Foundation for Three Read online

  Foundation for Three

  Montana Promises

  Book 2

  Vella Day

  Copyright © 2014 Vella Day

  FOUNDATION FOR THREE

  Copyright © 2014 by Vella Day

  All Romance Ebooks Edition

  www.velladay.com

  [email protected]

  Cover Art by Sloan Winters

  Edited by L. Watanabe

  Published in the United States of America

  E-book ISBN: 978-0-9899759-4-0

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief questions embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To Carol Adcock-Bezzo. Thank you for letting me share your wonderful family stories.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  About the Author

  Other Books by the Author

  Chapter One

  Detective Thad Dalton didn’t expect any trouble driving down Fourth Street at ten in the morning in Rock Hard, Montana. Regardless, he kept his gaze on the sidewalks for any suspicious behavior. The traffic was going at a comfortable speed, and all looked good, but that was when the shit tended to fly.

  “Mind pulling into Dunkin’ Donuts?” his partner asked as he dragged a fist over his eyes with a bit too much vigor. “If I don’t down some caffeine, I’ll fall asleep.”

  Thad shot Jeremy Warner a glare. Crap. Dark circles underlined his eyes. “You tie one on last night?” His partner loved to party. Hell, so did he, but not enough to affect his performance the next day. Their work required constant vigilance.

  “A bit.” Jeremy winced and slowly lifted his hand to rub his temple, as if a headache had already taken hold.

  Thad worried Jeremy might never get his shit together. He was young, but he’d been a good beat cop before joining the Street Crime Unit. Thad valued loyalty and reliability above everything else in his life. He strove for it personally and expected it from his partner, and right now he wasn’t a damn bit sure Jeremy could deliver.

  Thad turned into the drive-through on Crenshaw and drummed his fingers on the wheel while he edged the car forward. Once at the window, he ordered a medium-sized black coffee for himself and a jumbo one for his partner. “Douse the second one with cream, will ya? My partner here needs lots of sugar, too.” Thad didn’t want to think what Jeremy’s insides looked like, but as long as he could outrun a criminal and shoot straight, Thad didn’t much care.

  Back on the road, he finished half his drink and set it in the cup holder just as his radio signaled. “There’s a two-eleven in progress,” Dispatch sputtered out. “First and Elm. Wilson’s Electronics. Suspects are considered armed and dangerous. All available units respond.”

  “Fuck.” His heart hitched as adrenaline raced through him. It was Chuck Wilson’s place. Given the rundown area, good chance it was gang related. Since they were only a few blocks away, Thad pressed on the accelerator and shot up Ridgewood.

  “Shit!” Jeremy dropped the coffee into the holder on his side and wiped his possibly burnt hand on his pants.

  That couldn’t have been helped. “Sorry. Hazard of being a cop.”

  “My fault.” Jeremy flipped on the sirens and answered the call, saying they were only a few blocks away.

  Thad cursed and blasted past a car going too slow. As he sped down the street, he kept watch at every intersection to make sure a vehicle wasn’t pulling out. Every second that went by meant the thieves would be farther away and harder to catch. He skidded around the corner, hanging a left onto First.

  “There,” Jeremy shouted, pointing to two men running down the street both carrying what looked like pillowcases.

  Seriously? Pillowcases? Thad searched the street for a getaway car, but no vehicles were parked nearby. Chuck burst out of his store, spotted them, and waved his arms, pointing at the perpetrators. As soon as the two alleged thieves ran past the bookstore, they ducked down an alley. Thad jerked the cruiser to the left to follow, but had to slam on his brakes when two dumpsters blocked his way.

  “Damn it.” Jamming the car in park, he and Jeremy both jetted out of the cruiser. “Go back around,” Thad shouted. “Cut them off on the other end.”

  Sirens sounded from a block away, which meant he’d be halfway down the alley by the time the assist arrived. Given the speed of the thieves, Thad couldn’t afford to wait for backup.

  He drew his weapon, knowing the dangers of going in blind. Thad raced down the alley, stepping over cans, bottles, and a host of other trash. He counted only two men, but there could be others waiting around the corner. Neither man had a weapon in his hand, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have an arsenal stuffed in their pants. The dispatcher had stated they were armed.

  “Stop! Police!”

  No surprise they didn’t mind his order and kept running. Thad’s heart slammed against his ribs and the strain in his legs burned as he chased after them. The alley stunk not only of garbage but also of something he didn’t want to identify.

  Pumping his arms hard, Thad sprinted toward them, ignoring every ache and pain in his body. Thirty-four hadn’t seemed old yesterday, but it sure felt ancient today. One of the men looked back over his shoulder. Shit. He was just a kid. Maybe eighteen or nineteen at most.

  The two thieves came to the end of the alley, where it met Morrison Avenue, and slowed. Both men shot right, which meant Thad might not catch them before they ducked in some store and exited out the front.

  Footsteps sounded behind him, but he didn’t check to see which uniform had his six. As Thad came closer to the intersection, the second kid dipped his hand in his pants, raised his arm, and took aim at something around the corner. His shot reverberated down the alley. Fuck. That was where Jeremy should be. A second later another shot rang out and the shooter fell.

  Jeremy stepped into view, his weapon leveled at the kid, and shouted for the thief to stay down. Thad’s pounding heart slowed. He prayed his partner hadn’t been hit, but from Jeremy’s fierce expression and steady arm, the first shooter had missed.

  Ever vigilant in case the second thief came back for his friend, Thad continued up the alley, zigzagging his way. When Officer Nick Rodgers joined him, Thad motioned for Nick to stay
to the right.

  As soon as they arrived at Morrison, Nick’s radio mic sounded. Luke, his partner, told him he’d caught the second thief and that there weren’t any others.

  Nick’s shoulders sagged as he answered the call. “Take him back to the station. I’ll catch a ride when I can.”

  Thad glanced down at the thief in the gray hoodie. The shoulder wound wasn’t bleeding much, but the air was tinged with a sweet metallic smell he hated. The young man was cursing up a storm. Thad might have felt sorry for him, but most likely the robbery was for kicks. The kid would live and Chuck would get his stolen property back. As the adrenaline began to ebb, relief washed through him. Thad radioed for an ambulance and gave the necessary details to the dispatcher.

  Jeremy had kicked the kid’s gun off to the side, but Thad would bet his badge the thief had a few more weapons stashed on his body. Good thing Jeremy kept his gun drawn. If he hadn’t, the boy probably would have used his other hand to retrieve another weapon.

  Jeremy was visibly shaking, but that was to be expected after shooting someone—especially when it was his first time. Thad’s gut churned at the uselessness of it all. After he donned his gloves, he read the kid his rights while he frisked him for weapons. As anticipated, Thad found two knives and a gun that he set off to the side.

  “Hey. Careful,” the downed boy yelled, his teeth gritted in pain. “It hurts like a motherfucker.”

  “Shut up, or I’ll show you real hurt.” The kid had no sense if he thought there wouldn’t be any consequences for stealing.

  Nick stepped closer. “You want to escort the guy to the hospital or should I?”

  “I will.” It was Thad’s collar and this smacked of a street gang. He wanted to see how much the kid was willing to give up.

  “Okay. Jeremy and I’ll wait for the Crime Scene Unit to process the scene.”

  “Thanks.”

  The stolen merchandise lay sprawled on the sidewalk. Thad couldn’t be certain, but it looked like a couple of tablets and some phones. Jesus. The perpetrator could have been killed over a measly few items.

  After Thad cuffed the kid, he walked over to Jeremy, whose face was still white. It tore at his heart to see his partner go through this.

  “Jeremy, remember you’ll need to hand over your weapon for processing.” His partner made eye contact then huffed out a breath. The resigned look made Thad ache.

  “I know.”

  Thad had been through this routine twice before. To him, counseling was the hardest part.

  Thad stepped over to the kid and asked him questions about his identity, the name of his partner, and which gang he belonged to, but the little thief refused to say a word. His tears had dried and he’d donned a belligerent look.

  Thad carefully bunched the kid’s sleeve over his wound that had begun to bleed again. “Hold your hand here and apply some pressure. The ambulance will arrive shortly.”

  The young man did as he was asked. “Fuck, man. That hurts.” There went his bravado.

  “Then you shouldn’t have fired at an officer. What were you thinking?”

  “Didn’t want him catching me.” The wounded man’s lips pursed as he glared at Jeremy.

  About five or so years ago, Thad had come across an innocent bystander shot to death. The gang member claimed he’d murdered the woman because he’d wanted to know what it was like to kill someone. Thad shook his head, pissed right now at society for having failed these kids. He’d give anything to find a solution to solve their need to steal.

  Sirens sounded as an ambulance raced up Morrison. “Time to go.” Thad reached into his pocket and tossed his cruiser’s keys to Nick. “Catch.”

  Since Nick’s partner had taken his vehicle to transport the second kid back to the station, Nick could use Thad’s cruiser. They’d be able to leave as soon as the CSU arrived.

  Thad stepped over to his partner and patted him on the back. “Good job.” He smiled, hoping to blot out Jeremy’s guilt over having shot a kid.

  Two medical personnel rushed to the scene pushing a gurney.

  “Hey,” Thad said to Stone Benson, one of the paramedics. He and Cade Carter, a fellow detective at the Rock Hard PD, were now engaged to Amber Delacroix, a nurse at the hospital who Thad had met during an undercover assignment. “Heard congratulations are in order.”

  “They are indeed. Thanks.” Stone nodded to the boy. “What do we have here?

  As Thad uncuffed the kid’s hands and secured his uninjured wrist to the gurney, he told Stone what had gone down. The thief grumbled and spewed a long list of rather unimaginative words as Stone checked out the victim, and the EMT hooked the kid up to an IV.

  Because the boy was in custody, Thad rode in the back with him. While Stone administered aid, Thad asked a few more questions, but other than finally confessing his name, the boy wasn’t talking.

  It didn’t take long before the ambulance rolled up to the Emergency Room entrance. Thad escorted the thief inside and after calling his parents, he stayed with the injured boy until he was brought into surgery. Just as Thad was about to call someone from the precinct to come pick him up, his cell rang.

  It was one of his friends in the Sheriff’s Department, and the tension in his shoulders relaxed. “Tom. What’s up?”

  He doubted the call was about the shooting. The grapevine between the police and sheriff’s department wasn’t that good. This must be for social reasons. Thad often spent time with Tom and a group of other deputies playing darts and pool at Banner’s. He smiled as he pushed open the hospital doors to step outside.

  “I called to warn you out about a domestic violence call I had this morning.” His tone came out serious, and Thad stopped. He shifted his weight, trying to ease the bit of soreness in his calf.

  “Warn me about what?”

  “Garrett McDonald beat up your ex-wife and then ran off. We can’t find him.”

  “Shit.” Thad didn’t need this.

  Garrett was now married to Peggy. Thad and she had divorced almost three years ago, and she’d married the loser a month later. Thad had tried to tell her the guy was a piece of crap, that he’d been accused of abuse twice by both of his previous wives, but had Peggy listened? Hell no. She might have cheated on Thad, but that didn’t mean he wanted anything bad to happen to her. “She okay?”

  “No. She’s at the hospital. It’s pretty bad, Thad. She asked for you.”

  He straightened. “Why?” Except for a brief encounter at the Fourth of July parade, he hadn’t spoken with her since the divorce.

  “I’m guessing she’s turning to you because you’re safe.”

  She didn’t seem to care about safety when she fucked another man less than five years after they said their vows. Thad turned around and went back inside. As much as he wasn’t in the mood to deal with her, he couldn’t say no to a woman in need. “I’m here now.”

  “Peggy’s in room 201.”

  He didn’t want to stop by, but he would. “You said it was bad. Do you know the extent of her injuries?”

  “I’m not a doctor, but when we tried to question her, it was too painful for her to talk.”

  A twinge twisted his gut. It was wrong for a man to hit a woman no matter the circumstance. “Thanks for letting me know.”

  Thad disconnected the call then took the elevator to see what his ex wanted to tell him. He wasn’t sure what he’d say to her. That wasn’t true. He wanted to tell her to get her act together. Find a job. Build some self-esteem, and leave Garrett McDonald.

  Trying to brace himself for the next encounter, he went to her room. As soon as he stepped inside, his gut soured. He’d just seen a young kid gunned down today, but he hadn’t been as sick as he was looking at her face. One eye was swollen shut, her lip cut, and her cheek was bruised.

  “Peggy?” His voice caught.

  She opened her good eye. He thought she tried to smile, but she immediately touched her lips. She leaned over, picked up a white board and a dry erase marker an
d scribbled on it. She held it up. “Jaw broken.”

  He feared that might be the case. He pulled up a chair, telling himself he would not get sucked into her siren’s call again. Been there done that. “You needed to tell me something?” She had asked for him. He hoped her injuries weren’t life threatening. He couldn’t handle that.

  “Garrett hit me,” she wrote in letters that looked like someone three times her age had penned them.

  “I’m sorry. Was he drunk?” Damn. He shouldn’t have asked, as it was none of his business. “Never mind. Look, I’m sorry. I really am. When the doctors release you, you need to go the women’s shelter.”

  She flinched. “Uh-uh.”

  Damn. Once the sheriff’s department found her husband, Thad suspected she’d be crawling back to the bastard the moment he was released from jail. Her brows pinched, and he bet her lips would have puckered if she’d been able to move them better.

  She scribbled more words and held it up. “Garrett thinks I want to leave him for you. Watch out.”

  Was that what started their fight? Peggy probably just threw that in Garrett’s face to piss him off.

  “I appreciate the heads up, but I can take care of myself.” He stood. “I’ll stop by in a few days to see how you’re doing.” Thad turned back toward the door before she asked for something he couldn’t deliver.

  Once in the hallway, he’d taken only a few steps then halted. Fuck. Garrett McDonald was coming straight at him. Twenty feet. Now fifteen.

  Chapter Two

  “Stop.” Thad’s hand hovered over his holster, his fingers itching to draw his weapon. “Garrett, you can’t be here.” A tight band wrapped around Thad’s chest.

  The man halted. His gaze darted right and left, and his lips curled in apparent disgust. “Fuck you, Dalton.” He flexed his right hand, acting as if he was debating whether to go for a weapon that was probably hidden under his coat. He shifted his weight from one side to the other, agitation rolling off him in waves.

  Peggy’s husband’s dark hair was matted to his head, and he hadn’t shaved in what looked like days. Thad was too far away to check his eyes, but he wouldn’t be surprised if they were bloodshot. With fidgety fingers, Garret lifted his hand closer to his body.