Katrina’s eyes narrowed. They flitted between James and the gun, Queso and the bat, and then back to the gun. She decided to relent. The knife clattered to the kitchen floor.
“Chelsea, you okay?” James asked. In his peripheral vision, he saw her nod.
“Y-yeah. I’m good now.”
“Go upstairs and call the sheriff’s department from my office. Lock the door behind you.”
Her voice was small but steady. “Okay.”
He waited until he heard retreating footsteps to look at Queso. Blood gushed down his chin from a busted lip. Still, he grinned. “I told you bad guys don’t ring doorbells.”
Katrina didn’t speak as they waited for the authorities. She didn’t even object as James bound her to one of the dining room chairs using bungee cords from the garage that he sent Queso after. Her friend said even less as the two of them hog-tied the man.
“One hell of a punch you took there,” James said while inspecting the makeshift knots behind the man’s arms and legs. “Even better swing you gave back with that bat.” James lowered his voice so Katrina couldn’t hear. “Thank you for helping us out.”
The boy pushed his hands into his pockets. He shrugged, trying for nonchalance.
“Thanks for being a rich dude with two sets of stairs. I wouldn’t have been able to get the drop on big guy here without them.”
When things calmed down, he’d make sure Queso knew how much James appreciated what he’d done, risking his life to save them. Until then, the best he could do was clap the boy on the shoulder, smile and go back to the task at hand.
He walked past Katrina to his cell phone, which was face down on the table. He had sent Chelsea upstairs to use the landline to put distance between her and Katrina, but now it was time to make his own calls.
Though someone had already called him. A missed-call notification scrolled across the middle of the screen. James didn’t recognize the number. The voice-mail icon was next to it. He moved away so Katrina couldn’t hear and played the message.
It was the sheriff. “This is Billy. Something happened at Suzy’s house. Call me. ASAP.”
James’s stomach went cold.
When he looked at Katrina, all she did was smile.
* * *
SUZY ROLLED BACK her shoulder. It hurt. The pain must have shown on her face.
“You sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” Billy asked, cowboy hat in his hand. The day had been so long that he hadn’t had the chance to hang it up when it turned night. Now he looked like a tired Alabama cowboy, leaning against the front wall of the sheriff’s department, bathed in the glow of the streetlight not too far from the front steps. Suzy wondered how she looked next to him.
The last hour had been nothing short of tiring.
After her mom drove off, Justin had followed through with the plan. He’d called Billy, and soon the sheriff and his deputies were speeding toward the house. Billy had gotten there in time to watch Suzy tackle Grayton’s backup, a man twice her size. The move had been her way of saying thank-you to Hank for the heads-up about Grayton, considering the angry stranger was two seconds away from putting several bullets into the bar owner. After she’d gotten the man to the ground, she’d kept the upper hand while her colleagues and friends helped cuff him.
Hank, however, had never had anything but the upper hand with Grayton. While she may have been angry at him, Hank was riding several waves of fury.
“You tried to get to my Patricia,” he’d roared, holding a bleeding Grayton by the scruff of his shirt. “How did you know where to find me? Who do you work for?”
Suzy wanted the same answers, but not at the expense of Hank killing the man. She’d quietly, yet firmly, talked the bar owner away from Grayton while the deputies did their thing.
“None of this makes sense,” Hank had said, shaking his head and trying to calm down. He’d jumped Grayton as soon as the man had broken through the back door. There was blood across his face, but Suzy had no idea who it belonged to. “Why does he want the kid?”
An hour later, Suzy was still waiting for that answer and, more urgently, one Alabama millionaire.
She and Billy had just gotten to the department when Chelsea called in. Matt had been close and had reported that both Callahans and Queso were okay. He was handling the transfer of the woman and man, two people whose identities Suzy didn’t yet know.
Two more puzzle pieces.
She just hoped that when James showed up, they could finally finish it.
“I know it’s none of my business, but I have to say it,” Billy said after a period of silence. His voice was all business. She stiffened, waiting for some kind of admonishment from her boss.
“I think your dad would have really liked James.”
That caught Suzy off guard. But she just smiled.
It didn’t matter how she felt about James or how he felt about her, because either way, she believed Billy was right. Her father would have absolutely liked the man.
“Thanks, Billy.” She meant it.
He shrugged. “I just call it how I see it.”
Suzy laughed but cut the rest of the conversation short. The sound of car doors shutting pulled Billy and Suzy along the sidewalk and into the side parking lot. Two deputy cruisers drove to the back. Matt’s Tahoe broke away from the line and slid into his parking spot. Suzy’s stomach tightened. While she knew that James was okay, seeing was believing.
Four doors opened. Matt and Queso stepped out of one side. Chelsea walked around the back soon after. Then came James. Jeans had never looked so good on a man.
Suzy held her ground as he found her gaze.
Matt was the first to talk. “We have a situation,” he began. “One I think should stay private until we get a better handle on it.”
“Let’s go talk in the conference room,” Billy offered. He glanced at Suzy. “I think it’s time we got on the same page.”
He led Matt back to the front of the building. Queso nodded to Suzy but kept at Chelsea’s side as they followed. James lagged behind. He was frowning.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Matt told me what happened.”
Something was off in his tone. It sounded hard—cold, even. Detached.
Still she nodded. “Yeah, nothing some Icy Hot and Advil can’t take care of. You?”
He didn’t nod. “I’ll be better when this is all done.”
He followed the group without another word. Like she was a stranger. Suzy couldn’t deny it hurt a little, even though she more than understood it. A lot had happened to the two of them in the last few days.
But that night?
That night was different.
Grayton had come to Suzy’s home. If Hank hadn’t been there, who knew what would have happened to Justin? To her mother. A town over, James hadn’t had a warning. By the looks on all three of their faces, she knew something bad had happened before their intruders had been detained.
They marched through the lobby and the hall to the conference room. Billy stepped to the side, next to the door, and motioned for Matt, Queso and Chelsea to go in. Suzy reached out and caught James’s hand before he could follow. She nodded to Billy, and the sheriff went inside the room without them.
“What?” James asked, frown still firmly in place. The contact of her hand evidently did nothing to improve his mood, but he didn’t pull away, either.
“Hank showed up and warned me about Grayton being on his way. He gave me and my mother and Justin time to escape, but I didn’t want him to get away again, so I decided to stay,” she said. “But before I made that decision, he gave me a number to call Patricia.” James’s eyes widened but she hurried on. “Hank said if either you or I didn’t call that number by the morning, he’d told Patricia to take the baby and leave town.”
“We need to call it,” James said before
she could get another word out. “I filled Matt in about what happened during the ride over. He can tell Billy what happened. We need to call Patricia and—”
Suzy smiled. It clearly deflated his urgency enough to stop his current train of thought.
“You already called?”
She nodded. “I did.”
Wrapping her fingers fully around his hand, Suzy pulled him to the office opposite the sheriff’s. The nameplate read Chief Deputy Simmons, and it always made her feel a rush of pride.
Suzy opened the door wide. Justin looked around from behind the computer screen and smiled. Opposite him, in an oversize chair that Suzy had brought in herself, was her mother. In her arms was a baby boy.
“Patricia told me where she was and said I should meet her and get him,” she said. “So I did that, too.”
Chapter Seventeen
James’s entire expression changed. Like God himself had reached through the roof and grabbed the burden of guilt and worry straight from his shoulders.
“That’s him,” James said, sounding almost unsure. But his steps were less uncertain. Suzy’s mother stood so he could get a better view. “That’s him.” He peered down at the baby, seeing his green eyes, mop of golden hair and chubby little legs.
“Yep, that’s him,” Suzy agreed.
James shook his head and laughed. He took the boy in his arms without hesitation.
“No,” he said. “I mean his face. It’s all Gardner.” James let out another loud laugh and stroked the baby’s hair. The boy looked alarmed but didn’t cry. “And this hair! He’s got a full head of it! Wow. Suzy, is this a beautiful kid or what?”
James looked at her with such blatant love across his face that she knew right then and there she wanted some for herself.
She wanted some of James.
“He certainly is.”
James put his finger against the boy’s palm. When he squeezed it, James smiled ear to ear.
“Hey, Justin, why don’t we go grab something out of the vending machine in the break room?” Suzy’s mom asked, smiling too. “I think your mama and Mr. Callahan need to talk a little bit.”
Justin nodded and came around the desk. He stopped next to James, who adjusted the baby so he could see him better.
“I like him, too,” Justin said, sure in his words. “I didn’t like the crying as much.”
All the adults laughed.
“There’s a family doctor we all know who’s agreed to come in tonight,” Suzy said after the door shut behind her mom. “Just to give him a once-over to make sure he’s okay.” She walked to James’s side and played with the boy’s little toes. “Patricia confirmed your theory about what happened earlier. She saw two SUVs and only had enough time to run to the neighbors. She met up with Hank after he left the bar. She said with the day they’ve had, the boy hasn’t been able to really sleep, so I imagine he’s going to crash hard soon.”
“The boy... Did she not know his name?”
Suzy shook her head. She trailed her fingers up to the boy’s tummy. He was wearing a onesie with a shark across the middle. She tickled its fin.
“No. According to Hank, Gardner said there was a letter that he wanted to keep with his son at all times just in case something happened to him. It had all of his information, including a birth certificate. Though everything was kept hidden. Hank didn’t even know about this adorable little boy until the day Gardner went to meet with you.” She looked into the face of a child who would never know his real father and sobered. “Hank looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. He said there might be one more place, but it might take a few days to get to.”
“Where is Hank?”
“Since he’s been helping us, not to mention keeping this little guy safe, he and Billy came to an understanding. We won’t put him on any official documents as long as he stays somewhere we can reach him at any time. As of right now, he and Patricia have left Riker County.” Suzy lowered her voice. “To be honest, I think he ruffled quite a few feathers trying to get information on Grayton and his gang of men.”
James stiffened. “I don’t think it was Grayton’s gang.” He sighed and looked down at his nephew. “I think Billy’s right. It’s time for us all to get on the same page.”
* * *
GETTING EVERYONE ON the same page was a lot easier with everyone in the same room. Baby Gardner, as they’d decided to call him for the time being, went back into the care of Cordelia and Justin while the rest of their makeshift crew got down to brass tacks.
They went into the conference room with the fragments of the overall picture—from what had happened at Suzy’s house with Grayton to everything that Katrina had said at the estate—and were able to form something that finally made sense.
“Katrina and Gardner have a child together, Gardner decides he doesn’t want her around the kid, takes Baby Gardner and hides him away with Hank,” Detective Walker summarized. “She gets wind somehow that Hank has him and sends Grayton and company to try to find him. In the process, she unwittingly pays a visit to Gardner’s brother and sister.”
“Where she shows us how insane she really is,” Chelsea added. “And apparently how much she likes knives.”
She sat with Queso at the end of the table. Meeting her nephew had shaken her out of her fear over what had happened earlier. Though, James was sure, she’d have nightmares about Katrina for some time. Hell, he probably would, too.
“What’s going to happen to her now?” James asked. “Last I saw, she definitely wasn’t talking.”
“Grayton either,” Suzy added.
The sheriff cracked a grin. “In my experience, men like Grayton McKenzie are only good at one thing. And that’s self-preservation. I think if we apply just the right amount of pressure in just the right place, we can get him to roll over on Katrina. Who, at this point, I’m going to assume is the brains. From what you’ve told me of her, she doesn’t seem to be the follower type.”
James had to agree with that.
“Either way, let us worry about the two of them,” he continued. “No offense, but all of you look mighty worn out. I think you could do with a good night’s sleep. Even if it is technically morning.”
The sheriff’s gaze went straight to Suzy, who was in the process of opening her mouth. He held up his hand to stop her.
“I’m not about to debate with you on this, Suzy.”
“And for once I wasn’t about to debate it, either,” she responded with a snort. “But my house...”
She let her sentence trail off. Billy swiveled to James.
“I’m sure Mr. Callahan here wouldn’t mind helping,” he said. “Last I checked, he had more than enough room.”
James felt his eyebrows rise. Billy elaborated before Suzy could.
“Before our star quarterback here tackled Grayton, his buddies had a little too much fun with their ammo. Shot up the place really good.” Billy paused. “Let me guess,” he said. “She didn’t tell you that part?”
James shook his head. “No, she left that out.”
“It’s not that bad,” she tried. “Just need to call some repairmen out tomorrow to work their magic.”
“Not that bad?” Billy repeated. “Suzy, your house looks like Swiss cheese.”
Suzy sighed. When she looked back at him, emotions he couldn’t read flashed across her face. Then one he knew finally settled. Embarrassment.
“If it’s too much, I can book a hotel room, no problem,” she said.
James was about to tell her he was more than okay with her staying—in fact, the idea excited him in a different way—when Queso finally spoke up.
“The dude lives in a mansion,” he said. “I think he can squeeze in a few more people.”
James couldn’t help but laugh. “That I can, and I’m more than happy to.”
Suzy didn’t join
in the mirth, but she nodded.
“So, does that mean Baby Gardner gets to come home with us, too?” This time, it was Chelsea who spoke.
The question turned James’s mood dark. There was no way, after everything that had happened, that he was leaving his nephew behind.
Luckily he didn’t have to say that out loud.
Billy nodded. “Due to the unique nature of this case, for now I’m going to put Baby Gardner into your custody, James,” he said. “But first thing Monday morning we’re going to have to start the process of legally getting this all sorted and squared away. I assume you’re going to want to adopt him?”
It was a question that Chelsea had already asked and he’d already answered, but James realized then that he’d never told the rest of them his plans. Not even Suzy. What did she think of that? Was it too much to handle if something were to happen between them? Having to raise one sibling and then raise a nephew? And a baby to boot? Was that more than the single mom was willing to take on, going from a two-family situation to dating a man who brought two more people into the picture?
Did she even want to take on anything with James in the first place?
And what did he want?
No matter the answer, it wouldn’t make a difference. James was proud of his sister and knew he’d be proud of his nephew, too. He’d do his best to provide a loving and stable home for both for as long as he lived.
His family might not have been conventional, but they were his.
“Yes,” he answered, unable to hide the pride in his voice. “I do.”
Billy smiled. “Then come Monday, we’ll see how to go about doing that. Deal?”
James nodded. “That’s a deal, Sheriff.”
* * *
GETTING EVERYONE BACK to the Callahan estate was an adventure. One that included a caravan of Riker County Sheriff’s Department vehicles with Suzy’s car in the rear. If it was overwhelming for James, he didn’t show it. In fact, Suzy got the impression that he liked it.
Even when Baby Gardner started crying as soon as the group got into the entryway of his house.
“This is chaos,” Queso said, giving the baby the stink eye.
Loving Baby Page 15
