Forged in Shadows

With the help of her K9 partner, Koda, widowed airport security officer Demi De Luca is committed to keeping her passengers safe as they fly. But when she overhears a mysterious phone call, she soon finds out that the real threat might be closer than she ever expected.

As founder of his family’s private security company, Gabriel Forge knows his mission in life: take the lead, hold the line, and never let anything–or anyone–get in the way. Not his faith. Not the beautiful girl from his childhood he thought he’d never see again. And certainly not an unruly German Shepherd puppy determined to eat his freshly polished shoes.

As dangerous forces begin to collide, Gabe and Demi must figure out the truth together, or watch from the ground as everything goes up in smoke.

Chapter 1

VINCE
BEFORE

Vince watched as the heavy rain collided against the windshield.
The black road stretched out ahead of him, lonely and blurred, as the radio droned on.
The windshield wipers were too slow to keep up with the pelting water, and too quiet to be heard over the incessant shushing of the storm.
He glanced over at the passenger seat, wishing his wife was there beside him.
On any other day, she would have been, and her dog would have been sleeping in the back seat.
They would have driven to work together long before dawn, talking about the weather, or the world, or whatever else came up.
She would have been guzzling her first coffee of many, and making empty threats about changing careers to something with an evening shift. He would have been teasing her about her terrible sleep habits and reminding her how much she hated the typical Dallas traffic.
At least, that was how it used to be.
Lately, they had fought more than they talked.
Sometimes, on the bad mornings that followed a bad night, she’d driven to work without him. He’d sit in the kitchen alone, pretending to drink his own coffee, lingering. In truth, he was giving her a head start, putting off the minutes before he had to clock in and pretend in front of everyone that everything was okay.
She pretended, too.
Some days, they both pretended so well that he could feel the warmth of her love again, despite everything he was putting her through.
Those days strengthened him.
They gave him the courage to keep moving forward, and to believe that when he achieved the victory he was working toward, it would all fall into place. To believe that the woman he loved with his entire heart could forgive him for the secrets he had hidden from her, and for the hurt he had meted out in his weakness.
Today had not been one of those days, and tonight, after many hours awake, he drove alone.
Vince yawned, reaching for the volume dial and turning up the radio. He knew the song. It was an annoyingly inescapable Top 40 hit, but at least it would help to keep him awake.
Had he known he was going to be called in for a night shift, he wouldn’t have had those beers, but it was too late to do anything about it now.
Somewhere behind him, he saw the flash of headlights in his rearview mirror. They became almost painfully bright as the driver pulled up closer behind him.
“What’s your hurry?” Vince muttered aloud, looking out at the slick road ahead and trying to ignore the blinding glow as he eased his SUV around a curve.
The rain was intensifying now. Still, the car behind him remained close.
Too close.
Another curve.
He blinked quickly, flashes lingering behind his eyelids as he tried to keep focus on the single yellow line that lay to his left. He wanted to speed up, or to change lanes, but he didn’t dare. Not here, not with the rain pooling at the edges of the road and sluicing against every window.
He lay his hand on the horn for several seconds, cringing as the harsh sound competed with the bass that had begun to pound from the SUV’s speakers. Without taking his eyes from the road, he reached out blindly, clicking off the stereo by feel.
The car was even closer now, the headlights filling his side mirrors completely.
He honked again.
He wished his wife was here, more than ever. Her tendency to lose her temper with foolish drivers would have made him feel better, reassured him, somehow, that this was just some guy who should have failed his road test.
Vince pressed on the gas. He was wide awake now.
He could feel a chill settling into his bones, even as the heater poured hot air into the enclosed space, cocooning him from the miserable storm outside.
He took another curve, pushing the engine a little harder as he came out of it. The car behind him matched his pace without even a moment’s hesitation.
Gritting his teeth, he gripped the wheel tighter.
If she had been here, she could have called the police.
His phone was somewhere in his backpack, tossed carelessly into the back seat. He had no chance of reaching it.
Maybe he should have called them long ago.
Given them the information that he had, and trusted that they’d figure out the rest.
He swallowed hard.
The police didn’t know who these people were. They didn’t know what they were capable of.
But he knew.
There were a whole lot of should haves and maybes racing through his mind, but as he heard the roar of the engine behind him, he knew it was too late.
Another curve.
More speed.
The weightless feeling of tires spinning on too much rain.
Lord Jesus, please take care of her.
Please.
Help her to know that I loved her with everything in me.
Forgive me, God.