“Good morning, Sergeant Cato.”
Nick looked up at Karen’s smiling face. He smiled in return, unable to think of a time when the nurse wasn’t smiling. “Good morning.”
She pushed the pump on the wall dispenser and saturated her hands with antibacterial gel. “You’re early,” she pointed out while slipping on a pair of gloves. She checked Vera’s IV and pushed a few buttons on the many machines next to her bed.
“Yeah, I know. I was in the area.”
“Well, Miss Vera has been bathed already. I was just about to massage those limbs.”
Karen lowered the blanket covering Vera and raised her gown. After adjusting the dial that was attached to an elastic belt around her waist, she reached for a knob on one of the machines. She looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear, knowing that she was about to put a smile on his face. “Ready?”
Nick nodded. He was filled with enthusiasm as Karen turned the knob, ready to make his day. The sound of his child’s heartbeat reverberating throughout the small room warmed his heart. No matter how many times he heard the proof of his thriving seed, his heart squeezed as if it were the first time.
“He’s strong,” Nick bragged.
“He?” Karen asked with a raised brow. “Are you sure Baby Cato is a he?”
Nick laughed softly. “Listen to that. That’s the heartbeat of a warrior.”
Karen shifted her weight to one foot and folded her arms over her large, motherly bosom. “Zena was a warrior,” she said with a grin. “Could be a warrior princess in there.”
“Could be,” Nick agreed with a shrug.
Truthfully, he didn’t have a preference. All he wanted was a happy, healthy baby.
The corners of Karen’s soft, hazel eyes crinkled as she smiled. “I could tell you, ya know.”
Nick held his hands up and shook his head. “No, ma’am, I don’t want to know.”
Salt-and-pepper curls bounced around her plump face when she laughed. “You sure?” she prodded. “I could just—”
“No, thank you, Karen,” he reiterated with a wave of his hand. “Get on outta here. I’ll give Vera her massage.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m sure. Go on back to that nurses’ station and get your gossip on.”
Karen chuckled. She peeled the gloves from her fingers and tossed them into a trashcan. “Well, alrighty then. I’ll see you later.”
When she left, Nick moved to the foot of the bed and pulled the blanket from Vera’s legs. He slid his hand under her small calf and frowned when he felt how cold her skin was. As taught to him by Karen, he rubbed deep circles into her flesh. As he massaged her skin, he spoke with her as if she were awake and attentive. As usual, he told her about what was going on at work, how nursery preparations were going, and how her family was doing. Omitting everything that had anything to do with Rebecca, he told her how he and Vince had gone out for drinks. Basically, he caught her up on everything that had happened since the last time he’d seen her.
Nick sighed and moved to the other leg. Because he couldn’t get Rebecca off of his mind, the guilt intensified with every word he spoke. Even though he knew his wife was gone and wouldn’t be coming back, he felt like the kiss he’d shared with Rebecca and his attraction to her was betrayal. It felt like cheating. Technically, since his wife’s heart was still beating, it was.
“What’s up, Bro?”
Nick looked up just as Vince entered Vera’s room. He placed his briefcase in a chair near the door and walked over to the bed. After kissing his only sister on the forehead, he looked up at Nick.
“You’re here early.”
“I caught a case that brought me here. So, I decided to stop by.”
Nick rubbed Vera’s feet, noticing that her toenails had been painted in soft pink. Two days before, they’d been a beige color. Vince’s wife, Tanya, must’ve been there the night before.
“What kind of case?” Vince questioned. “Dope?”
“Nah. Witness tampering. I’ll tell you later.”
Vince and Nick were as close as brothers. He had no problem telling Vince about what had gone down with Rebecca, but he wasn’t about to tell him while in the room with his wife. And thankfully, Vince didn’t push. He nodded and clutched Vera’s hand.
“Baby growing strong?”
The mention of his baby made Nick smile. “Yeah. His heartbeat is strong. She’s keeping him strong.”
Vince chuckled, and he knew it was because he always referred to their baby as male. “Good… good,” he responded with a nod.
Vince pushed his bushy black hair out of his face, exposing expressive brown eyes. He wasn’t the sensitive and emotional type, but Nick could see his anguish every time he visited his sister. Before the accident, he and Vera had been inseparable. They were only two years apart, and even though she was the youngest, Vera had been like the mother he’d never had. Since their mother had passed away when Vince was four and Vera was two, neither had much of a memory of their mom. So, she’d taken it upon herself to perform duties around the household that a mom would have normally done.
“Sergeant Cato,” Karen called from the doorway.
Nick turned from his grieving brother-in-law. “Yes?”
“Can I speak to you out here?”
Nick raised a curious brow at the nurse. Her expression told him whatever it was she wanted to discuss was serious. He stood, worried that she might be getting ready to give him bad news about his wife or unborn child. He looked to Vince.
“Um…”
“Go,” Vince told him. “I’ll be right here.”
He was feigning confidence, but Nick could tell he was nervous too. Unfortunately, he couldn’t reassure his brother-in-law, especially when he wasn’t all that confident. But as Karen requested, he walked out into the hall.
“What is it?” he asked as he exited the room.
“Your captain called the nurses’ station. She said your phone was going straight to voicemail.”
Normally, when visiting his wife, Nick put his cellular in do-not-disturb mode. So, he wasn’t surprised that his phone was going to voicemail. What did surprise him was the fact that Elizabeth had called the nurses’ station. It wasn’t something she did.
He held a nervous breath, praying she wasn’t calling to tell him that something had happened to one of his officers. “Ooo… okay?”
She held out her hand, gesturing toward the nurses’ station. “You can take the call here.”
He followed her over to the desk and waited as she walked around to hand him the receiver. When she pushed a button, he was hesitant in raising the phone to his ear, afraid of hearing potentially devastating news. Hesitant or not, he needed to face whatever it was.
“Cap?”
“Cato, I’ve asked you to keep your phone on when you’re on duty.”
Nick blew out an impatient breath. “Cap, my phone is on. What’s up?” His nerves were already frayed from the incident with Rebecca. He needed her to get to the point.
“Your boy’s gone,” she clipped in an irritated tone.
Nick squinted, trying to figure out what she was talking about. “Whaddaya mean?”
“Robinson. Your boy, Boogie. He escaped from custody.”
Nick’s mouth flew open. “How is that possible? There are uniforms guarding him, it’s too high to jump, and he’s injured.”
“One of the officers went to the bathroom. Robinson was then able to disarm the other one and flee with his weapon.”
“Oh, shit!” Nick cursed. “Rebecca?”
“She’s fine, guarded like the Pope. Focus on finding that piece of shit!”
KING
“That’s it! You’re you gonna come stay with us!” her dad insisted.
As soon as the plain-clothes officer announced that Boogie had escaped, Rebecca’s dad had been pacing the floor, trying to figure out a way to keep her safe.
Rebecca lay back against the pillow and slid down into the cool sh
eets. She was angry, even afraid that he’d escaped, but her dad was in a full-fledged panic.
Her tiny hospital room was filled with people—her dad, two uniform cops, some lieutenant, Paula, and Jessica.
And as if it wasn’t crowded enough, Sergeant Nick Cato burst into the room. “Are you okay?” he asked, scanning the small room.
“I’m fine,” she assured, obviously not loud enough, because her response was clearly disregarded.
“She okay?” the sergeant asked Jessica and then her dad.
“Wow.” Rebecca scoffed. “I… said I was fine. Look, everybody, calm down.”
“Have you found him?” Jessica asked.
“Not yet, but we will.”
“Well, until you do,” her dad interjected, “she’s gonna stay with me.”
Rebecca shook her head. She had no plans to stay with her dad and his wife.
“That’s not a good idea,” Nick contradicted.
“What?”
“Moving into the same neighborhood as Robinson’s buddies is not a good idea.”
He was right, and she wasn’t about to leave her nice, comfortable loft to live in a tiny apartment in the projects.
“She can stay with me,” Jessica offered.
“No, Jess. I can’t,” Rebecca disputed.
Nick moved closer to her. She could see the worry in his oceanic blues.
“You don’t have to,” he said softly. “I’ll post up at your place until we find him.”
“No offense, Sergeant, but she barely knows you,” her dad pointed out.
“No offense, sir, but she barely knows you,” Paula countered.
Rebecca’s eyes flew to her friend. She had told her she’d just recently met her father, but she certainly hadn’t expected her to comment. But bold or not, she was right. She’d only been around her dad a couple of times. She barely knew him or his wife. And no matter how afraid she was that Boogie was free to finish what he’d started, she wouldn’t be comfortable staying with him.
“I think, the sergeant—”
“Rebecca, I was just—”
Everyone looked toward the door. All conversation ceased when Dr. Thantos entered the room. Rebecca immediately noticed the change in the sergeant’s demeanor. He stepped away from the bed, nodding at the doctor.
Dr. Thantos acknowledged his nod with one of his own. He seemed genuinely surprised he was at her bedside.
“I-I…I’ll be back,” the sergeant announced as he hurried out of the room.
With a question in his expression, Dr. Thantos turned to Rebecca and cleared his throat. “Hello, Rebecca. How are you feeling?”
9
King
“Where do you want this?” the sergeant asked, holding out the small duffle bag he refused to let her carry.
“Anywhere. Right there is fine.” Rebecca pointed to the floor next to the cream, antique settee. She sat her purse on a cocktail table and walked toward her wine rack.
“Red or white?” she asked.
Truthfully, she didn’t care which he chose. After an ass-whooping and a week in the hospital, she was definitely the one who needed a drink.
“You got beer?”
“Is Blue Moon okay?”
“Is Blue Moon beer?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then, it’s okay.”
Rebecca walked around the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room and opened the fridge. Thankfully, although Paula was a beer drinker, she never finished the cases she’d brought for their girls’ nights in. Rebecca pulled a cold one out and twisted off the cap. When she turned, the sergeant was sitting on a stool on the other side of the counter.
“Would you like a glass, Sergeant?”
“No, but I would like for you to call me Nick. Please.”
She chuckled. He’d asked probably a hundred times, but she was still referring to him as Sergeant. She slid the bottle across the counter and rested on her elbows. “Thanks for this.”
“This?”
“Looking out for me,” she clarified.
He granted her a sexy, lopsided grin that showed just a peek of his perfect smile. “No worries. After all, I feel a little responsible.”
She pursed her lips. “How?” she scoffed. “I kissed you.”
“Still,” he countered with a shrug. “When I’m not working, I’ll be right outside, and every watch will have a squad car paying special attention. Robinson won’t be coming anywhere near you.”
He twisted the cap from the beer bottle and lifted it to his mouth. She couldn’t help the throb in her core when he pushed the mouth of the bottle to his lips. His eyes never left hers as he took a generous gulp. It wasn’t until he pulled the bottle from his lips that she was able to speak.
“Out there?” she asked. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll be in my car, watching the house.”
She pushed off the counter to stand straight. “Aren’t you working days and afternoons?”
“Mostly. Why?”
“So, you plan on staying out there in a car overnight?”
He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s cool. I work narcotics. Overnight surveillance isn’t new to me.”
He pushed sandy, wavy hair out of his face, giving her an unobstructed view of his chiseled masculinity. His thick, dark lashes blinking over striking blue eyes were mesmerizing. So much so, she could watch the simplicity of just him blinking for hours.
Rebecca broke free from the haze of his male beauty and walked around the counter. “Nick, I have a guest room. You are more than welcome to protect me from in here.” She walked over to the wine rack and picked a decent Pinot Noir. “I wouldn’t feel right knowing you’re sitting in a car all night.”
She grabbed a corkscrew and pulled a large-mouth wine glass from the rack.
“Rebecca, it’s really no big deal,” he said before taking another swig.
She returned to her spot at the counter and fiddled with the cork. “You’ll stay in the guest room,” she insisted, unwilling to take no for an answer.
He returned the bottle to his lips. “Got a bit of a bossy streak, I see,” he muttered before drinking.
Rebecca giggled. “A little bit. When you finish that, I’ll show you the guest room.”
CATO
“Your place is really nice. It’s very… artsy.”
She laughed. “Artsy? Yeah, I suppose.”
Halfway down a hall, she opened a tall wooden door, flipped on a light switch, and stepped inside. “Welcome to your temporary quarters.”
Nick stepped inside and found himself surprised at how big the room was.
“That door right there is your bathroom. That door is a closet. If you need anything, I’m at the end of the hall.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Alrighty, then, I’m gonna go and get my stuff ready for work tomorrow.”
Nick frowned and flopped down on the bed. He was taken aback by how soft it was, way softer than it looked. Rebecca’s home was not only decorative but functional.
“Work? You’re actually going to work tomorrow?”
She leaned against the wall, landing her soft, brown gaze on him. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I? There is no way Boogie could get to where I work in the institute. There is way too much security.”
Nick leaned forward and glared at her through narrowed eyes. Her nonchalant attitude towards everything that had happened over the past week was astonishing.
“Rebecca, you had a heart attack or did you forget?”
Her shoulders slumped and a soft sigh escaped her lips. “I know,” she whispered, tucking a few loose, curly strands of auburn behind her ear.
“That’s a big deal.”
“I know,” she repeated.
“Well, don’t you think you should take it easy for a little while?”
She shifted as if the conversation was making her uncomfortable. “I’ve been in the hospital for a week, Nick. I’m doing good now.�
�
He got the feeling she was being more than just nonchalant. He pushed off the bed and moved closer. She appeared unnerved by the lack of distance between them. Nonetheless, he pushed a curly strand behind the other ear and looked deep into her eyes.
“Rebecca, have you had a heart attack before?”
She looked away, avoiding his scrutiny. “Geesh, Nick.” She chuckled nervously. “I’m fine.” She pushed off the wall and side stepped until she was near the door. “If you need me, I’m right down there,” she told him, pointing in the direction of her bedroom.
He was fully aware that she was avoiding the conversation, but he didn’t want to push. Because, whether she shared with him or not, he knew he’d get answers. After all, he had a source.
Dr. Thantos…
10
Cato
“So, Nick, what’s new?”
Nick’s smirk was meant to let Dr. Thantos know he knew he was referring to Rebecca King. “Not much, Doc. Same shit, different day.”
Dr. Thantos raised a brow and leaned back in his chair. “Might be a different day, but definitely not the same shit. Rebecca King?” The doc didn’t waste a minute getting right to the point. He scratched his beard and waited for Nick to respond.
“She’s part of a case I’m working. How do you know Miss King?”
“Part of a case? That’s it?”
“Yep.”
Nick had waited all week for his appointment with the doctor so he could get answers, but it was the doctor doing the interrogating. Yet, he was determined not to let Dr. Thantos shrink answers out of him. He needed the doc to spill.
“Now that you know what I was doing in her room, tell me why you were there. Don’t you specialize in grief counseling?”
The doctor nodded with a grin. “I have many specialties, Sergeant. I am the director of psychiatry at this hospital. Now, it’s my understanding that Miss King had the misfortune of having to kill someone in self-defense. No?”
Cato’s Heart Page 5