Colton 911: Family Under Fire. Jane Godman

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ I’ll leave the amateur psychoanalysis to my brother.

      Friends told him the pain of a breakup got better with time. It didn’t. He just found ways to push aside the ache of missing her. Instead of staring at her picture like a man dying of thirst would stare at an out-of-reach bottle of water, he threw himself into his work, went for long runs, worked out and took aimless drives with his music turned up loud to tune out the memories.

      He’d even tried dating again. If possible, that had made him miss her more. After a few attempts, he’d given up. It was unfair to the other women, who didn’t know they would never be enough for him because they weren’t Alyssa.

      Four years had passed, and he still thought about her every day. She was imprinted on his heart. Now she was in the next room…

      A sound penetrated his sleep defenses. It was a series of squawks followed by a child’s distressed sobbing. Everett was on his feet, with wires trailing, and ran into the master bedroom.

      “What’s going on? Is she okay?”

      Alyssa was out of bed and pacing the floor with Kennedy in her arms. The dim glow from the night-light next to the bed shone on the baby’s tearstained, red cheeks.

      “I’ve tried everything I can think of to settle her,” Alyssa said. “She started whimpering a little, so I gave her some formula. Her diaper is clean and dry, so that’s not the problem. Her body temperature is fine. She likes being rocked, so I tried that. I think she may be cutting a tooth and her gums are sore.”

      “What can we do about that?” Under Alyssa’s interested gaze, he removed his sleep aids as he spoke. She’d never seen him wired up. The sleep problems had gotten worse since the breakup.

      “We can give her an infant pain reliever, but I didn’t see any in the boxes I unpacked.”

      “There’s a twenty-four-hour drugstore a couple of blocks away. I’ll head over there.”

      “See if they have any teething toys for her to chew on.” Alyssa held up a reddened thumb. “I’m running out of fingers for her to bite.”

      Going back to his own room, he threw a jacket over the sweatpants and T-shirt he’d worn to bed and pulled on his socks and boots. He grabbed his car keys and cell phone, then headed out into the cool night air.

      Cactus Creek was not a party town, and, since it was after midnight, most businesses on Main Street had closed their doors several hours earlier. It was unusual to see anyone around at this time of night, so as he started down the steps, Everett’s attention was caught by a vehicle parked directly opposite from his apartment.

      The single occupant hunkered down in the driver’s seat, woolen beanie hat pulled down low and scarf wrapped around the lower part of the face. Everett had worked enough stakeouts to know what he was looking at. It was amateurish, but unmistakable. There was only one place in plain view. Everett’s apartment was at the top of the steps. The guy was watching his front door.

      Going down the stairs two at a time, he approached the vehicle at a run, cell phone in hand as he snapped a picture of the license plate. Catching sight of him, and anticipating his intention, the driver gunned the engine into life, turning on the main beams at the same time. Caught in the glare of the lights, Everett threw up an arm to shield his eyes.

      As the car’s tires squealed, he had a split second in which to process what was happening. Instead of heading out of the parking lot, the driver had hit the gas and was speeding straight toward him. Diving to one side, Everett managed to roll into the space under the steps just as the car bounced off the curb where he had been standing.

      Like cluster bombs exploding inside his skull, his brain fired off a series of instructions. This guy had signaled his intentions, and they weren’t good. A stakeout was bad enough. Taking the opportunity to try to kill a federal agent took the situation to a whole other level.

      Everett was currently pinned in position. If he moved from his place of security, he risked being mowed down. If he stayed where he was, Alyssa and Kennedy could be in danger.

      Hunkering down in the darkness, he was preparing to call Casey when the car engine started revving up again. Risking a quick glance out at the parking lot, he was in time to see the vehicle make a 180-degree turn before it bumped across a flower bed and screeched out onto the road.

      Uncurling his long legs from their cramped position, Everett exited his hiding place. As he headed toward his car, he made a mental to-do list.

      Get Kennedy her teething meds, send Casey the picture he’d taken of that vehicle…and add some agility training exercises to his workout regime.

      Why was Everett taking so long? As soon as the thought hit, Alyssa groaned out loud. It was starting again. She had been in his company for less than twenty-four hours and already the old anxieties were resurfacing.

      This time, she had to find a way around her fears. Not because they were together. But because of this new commitment. For Kennedy’s sake, she couldn’t freak out every time he was gone. She couldn’t live on a knife edge forever, and she wasn’t prepared to pass on her insecurities to a helpless little girl.

      “There must be a way. Other people do this.” She drew Kennedy closer, and the baby hitched her breath in a tired sob as she tucked her head into Alyssa’s neck. “How about I try to get you to take a sip of cold water while we’re waiting?”

      Although more water dribbled onto Kennedy’s chin than into her mouth, the cool liquid soothed her. By the time Everett returned, her tears had subsided and she was almost asleep with her head on Alyssa’s shoulder.

      “Are you limping?” As soon as the words left her lips, Alyssa wished them unsaid. So much for her vow—made minutes earlier—to overcome her worry. Instead of toughening up, she was coming across as whiny and needy.

      Everett appeared not to notice. “How about we settle this little one, then I’ll tell you all about it?”

      If the fact that there was an “it” didn’t escape her attention, neither did the reassuring smile in his eyes. He was here and, for now, that was enough to make her feel safe and warm.

       It wasn’t enough last time…

      She shrugged away the thought. Everything had changed when Kennedy came along. Maybe she should get that made into a lapel pin?

      The painkiller syrup came with a small, needle-free syringe. Having filled it to the required dose, Alyssa tilted Kennedy’s head and put the syringe into her mouth, aiming for the back corner.

      Everett watched the maneuver with concern. “Won’t she choke when that goes down her throat?”

      “If I pointed it directly down her throat she might gag. But I’m going to release it slowly into the back of her mouth.” Alyssa pressed the stopper gently as she spoke. “It’s no good putting into the front of her mouth. She’d simply push the medicine back out with her tongue.”

      As she released the medicine, Kennedy regarded her with wide, hurt eyes. Clearly, the little girl was questioning the reason behind this breach of baby etiquette. Once she had taken all the painkiller, Alyssa removed the syringe and, СКАЧАТЬ