by Maya Banks
Sawyer nodded. “Yeah. I mean she’s getting older. We should think about taking care of her better. She lives alone in that same old house she’s always lived in.”
“That’s home,” Cam said. “I don’t want her to get rid of the house.”
Hutch nodded.
“She doesn’t have to get rid of it,” Sawyer said patiently. “I just thought we could keep a better eye on her if she was staying with us in the new house.”
“One, she’d never go for it,” Cam said. “She’s too independent, and the fact is, she’s healthy as a horse. She’ll outlive us all. Two, think about what you’re saying.” He eyed Sawyer for a moment before returning his gaze to the road. “You’d be putting her in the middle of an already awkward situation with Reggie. It’s going to be hard enough to convince Reggie to stay with us. Add Birdie to the mix, and it wouldn’t be fair to either of them.”
Sawyer grimaced. “Yeah, good point. It’s just that . . . having our family there. It sounded nice.”
He shifted a little uncomfortably as he felt the other two staring at him. He should’ve just kept his mouth shut, because he sounded like a damn moron.
“I know what you mean,” Hutch said. “But Birdie is close, and now that we’re moving back, we’ll be able to check in on her more often.”
“The more important issue is whether we’re going to be able to convince Reggie to stay,” Cam said.
Sawyer’s eyes narrowed, and he jerked his head in Cam’s direction. It was the second time in as many days that he’d heard Cam express doubts. Fuck it all. If Cam was unsure, what the fuck was Sawyer supposed to think?
“You don’t sound so certain, Cam,” Hutch said in a low voice.
Sawyer glanced back at Hutch to see the same confusion registered in Hutch’s expression. He exchanged a quick glance with Hutch and offered a shrug in return.
Cam ran a hand through his hair and gave an agitated-sounding sigh.
“I don’t know,” he muttered. “I’m worried. That’s all. This is too important. If we don’t handle it just right, we could fuck things up permanently.”
“Are you trying to make a point here, Cam?” Sawyer demanded. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Cam frowned and looked his way again. “No man, I wasn’t making any point other than exactly what I said.”
“Well, your inference was that one of us is screwing things up, and if that’s the case, you need to just get it out now.”
“Hold up,” Hutch said. “You need to back off, Sawyer. Your in-the-face approach ain’t going to cut it with us or with Reggie.”
Sawyer turned in his seat and pinned Hutch with his stare. “What are you saying, man? You got a problem with me?”
“I’ve got a problem with you getting in Reggie’s face and pushing too hard,” Hutch said unflinchingly.
Sawyer felt a prickle of guilt creep up his neck. But he also resented the implication that he was to blame for Reggie’s resistance. He wasn’t good at the lovey dovey shit. He wasn’t gentle like Cam or laid back like Hutch. He couldn’t seem to curb the edge of desperation when it came to Reggie, and as a result he came across too forceful. Yeah, he knew that, but he didn’t need Cam or Hutch shoving it into his face.
“I’m not you, and I’m not Cam,” he said as calmly as he was able. “Besides, Reggie’s not a wuss. She can take it.”
Regina lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. She heard footsteps on the stairs and waited as they sounded down the hall and nearer to her bedroom.
She looked over when the door eased open. Birdie stuck her head in and then smiled when she saw that Regina was awake.
“Hello, dear,” she said as she walked toward the bed. “I was just coming up to check on you. How are you feeling?”
Regina stretched slightly, testing the soreness of her ribs, and was pleased to find there wasn’t as much pain as the previous day. She sat up and returned Birdie’s smile.
“I’m feeling better actually.”
She raised her hand to touch her bruised throat and probed tentatively. Her voice didn’t sound quite as raspy.
“Almost human again,” she added.
Birdie sat on the edge of the bed and laid her hand over Regina’s. “The boys left medication for you to take. Do you want it?”
Regina lifted an eyebrow. “You’re giving me a choice? They all but shoved the pills down my throat yesterday.”
Birdie smiled, and the soft wrinkles around her eyes gathered. “They mean well. They love you,” she said simply. “Sometimes men go a little overboard when expressing their feelings. Are you in any pain?”
Regina shook her head and avoided Birdie’s stare. She wasn’t in any physical pain, but the memory of last night’s confrontation was sharp. And now Birdie speaking of love. This conversation could only veer into very uncomfortable territory.
Birdie’s hand tightened around Regina’s fingers. “I see the worry, the fear in your eyes, Regina. I hope you aren’t afraid of me.”
Regina’s shoulders slumped. She chanced a glimpse into the older woman’s eyes but only found kindness in them.
“Do you . . . do you know what they want?” she asked tentatively.
Birdie sighed. “I love those boys. You know that. I also know how stubborn they are. Just like another person I know.” She glanced teasingly at Regina as she spoke. “If you’re asking if I know they love you and they built this house for you and they want you to live here . . . with them, then yes, I know what they want. They were quite honest with me about it.”
“And what did you say?” Regina asked softly.
Birdie’s mouth twisted a little. “What could I say?” She shifted forward on the bed. “I have the same concerns any mother has. I want my boys happy. I asked them if they’d lost their minds.”
Regina laughed. She couldn’t help it. “That about covers my reaction,” she mumbled.
“Regina, I’m not here to lecture you. I’m not here to tell you what to do with your life. All I want to make clear is that no matter what happens between you and those boys it won’t change how I feel about you.”
Relief swept over her. She squeezed Birdie’s hand. “Thank you, Birdie. That means a lot to me.”
“Do you feel up to going downstairs?” Birdie asked. “I’ve fixed some chicken and dumplings and a big pitcher of tea just the way you like it.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful. I’m starving.”
Birdie smiled. “Come on then, and I’ll fix you a plate.”
Regina threw back the covers and eased her legs over the edge as Birdie stood and moved away from the bed. Birdie reached for her arm when Regina put her feet down and stood.
She really did feel a lot better. Her head wasn’t so damn fuzzy, a fact she was grateful for. Maybe now she could face the guys lucidly instead of like a blathering, weepy idiot.
With Birdie at her side, she slowly made her way out the door and toward the stairs. When they reached the top, the sound of a door shutting halted Regina in her tracks.
She glanced at Birdie. “Are they back so soon?”
Birdie frowned. “They only left an hour ago. They would’ve called if they’d forgotten something.”
Regina heard footsteps. They sounded like they came from the back of the house, not the front. Her pulse ratcheted up, and she put a hand on Birdie’s arm.
“Get back in the bedroom and shut the door. Lock it. Don’t come out until I come for you. If I’m not back in a few minutes, you call the police.”
Birdie’s frightened gaze met hers, but she nodded and quickly backtracked into the bedroom. Regina ducked into one of the other bedrooms in search of a weapon. She’d obviously stumbled into Sawyer’s room, judging by all the baseball paraphernalia. She grabbed a wooden baseball bat from the wall display and curled her hands around the handle. Her injured wrist protested the action, and her brace made her grip clumsy, but she ignored the discomfort and gripped the bat tighter.
Crap. It was a
n autographed bat. She didn’t want to know by whom. Sawyer would kick her ass if she cracked his bat on someone’s head.
Ignoring the twinge in her ribs, she hurried to the stairs and silently crept down. When she reached the bottom, she flattened herself against the wall and peered around to the living room.
She strained to hear any sounds, but silence lay heavy over the house. Only the hum of the refrigerator could be heard.
The sound had come from the back. Not the French doors. Was there a door into the kitchen from the back? She honestly couldn’t remember.
She whipped around the corner and strode into the kitchen, bat up and ready to swing. She froze when she saw the wide-open door. Damn it all to hell. She was here without her gun in an unfamiliar house.
Her gaze fell on the cordless phone lying on the counter by the sink. She inched her way over, still listening for any sound within the house. Birdie. She’d left Birdie alone upstairs. Christ.
She snatched up the phone and raced back to the stairs. “Birdie, it’s me, let me in,” she said outside the door.
Birdie opened the door immediately, and Regina strode in. She shut the door and locked it again, then motioned Birdie to move away.
As she started to punch in Jeremy’s number, she glanced up at Birdie. “Jesus. I don’t even know where we are, Birdie. Can you tell Jeremy how to get out here?”
At Birdie’s nod, Regina put the phone to her ear and silently urged Jeremy to answer.
“Miller here.”
“Jeremy, thank God.”
“Regina, is that you? What’s wrong?”
“I need a unit out here. There’s an intruder on the premises.”
“Where are you?” he demanded.
“I’m going to give the phone to Birdie. I have no idea where the hell I am.”
She thrust the phone at Birdie before he could respond.
“It’s off county road 126,” Birdie said in a steady voice. “A quarter mile past Cypress Creek. It’s the second left after the creek. Go up the drive and you’ll see the house when you top the hill.”
She handed the phone back to Regina.
“Regina? You there?” Jeremy said.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Okay, hang tight. I’m on my way. I’ve called in one of the county units. They’ll probably be on scene before I will. Stay where you are and keep the phone on you.”
Regina hung the phone up and looked over at Birdie. “Someone’s in the house, or at least they were. The back door is open.” She glanced around the room, her gaze lighting on the large walk-in closet. “In the closet,” she directed Birdie.
She was across the room, pushing Birdie toward the door before Birdie could even react. She opened the closet and helped Birdie to the back. She quickly arranged some of the empty boxes in front of her. “Get down and stay down,” Regina said in a quiet voice.
“What about you?” Birdie asked. Her voice trembled, and she looked at Regina fearfully.
“I’ll be in the bedroom,” Regina said calmly. “Jeremy’s on his way. He’s sending another unit. If someone comes into the bedroom, I’ll take his head off with the baseball bat. But no matter what you hear, you do not come out of this closet until either I or Jeremy or another police officer comes in for you. Okay?”
Birdie nodded.
Regina backed out of the closet and closed the door. She readjusted her grip on the bat and scoped the best spot to lie in ambush for anyone coming through the door.
Once again, she found herself waiting an eternity for Jeremy to arrive. She edged toward the window and looked out to see if there was a vehicle or if she could see the intruder on foot.
Nothing.
She returned to the door, put her ear against it and listened. Her breath caught, and sweat rolled down her neck when she heard the creak of the bottom step. The sound halted.
She pressed forward, straining to hear if the intruder was moving up the stairs.
Several long minutes passed. Tension coiled and built in her chest. A painful knot centered between her shoulder blades, and her muscles quivered as she continued to hold the bat up, her hands locked around it.
Her heart leapt, and she nearly dropped the bat when the shrill ring of the phone burst through the air. She eyed the receiver she’d left on the bed. If she let it ring, the intruder might assume no one was in the house. If she answered it, he’d know for sure he wasn’t alone.
Despite the fact that it might be Jeremy or Dispatch or even one of the guys, she let it ring. But she couldn’t hear what was going on outside the bedroom door over the sound.
She raised the bat higher, ready to strike. Then the ringing stopped, and she heard the scrape of a shoe outside the door of the bedroom.
Anger bubbled up, replacing fear.
Bastard had picked the wrong house to break into. She was tired, grumpy and in pain. She was dying to kick some ass, and at this point she wasn’t particular about whose ass it was.
A sudden noise sounded and then the thump of feet on stairs. In a hurry. No care was taken.
She bolted from the bedroom in pursuit. The intruder was fleeing. She hit the stairs at a dead run and took them two at a time. Pain jolted through her chest, but she ignored it and kept going.
The slam of a door directed her to the kitchen. The front door flew open, and she yanked her head around to see a sheriff’s deputy burst into the house, gun raised.
“Around back,” she yelled. “He went out the back.”
The deputy ran out the front, and Regina bolted for the back door. She yanked open the door and stepped out, her head moving rapidly as she scanned the area.
Where the hell could he have gone? There was a pond down the hill from the house, and beyond was a wooded area, but the man couldn’t have run that fast.
The deputy appeared around the side of the house, and Regina motioned to her left.
“He had to have gone this way,” she said.
“Get back inside. You’re not armed.”
Regina clenched her jaw in frustration but knew he was right. She’d be a distraction if he had to worry about covering not only himself but her. And there was Birdie to consider, still sitting in the closet, probably terrified.
As she reentered the house, she saw Jeremy’s patrol car tear up the front drive, and he and another officer got out and headed toward the side of the house where the deputy had gone.
Regina mounted the stairs and hurried to the bedroom. She threw the bat onto the bed and opened the closet door.
“Birdie, it’s okay. You can come out now.”
“Thank goodness,” Birdie said, her voice trembling as she stood.
Regina reached out to steady her and took her arm to help her around the boxes.
“What’s going on, Regina?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure. The intruder escaped out the back, and Jeremy and the others are in pursuit. We’ll wait here until we know something.”
She eased Birdie over to the bed and then sat down beside her.
Birdie laid her hand on Regina’s arm. “Are you okay? How are your ribs?”
Regina touched her chest experimentally and grimaced. “I’ll feel it later.”
“We should call the boys,” Birdie said. “They’ll want to get back as soon as they can.”
Regina shook her head. “There’s no point. There’s nothing they can do. They’d just worry.” Freak out, hover some more. It was the last thing she needed right now.
The two women sat in silence, their hands joined as they waited for Jeremy and the others to return. Finally she heard Jeremy call from the bottom of the stairs.
“We’re coming up, Regina.”
Regina stood and walked to the door. Jeremy appeared a moment later, Carl behind him.
“Did you get him?” Regina asked, even though she could tell by