by Katie Knight
Didn’t make her love for him any less real, or painful.
A child’s scream pierced the air and Tess looked up to see two men, dressed all in black with ski masks covering their faces, grab Nala off the merry-go-round and drag her toward a black SUV parked near the opposite curb.
Tess was on her feet, running after them and yelling for help before she thought better of it.
Halfway across the park, her foot caught on a tree root and she fell to the ground. Pain shot up her leg from her bruised kneecap, but she couldn’t let that stop her. She fumbled to her feet, desperate to reach the SUV before the men took off with Nala. If Nala was taken, Jed would never forgive her. She’d never forgive herself.
She’d failed to save Theo. She couldn’t lose Nala too.
Sobbing, she charged forward, only vaguely registering the wail of sirens approaching.
Before any of them reached the SUV, the two men exchanged a look then thrust Nala aside, sending her tumbling to the ground as they raced into the idling vehicle and took off in a squeal of tires and a haze of burning rubber. Hobbling, Tess made her way over to a shaking and crying Nala just as the cop car she’d seen earlier screeched to a halt at the curb. Two uniformed officers climbed out, their radios squawking as they rushed over to where Tess sat on the ground, holding Nala close.
“Ma’am, are you all right?” one of the officers said. “We heard screams.”
“They tried to take her,” Tess managed to get out between pants and tears. “Those two men in the black SUV tried to take Nala.”
“Let me start off by saying that you’ve done an excellent job so far, Mr. Tremayne,” Nathan Steenman said from across his massive desk. “I’m very impressed so far.” Jed sat opposite the man, in a chair that probably cost more than everything in Jed’s office combined. He did his best not to fidget as his boss watched him with a narrowed gaze while his cell phone kept buzzing in his pocket. He’d put it on silent before coming into the meeting, but his boss’s office was soundproofed so well that no outside noise intruded. It meant that the vibrations of his phone could be clearly heard.
“Thank you, sir. And please, call me Jed.” He shifted in his seat, wondering who in the hell could be calling him so persistently. Maybe it was Owen. Jed had texted him earlier, asking Owen to dig a little deeper into Kevin Walker’s background. If it was that urgent, it must be something bad, which only made Jed feel more antsy. “As I said, the new security systems are almost entirely in place now and should be up and running and fully functional by the end of the month.”
“Marvelous. I love it when things go as planned.” Steenman sat back, his movements displaying the confidence of a man who was used to getting what he wanted and had the money to buy his way there if necessary. From what Jed had read of him, Steenman was the sole owner of Steenman Systems, a multi-billion-dollar firm. He had short, silver hair, a tan that spoke of vacations in the sun, and expensive taste in both clothes and watches.
“I was a SEAL myself,” Steenman said, which explained his fit, muscled build, even at his age. “So, I appreciate hard work when I see it, Jed. And please call me Nathan.” He sat back and slipped on a pair of glasses before picking up the stack of reports Jed had laid on his desk for the meeting. He flicked through the pages of cost analysis sheets Jed had compiled. Nathan glanced up at him over the top of his papers. “Go ahead and answer that call if you need to. I won’t hold it against you.”
“No, no.” Jed pulled out the device and tapped the off button without checking the screen. “It’s probably a personal matter anyway. It can wait until we’re done. Family issues.”
Nathan finished going over the reports then set them aside and removed his glasses before rubbing his eyes. “Don’t make the same mistakes I did, Jed.”
“I’m sorry?” He frowned, confused.
“Family comes first. Always.” Steenman narrowed his green gaze on Jed. “Remember that. It’s a lesson that too many people ignore these days, and one I learned too late to live by.” Nathan sighed and pushed to his feet to walk over to a small mini-fridge against the far wall below the windows looking out over the city of Baltimore. He held up a bottle of water to offer one to Jed, but he declined. “My son was a SEAL too. Smart kid, funny, capable, ambitious. Maybe too ambitious. Maybe he thought he had something to prove to me…maybe if I’d been home more….” Nathan twisted off the cap of his water bottle in one swift, deliberate motion, the sound echoing off the cinder block walls. “But there’s no sense in worrying about maybes. Scott was a good man. Killed in the line of duty rescuing hostages in Iraq. Nearly gutted me to see him put in the ground.”
Jed exhaled slow, knowing the pain of losing someone close in war. Lord knew, he’d been through it too many times himself. “I’m sorry for your loss, sir.”
“Thank you.” Nathan took his seat behind the desk again and swallowed a large gulp of water. “I do what I can to keep his memory alive. Scott died a hero and I want people to honor him as such. It’s why I donate millions in his name to veterans’ organizations every year. It’s why I travel to Africa to do humanitarian work. It’s why I hire vets to work in my company.”
“All admirable things. I’m sure your son would be very proud.” Jed’s phone buzzed again, and he placed his hand over his pocket, like that would hide the noise. “Once a hero, always a hero.”
Nathan stared at him, a flash of emotion Jed couldn’t quite catch in his eyes, before he looked down at the desk again. “The reports look fine. Go ahead and place the order. Let me know when you’re ready to install everything. I’d like to walk around with you to get a feel for how it will all come together.” He sat back and gave a curt nod. “Now go answer that damned phone before it burns a hole in your pocket.”
“Will do. Thanks, sir.” Jed hastily scooped up his reports from the desk and headed back downstairs to his own office on the first floor. After dumping the paper on his cluttered desk, he finally pulled out his phone only to see a text from Tess flash on screen.
Accident in park.
Nala’s okay, but police are here now.
Please come home.
Twenty-Four
Cursing under his breath, Jed raced off like a bat out of hell, his pulse pounding with adrenaline. If anything happened to that little girl, to Tess, he’d never forgive himself. God, why had he ignored her call when he’d been sitting in that meeting? They were still investigating what had happened on the boat and so far the police had turned up nothing on the break-in either.
“Hey, man!” Kevin called as he headed out of the warehouse. “Got a minute? It’s about the new shipment of cameras that came in yesterday. A few of them are faulty and—”
“Not now.” He climbed behind the wheel of his SUV and cranked the engine before peeling away from the curb. Waves of recrimination swamped him as he weaved through midday traffic on his way home. The last thing he had time for now were faulty security cameras when his family was in danger.
All because of him. He should have done better. Should have seen this coming.
Minutes later, he swerved to a stop in the driveway of his house. The sight of two squad cars parked in front of his property only drove his anxiety and guilt higher. By the time he burst inside and saw Nala crying in Tess’s arms as they sat on the sofa, he was beyond frustrated and at the end of his rope emotionally. Whoever was after Nala had hit too close to home, too often, for him to be able to think logically about this now. He hurried over and scooped the little girl into his arms, holding her close and rocking her gently. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you. I’m here now.”
He looked down at Tess and noticed the rip in her jeans, the blood streaking the light blue material. “You’re hurt.”
She looked as dazed as he felt. Tess blinked down at her injured knee as if just now noticing it. “I tripped and fell, running after them.”
“Them?” Jed scowled. “Them who?”
“Mr. Tremayne?” A uniformed officer approached him. “I’m Officer B
riggs. This is my partner, Officer Jones. From what we’ve gathered, there was an altercation at the park involving your nanny and your daughter.”
“An altercation?” Jed’s voice sounded strained to his own ears. “What kind of altercation?”
“They tried to kidnap Nala,” Tess said. “I saw them.”
“Sir, unfortunately, we have no evidence to suggest that this was anything more than a random act of violence and—”
“Get out!” Jed said, glaring at the officers. “If you’ve got everything you need for your reports, get out. I’m done talking to you people. So far you’ve done exactly squat to protect my family, and it looks like your stellar record will continue.”
“Please, sir. I realize this is upsetting,” Officer Jones started. He was a middle-aged guy with a pot belly and a mustache. He reminded Jed entirely too much of his own father. “But if you’d just let us explain this in a rational manner then—”
“I said get out.” Nala sobbed harder into his shoulder, and her keening cries tore at Jed’s soul. “Now. If you need anything else from us, call. Understand? This little girl has been through enough. We all have been through enough.”
He stood with his back to the entrance and his gaze locked on the floor until he heard the door close behind the officers. Nala hiccupped in his arms, having long since cried herself out of tears. Tess still sat on the sofa, stiff and clearly in shock.
Jed felt like the biggest failure in history. Here he was, some kind of security specialist, and he couldn’t even protect those who mattered most to him. The same old fears and doubts that had plagued him all those years ago when he’d been locked in his parents’ attic drowned him once more.
He wasn’t good enough.
He’d never be good enough.
He was such an idiot to think he deserved this, any of this. He didn’t deserve love. He didn’t deserve family. He didn’t deserve any good things because of his own weakness, his own stupidity.
Feeling raw and vulnerable and completely unworthy, he carried a trembling Nala upstairs and put her to bed for a nap. As he sat beside her in the warm, sunny bedroom, he couldn’t believe how fragile all of this was. How brittle and precious. He loved this little girl with all his heart, but he could never hope to be good enough to keep Nala.
In fact, nearly losing her twice in a matter of weeks had made him reconsider giving Nala up for adoption, at least anytime soon. Until he figured out who was behind this mess, he couldn’t risk her being moved to a home with a nice, normal couple who’d have no idea how to deal with any of these threats. Jed might currently have issues in his personal life, like trying to keep his shit together long enough to have a decent, meaningful relationship with a woman, but when it came to tactical skills and defending what was important, there was no one better.
The little girl sighed and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep at last.
“Is she okay?” Tess whispered from the door as if summoned from his thoughts. She sounded exhausted and shaken, and all he longed to do was pull her into his arms and hold her close and promise her that everything would be all right. But he couldn’t.
Jed nodded slow then stood, bending to kiss the little girl’s forehead before silently walking from the room. He closed the door behind him then motioned for Tess to follow him downstairs to his office. She limped slightly as she walked, and his chest squeezed with the need to comfort her and carry her to his bed instead, but he shoved those emotions down deep. This would be hard enough as it was. Touching her, kissing her, making love to her again would only cause more pain and heartache in the end. Like ripping off a bandage, it was best to end things quick and clean, so they could both move on. And yes, it might be awkward for a while, with them still living under the same roof, but he’d deal with it because that’s what he did. Dealt with things. Kept things under control.
Except right now nothing seemed under control.
They reached his office and Jed shut the door behind Tess. He took the seat behind his desk while she sat before it. He couldn’t help recalling the scene from earlier in Steenman’s office. But this time, there would be no good news, no pat on the back and a “good job, well done.”
This would be messy and agonizing and unpleasant.
“Tell me what happened at the park,” Jed said, stalling. “Exactly as you told the cops.”
He listened to her story, part of his mind still clinging to memories of how she tasted, the sweetness of her scent, the feel of her curves pressed warm and soft against him in the darkness. When she finished, his analytical brain worked on autopilot, sorting through the new information and comparing it to what they already knew.
“Did you recognize either of the men who tried to take Nala?” Jed asked, tapping his fingers against the top of the desk to burn off some excess nervous energy. “Had you seen their vehicle at all around the neighborhood?”
“No.” Tess shook her head, her brow furrowed. “At least, not that I could tell. They had ski masks on. I couldn’t see their faces at all. And it was a black SUV. There’s so many of them around it’s hard to tell one from another. I’m sorry.”
Her lisp was heavier than usual tonight, a testament to her own inner turmoil. He’d noticed that whenever she was stressed, it became more prominent. Sometimes, when they made love, in the heat of passion it became thicker too. He’d loved to make her lose herself in pleasure like that.
Jed quickly snapped himself out of those memories. No sense thinking about what he couldn’t have, what he’d never have again. “Right. Did you hear them speak? Did they have any distinguishing speech patterns at all?”
“Not that I noticed, no.” Tess hung her head and rubbed her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken her to the park. I just thought that it would be nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said, standing, keeping his voice deliberately cool. “It’s mine. Are you sure your knee’s okay? If you need to go to the emergency room, I can run you over there.”
“No. It’s just a scrape.” Tess stood too and followed him toward the door.
She tried to hug him, but Jed stepped away, crossing his arms. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” She frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t want to be touched right now.” He looked away from her hurt gaze. “I think maybe we should put the brakes on this anyway.”
“On us, you mean?” The pain in her tone stabbed deep into his heart. She recovered quickly though, rubbing her arms through her sweater. “Right. Sure. I mean, there was no ‘us.’ Not really. It’s fine.”
He bit back the words he wanted to say—that he was sorry, that there had been an “us,” that he needed her now more than ever—and instead gave a curt nod. “With everything happening where Nala’s concerned, she needs to be my top priority, my sole focus. Let’s keep things professional. It was only sex anyway. We’re both adults. We can do without for a while.”
“Of course.” Tess didn’t look at him at all as she opened the door and stepped out into the hall. “I think I’ll go upstairs and take a nap.”
Jed stayed where he was in his office until he heard Tess’s footsteps disappear up the stairs then her door close behind her, followed by the lock clicking into place. He slumped back into his chair, staring up at the ceiling, wondering how in hell his well-ordered life had ever turned into such a fucking mess.
Twenty-Five
“Thanks for meeting me on such short notice,” Jed said to Owen the next morning. They were standing in the middle of the park where Nala had nearly been abducted the day before. It was cold and drizzling and the perfect backdrop to Jed’s shitty mood. He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, on guard for any little noise that someone was trying to get in and take Nala. So he’d sat up in the chair in the living room, staring at the wall, thinking about what an ass he’d been when he’d ended things with Tess.
It wasn’t just sex
, not for him anyway. Never had been.
But he’d put his foot in it by telling her it was, and there was no recovering from that now. He’d seen the stark pain on her face the moment his words had driven a nail into her heart. There was no way she’d forgive him after that.
“No problem,” Owen said, breaking him out of his downward spiral of self-pity. “I’m glad you called. I’ve got a lot to tell you though I doubt you’re going to like what I’ve got to say.”
They walked over to a picnic table under a tree in case the drizzle turned into a full-blown rain, and Owen pulled out some papers from beneath his navy blue FBI jacket.
“I did some more digging into the accident that killed the Jacksons,” Owen said. “Like you asked. From what I’ve been able to turn up, it looks like a hired hit.”
“What?” Stunned, Jed stared at his friend. “But who would do that?”
Owen sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to reveal that information yet, but I believe it’s someone who had connections to the military, and the SEALs in particular.”
“Shit.” Jed went through the paperwork Owen had handed him. “Why would anyone want Martin and Ayesha dead? They were out of it, all of it. Hell, Martin didn’t even come to the SEAL reunions anymore, and Ayesha was a painter, for Christ’s sake. They never hurt anyone.”
“I know.” Owen frowned as his phone rang. He pulled it out and scowled at the screen. “Sorry. I’ve got to go. I stopped here on my way to another appointment. Listen, be careful, okay? Until we connect all the dots, no one is safe. Don’t trust anyone.”
“Never do,” Jed muttered underneath his breath. He held up the papers and called out as Owen walked away, “Thanks for this.”
“Any time.” Owen waved as he reached his gray, government-owned sedan near the curb. “Talk to you soon.”
“Yep.” He waited until his buddy’s taillights disappeared around the corner then headed back home. Until all of this was straightened out and he knew for certain Nala was safe, he was working from home as much as possible. Between his phone and his laptop, he had the bases covered.
