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She hesitated, but then nodded. The adrenaline rush had faded, leaving her feeling shaky and weak. Her muscles felt sore, as if she’d run some sort of marathon rather than a short sprint to a grove of trees. She climbed out her side of the vehicle while Isaac opened the other back door.
He gently lifted Ben out of his car seat and carried him toward their room. Leah pulled the plastic key card out and unlocked the door. After flipping on the light, she stood back so that Isaac could set Ben on one of the two double beds, choosing the one closest to the bathroom.
The room was clean, but smelled a bit musty, as if it hadn’t been used in a few days. Still, she was grateful to be here.
“The clerk at the desk provided a few toiletries for us.” Isaac fished the items out of his coat pocket and set toothbrushes, toothpaste and a comb on the dresser. Then he crossed over to the connecting door. “I need you to leave this unlocked, okay? I’ll open my side, as well.”
She nodded wearily. “I understand. Thanks again, for everything.”
Isaac stared at her for a long moment, his dark eyes intense. The strange awareness between them unnerved her and she took a step backward, as if more distance would help. He looked as if he wanted to say something more, but then he turned and strode toward the door. “If you need anything at all, let me know.”
“I will.”
When the door closed behind him, she felt a momentary flash of panic. Ridiculous, since he was only going right next door. She crossed over and opened the connecting door, listening for sounds from the other room. It didn’t take long for Isaac to unlock and open his door.
“Are you okay?” he asked when he saw her standing there, obviously waiting.
She forced a smile, hoping he wouldn’t notice her blush. “Yes, of course. Good night.”
“Good night.”
She left a one-inch gap in the door before making her way over to Ben. Carefully, so as to not wake him up, she removed his winter coat, hat and shoes. She left his long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans on in lieu of pajamas. Setting the outer clothing aside, she bent over and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, thanking God once again for keeping her son safe.
Ben wiggled around, muttering something incomprehensible before burrowing into the pillow. She pulled the covers up over him and then made her way to the bathroom. She washed her hands and face, then dabbed at the mud splatters on her jeans with a soapy washcloth. She used the toothbrush and toothpaste, but didn’t bother with the comb, since her naturally curly hair would be better served with a brush. She went back into the room and sat on the edge of her bed, cradling her head in her hands.
She needed to get some sleep, but couldn’t make herself crawl in between the sheets. Instead, her mind whirled with questions. Where was Shane? What had he stumbled into? Was he hiding? Hurt? Or worse?
After a brief internal debate, she stood up and went back over to the connecting doors, tapping lightly to get Isaac’s attention.
“What’s wrong?” He leaped to his feet, instantly on alert.
“Nothing,” she quickly assured him. “I can’t sleep.”
Isaac nodded and sank back down on his seat. “I know. I tried calling Hawk again, but there’s no answer.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” she said with a frown.
“He knows how to reach me,” Isaac pointed out. “I’m sure he’ll get in touch soon.”
She stared at him for a long moment, trying to gauge his mood. “I feel like we need to do something to help him. Something more than sitting here.”
Isaac gestured to the chair across from him and then rubbed his hand across the shadow of his beard. “Do you have any idea what your brother is investigating?”
She sank into the chair, trying to remember anything Shane had said. “Not really. He doesn’t talk about his job very much. I know he was assigned a new partner about four months ago, some guy by the name of Trey.”
Isaac’s eyes lit up. “Do you know his last name?”
She pressed her fingers against her temples, trying to remember. “Something like a tree,” she murmured, thinking back to the conversation she’d had with Shane. “Birchwood. Trey Birchwood.”
Isaac leaned forward. “What else did he say? Did he get along with Birchwood?”
“Shane mentioned Trey was from another district and that the guy was okay.” She shrugged and grimaced. “You have to understand that Shane didn’t ever say anything negative about his job. He kept all the dangerous details to himself.”
“Understandable that he wouldn’t want you to worry,” Isaac said. “But surely he would have said something if he had real concerns about his new partner.”
“Not necessarily,” she argued. “Shane glosses over everything bad because he knows I really don’t like the fact that he’s in constant danger.” Admitting her fears out loud wasn’t easy, but if it helped her brother, the embarrassment was well worth it. “When he mentioned his new partner, his tone was rather offhand. I wish I knew if there was some sort of rift between them, but I don’t because I never asked.” She was angry with herself now, although she certainly hadn’t known that she’d end up in danger.
Isaac held her gaze for a long minute and she tried not to squirm in her seat. “I take it you don’t approve of your brother’s career choice?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Did Shane happen to mention that our dad died in the line of duty?”
Isaac nodded. “Yes, he told me back when we were at Saint Jermaine’s.”
“Well, then you know that Shane went a little crazy after our dad died. That’s when he started getting into trouble. I’m pretty sure he got caught up in drugs for a bit, although he never admitted that to me. I know he was arrested, and thankfully, the judge sentenced him to Saint Jermaine’s rather than sending him to jail.”
“Yeah, I was grateful for the chance to go there, as well.”
She was a little surprised to know that Isaac and Shane had both been at Saint Jermaine’s, but then realized she shouldn’t be. Shane was three years older than her and she had been only fourteen when he was sent to the boys’ school. And much of that time, the year or two after her father’s death, was nothing more than a blur, especially once their mother started hitting the bottle. Her mom had died while Leah was in college, and from that point on, she and Shane had depended on each other.
Glancing at Isaac, she was glad to know he’d been given the same opportunity to turn his life around as her brother had. And it was interesting that they both had chosen law enforcement.
She gave herself a mental shake. Why was she concerned about Isaac’s life? She’d married Elliot right out of nursing school and lost him barely two years later. She had no intention of opening herself up to that kind of hurt again.
“Well, thanks, Leah,” Isaac said, breaking into her thoughts. “I’ll see what I can find out about your brother’s new partner. Now, do me a favor and try to get some sleep.”
He was right—there was nothing else she could do tonight. And he obviously wanted her to leave, so she rose to her feet and walked toward the connecting door. She glanced back at Isaac over her shoulder and was disconcerted to find him watching her intently. “Good night,” she murmured before slipping through the opening to her own room.
As she crawled into bed, she told herself that she’d imagined the disappointment reflected on Isaac’s face when she’d mentioned not liking her brother’s career choice. And if she hadn’t imagined it, she was still glad he understood exactly where she was coming from.
They might have been thrown together by circumstances outside their control, but she knew very well that as soon as they found her brother, they’d go their separate ways.
And truthfully, she couldn’t help hoping that happened sooner than later. Because she wasn’t ready to even consider getting romantically involved again.
Not now and maybe not ever.
* * *
Isaac watched Leah walk away, telling himself that it was a good thing there couldn’t be anything more between them than friendship. So what if she was so beautiful it made his gut ache? It wasn’t as if he intended to get married again, not after his first wife had left him, taking their son with her. And when his ex-wife’s new boyfriend went crazy, killing her and then Jeremy and then himself, the hole in Isaac’s heart had gotten wider and deeper.
Two years had passed but he still missed his son every single day. And deep down, he hadn’t found a way to forgive himself for his wife’s leaving him. He should have known she wasn’t happy. She’d always told him he worked too many hours, but he hadn’t listened.
And now it was too late to right the wrong.
Maybe his teammates Caleb and Declan had managed to find a way to make their relationships work, even with their crazy schedules, but Isaac had failed and wasn’t interested in trying again.
So why was he disappointed to find out Leah wasn’t interested in someone like him?
He shook off the bizarre feeling and made a call to the Fifth District asking for Trey Birchwood. He was told the cop was off duty for the weekend, so that wasn’t much help. It was Friday night, so it could be that Trey was actually off work. Or it could be that he’d specifically requested time off for some unknown reason.
Talking to Trey might not offer any insight as to what Hawk was involved with, but Isaac needed to try. That was the only lead he had at the moment.
He prowled the room, glancing out the window to scan the parking lot, making sure no one was lurking around. The lot was mostly empty and he’d parked the SUV in front of his door, rather than closer to Leah’s. And he’d backed it in, so they could drive off in a hurry if needed.
He reached for his phone to check in with Caleb and Deck, nearly dropping it when the cell vibrated in his hand. His pulse jumped as he recognized the number of Hawk’s throwaway phone. “Hawk? Are you okay?”
“Are Leah and Ben safe?” His friend’s voice was grave, and Isaac couldn’t help but wonder if his buddy was injured.
“Yes, but there have already been two attempts to get them. A gunman showed up at their house and then someone else shot out the tire on my Jeep. What’s going on?”
“My cover is blown.” Static filled the line and Isaac strained to listen. “Don’t trust anyone in my district, understand?”
“Not even Trey Birchwood?”
More static, but then Hawk’s voice came through. “No. Not until I know more about what’s going on.”
Isaac couldn’t tell if Hawk normally got along well with his new partner or not, but since he wasn’t trusting any of the guys from his district, it was a moot point. “You have to give me something to go on. I want to help you.”
“You are helping me by keeping Leah and Ben safe. These guys will do anything to find me, including using my family as bait.”
Isaac knew his initial instincts were correct. The gunman wanted Leah and Ben alive, to draw Hawk out of hiding.
“Remember Saint Jermaine’s?” Hawk asked, breaking into his thoughts.
Isaac frowned. “Yeah. What about it?”
“There were a couple of guys who bragged about running illegal guns.”
“I remember.” The tiny hairs on the back of Isaac’s neck lifted in alarm. “Are you investigating some sort of illegal gun trade?”
“Yes. I was approached by an agent with the ATF, and it’s bigger than I anticipated. I’m convinced there are dirty cops involved.”
So he was right about the sharpshooter being an officer. Isaac knew there were rare occasions when cops turned bad, and investigating those situations was always tricky.
Still, knowing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was involved made him feel a little better. At least Hawk wasn’t hanging out there totally alone. “Talk to me. What can I do?”
“Keep my sister and her boy safe. I’ll figure out the rest myself.”
“What’s the name of your ATF contact?” Isaac pressed.
There was a pause. “Cameron Walker, but don’t contact him. Not yet. I’ll let you know if I need anything more.”
“Where are you?”
“Hiding. Don’t even try to find me. I’m constantly on the move.”
Isaac wished there was something he could do for his friend. “Look, I have a couple of guys on my team that I’d trust with my life,” he said quickly. “We can help you. You can’t do this alone, buddy.”
“I have to go.” Hawk abruptly disconnected the call, leaving Isaac battling a wave of helplessness.
He didn’t know much more than he had before Hawk phoned, other than to have his suspicions confirmed about why the gunman had gone after Leah and Ben. Still, hearing that Hawk was investigating illegal weapons under the supervision of the ATF was something. Most criminals on the streets knew exactly where to find guns that they wanted, since they were practically everywhere. Isaac couldn’t even begin to think of where to start, especially considering Hawk’s claim that he’d stumbled upon something big.
Isaac stretched out on the bed fully dressed, thinking about the little bit Hawk had revealed. He remembered his team had been called to a mall shooting about a week ago. He’d been the negotiator for the tactical situation, while Caleb had functioned as the sharpshooter. The weapon they’d recovered at the scene had been obviously illegal, with the serial numbers filed off.
Isaac sat up, knowing the gun was likely still in the evidence room. The possible connection was thin, but still worth investigating.
He picked up his phone, but then hesitated. It was well after midnight and the gun wasn’t going anywhere tonight. No sense in dragging Caleb or Deck out now.
It could wait until morning.
Isaac turned the television on low, scanning the various news channels. Unfortunately, no baseball spring-training games were on this late at night.
The sound of a car engine caught his attention. He rolled off the bed, grabbed his weapon and crossed over to the window. He peered through the slight opening in the curtains, trying to see what had caused the noise.
The parking lot appeared deserted, but then he saw the quick flash of taillights moving away.
Could be nothing, but after the troubling conversation with Hawk, Isaac didn’t want to assume anything, especially if dirty cops were involved. He stared at the now-empty parking lot for a minute and then eased back, walking toward the connecting door, intending to get Leah and Ben up. They wouldn’t like leaving again, but he’d rather play it safe than sorry.
He’d taken only two steps when the sound of breaking glass echoed through the night. He stumbled and glanced over his shoulder at the same time his eyes started to burn.
Tear gas!
He dived through the connecting door, slamming it shut behind him. He needed to get Leah and Ben out of here now!
FOUR (#ulink_a920d2f7-29c1-542e-adb1-5a6057463cb2)
Leah woke up with a start when Isaac came barreling through the connecting door into their room. She gasped and stared in shock when he shut it behind him and then ripped the comforter off her bed and stuffed it along the bottom edge of the door.
“Grab Ben. We need to get out of here.”
Leah didn’t question Isaac’s command as her eyes began to burn. She scrambled out of bed, grateful she’d slept in her clothes, and quickly roused her son. She tugged his winter clothes on despite his sleepy protest.
“Use these to cover your faces,” Isaac said, handing her two wet towels. She threw one over her shoulder and drew Ben up against it, then draped another around her neck so that it was close to her mouth. It was the best she could do while carrying her son. “This way,” Isaac said, urging her toward the bathroom.
It didn’t take long for Isaac to break open the small window there. “I’m going out first so that I can help the two of you through, okay?”
She clutched Ben close and nodded. It wasn’t easy for Isaac to get his broad-shouldered frame through the small opening, and she let out a sigh of relief when he finally made it.
“Okay, Ben, it’s your turn.” Isaac said.
“No, don’t wanna go!” he wailed, grabbing her around the neck and hanging on tight.
It nearly broke her heart to pull him away. “We have to, Ben. Mr. Isaac is out there to catch you, and I’ll hold you once we’re outside, okay?”
“No-o-o,” he cried, deep wrenching sobs that tore at her.
Leah forced herself to push him through the window into Isaac’s waiting arms. She wiped her own tears away before attempting to climb after her son. She could hear Isaac whispering soothing words to Ben, and he stopped crying except for the occasional hiccuping sniffle.
Isaac’s strong hand guided her through the opening and soon she was on solid ground. She took Ben and tossed the wet towels aside, gulping in deep breaths of fresh air.
