Ethan (The K9 Files Book 1)

With Cinn sleeping gently beside him, Ethan sent a text, updating Badger. Just then his phone rang. He shifted out of bed and hopped out into the hallway, trying not to wake up Cinn.

“Hey, glad to hear you’re doing okay. Sounds like it was bit rough though,” Badger said. “Good news on K9:01. Are you keeping the name Sentry?”

“I haven’t given you all the details yet,” he said, laughing. “And yes, I’ve gone back to calling him Sentry. He’s been called Boris for the last while, so it might be hard on him for a bit.”

“Maybe, but he’ll adapt. And now you’ve got what, four dogs?”

“Yes, although a fifth is on the way. I’ve got Sentry and the dogs that came with him and Jezebel is being shipped from the War Dog Association. They are all a mix of both breeds and skills. But still, I can work with them all.”

“That should keep your hands full.”

Ethan winced, knowing Badger was referring to the other dogs he had said he would find. “In a way, yes,” he said. He added more slowly, “And I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I’ll go after any of the other dogs.”

“Doesn’t sound like it,” Badger said with a laugh. “And that’s all good. We didn’t expect that. If it had worked out that way, great, but, considering you just inherited four, five dogs, … and maybe a new girlfriend, … sounds like you are exactly where you belong.” There was a pause on the line, then Badger added thoughtfully, “But it would help us if you had any idea who might be interested.”

“Talk to Pierce Carlton. Last I heard, he was helping Jager out on a security issue, I think. Pierce has a lot of K9 experience.” Ethan paused. “We haven’t spoken much about it, but I know he spent five years heavily involved in the DOD’s Military Working Dog Breeding Program at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. He was injured, and, while in the hospital, his wife divorced him and somehow took damn near everything he owned. So he’s at loose ends, trying to find a new direction. This might not be it, but it could be a step in the right direction for him.”

“If you think he’d have any interest in tracking down a dog, that would be huge,” Badger said. “I’ll call him and see what he says. We’ve got eleven more dogs to find. And now, buoyed by the success of finding this first one, it would be nice to give positive reports on the others.”

“You’ll let the commander know about Sentry?”

“Absolutely,” Badger said. “Stay in touch, you hear?”

Ethan grinned. “Will do.”