Page 74 of Smoky Mountain K-9

With a final, short bark, the dog trotted around the plates to Carter’s side. Jake and Tristan took his place and lifted Constance off the floor.

“He bit me! That fucking dog bit me!” Constance jerked against their hold, glaring at Maverick.

“You’ll be all right.” Tristan pushed her toward the door. “We’ll call an ambulance to look at you.”

Shouting obscenities, Constance continued to twist in Tristan’s hold as he and Jake ushered her from the cabin.

“For the record, your plan failed.” Ben crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow as he stared at Carter.

“There was a plan?” Mara asked. “What was the plan?”

“To send Maverick in and take her down. But then she threatened to shoot you because I was taking too long to show up, and the plan went up in smoke.”

“We did get her entire confession, though. That part of your plan worked.”

Mara sent a questioning frown at them both.

Carter held up the comm unit. “I set it to an open channel before I came in so they could hear what was happening. They recorded everything she said.”

A bright smile covered Mara’s face. “Good. She’ll rot in jail for a long time.”

“Not as long as I’d like, but yes. She’ll be there for a good ten years.”

Maverick nudged Mara’s hand. She looked down and smiled at the dog, then crouched to give him a hug. “The plan sort of worked. He did take her down.” She framed his face, scratching the sides of his ears. “Didn’t you, boy? You were a good boy. You listened so well.”

“I still can’t believe that worked.” Ben shook his head. “Someone knows Mara’s family.”

Carter crouched next to Mara and put a hand on the dog’s head. “Yeah.” He looked at Mara. “He knows.”

Epilogue

The seatbelt pressed into Carter’s chest as he braked hard in front of his house. What were all these cars doing here? He recognized Mara’s SUV, but Tristan’s truck was also parked out front, along with several others.

He squinted at the small blue SUV in the drive. And was that his mom’s car?

Turning into the drive, he parked behind it and got out. Still frowning, he walked up the front porch steps and let himself inside.

“Surprise!” A chorus of voices greeted him.

Carter blinked, taking in the people in his living room. “What is going on?”

With a bright smile on her face, Mara stepped forward. “Happy birthday.”

A wrinkle formed on his forehead. “My birthday was last month.”

“I know. But in the chaos that surrounded Constance’s arrest, we didn’t celebrate.” She shrugged. “Your mom wanted to come visit anyway. And I figured it was a good way to announce to all our friends that I’ve moved in.”

He rolled his eyes. “Everyone knew that already.”

She smacked his chest. “Stop bursting my bubble and enjoy the party.”

Laughing, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yes, ma’am.”

The door opened behind him, and Ben stepped through, smiling.

Carter narrowed his eyes at his boss and friend. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

Ben’s smile widened. “Who do you think came up with the idea to get you out of the house? Without your dog.” He pointed at the Malinois, who sported a party hat.