by Trish Wylie
‘What did she look like?’
‘On rare occasions Jack will tell me how much I look like her.’ She shrugged, the smile disappearing as she hid the hint of pain in her eyes with a blink of long lashes. ‘I think it made it difficult for him to look at me when she was gone.’
Despite the matter-of-fact tone to her voice it was the first time he’d felt any empathy for her father. Daniel didn’t want to imagine a world without Jo in it but he knew it would be a darker place. ‘When did you start calling him Jack?’
‘When he stopped being my dad.’ She looked into his eyes and angled her chin. ‘What was your dad like?’
Swift change of subject noted, Daniel shook his head and avoided her gaze. ‘You already know the answer to that.’
‘I know what everyone else in your family remembers.’
‘You’d be better sticking with their impression. They argued with him less.’
‘What did you argue about?’
‘His disappointment in me was a favourite topic.’
Disbelief sounded in her voice. ‘He said that?’
‘With due cause.’ He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, unwilling to go into detail beyond, ‘None of the others ever mention how close I was to being the first Brannigan on the wrong side of the law?’
Her eyes widened. ‘Shut up.’
Pushing to his feet, Daniel turned and held out a hand, drawing her upright when her palm slipped into his. ‘What do you want to do next?’
She smiled brightly. ‘Finish talking about this comes to mind. I want to know what kind of trouble you got into.’
‘And take a chance you might look at me differently?’ A frown crossed his face as they walked towards a line of stalls. It was closer to the truth than he cared to admit. But since he wasn’t convinced he wanted to know why, he left it alone.
‘Well, that deserves a suitable punishment,’ she retorted. When he glanced at her again, she was looking around. Her eyes lit up. ‘Marines can hit targets, right?’
An hour later, he was trying to figure out how he’d ended up being the one carrying a three foot stuffed rabbit through the park. If making him feel like an idiot had been her goal he wasn’t the only one who could hit a target. He held it up by long ears and gazed at it in disgust. ‘It’s cross–eyed.’
‘Our imperfections make us unique,’ her voice replied from above his head. ‘Didn’t anyone ever tell you that?’
Daniel looked at the pond. ‘I wonder if it floats.’
‘You wouldn’t.’
‘You can go get it when you fall off those rocks.’
‘You see …’ She turned and cocked a hip. ‘I heard from a reliable source it’s all about balance …’
He shook his head when she had to hold her arms out to her sides to stay upright. ‘I’m not wading in after you.’
‘You’ve got a lot to learn about when a girl wants to be rescued and when she doesn’t.’ She turned her back to him and held her arms above her head. ‘Catch.’
Taking an immediate step forward when he realized what she was doing, he caught her in his arms as she fell.
‘And you didn’t drop the bunny either.’ She grinned after checking. ‘My hero.’
Daniel nodded. ‘You can use it as a life-preserver.’
Stepping closer to the edge of the water and swinging her back and forth, he smiled when she protested between bouts of lyrical laughter. Stilling, he looked down at her, his gaze roving over her face as he found himself wondering why it had taken so long to open his eyes and see what was right in front of him. Would it have made a difference if they’d got together earlier? Would his life go back to the way it was before when they were done? Maybe he should try to talk to her about—
‘That one’s new,’ she murmured.
‘What is?’
‘The look in your eyes …’
Before he could scramble his way out of it or distract her with a kiss there was the sound of tinkling music.
She sighed heavily. ‘That’s my cell phone.’
‘Don’t answer it.’
‘I have to.’ She wriggled in his arms until he set her on her feet. Predictably the call resulted in the disappearance of Jo and the reappearance of dull, emotionless Jo.
Before she could say the usual words at the end of the phone call, he took a breath and held out his arm. ‘I’m not carrying this thing on the subway.’
‘A gentleman would,’ she pointed out.
‘Pity you’re dating me, then, isn’t it?’
She didn’t try to stop him coming with her. But she would if she knew what he was planning to do. He’d had enough. First opportunity he got—and he would damn well make one—Daniel was having that talk with Jack. Way he saw it, it was overdue.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘When shopping it’s important to keep an open mind. You can’t always get what you want but be patient and you might discover exactly what you need.’
‘I BETTER make him something to eat,’ she said when they got Jack to his apartment a little after dark.
Daniel nodded. ‘What else?’
‘Check he has groceries.’
‘You get what he needs from the store across the street. I’ll make him something to eat.’ When she wavered he added a firm, ‘Go. I’ve got this.’
Ignoring the voice in her head, Jo reached for her purse. If she was totally honest, breaking the habit of a lifetime to accept help probably stemmed from the need for a little space. As much as she had loved their afternoon together and felt bad for once again having to interrupt it, the one day she wanted kept turning into another and another. But she couldn’t keep stealing memories, threading them together like glowing beads on a precious necklace. She had to tell him, especially when hiding it was slowly killing her. Trouble was she still didn’t know why it was so darn difficult to find the words.
Seemed to Jo she’d been spilling her guts on pretty much every other subject, including things she’d never shared with anyone else. He was almost as good at getting her to do that as he was at avoiding sharing anything with her that did more than scratch the surface of his life.
Yes, that was bugging her too.
Halfway to the store she realized she hadn’t checked the refrigerator to see what was there. But when she returned to the apartment she heard Daniel’s voice say, ‘I think it’s time we had a talk.’
Jo froze inside the doorway. What was he doing?
‘I’m only gonna say this once. You might not care what effect your actions have on your daughter, but I do. Cause her any heartache I’ll be in your face 24/7. We clear?’
She was about to take a step forward when Jack replied, ‘I love my Jo.’
‘Did you love her when she ended up living on the streets because of you?’ Daniel asked bluntly. ‘She could have died. Someone she knew did—she tell you that?’
‘No.’
‘Course she didn’t. Jo deals with things on her own; kills her to ask for help even with small stuff. If she knew I was talking to you right now she would kick my ass.’
True. Or at least be angry with him for interfering. But instead she remained frozen to the spot, unable to breathe.
‘She’s like her mom,’ Jack said.
‘Losing her that way can’t have been easy.’
‘It wasn’t.’
‘I’m sorry, Jack,’ Daniel said with sincerity. ‘I genuinely am. But do you think your wife would be happy Jo lost both her parents that day?’
Jo’s eyes widened. How did he know that?
‘If you want to honour her memory, this isn’t the way to do it.’ Daniel’s voice took on the rough edge that always got to her. ‘One day your beautiful daughter will meet someone, get married and have kids of her own. You want to miss out on your grandkids too? Wouldn’t your wife want you to look for a piece of both of you in their eyes?’
Jack cleared his throat and answered, ‘She would.’
The pain in his voice made Jo regret
all the times they hadn’t talked about her mom. They should have. But at eight she had found grief hard to handle and in later years she’d had too many other things to deal with. Then it was too late. Or so she’d thought. Hadn’t been when she talked to Daniel, had it? Memories of her mom had flowed off her tongue as if they’d needed to be said. There had to be trust between them for her to have done that. The same trust that allowed her to stand silently by a door and let Daniel handle Jack his way.
She’d never let anyone do that before.
‘You’re going to have to shape up,’ Daniel said. ‘If I was the father of those kids I don’t think I could trust you with them. But I’d want them to get to know you in the same way I’d want them to know about their grandmother. It would be nice if they could hear it from the man who loved her.’
Jo looked down and realized she had set a palm on her stomach. There was no question of her being pregnant but she had never thought about the kind of man she would want to be the father of her children. Frankly she’d never thought about having children. After all, she was twenty-four, wasn’t like there was a rush. But with his mile-wide protective streak she knew Daniel would be an amazing dad. The thought of smaller versions of him another woman had given him …
Wow. Jo really didn’t like that image at all
‘Still love her,’ Jack said in a low voice.
‘You ever think about getting grief counselling? I know someone who runs a group. It won’t stop you drinking—you’re the only one who can do that—but it might do you good to talk about her.’ There was a brief pause before Daniel said, ‘Lock stuff away, it can be harder to deal with. Trust me, I know.’
‘You’re a good man,’ Jack said. ‘Glad my girl has you in her life.’
So was she. There were dozens of things she would never forget about her time with him. But suddenly it didn’t feel like enough any more.
‘I’ll drop the card by next week,’ Daniel’s voice said. ‘Now let’s see what we can get done before Jo comes back.’
As they moved she slipped back through the door, quietly closing it behind her. At the bottom of the stairs she swiped her cheeks and stared at the moisture she found on her hands. Crying was right up there with blushing on the list of things she never did. What was happening to her?
Pushing through the door, she walked across the street in a daze. She felt as if she was in shock. Not the least little bit as she’d thought she would feel if she fell in love. Surely feeling so numb meant she wasn’t in love? Inside the store she picked up a basket and wandered aimlessly along the aisle. If she hadn’t known there was a chance she was falling in love then what had she been so afraid of? Why was it so difficult to tell him she was leaving? Would she have reacted the way she did to the image of kids she hadn’t given him?
Was she having a teensy little bit of a meltdown?
If it hadn’t felt that way she might have reacted quicker when she rounded the corner. But by the time she realized what was happening it was too late.
Where was she?
With everything squared away and Jack sound asleep on the covers of his rack, Daniel drummed his fingers on the kitchen counter. He checked his wristwatch. She should have been back already. Restless, he decided to go look for her.
Jogging down the stairs and across the street, he opened the door to the convenience store and checked the aisles. No Jo. Walking to where he assumed the checkout was he rounded a corner. There she was. An unwarranted sense of relief washed over him, but when her gaze darted to him and a brief look of agony crossed her face, he knew something was wrong.
Stilling, he looked to his left. Son of a—
‘Don’t move!’
Swiftly identifying the weapon pointed at the man behind the counter, Daniel made eye contact with the perp holding it. ‘Take it easy. No one needs to get hurt.’
‘Anyone come in with you?’
‘No.’ He took an instinctive step closer to Jo to shield her body with his. ‘But you might want to think about locking the doors.’
‘I said don’t move!’
An unfamiliar buzz of fear swarmed over him, immediately replaced by a gathering rage he had to beat off with a mental stick. Since going Marine on the guy who’d placed his woman in danger wasn’t going to help anyone but him, Daniel reined in his emotions and replaced them with rigid control. ‘I’m just gonna lock that one.’
Without looking at her, he pointed a finger at the door a couple of feet past Jo. From what he could tell it was one of only two points of entry for a tactical team. While placing her within snatch and grab territory, it also put her directly in the line of fire. Daniel would take a bullet before he let anything happen to her. It was as simple as that.
‘Why are you helping me?’ The perp’s gaze shifted between each of his hostages before he came to the conclusion Daniel was the greater threat.
Good call.
‘I’d prefer not to get shot.’ When a low gasp came from over his shoulder as the gun swung towards him, Daniel shrugged his shoulders and sent her a hidden message. ‘I’ve got a hot date with a fiery redhead tonight.’
She was smart enough not to mention he was a cop, but he didn’t want her to identify him by name. If an association was made between them, she could be used for leverage.
‘Give him the money,’ he told the man behind the counter.
‘I don’t want money. I want my kid,’ yelled gun guy.
Couldn’t walk into a simple hold-up, could she?
‘I already said she’s not here,’ said the man behind the counter, drawing the perp’s focus.
‘Then you call her and get her to bring him down here.’ The gun turned sideways, prodding the air. ‘Do it now!’
Daniel moved his arm back and pointed his finger at the ground to indicate Jo should get behind him. In his peripheral vision he saw the slight shake of her head. She had chosen the wrong time to defy him. If he didn’t have a job to do they’d be having the argument of a lifetime.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
‘You called the cops?’ the guy yelled.
Since he doubted the convenience store had a silent alarm, Daniel assumed a witness called 911. ‘Still time to get out …’
The gun shifted direction again. ‘Did you call them?’
‘With my record?’
‘What did you do?’
‘Dealing.’ He patted a pocket of his jacket to gauge the level of interest. ‘Get us out of here before the cops arrive, I’ll give you a sample.’
‘I want my kid.’
So much for that idea. ‘You do what you gotta do but I can’t be here. They find me carrying, I violate my parole.’
‘No one’s going anywhere till I get my kid.’
‘You’ve got hostages. They’ll send in a SWAT team.’ Daniel suppressed a threatening smile in case it fed into his deep-seated need to go feral. ‘I heard those guys shoot first, ask questions later.’ When his words garnered a glance towards the back of the store, he took a step forward. ‘Let’s go.’
‘They’ll catch us.’
Another step. ‘Not if we move now.’
‘I need time to think.’
Another step. ‘I’m not going back inside.’
‘Shut up and let me think!’
When there was a low clicking that indicated a round had been chambered, Daniel knew he was out of time.
‘Get down!’
Launching forward, he grasped the gun arm, pushing it back and up. Tins scattered as he slammed it against a metal shelf. Once, twice and there was a cry of pain before the gun hit the ground. He kicked it out of reach, stepped forward, hooked an ankle and toppled the guy back onto the floor. Dropping to his knee, he flipped the body over, twisting the arm he held as he reached for the other one. From the moment he moved until the guy was restrained took less than ten seconds.
Once it was done, his gaze immediately sliced through the air to Jo. ‘You okay?’
She nodded.
/> It didn’t slow his heart rate. If anything, the fact she was standing on her feet added to the flood of rage he’d been suppressing. Which part of ‘get down’ hadn’t she got?
‘I’m okay,’ another voice announced, making Daniel swear viciously inside his head. There had been two hostages, Officer Brannigan, count them; one, two.
‘Both of you get out of here. Now.’ As he fought the red haze rapidly forming around the edge of his vision, he turned his head and saw her take a step towards him. ‘I mean it, Jo,’ he warned. ‘You walk out that door, you go straight to the nearest squad car and you damn well stay there.’
It was the first time since his pre-Marine days he’d been angry enough to yell his damn head off. He’d let her leave the apartment alone. Better still, he’d sent her to the store. If he hadn’t gone looking for her, if he hadn’t been there, if a loose round had gone off …
Grinding his teeth together, he focused on deep, measured breaths. His initial reaction was they’d gone beyond a promise she’d never go to the neighbourhood alone at night. If he had his way she’d be lucky to ever see daylight again. His second thought was every day of a life they shared would be a battle between her independence and his need to protect her. Fact was she didn’t belong in his world any more than he did in hers.
‘Who are you?’ asked a muffled voice from the floor.
‘You don’t stay still, I’ll be your ticket to the nearest emergency room.’ Adjusting his position, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans.
When he heard footsteps, he held his badge over his head.
‘Yeah, we know. Still got a bit of a problem with taking time off, don’t you?’
He glanced upwards. ‘Hey, Dom.’
‘Hey, Danny.’ Dom grinned.
As the perp was cuffed and taken from him, Daniel got to his feet and headed for the door. He’d known the payback for his eight-hour coma was going to be a bitch, been prepared to pay the price when he knew there was time with Jo as a reward for holding on to his sanity. But to have one of the scenarios associated with his nightmares become reality …
