The Seal's Secret Child. Elisabeth Rees

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       TWO

      Josie sat in her kitchen, opposite Blade, jiggling her foot anxiously. She kept stealing glances at her old flame, still struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was actually there in her home. Even though she had wished him back in her life for the sake of her son, now that this scenario had become reality, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

      She was getting along just fine as a single mom, and was used to being the sole decision-maker in matters relating to Archie’s well-being. Now all of a sudden, her son’s father had a right to demand an equal say. The shooting incident had terrified her and she wanted to get Archie as far away from Sedgwick as possible until the danger had been neutralized. But would she and Blade disagree on the best way forward?

      Two detectives from Wichita were also seated in her kitchen. They had been summoned by the public defender’s office to oversee protection for Josie and her family. Detectives Dave Pullman and Carly Sykes had completed a thorough crime scene examination and interviewed Blade, Tim and Archie before asking to discuss a plan of action with Josie. Meanwhile, uniformed officers began to sweep the glass and board up the broken windows. Blade insisted on remaining with Josie while Tim and Archie packed some bags in preparation for leaving. Staying in their home now was impossible.

      “You two are Archie’s parents, right?” Detective Sykes began. “This must be a pretty scary time for you folks, but your son seems to be taking it all in stride.” She smiled at Blade. “He places a lot of faith in his father to come to the rescue. He’s a really sweet kid.”

      Blade smiled. “Yes, he is. I’m proud of him.”

      Josie bristled. Blade had only just met Archie, yet he was taking the credit for how he’d turned out. It wasn’t fair.

      “Can we get to the point?” she asked. “I’d like to make plans as quickly as possible.”

      “Sure,” Detective Sykes replied briskly. “I understand that a brick was thrown through your window this morning. And there was a note wrapped around that brick.”

      Blade looked sharply at Josie, his face full of concern.

      “Yes,” she said. “The police officer stationed outside my home said it was thrown from the same vehicle that returned later with a shooter inside. It matches the description of a car that tried to run me off the road a couple of weeks back.”

      The detective checked an entry in her notepad. “Unfortunately, this car was stolen from Wichita last month, so it doesn’t lead us to the perp, but we’ve put out a description to all our patrols.”

      Blade leaned toward Josie. “What did it say?” he whispered.

      She was confused. “What did what say?”

      “The note around the brick.”

      “Oh, that.” She closed her eyes, not caring to remember the hastily scrawled capital letters. “It said, ‘Drop the case or pay the price.’”

      “We’ve been told that you’ve also been receiving abusive phone calls and letters,” Detective Pullman said. “They’re all related to a current case you’re working on at the public defender’s office, right?”

      Josie nodded.

      “I think it’s awesome that you’re a public defender,” Blade said admiringly. “No matter what’s happening right now, you should be proud of yourself.”

      She ignored the praise. “I worked hard to establish myself as a good attorney,” she said, silently adding in her head, while you were busy finding yourself in Florida. “It was difficult, but my parents helped out a lot with babysitting Archie.”

      “I need to know the background to this case,” Blade said. “Can you explain the details to me?”

      “I don’t think there’s any point. The police have got it under control.”

      He furrowed his brow. “It doesn’t look that way to me. Please, Josie, just give me a little more information. I might be able to help. Don’t forget about my background.”

      How could she forget his history in the military? It was the SEALs who cost him his leg. It was the SEALs who destroyed their СКАЧАТЬ