Alpha Dogs Read online

  Witness Protection 6

  Alpha Dogs

  Holly Copella

  Copyright © 2018 Holly Copella

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1947694111

  ISBN-13: 978-1947694118

  Dedicated to those who proudly served our country.

  “All gave some; some gave all”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Copella Books: First Paperback Edition 2018

  Printed by CreateSpace, An Amazon.com Company

  Cover Artist: Daniela Owergoor

  Dani-owergoor.deviantart.com

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  Chapter Forty-four

  Chapter Forty-five

  Chapter Forty-six

  Chapter Forty-seven

  Chapter Forty-eight

  Chapter Forty-nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-one

  Chapter Fifty-two

  Chapter Fifty-three

  Other books by Holly Copella!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chapter One

  The relentless sound of an alarm wailing jolted Jackie into consciousness. Her eyes barely opened. She sat in the pilot’s seat and stared at the blood spatter on the windshield before her. Pain shot through her entire body as she endured the stinging sensation radiating from her left shoulder. She felt oddly paralyzed. Beyond the windshield, she could see a close-up view of the ocean rapidly passing by. Male and female screams from the fuselage could be heard above the wailing alarm. Jackie stared at the vibrating yoke in front of her. She attempted to reach for it with blood-covered hands. The pain shot through her shoulder, keeping her from getting close enough to the controls. She could do little more than watch the flashing lights on the panel.

  “Stay with me, Jackie,” a familiar male voice urgently shouted.

  The panic in the voice wasn’t something she heard often. Jackie recognized the voice, but she couldn’t think straight. Her head was becoming fuzzy, and her vision was blurring. She knew she was about to pass out again. Jackie fought to stay awake as the sounds of panic from the fuselage fueled her to remain conscious. She didn’t even know where she was or what she had been doing just moments before the relentless alarm started wailing.

  “Dad,” she gasped while struggling to stay awake. “She’s going down. Pull up!”

  “Jackie, stay with me!” the familiar male voice again shouted from alongside her.

  The voice was coming from the co-pilot’s seat. Jackie allowed her head to fall to her right shoulder and attempted to focus on the person alongside her. Her vision finally straightened. She saw Zack clutching the wheel while attempting to keep the plane from crashing into the ocean. He glanced at her. It was the first time she’d remembered seeing fear on his face. As he struggled with the controls, Jackie again attempted to reach the yoke before her. She heard the continuous screaming from the back of the plane. The passengers were terrified. She heard Zack shouting out a curse just before everything went dark.

  §

  Two days earlier. Salvatore Romano’s Colorado Springs country mansion was nestled on a large parcel of land beyond tall, stone walls. The professionally landscaped estate didn’t have a hedge out of place. Weeping willow trees and faux split rail fencing lined the long driveway. The driveway split off to circle a large fountain outside the front door, while the remaining driveway branched off to the kitchen, staff wing, and eventually to the massive, detached, eight-car garage. Toward the back of the mansion, Sal walked through the massive, blossoming garden with his daughter.

  Sal Romano was a robust man, although not necessarily overweight. He held his weight well. Despite being in his mid-forties, his face had a youthful appearance and almost cherub in nature. His baby face and moderately balding head gave him an innocent appeal. His possible mafia ties had always been in question, but if he had mob ties, there was little to no evidence of it. Sal’s daughter, Pinto, was an attractive woman in her mid-twenties with long, copper-colored hair. Although they had gone through a rough patch, their relationship had finally found a solid footing partially due to her future husband.

  Sal hugged his daughter while smiling proudly. “I’m so glad you and Beck decided to get married here,” he announced cheerfully.

  “I like your new home here in Colorado. It’s nicer than the one in Chicago,” Pinto informed him. “I’m glad you decided to leave Chicago and move here.”

  “I wanted to be closer to my daughter,” he admitted proudly while hugging her. “Everything will be perfect for your wedding, I promise.”

  “I’ll admit,” she remarked while hiding her devious grin, “our decision to have the wedding at your place was an underhanded plot to take some of the stress off Beck and put it on you.”

  Sal chuckled at his daughter’s confession. “That’s okay,” he announced. “I don’t mind.” He seemed to consider the comment and appeared curious. “He’s still uptight about the wedding?”

  “Uptight?” she announced with a moderately nervous chuckle. “He’s beyond uptight. After that last wedding we attended--”

  “Don’t go there,” Sal warned her now turning serious. “That didn’t qualify as a wedding.”

  She drew a deep breath and held it. It was obvious she was slightly nervous as well. “I just know he’s terrified something will go terribly wrong. I know he fears our wedding will somehow be turned into a warzone,” she remarked with a sigh then looked around the serene garden in the secluded countryside. “At least here, there’s some control over security.”

  “And I’m going to hire additional security to make sure everything runs smoothly,” Sal eagerly announced. He hugged her while grinning. “I can’t believe my little girl is getting married in two weeks.”

  They heard the back, kitchen door open causing both to look across the garden to the patio. Pinto’s husband-to-be, Beck Larue, stepped onto the patio. Beck was a ruggedly handsome man who stood over six feet tall with an impressive athletic build. Hi
s light brown hair was moderately rumpled and the perfect length for running fingers through. Jackie Falcone followed him onto the patio from the kitchen. Jackie was an attractive woman in her mid-twenties with her long, dark hair worn in a ponytail, although usually just when she anticipated combat.

  Today, Jackie was dressed casually in a pair of worn jeans and a white tank top beneath her brown, leather bomber jacket. Beck and Jackie were laughing as they headed across the garden. Pinto grinned like a schoolgirl when she saw her husband-to-be and hurried to join him. They hugged happily after spending nearly two days apart. Sal joined them and smiled cheerfully at Jackie. Although Jackie was undeniably attractive, Sal now saw her as a second daughter. Sal saw the entire team as part of his family since his daughter started dating Beck. Even the unruly ones had a special place in his heart.

  “Did Ross and Lee make their morning flight?” Sal asked Jackie.

  “Despite everything, I got them to the airport in time,” Jackie proudly replied.

  “She broke a few sonic speeding laws,” Beck teased then gingerly rubbed his sour stomach, “but it was fun living on the edge of light speed.”

  “I wasn’t the one who forgot to wake the newlyweds,” she announced while casting a glare at him.

  “Guilty,” Beck announced and subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. He looked around the garden then glanced at his future wife as she clung to him. “Have you and your father mapped out the entire wedding yet?”

  “We’re getting there,” Pinto replied then focused her attention on Jackie. “Will Holden be back in time for the wedding?”

  “With a few days to spare,” Jackie replied cheerfully. She didn’t want to admit she was missing her husband already despite that he had only left yesterday morning. Jackie had met her husband, Holden, while she was on the run after witnessing a murder at the hands of an influential man. Their first meeting wasn’t exactly love at first sight, since he was the federal agent chasing her after a botched attempt to protect her. “He’s working on training some new guys, but he’ll only be gone a week tops.”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t want to miss seeing his wife in a dress,” Pinto teased then giggled. “How many times will this make?”

  “Me in a dress?” Jackie asked then considered the question. “My wedding; Ross’ wedding; your wedding.” She smiled and laughed.

  “We got her in a dress a few other times,” Beck announced then turned serious. “Zack’s the problem.”

  “He’s still refusing to put on a tux and be a groomsman? It doesn’t seem right that he won’t participate in the wedding ceremony,” Pinto pouted then immediately looked at Jackie. “Can’t you do something with him? Certainly, you can get him into a tuxedo.”

  Jackie’s eyes widened as she shook her head. “No way,” she announced boldly. “I’d have to call in every favor and possibly promise to let him blow up a small freighter in order to pull that off.”

  “Yeah, he’s been a real prick since we made him work as a ship’s steward that one time,” Beck replied with a defeated sigh. “No one’s getting him into anything that has a crease or requires ironing ever again. I even pulled rank and told him he wasn’t allowed to dance with any of the pretty bridesmaids if he didn’t dress up.”

  “That may have worked, if he didn’t outrank you,” Jackie muttered.

  “What did he say?” Pinto asked and immediately regretted it when Beck frowned and held up his middle finger.

  Sal held back his smile and attempted to keep from laughing.

  Pinto glared at her father then pointed a warning finger. “And you aren’t to encourage him either,” she threatened. “If the two of you start conspiring, you’ll have him sitting on the roof at my wedding with a sniper rifle.”

  Chapter Two

  Three horse and riders raced along the broad path in the picturesque countryside. There wasn’t a house, barn, or living soul for miles and the smooth, well-worn path seemed to extend forever. It was the perfect day for a gallop across the country. A lean, dark-haired fifteen-year-old girl on a large, black horse was in the lead. The horse, decked out in the finest western tack, dwarfed its smaller rider. A blonde fifteen-year-old girl on a bay paint gelding bolted past her and took the lead. The large white spots on the horse’s otherwise dark brown coat resembled clouds, aptly spawning his name, Storm Cloud. The horse’s long, black flowing tail was all the second rider saw as her blonde friend took the lead. The third rider, and sole man of the three riders, happily lagged behind on a tall, palomino mare, who didn’t care about winning any race involving the bad boy horses.

  The three riders slowed just past a large tree, which had been the designated finish line. Both girls waited for the handsome man to catch up and stop his horse alongside them. Bogart laughed while pushing his cowboy hat back on his head to reveal his excessively charming smile. Bogart was ‘hunky actor’ handsome with flowing golden-brown hair and sideburns a shade darker. The stubble on his youthful face only accentuated his dimples, adding to his charm and country boy appeal.

  “I think you girls cheat,” Bogart announced. “This horse is a lemon.”

  Monique and Colleen were the ultimate tomboys dressed in their finest blue jeans, cowboy boots, and plaid shirts. The only thing girly about either was their shoulder-length hair and even that they wore in ponytails beneath their cowboy hats. Somewhere beneath the hats and dirt were two attractive, teenage girls.

  “Sorry, she’s the third fastest horse at my farm,” Monique, the blonde girl on the paint gelding, informed him. “We gave you a sporting chance.”

  “Next time I’m bringing my own horse,” he announced. “Then you’ll eat my dust.”

  “I can’t believe you actually have a black Friesian stallion,” Colleen, the brunette on the black horse, remarked with amazement while shaking her head. “The warhorse of the Netherlands.”

  Monique raised a suspicious brow while eying the handsome man. “Exactly how did you acquire a horse like that anyway?” she asked. “They cost a fortune.”

  “That’s classified,” Bogart replied without hesitation and refused to look at either girl.

  “So you stole it,” Colleen announced while grinning.

  Bogart eyed them with surprise then frowned and shook his head. “I can’t believe you girls think that way about me,” he pouted playfully.

  Both stared at him and raised their brows in secret comment. They knew more than he ever wanted them to know. Bogart hid his smile and rode past them, ending the interrogation. The two girls had met Bogart when former Navy SEAL team Whiskey Tango Foxtrot came to their aid a while back. Bogart had a reputation as a conman, and, despite his newly adopted family of former SEALs, he still couldn’t quite shake his past. Despite what they’d heard, the two girls adored the conman. The three continued their ride at a leisurely walk, enjoying the Colorado countryside.

  “I’m glad you invited me riding this weekend,” Bogart announced then appeared defeated. “I needed to get away from all that wedding business.”

  “Fear of commitment?” Colleen teased while eyeing the handsome man.

  “No, fear of boredom,” Bogart replied with little enthusiasm. “I hope Pinto has some cute bridesmaids, but with my luck, they’ll all be married.”

  “My mom’s single,” Colleen interjected then immediately tensed after the words left her mouth.

  He eyed her suspiciously. “I hope that’s not why you asked me out riding today,” Bogart remarked. “We’ve been through this before. I’m not the sort of boy you want dating your mother. I’d do something to screw it up, and I’d be booted from your lives. I’ve never had a real family, and now I have several of them. I don’t want to ruin a good thing.”

  “I understand,” Colleen replied with defeat. “I realized I shouldn’t have said anything the moment I said it.”

  Both girls appeared tense while attempting to enjoy the ride. Bogart remained happily clueless and enjoyed the scenery. Colleen nudged Monique on the horse alongsi
de hers. Monique shifted in her saddle then looked at Bogart.

  “There actually was an ulterior motive to inviting you out today,” Monique announced, catching Bogart’s attention.

  “Oh?”

  They stopped their horses and turned to face him. Their looks were serious and almost concerned.

  “Someone’s been spying on us,” Monique informed him.

  “Spying on you?” Bogart launched and immediately looked around. “Who? Where?”

  “Obviously we don’t know who,” Monique replied, “but we’ve seen him several times not far from home and sometimes again later during our rides. I swear he knows the route we take.”

  “Have you seen him yet today?” Bogart practically demanded then squinted. “Are we talking someone your age? Or is this someone my age?”

  “No, he’s definitely not someone from our school,” Colleen interjected. “We’ve encountered boys from school before. This guy definitely doesn’t want to be seen.”

  “He’s got to be at least as old as you, if not older,” Monique added.

  “But you’re certain he’s following you?” Bogart practically demanded. “It’s not possible he lives nearby and is just suspicious of you two.”

  “No, of course not. No one lives around here,” Monique replied. “He hides out near the old ghost town where we take a break before heading back home. To make matters twice as creepy; we’ll sometimes see him again not far from home on the same ride.”

  “We think he has a four-wheeler, but we never actually hear him,” Colleen added.

  “Is there a specific place you’ve seen him hiding while spying on you within this ghost town?” Bogart asked.

  “Yes, he’s usually hiding near the sheriff’s office at the far end of town,” Monique informed him. “It’s to the left as we’re heading into the ghost town.”

  “How far is the ghost town from here?”

  “It’s just over that crest,” Colleen replied while pointing. “Less than a mile.”