Second Chances: A PAVAD Duet (13 page)

Dennis closed his phone.
“I’ll go over there myself.”

“
You will?” That was
surprising.

“
Yes. Dr. Glendower will
not be comfortable with a strange agent in her home. Neither will
her children. Especially this late at night.”

“
And she’ll be comfortable
with you there?” Dan searched his friend’s face for any tell-tale
hints of what the man was thinking.

“
Maybe not, but her
children will.” Ed shrugged. “And I’ll be more comfortable with me
there.”

So Ed’s wind was blowing in
the beautiful scientist’s direction. Dan understood now. “I
see.”

“
I’m sure you do,” was all
Ed said as the little doc returned, clutching two child-sized
suitcases and a battered black backpack.

“
You ready to get out of
here for a while?” Dan took the suitcases from her unresisting
hands. “Dennis here thinks it would be a good idea to have someone
stay with your kids–just as a precaution, and I agree.”

“
Do you think someone might
go after them?” Her eyes filled with horror and fear and Dan
quickly wrapped an arm around her. “Should we go get
them?”

Both men answered on the
negative, Ed adding, “It’s just a precaution. I’m also having Dr.
Compton stay at the hospital with Dr. Reynolds. But I do think you
should call Marianna, let her know what’s happened and that I will
be at her house shortly. Then you go to Dan’s and get some rest. We
will take care of this.”

It took her ten minutes to
explain the night’s events to her friend over the phone, and
another five before she passed the phone to Ed’s waiting hand. He
spoke firmly to the other woman and then snapped the phone shut.
“It’s settled then.”

Ed hustled them to the
front porch and Dan smirked. He had a hunch the other man was in a
hurry to get to his night’s new accommodations. Ed told them he’d
contacted the on-call forensics team and they were on the way. The
doc nodded, subdued, then thanked him for his help.

It wasn’t until he pulled
into his drive and shut off the engine that she spoke again. “Dan,
thank you. I know you must be exhausted and worried about Kelly. I
appreciate you staying with me.”

“
Of course I wasn’t going
to leave you to deal with that alone!” He opened his door and
climbed out, then removed the suitcases from the back seat before
saying anything more. “Kelly considers you family–so even if I
didn’t care for you...you would still be family. That makes you my
responsibility.”

“
No. I’m not your
responsibility. But I do appreciate your help and letting me stay.”
She waited until they were just inside his house before she spoke.
She passed him, entering the foyer.

“
Anytime you need anything,
Doc, don’t hesitate to ask.” Dan wrapped a hand around her elbow.
“Ever. I'm going to call the hospital, check in with Josh. Why
don't you head into the living room? I'll join you in about ten
minutes.”

She nodded, her cheeks
tinged just a bit pink. His phone calls took longer than he
expected—simply to get a call through the hospital's security
measures took nearly ten minutes. But he wouldn't complain about
protocols set in place to keep his daughter safe. It was closer to
twenty minutes before he joined the doc.

He found her snuggled up in
the corner of his couch. She was sound asleep, curled into a small
ball in the corner of the dark leather. Tear tracks still glistened
on her cheeks. It filled him with a hot rush of anger at the
bastards who’d done this to her. And it filled him with a hot rush
of tenderness for this woman.

He quietly covered her with
the afghan his sister had knit for him years ago, then brushed a
soft kiss over her forehead before moving into the kitchen for a
soda and something to eat. The beer and nachos he’d had at Smokey’s
so many hours ago hadn’t exactly lasted long. A note rested on the
counter, written in Emma’s loopy handwriting. Apparently, Agent
Tompkins had accompanied her and Gracie to the hospital where
they’d spend the night with Kelly. He was not to worry about them,
just concentrate on catching the monster that shot their
sister.

Her underlying faith in him
was staggering. But in this, he knew he wouldn’t fail. He would
catch the bastard who’d hurt his little girl–and the one who’d hurt
the doc.

The little doc hadn’t moved
in the entire time he’d been in the kitchen and Dan sank to the
cushion beside her. “Doc? Ally, sweetheart...come on, girl, you
can’t sleep on my couch all night. Come on...”

“
Oh.” Her confusion was
evident and Dan had to laugh.

“
Dan? Oh...” Her eyes went
from sleepy-soft to clouded with worry in an instant and Dan’s
laughter faded. She’d remembered the circumstances that led to her
being on his couch. And they made her sad. He hated that sadness.
He didn’t think, just leaned in and covered her trembling mouth
with his own.

Oh God! That was all Ally
could think as her mouth opened under Dan’s. She lifted one hand—to
push him away, to stop him—she wasn’t sure of her true intent. She
didn’t intend to wrap it around his neck and pull him closer. He
was warm and strong and steady; more importantly, he was there and
safe. He cared for her and she cared for him; she needed
him.

He pulled back, “Doc...I
didn’t...I...mean...damn.”

Ally took the initiative,
covering his lips with hers. She shifted closer, the blanket he’d
draped over her earlier falling to bunch between them. She needed
him, needed to not feel alone—just for a little while. She’d felt
alone for so long—even with the kids and Kelly surrounding her. She
just wanted to forget that fact for just a little while. She
wrapped both arms behind his neck, pulling him closer
still.

He pulled back one more
time. “Doc? It’s up to you...how far do you want to take
this?”

She answered him with
another kiss. Apparently, that was answer enough.

***

Ally woke with a man’s arm
around her waist, holding her firmly in place, in an unfamiliar
bedroom. She wasn’t certain how they’d ended up in the bed. Dan
slept behind her, holding her as if he’d never let her
go.

That was a tempting
thought. Having him to lean on last night had been a true godsend.
Without him, she probably would have fallen apart even more than
she had. It would be tempting to lean on him completely. And if she
was ready for a relationship, Dan would be the exact kind of man
she’s want to be with.

But she knew she wasn’t
ready, and she doubted Dan was, either. More importantly, neither
were her children or Dan’s daughters.

What would it do to Kelly
to know Ally had slept with Dan? It would hurt the younger woman;
Ally knew it instinctively. And Kelly had been hurt so much
already. And Ryan...he was still half-convinced his father would be
coming to St. Louis to take them all home, to be a family again. He
definitely wouldn’t accept a man in Ally’s life easily. No matter
how much Ally would have liked it.

“
Heavy thoughts for so
early.” His voice startled her. His gaze was trained on her face,
the expression letting her know he had a good idea of what she was
thinking. “Anything you would like to say to me that might help
this go away?”

He touched the frown lines
on her brow, ran a light finger down her cheek, touched her lips
lightly.

“
Just that we shouldn’t do
this again—and Kelly definitely shouldn’t know.” Ally felt heat hit
her face as he shifted and his naked thigh pressed against her
intimately. Dan may have been battle-scarred, but he was in
wonderful physical shape for a man in his early fifties. Ally was
honest enough to admit that she’d enjoyed and eagerly
participated—both times.

“
I think I understand your
reasoning.” Was all he said before he shifted and tucked the
blankets tighter around them both. “It would be awkward for all of
our kids. I don’t want to put that strain on my girls, not after
just getting them back.”

“
So this morning stays
between us?” Ally nodded, glad he’d not wanted to argue. She had to
admit, she wasn’t well versed in morning after
etiquette.

“
But Doc...” He grinned, a
sudden wicked smile that backed her breath up in her throat. He
rose on one arm, the move putting him looming over her. “The
morning’s not over yet, and none of the kids are anywhere near this
bedroom. What do you say we...”

Ally wrapped both arms
around his neck as he leaned closer.

***

He took her with him to the
hospital. Kelly was pale and in pain, but the bullet had done
minimal damage, thank God. Her sisters sat by her bed, laughing and
joking with Agent Tompkins. Dr. Compton sat on the wide window
sill, quiet and subdued.

He stood when Dan nodded.
Neither man spoke and Ally realized the depth of their
relationship. It had been clear to Ally that Dr. Compton wasn’t
fond of Kelly, yet he’d stayed with her. Been kind and gentle with
her while she’d clung to him. Ally wondered if it was because of
his friendship with Dan or if it was because the younger man was
just that compassionate.

“
Thanks, son,” Dan said.
“Go home and get some sleep. I spoke with Hellbrook, Brockman’s
taking point so he’ll need you in a few hours, J.T. Josh, we’re on
stand-down this week.”

Dr. Compton nodded and said
his goodbyes. Tompkins stayed behind.

The blond man flushed
slightly when he looked at Dan’s middle daughter. Emma shot him a
wicked little wink that Ally doubted anyone else saw.

They visited with Kelly and
her sisters for nearly two hours before the attending physician
arrived to release her. He and Ally spoke about her follow-up care
and they finally were released to take her home. Dan went for his
SUV, having arranged for his sedan to be cleaned of the blood in
the backseat before his daughters rode in it again.

Agent Tompkins was put
in charge of pushing Kelly’s chair to the entrance while they
waited for Dan’s SUV to pull up out front.

They didn’t make it. A thin
blonde woman shrieked at them the instant they approached the
nurses’ station. Ally saw all three of Dan’s daughters flinch and
she figured it out in one guess. This was their mother. Dammit, of
all times for her to arrive, why now?

“
Kelly, my God, Kelly!” The
woman shrieked again in a strident voice. Emma stepped in front of
the wheelchair, her stance defensive and protective. Ally moved to
her side, blocking the woman from Kelly or Gracie. This was the
woman who’d hurt Kelly, who’d hurt Gracie and Emma—who’d hurt
Dan.

“
Mother. Why are you here?”
It was Gracie who spoke, moving around Ally, her voice that of an
adult instead of a child. Devoid of emotion. Ally’s eyes darted to
the glass door as Dan’s SUV finally moved into view. He’d be back
inside within moments.

“
You’re school called about
transferring your records to here; I knew Kelly had something to do
with it! Joe made a few phone calls and got Kelly’s address. A
neighbor suggested we check with the police about a break-in...so
Joe made a few calls.” She tried to skirt around Emma, not even
giving Ally or Agent Tompkins a thought. “He also said he
hadn’t known of any plans to visit him. Obviously, Kelly, you lied
to me!”

“
No shit,” Emma said,
practically snarling at her mother. “Took you long enough to
realize Gracie was missing. Some mother you are.”

The venom in Emma’s voice
had Tompkins’ eyes widening and had the lead multiplying in Ally’s
stomach. It wasn’t going to be pretty in a moment, and she didn’t
know if it would be best if Dan missed this little scene all
together.

The woman wrapped her hand
around Gracie’s arm, her nails biting into the girl’s skin. Gracie
tried to jerk free. “Let me go! I’m not going anywhere with
you!”

“
Well, what are you going
to do then? Stay with your idiot sister? Who obviously can’t even
take care of herself? Stay with Emma? I don’t think so!”

Ally saw the look on the
woman’s face and felt a rage unlike anything she’d felt in a long,
long time. She grabbed the woman’s wrist, and used all the pressure
she could to get the woman to loosen her grip. “She’s not going
anywhere with you!”

“
And just who are you?” The
woman turned toward Ally and shook her arm, as if Ally was no more
than an irritant. “Gracie is my daughter, and if I say she goes,
she goes!”

“
No, she doesn’t,” Ally
said, moving to stand toe to toe with the taller woman, barely
aware of Kelly saying her name or Emma moving closer. A man stepped
up to Ally’s left, but she only spared him a glance. He was as tall
as Dan and darker, around Dan’s age. He wrapped his hand around
Ally’s arm, his grip insistent but still gentle. His blue eyes held
a touch of embarrassment. Ally tried to jerk free and he held
on.

“
Let’s go someplace and
talk about this. I’m Joe Phillips, and you are?” he asked in an
apologetic tone. “I’m sure we can all work something out that works
for everybody.”

“
Take your damned hand off
her, Phillips, before I break every bone in your body.” Ally closed
her eyes in a mixed moment of stark relief and trepidation when the
voice sounded from behind Phillips.