Page 1 of Lethal Danger

One

Excitement and anticipation buzzed through Jazz Lamont’s veins, taking her back to when she was eight years old, and she believed dreams could come true.

Jazz couldn’t help it. The first day of the Tri-City Fair was always full of hope, the promise of fun times and reliving memories, and—she inhaled deeply—the mouthwatering aroma of fried foods.

So what if she was an adult, part of the fair’s security detail this year, instead of a kid hanging with her best friend for the greatest time of their lives? She was still determined to enjoy the fair as much as she always had.

“Help! Stop him!”

Jazz jerked toward the woman’s shouts as Flash growled.

She let the Belgian Malinois tug on the leash to hurry them toward the source of the yells. Jazz stretched her neck to see above the moving people on the midway. Good thing it was early in the morning and not very crowded yet.

“Stop him!” A middle-aged woman flailed her arms as she pushed through people like she was trying to follow someone.

Jazz darted her gaze ahead of the woman.

Fast movement caught her eye. Someone running.

A slim male darted through the crowd, something in his hand.

Purse snatcher.

Jazz took off, Flash easily kicking into gear beside her.

“Out of the way!” She barked the order as she tried to run around the people congesting the paved path. No use. She’d never catch him this way.

She dropped Flash’s leash. “Flash, halt schnell.”

The Malinois took off like a bullet, darting through pedestrians and vanishing from sight.

Jazz picked up her pace as much as she could, navigating the crowd as she strained to see Flash. Didn’t really matter if she had eyes on him. He’d get the job done.

She pushed past a group of visitors, reaching a clear space she could sprint through. Until a group of teens slowed her down.

Then she spotted him.

Flash stood on top of his fallen target, paws on the purse snatcher’s back as the guy sprawled on the blacktop.

Jazz slowed her pace and grinned at the magnificent dog, standing so tall and proud on his quarry.

A small cluster of bystanders gathered to stare. And record everything on video with their phones.

Good thing she hadn’t had Flash bite the guy, or there’d no doubt be some objections.

“Good boy, Flash.” Jazz tossed him a treat as she stopped beside the perp. “Pass auf.”

Flash gulped his treat and dashed off the perp’s back to get into guard position as she’d commanded. He swung back to face the thief, feet planted as he stared, ready for any wrong move.

“You can get up now.” Jazz looked down at the brown-haired guy who twisted his head toward her. “But I wouldn’t try to run. I might have to tell my K-9 to use more force next time.”

The perp, probably about eighteen, slowly planted his hands on the pavement and pushed himself up. He swiped a long patch of brown hair out of his eyes. Eyes that widened as he stared at Flash.

“Hands behind your back.”

“What for?”

“Don’t think that purse belongs to you.” Jazz shot a pointed glance at the beige purse the thief had left lying on the ground.

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