Protective Instincts

by Shirlee McCoy

  “Her sister doesn’t know. The neighbor speculated that she’d been depressed about not having kids. She’d been crying out on the front porch one day, and when the neighbor asked why, she’d said that she’d just found out she’d never have children.”

  “Sad,” Chance interjected. “But not the end of the world.”

  “Maybe to her it was.” Raina leaned a hip against the counter, her faded jeans clinging to long lean legs, her fingers tapping an impatient rhythm on her thigh. “I’ve known plenty of women who have gotten depressed about not being able to have biological children.”

  “How many of them took their own lives?” Chance intoned, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression neutral. Knowing him, he was calculating the odds, trying to figure out the statistics. As soon as they finished the conversation, he’d probably head to the computer and do the research, print out a bunch of information and then share it with the team later that night.

  Jackson admired his brother’s scientific approach to things, but he tended to work more on gut instinct and intuition. Right then, his intuition was telling him that a happily married woman with a good life and no sign of clinical depression didn’t suddenly become suicidal because she couldn’t get pregnant. “Wallace is looking into it. I was supposed to meet with him this afternoon, but I’ll have to reschedule the meeting, though.”

  “Why would you do that?” Chance asked, glancing at his watch and frowning.

  “Samuel has an appointment with the doctor.”

  “And?” His brother speared him with one of his famous you’re-not-making-any-sense looks. Jackson ignored it.

  “And Raina and Samuel need an escort.”

  “Boone and Stella can do it, and you and I can go to the meeting with Wallace. We need whatever information he has. The sooner we get it, the better.”

  “He’s right,” Raina interjected. “There’s no need for you to reschedule, Jackson. Samuel and I will be fine.”

  Jackson ignored her comment, because he didn’t want to leave her safety to someone else. Not even someone else who was part of the HEART family. “Boone and Stella can go to the meeting with Wallace. You and I can go to the medical appointment. That makes just as much sense as anything.”

  “Sure it does,” Chance agreed. “Except Officer Wallace is expecting you. You’re the one who’s been gathering information, Jackson. You’re the one who spoke to Cheryl Moreland’s neighbor and sister. You’re one of the last people to see Butch alive. You’re also the one who nearly got run down by the Jeep, chased a guy through the woods—”

  “All right,” Jackson cut him off. “I get your point.”

  “Then stop letting your emotions rule and do what needs to be done,” Chance said. “I’ve got a couple of calls to make, but I’ll be ready to leave when you are. We’ll go as teams of two and meet up here or at the doctor’s office when we’re done, depending on how long the meeting with the police takes.”

  Jackson scowled, but his brother was already on his way out of the room and missed his irritated glare.

  “Jackson.” Raina touched his hand, her fingers skimming over his knuckles, that simple touch shooting warmth straight into his heart. “Don’t compromise your job for my sake.”

  “This has nothing to do with my job, Raina. I’m on vacation. I can do what I want.” But, of course, he really couldn’t. Even on vacation, he was part of the team, part of the family that had been knit tightly together by passion and mission and heart.

  “You know you can’t.” She smiled gently. “Not unless you want to spend Thanksgiving listening to your brother complain about your poor choices.”

  “Chance isn’t like that.” He captured her hand, tugging her closer. She smelled like sunlight and flowers, and he thought that if he had to, he could live on that scent and on her smiles. “He’ll respect whatever choice I make.”

  “But will you?” She rested her palm on his cheek, her skin smooth and warm, her expression soft. “You know if I were anyone else, you’d already have left for your meeting.”

  “And?”

  “And that’s what I want you to do.”

  “Too bad it’s not what I want to do.”

  “But it’s what you should do. Your job isn’t just something you do, Jackson. It’s who you are. I’d never want you to compromise that for me.”

  He wasn’t surprised by her words, but he was touched by them. In the years that he’d dated Amanda, he’d spent too much time feeling torn between his job and their relationship. Her neediness had drained him, sapped his energy and made him question whether or not he could ever have a lasting relationship. Since they’d broken up, he’d come to terms with the strain a job like his put on a relationship. He’d told himself over and over again that he didn’t have the time that was necessary to make forever work.

  He’d been wrong.

  “You’re a special lady, you know that?” he murmured, his lips brushing the soft skin behind her ear.

  She shivered, melting into him, her arms sliding around his waist, her head resting against his chest. “I’m not special. I’m tired and scared, and I want all this to be over, so I can move on with my life.”

  “When it is over, I hope that moving on means moving toward me,” he responded, easing back so he could look into her face, read the truth in her eyes. “Because I’m moving toward you, Raina, and I don’t know what direction I’m going to head if that’s not what you want.”

  She hesitated, and he could see the sadness in her gaze, knew she was thinking of her husband and her son and all the things she thought she had to leave behind to move forward. “I am moving toward you, Jackson. But it might take me a little longer to get there. I have a lot of stuff to deal with.”

  “I know, and I’m willing to wait for as long as it takes.”

  She smiled, her lips trembling, her eyes filled with tears. He wanted to kiss them away, to make her forget the sadness of what had been and embrace the joy of what could be. He cupped her nape, brushed her lips with his. He only meant it to be comforting, easy, light, but they both leaned closer, and the kiss became more than a light touch, more than a gesture that said “It’s going to be okay.”

  Her lips tasted of sunshine and flowers and tears, and he wanted more. He wanted everything, because with Raina, he knew that was exactly what he would get. Heart, soul, passion, none of it withheld, none of it hidden.

  Her hands slid up his back, her palms hot through his shirt, and he didn’t want to stop, didn’t want to think, just wanted to take the gift that he’d been given, the chance at what he’d thought he would never have.

  EIGHTEEN

  “Hey, Raina! What time is that... Oh!” Stella’s voice was like ice water in the veins, and Raina jumped back, slamming into the counter and stumbling forward again.

  “Slow down,” Jackson said, catching her waist and holding her steady. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  “Man! Wow!” Stella stood in the threshold of the stairway, her eyes bright with amusement. “Didn’t mean to interrupt. I wanted to check on the time for that appointment Samuel has.”

  “He has to be there at noon,” Raina said, her voice a little rough, her breathing a little labored and, she was sure, her cheeks blazing red. “We should probably go.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Stella said, not even trying to hide her smile. “Of course, if you two want to hang out for a while longer, I can take the kid myself.”

  “No. He’ll need me there.”

  “Okay. So, how about you go get him moving while I discuss the plan with Jackson?”

  “Right. Sure.” Raina met Jackson’s eyes. “I guess I’ll see you later?”

  “You know you’ll see me later,” he promised, dropping a quick kiss on her lips. “But, as much as I hate to admit it, Chance is right.
I need to be at that meeting with Wallace.”

  “You’re meeting with that good-looking police officer?” Stella asked with a grin. “Maybe I should come along. Since I missed my date the other night, I’m in the market for a new guy.”

  “Sorry, Stella, but I need you to stay with Raina,” Jackson said. “I’m counting on you to keep her safe. To keep them both safe.”

  All Stella’s amusement fell away. Laughter left her voice and her eyes. She looked more serious than Raina had ever seen her. “I’ll protect her and the kid with my life. You know that, Jackson.”

  He nodded, turning his attention back to Raina. “Make sure you stick close to Stella and Boone. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him, but she felt anxious, worried, because he was worried and because she didn’t think the calmness they’d had for the past few days was going to last.

  “I’m counting on it.” He dropped a quick kiss to her lips, gave her a gentle nudge toward the living room. “Go get Samuel. You don’t want to be late.”

  She didn’t, but she didn’t really want to leave, either.

  She felt right when she was with Jackson, complete in a way she hadn’t been since the accident. The hole that her family’s death had left was filling up, slowly flooding with new emotions, new people, new hope.

  That’s what had been missing from her life—hope in the future, belief that life still had wonderful things to offer, trust that God would take the bad and make good out of it.

  Now that she had it, she wouldn’t give it up.

  She would have told Jackson that, but Samuel needed to be prodded away from the game of chess he was playing, and by the time she’d convinced him to brush his teeth and wash his face, Jackson and Chance had left.

  There’d be time later.

  Unless there wasn’t.

  That was the thing about life. Aside from the ones already lived, there were no moments guaranteed.

  She shivered at the thought, hurrying Samuel out into the cold gray day. Muted sunlight filtered through the clouds but did nothing to warm the chilly air.

  She unlocked the car, Stella and Boone hovering close by, gun holsters strapped to their chests and visible beneath their open coats. They looked tough and ready for trouble. For some reason, that didn’t make Raina feel any less anxious.

  The drive to the medical building took less than twenty minutes, the fall foliage vivid in the early-afternoon gloom. She parked close to the door, nearly tripping over her own feet as Stella hurried her inside and to the bank of elevators.

  “We need to slow down,” Raina panted. “Samuel can’t keep up.”

  “He can when he’s got a ride,” Stella responded, gesturing toward the door. Boone strode in, Samuel in his arms. He set the boy down, handed him his crutches.

  “I’m not liking this,” he said, scanning the nearly empty lobby. “Things feel off.”

  “I was thinking the same.” Stella punched the elevator button, her expression hard and unreadable. “Could be we’re both just on edge. We’re not used to being inactive for so long.”

  “Could be,” Boone responded, but Raina didn’t think he believed it.

  She didn’t believe it. Her skin felt tight, her hair standing on end as they got in the elevator and made their way to the third floor.

  The radiology department was straight ahead, a few patients waiting for their turns. Raina walked to the check-in desk, smiling at the receptionist.

  “Name?” the gray-haired woman asked with a smile.

  “Samuel Niag.”

  The receptionist typed something into her computer and frowned. “I see him on the schedule, but there’s a note here that says you need to see his regular physician for a recheck on infection before we run the X-ray series, and I’ve got no referral on file.”

  “We were in to see Dr. Moreland two days ago,” Raina responded. “He cleared Samuel for the X-rays and was supposed to fax the referral over.”

  “We didn’t receive the paperwork for the consult. I can call Dr. Moreland if you’d like. Maybe he can fax something over.”

  “Actually, I work in his office. I’ll go see if I can grab what you need and bring it to you.”

  “Are you sure, dear? It really isn’t a problem for me to do it.”

  “I’m sure.” Mostly because she knew exactly how long it could take for a fax to be sent, and she didn’t want to spend any more time at the medical center than necessary. She walked to the seat Boone had set Samuel in. “Hey, buddy. I need to run and get something from Dr. Moreland. Do you think you can stay here with Boone for a few minutes?”

  “Yes,” Samuel said, but he was obviously anxious, his gaze darting around the room, his leg swinging with excess nerves.

  “It’s going to be fine,” she said, crouching in front of him and looking into his eyes. “X-rays don’t hurt a bit. You’ll have them done, and when you come out, I’ll be here waiting. Then we’ll go to the library and get some books to bring home.”

  “No one said anything about a library,” Stella said.

  “We’re going to the library,” Boone responded. “The kid wants books, and he deserves them. He’s a real trouper.” He handed Samuel his phone, showed him a game he could play. “You two go ahead. I’ll make sure the kid stays safe.”

  Raina hurried into the corridor, Stella at her side. “I don’t understand why Kent didn’t send the file over. He knows how important these X-rays are,” she muttered.

  “Because he’s a self-centered jerk?” Stella offered.

  “He’s not self-centered.” They rounded a corner, headed toward the east side of the building and the entrance to the clinic.

  “Honey, trust me. I know self-centered when I see it. The guy is way more interested in what he can get from you than what he can give.”

  “He’s always been very good to me, Stella,” she said, feeling obligated to defend the man.

  “Because he wants something from you. That’s the way men are. They act like princes until they have what they want. Then they act like slugs.”

  Stella pushed open the clinic door, gesturing for Raina to step in ahead of her. “Now listen,” she said, pulling Raina to her side. “We stick together, okay? If there’s trouble, you do what I say. No questions asked. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Raina said absently. She was more interested in getting the file and getting back to Samuel than she was in Stella’s warnings. They were on her home turf, standing in an office she’d spent a good portion of the past three years in. As far as she was concerned, the clinic was almost as safe as home.

  “Hey, Raina!” the receptionist said as she approached the front desk. “What’s up?”

  “I brought Samuel over to radiology, but they haven’t received the referral.”

  “Wish I could help you with that, but I’m clueless. Kent is on break, though. If you want to go back to his office, I’m sure he can get it for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll let him know you’re heading back.” The receptionist lifted the phone and punched a button. Seconds later, she hung up. “He said he’ll be right up.”

  “Why not just let you go back there?” Stella muttered under her breath. “See what I mean? Self-centered. He wants to make a big show of being in control.”

  “I don’t care what he’s doing, as long as I get the referral.”

  “I care, and I might just tell him that when he finally shows his face. As a matter of fact—”

  “Raina!” Kent appeared behind the receptionist, his white lab coat immaculate, an obviously fake smile on his face. “Sorry for forgetting to fax the referral. It’s been hectic around here with you gone.”

  Raina didn’t know how that could be, since people were filling her shifts, b
ut she kept the thought to herself. “It’s no problem, Kent, but Samuel’s appointment is today, and I really need it.”

  “Come on back to my office. I’ll get it for you.” He took her arm, his grip just a little tighter than she would have liked. Her skin crawled, and she would have pulled back and refused to go if Stella hadn’t been following along behind.

  “So,” Kent said as they stepped into his office, “how have things been going?”

  “I guess as well as can be expected. Samuel seems to be adjusting well and—”

  “I didn’t mean with Samuel. I meant with you.” He gestured to the chairs that sat in front of his desk. “Go ahead and have a seat. I need to get the referral form.”

  “I think I’ll stand,” Stella responded coldly.

  “Suit yourself,” Kent said, shoving his hands deep into the pocket of his lab coat and shrugging. “I’ll ask Mandy to help me find the forms. Unless you want to come and look for them, Raina. You probably know where they—”

  “She’s going to stay here with me,” Stella cut him off, her eyes as hard and cold as ice.

  “No problem.” Kent shrugged and headed for the door.

  Somehow, his feet tangled up, and he stumbled forward, knocking into Stella. She shoved him away, hissing softly and grabbing her upper thigh.

  “What do you have in that pocket, Doc? A—” She went pale, every bit of color draining from her face.

  Raina lunged toward her.

  “Don’t bother.” Kent grabbed her arm, pulling her away as Stella crumbled to the floor.

  “What happened? What did you do?”

  “Shut up!” he snarled, pulling out a gun and aiming it straight at her heart. “Because if you don’t, I will kill everyone in this building, including that little brat you seem to love so much.”

  “Kent—”

  “I said shut up!” He waved the gun wildly, and she froze. “That’s better. Now we’re going to walk out of here together. If anyone asks where we’re going, you say we’re heading to radiology.”

  “Stella—”

  “Don’t worry about her. She’ll be conscious in a couple hours with nothing more than a headache to deal with.”