Police Protector

by Dani Sinclair

  “Kitchen.”

  “Stay here. Both of you.”

  He left the room on that command, silent as a breeze. Kyra turned to the dresser, fumbling in the dark for her purse.

  “What are you doing?” Kip asked.

  “Getting my…Here it is.” She felt the shape with her fingers.

  “What’s that?”

  “Pepper spray. How did you know someone was out there, Kip?”

  “I was looking out the window. I saw someone creeping around the yard so I came to tell Lucan.”

  Kip’s bedroom faced the back of the house.

  “Good work.” She felt for the telephone on the small desk, picked it up and dialed 911. She had time to tell the dispatcher they had an intruder before a shot shattered the quiet.

  “Shots fired,” she reported, no longer trying to be quiet. “A police officer needs help.” More shots followed in close succession.

  “Lucan!” Kip shouted.

  Kyra dropped the phone and tried to grab for the boy as he ran into the hall. She stopped him when he would have started down the stairs. Brian’s door opened across from them.

  “Brian!” she called, holding Kip as Maureen’s door opened at the far end of the hall.

  The older woman stood silhouetted in a nightgown, holding a huge revolver. “To me, lass,” she ordered.

  Kyra herded the boys in her direction. “There’s someone in the house. Lucan went down to confront him.”

  “In with you. Lucan will handle him. Go stand in the closet with your sister,” she ordered the boys.

  “Again?” Brian complained as Maureen closed the bedroom door.

  “Is that loaded?” Kyra whispered.

  “Wouldn’t be worth a lick of salt if it wasn’t, now would it, lass? My Mitchell, God rest his soul, believed in being prepared. I’m accounted a fair shot. Now you littles get in there an’ keep down.”

  “Lucan might be hurt!” Kip protested.

  “Don’t ye be frettin’ over my Lucan. ’Tis the intruder should be doin’ the worryin’. This one picked the wrong house and no mistake.” She glanced at Kyra. “Pepper spray, is it? A gun would be better.”

  “I have one, but Lucan took my bullets.”

  She tsked. “An’ I hope he won’t be regrettin’ that decision.”

  Maureen’s bedroom faced the front of the house, so the boys raced to the windows as sirens screamed down the street. Neither Kyra nor Maureen bothered to corral them. The cruisers’ flashing lights overshadowed the Christmas lights across the street as uniformed officers converged on the house.

  Maureen crossed to her closet and replaced her gun in a cabinet, locking it. “No sense addin’ to the confusion,” she explained. “The police can handle it from here. I’d be putting that out of sight as well.”

  Kyra shoved the pepper spray in a pocket.

  “Where’s Lucan?” Kip demanded of the first officer to arrive.

  “Who?” The officer looked to Kyra.

  “Detective Lucan O’Shay. This is his mother and this is her house. Lucan went downstairs to confront the intruder and someone started shooting.”

  “We swept the downstairs, ma’am. There isn’t anyone there. But the kitchen door is wide open.”

  “The idiot! He’s hurt and he doesn’t even have shoes on! He’ll have pneumonia.” Kyra flew down the stairs. Lucan wouldn’t have gone far in bare feet. But if the police hadn’t seen him…Fear for him filled her as she hit the end of the stairs where she paused when she heard the deep rumble of his voice coming from the kitchen.

  “If I’d had shoes on, he wouldn’t have gotten away.”

  She scooted past another officer to where he stood. His face and hands were red from the cold and he was shivering hard.

  “Idiot! Captain Walsh told you to rest. Why did you chase him?”

  He turned. Somehow she was in his arms. He pulled her tight against his cold body, returning her fierce hug. “Everyone’s okay?”

  “Of course. We didn’t go outside barefoot in the cold chasing after a man with a gun. Lucan, how did he find us here?”

  Lucan scowled. “He must have been watching your sister’s place. He probably followed Todd and me here after the attack.”

  “Did you wound him at least?”

  His lips curved. “You never fail to surprise me.”

  She drew back far enough to glare at him. “I protect what’s mine, O’Shay, and you should be sitting down.”

  The children and his mother crowded into the kitchen with them. “Brian, would you be after fetchin’ his socks and shoes for me? There’s a good lad.”

  “Just the socks, Brian,” he corrected his mother.

  “We heard you shoot at him. Did you get him?” Kip asked.

  “No. But about that.” He turned to his mother. “We’re going to have to do some replastering, I’m afraid. And I hope you weren’t overly fond of that red cookie jar.”

  THE MORNING BROUGHT OVERCAST skies once more. It also brought colder temperatures and Todd Berringer. There was an aura of excitement about him as he relayed the captain’s request for Lucan and Kyra to come to the station. Todd even turned down a homemade sticky bun.

  “What’s going on?” Lucan asked.

  Todd glanced at the children who’d gathered around. “The captain needs to see you both right away.”

  Kyra didn’t hesitate. “I’ll get my purse and coat.”

  Lucan followed her example, glad he had arranged for Ronan and Neil to take the kids to a movie and back to Neil and Phyllis’s house afterwards. Flynn had planned to take his mother and Whitney Christmas shopping. Lucan wanted to keep everyone away from the house until this situation was resolved. Phyllis bravely offered to fix dinner for the entire family.

  “I’ll not be chased out of my home by a bully with a gun,” his mother had asserted when Lucan suggested she go and stay with one of his brothers. “If that idiot is daft enough to return, we’ll show him the error of his ways.”

  Budging a mountain was easier than moving his mother once she set her mind to something.

  Kyra had been fretting over the fact that her sister still hadn’t called. Lucan tried not to let her see how worried he was as well.

  As they left the house, Todd’s first words changed everything. “We have Casey and Milt Bowman.”

  “What?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Kyra asked at the same time. “Is my sister all right?”

  “When did you pick them up?”

  Todd held up a hand. “Hey, one at a time. I got a call last night at your house. Someone spotted Bowman’s car on a street in Adams Morgan. Turns out he’s staying with a girlfriend who has a place there. Your sister was staying with them.”

  Kyra and Lucan exchanged a startled glance.

  “We picked them up this morning when they headed out for breakfast. Casey’s asking for Kyra and her children.”

  “She’s okay?”

  “A little the worse for wear, but she’ll be fine and she has quite a story to tell. Seems Fillmont did call her from the golf course on Sunday and told her someone was trying to kill him. He warned her they might come to the house looking for him, but she didn’t have time to get the kids away before the power went out. So she put the kids in the safe room Fillmont had installed, thinking they wouldn’t hurt her. And other than a few slaps, they didn’t. But they ransacked the place looking for money they said Fillmont owed them.”

  Lucan nodded. “They were looking for the ring and pendant.”

  “I think so, too. They spent a lot of time pawing through her jewelry. When they couldn’t find anything, they forced Casey at gunpoint to go with them.”

  Kyra sent Lucan another quick look.

  “They tied her up and locked her in the basement of a house in D.C.,” Todd continued. “But your sister’s pretty resourceful. She eventually worked her way loose, got out of the basement and snuck out the back door. One of the cars in the driveway was unlocked with the ignition w
ires dangling. She managed to get it started. Unfortunately, the men heard her and came after her.”

  “How would Casey know how to do that?” Kyra asked.

  Todd grinned. “She said she saw it done in a movie once.” He pulled into the lot at the precinct house.

  “She lost the men on the Beltway and headed for home but took an off ramp too fast and lost control of the car. When she came to, she was trapped. She says she doesn’t remember much about the accident or getting free or climbing back up the embankment and the next thing she knew, she was in the hospital.”

  “Where your officers bullied her,” Kyra accused.

  “Manacuzzi was pretty rough on her,” Todd agreed. “And she was afraid they were going to arrest her for stealing the car. When he started in about the money we found in the house, she panicked.”

  “She just wanted to get to her kids,” Kyra protested.

  “I know. As soon as she could, she called Bowman’s cell phone and asked him to come get her. Unfortunately, the ice storm started. He was going to drive her home but the roads were too bad so he took her to his place instead.”

  “Bet his new girlfriend wasn’t happy about that.”

  Kyra glared at Lucan for his comment.

  “Actually,” Todd told them, “according to your sister, the three of them have become pretty friendly. She says the girlfriend got Bowman into treatment for his alcohol addiction and helped him find a new job. She even pushed Bowman to get back in touch with Casey and start paying child support. In return, he wants visitation rights.”

  “Then why did he try to run when Lucan found him at the house?” Kyra demanded.

  “Casey’s the one who hit me,” Lucan reminded her.

  Todd nodded. “Bowman was horrified when she clunked you one. Casey swears she didn’t believe you were really a cop. She thought you were with the men who kidnapped her.”

  Kyra’s expression hardened. “Is she under arrest? Does she have a lawyer?”

  “She waived her right to a lawyer. She’s been cooperating with us.”

  “She knows better than that! As of now I’m representing her. And as her counsel, I don’t want her saying another word until I talk to her.”

  “Kyra,” Lucan began.

  “I mean it, Lucan. Not another word. I want to see her.”

  “That’s why you’re here,” Todd agreed.

  CASEY FILLMONT WAS SITTING in a holding cell drinking coffee when they walked in after speaking with Captain Walsh. Casey nearly overturned her chair in her rush to greet her sister. Despite her badly bruised face and one arm in a sling, the two women still looked remarkably alike. Even their hairstyles were similar. Lucan could easily understand how Kyra had been mistaken for Casey.

  But once the emotion of the first few minutes had calmed down, it was Kyra who took charge as if she were the older sister. “Don’t say another word about what happened,” she cautioned Casey. “Not a syllable until after you’ve spoken with me privately. I’m going on record as your lawyer.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “Yes.”

  “But I hit a cop!”

  “Quiet! Not another word.”

  Casey looked past her to Lucan. “Ohmigod, he’s the one I—”

  “Quiet, Casey! This is Detective Lucan O’Shay. He’s been helping me try to find you.”

  “I’m so sorry. Really. I thought—”

  “Casey!” Kyra admonished.

  Lucan nearly smiled. “It’s all right, counselor. I’m fine, Mrs. Fillmont.”

  “You can’t be. You look worse than I do,” she argued. “Did I do that to your face?”

  Kyra rolled her eyes. Lucan did smile then. Casey’s concern was genuine.

  “No, ma’am. I was in a car wreck before you hit me.”

  “Ohmigod. That makes it worse! I’m so sorry! It was an accident!”

  “I understand.” And he did. Just watching her reaction to her sister had been enough to convince Lucan that Casey wasn’t involved in the robberies let alone murder. Only, he was a cop, and as a cop he had to deal with evidence. He was thankful that the captain and the D.A. agreed that they didn’t have anything to tie her directly to the crime. Still, Lucan was going to have to find the person who was guilty and prove it.

  “Lucan, I’m formally requesting some private time with my client,” Kyra announced.

  “Sounds good. Why don’t we take her over to Neil’s place. You two can talk after dinner. I imagine Casey would like to see her children.”

  “Yes, please!” Casey’s eyes welled with tears.

  Kyra appeared stunned. “You aren’t going to hold her?”

  “We aren’t charging her with anything right now, no. In fact, Captain Walsh is releasing a car for me to use, so if you’re ready to go, we can leave.”

  Casey hesitated. “What about Milt? He didn’t do anything wrong, and they arrested him and his girlfriend.”

  “There are no charges pending against Mr. Bowman and Ms. Pretermyer. They’ve already been released.”

  Casey limped over and threw her good arm around Lucan, hugging him tight. Manfully, he tried not to groan as muscles protested where her cast dug into him.

  “Thank you so much, Detective. I really am sorry I hit you.”

  Kyra sighed audibly. Her sister stepped back allowing him to breathe again. “I believe you,” he told her. “Ready to go?”

  Kyra followed him to the door as Casey began pumping her for information on the children. She swung between tears and laughter while Kyra related their adventures.

  Neil’s house was quiet when they arrived. The children were still at the movies, but Phyllis was there with the baby. She welcomed them like old friends and after a few minutes, Lucan stepped outside to call Todd. He was still standing out front when his brother’s car pulled up with Ronan and all the kids.

  “What are you doing here?” Ronan asked.

  Lucan smiled broadly. “I have a surprise for Kip, Brian and Maggie.”

  The three came to attention.

  Brian looked up eagerly. “What?”

  “It’s inside.”

  Kip got out of the car and hesitated.

  “Your Aunt Kyra is inside, too, Kip,” he added.

  The boy searched Lucan’s face and nodded acceptance. Before they got halfway to the front door it opened. Casey stepped outside.

  Kip stopped dead. “Mom? Mommy?”

  The three children pelted across the grass. Casey held out her good arm to welcome them.

  “Nice work, big brother,” Ronan said softly as the rest of the kids exited the car.

  Casey was laughing and crying and all four were trying to talk at once. Lucan’s gaze went to Kyra. She stood inside the door wiping at the tears running down her cheeks.

  “Sometimes, it’s good to be a cop,” he told his brothers.

  Neil clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get everyone inside before they freeze.”

  It was much later when Kyra drew Lucan into an unoccupied room and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed him exuberantly. “Thank you.”

  He continued to hold her when she would have stepped back.

  “Someone might come in,” she whispered.

  “Let them.” They were both breathing hard when he finally let her go. “You’re welcome,” he added with a smile. “But I don’t deserve any credit. Todd found her.”

  Flustered, Kyra stepped away from him. “I’ll kiss him later.”

  “You do and I’ll have to punch his lights out.”

  Her startled expression exactly matched his own surprise at the words that had fallen from his lips.

  “Tell me you didn’t just say that.”

  Ruefully, he shrugged. “I’m having a bit of trouble believing it myself.”

  Kyra eyed him sternly. “You aren’t going to go all neanderthal on me, are you?”

  “Wasn’t planning on it. On the other hand, I protect what’s mine as well.”

  Her eyes widened.
Mixed emotions crossed her face. She settled on stern.

  “That sounds a tad possessive, O’Shay.”

  “Feels that way, too,” he agreed. “Hey,” he held up his palms, “it’s scaring me as much as it is you. I don’t do possessive.”

  “Ha!” she scoffed. “You’re an alpha male and a cop. Of course you do possessive.”

  He shook his head. “I never have before.” That seemed to rattle her.

  “Then I suggest you don’t start with me.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I dragged you in here for a reason, O’Shay.”

  “Sadly, I think there’s too much family around for that.”

  She gave him a forbidding look. “I’m serious, Lucan.”

  “So am I.” His lips curved ruefully. “But go ahead, I’m listening.”

  “I want to act as a decoy to lure the killers in.”

  His smile vanished. “No.”

  “You haven’t even heard me out.”

  “The answer’s no. These guys aren’t playing around, Kyra. They’ve already killed once and they want your sister dead.”

  “Exactly. You can’t protect her forever, nor can she and the kids run and hide forever.”

  “You are not playing decoy.”

  Angrily, she faced him, hands fisted on her slim hips. “One night in my bed doesn’t give you any rights, Detective.”

  “We didn’t make it as far as a bed as I recall, and this isn’t a matter of rights, it’s common sense!”

  “We’ll see what Captain Walsh has to say!”

  “Kyra…Oh!” Casey came to a halt in the doorway. “Am I interrupting something?”

  “No. I was just leaving,” Kyra told her sister without taking her gaze from Lucan’s.

  Lucan sensed excitement in her sister’s banked expression.

  “What’s wrong, Casey?”

  Casey looked from one to the other and settled on Lucan. “Jordan just tried to call me.” She held out her cell phone.

  Lucan took it, noting the number.

  “That’s his cell phone number,” Casey explained. “There were half a dozen calls from him. This time he left a message. He wants me to call him back. What should I do?”

  Lucan thought fast. “Set up a meeting with him.”

  “Absolutely not!” Kyra interrupted. “The man is a killer! You are not putting my sister at risk!”