Chapter Twelve

Declan unbuckled his seat belt as Ethan parked the SUV across the street from Jamal’s run-down apartment complex. The others would have a view of the back of the unit, but he and Jamal would be going in through the front door. He did a quick comm check to make sure they stayed in contact. All good.

Declan glanced over at Jamal. The boy practically vibrated with nervous tension. Declan wished he could reassure him everything would be okay, but he knew from experience that it might not be true, and he didn’t want to lie to him.

He scanned the area as they made their way across the street and around the side of the building to the front. The place was gang central, with several of the apartments tagged with gang signs and obscene graffiti. The odor of rotting garbage and burnt food mingled into a sickly stench that permeated the area. He sympathized with Jamal. He’d lived in places worse than this growing up.

The door was unlocked when Jamal turned the knob. He followed the boy inside and had to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Threadbare curtains blocked the light from two windows. The stench inside was as bad as outdoors. This time, it was body odor, spoiled milk and, if he wasn’t mistaken, crystal meth. It looked like a tornado had blown through, leaving mass destruction in its wake. Trash and clothes were strewn haphazardly across the living room. Beer cans and empty food containers littered the coffee table.

He glanced inside an open door to find a man and woman lying unconscious on a bed. The man was spread eagle, face up and completely naked. Drug paraphernalia was scattered across two dressers on either side of the bed. He detoured inside to check pulses and had to breathe through his mouth as the scents of unwashed bodies, urine, vomit and meth collided. Both people were alive but passed out.

“That’s my mom,” Jamal said quietly from beside him. “I don’t know who he is.”

At least Jamal’s mom was clothed, if barely in a dirty bra and underwear. Poor Jamal. He was such a sweet kid and he deserved the chance to grow up in an environment free of violence and drugs. Hopefully his aunt would be able to provide that for him. When Jamal turned his back, Declan snapped pictures of the drugs and the state of the adults in the house. He’d take some of the interior, too, and pass them along to Jamal’s aunt in case she had any trouble gaining custody.

He backed out of the room and closed the door. Jamal didn’t need to see this again. The boy guided him to his room, which was surprisingly neat considering the rest of the apartment. Even the bed was made. Jamal dug a backpack from under the bed and stuffed it with the belongings he wanted to keep, which wasn’t much. Declan wished he could do more for him. The first thing Jamal reached for was the bag of swimming gear Peyton had given the children in the swim class. Jamal told him all about the equipment and how nice Peyton was and how much she encouraged him. Judging from the hero worship, Jamal would really miss her.

Jamal shot a furtive glance at him and he pretended to be engrossed in the Secret Life of Pets poster on the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy cram a brown bear into his backpack and Declan hid a smile. Yogi.

“Ready?”

Jamal looked around the room one last time. “Yes.”

Declan followed him from the room and almost mowed the boy over when he came to an abrupt stop.

“You little piece of shit. I raised you. Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

Declan’s gaze snapped to the man brandishing a gun. His other hand covered a wound in his stomach. His shirt was saturated with blood and he looked weak. Still, the weapon pointed directly at Jamal never wavered.

“Do you think I’ll just let you leave? I own you.”

Declan dove for Jamal, slamming him into the ground as a shot rang out. A stab of white-hot pain pierced his hip, but he ignored it to cover the boy with his body. When no more bullets pierced his body, he twisted around to see the man who’d shot him slumped against the wall, his head dangling from his shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he asked Jamal.

“I think so,” he wheezed. “That was my brother. He tried to kill me.”

Declan levered himself off to help the boy up when an unholy scream sounded and a pain unlike any he’d ever felt before slammed into his skull, causing his brain to explode.

#

“That was a gunshot,” Noah said, throwing open his door. Ethan was already outside headed for the apartment.

“Stay here and lock the doors,” he ordered Peyton when she reached for the handle. She looked like she wanted to argue, but thankfully she nodded and stayed put.

They waited impatiently for a break in traffic and then dashed across the street. Using hand signals, they approached the apartment, each taking up on either side of the door. A woman across the way watched them suspiciously. Noah ignored her as they burst inside.

His eyes took in the scene. Declan was down and a woman stood over him with a baseball bat. Jamal was frantically trying to stop her. “Drop it,” he ordered.

“Mom, stop!” Jamal screamed.

The woman’s wild eyes darted around the room. “He was trying to kidnap my kid,” she slurred.

“No, he wasn’t,” Jamal yelled. “He’s my friend.”

“We won’t tell you again,” Ethan said, his voice low and lethal. “Drop the bat.”

The woman swayed and her arms gave out before she stumbled to the sofa and face planted. Noah ran for Declan and slid to the floor beside him. Blood pooled beneath his head and lower body. He was unnaturally still. Through the comms, it sounded as if someone had shattered a melon with a sharp blow. A huge knot already formed on Declan’s head. Noah searched for a pulse, relieved to find one, even though it was weak.

He looked over at Ethan, who was checking the man slumped against the wall. Jamarcus, Jamal’s older brother who’d been involved in the gunfight yesterday. Noah subtly shook his head. He was dead.

“We need to get Declan to a hospital.” They didn’t have time to wait for an ambulance, so he scooped him up into a fireman’s hold and dashed for the SUV. The man was solid, but Noah had carried heavier loads in his SEAL days. Still, he made sure to use the shoulder that wasn’t injured. Ethan and Jamal followed on his heels.

Peyton had the back door open and waiting for him. Ethan helped slide Declan inside, careful of his various injuries. Jamal climbed up beside him and emphatically shook his head when Noah instructed him to sit beside Peyton and buckle up. They didn’t have time to argue, so he shut the door and hopped into the passenger seat. The GPS gave them directions and soon they were turning into the hospital parking lot. Ethan drove beneath the portico of the emergency room entrance. Peyton hopped out and ran inside the building. Noah removed the comm from Declan’s ear and then his main gun. Ethan removed a backup piece from one ankle and a knife from the other before locking the weapons into the glove box.

Peyton returned quickly with an orderly and a gurney. Ethan and Noah carefully loaded Declan on the stretcher and then he was whisked away.

“I want to go with him,” Jamal cried.

“Hon, they need to work on him,” Peyton said gently, squeezing his shoulder. “We’ll visit him as soon as they patch him up.”

Ethan ran off to park the SUV while the three of them found the waiting room. A nurse came over and handed Noah a clipboard with an information sheet to fill out for Declan. Noah stared at the form. He knew next to nothing about the man except for his name and cell phone number. He didn’t even know if he had family they should notify.

Ethan dropped into a chair next to him. “I snagged his wallet to look for an emergency contact.”

“Good thinking.”

Ethan flipped through but didn’t find anything. Noah scrolled through the contact list on Declan’s phone, but there was no way to know which numbers belonged to family members. A thought struck and he called BeBe Davis.

“Hey, Noah, how’s it going in Chi-town?”

“Not great.” He stood up and paced away from the others to tell her about the incident at Jamal’s apartment. He didn’t want the boy to feel any guiltier. He already looked like he would break down at any moment.

“Is Declan going to be okay?”

“I’m not sure. He was hit pretty hard. I’m calling to see if he listed an emergency contact on the eForm he filled out.”

“Hang on.” There was a short pause and then BeBe said, “Yes, an Eric Bishop. The relationship is foster brother.”

He wrote down the number she recited. “Thanks, BeBe.”

“Keep us posted.”

“Will do.” He disconnected and then dialed the number for Eric Bishop. It rang three times before it was answered with a suspicious hello. He was probably uncertain whether to answer an unknown caller since the COBRA Securities phones didn’t show up on caller ID.

“Mr. Bishop? My name’s Noah Addison. I—”

“What happened to Declan?”

So much for niceties. “There’s been an incident. He was injured.”

“How bad.” The tone was grim.

“I’m not sure. He was hit over the head and took a bullet in the hip. The doctors are with him now.”

“Which hospital.” Noah gave him the name. “I’m on my way.” The line disconnected. He headed back to the trio, nodding at Ethan to let him know he’d found a contact.

A tall man with dark hair was striding towards them. He detoured to shake Blake Caldwell’s hand. He’d instructed Peyton to call the detective while he and Ethan retrieved Declan and Jamal.

“Are you going to arrest my mom and brother for trying to kill Declan?” Jamal asked in a small voice.

Blake smiled at the boy. “Right now, I’m just gathering information.”

“They did it,” he stated matter-of-factly. “My brother tried to kill me, but Declan tackled me and saved me. Then my mom bashed him on the head.” He cringed and turned watery eyes to Peyton. “Is he going to die?”

“No, honey,” Peyton told him, brushing a hand over his head. “He’ll be just fine.” She met Noah’s gaze and he tried to give an encouraging smile, but judging by the tightening of her mouth, Peyton didn’t buy it.

#

For the second time in two days, Peyton found herself in the emergency room. They’d brought Aurora to the same hospital the night before.

Surreptitiously, she removed a slip of paper from Jamal’s backpack and excused herself to make a call.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Stanton?”

“Yes.”

“I’m calling about your nephew Jamal.”

There was an inhale of breath and then, “What happened to Jamal. Is he okay?”

“He is, but there’s been an incident.” She explained about Jamal running away because of his brother’s threats and then the events when he returned to his apartment.

A heavy sigh. “My sister’s a mess. She got caught up in drugs and nobody could help her, though God knows I’ve tried. I’ve wanted to take Jamal for years. He’s too sweet to grow up in that environment. I don’t want him to lose his gentleness. Are you sure Jamarcus is dead?”

“Yes. He was involved in a gang-related shootout.”

“I know he was my nephew, too, but I can’t say I’m sorry. Has my sister been arrested?”

“I’m not sure. The police are investigating.”

“Please don’t let child services take Jamal. I’m on my way. My company has a corporate jet I can use. The flight from Detroit to Chicago is approximately forty-five minutes. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

Peyton gave her the name of the hospital and disconnected.

A tall African American man entered the waiting room, his eyes scanning the interior. He was handsome with close-cropped black hair, impressive muscles and intense eyes. He reminded Peyton of Shemar Moore, the actor who played Hondo on the television show SWAT. His gaze locked on Noah and he strode forward. Peyton hurried back to the group in case there was any trouble. She’d never heard Jamal talk about his father.

“Noah Addison?” The man asked in a deep voice.

Noah stood. “Mr. Bishop.” They shook hands.

“It’s Eric. How is he?”

“We haven’t heard.”

“I’ll see what I can find out.” The man headed straight for the check-in window.

“Who is that?” Jamal asked.

Noah sat back down. “That’s Declan’s brother.”

“How is that possible?” Jamal asked. She wondered the same thing since they were different races.

“They’re foster brothers.”

Jamal’s brows crinkled. “What does that mean?”

“It means that they aren’t related by blood, but they consider each other family.”

“Oh. Okay. Like me and Declan.”

Peyton swallowed a lump in her throat. Jamal had formed an instant bond with Declan. It would be hard for him to leave his new friend and even harder if something happened to him.

Declan’s foster brother returned. “He’s in surgery.” His lips tightened. “His brain is swelling, and they might have to induce a coma.”

Jamal sat up in a panic. “Is he going to die?”

Eric’s lips tightened more. “They can’t give me a prognosis right now.”

Jamal’s face crumpled and he started to sob. “It’s my fault! Declan’s going to die and it’s all my fault!”

Peyton gathered him into her arms. “No, honey, it’s not.” But he didn’t listen as he continued to weep until his little body shuddered. When he was quiet, she looked down to see he’d fallen asleep. Noah gently took him from her arms and placed him on a sofa. Ethan draped a blanket he’d charmed from a very responsive nurse over him.

Peyton woke with a start, blinking to take in the surroundings. They were in the hospital and she’d dozed on Noah’s shoulder. Something had pulled her from a light slumber, and she realized it was Noah rubbing her arm. “Is it Declan?”

“No, there’s a woman over there asking for you.”

She glanced to where Noah indicated to see a woman with long hair secured into a chignon searching the waiting room. She wore an expensive navy jacket and skirt over a cream top. She spotted Peyton at the same time and hurried over, her three-inch heels tapping purposefully along the linoleum floor. “Ms. Durant?”

Peyton stood to greet her. “You must be Jamal’s aunt. Please, call met Peyton.”

“I’m LaTonya Stanton.” The woman hugged her with a fierce grip. “Thank you so much for calling me. I’ve been worried about Jamal for years. I love him like my own son. I try to visit him as often as I can but seeing his living conditions makes me ill. I tried getting child services involved, but somehow my sister roused herself into semi-presentable. After my last attempt to take Jamal, she sicced Jamarcus on me. He threatened me with physical harm unless I left and never came back. I believed him.”

Peyton would believe him capable of harming his own family, too.

“He’s told me about you,” LaTonya said.

“He has?”

“He adores you. We email regularly and all his messages are about how much he loves to swim now and how he wants to follow in your footsteps.”

That made Peyton smile.

“I looked up classes on the plane ride here. I’ve found some I can get him into right away so he can continue to swim.”

Latonya Stanton would be a good guardian for Jamal. Her love for him was obvious.

“Ms. Stanton, I don’t mean to interrupt,” Noah said. “But I think you might be interested in these.” He handed her Declan’s phone.

Peyton gasped and covered her mouth as LaTonya scrolled through the pictures Declan snapped of Jamal’s apartment. She’d never been inside and now she was glad. The filthy conditions were deplorable.

LaTonya looked up with tears running down her cheeks as she handed the phone back to Noah. “Can you send these to me?” Her voice was husky as she recited her phone number.

Noah tapped it in and forwarded the photos. “I believe our agent took the pictures so you’d have ammunition in case Jamal’s mother tried to fight you for custody.”

“No court in the country would send him back there,” Ethan added softly.

“Thank you all for what you’ve done.” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue she’d fished from her purse. “I can never repay you.”

“Giving Jamal a home is all the repayment we need,” Peyton said.

She smiled. “Done. I wish I could stay longer, but I’ve got a cab waiting outside and the pilot is holding the plane.” She reached down and gently shook Jamal’s shoulder.

He stirred and blinked sleepily up at them. Then his eyes widened. “Aunt Lala!” He launched himself into her arms.

“He’s called me that since he first learned to talk,” she said over his shoulder.

He bobbed with excitement when she placed his feet on the ground. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to take you back with me.”

“You did? Really? My mom’s okay with that?”

“We’ll ask her later,” she hedged. “Say your goodbyes. I’ve got a plane waiting.”

He jerked away. “No! I can’t leave yet. I want to see Declan before I go.”

Peyton rubbed his shoulder. “It might be a while before we can see him.”

Declan’s foster brother walked up to them. “He’s out of surgery but they’ve induced a coma.” He placed a hand on Jamal’s shoulder. “If you want to say goodbye, that would be okay.”

“Really?” Jamal’s eyes were hopeful.

“I’ll take you back,” Peyton offered. Eric gave them the room number and then led them to the wing of the hospital. Peyton pushed open the door and Jamal tentatively walked through. The room was dim and cool. Machines beeped next to the bed Declan was lying in with bandages wrapped around his head and torso, tubes in his arms and nose.

Jamal whimpered. “Is he going to die,” he asked in a small voice.

She prayed he didn’t. “No. He’s strong. He’ll be okay.”

Jamal creeped closer to the bed and picked up Declan’s hand. “I’m sorry my mom and brother did this to you,” he whispered. “I’ll never forgive them.” He slid the backpack off his shoulders and reached inside to withdraw a fuzzy brown bear. He kissed it and then tucked it against Declan’s side. “This is Yogi. He’s been my best friend and now he’ll be yours...oh, wait.” He reached back inside and withdrew something and slid it over Yogi’s neck. “There.”

Lights from the machines next to Declan’s bed reflected off whatever Jamal added to the bear. Peyton leaned closer for a better look and her breath caught in her throat. It took a few seconds before her voice worked. “Where did you get that medal, Jamal?”

“I saw it hanging on the doorknob when we were leaving this morning. I thought you left it for me. I was going to ask but I stuck it in my backpack and then forgot. It looks good on Yogi, doesn’t it?”

She nodded absently and held out a hand. “Can I see it?”

Jamal shrugged his shoulders. “Sure.” He handed her the bear.

She took it from his hands and turned the medal over. Taped to the back was the word won.

#

Noah noticed the pale cast to Peyton’s skin as soon as she returned with Jamal. She tried to paste on a smile, but he could tell it was forced. He kept an eye on her as they said their goodbyes to the boy who’d charmed them all during their short time together.

Declan taught Jamal a fist bump where they both opened their fingers wide like an explosion at the end. It was the same thing Kai Costa, the son of one of his coworkers, liked to do all the time. Noah had no doubt Kai and Jamal would get along like two peas in a pod if they ever met.

Jamal had to fist bump everyone before he’d leave, even Declan’s foster brother, who looked amused. It was the first time he’d witnessed any expression from Eric other than stoic worry.

As soon as Jamal and his aunt departed, Peyton collapsed into a chair beside him.

“Peyton? What is it?”

She held out a hand. His jaw tightened at the sight of the medal in her palm. He lifted it from her hand and turned it over. Won. Now the messages read in order: For every medal you won.

“Where did you get it?”

“Jamal found it hanging on the doorknob outside the house this morning. He thought I’d left it for him.”

Ice flowed through Noah’s veins. Someone had breached the security system and waltzed right inside the gates without setting off an alarm. If they were sophisticated enough to bypass the external defenses, they’d have no trouble gaining access to the house.

“If Jamal found the medal on the door, the property’s been compromised,” Ethan said, echoing his thoughts.

Noah’s jaw firmed. “We need a new place to stay.” He called BeBe on speaker and told her what happened. She was distraught to know the safe house failed. She hung up with a promise to call right back, which she did less than fifteen minutes later.

“I’ve arranged accommodations directly across the street from the Benton’s. Security is upgraded, though still not COBRA Security-level standards. Sorry.”

“Nothing you can do about that,” Noah assured her.

She harrumphed like she thought she should’ve been able to find a place close by that offered impenetrable defenses. “I need you to drive to this location, punch in a code and park in the garage.” She recited numbers and an address. “I’ll have another vehicle waiting for you in a different color. Use that to drive to the house. If someone is watching, they’ll be expecting your black Escalade.”

“Marry me, BeBe,” Ethan blurted.

A snort sounded over the phone. “You wish, blondie. You couldn’t handle me.”

“Hum, a challenge,” Ethan teased, rubbing his hands together like an evil scientist.

“I’d eat you for breakfast.”

Ethan and Noah both chuckled. “Probably,” Ethan capitulated.

“No probably about it. You’re a genius, BeBe,” Noah raved. She’d figured out what they needed before they’d had time to process the events. He’d make Ethan and Peyton hide in the floorboards before they approached the house so it would look like only one person was riding inside.

“Is there room in the garage to store Peyton and Declan’s vehicles until this is over?”

“Plenty,” BeBe confirmed.

After showering her with more praise, they disconnected. Noah slipped his phone in his pocket as Declan’s foster brother walked over and handed all three of them cups of coffee. They offered thanks before sipping the lukewarm liquid.

“Look, it doesn’t make sense for all of us to be here,” Eric said, his hands in his pockets. “I know you’re working on a case and I’m sure you have things to do. As soon as I have any news, I’ll let you know.”

Noah hated to leave with Declan still in danger, but they needed to gather their belongings and move to the new location. Now that they knew the pool house had been bugged, it explained how someone managed to get the jump on them. Peyton posted the times and dates of both the community center banquet and her friend Lotus’ wedding on her refrigerator, plus they’d talked about both out loud. He’d no doubt told her about the house down the street, too. Whoever was watching had all the information they needed.

Noah prayed they’d plugged the only leak.