by Dana Mentink
Tyler cupped her cheeks and gently tipped her face to his. “Penny, Bradley is alive. He’s breathing on his own. Those are two good signs. The hospital will give him the best care, I promise.”
She clasped his forearms and that shimmering caramel gaze met his for the first time in days. Tears clung to her long eyelashes like diamond chips. “Tyler, I’m scared. I’m so scared.”
“I know. Me, too.” And then he folded her in his arms and prayed soft and low, oblivious to the cops gathered all around, the red lights strobing, the whine of the dogs. He prayed with everything in him that Penny would not lose her brother. She nestled against him, shivering, crying, listening.
He had the dim sense that crowds were gathering, thrill seekers and passersby that stopped to discern what had just taken place. Looking up, he discovered that the Brooklyn K-9 officers had formed a tight circle around them, cops and their dogs, shielding Tyler and Penny from the curious glances. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, protecting their own. His heart swelled.
Closing his eyes, he pressed Penny closer, hoping she could feel her police family gathered around her, praying that Randall Gage had not accomplished his deadly mission.
SIXTEEN
Penny and Scrappy walked the hospital hallways as the hours ticked by in agonizing slow motion. They were never alone. When she felt like talking, Tyler or Vivienne was there. When she simply wanted to cry, Gavin strolled along with her, handing over tissues and a bottle of water, or cups of weak hospital coffee. Jackson brought King, after he was checked out by the vet. The dog whined forlornly.
It was all terribly familiar. When Tyler had been brought here, she’d known him only slightly, a no-nonsense cop who thought her little more than a child. Now he stood next to her, tenderly anticipating her every need, his presence more comforting than she could have ever imagined. In the rare moments he’d left her side, she’d heard him quietly singing a song to Rain over the phone. It was an off-key version of the bus song she’d taught Rain. He didn’t get very many of the words right, but the rhythm was perfect.
His words circled through the numbness in her mind.
I’m a single father and I shouldn’t have let you become a part of our lives. I should have known you were going to leave us.
Yet he was caring for her now, but not the way she’d yearned for. It wasn’t love, it was duty to Bradley, respect and care for a colleague’s kin.
Not love.
It would not be that.
When they got the word that Bradley would be okay after he recovered from a concussion and two broken ribs, her knees buckled. All she could do was hold onto Scrappy’s collar while he licked the tears that dripped from her chin and the officers crowded around her.
Randall Gage had not taken her brother away.
She thanked the Lord from the bottom of her heart, from the depths of her soul. Tyler stroked a hand across her back and pressed tissues in her palm. She saw that there were tears in the brilliant blue of his eyes, too.
“Randall is behind bars?” She said it to Tyler more to make it real in her mind than anything else.
“Yes, ma’am. And he’s going to stay there forever. He’ll never hurt you or Bradley or anyone else again.”
“I can’t even make myself believe it.”
Gavin smiled. “You’ve had twenty years to worry. It may take some time for the truth to sink in.”
She went silent. Tyler’s fingers pressed comforting circles on her back as her hand stroked Scrappy’s soft fur before he helped her to her feet and into a chair. She managed a watery smile. “Scrappy turned out to be a pretty big help, didn’t he? Not bad for a police school dropout”
Tyler smiled, but it faded quickly. His hands fell to his lap. “Penny, I know this isn’t the time, but...”
The door opened and the nurse appeared. “You can go in...” She hadn’t finished her sentence when King surged forward, yanking the leash out of Jackson’s hands, hurtling away to find Bradley.
Gavin went after him, apologizing to the startled nurse, and the cops laughed and broke into clusters for private conversations.
Penny followed Gavin, turning to look at Tyler. “What did you want to tell me?”
“It can wait,” he said. “Go on. Your brother needs you.”
She had to stop herself from running to Bradley’s room.
Her brother was going to be okay. Gavin was doing his best to hold back King, who was straining to leap onto the bed with Bradley. Sarge finally succeeded in getting all four of King’s paws back on the ground.
When she got a good look at Bradley, she nearly collapsed again. Gripping his bed rail, she pored over the face of her handsome brother. His head was muffled in bandages and his right eye was swollen shut. Tubes and monitors connected him to a variety of beeping machines.
“I’m going to take this big galoot out of here and let you two have a minute alone,” Gavin said.
Penny nodded gratefully. She bent close to Bradley and gently touched his undamaged cheek. He smiled wanly and then grimaced.
“Hurts to smile.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
He raised the hand that was free of the IV. She clasped it, tears flowing freely. “Sarge told me they made the arrest. It’s finally over, sis.”
She had to bend to hear him. Over. Could it possibly be true? “I can’t wrap my mind around it. All I care about is that you’re going to be okay.”
“I am...and so are you. We can start over now. Randall is out of our lives.”
She swallowed hard, trying to make it real.
“So you don’t have to quit,” he croaked.
She didn’t have to because of Randall, but there was still the mess in her heart left over from what had happened with Tyler. It was not going to be possible to see him every day at work, watch his little daughter grow right before her eyes, witness daily what she could not be a part of.
She reached over and kissed her brother gently as his eyes started to close.
“Rest now. We can talk about this later.”
When his breathing relaxed into a regular rhythm, she said a prayer of profound gratitude that the Lord had spared her brother.
* * *
On Bradley’s third day in the hospital, Tyler went to see him, smuggling in a plate of his mother’s lasagna.
“Oh, man,” Bradley said, sitting up, “am I ready for real food.”
“That’s a good sign.” It was also a good sign that his bruises were starting to fade slightly. The cuts on his arm were scabbing over, as well.
“How’s King doing with Jackson?”
“Jackson’s been taking him to the office with him and every morning he runs to your cubicle expecting to find you there. Jackson says he’s cranky, pure and simple.”
“Aww. He’s the best partner.”
“Next best thing to a golden retriever.”
“In your dreams.” He peeled back a corner of the foil-covered plate and inhaled. “Your mom is a culinary genius.”
“I’ll tell her you said that.” They made small talk until Tyler shifted and cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking.”
Bradley looked up from his perusal of the lasagna. “Yeah? About what?”
“About the question you asked me before.” Tyler swallowed. “About what Penny means to me.”
Bradley set aside the plate and folded his hands across the blanket. “And what is your answer to that question?”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Time to make it all real. “She means everything to me, and I want her to be in my life forever.” Breath held, he waited to see how Bradley would react.
For a moment, Bradley’s face seemed to be made of stone. Slowly a smile replaced the scowl. “Well, it’s about time, Tyler the Timid. The guy who gets Penny is going to be the most fortunate man in th
e universe and you almost let her get away, you big dope.” He rolled his eyes. “I thought I was going to have to knock some sense into you.”
Tyler felt his whole body relax. “So you think I’m worthy of her?”
“Not by a long shot, but you can spend the rest of your life trying to be worthy of her.” He grinned. “And that means taking care of her brother, too. You know, bending to my every whim, bringing me fresh-squeezed orange juice and giving me your parking place.”
Tyler let him go on awhile. “But what if I can’t change her mind?”
Bradley rolled his eyes. “Then I guess you aren’t trying hard enough. What are you doing wasting time here? Get on it, Detective. She’s planning on sticking around until I’m on my feet again, but after that, she’ll split unless you change her mind.”
There was a knock on the door and a slim blonde lady popped her head in. “May I come in?”
Tyler raised an eyebrow as Bradley straightened and sat up higher on the bed.
“I don’t know if Officer McGregor is up for visitors,” Tyler said.
“I’m Sasha Eastman. I work for a local news station and I want to do an interview with Bradley and Penny McGregor.”
Tyler thought Bradley looked a bit crestfallen that the beautiful lady had an agenda. “A reporter?” he said. “No thanks. You called the office already and we declined.”
She smiled. “And you avoided my call, too. I never even got to speak to you.”
Bradley’s cheeks flushed. “I’m not interested in providing an interview.”
“You haven’t heard the whole idea. I want to do a show about your parents’ murders.”
“No thanks. My sister and I learned a long time ago that we don’t talk to reporters.”
“I’m not your run-of-the-mill reporter, Mr. McGregor.” Her smile was warm and gentle. “I believe by telling your story we can draw out information about the copycat killer. Maybe even help you make an arrest.”
Bradley frowned. “Like I said, Penny and I don’t talk to reporters. Sorry.”
Tyler took that as his cue. “I’ll walk you to the elevator, Ms. Eastman. Thanks for stopping by.”
“All right.” She laid a business card on Bradley’s table. “But I’m a pretty determined lady. I think we’ll be seeing each other again.”
Bradley didn’t answer as Tyler led Sasha out of the room. Before the door closed, he turned back to Bradley.
“Do you want me to ask her to bring your fresh-squeezed orange juice? She’s way better looking than I am.”
A balled-up paper napkin hit the door as it closed on Tyler’s chuckling.
* * *
Penny breathed in the pure joy of being back in their Sheepshead Bay home. She steeped herself in the pleasure of tending to her struggling plants and cleaning out the fridge before she restocked it with Bradley’s favorites. She’d tackled the cooking by storm, first baking Bradley’s favorite blueberry muffins, then working her way on to a pot of beef stew and even firing up the bread machine with a loaf of herbed Italian bread. Bradley’s appetite had not yet fully returned, but she was determined to change that. Each day she produced a new batch of his favorites, surreptitiously sliding a portion into the freezer for him to eat later.
Then she set about refreshing the old house with vases full of fall mums, a fat scented candle for the tiny kitchen table and a fall-patterned kerchief for Scrappy. Each and every detail brought her both pain and pleasure, when she considered her future.
Penny figured on delaying her start with the new K-9 unit another month while Bradley settled into his three weeks of recuperation leave. They had graciously agreed to give her all the time she needed to tend to him. She was Bradley’s self-appointed chef and errand runner, but when Bradley returned to full strength, she intended to make some changes. He was not adjusting well to lying around. King, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to sprawl on the floor at Bradley’s feet, snoring or watching basketball on the big-screen TV. Scrappy occupied a spot on the other side of the room, enjoying a beam of fall sunshine.
“You don’t have to quit,” Bradley had said again just that morning.
“I feel like it’s the right thing to do.” He’d pressed her for a reason, but she’d changed the subject. It was too difficult to explain to her brother all that was going on inside her heart and mind.
Though she was devastated at leaving her Brooklyn K-9 Unit family, she knew it was time to start a new chapter on her own. Randall had finally been excised from their lives. She’d survived his horrors and come out stronger. It would be good for Bradley, too, to restart his life without his sister always hovering nearby.
A fresh start...a new life. Why did her stomach squeeze when she considered it?
Because she had been afraid for so long that she didn’t know what to do now that she wasn’t.
Or was it the real reason, which she would not admit even to her brother...? Tyler. He’d made it clear that he regretted the feelings he had for her and that left a hurt that would not dissipate. How could she work at the same office with him? See him and Rain on a regular basis and not mourn the love she had for them?
Love—it was the correct word. It floored her to think it, but she had fallen in love with a man who didn’t want her. When tears pricked her eyes, she straightened her shoulders. Soon it would be all over and the memories would recede into the past, where they would not hurt so much.
“There’s nothing on TV,” Bradley said now. “Why can’t I take King for a walk?”
“Because the doctor said you’re supposed to lie down and rest.”
He rolled his eyes. “How does he know what’s good for me?”
“Because he has a degree in medicine. You, on the other hand, believe that an ACE bandage can fix everything from a broken arm to sudden organ failure.”
“ACE bandages are very versatile,” he grumbled, watching her walk toward the hall closet. “Where are you going?”
She shouldered her bag. “To Coney Island. Rain is having a birthday party and she invited me to come. Just a casual thing.” She was still feeling all kinds of awkward around Tyler, but she figured a birthday party would hold enough distraction to keep her from having to make conversation with him. She tucked the neatly wrapped present into her bag.
“A birthday party? I wanna go.” He made a move to sit up. “I’ll just sit quietly with King and...”
She pointed a finger at him until he sank down again. “You’ll do no such thing. I will be back in a couple of hours and if there is cake, I will bring you a piece if you’re very well behaved.”
He groaned, and she walked back and kissed him on the forehead. “You’re a real drill sergeant.”
“A drill sergeant who loves her brother.” She stroked his hair. Tears welled in her eyes when she recalled him sprawled on the sidewalk, plowed down by Randall’s car.
He caught her hand. “I love you, too, sis. Have a good time.”
She rubbed Scrappy’s ears and clipped on his leash. When she reached for the window to peek out through the curtains, she caught herself. Randall was in jail and that’s where he would stay. She had her life back.
Bradley was looking at her. “Go on,” he said softly, as if he understood exactly.
She blew him a kiss.
Though her insides were jittery at the prospect of seeing Tyler again, she was still wrapped in gratitude that her brother was safe and sound. Straightening her shoulders, she headed for the door.
SEVENTEEN
Scrappy watched avidly out the window as they drove to Coney Island. It didn’t matter if they were going to the beach or the Laundromat. Scrappy was her ever-eager assistant. “You’re always ready to go anywhere with me, aren’t you?” Her gratitude toward Gavin for allowing her to formally adopt Scrappy was boundless. The dog was her devoted companion and no matter where life took he
r, he would always be right by her side, a treasured part of her family. Along the way, she caught herself glancing in the rearview mirror every so often.
Randall’s gone, she repeated to herself. She wondered how long it would take her to fully believe it. Maybe the new job in Bronx would erase the lingering memories.
She parked and walked Scrappy along the boardwalk to Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, where Tyler stood with one hand holding Dusty’s leash and the other wrapped around Rain’s little fingers. When Rain saw Penny, she broke away and ran to her. Penny scooped her up.
“Happy birthday, big girl.”
Rain carefully held up each of her pointer fingers.
“Two years old? Wow.” Penny kissed her on the cheek and eyed Tyler uneasily. “Where are the guests? Am I early?”
“You are the only guest she wanted to invite.”
Her cheeks flooded with heat. “Oh. Well, you didn’t have to do that. I could have dropped a present by your house. No need to—”
“I wanted to see you, too.”
He had? Why? she wanted to ask, but he continued.
“I’ll just get us some hot dogs. Do you two want to find a bench to sit on?”
Penny hesitated. The last time she’d been in charge of Rain, the child had disappeared. Cold rippled through her along with the October breeze. “I...”
He nodded firmly. “We can sit and eat our hot dogs and watch the surf.” He held up a plastic bucket and shovel. “I promised her we would make a sand castle.”
She swallowed and took Rain’s hand and the plastic bucket. “All right.” She and Rain settled on a metal bench, where they could look out on the wide stretch of sandy beach.
“Castle?” Rain said.
“Yes, Daddy says we are going to build a castle right after lunch.”
Rain occupied herself watching the seagulls that swooped down toward the foamy waves. Scrappy tracked their progress, too, his whiskers twitching.
Tyler returned and put Dusty into a sit. He handed Penny a hot dog with mustard only. “Bradley said you’re a purist, a mustard-only kind of gal.”