The shrill ring of a cell phone shattered the moment.
“I have to answer in case it’s the family.” Luke kissed her cheek as he leaned over the side of the bed and dug in his pants for the small phone. “Montgomery.”
Jazz watched as Luke’s face went pale. He jerked back and scanned the room as he pressed the speakerphone button so they could both hear every word.
“I hope I didn’t catch you with your pants down, Mr. Montgomery.”
“Who is this?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I can’t see you and your whore. You have plenty of privacy.”
The mechanized voice curdled Jazz’s blood. She wrapped the sheet around her and swallowed. Luke reached for his pants, and she could see him fighting for control.
“You’ve made your point,” he said. “Now what do you want?”
“Me? I don’t want anything. I just thought I’d tell you how adorable your daughter looks today. The red polka dots really make her blond hair shine in the sunlight. You should tell her grandmother not to let her swing so high, though. Little girls are so easily hurt, especially ones who accept gifts from strangers.”
Luke’s face lost all color. “If anything has happened—”
“You’ll what?” The laugh turned maniacal. “You don’t know who I am, but I know everything there is to know about you, your slut, your daughter, your entire family—including your poor, unconscious brother. His heartbeat was a bit erratic today. You should watch him more closely, I think.”
“Anything happens to my family, I’ll hunt you down. Nothing will save you.”
“I doubt it. You want a scoop, Mr. Montgomery? You decided to align yourself with Jane. Now someone you love will pay the price, and I guarantee it’ll make the front page.”
The phone went dead.
Luke stared at the receiver in his hand, and Jazz sat frozen in shock. She couldn’t think, couldn’t speak. Joy and Gabe were in danger. Because of her.
Jazz glanced at Luke, and he didn’t waste a second. His jaw clenched, and he pressed two on his speed dial. “Come on, Mom. Answer.”
“This can’t be happening,” she said, unable to think or to feel, only knowing that somehow she’d put Luke’s daughter in danger.
The speakerphone’s ring echoed through his bedroom. Each time the sound repeated, his breath hitched. He sagged on the bed as if bracing himself for the worst.
“Hello?” Anna Montgomery’s voice echoed in the room, unhurried and unconcerned.
“Mom. Listen to me. There’s someone at the park, watching you and Joy. You’ve got to get out of there.”
“Oh, my God!” Anna yelled out, the panic in her voice hard to listen to. “Joy…Joy! Run to the car, we’ve got to go.”
Jazz grabbed Luke’s arm. “No,” she whispered. “Not the car. There could be a bomb. They need to take cover and wait for the police,” she said, and then snagged Luke’s landline to make the call to send a squad car to the park and the hospital.
“Mom. Don’t touch the car. It might be tampered with. Find some cover near the parking lot and stay there. Jasmine’s calling the cops.”
Jazz didn’t know how he kept his voice composed, but he was a rock of calm.
“Luke?” Anna said, her voice close to cracking. “What do I do?”
As Jasmine hung up, Luke grasped her hand and squeezed so hard it hurt, but she didn’t complain. She wasn’t the one in trouble. Why did they have to be so far away?
“Mom, help is on the way, and I’ll be there soon. Just keep talking to me.”
As Luke worked to calm his mother, Jazz threw on her clothes. Who’d been on the phone? Who would go so far to hurt a child? Her mind went blank. Why couldn’t she think?
The sound of sirens filtering through the telephone came as sweet relief.
“The police are here, Luke. Hold on,” Anna choked out.
He breathed a sigh. “Thank God.”
Random voices mumbled from the speakerphone, and a few seconds later his mother came back on the line. “We’re in the police car, safe now. They’re taking us to the Lake Arbor precinct while they search the area.”
“Jasmine and I are on the way.” Luke’s voice had gone hoarse with emotion. “Put Joy on.”
“Daddy?” The little girl’s voice wavered a bit.
Jazz could barely restrain herself. She wanted to leap through the phone and hug Joy. She couldn’t imagine what Luke must be feeling.
She placed her hand on Luke’s shoulder as the innocent voice came through the line. “Gamma and me are going in a police car. Are they gonna put us in jail?”
Luke’s hand turned white as he gripped the phone. “No, munchkin. They’re taking you for a ride, and I’m coming to get you at the station. Do what the policemen say, okay?” His voice broke. “I…I love you, baby.”
“Me more, Daddy.”
Luke flipped the phone closed. His narrowed focus and rage were palpable—that of a man who would fight and die for those he loved.
He yanked on a knit shirt and old leather shoes while Jazz tugged on her sneakers, keeping up with his frenetic pace.
“Let’s go. I’ll call my brothers on the way. Gabe can’t be left alone.”
Jazz snatched Hero from the floor. Joy would need him.
One thing she knew for certain as they raced out the door. Whoever had done this was dead. If Luke didn’t kill them, law or no law, she would.
The drive to the Lake Arbor Police Station took forever. Luke wouldn’t truly believe Joy was safe until he saw her for himself. “What was I thinking, ignoring the dangers, putting Joy’s life at risk for an article in a newspaper?”
“You were trying to fight for justice, for a woman who couldn’t help herself,” Jasmine said quietly.
“Well, I could’ve helped her in some other way. I was selfish. Wanting to prove myself as some kind of warrior with a pen for a weapon.”
Well, no more. After he made sure Joy and Jasmine were safe, he’d make some changes. They both deserved more. They deserved to be safe.
“This was why Samantha—Joy’s mother—didn’t trust me to be a good father,” Luke said, ramming his hand against the steering wheel. “She said I was addicted to the adrenaline rush. She was right.”
“If that were really true, you’d still be overseas and your mother would be taking care of Joy. You love her. You’d do anything for her. Right?”
“Hell, yes. From the moment I got that call in the middle of the night from Arizona Child Protective Services about Samantha’s accident I vowed I’d keep Joy safe. Great job I’m doing.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“My investigation started it off. That’s the sort of thing that worried Samantha. When I returned to Afghanistan hell-bent on making things right for Frank and my unit, she begged me to stay, to give up the dangerous jobs, and let go of what I couldn’t change. Ironic, huh? We’re not so different after all—fighting the past.”
“Could you have stayed in Denver?”
“If I’d asked, probably. But I wanted revenge for the ambush. I couldn’t let my unit down. I made it out alive, and they didn’t. I had to prove my survival had a purpose. Samantha wanted me to love her. She wanted a future, to be a family.”
“She was already pregnant,” Jazz surmised.
“I didn’t know, and by the time I got back, she’d left. I lost Joy’s first year of life. I won’t chance losing her again.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
He clasped Jasmine’s hand in his, but he’d never ask her to put herself out there. His investigation had dragged her life into chaos, and somehow he had to fix it, for Jasmine, and for Joy.
Luke’s SUV careened into the parking lot. Jasmine at his side, he ran through the automated doors leading into the precinct. He skidded to a halt at the sight of his pixie daughter holding court with a bunch of guys in uniforms. He grasped a chair to steady himself. That little girl could scare him like no insurgent ever could.
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Joy sat on a large desk behind the main police counter, her freckled face wreathed in smiles as she took in every detail. Four police officers catered to her every need, all the while their steady hands nearby in case she teetered off her perch.
“Joy.” Her name croaked out of him.
Her grin, if possible, widened, and her eyes twinkled. “Daddy. Come meet my new friends. They put the siren on for me.”
For the first time since the mechanized voice had created a nightmare vision in his mind, Luke could breathe again. In two strides he reached her, scooped her into his arms, and held her tight.
He cleared his throat and ran his hands over each limb, assuring himself that she really was all right.
His mother touched his shoulder, and he reached out and pulled her to him too. Her body trembled. He knew her fear, understood the terror. He dropped a kiss on her forehead then whispered, “Thank you for protecting her.”
Anna’s eyes shone bright, but she wiped any sign away and turned to Jazz to squeeze her arm, pulling her into the embrace.
For a moment, Luke simply let himself take in the fact that Joy and his mother were safe, that Jasmine was here. Soon, though, Joy kicked her legs against his body and squirmed in his arms.
She’d obviously had enough of being squeezed as if he were holding on for dear life, but by God, he was. Stemming a flood of emotion he couldn’t afford, he gave his mother a reassuring smile then knelt down with Joy until her feet touched the floor.
She grinned up at him. “The policemen let me and Gamma ride in their car. It was fast and loud.”
He cupped her face, needing to touch her again. “I’m glad you had fun, munchkin.”
Joy’s attention shifted to his side and her expression brightened, her face beaming. “You brought Rap…Rap…punzel with you. Hi.”
Jasmine knelt beside Luke, and her tremulous hand fingered a curl of Joy’s hair. “Hello, Joy. I brought someone who missed you.”
From behind her back, Jasmine drew out the stuffed clown fish.
“Hero!” Joy squealed and grabbed the soft fish to her, twisting her small body to and fro in hugs. Then she stopped, her little face turning serious. “Are you sure you’re not gonna need him anymore?”
“Positive.” Jasmine smiled at Joy. “He took good care of me, but I’ll be fine now. I think he wants to come home.”
Joy launched herself at Jasmine and hugged her tight.
Did Jasmine understand how much it meant to Luke that his daughter clung to her? The most terrifying thing in the world was being a single dad, but for this moment he didn’t feel quite so alone.
Joy pulled back from the hug and tugged at Jasmine’s hair. “I’m glad you came.” Her voice lowered to a childish whisper that Luke could easily hear. “I think I saw the wicked witch. She gave me a ball. She was nice at first, but then her eyes got scary.”
The wicked witch?
A woman? Tower’s accomplice? If so, it was a smart move. With all the mothers in the park, a woman would barely be noticed.
“I know I shouldn’t have taken the ball, Daddy.”
“You’re right. We don’t take presents from strangers. Next time, stay close to Gamma.” Luke picked Joy up, sitting her on the officer’s desk.
She held on to Hero for dear life and buried her face into the soft toy. “We were playing ‘Seek and Go Hide.’ I was hiding when I saw the witch’s ball.”
Luke lifted her chin up and looked into his daughter’s eyes, his heart thudding at how close he’d come to something happening to her. He reached for Jasmine’s hand. “Joy, what did the wicked witch say?”
“She told me I could keep the ball. At first I liked her, but then her face got mean. She turned into the wicked witch and I ran away. But I kept the ball, even though she wrote on it.”
“Where’s the ball now?”
Joy looked around. “I gave it to him.” She grinned at the gray-haired officer behind the desk. “I like him. He gave me a donut.”
Luke caught Jasmine’s gaze, and she nodded and went behind Joy to the cop’s desk. When the cop pulled out an evidence bag containing the ball, Jasmine’s face turned ashen. She tilted the ball toward Luke so he could read the message written there.
Is Jane worth her life?
Cold, dark anger froze Luke from the inside. The bitch had threatened his daughter. He struggled to clear away the fury for Joy’s sake and took her small hands in his. “Munchkin, can you tell us what the wicked witch looked like?”
The large cap on her head fell down past Joy’s nose. She shoved at it until she’d pushed it back up. She shrugged. “Her hair was red. Like my dress.”
Slowly, patiently, Luke pieced together a description of the woman from Joy. His daughter’s mind could be such a puzzle, but little by little he created a picture of who they were after.
“The description matches the woman who came to the precinct with Tower the other day,” Jasmine said. “She’s obviously involved in much more than warming his bed or being a simple distraction.”
Luke’s gaze kept wandering back to Joy and his mother. If anything happened to either one of them…Then he took in Jasmine’s tense features. If anything happened to her and he could’ve done something to stop it, he would never forgive himself. “Tower won’t get away with this. He brought a crazy woman in contact with my daughter. He’ll wish he’d never started down this path.”
“You should get Joy away from here, someplace safe. Post a guard to look after Gabe in the hospital.” Jasmine’s eyes went flat. “Tower’s the key. I’ll force him to identify the redhead.”
“No. It’s too dangerous. You’re in their sights already. No telling how far they’d go if they’re cornered.”
“I’ll have backup. Sarge and Wexler will have to listen to me now. The entire SWAT team saw the woman with Tower. She’s threatened a three-year-old girl. They’ll have to bring Tower in for questioning. Once we get him, we’ll have a good lead on the woman.”
An awkward cough dragged them apart. “Sorry to interrupt, but Joy is asking for you, Mr. Montgomery,” the cop said. “Also, the captain wants to know if you’d be willing to let Joy work with a sketch artist.”
Luke shot a quick glance at the daughter he’d sworn to protect. “I’m taking her out of town before anything else happens. If you can get someone over here now, and if I can be there with her, then you can try. But she’s only three.”
“One of our sketch artists specializes in working with children. Don’t worry. She’ll make it seem like a game. I’ll call her in.”
The officer left to make the arrangements, and Luke took Jasmine’s hands in his. “Come with us. I can protect you.”
“We both have a job, Luke. You’re a father. I’m the law. You do your job. Let me do mine.”
He knew that look on her face well. She’d already decided to go headfirst after Tower. Probably alone. Oh, she’d get help. After she’d found him. Well, Luke wouldn’t let her put herself at risk. She might think she’d won this battle, but as soon as Joy was safe, Luke would be there for Jasmine. Before she got herself killed.
A park could hide an abundance of sins. The woman merged into the nighttime shadows along the Apex Park jogging path. Over the nests of piñon trees, an apartment building was visible. Tower was due in half an hour. Tonight he’d experience a show he’d never forget.
Smiling, she pulled her newly dyed blond hair back then adjusted the Arvada Police Academy sweats. She wandered into the open and, keeping her face averted, did a series of calf stretches, attracting the attention of some late-night joggers. A few even waved, as if they recognized her.
Perfect. The pursuit of revenge was oh so sweet.
She took off in a measured jog and passed one or two courageous souls who were willing to brave the park at night. Before long, she’d rounded the path and said a few words to a slow-paced elderly couple. They would remember the woman who’d taken the clip from her long blond hair and let it swing down her ba
ck. The woman who’d bent over and displayed the outline of her curves even beneath those sweats. The old man had practically been drooling.
She glanced at her watch. Tower would be here soon. She slipped back into the grove and waited. She watched him walk toward the meeting place and exhilaration filled her.
“You here, Red?” Anger tinged Tower’s voice. “What the hell is going on? I had a chance to bring that bitch down legally, and now I’m being pulled in for questioning. You better have a damn good explanation and even better evidence to bring Jazz Parker down.”
Silently she eased up behind him. “You’re going to have to think of a new nickname for me. ‘Red’ isn’t going to cut it anymore.”
Tower whirled around and glared at her, then took in her blond hair and sweats. “Holy…you look like Jazz.”
She took his hand and slid it up under her sweatshirt until he cupped her breast. “I know. I thought I’d give you your darkest fantasy. You’re screwing her at work, but tonight you can pretend you’re screwing her right here.”
He pulled his hand free. “You’re sick. You know that?”
She slid her hand down the front of his pants and smiled as he sucked in a breath. “No, lover. I’m just horny and in the mood for some games.”
She backed into the shadows and beckoned him to follow. She forced her voice to remain low and husky. “Wouldn’t you like to give her everything she deserves? Take her hard and fast…and rough as you like?”
After stepping back farther, she slid the sweatpants down and kicked them away. The sweatshirt skimmed the top of her thighs. She leaned back against a large boulder and smiled. “I’m waiting.”
Tower cursed and stayed on the now-deserted path. Was he really going to pass this up? He looked around and finally came to her in the small thicket. He pressed his lower body against hers then slid his hands up under the sweatshirt to grab her breasts. His touch was much rougher now, and she fought not to wince. His eyes were dark and intense, full of lust. Oh, yeah, sex was definitely on his brain.
“You like me like this?” she asked, cupping him, molding him, rendering him her slave. “Looking like her?” She squeezed and released. “Do you want to teach her a lesson? Do you want to—” She whispered crude words in his ear, and he jolted.
In Her Sights Page 14
