On His Watch (Vengeance Is Mine Book 1)

by Susanne Matthews

“Before Mommy got hurt, I was going to get a puppy from Joey. I want a puppy like that one.”

  “You mean a Sheltie.” He smiled at Nikki and winked. “Joey’s dog had puppies back in July. It seems his father’s purebred Sheltie met up with a mutt. He tried to get my brother to take one.”

  He picked up one of the coffee cups and sipped. “Cassie just made a fresh pot. The munchkin here says you like your morning cup of joe.”

  “I must, because it smells fantastic.” It felt strange to be having a conversation like this with a man she barely knew in what was supposed to be her bedroom. Sure, he’d seen her in a bed in the hospital, but somehow this was more intimate, even with a five-year-old as chaperone.

  “How do you feel? You were restless earlier. I thought you might be having a nightmare, but before I could wake you, you settled again. This young lady, on the other hand, was raring to go, so I took her with me to give you a little more sack time. Cassie’s just finishing her breakfast, and I’m expecting a call from Ivan soon. I thought that, since you want to be kept in the loop, we could take the call in here on speakerphone. That way you’d hear what he has to say yourself.”

  “Thank you. That’s most considerate of you.” She was surprised at how much more at ease he was today. She must have been in far more danger than she’d realized. She relaxed and accepted the friendship he seemed to be offering. “Right now though, I need to get out of bed.” She felt her cheeks redden. “Nature’s calling.”

  He laughed. “Right. If I carry you to the bathroom can you manage, or do I need to get Cassie?"

  Determination and pride warred momentarily and determination won. “If you can get me there, I can take care of my needs.”

  He turned to Mandy. “Honey, Cassie is making cookies. Why don’t you go and see if she could use some help?”

  “Cookies, yes! Will you keep Mommy company til I get back?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Mandy jumped up onto her knees and bounced up and down on the bed. She must have conveyed her discomfort because Jason grabbed the child in mid-bounce and carried her, giggling, to the doorway and set her down. He tugged her pigtails.

  “Go.”

  She ran down the hall, the sound of her laughter echoing behind her. Nikki smiled. This was the second time she’d noticed his easy way with her daughter. He must be a great dad. Sam certainly hadn’t been from what Mandy had said, and she doubted Thomas would’ve fit into that category either. Sometimes, what you learned from others made as big an impact on you as memories did.

  Jason came back to the bed, lifted her up as if she weighed nothing, and carried her to the bathroom. Supporting herself with the counter and wall, she managed to accomplish her business. How could such a simple task tire her so much?

  “Jason,” she called softly, and the door opened immediately.

  “All done?”

  She nodded. He carried her back into the bedroom.

  “Bed or chair?” he asked.

  The recliner sat in front of the French doors. “Chair, please.”

  He deposited her gently, and then moved the tray-table over and adjusted it to her level.

  That’s when she realized she knew something else about herself. She pointed to the yellow fruit in the dish. “I don’t like grapefruit, but the rest looks great.”

  “Eat what you like, leave the rest. I’m not a fan of it either.”

  He sat on the edge of the bed across from her and rubbed the back of his neck.

  The nervous gesture made her frown.

  “What is it? I know something’s bothering you.”

  He chewed his lower lip, reminding her of a young boy about to confess something he knew his mother wouldn’t like.

  “You know in the case of a violent crime like this one, we don’t always have a lot of leads, and we had to investigate everyone who might have a reason to want your husband dead.” He took a deep breath. “You’re not going to like this, but I’ve been looking into your family to see who would benefit from Sam’s death and yours.”

  Was this what he’d been hiding from her? Was this why he looked guilty when he’d told her about the crime?

  “By my family, I assume you mean my parents. Is there someone else? Mandy mentioned Aunt Mitch. Jason, I’m not blaming you. I have no loyalty to these people. I don’t know them, so quit dancing around, and tell me what you’ve found.”

  He relaxed and smiled, the gesture transforming his face, making him look younger and far more attractive than she’d thought.

  “I looked at your dad, and your husband.”

  She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “But Sam was one of the victims.”

  “I know, but he could have arranged to have it done and something went wrong.”

  “Now, that’s a pleasant thought,” she replied sarcastically. “My husband, who may or may not have been an abusive imposter, got himself and our son killed trying to kill me.” She took a mouthful of eggs, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed.

  “As much as I’m not a fan of Sam or my father, I find it hard to believe that either one of them would order the death of an eight-year-old boy.”

  “I agree. Your father has an alibi, and I couldn’t find anything to connect your husband, but that was before I knew he wasn’t the man I thought he was. We’re digging deeper now. It seems my coworkers uncovered information they hadn’t expected. It’s about you.”

  Shock filled her followed by anger as her newly discovered temper erupted. “You think I had my son and my husband murdered and then asked to have myself beaten to within an inch of my life so I’d lose my baby? What kind of monster do you think I am?” She was shaking so badly she had to put down the fork.

  Jason jumped up and ran his hand through his hair. She could see, from the stunned look on his face, that he hadn’t expected her outburst.

  “Maybe I said that badly. I didn’t mean any such thing. Of course you’re not a suspect, you never were. Ivan sent me a text. He was looking into the financial side of things and found your trust fund. His French-Russian aristocratic background sometimes opens doors closed to others. He discovered something he thinks you’ll find interesting.”

  Nikki, mollified by his tone, her temper barely under control, nodded.

  She added cream and sugar to her coffee to cover her embarrassment over her earlier outburst.

  “Irene Marion said it wasn’t uncommon for people in situations like mine to undergo personality change. I gather I was a bit of a wimp before. I’m more emotional and outspoken now. I’m sorry for snapping your head off.”

  He chuckled. “Anytime you need to rant, feel free. Consider me your whipping boy. I’m tough. I can take it. God knows you’ve earned the right to be angry.”

  “What did Ivan discover?”

  “I’d rather let him tell you that himself.”

  Before she could say anything else, Cassie, Nathan, and Mandy entered the room. Mandy came over and kissed her cheek and then stood beside her. The action calmed Nikki even more. She was going to have to work on her hair-trigger temper.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Hart. I’m Nathan, Cassie’s husband. I’ll be taking care of you for a while. Have you finished eating?”

  “I have.” She was surprised to see she’d eaten more than a third of what she’d been given.

  “Good. Jason, how about taking Mandy back to the kitchen to watch those cookies.” He winked. “They should be ready to come out of the oven soon. Don’t eat them all.”

  Jason nodded. “Cookies? Did someone say cookies?”

  Mandy giggled. “Cassie made peanut butter cookies. I helped.” The oven timer bell rang. Mandy grabbed Jason’s hand. “Come on. They’re for Mommy, and we don’t want them to burn.” She began tugging the man at least five times her size out of the room. He went willingly.

  Nikki smiled.

  “I can’t wait to taste them. Peanut butter cookies are my favorite.” And they were.

  Mandy stopped. “When I come back, I’ll
bring some books and you can read to me again. They have lots of books here, some of my favorite ones, and Cassie brought Drummer Hoff, too.”

  Nikki swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “Sweetie, there’s nothing I’d like more than that.”

  The timer rang again. “Hurry, Jason, or they’ll be ruined.” Mandy pulled him out of the room.

  Cassie laughed. “She’s certainly full of energy this morning.” She closed the drapes and turned on the lights.

  “I’ll just take a quick look at you, and then let Cassie get you ready to face the world,” Nathan said. “We’ve got a walker for you that I’ll bring in later. Moving around, even slowly, will strengthen your muscles faster than any passive exercises we could do. If you need to get up before you master it, Jason or I can carry you wherever you have to go.”

  He checked her eyes, her blood pressure, and her pulse. “Any pain? Any blurred vision? ”

  “Not really, as long as both eyes are open, I can see fine. I get sharp twinges in my hand every now and then, but for the most part, it’s okay.”

  “The twinges are probably from the healing nerves. Your right eye will compensate for your left, but you may want to get glasses when this is over. If you get a headache, let me know. That could be a side effect of overusing your eye. I can see your speech is almost back to normal. You might find yourself hunting for words now and then, but don’t let it bother you. The slight slurring will probably be gone by tomorrow.”

  He smiled confidently, and Nikki liked his straightforwardness.

  “I looked through your file on the plane. You’re one lucky lady.” He turned to his wife. “For now, Cassie, give her the meds Dr. Marion prescribed, but hold off on the Demerol. No point in giving it to her if she doesn’t need it.”

  He focused on Nikki once more. “Tell me, Mrs. Hart, have you been having nightmares or strange dreams? The medication can do that. It can cause hallucinations, too.”

  “Please call me Nikki. I’ve had some unusually vivid nightmares, but I don’t really remember them—just bits and pieces, most of which don’t make sense. If I stop taking the painkillers, will the horrible dreams stop?”

  “They may, but then again, the dreams could be related to the subdural hematoma you suffered. You know, the blood that pooled around your brain because of your head injuries. I can’t say for sure either way, and I don’t want you struggling with pain unnecessarily. Too much pain can actually delay your body’s ability to heal itself.” He moved away from the bed to let Cassie get closer.

  “I’m doing double duty here, doctor/bodyguard. I’ve got to do the outside sweep. I’ll be back in an hour, and we’ll do some physio.” He pecked his wife on the cheek and left, closing the door behind him.

  Nikki smiled at the nurse. “He seems like a really nice guy. How long have you been married?”

  “Three years last month.” Concern crossed her face. “We hadn’t expected he’d be deployed overseas again, but they really need doctors. When his time’s up, he’s going to try and find a nice quiet practice in a small town. I’ll work for him, and we’ll make our marriage a real partnership.”

  “Being able to work side by side with the man you love must be a wonderful thing.” Somehow Nikki knew that hadn’t been the case for her and Sam.

  “Yeah, and with the baby on the way...” She rubbed her belly, and a pang of envy pierced Nikki.

  Cassie picked up the discarded food tray and set it on the edge of the bed she’d made while Nathan had examined her.

  “Let’s get you ready to face the world. Do you think you can try to stand a few minutes?”

  “I’m game if you are. I’m anxious to get on my feet again.” She sobered. “I’ve lost enough time.” And two children. “I want to be able to pull my weight here. I don’t like having to rely on others.”

  “Be right back.”

  Cassie went into the bathroom and brought back the items she’d need to give Nikki a sponge bath. As she worked, she chatted about all kinds of things, including Nikki’s ordeal. If her intention was to make Nikki more accepting of her help, it worked.

  “I can’t get over how far you’ve come and so quickly. I’ve had patients who’ve been injured only half as badly as you, and they take months to rehabilitate to the level you’ve come in three days.”

  “Maybe they didn’t have the same incentive I do. Knowing someone’s trying to kill you is a great motivator, and having an FBI agent whisk you out of the hospital and off into God knows where makes you want to do whatever you can to take charge of your life again.”

  She doubted her old self had ever been in charge of anything. From what she’d seen of her father, and what she’d discovered about her husband, it looked like she’d married a man just like her dad—and it hadn’t been a good match.

  “You’re really lucky to have someone like Jason in your corner. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been there fighting for you.”

  “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.” Nikki frowned

  “I’m sure he’s thrilled to have you on the mend,” Cassie said. “The night they brought you in, he refused to leave until he knew you were out of danger. He came in regularly, especially when it was touch and go, and urged you to fight to survive.”

  While Cassie seemed to think Jason’s actions were heroic, Nikki was uncomfortable with the thought a stranger had done all that for her. Why? What could motivate a man, even a lawman, to go to such extremes?

  “He probably expected I would wake up and identify the killers from a bunch of mug shots like they do in the movies. I’ll bet he’s disappointed. Now, not only am I awake, I don’t remember a damn thing, and the killer’s still after me and Mandy, so he has double the work.”

  “I think there’s more to it than that. It might be the excuse he gave your father when he wanted us to pull the plug...”

  Nikki gasped. “What did you say? My father wanted me taken off life support?”

  Cassie turned beet red. “Oh God. I didn’t mean to say that. I’m sure it wasn’t the way it seemed. You were in such bad shape. No one expected you to make it. Your mother was a basket case. I’m sure he just didn’t want you to suffer. He was doing what he thought was the right thing.”

  As awful as Cassie’s revelation was, it supported the strange feeling she’d gotten when she met her father. He really hadn’t been pleased to see her alive. “Tell me what happened.” Her voice was firm, and Cassie swallowed nervously.

  “You developed pneumonia and had trouble breathing so Dr. Marion put you on the respirator. Your father wanted her to take you off the machine and let you die in peace. Jason threatened to get a court injunction to stop him. They had a terrible argument about it. Eventually, your father backed down, but Jason insisted there be someone with you at all times until you were out of the woods.”

  Cassie helped her into a soft green sweatshirt and continued speaking, but Nikki couldn’t focus on her words. Her father had wanted to let her die? What kind of parent did that?

  Chapter Twelve

  Freshly dressed in a comfortable mint-green fleece leisure suit with socks and slippers to keep her feet toasty, Nikki sat in a leather recliner, a pillow taped to the left arm of the chair to support the heavy fiberglass cast. A plaid blanket had been thrown across her knees. She continued to dwell on the information the nurse had reluctantly shared with her.

  Cassie had left the bedroom door open, and she could hear Mandy’s voice coming from the front of the house. She heard heavy footfalls and turned to see Jason in the doorway.

  “I’m impressed. Most people who’d been through what you have would still be flat on their backs, but you look ready to take on the world.”

  He smiled and she noticed once more how it changed his appearance. She saw the dimple in his left cheek—Danny had a dimple too. She’d noticed it in the family picture. She liked the way the skin creased around Jason’s eyes, involving his entire face in his smile. She wondered how old
he was, then shook her head at the wayward thought. What did his age have to do with anything?

  “I would still be in a hospital bed, too, if you hadn’t insisted on bringing me here, for which I thank you. The sooner I’m back on my feet, the better. How’d the cookies turn out?”

  “Pleased to report we didn’t burn a single one and only ate two each.” He sobered. “Ivan’s waiting for me to return his call. Cassie has Mandy doing schoolwork—she downloaded the kindergarten curriculum for California homeschools. Nathan’s outside on perimeter watch. So, unless you’ve changed your mind, we can do this now.”

  “Now’s fine. Is he in San Francisco?”

  Nikki was amazed at how much more relaxed she felt with Jason than she had yesterday. Knowing the guy had fought to keep her alive did give him a leg up in her estimation.

  “No. He’s in Boulder, one of the people we have on stand-by if we need more help.” He walked closer to the chair and stopped. Nikki could have sworn he was about to touch her, but pulled back at the last minute. What was up with that?

  “Mandy’s quite the little taskmaster.” She felt the need to fill what she found was a suddenly awkward silence. “She’s got my day all planned out for me.”

  He smiled once more, but his eyes were serious. “As long as you remember not to overdo it.” He dialed the cellphone he carried in his left hand and placed it on the tray table in front of her.

  Ivan answered on the second ring.

  “Oui, allo?”

  “It’s me, Ivan. I have Nikki with me.”

  “Bonjour Monsieur Smirnov. C’est un plaisir de vous parler encore. Oh, it seems I speak French.” Jason looked as surprised by her knowledge as she was.

  “Enchanté, Madame Hart, the pleasure’s all mine.”

  “Call me Nikki, please. I’m not even sure if Hart is legal.” She looked over at Jason for confirmation.

  Jason nodded. “For the moment, it’ll do, but you may want to change it after this is over. You used Nicole Lincoln as your professional name.”

  “So, how are you feeling today?” Ivan asked. Jason tells me you’ve remembered something from your past.”