by Laura Scott
When they reached the lobby and stepped outside, the bright sunlight was blinding. Nate pulled on his sunglasses and tightened Murphy’s leash.
“Look! Another doggy!” Lucy was gazing around as if she hadn’t spent much time out in the general public. Remembering the disastrous state of the Emery household made him scowl. Was it possible Lucy had lived her entire life either inside the squalor of the place or outside in the littered yard?
He fought back a flash of temper, reminding himself that Lucy would be fine now that she was with Willow.
And watching the two of them together was just more proof that he couldn’t afford to let his defenses down. Being a part of a family wasn’t his thing. He didn’t want that, and worse, didn’t trust himself to have it.
He had no idea how to be a good husband and father. It was too late for him, but not for Willow and Lucy. When the time was right, they’d find someone to complete their little family.
“Can we have a hot dog, Aunt Willow?” Lucy’s head was moving back and forth as she took in the sights and smells of Brooklyn from her stroller.
“Are you hungry already?” Willow’s brow furrowed in concern. “We just finished breakfast two hours ago.”
Lucy bobbed her head up and down. “I wanna hot dog!”
He quickly intervened. “How about we get a hot dog when it’s lunchtime?” When Willow frowned, he added, “My treat.”
“Okay.” Lucy was satisfied with his response, but Willow couldn’t help thinking like a parent.
She leaned in to whisper, “She’s been through a lot. But we shouldn’t give her everything she wants.”
“Oh, sorry.” He felt the tips of his ears burn with embarrassment. “I didn’t think about that. I just wanted to make her happy. A hot dog seemed like a small price to pay.”
Her expression softened. “I know. But part of being a good guardian means setting limits.”
We shouldn’t give her everything she wants. We? For a moment he lost the ability to think. There was no we. There was Willow and Lucy, end of story.
“Nate?”
“Yeah, okay. Got it.” He forced the words past his tight throat and changed the subject. “Where is this café of yours anyway?”
“We’re going to turn right at the next block. The café should be about halfway down.”
Murphy was having a great time. After they turned the corner, he saw the sign of the Sunshine Sidewalk Café. The sidewalk in front of the restaurant wasn’t very wide, but there were four small tables crowded in front of the building. People were sitting outside, enjoying the sixty-degree April weather. Less than a week ago, they’d experienced an unexpected snowstorm, two inches covering the grass and trees, and now it was practically summer. That was spring in New York. Completely unpredictable.
“Would you like a table inside or outside?” A petite woman with short dark hair greeted them.
“Actually, I’m here about the server position.” Willow looked nervous. “Have you already filled it?”
“Not yet.” The woman thrust out her hand. “I’m Angela Rivera.”
“Willow Emery. Are you the manager?”
Angela laughed. “Owner, manager, server, hostess, accountant, you name it.”
“It’s great to meet you. I’m really interested in the position. As you can see I have a young girl to support. I have a lot of restaurant experience, too.”
Nate suddenly heard a panicked shout. “Help! Police! Help!”
What in the world? He turned to look over his shoulder. A young man in a baseball cap and a Yankees jersey was waving his arms in a frantic attempt to get his attention.
“Help! Someone is being attacked!”
He hesitated, unwilling to leave Willow and Lucy there alone. Willow was still chatting with Angela, the two women cooing over Lucy, so he made a split-second decision to respond. “Willow? Stay here. I’ll be right back. Come, Murphy.”
“This way!” The Yankees fan turned and disappeared around the corner, clearly expecting Nate and Murphy to follow.
Nate broke into a jog, dodging pedestrians while keeping Murphy close to his side. He listened intently but didn’t hear any sounds indicating an attack. He hoped he wasn’t going to be too late. As they turned the corner, he raked his gaze over the area, searching for anything suspicious.
There was no obvious sign of an attack, but the Yankees fan was still several paces ahead. “Hurry! Over here! In the alley!”
Nate darted around a group of tourists. He came to the spot where the Yankees fan had been, in front of a long narrow alley, but the guy was gone. He’d vanished like some sort of magician’s trick.
There was no attack.
His gut clenched with fear. Willow! Lucy!
He whirled around and instantly ran back to the café. The sidewalk seemed to stretch forever. He’d followed the stupid Yankees fan farther than he’d realized.
And it had been nothing but a clever ploy to get him and Murphy out of the way.
No! How could he have been so gullible? He quickened his pace, unable to bear the thought of something happening to Willow and Lucy.
He wheeled around the corner, his heart lodged in his throat. Even more people crowded the sidewalks now.
Lucy was crying, loud screeching sobs. “Aunt Willow! Aunt Willow! Come back!”
A pedestrian got in his way and he nearly plowed the guy over in his haste to reach Willow and Lucy.
“No! Stop!” Willow’s voice was muffled. He caught a glimpse of someone dressed in black with a hat pulled low over his forehead dragging her toward a black sedan double-parked a few spots up from the café.
“Stop! Police!” He shouted as loud as he could to be heard above the din. Realizing he might be too late, he reached down and released Murphy’s leash. “Get him, Murphy. Get him!”
Murphy took off running. Like a racehorse, he closed the gap between him and Willow faster than Nate ever could.
The man with the hat must have realized the same thing, because he abruptly pushed Willow toward Murphy, then spun and took off running in the opposite direction.
It all happened like a scene unfolding in slow motion. Willow tripped over Murphy. His partner yelped as the two of them tangled together. Then Willow hit the pavement with a thud. Lucy was still crying, her stroller several feet away from Willow and Murphy.
“Willow! Are you okay?” He finally caught up to them, crouching down to check Willow and his partner. Murphy had managed to free himself from Willow. He was up on his feet, staring in the direction the intruder had gone.
“Get him,” Nate repeated. He didn’t like sending his partner off alone, but he couldn’t leave Willow and Lucy.
The yellow Lab took off, trotting fast, his nose periodically going to the ground.
Murphy could track just about anything, but he wasn’t trained to go into subway stations without Nate. A fact he hoped the assailant didn’t know, as there was a subway entrance at the opposite end of the block.
“What happened?” He helped Willow to her feet.
“He—came out of nowhere.” Her voice was shaky, her hands trembling. Her palms were scraped and bleeding, but she didn’t seem to care. “I didn’t notice until he grabbed me.”
“Shh, it’s okay.” He caught her in his arms for a quick hug, then turned toward Lucy. Some instinct had him lifting the girl from her stroller and handing her over to Willow. They clung to each other, much the way they had outside the scene of the Emery murders.
His gaze fell on the license plate of the black sedan abandoned by the would-be kidnapper. He quickly memorized the plate number, hoping it would be a clue as to who’d attacked Willow.
A sharp dog bark caught his attention. His heart was hammering, and he desperately wanted to go after Murphy. What if the assailant tried to hurt him? Nate took one step forward, then ano
ther, but stopped.
He couldn’t leave Willow. He had to trust in his partner’s training. The K-9 would soon return.
Murphy came running through the crowd of onlookers, returning to Nate’s side.
“Murph!” He went down to his knee and wrapped his arms around his partner. From what he could tell, Murphy wasn’t hurt.
Unfortunately, the assailant had gotten away.
SEVEN
Willow clutched Lucy close, unable to stop trembling. Her shoulders were sore from where the guy had roughly grabbed her, trying to force her into the vehicle. Everything had happened so fast. She’d tried to crane her neck to get a better look at his face, but his arms were like steel bands around her. She’d barely caught a glimpse before Nate had shouted, causing him to roughly shove her toward Murphy.
The only reassuring part of the whole incident was that the attacker hadn’t bothered to go after Lucy. Her niece was safe, for now. But glancing back at the Sidewalk Sunshine Café, she was sad to understand there was no way she could work there anytime soon.
Maybe never. The owner, Angela Rivera, had sounded positive, but had needed someone immediately, not in two weeks or longer.
“Are you okay?” Angela had come over to check on her. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing.” She tried to smile. “A misunderstanding.”
“Are you sure?” Angela’s doubt was clearly reflected in her gaze. “When I came out of the kitchen, it looked like that guy was trying to force you into his car.”
“I’m safe now, and so is Lucy. Thanks for coming to check on us.”
“Sure.” Angela gave her one last look, as if sensing Willow was downplaying the event, then hurried back to her customers. For a moment Willow envied her ability to run her own little café, with no worries other than offering good food.
“Run this license plate for me.” Nate was kneeling beside Murphy, speaking into the radio on his collar. It took a moment for her to realize he was reciting the plate number belonging to the black sedan. When finished, Nate rose to his feet and turned toward her. “We need to get you and Lucy away from here.”
Rattled by the near miss, she could only nod.
Nate spoke into his cell phone. “Eden? Sorry, I also need you to check video footage from the Bay Ridge Avenue subway station. Perp dressed in black with a black cap pulled over his forehead left less than five minutes ago. I need Belle Montera to call me, ASAP.”
She shivered again and glanced over her shoulder. Pedestrians had originally stopped to gawk at the commotion but were now moving on with their busy lives. It struck her then, her life may not return to normal anytime soon.
No matter how much she wanted it to.
Nate’s phone rang, and he stayed close to her side as he answered. “Belle, thanks for calling me back. I need you and your K-9 to keep a lookout for a man dressed in black with a hat pulled down over his forehead. He just disappeared through the Bay Ridge Avenue station.” There was a pause before he added, “I know it’s not much, but do your best, okay? Get Max to help, too. I’m working with Eden to get a photo and I’ll shoot it your way as soon as I get it.”
It bothered her to know the guy who’d tried to abduct her had gotten away. She sent up a quick prayer, thanking God for sending Nate back in the nick of time to save her.
“I think I’ve covered all bases for now.” Nate slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“Thanks, Nate.” She managed a smile over Lucy’s head. “Your timing was perfect. If not for you and Murphy, he may have gotten away with me.”
He scowled. “Don’t thank me, Willow. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have left you in the first place. I should have realized that the fake cry for help was nothing more than a ploy to get you alone.”
“Really?” She tilted her head to the side, regarding him thoughtfully. “How could you possibly know that?”
He stared at her for a moment, then looked away. “I just should have.”
“And ignore the possibility an innocent person was in trouble?” She shook her head. “No way. You never could have stayed here, doing nothing. It’s not in your nature, Nate. You’re a cop. I’m sure you’ve responded to other ridiculous calls, too.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Maybe you’re right. Still, it burns to know that he almost succeeded.”
“But he didn’t.” Willow didn’t want Nate to feel guilty about this when it was her decision to come here about the job in the first place.
“Nate?” The sound of a female voice caused Nate to glance over his shoulder. A pretty female K-9 officer with shoulder-length dark hair was coming toward them, accompanied by a large German shepherd. “No sign of him yet, but I let Max know, too.”
“Belle, this is Willow Emery. Willow, K-9 officer Belle Montera and her K-9 partner, Justice.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Willow smiled but felt like a giraffe towering over the petite woman. There weren’t too many men who made her feel less conspicuous, but Nate had several inches on her.
More to like about him. Not that it mattered.
“Thanks, Belle. As soon as I get something from Eden, I’ll let you know.” Nate moved closer to Willow’s side and she was touched by his protective stance. “We’ll be at the precinct if you need me.”
“Sounds good.” Belle turned toward the black sedan. “Did you call for a tow truck? We may be able to get a DNA hit from the interior.”
“Not yet, but that’s a good idea. Will you take care of it?”
“Of course.” Belle grinned. “I can tell you want to get out of here.”
Nate didn’t disagree. “Thanks again.” He turned to Willow. “Come on, my SUV is parked near your apartment building.”
She buckled Lucy into her stroller. They’d barely gone a block when his phone pinged. He glanced down at the screen, then turned the device so she could see the image. “Recognize him?”
She cupped her hand over the phone to cut down the glare from the sun. The photo was a bit blurred, showing a man wearing all black, a black cap pulled low over his forehead, rushing into the subway station, his head slightly turned to the side.
A chill rippled over her, lifting the hairs on her arms. “Craggy Face.”
“Yeah. I think he was the one who ransacked your place.” Nate’s expression was grim. He worked the phone, no doubt sending the photo to Belle as she was responsible for patrolling the subway stations. She leaned over with a frown. “Hey, is that my photograph of him that you’re sending?”
He nodded and glanced up. “Yes, why? It’s the one you sent me.”
The clarity wasn’t great, but she figured it would work well enough for what he needed. “No reason, glad to have something to help your team find him.”
“We will. And I’ll start with your former boss, Damon. He was photographed talking to the guy, so he must know who he is. We’ll catch him, Willow. I promise.”
Nate’s tone oozed confidence and she wondered if he was putting on a brave act for her benefit. Having her apartment broken into was one thing; being grabbed by Craggy Face and nearly forced into a vehicle was something very different. The moment she’d felt him grab her flashed in her mind’s eye. An overwhelming burst of fear had momentarily paralyzed her.
She made a silent promise not to let that happen again. Next time, she needed to keep her wits about her. To fight, with every ounce of strength she possessed, the instant she felt something was wrong.
Lucy needed her, now more than ever.
“Willow, I want you to know, I’ll never leave you and Lucy alone like that again.”
“I know.” His promise touched her heart. “I guess I shouldn’t have asked to go to the café.”
Nate unlocked his SUV, then turned toward her. “You can’t take the job at the café, Willow. Not until we have this guy in custody.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I know.”
His clear blue eyes burned into hers, seeing too much. “I can help get you whatever you need, including cash. Just trust me, okay?”
She wouldn’t take his money—she’d use her savings—but she did trust him. More than she’d ever trusted anyone else.
Maybe she trusted him a little too much. Once she and Lucy were safe, he’d be assigned another case. Moving on in his career, leaving her to focus on raising Lucy.
She needed to remember that this...closeness between them wasn’t real. It was temporary. In her experience, men didn’t stick around for long.
Despite how much she liked and admired him, there was no possibility of a future with Nate.
* * *
The near abduction still had Nate’s pulse in the triple digits. And he feared it wouldn’t return to normal anytime soon. He hated knowing Willow was in danger.
Nate forced himself to keep his hands at his sides, when all he wanted to do was draw Willow into his arms, holding her and Lucy close.
Why this sudden attachment to a woman he was assigned to protect? He’d never mixed his professional role as cop with his personal life before.
No reason to start now. Yet as he watched Willow buckle Lucy into her car seat, he couldn’t help but notice how amazing they were together.
He shook off the unusually tender feelings, forcing himself to concentrate on finding and arresting Craggy Face. He and Murphy had to find him, and soon.
Before he tried again.
When Willow finished with Lucy, she opened the passenger door and slid inside. He put Murphy in the back, then went around to the driver’s side, still thinking about their next move. Interviewing Lucy and Willow again wouldn’t likely give them too much more to go on, yet it was important to try. He itched to start searching for the owner of the black sedan, but hadn’t heard from Eden yet.
He’d been right about the fact that whatever was going on with Willow wasn’t connected to the Emery murders. He pulled into traffic, mentally reviewing the similarities between the cold case and this one. Same MO, but what about motive? What did the Emerys have in common with the McGregors?