Vigilant

by Sara Davison

  Daniel mulled that over. “First of all, what I felt that day, and all the times I saw Nicole after that, had nothing to do with you or anything you said or did. Something just sparked between the two of us. I felt the connection the moment I saw her. It happens sometimes. Not often, certainly not to me, but it does, and never for any rational or explainable reason. And secondly, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  “You wouldn’t?”

  “No. I always thought the old ‘better to have loved and lost’ line was just cheesy drivel, but for the first time in my life, I think there might actually be something to it.”

  “Wait.” Becca straightened up and gripped his arm. “Are you saying you love this woman?”

  Daniel blew out a breath. “I’m saying that I wouldn’t give up a moment that I had with her, even now, tonight, when it hurts to take a breath. Even though I hope and pray the sharp edge of that will fade, eventually, I wouldn’t trade the time I had with her for anything.”

  “Wow.” Becca squeezed his arm. “She must really be something.”

  “She is. But the lesson I learned from all this, you’ll be happy to hear, is that I might be more ready to settle down than I’d thought. If Nicole hadn’t already been involved with someone else, I could easily have seen myself spending the rest of my life with her.”

  His sister’s face lit up. Daniel lifted a hand. “Don’t even think about it. I need time to get over this. But I will. And when I do, I promise you I’ll keep both my heart and my mind open to the possibility of meeting someone else, okay?”

  “Okay. And I promise not to push you on it again before you’re ready.” She let go of him and lifted the lid of the pizza box. “Are you hungry?”

  A cloud of garlic-laden steam curled toward him and Daniel breathed it in. He wasn’t sure if he could keep anything down, but since Becca had gone to the trouble of bringing it over … Daniel reached for a piece and lifted it out of the box. “I don’t think I’ve had anything to eat or drink since Sharleen and I got coffee at Starbucks this morning, so this smells pretty good.” Had it really only been that morning? It felt as though a lifetime had passed since Gage and Nicole had come through the door of the coffee shop.

  He switched on the TV and found the ball game. His sister kept the conversation light and didn’t bring up the subject of him and Nicole again, which Daniel deeply appreciated. She even managed to make him laugh a couple of times, which he hadn’t expected to do again for a while. When the game ended and their team had won, he nudged his sister in the shoulder. “Thanks.”

  “For what?” Her eyelids were heavy and she sounded drowsy. Good thing he was driving her home.

  “For being here tonight. I’m not sure what I would have done with myself if you hadn’t come over.”

  “I’m glad I did. I had a lot of fun.” She yawned and pressed her palm to her mouth.

  Daniel chuckled. “Looks like it.” He stood and reached for his sister’s hands to pull her to her feet. “I had fun too, which a couple of hours ago I wouldn’t have thought was possible.”

  She met his gaze, her blue eyes sad. “This will pass, you know.”

  “I know.” He slid an arm around her shoulders to guide her toward the door. Except that he didn’t know. God, please let her be right. Because, at the moment, it felt as though the deep, almost unbearable ache in his chest had lodged itself there for good.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Rogue sighed as he walked into the reception area outside of Natalya’s office and the secretary rose to her feet and held up one hand.

  “She’s expecting me, Lydia.”

  “I know that, sir.” Her tone was frosty. “I’ll check and see if she’s ready to see you.”

  He gritted his teeth and crossed his arms over his chest as she sat down again and picked up the phone. “He’s here.”

  The pause was interminable. No doubt the receptionist was drawing it out longer than necessary, trying to bait him. He had no idea what he’d done to get on her bad side, but he wasn’t going to rise to it. This time.

  “Very well, I’ll send him in.” She replaced the phone and nodded curtly in the direction of the door.

  “Thank you.” The exaggerated politeness was beneath him, but it made him feel a little better anyway.

  He pushed open the door and walked into the cool, quiet office. As usual, Natalya sat at her desk, watching him silently as he shut the door and crossed the room.

  Rogue sank onto the chair in front of her. “I want out.”

  Natalya pressed her palms together and rested her chin on her fingertips, regarding him coolly. She didn’t speak for a full five seconds, during which he reflected, with a grudging admiration, that no one in the world could speak more loudly with silence than she could.

  When she did talk, her voice was ice cold. “As you may recall, Kelly, when you agreed to join us, you committed to helping us as long as we needed you.”

  “I know, but things have changed.”

  “What things?”

  “I’m getting married.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Ah.” She tapped her fingertips together a few times. “That could be problematic. Is it possible to delay that?”

  “No. Not without arousing her suspicions. And things are becoming too hot around here anyway. A police detective has been talking to her.”

  “About you?”

  Gage shifted in his chair. “I don’t know. She hasn’t said so. She claims he’s nothing more than a customer where she works. But she’s been acting strange lately, distant. I thought it was because she was grieving the loss of someone close to her, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “You’re worried about this man, aren’t you?”

  “Of course I am. He’s a cop.”

  “I don’t mean as a cop.”

  Gage dropped his gaze to the hands clasped on her desk.

  “Is that why you are marrying her so quickly?”

  His head shot up. “Of course not. I love her, and I want to start my life with her as soon as possible. And if it’s all right with you, I’d rather not do it from behind bars.”

  Natalya nodded slowly. “I hope Nicole Hunter realizes what a fortunate woman she is.”

  Heat surged through him. “How do you know her name?”

  She didn’t answer, just leveled that implacable stare across her desk that he was pretty sure was capable of seeing right inside him.

  Probably didn’t need her intelligence team to tell her about Nicole. No doubt she read it straight from my mind. “Is there anyone out there that doesn’t know every little secret in my life?” He couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice.

  A small smile played around her lips. “I’m sure there are a few. Your fiancée, for one.”

  That one stung like the sharp tip of a knife and he flinched.

  The smile faded. “I apologize. That was uncalled for, especially as you have proven your loyalty to us by keeping all of this a secret as we asked. I’m sure it has been difficult for you, not being able to share this part of your life with the woman you love.” She studied him for a moment before drawing in a deep breath. “It takes a lot of courage to feel things as deeply as you do, Kelly. I admire you for that.” She straightened in her chair. “That aside, I am going to hold you to your commitment. We have one more mission planned and then, as it happens, we are leaving anyway.”

  “Leaving?” His heartbeat quickened. This really could all be over.

  “Yes. We don’t usually stay this long in any one city, but things have gone well, and we have extended our time in Toronto, trying to help as many children as possible. Now, however, as you so eloquently put it, things are getting hot around here and it is time for us to move on.” Natalya pursed her lips as she studied him. “You should know, Kelly, the board is very pleased with what you have done for us, and for the children. You have been all they … all we had hoped for and m
ore. You are a genuine hero. I hope you understand that.”

  She picked up a folder from her desk. “Unfortunately, you will have to remain an unsung one, but we, and you, at least, will know what you have done.”

  “I still think the risk is too high to do another mission. The police could be watching me and …”

  He broke off when her gaze hardened. “What is it?”

  “This is not optional. The child we are going after is in one of the worst situations we’ve seen yet. It’s only a matter of time before his father kills him.” Natalya flipped open the file and turned it toward him, but Gage refused to look down.

  “His name is—”

  He held up one hand. “Do not tell me.”

  “Matthew Gibson.”

  Gage sagged against the back of his chair. Matthew Gibson was a tiny four-year-old with curly blond hair and blue eyes. His mother had died of cancer when he was two, but in spite of that, and the fact that his father vented his frustrations against the world on him on a daily basis, the little guy still managed a sweet smile whenever Gage saw him. It was one of his most heart-breaking cases, one that he knew Children’s Aid was frustrated about too, but the father had a connection to someone high up and they didn’t seem to be able to touch him.

  Exhaling loudly, Gage shook his head. “That was a dirty ploy.”

  “I know.” The platinum in her eyes softened slightly. “One more mission, Kelly, and then you will be a free man. The instructions will be delivered to you in the usual way, on the day of the operation.”

  “Which is?”

  “Monday.”

  Gage stood up and pressed both palms to her desk, leaning in close to her. “That’s two days after I get married.”

  Natalya didn’t blink. “It was supposed to be Sunday,” she said calmly. “Consider that your wedding present.”

  They stared at each other for a few seconds until, with a heavy sigh, he pushed up from the desk. “Fine. One more. And deliver the instructions to Nicole’s apartment. I take it you don’t need me to tell you where that is.”

  She nodded. “Incidentally, I don’t believe Detective Daniel Grey will be a threat at this point. Not to the mission, anyway.”

  Another direct hit. Gage gritted his teeth. He was getting a little tired of wearing the bull’s-eye for the target practice she seemed in the mood for today. “How do you know that?”

  “Although he has been to see your fiancée several times in the course of his investigation, the chief suspect, as far as the police are concerned, is still Holden, since he is the one who works at Children’s Aid. Which is exactly what we hoped would happen when we chose you.”

  Gage stiffened. “I don’t appreciate you using my brother as a decoy.”

  “We both know your brother would do anything for you. If you asked for his help, he would give it to you without question. That’s all he is doing now, if unknowingly, by turning police attention away from you long enough for you to complete this final assignment. If and when he is questioned, he won’t know anything. It won’t take them long to realize he is not involved and let him go.”

  “But they can make his life difficult in the meantime.”

  Her smile was cool. “Holden has survived much worse than this. Do not underestimate his strength. He will be fine. And by the time they realize they are on the wrong trail, we will be gone. And there will be nothing to link you with any of the abductions either. We’ve been doing this a long time and are very good at covering our tracks, I assure you.”

  “I’m counting on that.” Gage turned and headed for the door.

  “Wait.”

  He stopped and faced her. Natalya pushed back her chair and rose from her desk. Her high heels clicked on the marble floor as she crossed the room and stopped in front of him. The faint spicy scent of exotic perfume wafted from her, and he swallowed hard as she took both of his hands in hers. “It has been a pleasure working with you, Gage.” She moved closer and pressed her full red lips—as soft and warm as her eyes were hard and cold—to his briefly before stepping back. “As I said before, you are an extraordinary man. I truly wish you and Nicole every happiness.”

  For the first time since he had known her, the slate-gray eyes swirled with emotion. His throat tightened, but he managed a smile as she let him go.

  Gage felt her gaze on him but didn’t turn back as he headed out of her office and pulled the heavy wooden door shut behind him for the last time.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Sharleen was waiting in his office when Daniel arrived. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed in front of her.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” He slipped off his jacket and hung it up on the hook by his office door.

  “Grey.”

  “Sharleen. Please. I’m begging you.”

  “Look, I’m not asking about her, I’m asking about you. You look terrible. Are you eating? Sleeping? Thinking about the wedding tomorrow?”

  He shot her a look. “I thought you weren’t asking about her.”

  “I wanted to see if I could slip one by you.”

  “Nice try.” Daniel dropped down onto his desk chair and scrubbed his face with both hands before lifting his head to meet her gaze. “Okay, I know you’re concerned. So here goes.” He held up his fingers and ticked off the answers to her questions. “Yes, I’ve been eating. Hot Pockets and Pop Tarts three times a day. And yes, I’ve been sleeping, usually in front of the TV after Jimmy Fallon. And no, I still don’t want to talk about it. Satisfied?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “I’m kidding. I haul myself off the couch after Fallon and crawl into bed every night.” He looked at her pointedly. “Alone.”

  A sympathetic look crossed her face. “Aw, not almost sleeping with anyone these days?”

  “Oh, that’s hilarious. Kick a man while he’s down, why don’t you?” Daniel pointed a finger at her. “And I don’t think that those of you who have it all figured out should make fun of us poor slobs that don’t.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. “How do you do it anyway, you and Tom? You met this great guy, created a fabulous life together. You make it look so easy.”

  “Don’t kid yourself. No one has it all together. And it’s never easy.” Her face grew serious. “But it did help that, when I met him, he wasn’t in love with someone else, and he wasn’t involved with a possible suspect in a major criminal investigation.”

  Daniel dropped his arms and laughed. “Ah, the secret to a successful relationship. That would have been good information to have a few months ago.”

  Sharleen’s face softened. “You’re going to be okay, Grey.”

  He waved a hand through the air. “Of course. Next female person of interest that comes along, I’ll forget Nicole Hunter ever existed.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, okay.”

  “Although,” he continued, “since you so stealthily snuck the question into the conversation, I will tell you that yes, I have been thinking about the wedding. Way too much, in fact. Now what I would like to do is move on with my life. The best way I know to do that is to get back to work and get something done. I don’t want to think about what happened with Nicole. Or what she will be doing tomorrow. And I definitely don’t want to talk about it.”

  His partner studied him for a moment. “Okay. What do you want to do then?”

  “Drive my fist through a wall. Kick someone’s teeth in, maybe.”

  “Remind me to stay out of your way today.”

  “Stay out of my way today. Please.” Daniel grinned at her before swinging around to face his computer.

  “Anyone’s teeth in particular you’d like to kick in?”

  He threw her a look over his shoulder.

  Sharleen pushed away from the wall. “All right, but let’s do it the legal way, shall we? Let’s get something on Gage Kelly and bring him in.”

  “That’s the plan.” He pulled his keyboard closer to him as Sharleen leaned over his s
houlder. “Okay, I thought about this a lot last night.” He shot her a sideways glance. “Before I went to sleep. I think we should get files on every child abduction in the United States in the last five or six years, see if any other reported cases fit the pattern. We’re looking for kids taken right out of their beds at night, which is unusual.”

  Sharleen nodded. “And kids who all have a file with Children’s Aid–extreme cases of abuse that no one has been able to do anything about, for whatever reason. Not to mention an abductor that, as far as we know, isn’t known to the family, which is also unusual. And don’t forget, there’s more than one person involved here. Besides the front man, whom we’ve been focussing on, there are at least two others – the driver and the person in the back seat of the car.”

  “All of which adds up to some pretty unique crimes. I know we checked the Canadian database for any similar patterns and came up with nothing, but let’s check the American one now, see if we can find anything.”

  “Good idea. If these guys have operated in any major cities in the States in the past few years, it should be fairly easy to pinpoint when and where.”

  “Okay, let’s look at the last six years. I’ll take the first three, you take the rest.”

  Sharleen straightened up. “I’m on it.” She rested a hand on his shoulder and waited until he looked up. “You know I’m here for you, right? Any time you need to talk.”

  “Thanks. But I’m pretty much done talking. Now I need to do something.”

  “All right, if you’re sure. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  “Okay.”

  She stopped in the doorway and turned around. “It’s good to have you back, Grey.”

  “Yeah, I guess I was pretty gone there for a while, wasn’t I? Sorry about that.”

  Sharleen shrugged. “Hey, we can’t choose who we fall—”

  He threw a hand up in the air. “Don’t say it. Do not say those words.”