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Static chopped up Cooper’s response. “The more the merrier. This guy has nothing to lose. We can use as much backup as possible.”
“Meet you at the airport.”
He disconnected.
“I don’t know, Alex—” Deborah slid from her perch on the bench and started backing away.
“Don’t run. Please.” He moved to block the door. She stopped within inches of him, that trapped look on her face again. “I’ve already cleared it with Samuel. He says it’s your call. I’ll pay for my own flight and hotel room if the department doesn’t want to spring for two, and Coop will be there to chaperone. We have work to do. We have Benny back, but we still have to make things right for Nina Chavez. If you don’t want to go because of me, go because of her.”
Deborah worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “For her, I’ll go.”
“I’m gonna let Daniel know. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” Alex shot out the door before she could protest—or change her mind. Together, with Deborah and Cooper, he would bring a killer to justice—for Benny and for Nina, two kids who deserved much better than they’d received.
* * *
Glancing at her watch for a third time, Deborah wandered through the hospital hallway toward the waiting room. Despite her cold, wet clothes, she still felt warm every time she thought about Alex and that kiss. Her first sober kiss. He’d wanted it so badly, wanted to be close to her, yet he’d been so careful. No one had ever treated her like that before. Like she was worth waiting for. Something inside her relaxed a little as she held on to the image of his face, his eyes liquid with emotion as he said, “then it’s a start.”
He wanted her to go with him to Kansas. She teetered on changing her mind. If she went, what would that mean? Anything? She wanted to go. The thought surprised her. For the first time in a long time, she could have something she wanted. Alex was offering her a chance. Fear seeped in. What if she couldn’t overcome her fears? It wasn’t fair to Alex. He would end up hurt.
Susana stood in front of a coffee machine with Daniel’s wife. The two seemed to be arguing about something. Susana glanced her direction. “Oh, Deborah, how are you doing? Thank you so much for finding Benny.”
Deborah let her gaze skittered toward Nicole. The woman gazed back, her expression unbending. She hadn’t said a word at the scene before getting into the ambulance with Daniel and Benny. Not a word then, not a word now. “It’s nice to get a happy ending for once. We don’t get a lot of those in Homicide. What are the doctors saying about his condition?”
Susana punched the button on the coffee machine, punched it again when nothing happened. “They haven’t told us much yet. Danny’s with him now.”
Nicole started to say something. Finally. Then she stopped. Her gaze skipped over Deborah’s shoulder.
A tall, athletic looking man strode into the room. He had eyes for Nicole only. “Nicole, you haven’t been answering your cell. Your mother said I would find you here. We were supposed to—” He stopped, his gaze going to Susana and Deborah. “I understand they found the child.”
Nicole stepped toward him. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. It’s been crazy. Daniel checked himself out of the hospital, he needed a ride, then they found Benny and it’s just been one thing after the other. . . . You really shouldn’t have come here.”
Curiosity written all over her face, Susana stuck out a hand and introduced herself and Deborah.
The man’s face flushed a painful brick red all the way to the roots of his blond hair “I’m Joshua Brown. I work with Nicole. We had a . . . we were supposed to . . . I just . . . .”
“You just what?” Daniel stumbled into the room ahead of Alex. His fierce gaze rolled over to Nicole. “Is this the boyfriend? You called him and he came running?”
* * *
Daniel tried to tap back the anger. He waited for Deborah and Alex to make a hurried exit from the waiting room, headed to the airport. “Susana, could you go sit with Benny? I don’t want him to be alone when he wakes up.” He stared at Nicole’s friend, only vaguely aware that his sister had complied. His fatigue had dissipated in the adrenaline rush of anger. He tensed on the balls of his feet, one second from a fistfight. “Is this him?”
“He’s not my boyfriend, Daniel.” Nicole stepped between them. “This is Joshua Brown. He was concerned when I didn’t answer my phone so he called the house and my mother told him I was here.”
Joshua held out a hand. When Daniel didn’t shake it, he stuck it in his pants pocket. “We had some things we were planning to do this afternoon and then she didn’t show up at the office so I called. I was concerned when I found out she was at the hospital.”
“We? There is no we. She and I, we’re the we.” Daniel brushed past Nicole so he could crowd the other man. Joshua was a foot taller and muscular—for a lawyer.
“Daniel. Please don’t do this.” Nicole inched toward him, her tone placating. “What did the doctors say? Is Benny okay?”
“Morin hit him, threw him around, beat him with a leather belt, subjected him to a car crash. Fixed it so he could watch a man die. Terrorized him. Other than that, he’s fine.” Daniel couldn’t keep the sarcasm caged. It was an ugly animal scratching its way out.
“I’ll go. I shouldn’t have come. I apologize.” Joshua backed toward the door. Daniel recognized the emotions on his face. An agony of confusion and desire for something he wasn’t sure he could have. Daniel knew that feeling. “You two will want to talk.”
“Wait. I have a question for you.” Daniel grabbed the man’s arm.
Joshua shrugged Daniel’s hand off, but stopped moving. “What?”
“My wife says you’re a Christian.”
