Dakota Peace gG by Megan Kinney
CHAPTER 1
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e brave. Natalia Brynner took a deep breath and leveled her gaze at the monitor. The clicking of computer keys and monotone voices floated over to her. Stomach acid burned her throat. A heavy hand rested on her shoulder. She didn’t need to look up to know it belonged to her boss, Hayden Boyd. A bottle of water fogged over with condensation appeared in front of her. She opened it and drank. The cool liquid soothed her aching tissue. “The captain sent a text,” Hayden said. “It’s time. There’s an arena full of people as well as on-duty first responders listening. Don’t choke up.” Natalia sat straighter and secured the headset over her blonde curls. With shaking hands, she picked up the paper in front of her. Hayden cleared his throat. After the blaring, six-beep emergency tone quieted all radio traffic, Natalia adjusted the mouthpiece. “Attention all units. Stand by for last call. PD 277, 1-2.” Silence. “PD 277, 1-2. Officer Mason, do you copy?” She took a deep breath and mentally counted five seconds. No one responded. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Negative contact with PD 277. You’re clear to end your tour. Thank you for your dedication, loyalty, and exemplary service to the citizens of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Together we form the thin blue line, protecting the good from the bad. May you rest in peace. We’ll take it from here.” ******* g1G
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Trooper Travis Wilkins sat on the white-and-blue quilt that covered his bed and tightened his fingers around the handheld service radio. The female’s voice strained as she finished reciting the last call for the fallen Sioux Falls police officer. Another death in the line of duty engraved in the hearts of his brothers and sisters in blue. It didn’t matter that Travis had never met Officer Mason. He felt the loss just the same. He tightened his Kevlar vest, then slipped on his shirt. With a heavy heart, he pulled the black, elastic band around his badge and strapped his duty belt around his waist. His boots echoed against the wood floor as he walked through the living room. The pottery on the maple table and the painted buffalo skull hanging above the river-rock fireplace featured his Lakota roots. In the kitchen, he filled a travel mug with coffee, grabbed his laptop, and stepped onto the deck, like any other day. His blue heeler lifted his head but didn’t move from his spot next to the door. “I see you’re at your post, Jeeves. Good boy.” Travis scratched the hound’s ears. The rising sun heated his face. Under the canopy of a large oak tree, he strode to his black patrol car, the grass crunching under his feet. Among the knee-high grass, yucca plants dotted patches of yellow sweet clover, covering the rolling plains that surrounded his cabin. A trickle of sweat ran down his neck even though it wasn’t yet ten o’clock, but that was normal for an August day in western South Dakota. He scooted into the driver’s seat and turned on his laptop, then he pushed the radio mic. “Northern Hills HP 352.” “Go ahead, HP 352,” the female dispatcher responded. “Good morning. I’ll be 10-8.” “Good morning, HP 352, 10-8 at 1002.” His cell phone rang. “Wilkins.” “It’s Sergeant Black. You know that Amber Alert that went out last week?” “The boy kidnapped by his foster parents in Rapid City?” “That’s the one. A black pickup matching the description of the g2G
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suspects was spotted traveling east from Sturgis a few minutes ago. I want you to search the roads northwest of Alkaline. I’ve got other units headed that way too.” Travis’s heartbeat increased. “You got it, Sarge.” So much for a normal day. If he was lucky, he’d have the boy safe and his kidnappers behind bars by the end of his shift. He dropped his phone into the cup holder and sped off. ******* Almost six in the evening and the end of Travis’s shift loomed, but there was no sign of the pickup or the kidnapped boy. With nowhere left to search, he parked his patrol car at the intersection of Highway 34 and Hope Road to plan his next move. Until that morning, he hadn’t spent much time thinking about the abduction. It had occurred in a town seventy miles south. The likelihood of the kidnappers coming this far north had been slim, but now they were in his territory, and none of the troopers knew this area as well as he did. Cool air blasted from the vents as he grabbed the map from the passenger’s seat and draped it over the steering wheel. He grabbed a red Sharpie. The stinky marker screeched as he circled the area he’d searched, drawing over Highway 34 heading west, then up Juniper Place and circling back to the intersection at Hope Road. Hope. He could sure use some of that. The search was nowhere near as simple as he’d thought it would be. Maybe he’d drive south. Other troopers had been in that area, but the hidden driveways and unmarked dirt roads could be confusing. He rubbed the edge of his itchy eyes, blurring the lines of the map. With so many places to look, how would they ever find the boy? Travis crumpled the map into a ball. Sarge had called off the search hours ago, but Travis refused to comply with the hasty decision. He needed to keep looking, to find the boy and calm the g3G
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restless anxiety this search had stirred in him. Memories of his time in the system flashed through his mind. The foster dad who woke him at six every morning for a five-mile run. The older son of a foster family who slapped and pinched him when his parents weren’t looking, then smirked when Travis was punished for defending himself. The endless days of wishing his mom would come for him and crying himself to sleep when she didn’t. Of course, it beat the alternative—shivering in a cold room, his stomach rumbling from lack of food, his mother passed out on the worn, green couch. He couldn’t change the past, but he could find this boy and get him into a better home. If only Sarge hadn’t called off the search. Travis stared through the bug-splattered windshield. In the distance, a herd of quarter horses galloped across the hayfield, disturbing a flock of sparrows. The birds launched from the barbedwire perch into the darkening, western sky. Storm clouds. Great. Though they needed the rain, a storm wouldn’t help find the boy. The prairie’s valleys, peaks, and draws bubbled into a maze that could hide the family for a long time, if the reported pickup even belonged to the kidnappers. Black trucks weren’t exactly rare in western South Dakota. Red flashed in Travis’s peripheral vision. A car sped past the stop sign. He pushed the map aside and took off after the speeder. Adrenaline rushed through him. The hum of his radar morphed into a high-pitched squeal. He locked in the speed at sixty-five, then flipped on his lights and sirens before grabbing the radio. “Northern Hills. HP 352.” “Go ahead, HP 352.” “I’ll be 10-44 with South Dakota plate one, Edward, king, nine, four, three on Highway 34 at Hope Road.” “10-4 HP 352, 1754 hours.” The car pulled over and stopped. Travis parked behind it. He secured his wide-rimmed hat to his head, walked toward the car, and touched the metal above the taillight, watching the occupant’s g4G
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movements for anything suspicious. What seemed routine could turn deadly in an instant. When he reached the driver’s side, a young woman handed him her license, registration, and proof of insurance. Blonde curls framed her red and blotchy skin, though oversized sunglasses covered a good portion of her face. He glanced at her license—Natalia Brynner—then back at her. “The reason I stopped you today, Ms. Brynner, is because you were going sixty-five in a forty-five, and you sped past that stop sign back there.” He leaned in closer and smelled vanilla, not alcohol. “I’m sorry, Trooper.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t see the sign, and I thought the speed limit was sixty-five.” Tears slid down her face. Great. A crier. He rolled his eyes. He had no patience for manipulation today, not when a child needed to be found. “It was sixty-five but changed to forty-five since Alkaline is only a mile down the road. The signs are clearly visible. We had a major crash at that intersection last Friday night. Kid’s lucky to be alive.” More tears. Travis pinched the bridge of his nose. “I truly am sorry. If you’ll just give me my citations, I promise to pay more attention.” “It’s highway patrol policy to ask you to come back to my car.” Her shoulders drooped, but she opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle, smoothing her black skirt. Her heels crunched on the pavement as she walked to his car. “Go ahead and have a seat on the passenger’s side.” Travis fell into the driver’s seat while she slid in beside him. “Would you please remove your glasses?” Her long fingers snatched them from her face. “Sorry.” Her blue eyes focused on his. Good. She didn’t seem to be under the influence. He didn’t want to make the forty-minute trip to the county jail today. Travis typed her information into his computer. “Where you headed?” Natalia took a shaky breath. “Back to Sioux Falls.” g5G
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“What brought you to the western part of the state?” “I got in the car and drove. Ended up here.” He looked at her. Who drove five hours across the state for no reason? “Where did you begin this drive?” “My office.” “In Sioux Falls?” She nodded. “What time did you leave?” She shrugged. “Sometime midmorning.” He couldn’t tell if she was purposefully giving vague answers or was just an odd person. He glanced at his computer. The nearest K-9 officer was in Rapid City and wouldn’t appreciate being asked to bring his dog to Alkaline if Travis didn’t have a concrete reason to suspect drugs. But something didn’t feel right. ******* Natalia took a deep breath. She’d driven for six hours and all she wanted was to go home. The trooper typed her information into the database, but she knew what he’d find. Nothing. Before that evening, she’d never been pulled over, not even a parking ticket to her name. She had no idea how much her fines were going to cost, but they’d be hefty. When would she learn that she couldn’t outrun her pain? It always came with her and usually found trouble along the way. A fresh wave of tears pooled in her eyes. His fingers froze on the keyboard. “Why are you crying?” “I’d rather not talk about it.” He filled out her citation, then handed her the ticket book. “I know. Press hard, three copies.” She grabbed his pen with shaking fingers and carefully signed her name. “Are you in law enforcement?” She shook her head. He took the ticket book back, his forehead puckering. “Why are you upset?” g6G
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She glanced at the black, elastic band surrounding the badge pinned to his taupe, polyester shirt. “I knew the Sioux Falls PD officer who was killed. I dispatched the initial call when Officer Mason was shot, so today I recited last call.” His face relaxed as he handed her a tissue from his center console. “I heard you. It was a powerful moment. You did a good job.” “Thanks.” She sighed. “I know it was crazy to drive this far, but I needed to put some space between me and my office.” He handed her the citation. “The court date is at the bottom, if you’d like to refute the ticket. Maybe the judge will have more compassion than me and throw it out.” “I won’t fight it. I deserve this.” She scanned the document, but it only mentioned the stop sign violation. She looked at the trooper. “What about the speeding?” He shrugged. “I think I can extend some grace today.” “Thanks.” She tried to smile, but the stress of everything had caught up to her and it turned into a yawn. “Where’s the nearest place to get coffee? I’d better get some caffeine in my system if I’m going to make it home.” “Alkaline is east about a mile. The Prickly Pear Bistro has the best coffee, but you can also get some at the gas station a bit further down the road. You can’t miss either one, but are you sure you’re okay to drive back?” “I’ll be fine. Thanks again.” Natalia stepped out of the patrol car and rolled her foot. Stupid heels. If she hadn’t been planning on going to the funeral, she would be in her sneakers. “Are you okay?” the trooper yelled through the window. She turned and gave him a small wave. Her ankle ached as she walked back to her car. She pulled away from the shoulder, careful not to exceed the speed limit and keeping her hands at ten and two. A loud bang sounded and her car shook. It pulled to the side, thumping, so she tightened her grip on the wheel. The tire sensor on her dashboard lit up. Gritting her teeth, she pulled back onto g7G
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the shoulder. Amber lights reflected in her rearview mirror. Could the day get any worse? She stepped back into the August heat and walked around to the passenger side. The front tire lay flat against the road. The trooper strode up beside her and kicked a piece of shiny metal off the road. “Leftover debris from that wreck last Friday. It’s probably what punctured your tire. I’ll help you change it.” “I have towing insurance. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.” “I do it all the time for stranded motorists. Pop the trunk, and I’ll get the tire out.” Natalia hurried to the driver’s side and pulled the lever, then walked to the back of her car as the trooper pulled out the spare and jack. “What can I do to help?” “Grab the lug wrench.” He left her to wonder what a lug wrench was. The only thing left in the small compartment was a metal, X-shaped tool. She grabbed it and followed him to her flat tire. He positioned the jack under the car before grabbing the wrench from her. “Thanks.” “I’m the one who’s thankful. I’m sure changing a flat tire in ninety-degree weather wasn’t on your agenda.” His tanned bicep bulged as he loosened the bolts. “Glad I can help someone today.” He put the wrench on the ground and pumped the jack up. While she waited, Natalia watched some horses run through a field of tan grasses. They looked peaceful. She envied them. The trooper grunted. He was on his knees pulling the flat tire off the car while she was sightseeing. “Here, I can take that.” She grabbed the tire as it landed on the road, then rolled it to the back of her car. When she hefted it into the trunk, it left dirt streaks on her black dress. While she brushed them off, the trooper set the wrench and jack beside the tire. She peeked at his name tag, then held out her hand. “Thanks, Trooper g8G
Wilkins. I’ll be sure to let your supervisor know how helpful you’ve been.” He shook her hand. “Just doin’ my job. If you want, you can follow me into town and I’ll show you where the mechanic’s shop is. If he’s not open, I’ll show you were you can get that coffee.” “I’ll take you up on that.” She shut the trunk and got back into her car. All she needed was a tire, but with the way her day was going, she doubted it would be that easy.
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