Bauer, p.1
Bauer, page 1
BAUER
The K9 Files, Book 22
Dale Mayer
Books in This Series:
Ethan, Book 1
Pierce, Book 2
Zane, Book 3
Blaze, Book 4
Lucas, Book 5
Parker, Book 6
Carter, Book 7
Weston, Book 8
Greyson, Book 9
Rowan, Book 10
Caleb, Book 11
Kurt, Book 12
Tucker, Book 13
Harley, Book 14
Kyron, Book 15
Jenner, Book 16
Rhys, Book 17
Landon, Book 18
Harper, Book 19
Kascius, Book 20
Declan, Book 21
Bauer, Book 22
Delta, Book 23
The K9 Files, Books 1–2
The K9 Files, Books 3–4
The K9 Files, Books 5–6
The K9 Files, Books 7–8
The K9 Files, Books 9–10
The K9 Files, Books 11–12
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
About This Book
Prologue
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
Epilogue
About Delta
Author’s Note
About the Author
Copyright Page
About This Book
Welcome to the all new K9 Files series reconnecting readers with the unforgettable men from SEALs of Steel in a new series of action packed, page turning romantic suspense that fans have come to expect from USA TODAY Bestselling author Dale Mayer. Pssst… you’ll meet other favorite characters from SEALs of Honor and Heroes for Hire too!
Staying in town suited Bauer. Dealing with Kat and Badger’s matchmaker? Not so much. But, when a mutual friend calls to say an injured War Dog was dropped off at her clinic—only to then be stolen during the night after she completed surgery to fix his injured stump—well, Bauer is all over it.
Mags always liked Bauer, but she kept her personal relationships short and sweet. After all, commitments were too often broken and the resultant pain horrific. However, Bauer refuses to leave her in trouble and is here for her every step of the way; plus they share the love of animals. How can she ignore all that? Plus he is a hell of a package. But is she willing to take a chance on being hurt again?
The escalating danger—surrounding Toby, her injured War Dog—catches Mags and Bauer in a web of risk that can only end one way …
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Prologue
Kat stared at Badger. “There’s such a miraculous note to these endings,” she whispered.
Badger nodded, his voice equally soft as he spoke, after the phone call ended. “Who would have thought that Declan would have wrapped that up so nicely. Not only a cold case on her family’s murder but the attacks against Carly leading up to this, and he secured the War Dog.”
Kat shook her head. “I know it’s a twisted world out there, but, Dear God, that’s quite a story.”
“And yet here we are, doing our part to fix things.”
“Declan wants to keep Shelby then?”
“Oh, I think it’s probably the best answer in this case, as they get to share the dog.” Badger smiled. “Shelby might do well with the hospitals too, but she will definitely do well in terms of various K9 work.”
“That’s huge, absolutely huge. My God.” Kat gave a big sigh and placed her hand on her chest. “My heart swells, I’m so happy.”
He smiled at her. “That’s because you’re such a good person.”
She chuckled. “This has been one hell of an experience. I know we’re not making any money on it, and money isn’t the point, but, wow, are we ever affecting lives.”
“In a good way.” Badger nodded. “It’s all very hard to imagine.” Then he looked down at the file in front of him. “It makes we wish we could help others, even if not through this K9 program.”
“You’re thinking of Timber, aren’t you?” Kat smiled at her husband. “He’s doing very well.”
“I know he is. That man seems to be able to do anything when it comes to construction work. I did ask him if he found out more about that property he was interested in, and he said yes. And that was it. No update. No further response.” Badger laughed. “I can’t even consider him unfriendly, as he answered me with a smile.”
“There you go. When he’s ready to share, he will.”
“We’ll miss him, if he decides to do something other than help us.”
“Maybe we should consider a construction side to our current businesses.”
Badger snorted. “As if we don’t have one now. Although, if Timber wanted to do something along that line, I’d support him. He really knows what he’s doing.”
“So maybe bring it up with him. I know he’s fighting his own demons, but it never hurts to remind someone that they aren’t alone.” She smiled at Badger, watching as he fingered the file in front of him. “You’ve got another one, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I do. I was wondering about Bauer.”
“Not Timber? Bauer, huh? Wasn’t he setting up a search and rescue operation around here?”
“He was thinking about it, but something holds him back. He just keeps talking about it. I’ve asked him to take one of these jobs over and over again, but he keeps saying no, tells me that he’s not ready.”
“Any reason why not?”
“Because he had a K9 dog, who saved Bauer’s life, but he lost the dog. Of course Bauer lost a leg and a hand in the deal, so overall, it left him with a bad taste for the military.”
“Right, we’re still working to get that one prosthetic right, but otherwise he’s been doing really well.”
Badger nodded. “I’d like to see him do one of these jobs and get him over the hump and to see if that kind of work is really what he wants.”
“It’s funny because I do remember you talking to him about this last year.”
Badger smiled. “Yeah, because I know that’s where his heart is, and I wanted to see if he could get past being stuck and help one of these animals.”
“Does he know it’s something that he needs to get through?”
“I don’t know. I’ve talked to him a bunch of times, but—”
“Where’s the dog?”
“That’s another reason for it. Otherwise I’d be tempted to do it myself.”
Kat looked at her husband in surprise. “Do you want a War Dog? I mean, I’m sure one of these dogs could become yours if you wanted one.”
“I don’t know,” Badger admitted. “I’ve been thinking about it. I mean, you hear these stories, and you wonder.”
“Oh, wait, hang on a minute. I get it. You’re looking for a new woman, aren’t you?”
He grinned at her. “Oh, dang, busted. Come on. Do you think you aren’t more than enough woman for me? Not to mention the kids,” he added, with an eye roll.
“Absolutely. So, come on. Tell me about this one. Then let’s give Bauer a call.”
“That’s the thing. This War Dog is a big male, missing a back leg. It was adopted, then he had more medical problems, and that’s when they took off the leg. Then they abandoned it at the vet clinic.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded.
Kat frowned. “And it’s local, right? So this really isn’t a search and rescue or a hunt-and-retrieve type thing.”
“Not really, no, but I talked to the vet about it, and you do know the vet.”
“Sure, if we’re talking about Mags. Or Magrit Wilden.”
“We are, indeed, talking about Mags,” Badger confirmed, “and I know she’s a good friend of yours, but, hey, she is single.”
At that, Kat stared at him in surprise. “You’re not actively matchmaking, are you?”
“No, of course not,” he declared.
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you are. How else do you explain all these happy-ending K9 cases?”
“They weren’t solely about matchmaking,” he replied in a dry tone. “I know Bauer wants to stay local with his new job, but I thought maybe he might want to work with this dog some.”
“But why did it end up in our files, if it’s local and if it’s already here?”
“Because, in this case, the dog doesn’t have a home.”
“So we’re supposed to do an adoption for it? That’s hardly within the scope of how we started.”
“As you know, everything here that we started has kind of changed over time, but it’s also because Mags phoned me this morning.”
She looked at him in surprise. “When?”
“Yeah, I would have told you about it, but Declan called when you walked in, so I haven’t had a chance.”
“What’s the matter?”
“His name’s Toby, the War Dog, I mean. Mags had a stranger come into her place yesterday, who took a real shine to the dog, and she told the guy that all the adoption information had to go through us. He apparently got really ugly about it. So, when she came in this morning, there had been a break-in, and the dog is missing.”
“Ah, shit.”
“So now she feels guilty as hell, and Toby is missing.”
&nb sp; Kat stared at him. “And you’re thinking Bauer is the guy for the job?”
“Bauer knows the area. Bauer knows dogs. Bauer knows Mags.” Then he shot Kat a sideways look.
She stared at him for a long moment. “You know what? It just might work. Mags is pretty definite about not getting involved again, though. She says she only wants to be around animals.”
“Which is also Bauer’s point. He isn’t in any hurry to get involved with anyone again, not after his wife walked away with his best friend while he was overseas.”
Kat winced at that. “Right, I had heard that. Mags is a veterinarian, with a kind heart, who looks after animals. Then there’s Bauer, who is a little bit on the rough side, yet—you know something?” Kat looked at Badger in surprise. “You’re getting pretty good at this.”
“Bauer hasn’t said yes though.”
At that came a laugh at the doorway, and they both looked up to see Bauer, leaning against the door.
“What are you two hatching now?” he asked in disgust. “It better not have anything to do with my love life.”
“No, not at all,” Badger replied. “Do you know the vet here, Mags?”
He straightened. “Sure, why?”
“Her clinic got broken into this morning.”
At that news, Bauer straightened and glared at Badger. “What?”
“Yeah, and the War Dog that I mentioned to you is now missing.” Badger then explained what Mags had told him on the phone this morning.
“That little punk bastard isn’t taking a dog that’s already struggling and go out and do what with Toby? If that’s how this punk treats the vet, you know he’ll treat the dog like shit.”
“I know, and you know what will end up happening with a guy like that.”
“Yeah, the dog’ll go after him, after it’s taken all it can handle.”
“So, Mags really needs a hand,” Badger said, looking at him. “She feels terrible.”
Bauer glared. “I’m heading to the vet clinic right now.” He spun back to the doorway.
“So, does that mean you’re taking the case?” Badger asked.
Bauer turned and asked, “What do you mean, case?”
“Remember? I talked to you about all these War Dogs?”
“Sure, but I wouldn’t do it.” Then he frowned and asked, “Is that what this is?”
Badger nodded. “It is. Mags was just checking the dog over because it was abandoned. Someone had brought it to her. When she scanned it, she realized it was a War Dog and contacted us.”
“Well, hell,” Bauer muttered. “Looks like you’ll get your way then.”
“And what does that mean? I really need you to be clear about this,” Badger said.
Bauer glared at him and saw the grin on Badger’s face. “Hell yes, you know I won’t let a loser punk steal a War Dog like that. Besides, Mags is one hell of a vet. If she needs a hand, I’ll be there.” And, with that, he stormed off.
Kat looked over at her husband and smiled. “That was dirty.”
“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Badger noted, with a smile. “Now we just have to let nature take its course.”
Chapter 1
Bauer Armstrong hopped into his truck and headed over to the vet clinic. He got along well with Mags, but there was kind of a reserved energy between them. It was all business and nothing more, and that’s the way he preferred it. Yet always this undercurrent. This awareness between them. He had a huge distrust of women in general. He knew it wasn’t fair, but, when something has colored your past, it was hard to not let it color your future as well. Not being the kind of person to do a lot of self-analysis and figure it out, Bauer didn’t want to even think about it because it was too painful and required way too much of that touchy-feely stuff.
He could get as emotional as the next guy, but it hurt when it came to some events in his life, and he just wasn’t prepared to go there. The loss of his wife. The loss of his War Dog.
Bauer shook those thoughts from his head, as he pulled into the parking lot of the veterinary clinic. He watched a window company employee taking measurements. Bauer wandered around the outside of the clinic to see just what kind of damage had been done to the place. When one of the window guys looked at him with a raised eyebrow, Bauer shrugged. “I heard about it this morning and came by to see how bad it was.”
“Went in through a window,” he said. “Don’t know whether they had security on or not, but, if they did, it didn’t do them much good.”
That was a critical point, and something Bauer would ask Mags about, though she may not take it in the way it was intended. Still, this might shake her up too. Bauer walked back around to the front entrance of the clinic, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
Mags stood behind the counter, going over files with her receptionist. Mags looked up and acknowledged him, with a short nod. “Hey. What can I do for you today?”
“Badger sent me over.”
Her eyebrows popped up. “Why?”
That was her attitude, blunt and right to the point. She was known for not bullshitting around. He kind of liked it. He could handle anybody who was straightforward and honest. It didn’t matter what the questions were, but, when people started playing games, Bauer had a tendency to get irate. “Because of the break-in and the War Dog.”
“Right,” Mags let out a sigh. “Don’t get me started on poor Toby.”
“What kind of physical condition is he in?”
“We just took off his back leg,” she shared in frustration. “It’s bound up, but his pain meds must be wearing off by now. The drainage and threat of infection are major concerns.”
Bauer frowned at that. “And a hurt, angry dog won’t be easy to control.”
“No, he sure won’t. Toby is pretty exceptional though. I never saw the slightest hint of aggression out of him the whole time I had him here.”
“I didn’t get a whole lot of history from Badger,” Bauer noted. “Do you have a photo?”
She nodded, then pulled out her phone. After swiping around, she located one. “Here. He’s a handsome guy, a big Malinois-shepherd cross. Other than missing his back leg and being almost totally midnight black, the only other distinguishing features are the lighter ear tufts and the matching one at end of his tail.”
Bauer studied the photo. “Interesting. Any more information on file?”
“Not much at all,” she replied. “Toby was found close by, and it looks as if somebody probably just dumped him here close to us, maybe so he would at least get the help he needed. Then they took off, probably so they didn’t have to pay the bill, I suppose.”
“I’m looking for information on the family who originally adopted him,” Bauer added, “but, so far, I haven’t gotten that data.”
“Badger will have it,” Mags stated. “Or, if he doesn’t, he probably knows where to get it, at least. It would be good to know what happened on that end, but that’s not today’s issue. Right not, we just need to get Toby back and fast.”
Bauer nodded. “Did you have the security system on?”
She nodded. “I did. I personally close up every night, especially when I have animals here.”
“Were any other animals taken?”
She shook her head at that. “No,” she muttered. “Toby is the only one that went missing.”
“Okay, so what can you tell me about the guy who came here asking, about the dog?”
She snorted at that. “I can do one better and show you a picture from the security camera. I went looking for it first thing.”
She led the way back into a small room, where the security system was set up and connected to a laptop, which she quickly accessed, bringing up the image of the man who she had been talking to the day before. “This is him.” She pointed at the image. “Not the best angle to get a good look at him. He was kind of unassuming in a way, but he didn’t really like anything I had to say.”
“Was he aggressive? Was he difficult or threatening?”
“Things got ugly in that he got mad, yet he didn’t directly threaten me. He was argumentative. On every point of the adoption process, he didn’t want to hear what I had to say.”
“Did it seem as if he knew the dog?”
She frowned. “I don’t know about that. He certainly had heard about it, but I’d had the information out on the news media, trying to find somebody who might know what was going on with Toby.”
