The Lawman's Legacy (Love Inspired Suspense) (18 page)

“Uh…in the living room.” She couldn’t bring him upstairs. Couldn’t lead him to her screaming son.

“Let’s go.” He shoved her, and she fell, sliding across the floor, her right hand and arm useless.

“Get. Up!” He grabbed her hair, yanked her to her feet, dragged her out of the kitchen and down the hall.

“My Mommy! Where are you, My Mommy?” Tyler shrieked from the top of the stairs.

My Mommy.

Tyler’s code words for
I’m scared. Come and get me.

But she couldn’t go to him. Couldn’t take him in her arms and whisper in his ear and tell him that everything was going to be okay. Couldn’t smooth his thick hair, wipe tears from his cheeks. Couldn’t. And that hurt more than her throbbing wrist or her aching head. Hurt worse than any physical pain ever could.

Her son needed her.

She couldn’t help him.

All she could do was lead Tyrone past the staircase and into the living room, Tyler’s frantic cries stabbing holes in her heart.

If she died, he would die. If she died, all the things she’d wanted for him would cease to matter. She’d never know how it all would have turned out. What kind of man Tyler would have grown into. What kind of mother she would have become as years turned into decades.

If she died, she’d leave her life just when it seemed like she could start living it again. Just when she’d started to believe that there’d be a happy ending to the story that had begun the day Nicole walked into her classroom in Boston.

If she died all the things she’d seen in Douglas’s eyes, all the dreams she’d begun to dream again…they’d die with her.

So, she wouldn’t die.

It was as simple as that.

She would not die.

She wrapped the thought up tight in her heart as she walked through the living room and pretended to search for her purse.

NINETEEN

“S
low down, Douglas. You’re going to get us both killed. Then what will happen to Merry and Tyler?” Keira’s voice penetrated the fog of Douglas’s terror, and he eased up on the gas.

She was right.

Conditions were terrible, the nor’easter howling its fury as it blew snow across icy pavement.

But he didn’t want to slow down. Didn’t want to spend even one extra minute trying to get to his father’s house safely. His brother Owen had called a few minutes ago to report that the alarm system at their father’s house had been triggered.

Which meant Tyrone had gotten in.

“Dear God, please don’t let him hurt Merry and her son,” Keira prayed out loud, and Douglas stepped on the gas again.

Stepped down hard, taking the turn onto his father’s street a little too quickly. The SUV slid, and he righted it, turning off his headlights as he drew closer to the house.

No sense letting Tyrone know they were coming or giving him a reason to kill Merry quickly.

If he hasn’t already killed her.

He shoved the thought aside.

Refused to entertain it.

God had brought Merry into his life for a reason.

He didn’t believe it was so that he could watch her die.

He wouldn’t believe it.

The house was dark. Not a light on inside, and Douglas parked a few houses down. Turned off the engine, hopped out of the SUV.

“You’re not going to run in there without a plan.” Keira grabbed his arm, jerked him to a stop.

“I have a plan. Find Rodriguez and stop him.”

“I may be a rookie, but I know that’s not the kind of plan we need. If he’s in there, if Merry and Tyler are still alive—”

“They are,” he said with more venom than he intended.

“Then we can’t risk running in there without some idea of what we’re going to find and how we’re going to react.”

“I can tell you exactly how I’m going to react. I’m going to stop him. Just like I said.” But she was right. Running in without a plan was foolhardy. “Okay. Here’s what I want to do. I’ll go around back. You search the front. Look for his point of entry. We need to move in quiet and slow. If we spook him, he might kill Merry or Tyler.”

“And if I find the point of entry?”

He wanted to tell her to wait for him. Wanted to tell her to back off and let him handle it. She was his baby sister. The little girl he’d loved to tease, and who’d always laughed at his jokes.

But she was also a cop.

A rookie, but a crack shot.

She could handle herself, and he had to let her do it.

“Go in. Be careful, though. It’s dark, the alarm is screaming, we don’t want to shoot the wrong person.” He left her with that, racing around the side of the house, the wind hiding the sound of his feet as he probed the darkness, tried to find Tyrone’s point of entry.

There!

The back door hung open, banging into the wall again and again. He stepped inside the kitchen, the screaming alarm piercing his eardrums.

Go slow.

Take your time.

Don’t get yourself killed.

Don’t get Merry or Tyler killed.

Beneath the sound of the shrieking alarm, the muted cries of a child echoed rhythmically.

My Mommy. Mommy. My Mommy.

Over and over again.

Tyler’s cries, but no answer from Merry.

The thought of what that might mean speared his heart, twisted his gut.

Please, God, don’t let me be too late.

Douglas prayed frantically as he eased into the hallway, his gun out and ready. He made sure the foyer was clear. Walked toward the front door.

A gunshot exploded, and a woman screamed, the sound barely carrying above the alarm.

Douglas knew the voice. Heard the terror.

Merry.

Alive.

He ran into the living room, not caring about flying bullets. Not caring about anything but finding Merry.

Shadows writhed on the floor. Two people locked in a death roll. Too dark to see. Too risky to shoot.

“Police! Freeze!”

He tucked his gun back in its holster, dove into the chaos, grappling with Merry’s assailant.

Strong. Wiry.

“Die, cop.” Rodriguez shifted, and Douglas grabbed his wrist, feeling rather than seeing the gun he held.

“I don’t think so.” He slammed Rodriguez’s hand into the floor. Once. Twice. The gun clattered on hardwood and slid away.

Douglas grabbed it, pressed it to Rodriguez’s temple.

“
Now
are you going to freeze?” he panted, and Rodriguez went still.

The alarm cut off, the silence so abrupt, Douglas’s ears buzzed with it.

A light illuminated the hall and splashed into the living room, but Douglas didn’t look to see who’d turned it on. Didn’t dare turn his attention away from Tyrone until he was sure the gang leader was under his control.

He wanted to slam his fist into the snarling face of Merry’s attacker but flipped him over instead, patting him down. “Do you have any other weapons on you?”

“I want a lawyer.”

“You’ll get one. Do you have any weapons?”

“Figure it out yourself, cop,” Tyrone spat, and Douglas slapped handcuffs on his wrists, read him his Miranda rights, then turned his attention to Merry.

She lay a few feet away, her wrist bent at an unnatural angle, her face deathly pale, blood seeping through her hair. He touched her neck, desperate to feel her pulse speeding beneath warm skin.

“I called for an ambulance. Is she okay?” Keira raced into the room, skidding to a stop near Rodriquez.

“I don’t know.” Despite her son’s still-frantic cries, she hadn’t moved, hadn’t opened her eyes. “Merry?”

Keira tugged Rodriguez to his feet, shoved him out the door, and Merry stirred, mumbled Tyler’s name.

“He’s okay.”

“I need to get him.” She brushed his hands away, stood, swaying, shaking, blood dripping down her head onto her shoulder.

No. Not onto her shoulder. From her shoulder onto the floor.

“You’ve been shot. You need to sit down before you fall down.” He put an arm around her waist, tried to lower her to the ground, but she shook her head.

“I’m okay. The bullet just grazed me.”

“And your wrist is broken. Your head is bleeding.”

“And my son is calling for me, and I’m not going to lie on the floor while he screams himself sick.” She took a step, her legs going out from under her, and Douglas lifted her, carried her from the living room into the hall, set her down on the bottom step.

“Mooooooommmmmmy!” Tyler screamed from the landing, the anguish in his voice tugging at Douglas’s heart.

“It’s okay, buddy. Everything is okay,” Douglas repeated as he climbed the steps toward Tyler.

He lifted the little boy, wiped tears from his face.

“Mommy. My Mommy. Where’s my mommy?” he sobbed, and Douglas carried him down the stairs, set him in Merry’s lap, then dropped down on the step behind her, supporting her back as she pulled Tyler close.

He felt the moment like nothing he’d ever felt before.

Felt Merry’s tension ease, Tyler’s muscles relax, felt them meld into each other, knew he was melding with them, becoming part of their circle of affection, connection, love.

“Thanks for running to my rescue. Again,” Merry said, shifting so she could look into his face.

“Again? We’re not keeping tabs, are we?” He brushed curls from her cheek, and she smiled.

“
I
am.”

“Don’t, because I’d do it a million times to keep you and Tyler safe.”

“Let’s hope you don’t have to.” She rested her head against his shoulder, and his heart leaped in acknowledgment.

This
was how it should be. Merry in his arms. Tyler in his arms. Safer together than apart. Happier together than apart.

Better together than apart.

He didn’t release his hold as EMTs filled the room, crouched over Merry and Tyler and him.

“Ma’am, you’re going to have to let us take your son.” An EMT tried to ease Tyler from Merry’s arms, but she opened her eyes, shook her head.

“No. We’re going to the hospital together, or I’m not going.”

“You have some serious injuries, and holding on to your son is only going to make them worse.”

“A broken wrist isn’t serious.”

“Your head—”

“I’ll take Tyler,” Douglas assured her. “We’ll meet you at the hospital.” He eased around, put his hand on Tyler’s back.

“You’re going to drive him to the hospital in the middle of a snowstorm?” Merry frowned.

“Why not?”

“The roads are terrible. You could get into an accident.”

“I’ll drive slowly.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry, Merry. I have no intention of letting anything happen to any of us.” He lifted Tyler from her arms, patting the little boy’s back, that feeling he’d had coming back. The melding and meshing and claiming.

This
was
how it should be.

For sure.

Forever.

“I already know that something is going to happen,” Merry said as the EMT helped her onto the gurney.

“Yeah?”

“The way I see it, we’re going to do exactly what you said we would.”

Her eyes drifted closed, and he touched her cheek to assure himself that she was still warm and vibrant and alive.

“What’s that?” he asked, and she smiled, her eyes still closed.

“Don’t you remember, Douglas?” she responded as the EMT started wheeling her away. “We’ll live happily ever after.”

TWENTY

“O
uch!” Merry muttered as Dr. Charles Fitzgerald put another stitch in her shoulder.

“You’re feeling pain?” He looked up from his work, his blue eyes so much like Douglas’s that Merry blinked.

“No, but it looks like I should be.”

“So don’t look.” He offered a half smile, his brown hair falling over his forehead.

“I have to. It’s like watching a train wreck. I’m horrified, but I can’t look away.” And she wished she could, because her stomach wasn’t feeling all that hot.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m almost done. Last stitch.” He finished quickly, bandaged the wound and stood to wash his hands. “That should do it. You’ll stay here for observation tonight. Tomorrow, you can go home, but you’ll have to be careful. That son of yours is a live wire. I don’t want him tearing out all my hard work.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Listen.” He turned, the harsh overhead light casting dark shadows beneath his eyes. He looked exhausted, his skin paler than she’d ever seen it. “I heard about the situation with Tyler. I want you to know that you have my full support. You’re a great mother, and I’d be happy to testify to that in court.”

“Thank you, Charles. That means a lot to me.”

“Yeah, well, it means a lot to me that you didn’t run screaming from the room when I walked in.” He smiled, but there was no humor in his eyes.

“Why would I?”

“Some people think I had something to do with Olivia’s death.”

“How could anyone think that? You’re one of the kindest men I know,” she responded truthfully. She’d always liked Charles’s calm bedside manner and the easy way he interacted with Tyler. “Tyler loves you. Fitzgerald Bay loves you. Really, what other doctor would come out on a night like this to work triage at the local hospital?”

“A major accident means lots of patients, and the hospital needs all the help it can get. It’s not really a statement of my character that I’m here.”

“I think it is.”

“That’s because you have a good heart, Merry, and you’re a good person. Like I said, I’ll be happy to testify on your behalf when the time comes.”

“And I’ll be happy to tell anyone who cares to listen that you did not murder Olivia.”

“Words won’t help me, I’m afraid. I need proof, and that seems to be hard to come by. I have to check on a couple patients. Try to rest. The stitches will need to come out in ten days. I want you to have a follow-up X-ray on the broken arm in forty-eight hours. If things are healing nicely, you won’t need surgery. If they’re not, I’ll give you a referral to an orthopedic surgeon.” He walked out of the room before she could reply.

It was for the best.

She didn’t know what to say.

Had no words that would ease the sting he must feel knowing that people who he cared about and had cared for were turning their backs on him.

“You’re frowning.” Douglas stepped into the room, Tyler asleep on his shoulder, and Merry’s heart leaped.

Happily ever after.

When she looked at Douglas and Tyler together, she really could believe in it.

“I was just thinking about how unfair it is that your brother has served as the community physician, helping people when they need him but when
he
needs
them,
they turn their backs on him.”

“Not many of them.”

“Would it matter if it were only one? It still must hurt.”

“It does, but my brother is tough. He’ll get through this.”

“Have you been able to find any evidence that will clear him?”

“Charles isn’t a suspect to anyone but a few overly imaginative people. There’s no reason to try to find evidence to clear him of something he didn’t do.”

“But you’re trying, anyway, aren’t you? Trying to find something that will keep the rumors from spreading and keep your brother from being hurt more than he already has been.
Have
you found anything?”

“I’ll admit, we’re looking, but it’s an open investigation, and I’m not at liberty to say what we’ve found or haven’t found.”

“Meaning that you haven’t found anything yet, right?”

“I guess you don’t understand what ‘I’m not at liberty to say’ means.” He smiled, pulling over a chair near the bed and sitting in it.

“
I
understand. I was just hoping
you
didn’t.”

“I’d share with you if I could, but there are rules, and I have to follow them. Now, if you want to talk about
your
case…that we can discuss.”

“I guess that might be interesting, too. Are Tyrone and Kent talking?”

“They’ve both lawyered up, but it doesn’t matter. We have Kent on breaking-and-entering charges, and we have Tyrone on attempted murder.”

Attempted and almost successful murder.

If Douglas and Keira had been even a minute later…

Merry shuddered, pushing away the thought.

“Maybe my case isn’t that interesting after all.” She didn’t want to dwell on what could have been. Didn’t want to think about Tyrone or Kent. She’d rather rejoice in what was.

“Then how about we change the subject to something I find much more fascinating.” Douglas’s gaze dropped to her lips, and she blushed.

“What’s that?”

“Happily-ever-afters.” He ran his hand down her arm until they were palm to palm, warm flesh to warm flesh.

“What about them?” she breathed, her voice wispy and light, her breath gone as he smiled into her eyes.

“Every good love story has one.”

“Is that what we are?”

“What do you think, Merry?” He shifted Tyler, leaning down to capture her lips. Tenderness, warmth, love, they flooded out of him, flooded into her, and she wanted to drown in them. In him.

He broke away, his breath uneven, his eyes dark as he smoothed hair from her face. “
Are
we a good love story?”

“You know what? I think we are.”

“Think?”

“If the judge agrees to grant me legal custody of Tyler, I’m going to be a package deal. Not every man would be happy about that.”

“There’s no
maybe
about it. You’ll be granted legal custody. Which means it’s a really good thing that I’m not every man and that I’ve always been partial to package deals.” He lifted her hand, gently kissed her knuckles, and she felt love building, felt forever building.

“Have you?”

“Of course. There’s nothing better than finding one thing you love and figuring out something else you love comes with it.”

“Do you always know the right thing to say?”

“If you ask me, yes. If you ask anyone in my family, the answer might be different.”

She laughed, her eyes closing of their own volition, her thoughts drifting.

“You know I’m a package deal, too, right?” Douglas’s lips brushed her ear, his words so soft they almost seemed part of the dream world she was falling into.

“You have children?” She frowned, forcing herself to pay attention, to wake up enough to figure out what he was saying.

“No.”

“A dog or cat?

“I’m afraid not.”

“Then what comes in the package?”

“A very big, very exuberant family.”

A family?

The
Fitzgerald
family?

She pictured them all. Stately Ian. Steady, hardworking Aiden. Ryan, Owen and Keira, dressed in their uniforms. Charles with his stethoscope and tired eyes. Fiona with her auburn hair and quirky bookstore ideas.

A package deal?

She figured it was a good one.

After all, the Fitzgeralds were pillars of the community. Hardworking and honorable. Loyal and tight-knit. More than that, they loved without reservation, they served without thought to their own needs. They valued faith and family, and that was clear in everything they did, everything they said.

They were a wonderful group of people.

And Douglas, he was the most wonderful of all.

She looked into his face, looked into his eyes, felt all those things she thought she never would. Felt all her dreams springing to life again.

“You know what, Douglas? I think that’s going to end up being the package deal of a lifetime,” she said, and then she hooked her uninjured arm around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss.