Sworn to Protect, page 7
“You’re not an obligation,” he said, stepping closer, his hands settling on her shoulders. “You’re a reminder that life goes on after we’re gone, and that the legacy we leave behind really does matter.”
He was staring into her eyes again, and she could feel warmth spreading across her cheeks.
She wanted to look away, but she was caught in his gaze, remembering all of the times Tony and Jordan had sat on the couch, watching television while she worked on lesson plans at the kitchen table. Tony had always been the one to ask if the volume was too loud. He’d been the one to offer to bring her a soda or cook her a meal. If she were honest with herself, she would admit he had been more concerned for her needs and comfort than Jordan had been.
Rusty barked, and the sound was so unexpected, Katie jumped, hot tea sloshing over her knuckles. She nearly dropped the mug, her scalded fingers burning as she set it on the counter. Rusty was barking ferociously. Hackles raised, tail stiff, he stood near the living room window, his head between the curtains and the glass.
“You okay?” Tony nearly shouted to be heard above the dog’s frantic warning.
“Fine. It’s nothing some water won’t cure,” she responded, putting her hand under the faucet and running water over it. “What is Rusty barking about?”
“I’m not sure, but how about you go in the bathroom to do that?” he suggested, tugging her away from the sink and the window above it.
“You don’t think Martin is out there, do you?” she asked, her attention jumping to the darkness beyond the window. The sun had set hours ago, and all she could see was the shadowy outline of the six-foot privacy fence that surrounded the yard. It would be difficult for someone to climb but not impossible.
A light flashed, and the small storage shed that abutted the fence burst into flames, the blaze shooting outward and lapping at the branches of an old elm that stood in the center of the yard.
Shocked, Katie jumped back, and Tony’s arms wrapped around her as she stumbled and nearly fell.
“Get your cell phone, go in the bathroom, lock the door and call 911. Don’t open the door until I get back.” He gave her a gentle nudge toward the hall, hooked Rusty to the leash and walked to the door.
She was still standing at the end of the hall, feet planted on the floor, heart galloping.
“I’ll lock this door. You get your phone and call 911,” he said again. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Tony stood with his hand on the doorknob, his dark eyes staring into hers.
He wouldn’t walk out the door until she moved, and the longer she stayed where she was, the more likely the fire would burn out of control and that the person who had set it would escape.
Someone had set it.
There was nothing in the shed that would have spontaneously combusted. And, there was no one who would have set it except for Martin.
She swallowed down her terror and forced herself to nod.
“Be careful,” she said, and then she turned and ran for her phone.
* * *
Tony didn’t wait.
There wasn’t time.
He knew exactly what had happened, and he knew why. Martin had set the fire, hoping to draw Katie out of the apartment. He wasn’t going to get what he wanted. But, if Tony was quick, Martin might get what he deserved—a trip back to the psychiatric hospital and a trial before a jury of his peers.
He looked out the peephole, scanning as much of the exterior landing as he could. There was no sign of Martin. That didn’t surprise him. Martin was unbalanced, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew how to keep a low profile. He also knew New York City. He was good at using public transportation to move quickly through the city. He had escaped the mental institution. He had escaped the attention of the police for weeks.
Tony didn’t want him to escape again.
“Find!” he commanded, unhooking Rusty from the lead.
Rusty took off, bounding down the stairs, barking wildly.
Firelight flickered on wooden fence posts as the dog jumped at the gate, trying to open it and get into the backyard. Tony had the key to the lock that held the gate closed, but he knew Martin had not entered the yard that way, and he doubted he would exit there.
“This way,” he commanded.
Rusty loped after him as he raced to the corner of the fence and plunged through the thick hedges that surrounded the neighbor’s property.
He could hear someone crashing through the foliage ahead of him, and he picked up speed as he called out for the perpetrator to stop. Rusty flew past, his dark coat gleaming in the exterior lights of the neighboring houses.
A dozen yards ahead, a dark figure clambered over a wrought-iron fence and darted toward the street. Rego Park wasn’t the suburbs; the yards were small, the houses packed close. Tony couldn’t risk taking a shot at the fleeing figure. Not until he was sure there weren’t any innocent bystanders nearby.
“I said stop!” he called, the faint sound of sirens joining the quiet rumble of neighborhood traffic as he and Rusty followed the perp.
The man reached the road and darted toward a light-colored four-door Ford. He stopped when he reached it, the streetlights illuminating his familiar face. Tall and muscular with a rock-solid build he had earned on construction sites, Martin Fisher didn’t look anything like the staid, suit-wearing guy Tony had seen at church.
He scowled as he met Tony’s eyes, reaching under his jacket and pulling out a gun. “You need to stay away from Katie,” he growled.
“Or what? You’ll murder me the same way you murdered Jordan?”
Martin didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. Just aimed the gun and fired.
But Tony was already diving to the side, calling Rusty back as the bullet slammed into a car parked a few feet away.
“Martin! Put your weapon down and give yourself up,” Tony commanded, Rusty pressing close to his side, both of them prone near the edge of the street. Tony had his gun in hand as Martin jumped into the car and slammed the door.
He gunned the engine as Tony took aim at a back tire.
It exploded, bits of rubber flying as the car fishtailed, straightened and accelerated. Not forward as Tony had expected. Backward. Straight at him.
He rolled to the side, scrambling out of the way, Rusty stuck to his side like glue. The Lab might be a search-and-rescue dog, but he was trained to function in volatile, dangerous situations involving firearms. Currently his most important job was staying out of the line of fire.
They moved in sync as Tony ducked behind a parked vehicle and aimed for the back window of Martin’s car. He fired a round, as Martin reversed direction again and sped away. Glass shattered. The car fishtailed again, but Martin kept going. He was escaping, and that was something Tony couldn’t allow to happen.
Martin needed to be stopped.
Before he made good on his plans to abduct Katie.
He called for Rusty to heel as he sprinted into the middle of the road and followed the damaged vehicle down the street. He lost sight of it as it turned the corner, but he didn’t think Martin would be able to keep going on the blown tire. He’d have to stop eventually. When he did, Tony planned to be there.
SIX
Sirens and smoke.
If Katie forgot everything else about the evening, she thought she would still remember the faint whirring of the sirens and the acrid scent of smoke that seemed to be filling the bathroom.
She pressed her palm against the door, checking for heat because of the fire. It was cool to the touch, and so was the old-fashioned metal doorknob. Tony had been gone for twenty minutes. She doubted that was long enough for the fire to spread from the shed to the house, but the yard wasn’t large, and the leaves of the elm would make perfect tinder for the flames. A few errant sparks, and who knew? The house could catch fire, and she could be trapped.
She had already called 911.
Based on the sound of sirens, help had arrived.
Martin wouldn’t stick around with so many first responders outside.
Would he?
Tony had been right when he’d said that Martin was unpredictable. There was no way to know what he might do, but sitting in a burning building was a more certain death sentence than getting out of one and running into Martin.
She unlocked the door and eased it open, listening for any movement in the apartment. When she heard nothing, she stepped into the hall, her heart sloshing in her ears as she eased along the wall and made her way to the living room. The scent of smoke was thicker there, as the wood frames on the windows that looked out over the backyard were warped enough to let cold air seep in during the colder months.
She flipped off the kitchen light and walked to the window. A half dozen firefighters were there, holding a hose that was spraying the smoldering remains of the shed. The elm seemed untouched, its wide trunk and broad branches dark against the evening sky.
A dog barked, and when someone knocked on the front door, she hurried to answer it, looking through the peephole first.
Her brother-in-law Noah.
She yanked open the door. “Noah. What are you doing here? I thought everyone was still at the hospital.”
“We were on our way back when the call came in. I sent Mom, Dad, Carter and Ellie to a hotel and came straight here to pick you up. Zach is outside with Eddie. We have a team looking for and collecting evidence. I wanted to take you over to the hotel before I join the team.”
“I’m fine here,” she said. “Tony was with me, but he left when the shed lit up to try to catch Martin.”
His gaze dropped to her abdomen, and she knew exactly what he wanted to ask.
“The baby is fine, too. No more contractions. Go do what you have to do and stop worrying. Tony will be back up soon.”
“It’s tough not to worry when the guy who killed my brother is wandering around Queens, causing trouble.” He ran a hand down his jaw and shook his head. “We’re going to find him, Katie. I promise you that. And when we do, we’re going to make sure he is punished to the full extent of the law.”
“I know.” She tried to smile, wanting to reassure him because she knew how much he and his family had suffered these past few months. They were grieving just like she was. Yet somehow they continued doing their jobs and seeking justice.
“Okay. Sit tight for a little longer. Try to relax. I’ll check in when we’re finished.” He opened the door and called for Scotty as he stepped onto the landing. He looked tired; his eyes were shadowed, and a few fine lines were starting to show near them.
“Noah,” she said, stepping into the doorway and touching his arm. The cold fall air carried the stench of smoke and a hint of moisture that could turn into rain or snow.
“You need to stay inside. We have no idea where Martin went after he drove away. Until we find him, you’re going to be under twenty-four-hour guard.”
“Tony told me that, and I appreciate everything the K-9 unit has done to keep me safe. I also want you to know I appreciate you and your brothers on a personal level. You have done more than I ever could have asked or expected, and it means a lot to me. It’s hard knowing Jordan won’t be here for his child, but knowing that you and your brothers will be...” She swallowed a lump of grief and forced herself to keep going. “That makes it a little easier.”
“Jordan chose well, Katie. We all think that, and we’re glad you’re part of the family.” He pulled her into a quick bear hug and then stepped away. “Close the door and lock it. Stay inside.”
She did as he had asked, then walked back into the living room, her body humming with useless adrenaline. She was a good friend, a good teacher and a good cook, but she wasn’t a police officer. She had no training when it came to dealing with men like Martin, and she knew the best thing she could do—the smartest thing—was to stay where she was and wait for the experts to do their job.
She had never been good at waiting, though, and she walked back into the kitchen and looked out the window. The hose had been turned off, and there was nothing but a blackened carcass where the shed had once been. The grass all around it was burned, the ground a black scar where it had once been.
She had done this.
Not intentionally.
Not with her own hands.
But, with her actions and her choices.
No matter how many times she told herself it wasn’t true, no matter how many people told her, she couldn’t make herself believe it.
“Stop it,” she muttered, walking away from the window and out the kitchen. She needed to stop dwelling on things she couldn’t change. She needed to trust that God’s plan was working out. She needed to move into the future. No matter how faltering and slow her steps.
And, that meant getting ready for the baby’s arrival.
She had been avoiding it for weeks, but the hint of smoke in the air, the knowledge that tomorrow could bring more troubles, was enough to spur her to action.
She stepped into the nursery, her pulse jumping in surprise as she saw the crib put together and standing against the far wall. Tony had unpacked boxes of baby clothes and put them in the dresser. The diapers were in the drawer of the changing table. A small basket hooked to the side contained baby wipes and lotions. He had taken the cardboard boxes out to recycle and carried the rocking chair from the guest room, where she had stored it.
Stored it?
Hidden it. The antique rocking chair had been in Ivy’s family for three generations. She had rocked her sons to sleep in it. She had rocked Carter’s daughter, Ellie, in it. Two months after Jordan’s death, she had asked Alexander to carry it up to Katie’s apartment with a note that said they were redecorating the guest room, and she was hoping Katie would accept the chair as a gift for the baby.
Katie hadn’t wanted to.
She had argued that one of the Jameson men should have it, but Ivy had been insistent. Noah, Carter and Zach were crowded enough in their apartment with all of Ellie’s things; they didn’t need to add more. Plus, Ivy wanted Jordan’s child to have it. A reminder that Jordan had once been young and lively and loved.
Just thinking about that had made Katie’s eyes burn with tears.
She had put the rocking chair in the guest room, closed the door and left it there, because she hadn’t wanted to think about what it would be like to talk to her child about the father who would never be there to read a book, watch a game or give advice.
Now, the rocking chair was in the corner of the room, the standing lamp Zach and his wife, Violet, had purchased for the nursery beside it. She had bought a three-shelf bookcase months ago, and Tony had assembled that, too. He’d even slid all of the books she had been given by friends and church members into place there.
The room looked like what it was—a space for a baby. One who would be well loved and well cared for by an entire tribe of family and friends.
That was what she needed to think about.
Not what wouldn’t be, but what would.
“It’s going to be enough,” she whispered, lifting a children’s Bible that was sitting on top of the bookcase. She had clung to her faith through a lot of hard times, and she wasn’t going to give up on it now.
But, lately, it was hard to see God in the details of her life.
Her cell phone rang, and she pulled it from her pocket, glancing at the caller ID before she answered. She didn’t recognize the number, but Ivy and Alexander had gone to a hotel. It was possible they were calling from there.
“Hello?” she said breathlessly, dropping into the rocking chair, the baby wriggling around as if the phone had woken her.
“You’re going to have to forgive me, darling,” Martin said, his voice as smooth and cold as a snake’s skin.
“What did you do?” she asked, jumping up from the chair and rushing to the back door. She opened it and looked down into the backyard, hoping to see a police officer or one of her brothers-in-law.
The yard was full of officers.
“Go back inside, darling. It’s too chilly to be out without a coat,” he said, and her blood ran cold, her body numb.
“Where are you?”
“Not far. I tried to get to you, but there are too many people around. I would ask you to come to me, but I don’t want you to tire yourself when you’re so close to giving birth to our child.”
“Where. Are. You,” she repeated, her heart racing so fast, she felt light-headed and woozy.
She lowered herself to the floor of the deck, afraid she might pass out and fall down the stairs.
“Close enough to know you’re safe, but too far to help you escape. I’m sorry, my love. I should have planned the fire better. I thought it would burn slowly and that your...friend would come and investigate.”
“Martin, you need help,” she murmured, her head still spinning, her ears ringing.
She had never passed out before, but she had the horrible feeling that she might.
“I need you. I need our child. I need the life we planned together.”
“We didn’t plan anything. This isn’t your child. It’s Jordan’s. You know that. Just like you know that there is nothing between us. There never has been. There never will be.”
“You have obviously been listening to Jordan’s family. They’ve brainwashed you,” he snapped, his tone hard. “Once you’re with me, you’ll remember how much we love each other.”
“Please. Turn yourself in. Get help. Stop stalking me.”
“Stalking? Is that what you call my devotion? You’re an ungrateful wretch. You know that? If you’re not careful, I’ll take our child and leave you behind.” He ended the call, and she sat where she was, holding the phone to her ear.
“Katie?” Tony called.
