“You’re such a spoilsport,” Ally lamented.
“I’m just a man on a mission,” James countered. “It’s a mission I don’t need you guys for, so have a nice night.”
“You’re going to miss me when you get up there,” Ally called to his back.
“Something tells me I’ll live.”
Nineteen
“Okay, here we go.” Dr. Meredith Winslow ran the ultrasound wand over Emma’s stomach the next afternoon, her gaze focused on the monitor next to the bed as Finn held his fiancée’s hand and watched the screen. He’d seen the baby on the monitor twice now, but each time was more fascinating than the previous glimpse into his baby’s world. “Okay, do you see that?” Winslow pointed.
Emma and Finn nodded in unison.
“That’s the baby’s nose,” Winslow said. “It slopes up.”
“That’s amazing,” Finn said, exhaling heavily. “The baby has your nose, sweetie.”
“Do you still want to keep the baby’s sex a surprise?” Winslow asked.
“I don’t know,” Finn answered, glancing at Emma. “Do you want to know?”
“I want to wait,” Emma answered. “We’ve waited this long. Can’t we wait until the birth?”
“We can do whatever you want,” Finn said. “Just know, I’m not dressing that baby in a ‘Daddy’s little princess’ outfit if it’s a boy. I don’t care how worked up Ally gets.”
“Let me tell you something, Finn, this baby is going to throw up and poop so much that you’re going to dress him or her in whatever is handy at a certain point,” Winslow said. “You’re not going to care what it is.”
“You’re not making this parenting thing sound very appealing,” Finn deadpanned.
“You’re also going to get more kisses and hugs than you’ll ever need,” Winslow said, grinning. “Okay, Emma, you can sit up now.”
Winslow let Emma gaze at the monitor for a few more seconds and then shut the machine off. “So, you are two days away from your due date and you’re dilated three centimeters. The baby’s head has dropped. You could literally go into labor at any moment.”
“She’s already dilated?” Finn asked, swallowing hard. “Does that mean she’s in labor?”
“Not really,” Winslow said, exchanging an amused look with Emma. “It just means Emma’s body is preparing itself for the birth. When she goes into active labor she’ll dilate to around seven centimeters.”
“That’s not big enough for a baby to escape,” Finn pointed out.
“I’ve never heard a father refer to birth as an escape before, but I’ll forgive you because of all of the excitement,” Winslow said. “During the transitional period Emma will dilate to ten centimeters. That’s when she’ll start pushing.”
“I’m not ready to give birth yet,” Emma said. “I … is there any way we can delay it?”
Winslow knit her eyebrows together. “I don’t understand,” she said. “When I saw you two weeks ago you wanted me to pull the baby out and give it to you right away.”
“Finn wanted that,” Emma corrected. “I just wanted to hold him. Things are … a little different now.”
“I saw the news, Emma,” Winslow said. “I’m aware of your father’s escape. That has to be putting a lot of pressure on you. Are you trying to remain relaxed?”
“I am,” Emma said. “It’s just … we’re not even in our home right now.”
Winslow glanced at Finn. “Why not?”
“It was safer for us to move into my brother’s house for the time being,” Finn explained. “My whole family is there. We didn’t want to risk anyone being isolated. We’re safer as a group.
“There’s been … concern … that Pritchard would go after my brother’s wife or my sister to use as a bargaining chip since he can’t get to Emma,” he continued. “To make our jobs easier, we’re all living in my brother’s house to keep an eye on everyone.”
“And the clerk who Pritchard went after yesterday is your sister-in-law, right?” Winslow asked.
Finn nodded. “She’s fine, but he’s getting more and more desperate,” he said. “It really is not the best time for Emma to go into labor.”
“We can’t really control that,” Winslow said, choosing her words carefully. “The baby is going to come when he’s ready. Should Emma go over her due date, we can induce labor. We can’t postpone it.”
“We’ll just have to do our best,” Finn said, brushing Emma’s hair away from her face. “We’ve arranged things so Emma is never alone and people are always around.”
“I’m on call, too,” Winslow reminded him. “Once Emma goes into labor, the hospital is actually the safest place for her to be. No one can get up to the maternity ward.”
“That’s true,” Finn said. “Maybe we should induce labor and lock her up there now.”
“I wouldn’t recommend that either,” Winslow said. “The best course of action for your baby is a natural childbirth on his or her own timetable. I understand these are unique conditions, but … .”
“No, we’re not doing any of that,” Emma said. “He’ll come to us when it’s time. I’m not risking him because we’re antsy.”
“Okay,” Finn said, giving in.
“For now, just make sure Emma is comfortable and relaxed,” Winslow said. “I know I can’t tell you not to worry because it’s impossible, but try not dwelling on things. You’re going to be parents very soon. Life is about to change for you.”
Finn smiled. “I honestly can’t wait.”
“DID Morgan say what he wanted when he called?” James asked, hopping out of his Explorer and striding toward the front door of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department.
“He just said he wanted to talk to us and asked if we could come,” Grady replied.
“Did he sound eager? Angry?”
“Why would he be angry?”
“Well, we did send two mobsters to watch my wife yesterday and one of them ended up stabbed at a judges’ convention,” James pointed out. “You and Sophie captured an escaped convict and stole his thunder. He might not be happy with us.”
Grady held open the glass door as James entered. “You have a point,” he said. “Still, I don’t think he would call us here just to yell at us.”
“It would be nice if something would go our way right now,” James said, moving through the lobby.
“How was Mandy last night? She seemed a little quiet.”
“She was good once I got her upstairs,” James replied. “We read a trashy sex novel in the bathtub and then reenacted the scenes.”
The deputy behind the glass arched an eyebrow at the tail end of James’ statement.
“We’re here to see Sheriff Morgan,” James said, ignoring the look. “He’s expecting us.”
Morgan opened the door that led to the inner bowels of the sheriff’s department less than two minutes later, greeting James and Grady with a tight smile as he led them back to his office. He shut the door to lock out prying ears and immediately cut to the chase once everyone was seated.
“You guys have been busy.”
Grady frowned. “I like to think of us as motivated,” he countered. “Our family is in jeopardy and we’ve been working overtime to keep them safe.”
“I understand that,” Morgan said. “You’ve still been getting in the way of my deputies.”
“How?” James challenged.
“Well, for starters, you captured DeAngelo Jackson on your own,” Morgan said. “Why didn’t you call us so we could be in on the bust?”
“Sophie is the one who had the idea about DeAngelo,” Grady answered. “I had no idea if she would be right or not. We didn’t have information to share. We sat in a truck and lucked out.”
“You could’ve called us when you saw him.”
“We didn’t think that far ahead,” Grady said. “When we saw him we moved. If we stepped on your toes, I’m truly sorry. Our greatest concern is Emma.”
“I’m not trying to put Emma Pritch
ard in danger,” Morgan said, steepling his fingers as he rested his elbows on the desk. “That’s the last thing I want. I understand she’s pregnant and you guys want to end this sooner rather than later, but I thought we were working together.”
“We are working together,” James said.
“Then why are Peter Marconi’s men shadowing your every move?” Morgan asked. “You have cars surrounding your house, one of Marconi’s men was stabbed yesterday protecting your wife, and one of my deputies told me that Sophie is running around with a goon as a shadow.”
Grady frowned. “Why have you been watching my brother’s house?”
“Well, we were watching the security building until you guys shifted everyone to the house,” Morgan said. “That was actually a smart move. You’re stronger in numbers. Still, Marconi’s men make this whole thing … more difficult.”
“Marconi’s men have turned two prisoners over to you and made your life easier,” James argued. “I would think you’d appreciate that. They don’t want accolades. They’re merely helping us avoid tragedy.”
“Are they going to kill Pritchard if they catch him?” Morgan asked bluntly.
“Not that I’m aware of,” James replied, not missing a beat. “We all would love for Pritchard to die. None of us are actively trying to kill him, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“If Marconi’s men kill Pritchard, that’s going to open up a firestorm of publicity,” Morgan said. “That’s if we even find out they’ve killed him. They could take him out and we’ll never know what happened to him if they’re dedicated to hiding it.”
“We don’t want that to happen either,” Grady said. “We want Pritchard back behind bars. Death is too easy for him. We can’t promise not to kill him if he comes after Emma, though. You know that.”
“I do know that,” Morgan agreed. “I hate to say it, but if Pritchard comes after you and ends up dead, that’s a win for us all. It’s not a win if mobsters take him out and I have to start answering a lot of uncomfortable questions.”
“I don’t know what you want us to say,” James challenged. “We’re going to do what we have to do to protect our family. Peter Marconi is not actively searching for Pritchard to kill him. We are looking to capture him, though.”
Morgan leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “Okay,” he said. “I was hoping you would say that. I have a tip for you guys.”
Grady knit his eyebrows together, confused. “You have a tip for us?” he asked. “How does that work?”
“If you have a tip, why aren’t you following up on it?” James asked.
“We would like to, but … it’s out of our jurisdiction and the Oakland County Sheriff is … unable … to comply with my request for a meeting.”
James read between the lines of the statement. “You guys are all in a pissing contest with one another, aren’t you?”
“Let’s just say that capturing Pritchard would be a feather in everyone’s cap and leave it at that,” Morgan said. “I’m not thrilled about having to do this, but things are … unpleasant … right now with every department.”
“What’s the tip?” Grady asked.
“It’s not actually a tip about Pritchard,” Morgan cautioned. “We have an informant who claims to know where Gibson is, though. I figured that he’s a good lead for you guys to get information out of during your drive back here with him.”
“You want us to capture Gibson and bring him back to the county and turn him over to you,” James said. “Why?”
“We all know that my tenure here has been mired in scandal,” Morgan said, referring to his former aide and the corruption he wrought throughout the department. “I would be lying if I said the publicity wouldn’t be good for me. It’s good for you guys, too, though. Gibson might have answers for you.”
Grady and James exchanged a look. Gibson was too much of a prize to pass up.
“Give us what you’ve got,” James said, resigned. “We’ll go after him right now.”
“I was hoping you would say that,” Morgan said, smiling.
James didn’t like the expression, but he kept his feelings to himself. If Gibson could help them, he had no problem giving Morgan what he wanted. He didn’t like playing political games, but some things were more important than politics.
“I WANT to cook,” Ally said, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing Jake with a dark look.
Jake rolled his eyes and focused on the newspaper as he sat on the couch in the living room. With Emma and Finn at a doctor’s appointment, Sophie at work with Rodrigo, and James and Grady at the sheriff’s department, he’d been left with the unenviable task of entertaining Mandy and Ally. It wasn’t going well.
“The kitchen is right over there,” Jake said, inclining his chin in that direction. “Go nuts.”
“Mandy has nothing to cook with,” Ally argued. “She has tomato soup and pickles.”
“I love pickles,” Jake replied dryly.
Ally grabbed the newspaper from Jake and tossed it aside, scowling. “Pay attention to me.”
“Angel, I can’t pay attention to anything but you,” Jake said, tugging on his waning patience. He loved Ally more than anything, but when she was in a mood he wanted to shake her. “What do you want me to do about the food situation?”
“Take us to the grocery store.”
“Absolutely not,” Jake said, shaking his head. “The idea of going into a store with the two of you is enough to make me sterile.”
Ally made a face. “I have no idea what that means, but it’s not like you’d be taking us to the mall,” she said. “We just need to go to the grocery store.”
“Why can’t you two live on takeout like everyone else?”
“Don’t look at me,” Mandy said, studying her fingernails. “I’m a big fan of takeout. Ally wants to make a roast, though. She thinks takeout is bad for the baby.”
“Of course she does,” Jake muttered. “Ally, I love you, but you don’t need to cook. Takeout will make everyone happy.”
“I want Emma to have a home-cooked meal,” Ally argued. “Would you really take something like that away from the baby?”
Mandy snickered as Jake blanched.
“You’re using an unborn baby as a weapon against me, and I don’t like it,” Jake warned.
“I have an idea,” Mandy said, hopping to her feet and moving to Ally’s side. “James and I are trying to ask each other’s permission to do things instead of bossing one another around. Try asking Jake if he’ll take us to the grocery store.”
“I like bossing him around,” Ally countered.
“We all like it when you do that, angel,” Jake said.
“Just try it,” Mandy prodded.
Ally blew out a dramatic sigh. “Fine!” She turned to Jake with her best “you love me and can’t tell me no” smile plastered on her face. “Will you please take us to the grocery store so I can cook?”
Jake opened his mouth to deny the request and then snapped it shut. She was going to get her way regardless. He might as well give in now and get it over with. “Will you let me be the boss tonight?”
“Absolutely,” Ally answered, beaming.
“Good,” Jake said, getting to his feet. “Grab your coats. We’re going to the grocery store.”
“How are you going to boss me around tonight?” Ally asked, curious.
“Oh, I’m going to gag you and slip sleeping pills into your drink,” Jake replied, fighting not to laugh at the murderous look on her face. “As the boss, I’m putting you to bed early and getting a good night’s sleep.”
“That backfired on you, didn’t it?” Mandy teased.
“I hate you both sometimes,” Ally complained as she trudged toward the front closet. “No one appreciates me.”
“I appreciate you, angel,” Jake said. “I just love you best when you’re asleep.”
Twenty
“This place is a hole,” Grady said, studying the white house with a worri
ed expression. “How do you want to handle this?”
The house in question was a one-story dive on Oakland County’s southern border. It was nondescript and looked empty. James had been through similar situations enough times to know that looks could be deceiving.
“Marcus Gibson is a robber and not a murderer,” James said. “I think we should just go in. If he runs, we’ll chase him. If he’s not there, we’ll wait.”
“Morgan might be wrong about this,” Grady said. “He didn’t tell us who gave him the tip.”
“He might be,” James conceded. “I think he’s hot to get Gibson, though. If he does, that means his department will be responsible for turning over three of the four escapees. He’s banking on Pritchard coming to us.”
“Does it bother you that he’s been watching us?”
“I figured he was,” James answered. “I think his biggest problem is that he doesn’t have the manpower to follow up on every sighting and watch every possible acquaintance. That’s why you guys managed to grab DeAngelo. They weren’t expecting him to return to his sister’s house that night.”
“I’m still amazed Sophie figured that out,” Grady admitted.
“She’s a wonder,” James said, smirking. “All of our women are wonders.”
“Oh, my lovesick brother,” Grady said, pinching and tugging on James’ cheek as he smirked. “Just think, you almost walked away from Mandy. Think how different your life would be now.”
“Don’t bring that up,” James warned. “I’m sick of it. Mandy still has it in the back of her head that I’m going to walk away from her a second time. I hate it.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“No,” James said, reaching into the console between the seats and grabbing his gun. “She denies that she thinks it. I see it all over her face when we fight sometimes, though. It makes me batshit crazy.”
“Bro, you’re batshit crazy because you’re addicted to her,” Grady countered, checking the chamber of his own weapon. “You’re going to have to accept that she has crazy ideas and you’re still going to love her anyway.”
“I will love that woman until the day I die,” James acknowledged. “She still frustrates the crap out of me.”
Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) Page 15
