Sworn to Protect, page 10
“You’re exhausted,” he said quietly. “How about you let me hold the baby while you rest? I won’t leave the room with her. I promise.”
She forced her eyes open and looked at his familiar face. How had she never noticed the flecks of gray in his dark eyes, or how long his lashes were?
“Have you ever held a baby?” she asked, shifting her gaze before she could notice more.
“Not that I can remember, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”
“You’re not boosting my confidence in your ability,” she murmured, kissing Jordyn Rose’s head.
“I promise you, in as much as I am able, I will never let anything happen to her,” Tony said solemnly.
And she knew he meant every word. That for as long as he could, he would be around to make sure that Jordyn Rose was safe.
“Okay,” she said, because Tony had always been someone she could rely on. Even before Jordan’s death, he had been there for her, rushing to the rescue anytime Jordan wasn’t available.
Which, she had to admit, had been often.
She supported Jordyn Rose’s head as she held the swaddled infant out for him.
His large hands slid across hers as he shifted the baby’s weight and pulled her to his chest. He stayed there, the baby held closely, her head cupped by one of his hands, her body by the other.
“You look terrified,” Katie said, oddly touched by the picture they made—tiny infant and large, gruff man.
“She’s delicate, and I tend to be a bull in a china shop when it comes to delicate things.”
“I watched a documentary that tested that idiom once,” she said, something warm and a little alarming filling her chest.
“Did you?” He was staring down at Jordyn Rose as if she were as delicate as a gossamer thread.
“Yes, and they discovered that a bull isn’t all that destructive when let loose in a china shop.”
“Good. Great. This little one and I should be just fine, then.” He settled into his seat, Jordyn Rose close to his chest. “Man, she’s beautiful,” he whispered. “Jordan would be over the moon with love for her.”
“I know.” Her voice broke, and she closed her eyes, willing the tears away. This was a happy time. Not a sad one, and she didn’t want to waste a second of it crying tears of sorrow.
“It’s okay to cry, Katie. There isn’t anyone who wouldn’t understand why you’re doing it.”
“I know, but I don’t want to cry tears of sorrow on the day of my daughter’s birth. Maybe on her first Christmas or first birthday or the day she gets married. But, not today.”
“That’s a big jump from first birthday to wedding,” he commented, and she knew he was trying to lighten the mood and take her mind off the one thing that was missing from this day.
The one person.
“I hear it goes by in a flash—all those years,” she responded, her eyes still closed, exhaustion finally winning the war against her desire to stay awake.
“You blink and then she’s grown,” he agreed.
“Hopefully not that fast of a flash.” The words were slurred, her body heavy with fatigue.
She thought she felt Tony’s fingers skim across her cheek, but before she could decide if she had, she fell asleep.
* * *
Tony had never been part of something like this, and the miracle of the tiny life he was holding filled him with awe. He had heard from friends who had children that newborns were incredibly beautiful, but he had figured blind love had skewed their perspectives. He’d seen photos of their babies. The red faces, misshapen heads and squished noses had not been his definition of beauty, but he had oohed and aahed anyway.
Jordyn Rose, though... She was about as perfect as a human being could be. Tiny little fingers and toes. Cute little nose and chubby cheeks, she had stolen his heart the second the doctor had placed her on Katie’s chest. He had been holding Katie’s hand, her fingernails digging into his palm, his face so close to hers, he could see the blond tips on her brown eyelashes. He had not expected the baby to be plopped down, naked and pink and still speckled with blood, but that’s exactly what had happened. One minute, Katie was red-faced with effort, and in what seemed like the next, a baby was lying on her chest.
“You’re something else, sweetheart,” he whispered, not sure if he was talking to the baby or to Katie. Both, in his admittedly exhausted opinion, were amazing.
Katie’s cell phone rang, and he grabbed it from the table, answering before it could wake her. “Hello?” he said quietly, holding the phone with his shoulder so that he could keep two hands on Jordyn.
“Who is this? Why do you have Katie’s phone?” a man said, his familiar voice sending a jolt of fury through Tony.
“Martin?”
“I asked who this is,” Martin spat, hatred seething beneath the words.
“Tony Knight.”
“I told her to tell you to go home. I know she doesn’t want you around, so I suggest you do it.”
“Here is what I suggest—go to the nearest police station and turn yourself in. That will make things a lot easier for you.”
“For you, you mean?” He laughed, and the sound sent chills down Tony’s spine.
“I’m not concerned about what is easy for me. I’m concerned about making sure you pay for what you did to Chief Jameson.”
“Be careful, Knight. If you’re not, your police buddies might wind up trying to make me pay for what I do to you.” He disconnected, and Tony dropped the phone on the table again, frustrated by the helpless rage that filled him.
Martin should never have been able to escape the high-security mental institution where he had been held after his arrest, but he had knocked the guard over the head and made a run for it. If he had been a typical criminal, he would have kept going until he had put plenty of distance between himself and the law. Martin was anything but typical; he was unhinged and so obsessed with Katie, he had returned to Queens and begun stalking her.
So far, the NYC K-9 Command Unit had not been able to stop him. Public transportation made it too easy for Martin to move from location to location. Patrol officers had searched his apartment but found no hint that he had been there recently. Since then, foot and bike patrol had been making the apartment complex a regular stop during shifts. They had not seen the fugitive, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t slipped past them. He still had a key to the apartment, and the lease was paid up until the end of the year. That was unusual, but Martin had probably wanted to make sure he’d have access to his apartment even if he was caught. He’d clearly always planned to escape custody.
Jordyn Rose wriggled in his arms, her tiny fists batting the blankets that swaddled her. She looked like Katie, her features delicate, her skin pale, but she had Jordan’s dark hair. The fact that she would never meet her father, that she would know him only through the stories that others told, made Jordan’s death even more tragic.
Someone knocked softly, and the door swung open.
Two officers were stationed outside the room, and Tony knew there was no danger of Martin getting past them. He stood anyway, the baby cuddled to his chest.
Ivy and Alexander Jameson walked in, and he motioned for them to stay quiet. Katie needed to rest, and he wanted her to sleep for as long as she could.
Ivy nodded and rushed across the room, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the baby. “She’s gorgeous,” she whispered as Noah and his fiancée, Lani, Carter and his fiancée, Rachelle, and Zach and his wife, Violet, entered the room.
“I was just thinking the same,” he admitted.
“How is Katie?” she asked, her gaze shifting to the bed.
“Exhausted.”
“It’s been a rough nine months,” Alexander said quietly, standing beside his wife, his arm around her waist, his gaze on Jordyn. “Noah said Katie named her Jordyn Rose.”
“She did.”
“It’s a lovely name,” Ivy murmured. “Do you think Katie would mind if I held her?”
“Of course not,” he said, but he felt reluctant to let her take the baby from his arms. Odd considering he had never in his life imagined holding a newborn. He had never had a desire to do so. When friends had babies, he visited but kept his hands to himself.
“I can’t believe she is finally here,” Ivy said, brushing aside her tears and reaching for Jordyn Rose. “Ellie is going to be so happy to hear that her baby cousin has arrived! She’ll want to buy all the frilly dresses and pink bows.”
“She begged me to bring her this morning,” Carter said, stepping close to his mother and taking a picture of her holding the baby.
Rachelle snapped a few photos of Carter standing next to Ivy and Jordyn Rose. Then Lani and Violet insisted on photos of their Jameson men beside Grandma and their newest niece.
Tony moved back, giving the Jameson family a chance to coo over its newest member. Katie was still sleeping, her hair tangled beneath her head. He tugged the blanket up around her shoulders, concerned by her pale skin and the violet shadows beneath her eyes.
Since Katie was sleeping, Violet, Rachelle and Lani decided to head to the cafeteria for coffee and took orders. Tony could definitely use some coffee.
“Thanks for being here for her,” Noah said, joining him beside the bed.
“That’s what family does,” he responded.
“I know, but I still wanted to tell you how much we appreciate it.”
“You know what would be better than appreciation?”
“Martin locked up in a cell, facing a life sentence?”
“Exactly. He called Katie a few minutes before you arrived.”
“And?”
“He wasn’t happy when I answered. I have a bad feeling about things, Noah. The guy is totally unglued, and he has his sights set on a woman who has just given birth.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. We’ve put as much manpower on this as we can. The department is already stretched thin, and I can’t devote the entire K-9 unit to Martin’s arrest. If I could, I would.”
“I know. You’re talking to a member of the unit, remember?”
“Yeah.” Noah ran a hand down his jaw and sighed. “I want him caught yesterday, Tony. He killed my brother. He’s trying to kidnap his widow. He needs to be stopped, but he seems to always be a step ahead of us.”
“He’s getting cocky and making mistakes. He won’t stay ahead of us forever.”
“You’re right. I just want this over. For Katie’s sake and my parents’. For all of ours.”
Katie stirred and her eyes opened as quickly as they had closed.
“The baby!” she cried, shoving aside blankets as if she intended to jump out of bed.
Tony touched her shoulder, gently holding her in place. “Hey, slow down. The baby is fine. Ivy has her.”
She finally seemed to take in the room and the people who were standing in it. She sagged against the pillows, her skin so pale he could see every freckle on her nose and cheeks. “I was dreaming that Martin had taken her.”
“We aren’t going to let that happen,” Noah said, taking a seat beside her as Ivy put the baby back in her arms.
“I know you’re not. I know it was just a dream, but I don’t know what I would do if it came true.” Her voice broke, and the tears she had said she didn’t want to shed slid down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, honey,” Ivy exclaimed, rushing to wipe her face with a tissue. “Everything is going to work out. God will make certain of that.”
Katie nodded, her gaze finding Tony’s, her eyes filled with worry and heartache and hope. He wanted to tell her that Ivy was right and that everything really would be okay, but words weren’t nearly as effective as action when it came to achieving a goal.
He motioned for Noah to follow him across the room. Carter and Zach joined them.
“I’ve been thinking about Martin and how easily he’s been able to elude us,” he said.
“Public transit, crowded streets, overabundance of scent pools with millions of scents mixed in,” Zach said. “Even the best dog may struggle under those circumstances.”
“I agree, but I don’t think that’s the reason Martin is able to stay hidden. He has to be going somewhere he doesn’t think we’ll look for him.”
“Agreed,” Carter and Noah said in unison.
“I think the most likely place for him to do that is his apartment.”
“We’ve checked there,” Noah reminded him.
“Immediately after he escaped. Since then, I don’t think anyone from the precinct has been in.”
“You may be right, but his landlord agreed to keep an eye on things and let us know if Martin showed up. We’ve also had patrol officers driving by the complex several times a day. Do you really think Martin would risk it?” Noah asked.
“The fact that we’re asking that question makes me think he would. The way I see things, Martin tries to anticipate what we’ll do and how we’ll act. He has to know that we’ve been in the apartment, and he may assume that we won’t go back unless someone tells us he’s been there.”
“His apartment is on the ground level,” Zach said. “And there are plenty of windows in his unit. If he managed to break the lock on one, it would be easy enough for him to slip inside.”
“I’ll send someone there to check things out,” Noah said.
“I’ll go,” Tony offered. “I need to get back to your place. Rusty is in Katie’s apartment, and he’s past ready for breakfast and a walk.”
“You’re not on shift today,” Noah reminded him.
“I can be. If it means we find Martin more quickly.”
“All right. Get Rusty, go home and eat, take a few hours to rest, and then go to the apartment. The superintendent should be able to let you in. If you find anything, let me know.”
“I will.” He glanced at the bed. Katie was nursing Jordyn Rose, her attention focused on the newborn. As if she sensed his gaze, she looked up and smiled, her expression open and inviting and soft.
“Are you leaving?” she asked, and he nodded, his throat tight with something that felt an awful lot like longing.
“Rusty is still at your place. I don’t want to leave him there alone too much longer.”
“You don’t have to explain, Tony. You’ve been here for hours. That’s way above and beyond the call of friendship.”
“Not even close,” he replied and then dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Her hair smelled like baby powder and flowers, and he wondered why he had never noticed that before.
“Do what the doctor and your family tell you, okay?” he murmured, his fingers grazing Jordyn Rose’s downy head. He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay right where he was, guarding Katie and the baby and watching as the mother and daughter bonded.
“I’m too tired to do anything else,” she replied, smiling as he stepped away. “Be careful, Tony.”
“I will be. I’ll come back this evening. Just to make certain Jordyn Rose hasn’t sprouted into a young adult and gotten engaged while I wasn’t looking.”
She chuckled, her laughter drifting into the hall as he walked out of the room.
NINE
By early evening, Katie could barely keep her eyes open. She and Jordyn Rose had had a string of visitors. Friends from church, coworkers from her former school, officers from the K-9 unit. The Jamesons had stayed close; Jordan’s brothers and parents had made sure she had anything and everything she might have needed.
Currently all she needed was sleep.
Her pallor, lethargy and high heart rate had alarmed the nurse, and Dr. Ritter had been called. He’d ordered blood tests, and when they showed severe anemia, she’d had a blood transfusion.
Guests had been shooed out, and Katie had insisted the Jamesons go have dinner while she was examined and treated.
Now she was alone, the baby lying comfortably in her arms. Jordyn Rose had not cried once since her birth. When she was awake, her eyes opened wide as if she were trying to take in every detail of the odd world she had suddenly found herself in.
Katie had known love before.
She had loved her parents. She had loved Jordan. She loved her in-laws. But, the love she felt for her daughter was something she had no words for. The strength of it had taken her by surprise. Even now, when she was so tired that she thought she might pass out, she didn’t dare rest for fear of what might happen while she was sleeping.
Her phone rang, and she grabbed it, checking the caller ID before she answered. She had no desire to speak with Martin. The day had been eventful, and she wanted it to end as wonderfully as it had begun.
When she saw the caller was Ivy, she answered quickly. “Hello?”
“It’s Ivy, dear. We got caught in rush-hour traffic and just now found a place to get some dinner. It’s crowded. You know how Friday nights in the city are.”
“Yes. I do,” Katie said, stifling a yawn.
“I told Alexander that I should take a cab back to the hospital. I can stop in the cafeteria and grab something that we can share.”
“Ivy, don’t do that. Enjoy your family dinner.”
“Honey, you’re family, too.”
“What I mean is that I don’t want you to give up your plans to sit in the hospital and watch me and the baby sleep.”
“Is our darling Jordyn sleeping?” Ivy asked, her voice soft with affection.
“She ate like a champ fifteen minutes ago, and now she’s sleeping like one.”
“Wonderful! And, what about you? Did the doctor find the reason for your anemia?”
“Nothing that he could put his finger on. Probably just the pregnancy.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but I still think it would be a good idea for me to return to the hospital.”
