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“And he had that allergic reaction to the penicillin I gave him.” She remembered that night and the lanky, high-strung, red-haired patient vividly. “Instead of letting me treat him, he attacked me and stole the bullet we’d bagged for evidence.” She glanced over at Daniel, who’d perched on the arm of the sofa next to where she sat, one hand resting on her shoulder, the other on Pirate’s head beside him. “That’s when I first met Daniel. He helped me that night. I ran into him at the hospital again recently.” She didn’t mention his therapy group—his PTSD wasn’t her story to share. “I asked for his help again, and, fortunately, he said yes.”

“But it can’t be Cayden Thornhill, right?” her mother asked, looking to her future son-in-law for the answer. “You said he was in the wind when you arrested Crockett and the rest of his people—that he wouldn’t be a threat to Ashley anymore.” She reached for Polly’s hand and squeezed. “Or Polly.”

Ashley swallowed hard. “Thorny wasn’t the smartest one of the bunch. But he was the creepiest. That’s one reason I jumped into Enzo’s investigation—because Cayden Thornhill had attacked and threatened Polly.”

Enzo’s arm tightened around her shoulders, pulling her against his solid frame. “He’s not getting near you again,” he murmured, his tone low and sure. “Or your sister.”

Burke’s glare darkened. “If that bastard’s back in town, we’ll find him.”

Enzo shrugged. “Thornhill is a survivor. He may not be the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he’s smart enough to leave Kansas City and stay away from this family.”

Burke nodded, looking barely appeased by the possibility. “We hope.” Then he looked to Daniel. “You got any other suspects?”

Daniel’s voice was spooky calm. She had a feeling he’d been like this when he was on a mission with his Marine Force Recon team. “I’ve been working with Detective Joel Standage. His wife’s a friend of Polly’s, and he was there when the car tried to mow us down. I gave him the plate number, and Standage tracked the car to a Neil Porter.”

Polly piped up from her corner of the sofa. “KCPD found Porter dead. From a couple of gunshot wounds. I got the last message today, so it can’t be him.”

“Could be someone related to him,” Daniel pointed out. “Standage is looking for possible connections. Although, it could be that someone shot him to steal his car.”

“Stalking? Murder? Attempted murder?” Burke cursed. “And you in the middle of all this? Damn it, Poll, when I married your mother, I promised to keep her daughters safe. You two haven’t made it easy.”

Hazel rose to her feet and crossed to her husband. “You’ve been a wonderful father, Jedediah. And it seems that they’ve both chosen good, reliable men to help them when you can’t be there with them. You’ve shown them that they shouldn’t settle for anything less. I’m grateful every day that you came into our lives.”

“So are we,” Polly and Ashley added together.

Burke opened his arms, and Polly and Ashley joined their mom in his strong embrace. Polly felt a kiss on the crown of her hair, and knew the others had, too. “I love this family so much.”

“Right back at ya,” Ashley said.

“We love you, too, Dad,” Polly whispered.

“I love you.” Hazel tilted her face to Burke’s and they exchanged a kiss on the lips.

Ashley nudged Polly to give their mom and stepdad a private moment, and they returned to their places beside Enzo and Daniel.

Their stepdad hugged Hazel to his side, but the grim expression on his face hadn’t eased. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to any of you.”

Daniel rose to his feet. “I understand where your concern is coming from, sir. If I were in your shoes, I’d be looking for answers, too.”

Burke’s eyes flicked to him.

“I’m not here to step on anyone’s authority,” Daniel continued. “I’m living off my Marine Corps retirement right now, so I’ve got time to be here—to keep Polly safe. I’ve got training, instincts and one very loyal dog. I’ll keep her protected, but I appreciate the backup.”

Enzo gave a small, approving nod. “You’ve got it. We’ll exchange numbers. You need something, you better call.”

Burke’s jaw eased, but his voice was still gruff. “So, you’ve been with her almost twenty-four/seven?”

“Pretty much,” Polly said.

Ashley giggled. Both Burke and Enzo lifted their brows.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Polly warned. “He’s sleeping on the couch.”

Burke’s lips twitched. “Good. I may appreciate what he’s doing for you—but I’m still your dad.”

“What if I said I was sleeping on the couch, too?” she teased.

“Polly Ann Cooper…”