by Mimi Barbour
She made her way to the front door and stepped out without a backward glance. Her high heels clicked on the floors and her jasmine perfume hung in the air.
Les targeted Sloan with the open-handed gesture that meant, What the fuck? And when Sloan shrugged, he turned to Alia. “What’s going on?”
“Libby’s working for my ex.”
“Was working you mean. She said he fired her.”
“I don’t believe that. She’s still working for him. And now that Paul knows where Kean is, he’s in danger.”
Sloan and Les both stiffened, but it was Sloan who asked the obvious question. “Why?”
“Because he’s threatened me. Either I give him a baby, or he’ll take my son.”
Chapter Forty-seven
On the way to the hospital, Alia told Sloan about Paul, and what a prick her ex-husband was. About him wanting to give his rich, infertile wife a baby, but being picky about whose baby he’d be willing to raise.
She also explained that she’d done a lot of digging into his affairs and he was so close to being arrested for fraud and dirty business practices that she didn’t know what had kept him out of jail, other than bribery and payoffs.
“Why don’t you press charges?”
“Because I have no proof. It’s there and the authorities know it but we’d have to prove it in a court of law.”
“And when a person is as rich as sin, not only does he have those in power by the short hairs but he can afford the best scum-lawyers.”
“Exactly.”
“Why did he all of a sudden want to be a father again?”
“His pretty, well-connected wife, who’s young and very rich, wants a baby. Desperately, if he’s telling the truth. Somewhere in his twisted mind, Paul decided that Kean was a smart kid, good-looking, worthy of being his son and so, rather than using donor eggs, he’s willing to bring up another kid with the same genetic background.”
Alia had to stop talking or choke. She had no intentions of letting Paul anywhere near her or her eggs, the sick bastard.
Sloan’s medication had finally kicked in and he’d stopped sneezing. Now he only had to deal with the occasional annoying sniffle. But his eyes were still affected. In the lights of the oncoming cars, his expression appeared full of anger; his eyes were red and weepy.
Watching him wipe away the gathering moisture did something to her visceral reactions. Her heart ached from seeing this strong man’s human weakness, his vulnerability. His next sentence brought her mind back to the subject.
“So you told him to piss off, that you weren’t interested, and then what?”
“He didn’t like it, threatened to go to the courts for shared custody of Kean. Warned me that if he wanted to, he could even take him away from me for good.”
“The bastard.”
“I got nervous. He’s a big shot in Chicago. Has a lot of murky friends who owe him and I couldn’t ignore their power. If he says he can get the courts on his side to gain custody of Kean, I have no doubt that it’s true. Or that he’d do just as he says. There’s a streak of narcissistic insanity in him that he uses to justify his wants. He gave me a son. Now he wants me to give him another one. Plain and simple.”
“And screwy.”
Alia nodded. “I get that. And thank the good Lord, you do too. But he doesn’t. He truly believes it’s no big deal. I should just hand over my eggs so he can fertilize them and get his wife pregnant. Then they’ll raise the baby, and we’ll all live happily ever after.”
Sloan drove the car into the hospital parking lot, pulled the key from the ignition and turned to her. “He’s certifiable.”
“Yes.”
“Plus, he has no legal right to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“I know. And your point is…?”
Sloan’s eyes widened. “It won’t stop him. He’ll take Kean and blackmail you.”
“Oh, yes, he will.” She swallowed the sob itching to get out and hardened her voice. “But he’ll have to kill me first. I wouldn’t let that degenerate bastard anywhere near my son or my eggs. I’ll see him dead first.”
Sloan got out of the car and came around to her side to open the door. With his hand extended, he waited for her to take hold and then he helped her out.
Once she stood in front of him, he gathered her close and wrapped his large arms around her shivering body, his warmth penetrating her iciness, her fear. She let go of her anger and nestled as close as she could, soaking up his strength and his gentleness, enjoying the slight coconut smell from his shaving lotion.
She whispered her fears. “I’m strong when it comes to anyone else’s kid. I can fight off the bad guys without a second thought. But when it comes to my own, I’m a mess. I can’t even think straight.”
“Don’t worry. I’m thinking straight and this is what I know. Not only will the son of a bitch have to get past you, but there’ll be a lineup. He’ll have to come through me first.”
Chapter Forty-eight
Once inside, a male nurse recognized Sloan and reached to shake hands and do a man-hug. “Hey, Booker. Figured you’d be here soon. Nice to see you again.”
“You too, man.” Sloan recognized Ryan from high school. They’d hung out but hadn’t caught up with each other for a few years. “Hey, bro, how’re things with you?”
“All good on my side, married now and got a kid on the way. How about you?”
“Not so lucky.” He glanced at Alia and then back to Ryan. “But I’m working on it. Meet Alia Hawkins, a friend from the Bureau. How’s the ole man?”
“Hi, Alia.” Ryan shook hands with her. “Roy’s in 404 and he’s making a fuss. Says he needs to get home; something about a kid he’s taking care of.”
“Okay, thanks.” Sloan stopped Ryan from hurrying away. “Hey, man, two questions. One – where can I get an allergy shot for felines? I have a blasted cat in the house and it’s almost killing me.”
“Where? How about in the ass.” Ryan laughed at Sloan’s darkening expression and thumped him on the arm. “Just kidding, dude. Lighten up. They’re working on a new product named Cat-SPIRE. It’s promising to stop the symptoms after only four shots but the producers are still doing case studies now. Other than that, there’re needles, but it isn’t only one shot. It can take many.” Watching Sloan’s face drop, he added. “You’re probably better off just using the over-the-counter medication for now and getting rid of the cat.”
“Shit.”
Alia stepped closer. “We’ll take her back to the garage, Sloan. Kean will understand.”
“Yeah. Well, we’ll talk about it. In the meantime, can you tell us how Miss Hawkins can donate some blood for Roy? Les said he needs a transfusion and she’s his blood type, AB.”
Ryan perked up, looking interested. “Come with me, Alia, and I’ll take you to the lab. It’ll be good for the old guy to get some of the fresh red stuff. He’s pretty lethargic as well as argumentative.”
Sloan let go of her hand and watched Alia follow the blue-garbed nurse before he headed to room 404.
Roy was lying back on the white pillow, his hair a billowing cloud of silver framing his tanned face. The vivid blue of his eyes had paled slightly and his usual happy glow seemed less happy.
Chapter Forty-nine
“Blasted arthritis!” Roy spoke before Sloan could say a word and watched warily as the younger man moved to sit on the nearby chair. “I used to be able to climb any tree. Why in my youth, I was—”
“Don’t even start, Roy. Climbing trees like a young kid, at your age. Are you senile or just crazy?”
“Hey! You don’t get to talk to me like that. Show some respect.”
Sloan had played this game before, but this time he wasn’t going along. “No, Roy. You need to show some respect. To your body, and to me and Les. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can we trust you?”
Roy’s sheepishness appeared and he looked over Sloan’s head at the far wall. He waited. Usually
when he did this, Sloan would give in and break the silence first because he hated being on the outs with either of his old dads.
But this time, Sloan didn’t play. He also waited.
Finally, Roy huffed and reached for Sloan’s hand. “I’m a dumb old fool. Sorry, son. It’s just that Kean had been holding the kitten. And when that blasted old bulldog from across the way headed over, she started flailing around in a panic and he let her go. She headed right for the tree. Shot up into the top branches like she had a firecracker up her… ahh, back end.”
“Surely you knew she’d come down eventually. I’ve seen her up on those branches myself a few times.”
“I know. But when the kid started crying, I couldn’t stand it. He gets to me. Like you used to. I just wanted to make him happy again. I’d coaxed the kitten down, but when she ran past me I lost my footing and hit the ground.”
Sloan listened and then he added. “Do you remember when I fell out of that same tree? I was ten.”
Roy’s expression showed his distress, his bandaged head came off the pillow and his voice rose. “Don’t remind me. You broke your arm. It was a terrible time. I couldn’t sleep for days thinking how close you came to getting killed.”
Sloan just kept staring. Then he pointed at himself. “That’s where I am right now, Dad. Feeling what you did then.”
Roy paled, his hand shook as he held Sloan’s. “God, I’m sorry, son.”
The nurse and Alia entered just then, and Sloan had time to blink the moisture away before he caught Alia’s eye.
She nodded toward the back of the room and he joined her there while Ryan set up some equipment next to Roy. “They’ve taken and tested my blood and they’ll give him the transfusion. He’s pretty weak. They were happy to see me come in. The flight from Maui was still an hour out and according to the chart I caught a glimpse of, his blood pressure has dropped. It’s best if they don’t have to wait.”
“I’m so glad you were here. And could help him.”
“I know. In San Diego, I was a blood donor and they called me in a few times during dire situations. I’ve been meaning to sign up here in Honolulu. Now I will for sure.”
Sloan watched the nurse setting up the transfusion paraphernalia and hesitated to go back to Roy. A thought came to him out of the blue and he voiced the question. “I guess parents have the same blood type as their kids.”
“I think that’s how it works, but I really have no idea. I was adopted. Never did find out about my genetic pool, so to speak. I only know that I was born in San Francisco and my parents had to fly there from Chicago to pick me up. They always told me that my mother had been a young girl who’d decided she’d rather follow an acting career than be a mom. Her name was Scarlet Honor. She gave me up for a private adoption.”
“And you didn’t go after more information once you had the opportunities with the bureau?”
She bit her lip and searched his gaze that only showed interest. “Okay, I did. Found out that the adoption agency had shut down and the records had been passed on to the government agency that looked after Child Services. When I accessed those records, it seems Scarlet had died by the time I was two; she’d caught pneumonia and had serious complications. Poor girl never stood a chance.”
“And your adoptive parents?”
“What about them?”
“Are they in San Diego?”
“Nope. They’ve both passed. They were quite a bit older when they adopted me and cancer took both of them years ago.”
Sloan reached for her, his arms cuddling. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. They were nice people, Brits. Quiet and scholarly, both teachers. Sadly, I have no idea what made them decide they needed a baby. By the time I joined their little circle, they had various babysitters look after me most of the time and the rest, well… they just made sure I behaved.”
“And you did.”
“I had no choice.”
“How sad.”
“I was well fed, had nice clothes. Lots of kids had it far worse than me.”
“I never heard you add that you were loved.”
“Oh, I’m sure I was. It’s just that they couldn’t seem to show their affection. Not even with each other.”
“Like I said, how sad.”
Ryan called out to them and interrupted their conversation. “Sloan, Alia. We’re finished the transfusion.”
Roy piped up. “I feel surprisingly stronger. So, I’m thinking I want to go home.”
They both moved over to stand by the bed and Sloan glanced at the nurse who shook his head very slightly. “Not a good idea, Roy. We’ll take you back tomorrow. Tonight you rest up here and let them watch over you.”
Ryan added. “Yeah, man. There’s a little matter of a concussion. The doc has ordered us to monitor that for the night.”
Roy reached for Alia’s hand and squeezed her fingers as soon as they joined. “Thank you for giving an old man your blood. I feel like a new person already.”
She laughed and squeezed him back. “You’re so very welcome, Roy. I can see your coloring is better. You sleep well, and I’ll be around tomorrow with Kean who begged to come tonight. If the doc says we can take you home, we’ll break you outta here then.”
He laughed at her teasing, his blue eyes shining again. “You got it. I’ll be waiting. Now take this bully with you, or he’ll sit here all night, watching to be sure I don’t mess up again.”
“Oh, you’re not getting away with that nonsense, old man. I’m not going anywhere. Now shut up and go to sleep or I’ll cut off your Netflix.”
Alia looked amused and Roy added, “He’s always bugging me about how many movies I watch.”
She leaned in closer. “Far as I’m concerned, that’s pretty damn low. If the scoundrel messes with your viewing, you call me and I’ll fix it for you.”
“You’re my kind of girl.” Roy laughed and patted her cheek.
Sloan led Alia to the door and grudgingly passed over the car keys. “I’ll be staying here tonight, but you’ll need to get home for Kean. I can’t believe I’m letting you drive my baby again.”
As she took the keys from him, Alia patted his hand. “I’ll guard her with my life, I promise.”
He sighed, pretending to be hugely distressed. Meanwhile, he covered the very real dismay he was experiencing with witticism. “Just so you know; Don’s at the house doing the stakeout. I called him before we came to the hospital. He promised to sneak in and take over tonight’s vigil.”
“Oh, God, I forgot all about the case.” Alia’s shock wasn’t feigned. She had forgotten.
“I know. Not to worry. I told him to try and get the license number when the relatives are dropped off back at the Amans’. You grab some sleep now, then take over from him early and he’ll pick us up in the morning.”
He went to hug her but suddenly, he felt her shy away. Roy was there and so was Ryan, who still hovered around, tidying the room. Alia stepped out of the zone and shot him a sad smile before she blew Roy a kiss and left. The woman’s barriers drove him crazy. When they were alone, she was like another person, warm and open and willing.
But that wasn’t her nature, and he knew she had a long way to go to be as affectionate as he expected.
Chapter Fifty
Once he was sure that Roy had settled down comfortably, Sloan made his way to the hospital cafeteria. His allergy medication sometimes made him drowsy so he needed some caffeine to keep from dropping off.
At this time of the night, the restaurant was only open for pre-packaged sandwiches, hot drinks, sodas and some wrapped desserts, but there was enough choice for him to grab a little something.
A man came up behind him at the coffee machine and started up a conversation. “You have someone here in hospital?”
“My dad. He fell out of a tree trying to save a cat. How about you?” Sloan noticed the other man’s eyes narrow as soon as he turned his way. Recognition filled his expression which made Sloan look twice h
imself. “Do I know you?”
The Hawaiian fellow stepped back and shook his head. “Nah, man. I don’t think so.”
Sloan couldn’t stop. He felt drawn to find out more about the guy. “You have someone in here?”
“My boss. He got sh- hurt earlier. But I think he’s gonna recover. Gotta go.” The man stopped in the hallway and turned. “Your dad?”
“Pardon me?”
“You said your dad fell out of a tree.”
“Yeah. He’s not my real dad, but he brought me up and so I think of him that way. Why?”
“No reason. Hope he gets better.” The words followed the man as he rushed to the elevator, two coffees in his hand.
Sloan knew that whole exchange had been weird but he wasn’t sure why. As far as he knew the guy was a stranger. And yet he’d gotten the bizarre feeling that the other man knew him. In fact, knew him enough to question him about Roy being his father.
Accepting that people were odd at the best of times, he headed to the lounge close to Roy’s room and sat down with his food and drink. The TV was playing low and the breaking news caught his notice.
“Earlier tonight, Nick Kroller was shot in a gang war. The leader of the Kroller gang was attacked in front of his restaurant by unknown gunmen. He was rushed to hospital where he’s currently on life support. Sadly, an innocent bystander wasn’t as fortunate and was killed, as was one of Kroller’s bodyguards. No names will be released at this time until police have informed the families of the deceased. Witnesses say they saw a red Camaro leaving the scene. Police are investigating the crime and would like anyone who might have further information to come forward.”
Sloan’s shock slammed him so hard he dropped his sandwich and barely saved the coffee from ending on his lap too. A jolt of understanding penetrated and he started to rise, only to sink back into the orange leather chair.