family.

  “You may now kiss the bride.”

  Thomas smiled through teary eyes as the minister wrapped up the wedding vows.

  “Love you,” Olivia whispered.

  Gabe kissed her again. “Love you more.”

  “I now present Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Knight.”

  * * *

  THOMAS BEAMED FROM ear to ear as Gabe and Olivia walked past. He looked back toward the altar to watch Duff, Niall and Keir escort the maid of honor and bridesmaids to the center aisle. His smile vanished and his eyes narrowed when he saw their steps hesitate, saw their jaws go rigid, saw their gazes turn up to the balcony.

  His own muscles clenched in that split second and he knew something was terribly wrong.

  “Gun!” Niall shouted. His sons were already scrambling when Thomas heard the first shots. “Get down!”

  The organ music clashed on a toxic chord and went silent.

  Niall touched his arm and Thomas nodded that he was taking cover. Flying like shrapnel, wood splintered over his head as he ducked. A vase at the altar shattered. Explosions of marble dust filled the air.

  Thomas’s entire world flashed between heartbeats.

  Duff was pulling a gun from behind his back. “Everybody down!”

  Keir was hugging his arms around Millie and his bridesmaid, tugging them down betwee
n the pews. “I’m calling SWAT.”

  Gabe was shoving Olivia to the floor and shielding her with his body, even as his daughter tried to reverse positions to protect him.

  Thomas hadn’t protected Mary all those years ago. He should have been the one at that convenience store when the bullets had taken down every customer and cashier in the building. He should have saved her.

  People were shouting, ducking for cover, running to save loved ones, running toward the threat raining terror down on the guests in the sanctuary. His gun and badge were locked up at home. He was helpless to protect his children, to save his friends. Helpless to do anything but reach for his elderly father.

  Blood spattered his cheek a split second before his father’s cane clattered against the marble tiles. Thomas caught Seamus as he fell, cradling him in his arms as he lowered his limp body to the floor.

  “Niall!” He shouted for the closest doctor at hand. “Help me, son. Dad’s been shot.”

  Chapter One

  September

  If anyone had to suffer a stroke after a traumatic brain injury like being shot in the head, Thomas hoped he or she possessed the same stubborn cussedness Seamus Watson did. There were bound to be a lot of arguments, setbacks and hurt feelings along the road to recovery, but apparently, it was the only way to survive.

  He just wished there weren’t so many casualties along the way.

  Thomas looked from his father’s red face to Millie’s pale, gaping expression to the retreating backside of the young speech-therapy intern who was running out the door of the Saint Luke’s Hospital rehab center in tears. Although the young woman barely looked old enough to have graduated from high school, much less college, her youthful enthusiasm, pretty face and obvious competence hadn’t spared her from Seamus’s wrathful outburst at the end of a long afternoon of medical evaluations.

  While he went down on his good knee to gather up the flash cards his father had knocked to the ground, Thomas spared a glance at the fourth person in the room, the private nurse he’d hired to aid in Seamus’s recovery, Jane Boyle. How was Battle-Ax Boyle, as his three sons had secretly nicknamed her, going to handle his father’s refusal to do the speech test since she was taking point on Seamus’s health and physical rehabilitation?