She glanced at Ethan, and he nodded. “Sure.” Her answer was unsure and hesitant.
“If you’d like, Honor can email you some pictures of Carson,” Ethan told her, picking up on what I was offering.
“I’d like that.”
“Chrissy, I can’t say I’m happy with how you handled the situation, but I understand,” Ethan told her.
“I know I screwed up. I promise you it will never happen again.”
“But, I can’t say I’m not pleased you where there to take care of Honor and Carson. Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.” Then her gaze was on me, assessing me the same way I’d done to her. “Thank you for loving them. I’m glad you’re all right.”
“It’s no hardship, and me too.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re eager to leave. I’m gonna go; I have a flight to catch.”
“Be well, Chrissy.”
“You, too, Ethan.”
She waved and just like that she was gone.
Ethan didn’t speak for a while and when he looked at me I wanted to flinch at the pain I saw. But I had to be strong for him. For us. So I waited until he was ready.
“Thank you for knowing what I needed even when I didn’t.”
His statement surprised me, and I was a little shocked he’d seen right through my intensions. I did want to thank, Chrissy, and I did want to hear for myself why she’d come back, but more than that I’d wanted Ethan to find the answers he needed.
“Did it help?”
“If by help you mean I feel like a jackass, then, yes. I’ve harbored some seriously fucked up thoughts about her over the years. Turns out my assumptions were wrong. I now believe she did have Carson’s best interest in mind when she gave her up. I can’t judge her for knowing what she could and couldn’t offer Carson. And I also can’t be upset that she gave me the greatest gift I’ve ever received.” He stopped speaking and moved to my bedside, lifting my hand from my lap. He brought it to his lips and kissed each knuckle. “That is, until you agree to be my wife and give me more children. Then that will be one of my greatest gifts.”
It was a start. Ethan could finally move on. And so could I.
“Take me home.”
“With pleasure.”
I really needed the nurse to hurry up. The no exertion rule was going to kill me. I wondered if kissing was considered a laborious action. Remembering the way Ethan’s lips felt on mine, and the way his tongue drove me into a sex-crazed frenzy, I figured it did. But it wasn’t going to stop me. It had been too long since I’d been in his arms.
26
“You’re sure?”
“Ethan, go to work. It’s been three days. I’m fine. And your mom is here to help me. You’re driving me batty,” Honor complained.
I didn’t want to go to work. This was my first shift since I’d arrived at the accident scene. The vision still haunted me, not that I’d tell Honor that. She had enough on her plate, and I didn’t feel one bit of remorse for not piling more on.
Sam was still in jail, having been denied bail, even after his over-priced lawyer had argued for his release. The judge had deemed him a flight risk and hadn’t taken kindly to Sam’s entitled attitude. It was worth noting the congressman had not shown up for his son’s bail hearing. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t been seen since Lorenz and Detective Wild had interviewed him. He seemed to be lying low until the media shit storm passed. It had me worried that my dad and uncles hadn’t been able to track him down. That meant he was purposefully hiding, and innocent men didn’t hide, not even politicians.
“I won’t be home until late. My dad said he and Carson would be done fishing in time to bring you and mom lunch when he drops her off.”
“Okay. We’ll be fine. Between you and your mom the house is fully stocked. I am capable of making dinner.”
“No way. You need to rest.”
“Handsome, you and Carson have waited on me hand and foot. I’m not saying I don’t love the attention, but I’m fine. Please stop worrying and go catch some bad guys. The sooner you leave the sooner you’ll be home.”
She was right. The faster I got this shift over with, the faster I could crawl in bed next to her and hold her. Carson and I had taken up residence in her room. I didn’t want her climbing the stairs to my room, and Carson didn’t want to be left out. So the three of us had squished into her queen-sized bed. As soon as Honor was completely healed, we’d be having a discussion about her moving her belongings up to my room. She could use the downstairs bedroom as an office. But I wanted her in my bed every night.
Carson hadn’t blinked at the change in our family dynamic. I no longer tried to hide my displays of affection and openly kissed Honor and held her hand. Child friendly of course, but I wasn’t looking over my shoulder before I pecked Honor’s cheek or forehead. Another thing that had changed, and had come quite naturally, was that Carson often told Honor she loved her, and Honor didn’t hide the sentiment either. It wasn’t discussed, and no one made a big deal out it. Things were simply moving in the right direction.
We’d quietly talked late into the night—about nothing and everything. Honor had been forthcoming telling me how much my silence had hurt her, and I vowed never to shut her out again. To say I’d learned my lesson was an understatement. I’d never do anything to jeopardize what we had. I’d fight to keep her. And as soon as she was up for it, I was going to ask her to marry me. I wanted my ring on her finger and a date set.
“All right, I can take a hint. I’m leaving.”
“It wasn’t as much of a hint as it was an ‘in your face’ request. You need to stop. You’re stressing yourself out. I don’t want you thinking about me when you need to be concentrating on staying safe.”
“Sorry, but it’s impossible for me to stop thinking about you. But, I will be safe. I love you.”
“I love you, too, handsome. Now go.”
“Anything new on the Sam Harris case?” I asked Lorenz when he walked into the locker room at the station.
“The DA seems to think she has an open and shut case. But something’s bothering me.”
“What does Detective Wild think?”
I knew my partner, he always spoke his mind. If he thought there was an issue, he would’ve shared it with the detective investigating the case.
“He agrees with me. The DA is jumping the gun. She thinks she has a straightforward case because the car is registered to Sam, the paint transfer matches Honor’s Honda, and he has personal ties to her. With your statement corroborating hers about the altercation at the restaurant. She thinks she has it in the bag. But we both know a good defense attorney is going to poke so many holes in her case it’s going to leak like a sieve. However, she won’t listen. But we need more.”
“Can I look over the evidence?”
“No go. You need to keep your nose out of it.”
He was right, but I still wanted to see the case file. Conflict of interest was a bitch. If Sam’s attorney caught wind I’d even glanced at the evidence he’d scream foul. I wouldn’t jeopardize the prosecution’s case, but I would offer Lorenz my opinion.
“How’s Honor?” He changed the subject.
“Apparently, I hover. Other than me annoying her, she’s fine. The bruising has faded, and her stitches come out in a few days.”
“That’s good. When she’s ready, Maria would like to have you guys over for dinner.” I tried to stifle a groan, but Lorenz caught the most inaudible grumble. “You’re not going to get away with hiding her for much longer. Maria’s already pissed as hell I’d kept Honor a secret from her this long. She wants to see for herself that you and Carson are happy.”
“I know. I’ll talk to Honor.”
Maria had been trying to get me to date for several years. She’d even tried to set me up with several of her friends, telling me I needed a Latina woman. She was of the opinion that Latina women knew how to take care of their men, and if the way she pampered Lorenz was anything to go by,
she was right. Though, Lorenz spoiled the hell out of her and their kids as well. It was the perfect balance of give and take.
“Lenox, a word?” My captain stopped me after the afternoon briefing.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” Lorenz told me and walked toward to exit.
“How’s Honor recovering?” he asked.
“Very well. Thank you for asking. I appreciate you approving my leave.”
“And Carson?” he asked, not bothering to acknowledge my gratitude.
“Five by five.”
“And you?”
“Not sure I’m tracking, Captain.”
“I need to know if your head’s in the game. I can’t have you out on the streets when you’re thinking about home.”
“Copy that.”
“And stay the fuck away from Detective Wild and the Harris case. I don’t want IA down here breathing down my neck.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Have a safe tour.”
“Thanks, Captain.”
When I made my way to the patrol car, Lorenz was already in the driver’s seat. I rounded the vehicle and got in.
“What was that about?” he asked.
“Head check,” I answered.
“Figured.”
I waited until Lorenz pulled out of the station parking lot before asking, “Did Sam give a statement?”
“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” He shook his head but answered, “He’s maintained that he’s innocent and someone must’ve stolen his car. He swears he’s being set up.”
“What do you think? About the being set up part. We both know the car being stolen is bullshit.”
“He doesn’t have an alibi. He says he wasn’t feeling well after lunch, went to his hotel room and fell asleep—alone. But the fact remains there are no traffic cameras that captured an image of him driving the car. Even though it’s registered to him, I think the DA is going to have a hard time placing him as the driver.”
“I agree. The congressman could’ve hired someone to run Honor off the road. Why would he set up his son?”
“That’s the question. He has the means, motive, and opportunity, but setting up his own son is a stretch.”
“One-Palmer-One. This is Dispatch.”
“One-Palmer-One. Go,” I responded to the radio call.
“Active shooter at Autumn Lake Nursing Home. Three twenty-five Gilmore. Repeat 3-2-5 Gilmore. Male is wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black baseball cap. Caller advised shooter has one hostage—female doctor.”
“Copy that. En route.”
“Nothing like starting our shift with a bang,” Lorenz deadpanned.
“One-Palmer-One. Go in soft. South side of the building.”
“Copy, dispatch.”
Lorenz turned off the sirens but left on the flashing lights and slowed his speed just enough to allow the traffic to move right.
It didn’t take long for Lorenz to pull into the south driveway of the nursing home. He’d just put the vehicle in park when the back door of the building flew open. A man fitting the suspect’s description fled the building with a female dressed in a white lab coat in front of him.
“Fuck,” I muttered and drew my weapon from my holster, using the open door of the cruiser as cover.
“Let her go and drop your weapon,” the officer closest to the suspect yelled and started to retreat to find cover.
The man brought the gun he’d had pointed at the doctor’s side up to her head and stopped.
“Move back or I’ll shoot her,” the man yelled.
I shifted my attention from the suspect to the hostage. She looked oddly calm, her arms limp at her sides, hands unclenched, and staring straight ahead. Before I had time to further analyze her behavior, she nodded slightly and dropped her weight in the suspect’s grasp. He tried to catch her as she fell to her knees in front of him. The distraction was all the officers needed.
A series of shots rang out, and I took off running toward the woman as the injured suspect crumpled on top of her. Lorenz got to them the same time I did and kicked the suspect’s gun out of arms reach and pulled his bleeding body off the woman.
“I got you,” I told her and pulled her to her feet. Holding her tightly I moved us away from the man’s dead body. “I’m not sure if that was the bravest or stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“My . . . my . . . dad and brothers are cops at the 727,” she stuttered. “It was my best chance. He was going to kill me.”
“Sounds like they taught you well.”
Her legs buckled, and I picked her up before she could fall.
“You’re safe now,” I reminded her.
She buried her face in my chest and started to sob. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” I found a bench and sat with her, still crying, in my arms.
“Will you radio my dad?”
I took in the scene around us, the SWAT was pulling in, even though they were late to the fire fight, and an ambulance was coming in behind them. The sea of red and blue flashing lights was overwhelming. It went against regulations, but the woman in my arms needed her dad.
“One-Palmer-One to dispatch,” I called into the radio on my shoulder. “What’s your dad’s name?”
“Sergeant Hudson. Steve Hudson,” she answered.
“Go. One-Palmer-One.”
“Call the 7-2-7. Sergeant Hudson’s attendance is requested at this location, forthwith. Be advised, his daughter was the hostage. Unharmed. I repeat, she is unharmed but requesting his presence.”
“Copy. One-Palmer-One.”
“He’ll be here soon,” I told her.
“Thank you, Officer . . .”
“Lenox,” I offered.
“I’m Lauren Hudson.”
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Hudson.”
I continued to hold Lauren on my lap as the other officers secured the building. Lorenz caught my attention from across the parking lot and started toward us.
“Miss,” he greeted and stopped in front of us. “The EMTs would like to check you over.”
“Not yet. I’m fine.” Her death grip around my neck tightened.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. They can wait.”
“He . . . he . . . killed his mother. She was my patient. He just shot her right in her bed. In front of me,” she cried. “Why would he do that?”
Jesus.
Lorenz lowered himself to a kneeling position in front of us.
“I’m sorry you had to see that.”
Tires screeching into the lot had Lorenz standing and stepping in front of me, offering us protection if need be. The car had barely stopped when the door flew open and a man held up a shield and ran toward the crime scene tape.
“Sergeant Hudson. 7-2-7,” he announced and ducked under the tape. “Where’s my daughter?”
Lauren’s body started to shake in relief as her father neared.
“Here,” Lorenz hollered and waved the man to our location.
“Christ almighty.” Sergeant Hudson stopped in front of me. I stood and offered the man his crying daughter. He happily transferred Lauren into his embrace and took my place on the bench.
Lorenz and I started to walk away to give the two of them privacy when his booming voice stopped me.
“Is the fucker dead?”
“Yes,” Lorenz answered.
“Thank you,” Hudson gruff voice cracked as he spoke.
“Just doing our job,” I told him.
I took a moment to soak in the view of father and daughter. It didn’t matter how old your children were, you always wanted to protect them. And when you couldn’t, it must be something akin to torture. I would do anything to keep Carson safe. I couldn’t begin to imagine what Steve Hudson had felt when he’d learned his daughter had been held at gun point. Nor the relief he’d experienced when he found out she was safe.
“Thank you all the same.”
We left them, and, as we we
re walking away, Lorenz clapped me on the shoulder.
“You’re such a softie.” He chuckled, poking me in the ribs.
“Fuck you,” I replied with no heat.
“Let’s wrap this shit up, I’m starving.”
“You’re the only person I know that can eat five minutes after seeing a dead body.”
Lorenz was driving and telling me a story about his sons taking apart their brand-new, two-hundred-dollar Xbox because he’d been bitching to them that kids these days didn’t know how stuff worked. He’d also told them that back in the day, boys played outside and got dirty. They also took shit apart and knew how to fix something when it broke. That conversation had led to the boys dismantling a perfectly good video game console to make their father happy.
“Two hundred fucking dollars down the drain. Maria thought that shit was funny because she doesn’t want them playing on it anyway. I told them I wasn’t buying a new one. If they wanted to use it, they’d better fix it.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, and seeing my father’s name on the screen I answered.
“Hey, Dad,” I said, still laughing at Lorenz’s story.
“Get home. Now,” my father thundered.
“What’s wrong?” I sobered.
“Honor’s gone. Your mother was tied up and gagged. The team is on their way.”
Holy fucking Christ.
“My house. Now.” I told Lorenz. “Fuck. ETA five minutes. Where’s Carson? How’s Mom?”
“Pissed as fuck. Details when you get here. Out.”
My father had gone into combat mode and, strangely, it was comforting. I’d need all the help my family could give me to find Honor. I relayed the information I had to Lorenz and dialed my Captain.
“Rolland,” he answered on the first ring.
“Someone broke into my house and tied up my mother before they abducted Honor.”
“You en route?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll call you out of service and have Detective Wild meet you there.”
“Warn Wild, my father will be armed, as will all of my uncles.”
Chasing Honor (The Next Generation Book 2) Page 20