“No.” She wasn’t ready to tell him. It could wait until she caught her breath and thought it through. And maybe talked to a lawyer. She wasn’t about to let her asshole boss spoil the pleasure of leaving this place.
“I’m just excited about going home. I’ve missed the kids, missed our bed, missed having you cuddle up to me until we go sleep…among other things.”
He grinned. “Glad to know I’m good for something.”
“There are several things you are very good at.”
“Don’t go there until the doc tells you it’s okay to go there.”
Trish chuckled. “I’m not promising anything.”
Langley’s smile stretched into a grin. “I’ll go tell the nurse you’re ready to leave.”
“I’m very ready.”
It felt strange leaving the insulated safety of the hospital. Trish stepped off the tram in the parking lot, Langley hovering within a hand’s reach as they walked the short distance to the car. It was her car. The car she’d been sitting in when Clarence… She remembered every moment of the encounter.
And she’d been shot because a clerical error at the jail released him from custody by mistake. She wanted to go down to the jail and kick someone’s ass.
Langley hit the button on his key fob to unlock the doors. “How you doin’, hon?”
“I’m okay.” The words were automatic. But she wasn’t doing okay.
Langley opened the car door for her. “Doc and Bowie ran over and picked up your car. I was worried it would be towed if we left it parked there for very long.”
“That was good.” She slid reluctantly into the passenger seat.
Langley walked around and got in behind the wheel. Trish’s gaze ran past him to the driver’s side window.
“What is it, Trish?”
Her mouth was dry, and her breathing was coming in quick gulps. “He pushed the barrel of the gun to the window and threatened to shoot me through the glass if I didn’t open the door.”
Langley reached for her hand. “I’m sorry, honey. I should have thought…”
“Remember that promise you made me a few years ago, about putting in for a transfer to a different MOS, Langley?”
“Yeah.”
“You have one more enlistment before your twenty. I’ll quit my job, if you promise me you’ll do it. I want you closer to home the last enlistment. I need you closer to home.” She heard the plea in her voice, and swallowed it back.
“I’m up for promotion, and Hawk’s mentioned he wants me on his staff. If the promotion comes through, I’ll be doing something different.”
“If the promotion comes through.”
“Yeah.”
She swallowed again, and tried to think clearly enough to work through what a promotion would mean for him. “You deserve it, Langley. You’ve put in the time and the effort.”
“I’ve been doing extra things to gear up for it, Trish. On deployment and off. It will come through.”
She didn’t want to ask what those extra things were. They risked their lives so often. He’d earned two silver stars and four bronze stars for his service. And he’d never mentioned what he did to earn them. No particulars of the mission.
Emotion nearly overwhelmed her. She beat it back. “I hope so, and I really want you to have it. Tad will be starting college in five years. He may decide to follow in your footsteps.”
“I’d be proud if he did, but I’d rather he go to college and explore other options first. As an engineer or computer analyst, he can serve as a civilian and get paid like an officer. Or even enlist and earn a starting rank of ensign.”
“You should have gone to officer candidate school and become an officer. You’re smart, well-trained, disciplined. We held you back when you were younger.”
“Do you think I regret that, Trish?” He brought her hand to his lips. “We have three great kids, and I have you, and you’ve been through it all with me. I love what I do. But, because I’m older, and have more years of experience, I’ve gotten to lead missions, and do things others might not have experienced until they were in the teams a lot longer. I wouldn’t change a moment of it.”
Her heart lifted, and she started to get teary, but smiled instead. “We might never have gotten to live in Hawaii if you hadn’t enlisted.”
“That’s true.” He eyed her. “Now, about quitting your job…I never realized how dangerous these home visits could be until this happened, Trish.”
“They aren’t, ninety-nine percent of the time. But when children are being removed from the home, it’s an emotional minefield.”
“Or when there are abusive, psychotic assholes involved.”
She nodded. “That, too. But above and beyond the money, I have to say sitting home drawing unemployment with nothing to do but housework doesn’t appeal to me.”
Langley laughed. “It boggles the mind even thinking of you sitting still for five minutes, let alone being home alone for that long.”
“It would drive me crazy.”
“You have some time to heal, and to think it over.”
She nodded. He was trying to be supportive and non-judgmental. She had to give him that. The more rest she got, the less resentful she felt.
“You don’t have to be superwoman. You don’t get paid for working on Saturday. You’re going to have to grow some calluses on that tender heart of yours, and think of yourself a little more.”
“It’s hard to think of yourself when there are children being neglected, abused, or going hungry, Langley. I’m always afraid I’ll miss something, or let it slide, and something horrible will happen.”
“Have you ever thought how much alike our jobs are?”
“Yeah. We’re both driven to serve. We’re both trying to protect other people who can’t protect themselves. We’re spending time away from our kids that we could be spending with them. And lately people are shooting at us both.”
His throat worked as he swallowed. “You have been giving it a great deal of thought.”
She looked away. Tears rose up to clog her throat and dim her vision. “I know you can’t quit this close to retirement. I don’t expect you to. It isn’t you I have an issue with, or even your job. Truly, it’s not. You’re just handy to catch the shit I dish out when I’m upset.”
She looked up. “I’m angry that I’ve spent so many years of my life doing this job, and haven’t even received a get-well card from my boss, or a phone call to check on me.”
“He’s an asshole. I told you that the first time I met him. Don’t let it get to you.”
She nodded. “I’m not going to. I just want to see my kids and sleep in my own bed.”
“Roger that.” Langley started the car.
Langley jogged around the car to stand close by while Trish got out. They had brought two of their three children home from the hospital to this house. He could read the relief in the relaxation of her features and the small smile that curved her mouth.
Watchful of her progress as she walked to the front door, he stayed within grabbing distance. It had been a long five days, but she made it through with good grace after that first day.
And now she was home.
He scanned the street for any strange cars parked nearby. Clarence was still at large. An edgy uneasiness had plagued him since the beginning. He wouldn’t relax until that man was behind bars. Or dead. Where the hell was the guy? Why the hell hadn’t they found him?
They climbed the three steps to the porch, and she waited for him to unlock the door. The house was quiet except for the sound of music playing from down the hall, possibly in Tad’s room.
She scanned the room. “Wow. Did some of the girls come over and clean house for me?”
The furniture shone, the hardwood floor was sparkling clean, and the hall and the area rug had been vacuumed.
“Nope. The kids did it. They’ve been taking on some chores while you were in the hospital.”
“Great! I’ll have to thank them.”
“I thought it could be a permanent addition to their chore list. I upped their allowance a couple of bucks apiece.”
Trish remained silent a moment. “What’s going on, Langley?”
“The kids and I had a long talk, and we decided we’ve been taking you for granted. We’ve been sitting on our asses, letting you do the lion’s share of the work while we reap the benefits. So we’re all turning over a new leaf.”
He pointed toward the kitchen. “They’re probably out back on the deck doing something to celebrate your homecoming. Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll go out and see what’s going on.”
“Okay.” She let him get to the doorway before she said his name. He turned to face her. “How long do you think this will last?”
“At least a week. Maybe.”
Trish laughed. “I appreciate the effort, and where it’s coming from.”
“I appreciate the fact that you keep me around when I fly through here between deployments. I don’t know what I’d do, where I’d go, if you didn’t, Trish. I’d be lost without you.”
He continued, though she started to tear up. “I’m so glad you’re home, and the kids will be, too. I’ve worked their asses off this week.”
She laughed while she brushed tears from her cheeks.
After Trish settled in the living room, he double-timed through the freshly-cleaned kitchen and out the back door. The kids were sitting at the picnic table with the babysitter, Melissa, a teenager from down the street.
Something in their posture struck him as soon as he stepped out the door.
Jessica was cuddled up to Anna, her eyes red from crying. Melissa had her arms wrapped around the two girls. Tad’s back was turned to him. He didn’t turn to face him, even when he walked up to the table.
If Tad had done something…
The small cake the girls had spent all morning baking was half gone. “What’s going on, guys?” Tad jerked when he laid his hand on his shoulder, and half turned. One eye was swollen shut, and a large reddish-purple bruise encompassed the area around it. Shock reverberated through him. “Jesus, Tad. What happened?”
“He mouthed off to me, trying to be a big man, and got what he deserved.” A voice came from the corner of the house where the deck angled back to the privacy fence. “We’ve been waiting for you and your wife to get home.”
Langley turned to face the man who’d spoken. His gaze brushed over the guy’s face, but snagged on the gun pointed at him.
Langley assessed the gun first. A twenty-two revolver. He could see the bullets in the cylinder. He could see two chambers were empty, which meant there were at least four more rounds in the pistol.
The man behind the gun was about five foot nine, and a hundred and forty-five pounds. His hair, thinning on top and cropped close to his head, appeared more gray than brown.
His eyes were dark, and gleamed with the promise of more violence. Langley had seen that look in more than this guy’s eyes.
A tattoo of a snake spread along the guy’s forearm, and his face was beaded with sweat. A piece of sweatshirt, gray with grime and brown with old blood, banded his upper arm.
“Where’s your wife?” he demanded. The barrel of the revolver jerked with every word.
He was too worked up. This guy might shoot someone by accident. He wasn’t going to get another crack at Trish. “Her lung collapsed after you shot her. The doctor decided he wanted to do another X-ray and some kind of breathing test before she left to come home. So I came on without her.”
Clarence’s eyes narrowed and his mouth compressed. “You’re lying.”
Langley kept his voice level. “No I’m not. We were all packed to come home. All her stuff is in the car. She’s going to call me when they’re done.”
“I want to know what they’ve done with my wife. Call her.”
“The police have relocated her and the children. Trish won’t know where she is, and they won’t give out that information.”
Clarence’s face flushed red and he stepped out from behind the house. “You better hope they will. Call. Her.”
Having a gun pointed at him didn’t unnerve him the way it would have Trish or the children. But if the man shot at him and missed, he might hit one of the kids. If he could just get the guy close enough, he could disarm him.
Langley removed his phone from his shirt pocket. “What instructions do you want me to give her?”
“Tell her to call her office and find out where my wife and kids are. Make up some kind of excuse to talk to them. Tell her to tell my wife to call your number.”
Would they be able to hear Trish’s phone inside the house? He hoped not. He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up.
“Are the kids doing something out there?”
“No, honey. Thomas Clarence is here.” He left off ‘he’s armed.’ “He wants to know where his wife and children are.”
She remained silent for a long moment, her breathing choppy. “Are the kids all right?”
He wouldn’t mention Tad’s eye. It was just a bruise. Please God, let it be just a bruise. If the eye was damaged… He cut off the thoughts. He had to stay focused and wait for an opportunity to disarm this guy, or take him out. “Yes, they’re all right.”
“Does he know I’m here?”
“No.”
“The police won’t give out any information.”
“He wants to speak to her, on my phone.”
“Oh, God.” Her breathing got more ragged. “I’ll call Marshall and see if someone will forward a message.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll call you back.”
“Okay.”
He closed the phone and looked up at Clarence. “She’s making some calls to try and get in contact with your wife.”
Langley didn’t hold out much hope for that. The police would never go for it, and once they learned this was a hostage situation, they’d converge on the house like locusts, and probably get them all killed. They might allow his wife to talk to him, but if they charged the house…
“Can I get some ice for my son’s eye?” Langley asked. He pointed to a small dorm refrigerator tucked within a cabinet with a slate countertop. The grill was at the end. Barbecue forks, tongs, and spatulas hung off a towel bar next to the grill. He eyed them for their utility as weapons.
“He can get his own ice.”
“Go ahead, Tad.” He gave his son’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Get the ice and put it in a plastic bag, top right drawer of the cabinet.”
As soon as Tad made the ice pack and sat down again, Clarence’s attention returned to Langley.
“Lay your phone on the table and get into the pool.” Clarence used the gun to motion Langley toward the water behind him.
Langley’s attention settled on the children.
Maybe this guy was smarter than he seemed. Or maybe he intended to kill him now he’d made the phone call. A man who planned to kill his own family and set fire to their house wouldn’t think twice about shooting him in front of his children.
“How did you find our house?” Langley asked, hoping to distract him.
“I watched your car, and followed the guys who drove it here.”
Jesus. If he’d just left the damn car where it was…
“Your son said you’re some big, bad Navy SEAL. I heard you guys like the water. You can show me how well you swim.”
Thomas Clarence wasn’t interested in his swimming technique. He was planning to neutralize a threat.
Chapter 13
Trish’s breathing came in gasps while she dialed Marshall’s number. She slipped through the kitchen and stood to one side of the sliding glass door to peek out. Clarence was holding a gun on Langley, and Langley was backing toward the pool.
Ashley held the girls as close as her arms would reach, but they were all frozen with fear, their faces pale. Tad came into her range of vision. He held a bag filled with ice pressed against his left eye.
What had
that fucker done to her kid? Fear and rage rushed through her, filling her ears with static. Her whole world was out there with a psychopath.
Marshall’s voice dragged her back from the edge. “Trish, how are you?”
“He’s here, Marshall. Clarence is here at my house, and he’s armed. He’s got my kids and husband out by the pool at gunpoint. He doesn’t know I’m here. He wants to speak to his wife. He wants her to call him back on my husband’s number.”
“What’s the address, Trish?”
She rattled off her address.
“What’s the phone number?”
She was beginning to calm down, until she looked outside and saw Langley pulling off his tennis shoes, socks, and shirt, and getting into the water. God, it had to be cold. Too cold to swim in. “He’s forcing Langley to get into the pool.” She spoke the fear that was raging through her. “Oh, God, he’s going to kill him.”
That asshole was not taking her husband from her. He was not taking her family. She hung up and laid the phone on the counter. It immediately began to ring again. She ignored it. Langley’s gun safe was locked, and she didn’t have a key. Why didn’t she have a key?
She strode through the living room and down the hall to Tad’s room. It had never looked so clean or organized. She spoke aloud to the empty room. “Please don’t tell me you moved your bat.”
The Louisville Slugger had been propped in the corner next to the dresser for months, and she sighed with relief when she saw it was still there. She’d helped Tad practice his stance and swing for hours. They’d even gone to a batting cage near Old Town to practice.
Bat in hand and her resolve set, she rushed back down the hall to the kitchen again. Langley stood in the pool up to his waist. Clarence stood over him, gun raised and pointed at her husband.
Langley backed away from the man and pushed off the bottom of the pool with a smooth lunge. She’d seen him swim up and down the pool for sometimes an hour without a break. Her heart hitched as he hit his stroke and started digging deep, his kicks powerful and sure. Clarence tracked him with the gun.
Trish took off her shoes, slid the door open about a foot, slipped through the narrow space, and, careful not to hit the frame, brought the bat out behind her. She took her eyes off of Clarence long enough to check the kids. Jessica’s face crumpled as she saw her, and tears ran down her face, but she didn’t move. Trish raised a hand praying they’d all remain still. She padded across the deck and down the steps, her focus on the back of Clarence’s head.
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