by Aliyah Burke
It didn’t take too long and he was at the helm pushing the powerful boat out to sea. Behind him he could hear his crew talking and laughing despite having been called in. He knew they’d really rather be anywhere but where they were, but his people were troopers and knew the job came first.
Tugging on the brim of his cover, he rolled his shoulders and made a slight trajectory change when it came.
“How are you and Kassidy doing?” Teak asked, stationing herself at his side.
“Well, we would’ve been doing much better if not for this call.”
“Ahh, big plans huh?”
“Something like that. This is the first time I’ve had to cancel on her. Not sure how well it’s going to go over.”
“She knows you don’t work a nine to five, right? She should understand.”
Should being the key word. “Yeah,” he said, knowing his tone sounded as uncertain as he felt. “What about you? What did you have to cancel?”
Terra was a very private woman. Not much was known about her personal life. She played it close to the vest and he respected her enough not to pry. Normally. But he needed to talk about something other than how Kassidy would deal with this latest development in their relationship.
“Me? What makes you think I had to cancel anything?”
He cut his gaze to her and laughed at her attempt at an innocent expression. “Come on, Teak.” They were in the enclosed pilothouse and the others were out, so for all intents and purposes, they were alone.
“Fine, if you must know I had a date.”
“A date. That’s it? That’s all I get?”
She leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “I don’t know if I can tell you any more than that. I don’t want you to be jealous when I talk about how it would end.”
“Tease.”
The laugh came from her this time. “Nothing exciting like that at all actually. It is a date with some girlfriends. We go out, eat, talk about men, you know that kind of thing.”
“When am I going to meet a man for you, Teak?”
Her smile seemed strained this time. “When do I have time for a man. I’m swamped with testosterone here with this group.”
“You’re not ugly, Teak.” And that was the truth. Terra Acre was a beautiful woman, confident and caring, thick black hair, big eyes, winning smile, and a great figure. And one hell of an Executive Officer.
She pinned him with her gaze. “Well gee, thanks.”
“That’s not how I meant that to sound.”
She held up her hands and shook her head. “I know and I suppose I should thank you. Things are complicated.”
A myriad of reasons that could be ran through his mind. His question was halted however when he spotted something ahead. “Check out our ten o’clock, Teak. What do you see?”
Talk was suspended while she put the high-powered binoculars up to her eyes. “Smaller craft, possibly a Sessa, riding really low in the water. I think it’s just listing. Unless everyone is down below.”
Reaching up for the cb, he called it in and increased the speed bearing down on the smaller vessel. His men were ready and as he slowed them down, Teak announced who they were. The skies had grown dark and the ocean had begun to pitch and roll.
He was relieved at the helm by Petty Officer Torgen and headed out to the side that the boat was upon. Weapons ready, he looked over the edge.
“Oh my,” he muttered.
The deck had a woman with a bloodstain spread across the light gray of her shirt. She lay on the wood floor, her feet up on the single step. The floor of the area was slick with blood. Beyond her sat a dog right by the captain’s chair. The dog looked at him and began to growl, lips lifting to expose pearly white teeth.
“Who would do such a thing?” Teak asked from beside him.
“I don’t know but I have to get them out of there.”
“The dog? He doesn’t look like he’s gonna be happy if you encroach.”
“I have to try.” They made short work of tying the boats together. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered.
The closer he got, the louder the dog became. Insignificant words flew from his mouth as he did his best to calm the animal. He knew the boat was sinking. It was listing way too far to one side.
At her side, he reached for her neck, keeping one eye on the canine. He never moved, almost like he knew Justice was there to help. There was no pulse and she had begun to cool.
“Damn it.”
“Justice?”
“No pulse on her. We need to wrap her and take her back in with us.” He proceeded on, weapon ready, and moved past the dog who just watched him. Teak backing him up, they checked down in the cabin, there was water rising fast and he frowned when it ran up over his boots. “Let’s get going.”
Back topside he said to Teak, “Have them call it in and see if they want us to attempt a tow.”
Teak relayed his order and he frowned when a whimper sounded. He looked back at the dog and attempted to peer around it. The dog blocked the way leading to the area beneath the steering wheel.
“Is someone there?”
“Justice? Who are—” Teak said.
She fell silent at his gesture. “If you can hear me, come on out of there.” Nothing and he tried again. “I’m not going away, so you may as well come out.”
Teak returned to his side and the dog growled a little less. She began covering the body and he focused back on the area behind the pup. Movement and his heart clenched when a tiny hand appeared and touched the dog. The boat lurched and he saw the dog scramble to maintain its position.
“Come on,” he said in an encouraging tone.
That small hand led to a small head blanketed by dark curls peeking into view. Tan skin covered a cherubic face from which big brown eyes stared back at him. Fear-filled eyes. They moved to where the woman lay covered in a sheet, then returned to him.
“Mama seepin’?”
His heart broke. Reaching out with one hand he beckoned to her. His other remained on his weapon. “Yes, darlin’. Mama’s sleeping. Come here. I need to make sure you’re not hurt.”
He could see the indecision in her eyes but finally she emerged and came toward him. He could see blood on her but wasn’t sure if it was hers or not. The dog paced with her, no longer growling but not any less protective. He could hear Teak’s muttered curse beside him that quickly changed to Spanish and got a whole lot worse.
Another shift in the boat and the girl fell toward the deck. He reached out and caught her. Immediately he drew her in close and held her. She burrowed close into him and he said, “Take the adult onto the boat.”
“We need to get her off this one too, Justice. It’s going down.” Teak’s voice was firm.
“I know. You take her up once they get down.”
“Okay.”
“What’s your name, honey?” he asked the child in his arms.
“Sweetie.”
“Mama calls you sweetie?”
“Uh huh.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her innocence. “Does she call you anything else?”
“Torrie.”
“Okay, Torrie. I’m going to let my friend, Teak, carry you up to the other boat.”
Her small arms tightened around him. “No. Duke.”
“Duke? Is that your dog?”
“Uh huh.”
“I’ll bring Duke, and we’ll be right behind you.”
“Sure?”
“I promise,” he vowed, even as he wondered how he’d figure it out.
It took a little bit for him to pry her hands loose from his neck but eventually Teak got her and they moved to the metal steps leading back up to his boat. He looked at the dog and saw those teeth again.
“Duke,” a small voice cried and the dog ran to the metal rungs and whined, desperate to get back to the child’s side.
It took some maneuvering but finally he made it up with the dog. Duke ran to Torrie and Torrie reached out for him. He took her w
ithout thinking and kept her head averted as the body of her mother was lifted up onto their deck and carried her to the survivor compartment. While the men did what they could to find any information left on the boat, he sat Torrie in his lap and cleaned off the dried blood.
She sat in silence, watching him with wide eyes and Duke at their feet. He couldn’t begin to explain his relief when he didn’t see any cuts on her. She refused to be separated from him and so he held her the rest of the way in. It had been hard for her to say Justice, so Torrie called him Jus-is. Kelly at the helm, Teak worked on the radio, informing them what they’d ended up with and the small survivor child in his arms.
It was past eight when they made it in. He took Torrie and Duke off first and headed inside. She was sleeping against him and the dog didn’t stray far at all, thanks to an impromptu leash. Carly O’Neil, a representative from child services, was waiting along with his commanding officer.
Torrie woke when the woman tried to take her from his arms. She screamed bloody murder and held him tighter.
“Let her go, she’ll calm down,” the woman said.
He looked over the woman and asked, “What about her dog, Duke?”
She sniffed. “Animal Control will take him.”
“No, this dog is the last link to her mother. You can’t take that from her.”
“We don’t even know if that is her mother,” Carly hissed.
“She said it was, that’s enough for me. I can’t believe you’re seriously considering taking away her dog as well.”
“Duke!” Torrie screamed. “Jus-is!”
“Shhh, it’s okay, honey. No one’s taking Duke from you.” Glancing to his commanding officer, Justice stared at him. The man shrugged, indicating it was out of his hands. Jaw clenched, Justice brushed away some curls from her head. “I’ll take Duke with me, that way when this gets straightened out, she can have her dog back.”
“Lieutenant, are you sure?”
“Sir, I think she’s been through enough for the day, don’t you?” The man nodded and Justice turned his attention back to Torrie. “You have to go with Carly right now, Torrie.”
“No. Stay with you. Stay with Jus-is.”
“I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay? I have to go back to work.”
Tears fell from her eyes and panic filled them. “Stay with you!” she cried.
“I’m sorry, Torrie. Not right now.”
It broke his heart but he handed her away, keeping a firm grip on the makeshift leash around Duke. She screamed and reached for him, tears streaking down her face, her expression begging.
Carly tried to hold her tight but Torrie kept pushing her away and hitting at her. “I’ll be in touch,” she said before she headed out the door.
Duke began barking and pulling on the leash. Every fiber in his Justice’s being longed to run after them and pull Torrie back into his arms. “Come on, boy,” he said and walked in the opposite direction to his office where he filled out paperwork, then headed to his car.
He loaded up the barking and growling dog without care of what may happen to it. Then he began to drive. When he parked his car, he was barely conscious of getting out and walking to the door.
Chapter Twelve
Kassidy started when the doorbell rang. It was nearing eleven at night. She set the spatula down she’d been using to pick cookies off the sheet, wiped her hands, and stepped to the door. Peering through the curtain, she inhaled sharply when she saw who stood there.
Opening the door she said, “Justice?” The rest of her question faded when she saw a dog at his side.
“Can I… we come in?”
“Who’s that?”
“Duke.”
Kassidy dropped down and said, “Hey, pup.” Duke was a beautiful black Labrador Retriever. Her heart melted when he licked her palm. “Sure, bring him on in, just be careful since I don’t know how he is with other dogs.”
They stepped inside and within moments, Kassidy was content that there would be no trouble. Libby and Duke got along fine and so she put them out in the backyard to run around. Then she faced Justice and said, “What’s going on?”
The strain and pinched look to his eyes set her hair on end. What had happened for him to show up looking exhausted, physically and emotionally, and with a dog?
“We found a boat dead in the water. A murdered woman, the dog, and a young child, she can’t be more than three.”
“Oh my God. What happened?”
“I don’t know.” He sank to the couch, pulled her close and dropped his head to rest against her belly. She slid her hands around and held him. “She cried and begged me not to let her go.”
“I’m sure you did all you could to save her life.”
“Not the adult. The child, Torrie. Kassidy, I just stood there and let them take her from me, she cried out to me, reached for me, and I let them take her away.”
His heart-wrenching pain tore at her soul. “I take it Duke is her dog?”
“Yes.”
“Do you work tomorrow?”
“No. I have a day off.”
“So go see her, allow yourself to see that she’s fine and taken care of.”
“You don’t understand, I want her.”
She looked down at him and encouraged him to meet her gaze. “Like what, as in adopting?”
“When I held her in my arms, Kassidy, I don’t know how to explain it. She wrapped her arms around me and looked at me with trust. Despite everything she’d been through, she trusted me. I’ve never felt like that in my life. I wanted to protect her, keep her safe from harm, heartbreak.”
She kissed his forehead. “Go into the kitchen, I’ll be right there, just have to let the dogs back in.”
She watched him go, his steps more of a scuffle. The dogs entered together and headed as one to the water dish. On impulse she dished up some food for Duke and set it down for him, sending Libby away with a wave. Then she went into the kitchen where Justice sat at the table, his head upon his arms. Fixing him a sandwich, she placed it at his elbow along with a glass of tea.
“Justice, look at me.” He did, his eyes no less turbulent. “Are you sure you want to go through that?”
“What do you mean?”
“If that woman was her mom, it doesn’t mean there isn’t other family who could take her in. I don’t want you to get attached and have it yanked away.”
“What if there isn’t anyone for her? I lost my dad but I had my mom and my sister. I could be a father to her.”
“Why don’t you go see her tomorrow and talk with the woman you left her with. See what the steps are so if, and I mean if, it turns out she has no one willing to take her, your name is at the top.”
“What about us?”
His gaze was as direct as his question.
“What about us?”
“Would Torrie in my life—”
She slapped her hand over his mouth. “Not important, Justice. Now, come on, why don’t you go shower and lay down. I have a few more batches of cookies to bake.”
He meandered out of the kitchen only to return briefly to press a kiss to her cheek. Then he was gone again. When the sound of the shower reached her, she lowered her shaking body into a chair and covered her face with her hands.
Who would have thought he’d want a little girl he’d rescued. “What was he thinking?” she asked quietly.
And yet, despite her confusion, she couldn’t help but recall the way his expression had softened when he’d talked about the little girl. The timer got her up from the seat and when she exchanged the sheets, she peered into the living room and smiled at the sight of Libby and Duke curled up on the couch together, their heads side by side.
“I have a feeling I know where this is going.”
The final two sheets in the oven, she scooted back to her bedroom for a quick peek on Justice. He lay sprawled on his stomach across the bedspread sound asleep. She leaned against the doorframe for a few moments and watched him. After a bit
, she pulled a blanket off the mahogany chest and covered him with it before leaving him alone to sleep.
She finished with the cookies and took the dogs out one more time before calling it a night herself. With only the hall light on, she looked at Libby and said, “Keep an eye on him, Libs. Keep him out of trouble.”
The dogs curled up on the dog bed in the corner.
“Night, guys.”
Not much later, Kassidy slipped between the sheets and found that Justice had readjusted himself as well. His warm body curled into hers and she willingly sank into him. He still held her come morning when her alarm went off. She hustled to shut it off and peeked at Justice who continued to slumber. Making her way out of the bed, she strode to the front of the house, shutting the door on her way.
The dogs were by the door and she let them out to the backyard and fixed them each a dish of food. Once the coffee was started, she headed back and took a shower, dressing in the bathroom and trying not to wake Justice. He was up in the kitchen when she finished and his smile warmed her from the inside out.
“Morning,” she said.
“Morning, beautiful.” He took a drink of his coffee. “Thank you for last night.”
“I’m so sorry for what you had to go through, Justice. I wish I could make you feel better.”
“I’m getting ready to go see her this morning.”
Unsure that was the wisest thing for him to do, she merely nodded. “Would you like some breakfast first?”
“I’d love some.” He gestured toward the dogs. “They seem to get along.”
“Yeah, they do. I fed him when Libs got hers.”
She grabbed the eggs from the refrigerator then reached for a bowl. There was silence between them until she poured the eggs into the skillet.
“You think I’m crazy for thinking like this.” The way Justice said it made it a statement, not a question.
“Partially, yes. Not totally.” She worried her lower lip and took a deep breath. “You know better than anyone about your motives for what you do, Justice. As long as it is what you truly feel called to do, deep in your soul, then do it.”
There was no answer and when she took stock of his expression it seemed lost in thought, so she left him alone. Breakfast passed in mostly silence. That didn’t bother her. She ran over her schedule for the day, planning the best way to maximize her time. Justice did the dishes while she got ready to go to work. He was in there wiping down the counters when she returned.
