Willow clutched Lucy close, unable to stop trembling. Her shoulders were sore from where the guy had roughly grabbed her, trying to force her into the vehicle. Everything had happened so fast. She’d tried to crane her neck to get a better look at his face, but his arms were like steel bands around her. She’d barely caught a glimpse before Nate had shouted, causing him to roughly shove her toward Murphy.
The only reassuring part of the whole incident was that the attacker hadn’t bothered to go after Lucy. Her niece was safe, for now. But glancing back at the Sidewalk Sunshine Café, she was sad to understand there was no way she could work there anytime soon.
Maybe never. The owner, Angela Rivera, had sounded positive, but had needed someone immediately, not in two weeks or longer.
“Are you okay?” Angela had come over to check on her. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing.” She tried to smile. “A misunderstanding.”
“Are you sure?” Angela’s doubt was clearly reflected in her gaze. “When I came out of the kitchen, it looked like that guy was trying to force you into his car.”
“I’m safe now, and so is Lucy. Thanks for coming to check on us.”
“Sure.” Angela gave her one last look, as if sensing Willow was downplaying the event, then hurried back to her customers. For a moment Willow envied her ability to run her own little café, with no worries other than offering good food.
“Run this license plate for me.” Nate was kneeling beside Murphy, speaking into the radio on his collar. It took a moment for her to realize he was reciting the plate number belonging to the black sedan. When finished, Nate rose to his feet and turned toward her. “We need to get you and Lucy away from here.”
Rattled by the near miss, she could only nod.
Nate spoke into his cell phone. “Eden? Sorry, I also need you to check video footage from the Bay Ridge Avenue subway station. Perp dressed in black with a black cap pulled over his forehead left less than five minutes ago. I need Belle Montera to call me, ASAP.”
She shivered again and glanced over her shoulder. Pedestrians had originally stopped to gawk at the commotion but were now moving on with their busy lives. It struck her then, her life may not return to normal anytime soon.
No matter how much she wanted it to.
Nate’s phone rang, and he stayed close to her side as he answered. “Belle, thanks for calling me back. I need you and your K-9 to keep a lookout for a man dressed in black with a hat pulled down over his forehead. He just disappeared through the Bay Ridge Avenue station.” There was a pause before he added, “I know it’s not much, but do your best, okay? Get Max to help, too. I’m working with Eden to get a photo and I’ll shoot it your way as soon as I get it.”
It bothered her to know the guy who’d tried to abduct her had gotten away. She sent up a quick prayer, thanking God for sending Nate back in the nick of time to save her.
“I think I’ve covered all bases for now.” Nate slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“Thanks, Nate.” She managed a smile over Lucy’s head. “Your timing was perfect. If not for you and Murphy, he may have gotten away with me.”
He scowled. “Don’t thank me, Willow. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have left you in the first place. I should have realized that the fake cry for help was nothing more than a ploy to get you alone.”
“Really?” She tilted her head to the side, regarding him thoughtfully. “How could you possibly know that?”
He stared at her for a moment, then looked away. “I just should have.”
“And ignore the possibility an innocent person was in trouble?” She shook her head. “No way. You never could have stayed here, doing nothing. It’s not in your nature, Nate. You’re a cop. I’m sure you’ve responded to other ridiculous calls, too.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Maybe you’re right. Still, it burns to know that he almost succeeded.”
“But he didn’t.” Willow didn’t want Nate to feel guilty about this when it was her decision to come here about the job in the first place.
“Nate?” The sound of a female voice caused Nate to glance over his shoulder. A pretty female K-9 officer with shoulder-length dark hair was coming toward them, accompanied by a large German shepherd. “No sign of him yet, but I let Max know, too.”
“Belle, this is Willow Emery. Willow, K-9 officer Belle Montera and her K-9 partner, Justice.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Willow smiled but felt like a giraffe towering over the petite woman. There weren’t too many men who made her feel less conspicuous, but Nate had several inches on her.
More to like about him. Not that it mattered.
“Thanks, Belle. As soon as I get something from Eden, I’ll let you know.” Nate moved closer to Willow’s side and she was touched by his protective stance. “We’ll be at the precinct if you need me.”
“Sounds good.” Belle turned toward the black sedan. “Did you call for a tow truck? We may be able to get a DNA hit from the interior.”
“Not yet, but that’s a good idea. Will you take care of it?”
“Of course.” Belle grinned. “I can tell you want to get out of here.”
Nate didn’t disagree. “Thanks again.” He turned to Willow. “Come on, my SUV is parked near your apartment building.”
She buckled Lucy into her stroller. They’d barely gone a block when his phone pinged. He glanced down at the screen, then turned the device so she could see the image. “Recognize him?”
She cupped her hand over the phone to cut down the glare from the sun. The photo was a bit blurred, showing a man wearing all black, a black cap pulled low over his forehead, rushing into the subway station, his head slightly turned to the side.
A chill rippled over her, lifting the hairs on her arms. “Craggy Face.”
“Yeah. I think he was the one who ransacked your place.” Nate’s expression was grim. He worked the phone, no doubt sending the photo to Belle as she was responsible for patrolling the subway stations. She leaned over with a frown. “Hey, is that my photograph of him that you’re sending?”
He nodded and glanced up. “Yes, why? It’s the one you sent me.”
The clarity wasn’t great, but she figured it would work well enough for what he needed. “No reason, glad to have something to help your team find him.”
“We will. And I’ll start with your former boss, Damon. He was photographed talking to the guy, so he must know who he is. We’ll catch him, Willow. I promise.”
Nate’s tone oozed confidence and she wondered if he was putting on a brave act for her benefit. Having her apartment broken into was one thing; being grabbed by Craggy Face and nearly forced into a vehicle was something very different. The moment she’d felt him grab her flashed in her mind’s eye. An overwhelming burst of fear had momentarily paralyzed her.
She made a silent promise not to let that happen again. Next time, she needed to keep her wits about her. To fight, with every ounce of strength she possessed, the instant she felt something was wrong.
Lucy needed her, now more than ever.
“Willow, I want you to know, I’ll never leave you and Lucy alone like that again.”
“I know.” His promise touched her heart. “I guess I shouldn’t have asked to go to the café.”
Nate unlocked his SUV, then turned toward her. “You can’t take the job at the café, Willow. Not until we have this guy in custody.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I know.”
His clear blue eyes burned into hers, seeing too much. “I can help get you whatever you need, including cash. Just trust me, okay?”
She wouldn’t take his money—she’d use her savings—but she did trust him. More than she’d ever trusted anyone else.
Maybe she trusted him a little too much. Once she and Lucy were safe, he’d be assigned another case. Moving on in his career, leaving her to focus on raising Lucy.
She needed to remember that this...closeness between them wasn’t real. It was temporary. In her experience, men didn’t stick around for long.
Despite how much she liked and admired him, there was no possibility of a future with Nate.
The near abduction still had Nate’s pulse in the triple digits. And he feared it wouldn’t return to normal anytime soon. He hated knowing Willow was in danger.
Nate forced himself to keep his hands at his sides, when all he wanted to do was draw Willow into his arms, holding her and Lucy close.
Why this sudden attachment to a woman he was assigned to protect? He’d never mixed his professional role as cop with his personal life before.
No reason to start now. Yet as he watched Willow buckle Lucy into her car seat, he couldn’t help but notice how amazing they were together.
He shook off the unusually tender feelings, forcing himself to concentrate on finding and arresting Craggy Face. He and Murphy had to find him, and soon.
Before he tried again.
When Willow finished with Lucy, she opened the passenger door and slid inside. He put Murphy in the back, then went around to the driver’s side, still thinking about their next move. Interviewing Lucy and Willow again wouldn’t likely give them too much more to go on, yet it was important to try. He itched to start searching for the owner of the black sedan, but hadn’t heard from Eden yet.
He’d been right about the fact that whatever was going on with Willow wasn’t connected to the Emery murders. He pulled into traffic, mentally reviewing the similarities between the cold case and this one. Same MO, but what about motive? What did the Emerys have in common with the McGregors?
Other than both sets of victims being Brooklyn residents and lousy parents neglecting their children, what else connected them?
The date. The Emerys were killed on the twentieth anniversary of the McGregors’ murders.
But why? What was the missing link? Why had the killer struck again all these years later? Why single out the Emerys as potential victims?
Again, lots of questions and no answers. Yet.
Once Willow and Lucy were safely at the police station, he’d head to the Burgerteria to interview Damon about Craggy Face. But for now, that conversation would have to wait. There was no way the guy who’d just tried to abduct Willow would be hanging around the restaurant with its connection to her. Still, maybe Nate would get something out of the Burgerteria’s manager to go on.
The drive to headquarters didn’t take long. There was one parking spot left, so he quickly pulled in. His phone rang, and he was relieved to see the K-9 unit’s tech guru’s name on the screen. “Eden, please tell me you have something on the car.”
“It was reported stolen earlier this morning.”
He sighed and glanced at Willow. “That figures. Where was it taken from?”
“That’s the interesting part. It was stolen from a driveway in Windsor Terrace at zero three hundred hours. The guy apparently came home late, leaving his car in the driveway. He didn’t realize the vehicle was missing for several hours.”
“How does that help us?”
“It’s a crime of opportunity. I’m doing a search on other similar stolen car cases now, to see if I can find a pattern. This may not be the first time these guys have used a stolen car to do their dirty work.”
The idea of a connection brought a flash of hope. “That’s good stuff, Eden. Thanks.”
“I aim to please, Slater.” Her airy response made him smile.
He slid the phone back into his pocket and glanced at Willow. “Ready?”
She nodded, but her light brown eyes were clouded with apprehension. Not for her, he knew, but for Lucy. “Sounds like you have a lead.”
“We do.” He couldn’t share all the details of their investigation but wanted to reassure her. “Our K-9 unit is a great team. We’ll get this guy soon.”
“I’m sure you will. I’ll keep praying for God’s strength and guidance. I know God is looking out for us.”
He was humbled by her faith and wondered once again if he was missing out on something special. Gavin was a believer, as were several other members of the team.
The painful memory of his father screaming curses and smashing his fist into his mother brought him back to reality. He was happy for Willow, but that kind of thing wasn’t for him. He and his mother had barely escaped with their lives, and he didn’t see how God had anything to do with that.
He took care of Murphy as Willow strapped Lucy into the stroller. Willow glanced at the building in awe, and he understood how she felt. Their new Brooklyn K-9 Unit was housed in an attractive three-story limestone building that had been used as a police precinct many years ago, until that department had merged with another one, moving into a much larger building. It was perfect for their smaller unit and even had diagonal parking along the front of the building, a rarity in New York. A K-9 center was adjacent to the building, housing impressive indoor and outdoor training facilities.
It was an honor to be here, working for Gavin Sutherland and the rest of the team. Nate liked being a K-9 cop. He’d come a long way from the scared kid who’d escaped with his mother from his abusive father all those years ago.
His gaze rested on Willow, her tall, lean frame bent over Lucy. She straightened, her eyes clashing with his. Awareness shimmered between them, so powerful he almost put out a hand to push it away.
“Looks like a nice place to work.” Willow’s comment cut through the tension.
“Yeah.” He took Murphy off the leash, tucking it in his pocket before heading over to join her on the sidewalk. “I’ll carry the stroller inside.”
She stepped back, giving him room to maneuver. There were three concrete steps leading inside and he easily carried the stroller up and into the building with Murphy on his heels.
Penelope McGregor was working the front desk when they entered. Nate kept his expression neutral, but his heart went out to Penny. The whole unit knew she had to be thinking of her parents’ unsolved murders. Penny—and her brother—had to be reeling from the news. Especially because, once again, there was very little evidence. And no leads on the killer.
Penny’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw them. She quickly jumped out of her seat and came around to meet them, immediately holding her hand out to Willow. “Hi! I’m Penny McGregor. You must be Willow Emery.”
“Yes, and this is Lucy.” Willow smiled at her niece.
Penny’s expression softened as she crouched down beside the little girl. “Hi, Lucy, how are you?”
Lucy didn’t seem intimidated by meeting so many strangers, but didn’t exactly answer Penny, either. “Doggy.” She buried her tiny fingers in Murphy’s pale yellow fur. “Nice doggy.”
“Yes, Murphy is a good dog.” Penny’s brown eyes were concerned when they met his. “Might be best to take Lucy into one of the interview rooms. She probably needs some time to relax before we begin.”
“Agreed.” Penny wasn’t a cop, but considering she was the sole witness of her parents’ murders, including seeing the perp who’d worn black and a clown face with blue hair, and had also been given the stuffed monkey, he thought it might be a good idea for her to gently question Lucy. “Room A appears to be open. Why don’t you get her settled in there?” Willow looked as if she might argue, but he sent a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. Penny is good with kids.”
“All right.” Willow rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Thanks.”
He watched them disappear into the interview room, then took Murphy back past the coffee station to the cubicle area. He crossed over to his desk and booted up his computer, hoping to find Craggy Face’s photo in their mug shot files.
Gavin Sutherland poked his head around the edge of his cubicle. “Hey, I heard what happened.”
“Yeah.” He turned to face his boss, a tall man in his early thirties with dark hair and eyes. Gavin could intimidate the best of them, but the guy had a huge heart. “I don’t think this thing going on with Willow Emery is linked to her brother’s and sister-in-law’s murders, though.”
“It doesn’t seem likely, since the MO mirrors the McGregor case and the incidents involving Willow are all connected to those photos the perp stole.” Gavin frowned. “You might want to keep two eyes on her.”
“I plan to. Anything new on Liberty?”
“No, and it’s bugging me. That highly skilled Lab is cross-trained in all specialties and we could really use her services.”
“I know. She’s tops and we need her out there. Instead, a criminal is keeping her from being able to do what she does best: find smuggled contraband.” Nate glanced down at Murphy, stretched out at his feet. A flash of anger burned deep in his belly. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if someone had put a bounty on his partner’s head—and Liberty was one of Murphy’s littermates. “Let me know if you need me to do something more.”
Gavin touched his shoulder. “I will, Slater. Thanks.”
Nate was still thinking of the bounty on Liberty’s head when his phone rang. He quickly answered, hoping for good news. “Slater.”
“Nate? It’s Belle. With Eden’s help we tracked down the subway stop where the perp who tried to abduct Willow exited the train.”
“Great.” He surged to his feet.
“Hang on,” she cautioned. “The guy immediately slid into a car—the driver was obviously waiting for him—and disappeared.”
“Disappeared? Did Eden get a plate number?” He tightened his grip on the phone, holding his breath. Eden Chang was their tech guru and if anyone could get something from nothing, she could. At just twenty-seven, she was a master at searching through police and public databases, cross-referencing, and homing in on helpful information.
“No. Unfortunately the plate was obscured with mud and the camera angle was bad. She’s playing with the video some more, but so far doesn’t have a single letter or digit to use as a possible reference point.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He jammed his fingers through his hair, battling a wave of frustration. “So you’re telling me this is nothing more than another dead end.”
“I’m afraid so.” Belle’s tone held regret. “Still, we might get some DNA from the car that Craggy Face used in his attempt to kidnap Willow. I have the forensic team working on that right now.”
“Thanks.” Nate tossed his phone on his desk. First Eden had been unable to trace the cash-paid gas receipt found in Willow’s apartment, and now this.
Willow had nearly been kidnapped right in front of his eyes, and he’d have absolutely nothing to go on unless he could get Willow’s ex-boss, Damon Berk, to talk.
Not likely, but he’d do his best to make that happen.