Josie fell to the ground, knocked down by the numerous people rushing around her. Her knees scraped on the gravelly path, and a stinging sensation spread quickly across her skin. Blade helped her to her feet, shielding her with his own body, and she darted her eyes from person to person, searching out the man in the hat.
The crowd of protesters was panicked, scattering in all directions, yelling out in fear and alarm. Security officers came rushing from the courthouse, guns drawn, desperate to find the armed man. Only one single shot had been fired, but more could come.
“Where is he?” Blade yelled above the noise. “Do you still see him?”
“No,” she replied, breathlessly. “He’s gone.” Blade was holding her tight. She felt constrained, and her chest was hurting. She pointed to the path that led away from the courthouse. “He was standing in the parking lot.”
“Remind me what he looks like,” Detective Sykes said, motioning for two security officers to come and assist her. She then handed some keys to Blade. “Get Josie in the car immediately.”
“Yankees baseball cap, big, bushy beard and black-framed glasses,” Josie said, visualizing the man sitting in the gallery. “But I’m pretty sure he’s gone.”
Detective Sykes, however, had other ideas. “I think I see him.” She raised her weapon and shouted, “Stop right where you are!”
Josie turned around, spotting a man in a Yankees hat, cowering against the wall of the court building. But the clothes were wrong, and this guy had a neatly trimmed beard rather than a big, bushy one. It wasn’t the same man.
Detective Sykes’s shout had spooked the crowd, sending them into a renewed panic. Josie found herself being pushed and elbowed as the people began to run once more. Clutching her briefcase tightly to her chest, she lost her footing and started to fall. Yet she didn’t hit the concrete, because Blade scooped her off her feet and began to walk through the running figures toward the parking lot. He carried her as if she were as light as a bird, but she knew she must be placing a strain on his prosthesis. She stiffened her back and he placed her on her feet, taking her hand and leading her swiftly to the SUV.
Only once she was safely inside the car did she let out a long exhalation of relief.
“That’s not our guy,” she said, watching Detective Sykes cuffing the ashen-faced man in the Yankees hat. “It’s the same baseball hat, but unless he trimmed his beard, removed his glasses and changed his clothes since this morning, it’s not him.”
Blade steered her chin away from the window. “Forget the guy,” he said gently. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
She put her palms briefly on her knees, where her panty hose were ripped and bloodied skin was visible. “Not seriously,” she said. “It’s just a few scratches.”
“We’ll get you out of here as soon as possible,” he said, opening the door and stepping out. “I’ll just check the car for any planted devices before we start it up.”
Once the door was closed, Josie allowed her head to fall heavily into her hands, and she let out a stifled sob. She was way more terrified than she had admitted to Blade. Hearing the shot ring out had caused her mind to go into sudden overdrive, picturing her funeral, imagining Archie being forced to grow up as a motherless child. In a split second, she had contemplated how her son would cope without her. If anything happened to her, she guessed that custody of Archie would automatically be granted to his father. But could she trust Blade to take their child under his protection and care for him every day? She just didn’t know. Blade was besotted with his son right now, but would the novelty wear off? He had abandoned her once already, severing all ties and leaving her utterly alone. If he could do that to her, could he also do the same thing to his son?
Detective Sykes opened the driver’s door, causing Josie to jump in surprise. She had been lost in a world of her own morbid thoughts.
“The man in the baseball hat has agreed to accompany officers to the station to answer some questions,” the detective said. “So I’ll take you home before joining them at the Wichita Police Department.”
“It’s not the guy from the courtroom,” Josie said flatly.
“I guessed as much after we didn’t find a gun on him. But he says that he saw the shooter run away from the scene, so we’ll get a witness statement from him. It looks like the shooter fired randomly into the air. I don’t think he was trying to hit a target. He was trying to create confusion and chaos, probably to frighten you.” The detective leaned into the back and patted Josie’s hand. “We’ll beef up our security, so please don’t worry that something like this will happen again.”
Josie didn’t feel the need to reply. She knew something like this would happen again. She was certain of it.
“You told me at lunchtime that you recognize this man from somewhere,” Detective Sykes continued. “So we’ll try and figure out how you might know his face.”
Josie let her head fall back onto the headrest. How on earth would she now find the time to play with her son? Her whole life was being consumed by this thug and his cruel game of cat and mouse.
Blade slid into the seat next to her. “We’re all clear,” he said to Detective Sykes. “Nothing has been tampered with.”
The detective nodded and started up the engine, taking the car away from the scene and out onto the highway. The protesters were being quickly dispersed by security officers, while the police began a search of the area, trying to seek out the culprit who had struck fear into everyone’s hearts.
Blade fastened his belt and then turned his body to face Josie. He looked to be totally relaxed and at ease, the opposite of her.
“Don’t look so worried,” he said quietly. “I know it was a pretty nasty shock back there, but you were well protected the whole time. From now on, we’ll ask the police to form a barrier between you and the protesters. The shooter obviously hid himself among the crowd.”
She pulled her pencil skirt down awkwardly to hide her scrapes. She felt like a schoolgirl who had skinned her knees rather than a professional attorney. She hated this feeling of vulnerability and wished that she had been able to stride away from court confidently and proudly, rather than in the arms of her ex-fiancé. She had vowed that she wouldn’t place Blade in danger, yet she had broken that vow within a matter of hours.
“Hey,” Blade said, ducking his head to make eye contact with her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She inhaled a long breath through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. “I just got a vision of what life might be like for Archie if this guy managed to kill me.”
Blade shook his head. “He’s not going to succeed.”
“You don’t know that, not for sure. If he’s brazen enough to come into the courtroom, then I don’t think a few extra police officers are going to stop him.”
She watched the wet streets of Wichita pass them by, the ground glistening from recent rainfall. Dusk was falling, and she imagined Archie settling down to watch his favorite TV show, probably with Sherbet perched on his shoulder.
“What would happen to Archie if I wasn’t here anymore?” she asked in a whisper.
Blade looked to be searching her eyes. “Is that a question you want me to answer, or are you just thinking out loud?”
“I want you to answer,” she replied. “I need to know.”
“Well,” he said, taking her hand and holding it firmly, “I think you’re worrying unnecessarily, but I would take care of Archie in that circumstance.”
“It’s a big commitment,” she said. “It’s not easy being a full-time parent, and it’s incredibly time-consuming…”
Blade cut her off. “I’m his father. I’d do whatever it takes.”
“Would you take him back to North Carolina with you?” She moistened her lips with her tongue. Her mouth was dry and her throat scratchy. “Or would you move to Sedgwick?”
Blade sighed. “It’s crazy to be talking about something that is never going to happen.”
She raised her eyes to meet his. “It’s not crazy to plan for my son’s future.” She heard the hard edge to her voice and softened it. “Before you came back into our lives, it was much simpler. My will states that I want my father to be Archie’s guardian in the event of my death. It’s always been important for me to know that Archie’s future is secure.” She withdrew her hand from his and laced her fingers together. “But now it’s different. If I died, you would be awarded custody if you wanted it. You’d be free to do what you wanted.”
Blade’s forehead creased. “I’m not sure what you imagine I’d do in that situation, Josie, but you seem to have a fairly low opinion of me. Do you think that I’d take Archie away from his home, his friends and his family without a second thought?”
“Would you?” she asked.
His answer was quick. “No.”
“So, what would you do?”
“I don’t know.”
Josie let out a short exhalation. This wasn’t a satisfying answer. She was getting nowhere.
“What this really boils down to,” said Blade solemnly, “is your difficulty in letting go of your status as a single parent. It’s hard for you to accept that I get to make the same decisions as you regarding Archie’s welfare.” He smiled weakly. “I’m guessing that you want to give me exact instructions on what you’d like me to do if you weren’t around anymore. Am I right?”
She couldn’t argue with this statement. “I just want to make sure you would do the right thing.”
“But your version of the right thing might be different from mine,” he argued. “You can’t control how I parent. You have to let me make my own choices as a father and try not to second-guess me.”
These were hard words for Josie to hear. He was articulating all her worst fears. What if Blade made poor choices? What if he took Archie camping and let him wander too close to the water? Or allowed him to ride his bike without a helmet?
Blade seemed to be able to read her thoughts. “I’d step up. I’m not a careless person, and I take my responsibilities very seriously.”
“But there’s so much you don’t know about Archie,” she said, her mind whirring. “Like, he’s scared of horses. And he gets very agitated when walking over bridges, so I sing songs to calm him down.” She reached into the collar of her blouse to touch the label. “And I have to cut the labels out of all his clothes because they bother him. I know these things may sound insignificant to you, but they’re important to Archie, and you might accidentally do something to upset him or hurt his feelings.”
Blade laughed. It was a rich, throaty laugh that came from deep inside. “He doesn’t need to be wrapped in cotton, Josie. He’s not a baby.”
Josie bristled at this comment. “Do you think I coddle him?”
“A little.”
She hadn’t expected him to be truthful, and his words stung.
“I don’t blame you for wanting the very best for our son,” Blade continued. “I think you’re a fantastic mom, and Archie is a fantastic kid. But I’m not the same as you. I do things differently. I’ll let Archie climb right to the top of the jungle gym or swim in the deep end of the pool.”
Josie knit her eyebrows together. Blade had just told her he wasn’t a careless person, yet these things he had mentioned were totally careless and could put Archie’s well-being at risk.
He clearly saw the unhappy expression on her face. “But I’ll be right there to make sure he’s always safe from harm. You can’t protect children from every eventuality. You can only teach them how to deal with problems when they arise and let them have a little more independence as they grow.”
“I’m not sure I agree,” said Josie, her concern growing. “It’s my job to protect Archie from as many things as I can until he’s grown up and able to look after himself.”
“But don’t you see?” said Blade. “Unless you teach him how to cope with dangerous situations while he’s young, he’ll never be able to handle it as an adult.”
Josie shook her head. “That’s easy enough to say while we’re sitting in a warm and safe car, but what if you’re not able to get to him fast enough in the pool or the park? What if you’re not wearing your prosthesis and you can’t reach him in time? What if—”
Blade raised a hand. “Do you think my disability makes me less able to take care of Archie?”
“No, not at all,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean for you to take it the wrong way.”
“I don’t think I took it the wrong way,” Blade said calmly. “I think I took it the exact way it was intended.”
Josie closed her eyes briefly. She was making a big mess of this. She didn’t want Blade to feel bad, but neither did she want him to flirt with danger when it came to Archie’s safety.
“I apologize,” she said, not really meaning it. She thought that Blade was a little touchy on the subject of his disability, and his taking offense was unwarranted. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page in parenting terms, but apparently we’re not. Can we start this conversation over again?”
Blade turned to look out the window. “Actually, I’d prefer not to talk for a while. You’ve given me a lot to think about.” He looked at her in the reflected glass. “Are you sure you’re okay after that shooting incident?”
“I’m fine,” she replied tersely. “Thanks for asking.”
All thoughts of her attacker had now been banished from Josie’s mind, replaced by an even greater worry. She had wanted reassurance from Blade that he would take care of their son if anything bad happened to her, but his words had given her no comfort. If her attacker succeeded in terminating her, Blade would have free rein to parent Archie any way he liked. He could take Archie kayaking down white-water rapids without a life vest if he wanted. And she would have no way to curtail this kind of recklessness.
There was only one thing she could do: she must ensure that her attacker did not succeed. She simply had to stay alive for the sake of her precious son.
* * *
Later that night, Blade loaded up the dishwasher while Tim made a pot of coffee. Blade and Josie had returned to the safe house to be greeted by a wonderful aroma of roast chicken, cooked by Archie and his granddad in preparation for their return from court. When Blade had walked into the hallway, Archie had instantly run and jumped into his father’s arms, but Blade quickly passed him along to Josie. He guessed that she needed to wrap her arms around her son after the day she’d had.
Their conversation in the car told him just how difficult she was finding this process of adjustment. The sudden presence of another parent in her family had totally changed the dynamic. Josie no longer had the final say on Archie’s future, and it was clear that she wasn’t coping well with this. Her insensitive comment about him potentially failing to rescue Archie from danger because of his prosthesis had really hurt deeply.
Despite their tense verbal exchanges, Blade still couldn’t help old feelings stirring up inside whenever he looked at Josie. Her blazing eyes and ruby-red mouth were her most dangerous weapons, and she used them frequently to get her point firmly across. Yet Blade was never cowed by her. Far from it—he admired and respected her for her strength and confidence, remembering exactly why he fell in love with her in the first place. But her attitude toward his disability continued to be a sticking point between them. She was like a bull in a china shop, making the kind of clumsy comments that he knew were meant to be helpful but only highlighted her lack of understanding.
“Dad, can we play ball in the yard?” Archie asked, carrying the last plate from the table.
Blade glanced out the window, where night had fallen.
“It’s too dark to go outside, buddy, but why don’t we play something indoors?” He looked at Josie, who was poring over some documents at the kitchen table, seemingly lost in thought. She had cleaned her wounds and changed into a sweatshirt and jeans. Although her eyes were on the paper, they were staring right through the page. “How about hide-and-seek?” he asked. “What do you say, Josie?”
She looked up, startled. “Huh?”
“Do you want to play hide-and-seek with me and Archie?”
Archie jumped up and down on the spot. “Me first. Me first.”
Josie picked up her papers and slipped them into her briefcase, smiling. “Sounds like a great idea. Archie, your dad and I will give you one whole minute to hide.”
Archie didn’t need telling twice. He tore out of the room, and Blade heard small feet pounding on the stairs as he ran like the wind.
Blade went to sit next to Josie at the table just as Detective Sykes poked her head around the corner. After dropping them at the safe house, the detective had immediately gone to the Wichita station to interview the man in the baseball cap. She had been gone for a couple of hours.
“I smell coffee,” she said with a smile. “Any chance of a cup?”
“Sure,” Tim replied, reaching for mugs on the shelf. “We saved some dinner for you. It’s in the oven.”
“Thanks,” she said. “It’s been a long day and I need a good, hot meal.” She sat at the table. “Josie, do you think we could talk after I’ve eaten? I have some mug shots for you to look through. You might recognize the shooter from the courthouse today.”
“No problem,” Josie said, watching her father carry a plate from the oven with an oven mitt. “You go ahead and eat, and I’ll be back in ten minutes, okay?”
The detective picked up her fork. “Perfect.”
Blade then followed Josie out into the hallway and watched her flit up the carpeted stairs, sure-footed and bouncy. His gait was a little more cumbersome when climbing stairs but not much slower than hers. He was pleased that the mood was lifting a little. They all needed to feel like a normal, happy family, instead of a family in hiding. Archie had no idea about the shooting incident earlier in the day, and Blade and Josie had jointly decided not to tell him. That was one thing they had agreed on, at least.
“I’m coming for you, Archie,” Josie called out in a teasing tone once she got to the second-floor landing. She pointed to the next flight of stairs and turned to Blade. “I’ll go look on the top floor, and you take this one.”
“The loser has to make breakfast in the morning,” he said, jogging to the bedroom at the end of the hallway.
She laughed. “It’s a deal.” He glanced back to see her taking the stairs two at a time, calling out, “I’d like bacon and eggs, please.”
Blade started hunting beneath beds, in closets and behind drapes. He then realized that he was enjoying himself more than he had in a very long time. The game seemed to have brought out a playful side in both him and Josie, allowing them to forget the stress of the day and focus on what was really important. At this moment, he truly felt part of a real family. Yet he knew it was all make-believe. After the trial was over and danger passed, he would return to North Carolina and become a part-time dad, snatching weekends with his son in between his training sessions for the Invictus Games. He wondered how Josie might react if he were to relocate to Kansas. Would she see it as an encroachment on her turf? He didn’t know what to do.
Archie was clearly very good at hiding, because a ten-minute search proved fruitless. He was nowhere to be found, and Josie came padding down the stairs with a confused look on her face.
“Where did he go?” she asked. “I don’t see him anywhere.” She couldn’t conceal the panic written on her face. “You don’t think someone was lying in wait, do you?” She spun around, looking in every direction. “Did the detectives check the house today?”
Blade put his hands on her shoulders. Her rapid breathing and dilated pupils told him that she was truly scared.
“I’m sure he’s just found a really good place to hide,” he said calmly. “Let’s look again and call out his name.”
Josie wasted no time. She grabbed Blade’s hand and pulled him up the stairs. “We’ll start at the top and work down.”
As she ran, Josie called for Archie to come out of his hiding place. She kept a tight hold of Blade’s hand as if taking some strength from him. Although Blade was pretty certain that Archie was playing a clever game with them, even his heart rate began to increase when they were greeted with silence in every room. Their shouts attracted the attention of Detectives Pullman and Sykes, who came bounding up the stairs, weapons drawn, closely followed by a worried-looking Tim.
“We can’t find Archie,” Josie said breathlessly. “He’s gone.” Blade felt her clammy hand squeeze his with ferocity. “Oh, no. Please, Lord, don’t let him be hurt.”
Blade raised an index finger to his lips. “Shh. I hear something.”
They all fell silent, listening closely.
“There,” said Blade as he heard a high-pitched giggling sound. “It seems to be coming from between the walls.” He pointed to a bedroom that was unused and almost empty. “In here.”
Letting go of Josie’s hand, Blade rushed into the room and stood in the center for a moment. There were few places to hide. Just a bare bed and small closet were in the room, and both showed no trace of Archie. Yet the high-pitched giggling was clearly audible. Then he saw it—a small, well-concealed handle in the baseboard, low down and incredibly hard to see. There was obviously some storage space in the wall, designed to blend in almost seamlessly.
With a huge sigh of relief, Blade grabbed the handle and slid the panel across. There was Archie, curled up in a ball, a smile of pure joy on his face and peals of laughter coming from his mouth.
“You took forever to find me,” he said, clambering out of the small space. “I’m good at this.”
“Oh, Archie,” Josie said, rushing forward and scooping him up into her arms. “Why didn’t you answer us when we called?”
Archie wrinkled his eyebrows as if this was a ridiculous question. “That would be cheating,” he said earnestly. “You’re supposed to find me all by yourself.”
Blade watched the way that Josie gripped her son, clearly relieved to have found him safe and well. Archie, meanwhile, was oblivious to the distress he had caused and pushed away from his mother, saying, “Now it’s your turn to hide, Mom.”
“I think Mommy needs a rest now, sweetheart,” Josie said, placing him on the floor. “I have to talk with Detective Sykes and look at some pictures, so why don’t you play with your dad until I’m done?”
Blade looked down at his son’s eager face. “I’d like to talk to Detective Sykes, too.” He shot Tim a hopeful expression. “But I’m sure that Granddad would like to play.”
Tim took Archie’s hand. “I think that my old bones are too creaky for hide-and-seek, but I’ve been learning some new jokes. Do you want to hear them?”
Archie let out a dramatic groan. “I hope they’re better than the last ones.”
Tim laughed. “Much better.” He took his grandson’s hand and led him from the room.
Then Josie turned to Detectives Pullman and Sykes.
“Give me a few minutes, would you?” she asked, placing her hand over her heart to let them know that she was still recovering from the shock.
“Sure,” Detective Sykes said. “Take your time.”
When the detectives left the room, Josie’s tears began to fall. Blade didn’t need to ask why. She put one hand over her mouth to stifle the cries, and he heard her muffle the words, “I thought we’d lost him.”
He took a step closer to her. In the next moment, Josie threw herself into his arms and clung to his shirt as if her life depended on it. She buried her face in his neck, and he felt her hot tears trickle onto his skin.
“It’s okay,” he said soothingly, snaking his arms around her waist and holding her tight. “He’s safe. He’ll always be safe with us.”
Blade didn’t know how long they stood there wrapped in each other’s arms, but time seemed to stand still. It had been so long since he had held Josie this close, and the sensation was intoxicating. He remembered how fiercely he had loved her, how he had dreamed of a happy family life and how lonely he had been since abandoning her in Virginia. If only things had turned out differently. If only he hadn’t lost his leg and destroyed his vision of the future.
The bond of a shared child drew him and Josie strongly together, but it wasn’t enough to give them a future as a couple. He knew that. Nevertheless, as the minutes ticked by, he allowed himself to imagine what might have been.
* * *
Josie gave herself one last check in the mirror, smoothing back wispy strands of hair into her ponytail. She had slept badly, plagued by dark thoughts and scary dreams. She still hadn’t fully recovered from the terror of failing to find Archie the previous day. Although he was out of her sight for only fifteen minutes, it had felt like hours. If Blade hadn’t been there to give her extra strength and belief, it would have been unbearable. She was doing exactly what she promised herself she wouldn’t: leaning on Blade emotionally. This wasn’t a good situation, especially considering how often they clashed.
Josie was still smarting from the accusation that she was overprotective of her son. While she understood the need to allow a child some independence, in her opinion, Blade wanted to move too fast. Archie was still too young to go to the deep end of a swimming pool, even with an adult present. That wasn’t being overprotective. That was simple common sense, wasn’t it?
She heard Archie and Blade entering the bathroom, chatting contentedly together. To an outsider, the activities in this house would look like normal scenes of happy family life. But they were a facade. Soon Blade would return to North Carolina, and they would have to work out a coparenting agreement.
Taking a deep breath and giving herself a last spritz of scent, she walked into the hallway and down the stairs. Today was likely to be the biggest day of the trial. Janice Weeks would be taking the stand. She, above all others, had the power to convince the jury of Norman’s guilt. Miss Weeks was the only person who witnessed the alleged abduction, the only person to call the police. Her testimony could seal Norman’s fate.
“Good morning, Josie,” Detective Sykes said as she entered the kitchen. “You look ready to take on the day.”
The detective was sitting at the kitchen table, poring over the mug shots that they had both already scrutinized the previous evening. Josie had looked at face after face of known criminals from the area, but none had matched the features of the man in the hat.
“I’m taking another look at these mug shots,” Detective Sykes said, keeping her eyes focused on the pages. “Just in case we missed something.” She swiveled the book toward Josie. “This guy looks like a possibility, don’t you think?”
Josie sat down and looked hard at the bearded face in the picture. “No,” she said. “The eyes are wrong. It’s not him.” She rubbed at her temples. “Maybe I don’t recognize him at all. Maybe I’m imagining it.”
The detective sighed and closed the book. “Don’t worry about it for now. I’ve requested extra uniformed officers to escort you in and out of court today.” She lowered her voice in case Archie might be lurking around the corner. “This man will not get another chance to take a shot at you, I promise.”
Josie smiled weakly. Nobody in the police force could keep a promise like this.
Detective Sykes must have sensed Josie’s apprehension. “Detective Pullman has already gone to the court to make sure that the extra security is in place,” she said. “We’re taking no chances.” She smiled as they heard the front door open with a key and a voice call out a code word, letting them know he was a safe person. “Here he is now.”
When Detective Pullman entered the kitchen, his expression was grave, and he took a seat at the table without a word.
“What’s happened?” his colleague asked.
“Officers carried out a thorough search of the court building this morning,” he replied. “I wanted to be absolutely sure that the place was clean.”
Josie put her palms flat on the table. She guessed that something sinister had been uncovered.
“We found a device in the courtroom,” Detective Pullman continued. “So we called in a team of experts to deal with it. The building has been evacuated, and the judge has halted the trial for today. Once the building has been thoroughly checked by the FBI, the trial will reconvene tomorrow.”
Josie’s stomach dropped. She didn’t need to ask the question, but she did anyway.
“What did you find?”
“We believe it’s a bomb. It was strapped to the underside of your seat in the courtroom.”