Reunion (10 page)

As Grant walked away, shoulders slumped, gait slow,
his long, lean runner’s body seemed somehow diminished, as if he’d aged decades
in the few minutes since they’d laughed over foolish stories at dinner. RJ
wanted to race after him, hold him and bring a smile to his lover’s face,
promise everything would be okay. And it would be, he thought fiercely. There
wasn’t anything RJ wouldn’t do to protect Annie. Meeting Patti’s gaze across
the counter, he realized she was thinking the same thing. Her narrowed eyes and
the tight line of her mouth told him more than any words. They were in this
together.

“What now?” RJ asked. “Where is this guy…what did
you say his name is?”

“Uh…” Patti reached for the pad of paper where
she’d jotted the information. “Dr. Franklin Kendrick. Michael found him through
a background search of the mother. He thought one more school connection seemed
to warrant a quick look. He discovered Annie’s mother—Michelle—had hooked up
with this man shortly after she stopped dating Grant.”

“How the hell did Enwright find that and the cops
didn’t?”

“Wasn’t too hard on the credit bureau side, they
shared a lease on a house for nearly two years. The hospital information would have
been trickier to obtain, but I’m not asking. The records from Annie’s birth
listed Kendrick as Michelle’s next of kin, but she didn’t list him as the
father on the birth certificate.

“Again, according to credit information, right
after Annie’s second birthday, Michelle once again had a lease in her own name on
an apartment—the same year Kendrick took out a mortgage on a new house.
Apparently, they didn’t have the same understanding of their relationship. Law
enforcement has most of the same information, I’m just not sure they’re drawing
the same conclusions.”

RJ pointed at Patti’s nearly full plate of
spaghetti. “Eat. I’ll clean up while we talk. Grant should be busy for a while
in the back of the house with Annie’s bath and story time.”

Patti nodded, twirled her fork into the pasta and
took a bite. While RJ wrapped the food and cleared the plates, he thought about
what this new bit of information might mean. 

“Patti? Does Enwright have eyes on this guy? On
Kendrick?”

Swallowing quickly, she said, “Not yet. They just
got his name a little while ago and are trying to track him down.”

Looking down the hallway to verify Grant was well
out of earshot, RJ said, “Annie’s safe enough here, right? I mean, we used my
rental car, my credit cards for the house, and paid cash at restaurants. I
can’t think of anything to electronically link Grant to this trip to Sedona.
Even if Kendrick is loose, there’s just no way he could find us out here in the
middle of nowhere.”

“Not so fast, RJ. Graeme said there was activity
two days ago on Kendrick’s credit card at a place called the Scottsdale Spy
Shoppe. You know, the kind of place where everyday people can buy their own
James Bond gadgets and guns. Hidden cams, phone taps, pocket guns. The works.
The owner is hedging, but Graeme says Enwright has all the leverage they need
and should have the information this evening. The odds are you’re right—still,
we should be careful.”

“Agreed.” RJ loaded the last plate into the
dishwasher, but decided against running the machine until morning, since it was
only half full. Wiping his hands on the towel, he looked down the hall once
more. Grant held Annie in a wet bundle of towels and was galloping with her
toward her bedroom as she squealed and hollered for Patti. His lips twitched. “You
Miss Patti Cox are the queen of bedtime storytelling. I think you better go.”

“And you, too,
Mister-I-don’t-know-nothing-about-dealing-with-kids…”

“What?” RJ laughed. Then the weight of their
discussion seemed to settle in and make itself at home on his shoulders. In his
heart, he knew he would never be more for Annie than maybe a favorite uncle or
something…but she would have Annie and Grant, and they would love that little
girl and raise her right. “There isn’t anything I won’t do to protect her,
Patti. Nothing.”

“I know. I feel the same.” She reached to her
waistband, patted absently, then looked down, as if realizing she wasn’t armed.
Meeting RJ’s gaze, she sighed heavily. “I didn’t wear my service revolver
today, just the ankle piece. I didn’t want Annie to have the reminder, you
know? The scene at that nursery was…awful. I’ll never forget those boys. If
this sick fuck Kendrick thought it was a good idea to turn junior sociopaths
like that loose and put them in charge of kidnapping a girl he supposedly
loves…” Patti shook her head.

“As soon as we say good night to Annie, I’m going
to put my holster back on. We’ll just have to sit her down tomorrow and talk
about my job. In fact…I’m sort of surprised she hasn’t asked anything about the
kidnapping. RJ, I just can’t tell you how bad it was. She had to have been so
scared that whole time.”

RJ stepped around the counter and Patti moved
easily into his arms. He rested his cheek on top of her soft hair and breathed
deeply of the outdoor scent that always seemed to be so much a part of her. Not
floral or sweet or girly in any way. This woman always held a hint of
adventure, like a walk in the deep woods, a hint of pine, a rich earthy woman.
In this moment, he could admit to himself, Patti would always own a piece of his
heart. He leaned back and pressed a kiss to her forehead, hoping to smooth away
the worry lines. 

“Remember what the psychologist said. Whatever her
reactions are, they are normal for Annie. As long as she’s able to interact and
doesn’t have excessive nightmares. The counselor said she’ll continue to
monitor and I think they have another appointment next week.”

He reached for a glass and filled it with water. “Come
on, let’s go tell the tiny terror good night. And when we’re finished—you get
your service piece, and I’m going to take your backup.” He held out a hand
before she could say anything. “I’m weapons qualified, Patti, remember?” She
nodded, and together they walked down the hall to Annie's room.

“Patti!” Annie bounced up on her bed, arms
stretched out, fingers splayed wide. “Hug, hug, hug,” she said, punctuating
each word with a little jump. As if maybe none of the grown ups in the room
would notice. Grant sat at the edge of the bed, Annie's stuffed bear in his
hand, looking at the plush animal as if he couldn't quite decide what it was.

“Sit down, Annie,” he said, his voice quiet, and
perhaps more effective because of the tone. Grant watched Patti as she crossed
the room to wrap Annie in her arms. She smiled at Grant over the top of Annie's
head, and once again, RJ felt that tightness in his heart that hinted at the
pain to come.

“Patti, did you get this bear for Annie?” Grant
asked, his voice still an odd note of quiet.

“Me? No, I just packed it because she told me she
wanted to sleep with it, why?”

Grant shook his head slightly. “Annie, baby?
Where'd you get the teddy bear?”

“The lady doctor.” Her big eyes suddenly filled
with tears and she looked stricken. “The policeman gave it to her for me. She
said it would be okay.” She sniffled as one big fat tear rolled down her cheek.
“Was I bad, Daddy?”

“Oh, no, baby. You weren't bad at all. I just
needed to know where it came from. It just surprised me, that's all.” Grant
looked to RJ, then Patti, clearly uncertain about the source of the toy.

RJ stepped forward. “Hey, sweetie, how about this?
Since Daddy never met him before, how about I take Mr. Bear to the kitchen and
check him for gobbledy goop-itis, while Daddy and Patti read your story.”

Annie sniffled, but nodded her head. “Night, RJ.”

“Good night, baby girl.”

After settling Annie, Patti headed to the master
bedroom to retrieve her weapon. Grant followed slowly, his gait heavy, as if he
just couldn’t take another blow. Collapsing onto the edge of the bed, he leaned
forward, propped his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands over his face.
When he looked up, Patti nearly lost her breath. He’d aged ten years since
dinner.

Resisting the urge to go wrap him into a comforting
hug, Patti took her shoulder holster from shelf and cinched it in place. Once
she retrieved her gun from her lockbox, she holstered her weapon and settled
her gear. After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled one of RJ’s button front
shirts from a hanger and slipped it on, then rolled the sleeves up to her
elbows. She didn't want to restrict her movement, but she also wanted to avoid
frightening Annie, if the child got out of bed unexpectedly.

While she got ready, she summarized what she’d
told him earlier, repeating the relevant parts she assumed he’d missed when
he’d been lost in thought. Especially the news Kendrick was in the wind and
most likely armed. Definitely dangerous. When her phone rang for the second
time that night, Patti glanced at the display. “It's Kennedy, again.”

“Hey, Graeme, hang on…let me go to another room
and put you on speaker.” Patti kept moving toward the front of the house, not
wanting to wake Annie.

She set her phone on the counter, switched to
speaker mode, and gestured to RJ to join them. Handing him her pocket SIG, she
approved of the way he gave the gun a quick inspection, checked the safety,
then tucked it into the front of his jeans.

“What did you find out?” Grant asked, leaning
forward.

“It's not good. We pried loose more information
about his recent purchases. As I reported earlier, Kendrick is most likely
armed, he has two registered handguns, and he purchased another, two days ago.
The weapons found on the boys were not registered to him, so there are at least
three weapons unaccounted for and assumed to be in his possession.”

“But he doesn't know where we are, right? I mean,
it was coincidental, but I haven't used my credit cards or anything since we've
been here,” Grant said. “That's how you find someone, right?” His voice was
pitched higher than usual.

Patti placed her hand on his neck and gently
rubbed at the tight muscles. She met RJ's gaze. They both knew there were
plenty of ways to track someone beyond tracking spending. Hadn't they found
Annie through GPS tracking themselves? Pressing her lips tight together, she
thought maybe it would be better for Grant to remain less involved in the
gritty side of the protection concerns. Apparently, Graeme thought otherwise,
because he continued.

“I'm sorry, Grant, I'd like to make that
assumption, but Kendrick also purchased a nanny cam and a GPS tracker. It's a
motion activated device—similar in size to a cell phone. The battery life is
dependent on use, obviously. If he somehow managed to plant the device, he
could conceivably have your general location. We believe that's unlikely,
because he purchased the tracker after Annie was back home and since he
wouldn't have known about RJ's rental car, it would have been damn near
impossible to introduce something into your possession that you would have with
you now.”

“Fuck!” RJ said. “Hold on, Graeme.” He grabbed the
bear from the counter and began to squeeze the toy. His hands settled on a spot
just below the bear's bright blue bow tie. With another muttered curse, he
ripped the head from the body, then reached inside and removed a white case the
size of a deck of cards and a micro camera. “I found both devices, Graeme.
Annie had a bear with her that someone gave her yesterday. I've powered them
both down, but it could already be too late. Should we take off?”

“Stay put a little longer. I've already dispatched
Marcus and a team to your location. They should be there in another fifteen
minutes. Meanwhile—”

The house plunged into darkness, leaving Patti's
cell phone screen the only source of light.

In less than a second, Patti's gun was in her
hand. “Too late, Graeme,” she spoke quietly, cutting across his words. “The
power just went out. I think we've got company—leaving you on speaker—but call
the locals for us,” Patti said. She depressed the button to dim the display on
her phone, so they weren't lit up like targets.

Turning quickly, she hissed orders to the others. “Follow
me.” She led them into the hallway in case Kendrick was outside watching them.
With or without a gun, this situation was dangerous. “Grant, you go to Annie.
Take her into the closet in the master bedroom. I'm sorry, I know she's going
to be scared, but you stay there and keep quiet. You hear me? Go, now!” Grant
struggled for a moment, as if he wanted to argue, but realized he needed to be
with his daughter. When he turned and walked away, she focused on RJ.

“Sweetheart, I know you want to help, and I
believe you when you say you're good with a gun—but we need to keep things calm
until help arrives.”

“Save the spiel and the 'keep the civilian safe'
routine. I've studied thousands of hours of these types of scenarios—I won't do
anything stupid. Considering our location, it's a toss up whether Marcus or the
cops show up here first. I doubt Kendrick will wait, so you tell me what you
need for backup.”

Even in the dark, Patti could see the set of his
jaw, the broad line of his shoulders, and the confident way he held the gun.
She nodded once. “With only two of us, we can only monitor so much of the
space. The doors and windows are locked. Head to the window near the back door.
Stay out of range, just try to see into the backyard as best you can. Snap your
fingers if you see him. I'll do the same out front. If he comes through a door
with a weapon, I'll try to give him a warning, but I will shoot to kill. You
understand me, RJ? Get the fuck out of the way if there's shooting. If
something happens to me, don't you fucking hesitate. Aim right at his chest and
kill the bastard.”

“Yeah. Got it.” He took a step closer, threaded
his fingers into the hair on the back of her head and jerked her forward. After
a hard press of his lips against hers, RJ said, “Stay safe.” Then he spun on
his heel and headed toward the back door.

She only had a moment of regret for putting RJ in
this situation, but if he was all the backup she was going to get, she had a
feeling he was pretty damn good for a civilian. Moving quickly, she half-ran
toward the front door, only to pull up short when the sound of a loud bang on
the heavy wooden door froze her where she stood. There was another thud, as if
someone was hitting the doorknob with a bat or log. The third crack broke the
frame near the handle enough that a swift kick had the door swinging open.
Okay, definitely not the cavalry.

Patti's gun was steady as she aimed toward the man
framed in the doorway. If she hadn’t been certain of his intentions before, the
gun in his hand made the situation deadly clear, now. “Don't move or I'll
shoot,” she said, her voice and hands steady.

Time shifted to freeze frame mode as the man
followed the sound of her voice, his body seeming to move in incremental
shifts. First his head, then his shoulders, finally his hips and legs turned in
her direction, his hands by his sides.

“Michelle? Oh my God, you’re alive! It's me,
Frank.” His head swiveled around, as if he was expecting to see Annie somewhere
in the room. “I'm not going to hurt you anymore. I'm just here for Annie. Just
here for—”

“Sir, I repeat, do not move or I'll shoot. Drop
your weapon and put your hands behind your head.”

“Bitch!” His voice rose to a near-scream. There
was a sound of an engine and Kendrick was suddenly illuminated by a flash of
headlights as a vehicle pulled into the drive. He glanced over his shoulder,
then back in Patti's direction. “You always have to have the last fucking word.
Not this time.” In a single motion, the man raised his arm, the silhouette of a
gun clearly visible.

Patti pulled the trigger. Twice. Kendrick's arms
jerked and his gun went flying as he crashed backward into the shattered door.
Keeping her gun trained on him, she barked an order at RJ to stay where he was
and she did the same. After the rapid fire of gunshots in such a confined
space, she wasn't sure he would hear her, but she didn't want to risk either of
them coming under friendly fire from whoever had just arrived.

Kendrick was splayed against the splintered
remains of the front door. Still keeping her weapon aimed, Patti slowly
approached the body. She heard Marcus as if he was very far away, calling her
name, asking if everyone was okay. With a quick glance toward the outside, she
saw, much to her relief, that Marcus stood in the entryway, his weapon also
drawn and pointed.

“Was he alone? Are Annie and Grant okay?”

Patti nodded. “In the closet, master bedroom. The
rest of the house was secured.”

“Walker, go make sure the kid and her dad are good,
but keep them from coming out here. We don't want to contaminate the scene.
Pollack, clear the rest of the house, confirm it's empty. “

After a long minute, the woman who was apparently
named Pollack stepped back into the living room. “All clear, boss. Walker has
the others in the bedroom.”

Marcus holstered his weapon, then turned and
looked pointedly at hers. “You can lower your weapon, Patti. He's not going anywhere,”
Marcus said. “You, too, RJ.”

Patti's gaze went to RJ for the first time since
the shooting and saw his arms were extended, the gun gripped in a two-handed
hold, his gaze steady, focused on the unmoving body of Franklin Kendrick.

“Both of you, put your weapons on the table and
let's move you over here.” He guided her away from the body, toward the
kitchen. “Graeme is maybe fifteen minutes behind me, and the local sheriff
should be here in a few. Hang on…”

Marcus's next words were directed to his radio. “Jo,
the scene is clear. Kendrick's not going to be a problem anymore. You might
want to give Cade or Carter a call and see if one of them can meet us on scene.
I think we might need a little legal advice. Yeah, multiple gunshots while he
was in the act of aiming his weapon.”

“Two gunshots,” Patti automatically corrected. “I
fired my weapon twice.”

Marcus stepped over and studied the body. “This
was more than two bullets, Patti. You need to think before the cops arrive.
Play the scene over in your head, you want to get your statement right the first
time.”

The sound of shaky laughter drew her attention to
RJ. He'd placed the gun down and now gripped the counter as if the heavy
granite was the only thing holding him upright.

“I…fired…” He cleared his throat. “I fired two
shots as well.” Then RJ's shoulders started to spasm in a telltale motion and
he half-sobbed, half-gagged, before losing the undigested remains of his
spaghetti dinner in the sink.

As Patti started to move toward him, he raised a
hand and shook his head, clearly not wanting her to come any closer. Before she
could say anything, the sound of approaching sirens seemed to surround the
cabin. This was going to be a very long night.