Luke scooted his chair closer to Triss’s hospital bed, tenderly rubbing the top of her hand where it lay at her side. Natalie’s throat tightened at the gesture and their obviously close sibling bond. Triss had come through the surgery and would recover, but it would take several days before she felt 100 percent.
“It seems like it’s taking a long time for her to wake up,” Luke said, his face drawn with worry.
“I’m awake,” Triss muttered, “but opening my eyes makes me want to puke.” She opened them, anyway.
“Keep them closed then,” Luke said, squeezing her hand.
She stared up at him seriously. “I’m really sorry, Luke, I—”
“Don’t apologize. You should never have been on your own.”
“Not about that,” Triss said, and the barest hint of a smile tugged her mouth up. “I spy another gray hair.”
Luke laughed, the sound rich and contagious, and Natalie found herself grinning, too. Who knew that Triss had a sense of humor somewhere under all that bravado?
“You’re responsible for every single one,” Luke agreed.
“You made it out okay,” Triss said, her attention moving to Natalie.
She nodded. “I’m sorry, Triss,” she said, her voice gritty. “I never should have pressured you to let me leave the hospital. I don’t know what came over me.”
Triss waved a hand, dismissing the apology. “We both made mistakes—you shouldn’t have run off without waiting for backup. And I should have kept you from leaving, even if that meant tackling you to the ground. Which I will do next time.”
The image brought a grin to Natalie’s face. “There won’t be a next time. I plan to follow the rules from here on out.”
“Good.” Triss turned her attention back to Luke. “It happened so fast. I didn’t even know it was a knife. Felt like I’d been punched. Next thing I know, I’m falling into boxes. That’s all I remember.”
As Luke filled his sister in on the rest of the story, Natalie relived the moments in her apartment, images flashing in her memory—distorted features under a nylon mask, Triss on the floor, the gun. Blood, its tinny odor filling her nostrils as it seeped onto the wood floor, dripping into the seams.
Luke’s cell phone buzzed and he checked it. “Roman will be here in five minutes.” He stood. “I’ll walk Natalie down and get her in the car, then come back up.”
“Go home, Luke,” Triss said.
“I’m staying with you.”
“I’m a big girl,” his sister chided. “I can take care of myself.”
“I’m not leav—”
“The last thing I need is for you to sit here hovering over me while I sleep tonight.”
Luke hesitated and Triss looked back at him, her gaze unwavering. “Anyway, you need a good night’s sleep as much as I do, and you could use a shower, too. If you know what I mean.”
“That was kind of low,” Luke said with good humor.
“You’ve always insisted on total honesty,” Triss replied with a teasing shimmer in her eyes.
It was obviously a ploy to get Luke to leave. Natalie was standing right next to him, her face just inches from his shoulder. A trace of his cologne remained, conjuring images of moonlit forest paths and romance.
She edged back. Romance? If anyone needs sleep, it’s me.
“I know how to take a hint.” Luke bent to drop a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be by first thing in the morning. Call me if you need anything.”
Luke looked as tired as Natalie felt, and almost as defeated, as they walked side by side toward the elevators. She reached out to press the call button, but at the last minute remembered his aversion to elevators.
“Let’s take the stairs,” she suggested, bypassing the bank of elevators and heading across the hallway.
Luke pushed the stairwell door open and they started the nine-story descent, their sneakers padding unhurriedly along the concrete steps. He was uncharacteristically silent, and Natalie stole a glance at him, noting the obvious anxiety in his expression.
“Your sister’s one tough cookie,” she remarked, hoping to encourage him.
“She always has been. Tonight, though... Well, there were a lot of people praying for her.”
There certainly had been, and Natalie wouldn’t deny that there was something bonding about a group of friends and believers gathering in prayer like they had tonight. Natalie had never been a part of something like that. Prayer had always been more of a token comfort for her than a faith tool.
“Prayer or no prayer, she’s a strong girl,” she pointed out. “People pray for a lot of things they don’t get.”
“True,” Luke said. “I prayed for years that my mom would get clean, get better. She never did. But I prayed other prayers over the years that He distinctly answered.”
“Some would call that chance. Not answered prayer. Why answer one prayer and not another?”
“I’ll never know why God didn’t lift my mom out of her addictions and make our family a safe place, but I always knew He was there, carrying me to where I am today.”
In her heart, Natalie knew he was right. No one was promised a life without heartache, but only that they wouldn’t walk through it alone. Still, it was a tough pill to swallow after losing two of the people she had loved the most.
An SUV was waiting at the curb in front of the hospital entrance. An older gentleman came around the side of the vehicle and waved at her, opening the back door. “Hello, young lady,” he said.
“Hi.” She paused before getting in the car. His eyes looked familiar. “Have we met before?”
“Haven’t had the pleasure.” He extended a hand and shook hers warmly. “Carson DeHart, at your service.”
Recognition sparked. The eyes. He looked just like Roman. “You’re Roman’s father?”
He nodded proudly, his eyes kind. She remembered then the story she’d heard about Roman’s sister. Brooklyn’s murder had been tragic, and Natalie knew firsthand the trauma and grief that rose from a situation like that.
“They keep trying to get me to retire, but they can’t fire the cofounder.”
She laughed and climbed into the SUV, her heart already flipping at the sight of Luke waiting for her.
As Carson pulled away from the hospital, Roman acknowledged them both and returned to a conversation he was having with his dad about a new potential client. Meanwhile, Natalie couldn’t stop thinking about Luke’s words.
She felt strangely close to him, as if she could talk to him about anything, and she found herself curious about something he had said.
“What you said back there...about never being alone?” she asked quietly. “When did you start to really believe that?”
He looked over at her, the dark interior of the car hiding his expression. “Oh, I was about ten, I think. Triss was a baby, screaming. It was nap time and she was hungry. There was nothing in the apartment. Mom had been gone longer than usual. Three or four days. I was desperate. My brother, Cal, was four at the time and I told him I needed to go get us some food. He was screaming, ‘Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!’ I didn’t know what to do. I’d planned to steal something from the shop on the corner. I couldn’t do that very easily with a screaming baby and a four-year-old with me. So I closed myself in the bathroom and started crying, too.”
The image of him as a little boy, desperate, alone, hungry, tore at her heart.
“This is where it gets good,” he said with a light in his eyes. “I prayed right then. I said, ‘God, if You’re real, You can give us food. I can open the fridge, and something will be there.’ And I begged and pleaded and ran to the kitchen, opened the fridge.”
He looked at her, eyes shining with the memory. She almost expected him to say food had miraculously appeared in a cupboard he’d overlooked.
“Nothing,” he said. “Every part of me wanted to run out then and never come back, never have to hear my hungry baby sister cry again or worry about CPS finding out that we were without a parent again. Triss cried for hours before she fell asleep. Cal had fallen asleep, too. I was thinking about leaving them to run to the store, but I was worried. They were so little to be left alone. Then there was a knock at the door.”
Natalie was there with him, sitting in his little kitchen, all the open cabinets bare, his young siblings passed out from tears and hunger.
“It was a neighbor. She had two big brown paper bags full of groceries. Said she thought we might be needing some things.”
Gooseflesh broke out along Natalie’s arms and she rubbed it away. “What’d she bring?”
“Honey Nut Cheerios, milk, graham crackers, bread, peanut butter, bananas. I remember everything I took out of those bags. I’ll never forget it.”
“That’s pretty incredible.”
His story intrigued her. She wanted to know more about this man who had sacrificed his childhood, who had put his dreams on hold, to raise his siblings. This man who had the kind of faith that somehow tugged at her soul, touching on questions and hopes she’d stuffed down for more than half of her life. If the timing were different, if their circumstances were different...
She shut the thought down immediately. The timing was wrong. The circumstances could not be worse. And she’d made a promise to herself.
Luke let the memory fade away again. He hadn’t thought about it in a long time, but it had been a defining moment in his life—one that he would never forget.
“You know what I complained about to my sister a couple weeks ago?” Natalie asked after a long silence. Her voice was soft, tired. “I told her my life had always been predictable.” She sent a resigned grimace his way. “I think I like predictable.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Predictability creates a sense of security.”
She nodded. “For the first time in my life, I have no idea what’s coming.”
“Do we ever really know what’s coming?”
She was quiet for a moment. “Maybe not. I guess somewhere along the way I started to think I was in charge.”
“In charge of decisions, maybe. Outcomes, not so much.” Luke could use the reminder himself. How long had he done everything on his own? He was still reeling from the gathering earlier at the hospital, and the outpouring of support his friends and coworkers had brought, despite the inconvenience. Even Hunter with his two little kids and Ella with her pregnant belly. Truth was, he was tired of going it alone all the time. Tired of buying into the belief that everything was on his shoulders.
“It’s unsettling.”
“A little,” Luke agreed. “But, in a way, maybe it’s freeing, too.”
She stared back at him, her expression unreadable in the dark shadows. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“I just think if we can get to a place where our hope is in God and not ourselves, there’s a certain amount of peace that comes from that.”
“It sounds so simple.”
“It is, I guess,” Luke replied.
She said nothing as the vehicle turned onto Luke’s street. He hadn’t realized the plan was to drop him off.
Carson pulled up in front of his redbrick Canton townhome.
“I don’t mind finishing out the shift,” he said.
Roman turned toward him. “You’ll do us more good when you’re rested up.”
He couldn’t argue with that, even if he wanted to, so he opened the door and climbed out. “Have a good night and stay safe,” he said to Natalie.
“Good night, Luke.” She gave a small wave, and he shut the door, heading up the dark walkway to his house.
It was a humid night, but still cool, the sounds of frogs and crickets and other night creatures echoing from the nature preserve behind his house. He’d always liked the sound, and slept with the windows open whenever the weather let him get away with it. Tonight, though, the echoes felt lonely somehow. He almost would have rather stayed at the hospital with Triss, but he recognized her look of mutiny when he saw it, and knew if he stayed, she’d just badger him all night until he left. It was probably for the best, anyway. He didn’t like to admit it even to himself, but fatigue was quickly catching up with him.
He unlocked the front door and flipped on the foyer light, stepping out of his shoes and crossing through the living room to the hallway to head toward his bedroom. The house was silent without Triss there. Cal had been gone for a couple of years, had just finished his second year with the army, but Triss had opted to stay with Luke and save money while finishing her forensic science degree. He wasn’t in a hurry for her to go. He imagined this must be what it felt like to be an empty nester. Except he wasn’t a father and he didn’t have anyone to share the empty nest with.
His thoughts turned to Natalie, but just as quickly turned away. He’d do himself a favor and pour all his energy and resources into getting his nonprofit off the ground. He wouldn’t let that plan get derailed again. He reached into his pocket and slipped out the envelope that Judge Harper had given him. He’d deposit the check tomorrow and go online to pay Triss’s fall tuition. Then he’d head over to his building and see how the renovations were coming.
After a quick shower, he picked up his phone to set his alarm for the morning and realized he’d missed a text from Natalie.
Just FYI—realized my ring’s missing. Roman’s going by my place in the morning to look for it. Don’t remember losing it in the scuffle...
Her engagement ring? Could the chain have come unclasped at some point? The last time he’d noticed it was when they’d first arrived at the hospital and it had slipped out from under the neckline of her shirt.
He texted back, asking when she last remembered having it, but she hadn’t responded by the time he finished getting ready to turn in. She’d probably already fallen asleep.
Luke climbed into bed and reached over, switching off the bedside lamp. Tomorrow he’d look around the hospital waiting room and Triss’s room, make sure the cars Natalie had ridden in were thoroughly checked. But something was nagging him. It had been nagging him since the first attack. Natalie’s ring was the most valuable item she’d had with her in Mexico. Some might be led to believe it was worth far more than the purported six grand. He grabbed his phone and did a quick search, verifying that copycats could run up to fifty grand. Was it possible her attackers were after the ring?
Even if that were the case, Natalie would have noticed the chain being ripped from her neck, right? He set the phone down and rolled onto his side, trying to put the matter out of his mind until morning. Minutes ticked by slowly, and he felt more awake by the second. Finally, he got back out of bed, changing again. He’d just run over to Natalie’s place and take a look around. She’d fought back hard. It was possible she’d lost it in the chaos. And if someone was after the ring, he could return to complete the search.
Luke knew that Roman had beefed up Natalie’s security system, so it was highly unlikely anyone would successfully gain access. But he also knew himself. Once he got an idea in his mind, he had to see it through. He’d run over there, look for the ring and then he’d be able to sleep.
Luke had been right about one thing: the ring was in Natalie’s apartment. He’d been wrong about the other: sleep hadn’t come easily just because he’d located it. Making sure the zipper pocket on the inside of his jacket was securely fastened, he got out of his car. Operating on little sleep had never been a big deal to him, but he’d barely grabbed four hours after the ring hunt—which wasn’t going to do him much good on the night shift later.
An involuntary yawn rose up as he unlocked the door of the old brick building he’d been renovating for the past couple of months. He couldn’t be doing this kind of stuff. He knew better. He’d spent nearly every waking hour on Kendra’s case—both on and off duty. He recognized the signs of attachment, and knew that his 2:00 a.m. ring hunt had been overkill.
Even Roman had questioned him on it when he’d messaged him to let him know he’d found the ring. In fact, Roman had seemed more interested in discovering what had possessed Luke to go in search of the ring than in what Luke had found.
And what Luke had found was the intact ring, mixed up with a pile of decorative items that had spilled out of one of the toppled boxes. Farther across the room, he’d found the broken chain, noted the stretched-open links, obviously pointing to the idea that the intruder had yanked the chain from Natalie’s neck. She claimed she didn’t recall that, but then again, adrenaline and shock often had the maddening ability to alter and even erase critical memories. Was this ring the target after all? Several boxes in the room had been sliced open. Maybe not. The intruder had been looking for something, and he had to have known that Natalie hadn’t been back to her apartment since the wedding day. The ring couldn’t have been in any of the boxes that had been rifled through.
He started a slow walk-through of the building, forcing away questions about the ring and mentally cataloging his plan of action for the week. Roman had Natalie’s situation covered, and Luke would be dropping the ring off at the Harper estate in a little bit. Even Triss seemed to be squared away, and would possibly be discharged in the next day or two. Luke had dropped by the hospital on the way to the building. Triss’s quick recovery wasn’t the only surprise that had been waiting for him there. Hunter Knox had been in the hospital room with her—and not as an assigned guard. As a friend. Luke wondered if there was something there he hadn’t recognized before, but he didn’t give it much thought. Hunter was a nice guy, whose wife had died a couple of years ago. He was probably just doing the right thing and keeping her company.
What Luke needed to concentrate on was his nonprofit. For the next hour, he walked the building, checking in with the construction crew, giving directions and answering questions. The initial repairs were nearly done, and several columns of old library bookshelves had already been torn out, a full kitchen going in. The next plans to consider were for the installation of a basketball court and a small chapel. Luke was taking measurements and making notes when a text from Roman popped up on his phone.
Finished at the station. Change of plans. Coming to you for the ring.
Luke pocketed his phone and then finished up a few measurements. He’d recently come across an ad for old pews a church was getting rid of, and he thought he might be able to update them with cushions to bring traditional and modern together in the chapel while also maximizing seating. He put in a phone call, leaving a message about his interest in the pews, and then headed back toward the front of the building, where the sun was beaming in from the new oversize windows he’d had installed.
The morning was disappearing fast, the sun bursting out on a nearly cloudless day. This was exactly where he was supposed to be. He still felt a loyalty to Shield, and he’d work for Roman on a part-time basis for a while, but this community center would fill a hole Luke had been trying to fill since his own lonely middle-school years. And it would also provide a much-needed distraction from his growing attraction to Natalie.
But then the Shield SUV pulled up, and Roman emerged, coming around to the passenger side to open the door for Natalie.
She wore a dark pair of jeans with a floral blouse that made her seem even younger, her blond hair styled into silky straight, wispy layers, a pair of simple silver hoop earrings finishing the look. Luke opened the building door for them and Natalie smiled toward him, but the expression didn’t reach her eyes, her skin pale enough to fade yesterday’s sunburn.
“You didn’t need to get out of the car,” Luke said, even as the pair walked into the building. “I would have come to you.” He looked from one face to the other, sensing he’d missed something big at the police station. “How’d the interview go?”
Roman looked to Natalie, and she shrugged—a gesture that was clearly disproportionate to whatever she was feeling.
“Let’s see,” she began, faint sarcasm in her tone. “With the exception of footage from the bank where he withdrew all of his savings not long after he texted me, Kyle still hasn’t been seen since the morning of the wedding. He’s massively in debt, there’s blood at his apartment and someone traveled on the plane with me using Kyle’s stolen credit card and passport. Airport video surveillance shows it was not, in fact, Kyle. So, of course, the police wanted to go down the line of questioning that included my possible involvement in Kyle’s disappearance and a potential plan to run off with this unknown man.”
Luke shook his head, trying to piece all the details together. “What motive would you have?”
“The list of Kyle’s affairs is impressive. The police assumed I knew. To be fair, I must have been blind not to.”
“What proof do they have?”
“None,” Roman said. “Which is why they had to let her go.”
Luke started to ask about the blood in the apartment, but Natalie had turned away from them, taking in their surroundings. “Wait a minute,” she said. “Is this the building you were telling me about? For the community center?”
He nodded. “There’s still a lot of work to do.”
Her gaze traveled the entryway, curiosity in her expression. “Wow. Can you show me around?”
Luke paused, taking in the interest on Natalie’s face and the guarded expression on Roman’s. Roman had already visited more than once and had been very supportive of the venture, but every moment Natalie was away from home base put her at higher risk. Plus, truth be told, he felt a little protective of the old place. Right now it was just a shell of an abandoned library that had caught fire and never been restored. He didn’t expect anyone to see what he saw. “You’ve got enough going on right now. How about I invite you to the grand opening when it’s all fixed up?”
Natalie shrugged, her eyes still troubled as she sent him a half-hearted smile. “I could use a distraction for a few minutes.” She was already walking down the hall, so Luke had no choice but to follow.
He tried not to read too much into Natalie’s interest in his project. How she could be facing so much personal trauma and still muster the energy to offer up encouragement on a new friend’s business venture spoke to her selflessness.
She ran her hands along empty bookshelves, most of which would be torn down and repurposed over the next few weeks. Then she glanced over her shoulder at Luke. “What’s your vision, Luke? I want to see it the way you do.”
He couldn’t pinpoint what had caused the squeeze in his heart—whether it was her words, her sincere interest or the perfect ray of sunshine that filtered through a window onto the place she was standing. Whatever the cause, he knew immediately that he shouldn’t have invited her into his dream. It made him imagine what it might be like to dream together. But they were here now, and there was no turning back.
“Well, where you’re standing right now will be converted into one of the common areas,” he started. He described his vision quickly, touching on the most important details before cutting the tour short and circling back to the entrance. Natalie looked up at the high ceilings with the light filtering through, turning in a slow circle as if she were seeing the completed vision Luke had just described and then met his eyes again.
“I love it,” she told him, beaming. “Count me in.”
“It’ll be a while before it’s up and running.”
“I’m pretty good with a paint roller,” she said with a smile. “And I know a lot of people in the media, so I can help get you some publicity. That could lead to more donors.”
Something stirred in Luke’s soul, but he caught Roman’s observant eye and reminded himself to stand down. Lots of people had offered to help him over the years, but few people ever actually stepped up to the plate. That knowledge had protected him from a boatload of disappointment in his life.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll keep that in mind. For now, you have enough to worry about.”
They both knew it was true, but it also gave her an easy out, and he was prepared for her to take it.