According to the satellite image, Mosby’s cousin’s crude hunting shack stood in an isolated clearing deep in a woodsy area at the foothills of the Salish Mountains. Jamie Burke and her partner for this takedown, Reaper Stenberg, parked their SUV a quarter mile down the gravel road leading to the Montana cabin.

Lock and load time. Jamie drew deep slow breaths to slow her heart, while getting her head “in the zone”. They were going after a badass. A mistake could turn deadly.

Reaper opened the back hatch of the SUV and reached into their bag of weapons and gear.

First, they donned Kevlar jackets. Jamie clipped her badge onto her web belt and slid her Glock into the holster strapped to her leg. Then Reaper held out a shotgun with an orange stock.

She glared. “Seriously? You expect me to take down Mosby with a bean bag round?”

“I don’t expect you to take down a damn thing, other than notes.” He smirked. “I’ll handle Mosby. If he gets past me, you nail him in the gut with this.” His glacier-blue eyes narrowed. “Your Glock is your last resort. You’ll be coming through the back of the cabin. Think I’d trust you with real bullets when I’ll be in the line of fire?”

“I’m a better shot than you,” she muttered, thinking of her last weapons qualification test and the ten tightly grouped shots in the circle around the heart on her target.

“On the range. This is the real world, sweet cheeks.”

She crimped her mouth and loaded a bean bag round into the chamber of her weapon, then stuffed two more shells into the pockets of her jeans. The rounds, intended to disable rather than kill, were filled with fabric “pillows” containing birdshot. Although his caution made sense, she couldn’t let him know she was relieved to carry non-lethal rounds—she’d seen enough death and never wanted to kill again. The fact he didn’t trust her aim—or, perhaps, her nerves—rankled. Still, they’d be inside close quarters, and the “non-lethal” round was far more dangerous than when used, as recommended, to hit targets twenty to sixty feet away.

Didn’t matter to Reaper that she was ex-military and knew her way around firearms. Since being discharged, she’d caught a desk at Montana Bounty Hunters, learning the ropes of the paperwork end of the job, and training with the agency’s owner, “Fetch” Winter, until he’d felt comfortable letting her ride shotgun with his most experienced hunter.

From the moment Fetch told Reaper she was his responsibility, he’d been on her ass. No doubt Reaper hoped she’d quit inside a week, but she was entering her second week and rather enjoying the fact her stubborn acceptance of his constant snarky disses annoyed the crap out of him. She’d weathered similar, un-PC comments during her time in the military. They rolled off her back like rain off a duck’s ass.

Lastly, he handed her an earpiece and inserted his own. “Testing,” he whispered. When she took her time responding, he raised an eyebrow. “You got it turned on?”

She raised her hand and shot him the bird. “I heard you loud and clear.”

He hefted a battering ram with one huge hand and rested it on his shoulder then passed over a lock pick kit. “Don’t keep me waiting. As soon as you’re in place, I’ll knock down the door.”

“Shouldn’t we make sure he’s inside first?”

He scowled. “Think I’m a rookie, rookie? Peek in a window on your way. And don’t get your head shot off.”

“Geez, I’d almost think you cared,” she said, giving him a sly grin and a wink.

His expression remained stony.

The time was mid-afternoon, still plenty of light, but she knew he was too impatient to get this catch-and-release finished. They’d already logged ten days on the road, interviewing Mosby’s high school buddies, family members, and former cellmates. A girlfriend who was pissed Mosby was willing to let her car be taken, part of the collateral of his bail bond, mentioned the hunting cabin. After a quick trip to a local Bureau of Land Management office that morning, they had what they hoped was their first break in this case.

They jogged down the quarter mile track to the edge of the clearing. She stayed close to his heels while his long blond ponytail flapped down his back. Not for the first time, she noted his broad shoulders and powerful build. If only he wasn’t such a dick to work with...

When they halted, she noted the rusty white pickup parked next to the porch. Someone was home.

Reaper gave her a curt nod then broke left following the tree line, while she kept to the brush to the right, until she was midway down the long side of the shotgun shack. With her heart rate kicking higher, she edged carefully toward a window and shot upward to glance inside.

A man sat in the shadows of a living room in a ratty easy chair, watching TV.

She edged upward again, quickly studied his profile, then crouched to pull the bench warrant from her back pocket to check out their target’s picture. Same bald head and heavy brows, same black tribal tattoo climbing up his shoulder from under his grubby white wife beater to wrap around his neck. “It’s him,” she whispered. “In the living room. Front door’s ten feet from his chair.”

“Is he armed?”

“Didn’t see a weapon. I’m heading to the back door.” She kept close to the side of the house, came around the back, and then halted when she noted the modified back door. “Big damn dog door,” she whispered. “I didn’t see a dog.”

“Good. Door saves us both some time. Get your ass inside, Burke.”

Jamie knelt, lifted the rubber flap, and peeked inside. Still no dog in sight. Tightening her mouth, she pushed her weapon through first, angled her hips, and crawled into the opening, her hands sliding on greasy tile. “I’m inside,” she whispered as she lay sprawled on a floor that smelled like onions and beer. Did the guy use the floor to fry his hamburgers?

“On three,” came Reaper’s raspy whisper. “One...two...three...”

As she shoved to her feet, she heard a distant crash as the wooden front door splintered, and then the clatter of nails on linoleum from a room just beyond the kitchen. She rushed through the doorway into a bedroom just as a short, very muscular brindle pit bull jumped onto the mattress, heading in the most direct path toward her. She darted into a bathroom, climbed onto the toilet seat, then the small counter. When the dog stood on his hind legs, snapping at her boots, she leapt toward the doorway and slammed the door closed, trapping him inside.

The dog thudded heavily against the wood, and then barked like a hellhound.

The sound of furniture thudding came from the next room. Something glass hit the floor and shattered. Muffled grunts and curses sounded.

“Bastard, stay down!” Reaper shouted.

Speeding toward the living room, Jamie halted when she saw Daniel Mosby with Reaper hanging on their target’s back, his arm around his neck in a chokehold.

The two large men hit one side of the doorframe then the other. Mosby’s face was red, his teeth bared. Three inches taller and burlier than Reaper, Mosby kept moving.

Pulse racing, she backed up toward the kitchen doorway.

“Shoot him, Burke!” Reaper growled. “Shoot the fucker!”

Sucking in a breath, she raised her shotgun, aimed for Mosby’s large belly, and pulled the trigger.

Mosby grunted, his black eyes widened, and he screamed, despite the arm cinching his thick neck. And despite the direct hit, he kept coming.

She backed up into the kitchen, sure Mosby would drop any second, but he lunged toward a wall, slamming Reaper against it.

Reaper’s hold loosened.

Mosby shook him off and aimed an elbow behind him, catching Reaper in the chin as he went down. Mosby’s dark gaze locked with hers, and he rushed forward.

With no time to load another round in the shotgun, she considered her Glock, but that was her last resort.

Brains over brawn—a cliché that had served her well in tighter situations. The bastard was big and lumbered toward her like a bear. Likely his size intimidated most men, but she wasn’t a man. And she wasn’t scared. Although she was good at pretending fear. She widened her eyes and sank into a crouch, raising a hand as though to cover her head.

Behind Mosby, Reaper groaned. “Goddammit, Burke. Use your fucking weapon!”

But she had a better idea. Killing was easy. And Mosby had sworn he’d never be caught, never spend another day in prison. She wanted the sorry asshole to spend years thinking about the fact he’d been bested by a woman.

As he rushed her, she kept her feet flat on the greasy floor and ducked to the side. Just as he came within reach, she swept out a foot and tripped him. On his way toward the dirty tile, she spun and clocked him in the back of the head with the butt of her shotgun.

He hit the floor hard, arms sprawled from his sides, and didn’t move.

Before he could stir again, she stuck a knee in his lower back, pulled back one meaty arm, and latched a cuff around his thick wrist, then repeated the action with the other. When he was secured, she shot to her feet and stood over him, at last withdrawing her Glock from its holster to point toward his ass in case he roused. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder at Reaper. “You through napping?”

“Bitch,” he wheezed from the floor.

“He wasn’t armed. What’s your excuse?”

Reaper sat and leaned against the kitchen wall, working his jaw side to side. He winced. “I was just softening him up for you, babe. Nice takedown, by the way.”

And then he smiled—a real smile, not his usual one-sided smirk. She grinned, relieved that at last he saw her worth. “I’m still too scrawny to get his ass to our vehicle. You rested?”

He chuckled and pushed upward, not hiding a groan as he straightened. “Wait until I tell Fetch. He said you were a firecracker, and that I shouldn’t count you out in a fight.”

“He should know,” she murmured. He’d been her commanding officer, back when she’d been in the Military Police during her stints in Afghanistan.

Reaper stepped up beside her and gazed down at Mosby’s prone body. “Seems like karma. Him being taken down by a woman.”

Jamie couldn’t agree more. Perfect retribution for a man who’d murdered his wife with his bare hands. On the drive back to deliver Mosby to the Flathead County Detention Center, Jamie placed a call to the county’s animal control unit to let them know a pissed-off pit bull was still trapped inside the cabin.

Reaper grinned and shook his head.

Despite the fact the animal had seemed ready to rip out her tendons, Jamie worried about him.

Buddy, as Mosby told them once he roused in the backseat, was a good dog. More bark than bite. Once inside their SUV, the man blubbered on and on about his pet, wondering who would take it. He’d mentioned a cousin who was familiar with the dog, and she’d passed along his name and telephone number to animal control—hoping the pit bull wouldn’t be euthanized. It wasn’t Buddy’s fault his owner was an asshole.

After dropping off Mosby, they headed back to the office in Kalispell. Montana Bounty Hunters sat square in the middle of a dingy strip mall. Gold lettering on tinted glass the only indication that the space was occupied. Inside, they skirted the receptionist’s long desk and entered the “bull pen” area where old metal desks held the latest technology. Their boss sat at one, his gaze glued to an arrest warrant on the screen, until he spotted them drawing near.

To Jamie’s surprise, Reaper’s admiration for the job she’d done didn’t dry up when they reached Fetch. “Boss, you should have seen her nail that fat bastard to the floor.”

Fetch raised an eyebrow. “Told you she’s no snowflake.” He rose and congratulated them both, and then directed them to his office assistant to cut their checks.

That’s when Reaper really surprised her. Instead of her usual “probie” cut, he insisted she receive the same amount as he did.

Reaper jerked his thumb toward Jamie. “She earned it, Fetch. Sweetest takedown you ever saw.”

As Jamie stuffed her check into her wallet, Reaper patted her shoulder.

“Nice way to earn six grand, ain’t it, Jackie?”

“Jackie?” She gave him a narrow-eyed glare, sure he’d returned to his usual snark.

“You reminded me of Jackie Chan in that kitchen. Looked all scared—then those moves...” He whistled. “Jackie, it is.”

Although pleasure at his approval warmed her cheeks, Jamie shrugged, pretending she didn’t care she’d just earned her bounty hunter handle. “I can live with that.”

Reaper arched a blond eyebrow. “So, Jackie, want to grab a beer before you head home?”

Fetch laughed. “Damn, you goin’ sweet on my newest hunter?”

Red crept into Reaper’s cheeks. “No, I’d do the same for anyone.”

“Sure you would.” Fetch shook his head then aimed a glance at Jamie. “Don’t you have somewhere better to be?”

She laughed, feeling tired and achy, but happy about how well today’s capture had gone. “I have to pick up Tessa from the sitter. Another time, Reaper.”

“Nothing on the books, for now.” Fetch pointed toward the door. “Get some rest.”

As she headed to the parking lot, she patted her pocket. Six grand for a week and half of investigation and one slightly harrowing day? Worth the effort, in her books. For the first time since she’d left the Army, she felt as though she’d found her calling. After six years active duty, three of which she’d spent training and three playing in “the sandbox”, she’d wondered if she’d ever feel that way again. Like she belonged to something bigger than herself.

Tessa was happy to see her. Even before Jamie turned off her headlights and exited the truck, Tessa bounced her paws against the chain link fence, her long tail sweeping the grass. Jamie didn’t mind writing the check for ten days’ boarding, not when her Malinois looked healthy and seemed to have true affection for Brian Cobb.

Brian’s wheelchair whirred as he accompanied them both to Jamie’s truck.

“No problems?” she asked. Even in the dim light cast by a single bulb beside his door, she could tell he looked a little less solemn than when she’d left Tessa. She still didn’t like the fact his once brawny frame had dwindled. But tonight, his brown hair was washed and combed. She made a note to bring scissors the next time she came. His shaggy hair was nearly to his shoulders.

“No problems” he said, shrugging. “You staying the night before you left helped her feel comfortable. I think she remembers me.”

“This arrangement work for you?” she asked, although she knew the answer.

Brian was grateful for the extra cash. Unable to work a steady job, like many disabled vets, he cobbled together jobs to make ends meet. They’d been in the same reserve unit, served two tours together, before an IED had taken his legs and left him with a Traumatic Brain Injury, which made him moody and unable to be around many people.

“Think you’ll be sticking with this bounty hunting job, Jamie?” he asked.

Tessa pressed against her leg. “I think so,” she said, reaching down to tickle an ear.

His mouth curved. “Must have seen some action. You have that look.”

“What look is that?” she asked, smiling.

“Like you dodged a bullet and kicked some ass.”

She laughed. “The job’s mostly boring as hell. Lots of time on the computer and making calls. So many calls.” She shuddered. “And Jesus, the in-person interviews. Never met so many stupid people in my life.”

Brian grimaced. “Don’t like talking to folks, even on the phone. Glad it’s you and not me.”

“I’m just happy as hell Tessa likes you. Really, you don’t mind looking after her? Sorry I can’t give you more notice when I have to drop her off.”

“Like I’ll ever be too busy?” He held out his hand. “Any time, Jamie. Really. And I worked with her a bit. I know you haven’t had much time for it lately. Had the neighbor’s kid walk from the front porch then enter the woods and hide. Made him keep to even ground so I could follow. Tessa had her nose down from the front step until she found him hiding behind a fallen log.” Brian grinned. “She’s still got it.”

Jamie liked the way his face lit up. Seeing him excited about anything was a relief. She went to her knee in front of her Malinois, her best friend since they’d been paired in training. “Is that right, girl?” she asked, grabbing the brown and black fur on either side of her face and giving her a gentle shake. “Did you find that kid? Did you have fun?”

Tessa’s mouth opened, and she gave Jamie her doggie smile, tail switching a mile a minute.

Brian reached to the side to scratch beneath Tessa’s collar. “She sure perked up after she found the kid. I think she felt proud of herself.”

Jamie petted Tessa as her dog licked her chin. She was not going to cry over the fact her dog was acting like a dog. “I need to work with her more,” she said, knowing her voice sounded too gruff.

“You think about joining that Search and Rescue group out of Bozeman?”

Jamie wrinkled her nose. “I’m not much of a joiner.”

Brian tapped the arm of his chair. “I think Tessa would like it. And you’d make some friends. And it’s not like she’ll be sniffin’ for bombs.”

“I have friends,” she said, giving him a narrow look.

“Yeah, well, new friends. Do you even know anyone who wasn’t with the unit?”

“I know lots of people. I just don’t happen to have much in common with most folks.”

Brian gave her steady look, bleakness stealing the gleam from his eyes. “I know how that is, but, Jamie, it’s no way to live.”

She studied him for a long moment. “Tell you what. I’ll attend a meeting with the search and rescue folks—if you agree to attend a Soldier’s Sanctuary meeting,” she said, talking about the non-profit group that worked to help wounded vets reacclimatize to civilian life. “They have all kinds of recreational activities. You need to get out, Brian, and make some friends of your own.”

He snorted and scratched behind Tessa’s ears. “I have friends, don’t I, Tess?” He angled his head toward Jamie. “We’re a pair, aren’t we? I lost two legs and have a scrambled brain. What’s your excuse?”

She blew out a breath, knowing they’d likely have this exact conversation the next time they met. Neither was ready for any big changes. They were still busy adjusting to life after the sandbox.

Jamie secured Tessa inside her crate in the back of her vehicle, and Brian wheeled backward, stopping at the foot of his ramp to watch as she drove away. Her heart ached for the Brian she’d known before the bomb. She missed his easy humor. They’d been close. Both young and trying so hard not to reveal how scared they were that first time they’d shipped out.

Up until the day he’d been injured, they’d been inseparable. They’d sat at the same tables in the chow hall. Worked out together. Shared pictures of home. Talked about what they wanted to make of their lives after their commitments to the military ended.

Brian had wanted to be a teacher.

She’d wanted to be cop.

Life hadn’t worked out that way for either of them. She no longer had any interest in sitting in a squad car, writing tickets. She preferred the seedier settings, rousting bad guys from bars and deserted cabins. Needed the adrenaline rush of the takedown to feel alive.

Brian preferred his solitude, shutting out the world.

Sometimes, she feared he’d lose all hope of ever finding happiness. He needed someone, or something, to give him a reason to keep living. As often as she could, she’d share Tessa. That he’d agreed to dog sit still surprised her. She’d suggested a few times that he find an animal friend, but he’d refused. She wondered if that was because he feared he’d end up abandoning a creature dependent on his being there to care for it.

Jamie clicked on the indicator and steered into her driveway. A few more paychecks like today’s, and she could kiss off this duplex with the noisy couple next door. She’d like a yard large enough to fence and allow Tessa room to be a dog. Not that she wanted a mortgage or to put down roots. For now, she was content to live day by day, and she couldn’t wait for the next call.

She hoped she and Reaper would pull another Daniel Mosby soon. Someone who’d give her a reason to just let go and kick some ass. Today’s action had made her feel more alive than she had in a long time.

After feeding and walking Tessa, she pulled the top off a beer and settled at her kitchen table, her cleaning supplies laid out in military order, and broke down her Glock to begin the task of cleaning it, even though she hadn’t fired a shot. Better to be prepared for the next time.

The screen on her phone lit a moment before the opening bars of Five Finger Death Punch’s “Bad Company” played. The caller was Fetch.

Her heart tripped. Another job. She picked up the phone and answered. Didn’t matter she hadn’t slept. “Next time” had come.