Damn the woman.
“Hey, LJ! Did you feel the quake?” He looked up when he heard Dani’s excited voice. The team, Battalion 5’s Platoon A, had started calling him LJ, short for Lord James, when he’d let slip that he’d been named after his ancestor James Caldwell, the fourth son of Viscount Kensworth.
A sharp bark announced the arrival of Coco, Dani’s chocolate Labrador Retriever and the reason for Dani’s nickname, K9. The search-and-rescue dog nudged Jamie with her muzzle until he rubbed her ears.
“Did that little tremor scare you?” he asked the dog.
Dani reached into the cupboard and pulled out a box. “Coco’s a bit jumpy. Thought I’d give her a treat.”
At the word “treat,” Coco skidded across the linoleum to get her chew stick. After filling a bowl with water and placing it on the floor, Dani turned to Jamie. “I just read the report. It was a 4.0, epicentered in the south Puget Sound, about six miles deep.”
“The Seattle fault’s been really active. I hope we’re not in for the ‘big one.’” He chuckled, making air quotes. “Any damage reports?”
“None so far.” She pulled out a chair and sat at the table across from him. “What’re those?”
“Divorce papers.”
“Ah. I see.”
He turned the papers over and leaned back in his chair. “What exactly do you see, K9?”
At the harshness in his tone, she held up her hands and stood. “Nothing at all. Forget I said anything.”
Jamie rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his friend. They’d been working together for three years, and he’d put his life in her hands more than once. It wasn’t fair for him to transfer his anger to her.
Anger and fear.
Yeah, he had to admit it. He was scared shitless. If the divorce went through, he wouldn’t just be losing his wife—he’d be losing his daughter too. “Sorry. You didn’t deserve that. I’m just a little tense. Rickie and I were arguing when the quake happened. The call dropped and I haven’t been able to get through since.”
“You’re worried.”
“Yeah, it’s still no excuse.”
“I’m a big girl, LJ. I can take it.” She laughed, and he returned her smile. It must have been a damn sucky smile, because she immediately sobered. “You don’t want the divorce.”
“It’s not that clear-cut.”
“Why not? You love Erica.”
“What makes you say that?”
She tapped his hand. “You’ve been separated for almost a year, and you’re still wearing your wedding ring. I’d say the answer’s pretty obvious.”
He couldn’t help the snort that rumbled up from his chest. “Loving her has never been the problem.”
She checked her watch. “Hollywood isn’t here yet, so we’ve got some time. Want to talk about it?”
“I should just sign the damn papers and get it over with.” He shrugged and checked on the spaghetti sauce he was cooking for the evening clutch meal. When Hollywood, Platoon C’s lieutenant, had agreed to fill in for the second half of Jamie’s shift, Jamie hadn’t even bothered to ask him to take on his kitchen duties. The man’s cooking was so god-awful, Hollywood was likely to give the whole team food poisoning.
“But you don’t want to sign them.”
“I love Erica and Chloe. But…” He hesitated, unsure he should be spilling the gory innards of his marriage into his friend’s lap.
She prompted him. “But…?”
He took out a clean spoon from the utensil drawer and sampled the sauce. After adding a touch more salt, he stirred the simmering mixture and returned to his seat. Seeing the expectant look on Dani’s face, he sighed. She wasn’t going to let this go. “We don’t get along. Two more opposite people don’t exist.”
“Erica is who she is. Why’s it bothering you now?”
“Things have changed in the last few years. She’s changed.”
“How so?”
“When Chloe was born, she became the center of Erica’s world, and I…” He shook his head and trailed off. Even thinking the words made him sound—and feel—like an ass.
“And you were jealous.”
“Yes, dammit. But not of Chloe.”
“I don’t understand.”
“At first, I’d take care of Chloe while Erica was resting. I loved giving her a bottle. Bath time was our favorite. I’d bundle her up in a warm towel and rock her until she fell asleep. When she got a little older, I’d read her a bedtime story, whenever I was home.” He rose from his chair and got a bottle of water out of the fridge. He held it up and when Dani nodded, he tossed it to her and grabbed another for himself.
“Sounds nice.”
“It was.” He returned to his seat and opened his bottle, taking a long drink. “Remember when we went to Indonesia on that humanitarian mission?”
“How could I forget? I thought we’d never make it back.”
“Yeah, we were gone long enough for Erica to realize she didn’t need me. When I got back, she’d taken over and there was no place for me in her life or Chloe’s.”
Dani’s eyes rounded, and she set her bottle on the table. “Christ, Jamie. All this time and you never said a word. Did you at least tell Erica it bothered you?”
“We argued about it, but what could I really say without sounding like a whiny ungrateful bastard? Chloe was happy and healthy, and Erica was taking great care of her.”
“But you missed it.”
“Hell yeah.”
Coco finished her treat and laid her head on Dani’s lap. Absently, Dani scratched her ears while frowning at Jamie. “Isn’t Chloe staying with you on your days off?”
“That was the original agreement, which only lasted a couple months. In her infinite wisdom, Erica decided it was too disruptive for Chloe to be pulled out of daycare during the week.”
“But you could bring her there in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon. You’d still get time with her.”
He shook his head. Erica had immediately shot down that idea.
“You’re shitting me.” Dani stared at him, disbelief clear on her face. “When do you see her?”
“Once a week, on a day Erica decides, I get to pick Chloe up at the daycare at closing time and bring her back the next morning. Once a month, I get a weekend. She stays with me for forty-eight hours.”
“Exactly?”
“Not a minute more, not a minute less.”
She frowned at him. “When did you become such a doormat?”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t get it. At work, you’re the man in charge. But you’re letting her push you around. She decides what’s what, and you just nod your head.”
Put that way, he sounded like a wuss. He shifted in his seat and the creak of the wood sounded ridiculously loud. “It’s not like that. I thought it would make her happy if I went along with things.”
“Congratulations. Now you’re both miserable. Even I, the queen of failed relationships, can see that you need to man up and tell her what you want. Otherwise, accept that your marriage is over, sign the papers, and move on.”
“I know.”
“But you haven’t made up your mind yet.”
He grinned. “I told her I lost the papers. Twice.”
“Now that’s not too hard to believe.” She tossed her bottle cap at him. “You need to stop playing games, LJ. Seriously, get your head out of your ass before you lose your family.”
That was why he’d cancelled on Rickie. He had some serious decision-making to do and until he made up his mind, he couldn’t see her. It would just confuse him more. They’d end up arguing and he’d be caught in a sort of turned-on frustrated state. He needed some alone time to decide what he was going to do—sign or don’t sign—and the Caldwell family cabin, secluded as it was in the Cascade Mountains, was just the spot to do some serious thinking.
He probably shouldn’t have lied to her about his plans, shouldn’t have implied that his dinner with Dani
was a date. But he hadn’t been able to resist one last attempt to spark some jealousy in her. He’d sparked something all right—anger. He just wished he’d been there. Erica was exceptionally beautiful when her brown eyes burned with indignation. He smiled, recalling some of their more memorable fights and the make-up sex that had followed.
From that first night, she’d grabbed him by the balls, turning his world upside down. Hollywood, his best friend, had dragged him to a party a friend of his cousin’s was giving. The party was big and wild. He’d been about to leave when he spotted the beautiful blonde across the room. After confirming that she wasn’t a fire bunny, he approached her with every intention of trying to charm her into a great one-night stand.
And boy did he succeed. She was fun and fascinating, and even before the night was over, he knew he wanted more.
But the next morning, he’d woken up to find her side of the bed cold and empty. They hadn’t exchanged phone numbers or last names, so he’d had no way of contacting Rickie. Determined to see her again, he’d bullied Hollywood into trying to track her down through his cousin, but that had gone nowhere. In the end, he’d nursed his crushed heart with a ballgame and a six-pack.
When she’d knocked on his door a month later to tell him he was going to be a father, he’d been stunned by the news, but happy that whether she wanted it or not, Rickie was going to be in his life.
Dani rapped her knuckles on the table and Coco barked, drawing him out of his reverie. “It’s been my experience that these things aren’t usually one-sided. My dad was pretty hands-off when I was little, and I see my brother doing the same thing with his own kids. His wife does everything, and believe me, she isn’t at all happy about it.”
His shoulders stiffened. “Are you saying I intentionally let Rickie take over?” Ridiculous.
“Didn’t you?”
A film of sweat formed on his brow. “No. Of course not.”
“You never went home late so you wouldn’t have to deal with the morning routine? You never told Erica you were out on a call just so you could go to a sports bar after work to have breakfast and catch a ball game with the guys? Come on, Jamie. I know you did.”
Coco’s sudden growl put them both on guard. “What’s wrong, girl?” Dani asked as she tried to calm the dog. But Coco wasn’t having it, and her growls turned to barks and whimpers.
Jamie gulped down the rest of his water, glad for the distraction. He should have known better than to talk about this with Dani. The woman loved to psychoanalyze the guys on the team and push their buttons. Sometimes she did it just for fun, though this time, she seemed to really believe what she was saying. But she was wrong. He wouldn’t have let Rickie push him out of Chloe’s life, even subconsciously. What kind of man would let that happen?
Before he could answer his own question, a violent quake shook the stationhouse. Cupboards banged open, dishes crashed to the ground, and the pot of spaghetti flew off the stove. The tangy scent of tomatoes filled the air as the hot sauce splashed across the floor, splattering the fridge, the walls, and the dog. Coco yelped and scampered out of the way.
Dani blanched. “This is no aftershock,” she said, as the tremor went on and on.
The firehouse had recently been retrofitted to the highest standards and would survive all but a massive earthquake. That didn’t mean they couldn’t be hit by flying objects though. In the distance, Jamie heard his team members shouting and prayed no one was hurt.
He scrambled around the table, almost falling when the floor seemed to buckle. Grabbing Dani’s hand, he pulled her under the sturdy table with him. Coco slid in between them and Dani wrapped her arms around the dog. They’d be safe here.
But where were Rickie and Chloe? He yanked his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and speed-dialed Erica’s number again. When he got another fast busy, he swore and hung up. With a quake this intense, there was going to be some serious damage, and his unit, the Seattle Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team, would certainly be called on to help extricate survivors from collapsed buildings. It could be hours before he had time to call again. At least by now, Rickie and Chloe would be home in the house he’d had built for them. A house that could and would withstand anything.
Or so he prayed.
CHAPTER 2
Adrenaline surging through her system, Erica hung onto the doorjamb as the quake rocked the old courthouse. The building swayed and groaned, windows rattled and shattered as the earth continued to tremble. Cracks raced across the ceiling and plaster dust showered down, covering everything in a thin white film. She’d lived in Seattle all her life but had never experienced a quake as powerful as this one.
And her daughter was all alone.
Erica thrust herself through the open door to her office and back into the hall. Her arms outstretched on either side, she bounced from one wall to the other like a Ping-Pong ball. But at least she was moving in the right direction. Crashes and bangs drew her down the corridor to where most of the offices were located, as well as the large lunchroom. Dear God. Had Chloe gone to check out the offerings in the vending machines?
When she reached the older part of the building and saw the full extent of the damage, Erica’s heart shuddered like the courthouse itself. This entire section of the floor looked like a war zone. “Chloe!” she called, her chest contracting so tightly her voice came out a mere squeak. She filled her lungs with the dust-choked air and tried again. “Chloe, where are you?”
Tears burned her eyes and a sob constricted her throat. Chloe was by herself. Alone. Her little girl needed her. And she needed her little girl. Needed to know she was safe.
The shaking finally stopped.
“Thank God.” Blinking to clear her vision, Erica picked her way around fallen walls, ceiling tiles, and light fixtures, avoiding bits of sharp metal and live wires that sizzled like rattlesnakes. “Chloe! Can you hear me? Don’t move. Don’t touch anything. Mommy’s coming.” She could only pray that Chloe was somewhere safe and not trapped under all the rubble. Or worse.
Where should she start looking? What should she do?
Jamie. Jamie would know. Patting the pockets of her pants, she blew out in relief when her fingers closed around the familiar rectangular shape. Thank goodness she hadn’t lost it in the quake. Yanking it out, she quickly dialed Jamie’s cell number and waited for the call to connect. Instead she got a fast busy signal. Her fingers trembled as she hung up and tried 911. Still no luck.
Tucking the phone back into her pocket, she straightened her shoulders. Okay. She was going to have to do this on her own, like she did everything. Over the continued groaning of the building and the shrieks of security and car alarms coming in through the broken windows, she called out. “Chloe! If you can hear me, shout. Help me find you.” She paused and listened, straining to identify each sound. When there was no reply, she moved further into the wreckage and called again. Bending down, she looked for places Jamie had told her were called voids, those empty areas that already existed or were created by falling debris where a person could be sheltered.
Ahead, an office wall had fallen against another, creating a tunnel. Maybe Chloe was there. Crouching, Erica inched forward, calling out, listening for any sign of movement. A loud crack overhead startled her and she scooted back, falling on her butt. The wall crashed down, missing her by half a foot. Heart pounding, Erica froze. Had she not moved in time, she’d have been crushed. What if something had fallen on Chloe? Oh God. What if her daughter was dead?
Heavy footsteps and shouting from the direction of her office reached her. Pushing to her feet, she called back. “Over here!”
Moments later, Mr. Simmons’ bald head appeared around the corner. His hand went to his chest. “Mrs. Caldwell, thank God. When I got to your office and couldn’t find you, I almost had a heart attack.” He scanned the area. “Where’s your daughter?”
Erica raised her hands, a lump in her throat strangling her. “Somewhere,” she croaked. “She raced ahead
of me…. We were apart when the quake hit.”
He swallowed visibly, his eyes fixed on the rubble that had been the common area. “We’ll call in help. But you need to come with me. We’re evacuating the building.”
Was the man crazy? “I can’t leave my daughter!”
“We’ll call the firemen. They’ll find her.”
Not regular firemen, but maybe Jamie. She hadn’t been able to reach him by phone but surely the courthouse security had some sort of direct line? “Call my husband. He’s with the technical rescue team.”
“Okay, but—”
“Shh.” She cut him off with an upraised hand. A sound.
She heard it again. “Mommy!”
Chloe. She was alive. Before her mind even had time to assimilate the word, her feet were on the move. She climbed over the debris, tearing her pants and scratching her legs and hands, desperate to reach her daughter. “I’m coming, Chloe. Mommy’s coming.”
Simmons grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to a halt. “Mrs. Caldwell, stop. It isn’t safe. The building is unstable.”
“Let go of me!” She twisted out of his hold and threw herself out of his reach. Her foot crashed through a downed wall, tripping her. Her arms pinwheeling wildly, she scrambled to right herself. Backing away from Simmons, she moved toward where she’d heard Chloe. “I’m not leaving my child.”
The floor vibrated and chunks of plaster fell from the ceiling. When a piece bounced off her head, she stumbled and rammed into a wall. Damn! Would this earthquake never end? She had to find her daughter and get them both out of the courthouse before it crumbled to the ground.
“Mrs. Caldwell, please.”
Something snapped and a large crack snaked across the ceiling. Dust filled the room as more drywall and several light fixtures shook loose. A boom rent the air and the building trembled. With Chloe’s screams echoing in her head, Erica looked up and saw the crack widening. The ceiling was caving in. Her mouth went dry and her heart pounded in her ears. Was this the end? Was she never going to see her daughter again? Jamie? She’d made so many mistakes, had so many regrets.
Aftershocks (Six-Alarm Sexy) Page 2
