She exhaled slow and crossed the street to the park. It was a nice little place, with lots of trees, a jungle gym, a swing set, and plenty of benches. It was early afternoon, so there were plenty of other mothers with young kids and babies milling about. Still she was able to find a quiet spot where she was away from the worst of the commotion. There was a man across the way reading a paper, but otherwise the park was empty. She picked a bench beneath a large oak tree and took a seat, with the stroller in front of her where she could watch the babies. They’d fallen asleep on the short walk here and looked so adorable that she couldn’t resist pulling out her phone to snap a couple of photos.
She stood and turned this way and that to get the right angle without all the shadows, then walked back a few paces to get a more scenic shot. With autumn approaching, the leaves were just starting to turn, and the colors were magnificent. She took more pictures, thinking they’d be nice to share with her fans on social media and also to record the hues for future inspiration on her jobs. She liked using natural tones whenever possible. She usually took a bunch when working on her jobs to make sure she kept the proper chi flowing throughout all of her client’s spaces. In fact, she’d nearly maxed out her phone’s memory on her last job in Tokyo. The warning popped up on her screen before she swiped it away. She’d have to remember to go through all her footage from that job later and delete it since she wouldn’t need it now.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the man from across the way get up and tuck his paper under his arm as he walked toward them and Kylie looked up as he passed, murmuring a polite greeting. He was dressed all in black, which seemed odd on such a nice day, and his hat and sunglasses kept her from seeing his face.
She’d just tucked her phone back in her pocket and was moving to take a seat back on the bench when the man snatched the diaper bag off the handle of the stroller and ran off. Shocked at first, it took Kylie a moment to realize what had happened. Then she took off after him, which wasn’t easy considering she had the stroller to contend with and probably was not the safest move either. But she couldn’t just let the man run off with her things. Bumping along the sidewalk woke the twins up and they started crying and dammit. Kylie felt like crying herself. Her wallet was in there.
“Hey! Stop!” she yelled but the guy was so far ahead of them now, it was pointless.
“Everything okay?” a guy jogging asked, his expression sympathetic.
“No. That guy just stole my diaper bag and took off with my wallet.” Her heart was pounding after giving chase and the babies were howling and Kylie felt like the stupidest, worst caretaker on earth. She’d risked not only her own life by going after a criminal but the twins’ lives too. Stress still sizzled through her veins and tears stung her eyes once more. “I just… God, I can’t seem to do anything right today.”
“I’m sorry,” the jogger said. “Can I call the police for you? Walk you home?”
“No.” She shook her head and patted the phone in her pocket. At least that hadn’t been stolen too. “I’ll call myself. After I get the twins settled down.”
“If you’re sure,” the guy said, smiling down at the babies. “My wife and I just had a kid a year ago. I know what it’s like. It’ll get better, I promise.”
“Thanks.” She waved as the guy took off again then bent to soothe each crying child. Finally, once the babies were settled again, she turned to head back to Gage’s house. It was only then that she realized how badly she was trembling. Her skin felt too tight for her body and every car door slamming or twig snapping sent her blood pressure into overdrive. This was a nice neighborhood. People shouldn’t get mugged here, and yet it seemed that was exactly what had happened to her.
Kylie scanned her surroundings as she neared the house, ready to break into a sprint again at the first sign of her assailant’s return. Luckily, there was no sign of him and she made it back up onto the porch. Then she caught sight of herself in the glass of the door and lost it.
She looked like a wild woman, hair going everywhere from the breeze and running after the mugger. Her clothes were crooked and her heart felt ready to beat out of her chest. The stress of the attack and the fight from earlier mixed with her lingering grief and boiled over into useless tears.
Angry with herself, she brushed the back of her hand over her cheeks just as the front door opened to reveal a concerned looking Gage.
He took one look at her before ushering them all inside. “What happened?”
Voice shaking, she said, “W-we w-ent to the p-park and it was n-nice and then there was a m-man there and he t-took the…and I t-tried to c-catch him, but…”
She never finished because next thing Kylie knew she was wrapped in Gage’s strong arms, her face pressed into his hard, warm chest and all coherent thoughts left because he just felt so good.
5
“Are you okay?” Gage asked, the sound of his voice muffled by the fact her ear was pressed to his chest. “Are the twins all right?”
Kylie took a deep breath and moved back a step, her knees still wobbling. She nodded and swallowed hard against the sandpaper in her throat. Now that she was safely home and the adrenaline had started to wear off, she felt like she could collapse at any moment. Luckily, Gage’s strong hands were holding onto her arms, keeping her upright. “Yes, they’re fine,” she managed to get out. “There was a man…at the park. He stole the diaper bag… My wallet was in it.”
“Jesus.” Gage said, letting her go to run his hands through his hair. “You’re all right? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Sagging back against the wall for support, Kylie gave a weak shrug. “No, he didn’t touch me. I’m just rattled. I tried to go after him, but with the stroller it was hard.”
Gage froze and gave her a stony stare. “Are you insane? Why the hell would you go after the guy who mugged you? Especially with the twins in your care?” He cursed again and turned away, muttering under his breath. “Of all the crazy, irresponsible, dangerous things to do.”
A mixture of anger and guilt bubbled up inside Kylie causing the backs of her eyes to sting with unshed tears. He was right. What the hell had she been thinking? Going after a stranger who might well have been armed and taking the twins right along with. Oh, God. Her stomach knotted and she doubled over, clutching her midsection as a tiny sob escaped her. She was a horrible person. Would make an even worse mother. That’s why her sister hadn’t given her custody in the will. Christine had known. She’d always known. Of course, she’d never said it out loud. She’d been far too kind for that, but here was proof, laid out for everyone to see.
Her blood thundered in her ears and tears streamed down her cheeks and Kylie had never felt so all alone in the world. Then, just as the universe seemed to close in around her, a warm hand squeezed her shoulder.
“Hey.” Gage’s voice was soft as he crouched beside her. “Hey, don’t cry. I’m sorry for what I said, Kylie. This wasn’t your fault. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I was just so worried when I heard what happened that I overreacted.” He sighed and tipped her chin up with one finger. “Please forgive me?”
His sincerity only made her cry all the more. Gage straightened and pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest, rocking her slowly and murmuring against the top of her head until finally her tears ran out. At last, she took a deep breath, feeling drained and a tad restless.
Kylie finally pushed away from him, her eyes puffy and her cheeks stinging with heat, whether from her crying or from her nearness to him she wasn’t sure. She couldn’t seem to meet his gaze now, embarrassed by sobbing all over him and yet feeling more connected to him because of it.
The invisible string of connection she’d felt between them since the first night she’d arrived on his doorstep pulled tighter. Which wasn’t good, considering she was supposed to be here to assess his qualities as a caretaker and quite possibly fight him for custody of the twins.
She tucked her loose hair behind her ear and
turned to focus on the twins instead, who’d fallen back to sleep in the stroller. “I should get them out of here and into their cribs for a proper nap.”
Gage unfastened Brennan while Kylie did the same with Maya and they carried the babies back to the nursery and put them down to sleep. By the time they were finished, they stood back in the silent hallway again, the scene by the door hanging between them felt as heavy as an anvil.
“We need to call the police and file a report,” Gage said, his expression serious. “Whoever did this needs to be stopped so other people aren’t at risk.”
Much as she didn’t want to remember those terrifying moments at the park, Kylie nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Gage walked away toward the living room. “Go make yourself a cup of tea. I’ll call the station and have them send out someone to take your statement.”
While he did that, she did her best to regain her composure. An hour later, she’d told the cops everything she could remember.
“Was there anyone else present at the time of the theft?” the officer asked her.
“Besides the twins?” Kylie said. “There was a jogger. He stopped and asked if I was okay. He offered to call the cops for me, but I told him no, that I’d do it myself.” In hindsight, another screwup on her part, at least if the look on the cop’s face was an indication. “I’m sorry I didn’t report it sooner.”
“Hmm.” The cop made a couple of notes on his tablet screen. “Can you take me back to the park? Walk me through the route you took? Maybe we can find something the guy left behind.”
“I’ll come with you,” Gage said.
“No. I got this,” Kylie said, glancing over at him. “You stay here with the twins. I can do this. I’m fine. Thanks though.”
Gage didn’t look thoroughly convinced but nodded just the same.
“Did you notice any distinguishing marks on the guy who attacked you?” the cop asked as they walked the half-block back to the small park. “Tattoos, glasses, logos on his clothing?”
Kylie closed her eyes and though back to the man sitting on the bench but didn’t remembering anything odd or remarkable about the guy. “No. Nothing. He was reading a newspaper, and was dressed in black—that’s all I remember.”
“Huh. Okay.” They crossed the street into the tiny park and Kylie showed him where she’d been sitting with the twins and where the guy had been sitting. Then they retraced the steps she’d taken after the guy had stolen her diaper bag.
“He took off running this way,” she said, her steps speeding up automatically as she remembered chasing the guy. “I stopped here because the jogger got in my way and the stroller was just too awkward.”
The cop nodded and continued down the sidewalk for several feet, stooping to pick up something off the ground behind a tree in the distance. He walked back to Kylie and as he got closer she saw the object he’d retrieved. A newspaper.
“You said he was reading one when you first arrived, right?” He handed her the folded paper.
“Yes.” She frowned down at the front page. The Asahi Shimbun. Japan’s leading newspaper. Not completely strange, but unusual considering she wasn’t in Tokyo anymore.
“That’s Japanese, yes?” The cop asked. “Was the guy who attacked you Asian?”
“No. I don’t know. I didn’t get to see his face.” She ignored the tiny niggle of tension eating into her gut. “But I just got back from a job in Japan.”
“Doing what?” the cop asked, looking up from his tablet.
“I’m a Feng Shui consultant. My clients live all over the world.” She ignored his sceptical look. “Whether you believe in what I do or not, doesn’t make it any less valid. And it doesn’t change the fact I was mugged. My wallet was in there. My ID. Anything you can do to help me get it back is appreciated.”
“We’ll do our best, ma’am.” He took the paper back from her. “I’ll book this into evidence when I get back to the station and we’ll see if we can get any prints off of it. Unlikely, since it’s been sitting in the elements for a while and there’s no way to know who else might’ve handled it in the interim, but we’ll do our best to find the guy.” The officer started to walk back to his squad car parked in front of Gage’s house. “If we find anything, I’ll call you at the cell number you provided. In the meantime, I suggest calling all of your credit card companies to freeze your accounts, and the social security office, if you had your card in your wallet, to see about getting a new one issued.”
He tipped his hat to her as he climbed into his car, then drove off.
Kylie stood at the curb awhile, watching until his taillights disappeared around the corner, praying they’d find the culprit soon.
* * *
Gage did what he did best while Kylie was gone—kept busy. He took advantage of the sleeping twins to tidy up the place then started dinner. By the time Kylie came back inside, sans cop, he had onions browning in a pan on the stove and was just adding garlic and peppers to the pasta sauce he planned to use for the spaghetti Bolognese.
She closed and locked the front door behind her then wandered over to take a seat in the kitchen while he worked. Poor thing looked exhausted and he still felt like an ass for coming down so hard on her earlier. Honestly, if he’d been in the same situation, he probably would’ve run after the guy too. Only difference is, he’d have caught him and made sure he never stole from anyone else again.
“Everything taken care of with the police?” he asked as he stirred the sautéed vegetables into a pot of simmering tomato sauce. “They get what they need to catch the guy?”
Kylie shrugged, looking small and defeated. Gage felt a nearly overwhelming urge to stop what he was doing and pull her close again, to comfort her. He stirred harder to distract himself. He had no business holding Kylie. Not now. Not ever.
“I told him what I remembered about the attack and walked him through the route we took at the park,” she said, her tone laced with fatigue. Gage understood that. He’d experienced the feeling enough times himself while on missions. Just because more physical violence hadn’t taken place didn’t mean your body hadn’t prepared for it. Once all that raging adrenaline cleared your system, it left you feeling empty and hollow.
Kylie glanced over to where he was cooking. “Anything I can help with?”
He hiked his chin toward the loaf of French bread on the table. “You can slice that up if you want, for garlic toast. Hope you like Italian.”
“Love it.” She gave him a weary smile. “Oh, and the cop thinks he found the newspaper the guy was reading at the park before he came after me. It was the Asahi Simbun.”
“Japanese?” Gage looked back at her over his shoulder, scowling. “Weird, since that’s where you just came from, huh?”
“Exactly what I thought. Has to be a coincidence though.” She sliced off thick hunks of bread and set them on the plate he’d set out. “I’m sure lots of people in San Diego read that newspaper.”
“Maybe.” Gage filed the information away for later. They were both tired and it was too late in the day to go poking around now. If the cops found something, then he’d go ahead and check into it more. “Once you’re done cutting the bread, the container of garlic butter’s in the fridge. I’ve got the oven preheated, so its ready to go as soon as you’re done.”
“Great.” She set the bread knife aside and sidled past him to get to the fridge then grabbed a knife from the drawer. As they worked, things fell into a nice, easy routine.
“Twins should be up soon, right?” she asked as she spread a thick layer of butter onto a slice of bread before putting it onto a cookie sheet on the table.
“Yeah.” Gage looked at the clock. Nearly six now. The babies should be up any minute for dinner and a diaper change. “I’m hoping to get this all ready to go before they wake up.”
Kylie made quick work of the rest of the bread then nudged him aside so she could slip the cookie sheet into the oven. The side of her breast brushed against his arm as she lean
ed past him to set the timer. “Okay. That’s done. What’s next? Want me to set the table?”
“Sure. That would be great.” He did his best not to notice how that top of hers rode up each time she stretched on tiptoe to reach plates, revealing a sliver of her creamy flesh to his view. That awareness simmering inside him notched higher and he tamped the sizzles coursing through his bloodstream down as best he could.
It had been too long since he’d gotten laid. That had to be it.
Then she moved in beside him to grab some glasses from the cupboard and his breath caught in his throat. Being six-foot-plus himself, he never gave much thought to keeping stuff on the top shelves, since he could reach everything easily. But now, as Kylie teetered precariously on her tiptoes to reach the glasses above her, he realized he needed to rethink things, as long as she was staying here.
“Here, let me help,” Gage said, reaching for a tumbler at the same time she did, their hands meeting around the glass.
Time seemed to slow as heat shimmered through his body from their point of contact. Kylie’s startled gaze met his, and he knew she felt the connection as strongly as he did, considering how her dilated pupils nearly obliterated the blue of her irises.
They lowered the glass together, their fingers still touching, until they faced each other at the stove, a few inches separating them. Their breaths synchronized and his gaze flickered from her eyes to her parted pink lips then back again.
Guarding His Unexpected Twins: SEAL Endgame Book Three Page 4