“And you stay vigilant. It’s been a few years since you’ve had to look over your shoulder. Wouldn’t want you to act like a rookie and embarrass both of us.” Jack chuckled and disconnected.
Man, he missed working with Jack. Missed the camaraderie. Missed the sense of purpose rescuing abducted children gave him. Managing Shadow Lake Survival, his family’s newest business that involved training people in survival skills, didn’t bring the same reward. But it did make him available to Jessie.
That had to be enough right now.
He shoved his phone into his pocket. Jessie had left the excited little boy and moved to the other bed nearer the window. Her usual smile was fixed in place, but something about the way this patient clutched her doll instead of showing any interest in Bandit drew Reid into the room.
She was thin with dark circles under her eyes. Spotted bald patches dotted her head. Her anguished eyes spoke to the struggles she faced to remain alive. Like Ella.
She’d been peacefully sleeping when he’d seen Ella, but what would happen when she woke up? How would she react when she learned her bear wasn’t available for hugging tight as this little girl was doing with her doll?
Jessie’s white bear came to mind. Well, it wasn’t so white anymore. Not after she slept with it every night since Diane died. She even smuggled it in the bottom of her sleeping bag when she went on sleepovers so the other girls didn’t know she needed the bear at her age.
His heart constricted for this child. For Jessie. For Ella. For all the children in this hospital. And their parents. He’d watched Diane struggle with cancer, but he couldn’t imagine seeing Jessie in this situation. As a parent, he would thank God for anyone who could help his child.
Even someone who’d hurt him in the past.
That settled it. So much for hands-off. He would help Megan in any way she needed—if she let him. And there was only one way he could see that happening. He had to ask for her forgiveness for the way he hurt her. The sooner the better. To do that he needed time alone with her.
Maybe he could talk to her and help her with Ella at the same time. If he found someone to stand guard outside Ella’s room, he could take Megan home to get Boo-Boo, and on the way, he could apologize.
Now who should he call to guard Ella? Had to be someone he trusted implicitly. Someone he’d be willing to leave in charge of Jessie if she were in this situation.
Jack fit that bill, but if something went down while he was standing guard, his career could be in jeopardy. Reid might not be worried about risking his own future at the FBI, but he wouldn’t do the same thing to Jack. Besides, it would take him too long to get here from Portland.
But he could ask his brother. As Emerson County Sheriff, Russ was the perfect candidate for a protective detail for Ella. More importantly, Russ was someone Reid fully trusted. Little more than a handful of men fit that criteria. His brothers, plus their Shadow Lake Survival team members. But Russ was the only man outside of the FBI who’d had to use a show of force in the line of duty and wouldn’t hesitate to use it if Megan or Ella were in danger.
Resolved, Reid stepped into the hallway and dialed his brother. If Russ was available, Reid could keep a child safe and maybe, just maybe, make up a little bit for the way he’d hurt her mother.
3
Megan watched Ella’s chest rise and fall in the even breaths of sleep. Had watched her for the past few hours, not sure what to fear most. Losing her sweet little daughter to another tumor or Fowler killing them both. An impossible choice. Maybe both. She had to think about both.
She glanced at the closed door, her imagination coming to life. Seeing the door fly open. The pockmarked face now sporting a thick beard poking around it. A snide smile and crazy eyes directed at her baby.
Megan sucked in oxygen. These thoughts had to stop.Shehad to stop them. Or she would drive herself insane. She exhaled and took in more air.
In. Out. In. Out. That’s it. Don’t panic.
But they were so vulnerable. Sitting ducks. And she was Ella’s lone protector. She wanted Reid here. How she wanted him, despite her anger.
He said he would return in a few hours. She glanced at the clock. He should arrive any moment. At least she hoped so. She’d called the DOJ, and they’d confirmed Fowler’s release. He’d been out for two weeks and somehow they’d failed to let her know. The person she spoke to had anoops, my badkind of attitude. No apology. No willingness to check into how the department had failed.
Could he have been following her the whole two weeks? It wasn’t a farfetched thought as she hadn’t known he was out, and she hadn’t been watching for him. Now every noise in the hallway tightened the hard ball of worry in her stomach, and anxiety gnawed at it.
If only Reid could’ve stayed with them. He’d said he was no longer an agent—a surprise beyond all surprises for the man who lived for his job—but he would still know how to protect them if Fowler burst into the room.
Reid.Did she really want him here or just someone trained on how to keep them safe? She had to face the truth. She wanted Reid. The man she’d loved more than any man in her life. But he was married. His ring finger declared it louder than having a daughter.
She hadn’t seen him in years, but seeing him today? Time fell away. It seemed like yesterday that she’d fallen for him, and he’d taken off, breaking her heart. Oh, how could she want him here? Foolishness. Or desperation. Maybe it was because she was at the end of her rope.
Asking for anything from the man who’d broken her heart without so much as a backward glance was ludicrous. Right?
No.This was different. Times were different. This was for Ella.
Ella shifted in the bed and stretched, kicking off her sheet. Eyes rimmed with dark shadows opened. She looked around to gain her bearings and confusion settled into her chocolate-brown eyes so like her father’s.
Megan’s heart constricted as if a knife twisted in her chest.
