Cranking up the heat without even having to be asked, Lana was grateful for his thoughtfulness.
Static and then a code came across the radio. Lana didn’t understand the garbled mess, but she felt Lucky stiffen.
“They’ve got a tip. Someone spotted James at the edge of town.”
“Oh, Lucky. We’ve got to hurry!”
Lucky sped up as fast as he could and Lana whispered a prayer as tears spilled down her cheeks.
As they approached the outskirts of town, Lana’s heart skidded and skipped to its own beat.
All she could see in her mind was her precious baby girl, looking up at her to protect her. But she’d failed. Now they were all at the mercy of whatever James chose to do…or not do.
Lana choked on her sob when she spotted James’s truck parked on the side of the road. Lucky muttered something she couldn’t understand and swung the car behind it.
“Let me make sure the truck is clear. And do everything I say, Lana. He’s obviously dangerous, and we don’t know if he’s armed. Backup won’t be here for another five or ten minutes.”
Lana wasn’t sure she could agree, so she stayed silent. Clamoring out of the truck, she stayed behind him. She thought she heard a baby crying, but when Lucky pulled the driver’s car door open, the truck was empty. Not even a car seat. He’d been driving around with Lily without a car seat.
Lana’s knees threatened to buckle when she heard the crying again.
“Lucky, I hear her. Listen.”
It was so cold. Had he just thrown her in the woods?
Lucky was in motion, shining his flashlight before she could even register what he was doing. But it didn’t take Lana long to fall at his heels and rush toward the sound of the crying baby. Her baby.
Even after only five days she knew it was Lily.
“Lucky! Where is she?” she called, feeling a desperation she’d never felt before. Her heart pounded in her throat, and despite the cold, sweat broke out on her forehead. Her mouth was dry from breathing so fast with her mouth open.
“Lana, calm down. You just had a baby. You’ve got to take it easy. We’re getting closer.”
Lucky’s light bounced off trees and fallen leaves. Jagged rocks lined the path they walked on and Lana recognized it as a hiking trail she and her friends used to go to in high school. It appeared abandoned now.
“We used to come here in high school. It’s where James and his buddies brought beer.”
Lucky’s breathing halted. Lana followed suit and listened. Lily’s cry was definitely closer.
“To the left,” he mumbled and took off. Finally, the beam from his flashlight bounced off something pale against the dark landscape.
“There!” Lana shouted, taking off toward it. The pale pink blanket wiggled, and she felt a surge of relief as well as fresh tears. At least she was alive.
Finally reaching her baby, Lana scooped her up in a protective embrace, inhaling her familiar scent and showering her with kisses.
“Check to see if she’s injured,” Lucky ordered, his voice edged with hysteria.
“She looks good, but we need to take her to the hospital just in case.” Carefully, Lana held her up and checked her back for any sign of blood.
“Nothing back here,” Lucky said, trailing his fingers over her and lifting up her baby shirt.
Lana felt her fingers and toes and her fury rose when she discovered she was cold. “Shine your light over here so I can see her.”
Sure enough, Lily’s lips were blue. Thank heavens she’d been crying. It had probably kept her blood pumping to keep her as warm as her little body would allow.
“She’s only five days old, Lucky and her lips are blue. We’ve got to get her to the hospital so they can warm her up.” Now it was her voice that was hysterical. Newborns were notorious for not being able to hold their own body temperature.
“Let’s go.”
“Nobody is going anywhere,” came an angry snarl behind them.
The click of a gun being readied felt as loud as the shot that followed.
*****
Lucky threw himself in front of Lana and Lily, ready to take a bullet for his family. No one was going to hurt them ever again. He’d make sure of it. Once his ears stopped ringing, he drew his gun and turned in the direction he knew James stood.
“Give it up, Stevens!” Taking his flashlight, he angled it over his drawn gun, searching the surrounding area. Finally, the beam fell on a haggard-looking James. Lucky could tell immediately that he was drunk. His gun was angled toward the sky.
A feral smile curled back his lips. “You think you’re going to shoot me? I hope you live up to your name, Lucky.”
“Lana, walk away slowly.”
“She’s not going anywhere with that little brat.”
“This is between you and me, James. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“She lied to me!” James shouted, his voice breaking with the force he put behind it.
“I told her to. This whole thing was my idea.”
“You’ll say anything to protect her.”
“No. Actually, it’s the truth. I knew the best way to get back at you for the stuff you put me through in high school was to marry her and raise your child. Like I told you at the reunion, raising her to hate you is going to be the best revenge I could ever get.” Lucky knew he was going against protocol. James was drunk and irrational. Making him mad could make him fire his gun again, this time at him. But he had to turn James’s rage toward him so Lana could get away.
If he could just bide his time, backup would arrive soon. But he had no way of warning them about the situation they were about to walk into. He only prayed they took the normal precautions and approached carefully, without alerting James.
“What’s your plan, man?” Lucky called, keeping his eyes trained directly on James. He crept sideways with little sidestep shuffles of his feet, trying to get Lana over to safety. Lily still cried and he knew she was hungry.
“Shut that kid up!” James shouted again.
“She’s hungry,” Lucky said steadily. “Does she have any food?”
“No. I wanted the little brat to starve.”
“Why?” Keep him talking, keep him talking.
“Because I never wanted a kid with her. And then, just when I got used to the idea, she split!”
“She didn’t know. And when she found out, she didn’t want you to be in her life. I can see why.”
“I said shut it up!” James angled the gun toward Lana.
Lucky’s heart leapt in his throat and he sidestepped in front of them again.
“The only way to shut her up is for her to nurse her. She can’t do that standing up. Lana, go sit next to the tree so James doesn’t have to listen to Lily crying.”
“Lily, huh? I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to name a snot-nosed kid after your saintly mother,” he called to her with a sneer.
Lucky tried to ignore the surge of protectiveness and focus.
“Why don’t you put your gun down?” Lucky called.
“Why don’t you put yours down, turn around, and let me shoot you in the back of the head. Then I’ll put my gun down. Well, after I shoot my ex-wife, too.”
“That’s not going to happen, James.”
“I knew I should have stolen that kid in the hospital when you were defenseless.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That stupid nurse grabbed the wrong baby!”
Lucky remembered the baby that went missing in the hospital and magically reappeared. “That was your doing?”
“Of course. I saw your little panicked face when you were with the nurse. But it was priceless to see you when you realized it was her baby missing.”
So he’d been watching? Lucky tried to figure out how that was possible.
“James, let’s talk this through, man. We can figure this out. Otherwise you’re going to be in a lot of trouble when my backup gets here.”
&nbs
p; “But they’re not here right now.” That sneer returned and the gun leveled toward his head.
“Don’t make me shoot.”
Lucky saw the weariness leave James’s eyes and acceptance take its place. It was then Lucky knew he was going to shoot him.
As quick as he could, Lucky cocked his gun and went to squeeze the trigger. Before he could pull it, another shot fired and Lucky went to his knees.
He watched James fall to the ground and blood diffuse across his upper torso. Realizing he hadn’t shot him and he wasn’t the one who’d been shot, Lucky’s shoulders sagged.
Backup. His officers pooled around James’s limp body and handcuffed him. The siren in the distance told him the ambulance was on its way. Not that he really cared.
He crawled over to Lana and collapsed against her. Lily nursed and didn’t even flinch when Lucky touched her.
Had they really survived? Could it really be over? The last few hours had seemed like an eternal nightmare, one that he couldn’t wake up from.
It was over now.
There was more than enough evidence to put James away for good. And there wasn’t anything that made Lucky feel happier.
Chapter Eighteen
The first light of dawn streaked across the sky just as Lucky gave his statement to his deputy. Lana had been escorted by Gretchen to the hospital to have Lily checked for internal injuries, but his hope burned eternal after the baby fed like she was…well, starving. Anger flared at James’s idiocy not to buy her some formula or milk or something. If they hadn’t found her in time…
The adrenaline of the night was wearing off while fatigue and remorse filled his soul. Lana had trusted him to protect her, yet he’d failed. What was worse, he wasn’t sure what he could have done any differently.
Sure, he knew he could have refused to cover the shift and stayed at home with his family. Or he could have sent her over to her father’s house every time he wasn’t home with her. But what kind of life would that have been for her to live when they hadn’t even been positive the threat he sensed from James was real?
Regardless, since James had obviously been watching them, waiting for the opportunity, if it hadn’t happened tonight, it would have happened another night. Maybe a night when Lily was old enough to remember.
He sent up a silent prayer for that small miracle. Lily wouldn’t have to remember the terror of this night.
Wrapping up and issuing orders to the crew he was leaving behind, he walked to his patrol car and headed to the hospital.
Lucky didn’t head straight for Lana and Lily though. He flashed his badge at the receptionist and demanded to see James. Since it was a small town, no one questioned him nor did anyone suspect that his motives were less than pure.
Walking into the room where James lay, Lucky saw a state patrol guarded his doorway. With a nod, he walked past and approached James. He was in a hospital gown and sweat beaded his brow. A rookie had shot him in the lung to immobilize him. Lucky took secret pleasure that James’s face was an ashen gray and his lips held a blue hue to them.
But despite all the mental issues, James’s apparent alcohol abuse, and even the years of torment Lucky had suffered at his hand, he didn’t want to see the man dead. He wished that there was a way for James to redeem himself and straighten out his life. As he thought back over the last ten years and all the things James had put him and Lana through, he knew it probably wasn’t possible. But he lived by the rule “never say never”.
James’s swollen eyes cracked open and focused on Lucky. The heart monitor sped up just a little.
Lucky might want the best for everyone, but that didn’t mean he was stupid. Leaning forward, his lips curled over his teeth in a snarl.
“You ever come near me or my family again and I’ll kill you, do you understand?”
James let out a shuttered breath and licked his lips. Otherwise, he just stared into Lucky’s eyes.
“I promised Lana the day I married her that you’d never lay a hand on her again, and until I draw my last breath, I’ll take my oath quite seriously. If you ever try this mess with me again, I’ll be sure to shoot you in this little spot in your head that will leave you incapacitated. You’ll be able to watch the world go by, but you won’t be able to wipe your own butt. If you don’t believe me, try me. Do we have an understanding?”
With narrowed eyes, James growled, “She’s mine.”
“Who, Lana? Not anymore. Lily? Maybe genetically, but even that can be ignored. I think we both know where the court would stand on issuing you visitation rights.”
Again, James fell silent.
“Are we clear on what I’m saying to you?” he asked with his most authoritative voice.
For a moment, James stared him down, a battle of wills that Lucky was determined to win. Lucky was surprised when James blinked and looked away, even more so when a barely-there nod answered his question.
Lucky pivoted on his heel and strode out of the room, making a beeline for the pediatric ER where Lily and Lana were.
Lana smiled at his approach, warming his insides some. Ever since he’d discovered Lily had gone missing, everything inside of him had frozen over. Now, seeing Lana with a smile on her face helped him relax and believe that the end to this horrible ordeal might be in sight.
Behind Lana, a nurse stood over Lily and a huge warming light that he recognized from delivery held his daughter. Planting a soft kiss on Lana’s forehead, he reached over and placed his finger in Lily’s grasp.
“How is she?” he whispered.
“The doctor came in and said her MRI looked great and he thinks she’ll be just fine. She’s even fed again since we’ve been here. He said a sick baby wouldn’t be interested in eating. The nurse is getting her discharge papers ready.”
“So you’re headed home?”
“Yes. Where we belong.”
“Has she cried at all?”
“Not since I picked her up in the forest.”
Lily lay there in her typical, wide-awake fashion, looking up into his face. A small yawn stretched her baby lips into an “o” and he grinned. Love surged through him, fierce and hard.
But something else surfaced that surprised him. Shame. He was her father. She looked up to him to keep her safe, yet, he realized once again, he’d failed the one mission they’d set out to do.
“Lana?” he asked softly.
Lana’s fingers slid into his and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“Now that James is going to be in jail for a while, we don’t have to continue this marriage.”
With her rounded, shocked eyes, he cursed himself inwardly for the timing of his announcement. Their focus should be on Lily.
“What are you saying, Lucky?”
“I’m saying if you want to end this and go our separate ways, we can. I’ll provide for you and Lily though. I won’t abandon you.”
Lana took a step back and then another, her gaze riveted to the ground. Then her eyes flew to his. “Is that what you want?”
The last thing he wanted was to end the most incredible months of his life. But after he took another long, hard glance at Lily, he knew she deserved more than someone like him could offer. What if his life spiraled out of control again? What if he became the depressed guy he was ten years ago and leaned on food again to solve his problems? What if he discovered one day he resented Lily because of her genetics?
Deep down, Lucky realized none of this was an issue, but the “what if” factor had him doubting if he could trust his own judgment.
Finally, he looked at Lana and took a deep breath.
“Yes, it’s what I want. You said yourself it was only temporary, right? Now everyone will know the truth and will understand why we had to move on. I can’t stand the possibility of failing you and Lily again.”
Lucky could see Lana trembling. Her chin quivered and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears.
“Get out of here. I’ll come pack up
my things as soon as we’re done here.”
Swallowing past the lump in his throat and the urge to recant everything he’d just told her, he nodded. “I’ll be gone when you get there.”
Lucky pushed passed her and almost ran into her father, carrying two cups of coffee. Without a word, he pushed past his father-in-law, ignoring the questioning look on his face and left the hospital.
*****
Lana was numb. After all the events of the day, she wasn’t sure what was real and what was imagined anymore. Ally tried to help, driving her to Lucky’s house to pick up her things. Her father had offered to stay behind at his house and ready her old room for Lily’s baby things.
Ally insisted that Lucky was running scared, but after looking into his eyes, she knew it was what he really wanted. The worst part for her was the fact that history was repeating itself.
James hadn’t wanted her, now Lucky didn’t want her. Both men she thought had once loved her. How wrong she was to think that anyone could love her!
When Ally pulled up at Lucky’s house, the place Lana had called home for over six months, Lana couldn’t help but lower her head and allow the sobs to escape. Her heart was exploding. It had been an emotionally charged twenty-four hours with Lily’s kidnapping and release from the hospital with a clean bill of health and Lucky’s admission that their marriage was through.
“It’ll be okay, Lana. He loves you,” Ally naively assured her. “You told me you both loved each other. That’ll win in the end.”
Lana could do nothing but shake her head in disagreement as the tears fell and the sobs wracked her body. She hadn’t cried like this since the night James had first hit her. She was so upset she felt physically ill.
She heaved in a deep breath and lifted her chin, taking the next few minutes to steel herself. Lucky had said he’d be gone, but his truck and his patrol car were in the driveway, which meant he was still inside.
“Do you want me to sit out here with Lily while you go in? Or do you need my support?” Ally asked.
“I think I’ll go in first. I have a few things I want to say to him.” Chin high, Lana exited the car and stormed up the steps leading to the front door. She thought about knocking, but this was as much her home as it was his. Legally anyway.
Lucky for Her Page 17
