SHIELDING HIS FAMILY

Defending an accused kidnapper could get attorney Josie Bishop killed—but facing the father of her child for the first time in seven years could destroy her heart. Yet when her ex-fiancé, former SEAL Edward “Blade” Harding, shows up at her door ready to offer his protection, she can’t deny him. Nor can she deny him the chance to know their son. Then shots are fired at Josie’s home and a brick is thrown through her window with a scrawled note that says “Drop the case or pay the price.” Now Blade is more determined than ever to protect his newfound family at all costs. But can he overcome his past mistakes in order to make sure they survive their present...and possibly have a future together?

Dear Reader,

Blade and Josie’s story is the fifth and final installment of my Navy SEAL Defenders miniseries, and I hope you have enjoyed each and every one. I have genuinely loved getting to know all five heroes of the series, learning to understand their strengths and weaknesses and breathing life into their characters. Blade was perhaps the most complex hero of all, a man who has been forced to adapt to being a disabled man in an able-bodied world. He is my favorite character of the series—a man strong enough to protect Josie, yet tender enough to gently challenge her insensitive attitude.

When Josie and Blade reunite, it is inevitable that tensions flare. Josie has been a parent for six years, but Blade is thrown right in at the deep end and must quickly adjust not only to being a father but also to being a protector for his newly found family. With a little reliance on his faith, he rises to the occasion and becomes Josie’s surprising rock of support. I very much enjoyed giving these two a happy-ever-after.

The character of Archie is based on a real little boy of the same name, who has beautiful blond curls and a face full of freckles and is perhaps the most wonderfully mischievous boy I have ever known. He was a great help when fleshing out the character of Archie (it was his idea to introduce a budgie named Sherbet into the story), so I’d like to say a big thank-you to him for his fantastic input.

I look forward to welcoming you as a reader again.

Blessings,

Elisabeth

Josie looked Blade up and down. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“You shouldn’t have rushed out like that. You lost one leg already. Don’t risk injuring the other.” Her voice was kind, but her words cut him to the quick. “I was worried about you.”

He suppressed his irritation, reading between the lines. You’re not strong enough to handle this.

“I’m absolutely fine,” he replied. “But this situation is a lot worse than I imagined. I think I should stay here for a while to help protect you.”

Archie lifted his head from his mother’s shoulder and smiled. “See, Mom, I told you he was a superhero.”

“I already told you, Archie,” Josie said gently. “He’s only a man.”

But Josie was wrong. He wasn’t only a man. He was a father, and a fiercely protective streak had torn itself through his body. He sensed her difficulty in forgiving him for vanishing from her life all those years ago, but whatever differences they might have, they would need to work together to ensure that their son’s safety came first.

ELISABETH REES was raised in the Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye, where her father was the parish vicar. She attended Cardiff University and gained a degree in politics. After meeting her husband, they moved to the wild, rolling hills of Carmarthenshire, and Elisabeth took up writing. She is now a full-time wife, mother and author. Find out more about Elisabeth at elisabethrees.com.

The Seal’s Secret Child

Elisabeth Rees

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

—Matthew 11:28–29

For Josie, Archie and Morgan.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Dear Reader

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Josie Bishop took a deep breath, knelt to the carpet in her son’s bedroom and groped around underneath his bed. She was searching for discarded socks and underwear, but instead she found an old orange peel, sticky candy, half-eaten sandwiches and all manner of other unpleasant items that lurk in the depths of a six-year-old boy’s bedroom.

Her fingers came to rest on something soft, squishy and furry. She yanked her hand out.

“Archie!” she yelled out. “What are you keeping under your bed?”

The noise woke up Sherbet, Archie’s blue parakeet, sitting on a perch in his cage next to the bed.

“Pretty boy. Pretty boy,” the budgie squawked, making a bowing motion with his head.

Josie jumped. Sherbet always had a habit of scaring her when she was off guard.

“Be quiet, Sherbet,” she muttered, steeling herself to retrieve the furry object beneath the bed. Pulling out her hand slowly, she found herself staring at a moldy peach, collapsed like a popped balloon. It seemed to sum up how Josie felt: deflated, empty and way past her sell-by date.

The bird chirruped.

“What do you want, Sherbet?” she asked, looking for some scrap paper on which to place the soggy fruit.

The budgie picked up his empty food bowl in his beak and banged it against the bars.

“You want food?” Josie asked, gingerly holding the peach in one hand and reaching for the birdseed with another. “I’m sorry I’m grumpy, but I’m jittery.” She poked some seeds through the bars. “And I must also be crazy, because I’m talking to a bird.”

Josie nervously peered through the window to see a uniformed officer standing guard outside her home in Sedgwick, Kansas. He had been there for the past five days, ever since a series of threatening phone calls culminated in someone trying to run her off the road on her way home from work. It had been a terrifying experience.

As an attorney working for the Sedgwick County Public Defender Office, Josie had been assigned a child abduction case. It was her job to defend the man accused of abducting a young girl from the sidewalk outside her home. The accused man, Norman Francis, was an odd and reclusive character who always wore a large overcoat even on the sunniest days. Norman claimed that the three-year-old girl came into his neighboring home uninvited, and he proclaimed his innocence. But his protestations were to no avail, and he was subsequently charged with kidnapping. Yet Josie believed his pleas of innocence and had gladly agreed to represent him in court. The community of Sedgwick had already acted as judge and jury, condemning Norman without a trial, and Josie intended to let the truth be told.

However, someone in the vicinity was determined to make her pay for defending a man like Norman, a man who some believed was a potential child abuser. After it became apparent that her life was in danger, the police agreed to post an officer outside on the driveway for a few hours a day to act as a deterrent. Whoever wanted to terrorize her was not going to win.

Despite the fear that had been instilled in Josie, she wouldn’t let it destroy her life. After narrowly escaping her attacker’s car, she had sat down around the kitchen table with Archie and her father, Tim, to discuss how they would cope. Her dad had lived with her ever since the death of her mother five years ago, and he had been a constant source of support. Being a single mom was hard, and Josie often worked long hours. Her dad stepped in frequently, doing the school runs, making dinner, being a surrogate dad for Archie. She had no idea where her son’s real father was. He had vanished many years ago, apparently determined never to be found, despite an extensive search.

Spying a crumpled piece of paper on the windowsill, Josie picked it up and placed it on Archie’s desk, intending to wrap the dripping peach and throw it in the trash. It was a sheet from the printer in her son’s room. He was a budding engineer and often used a kids’ software package to print his crazy designs. But this paper was a printed email conversation, covered in doodles of birds and mice. She furrowed her brow, unaware that Archie had set up his own email address. He knew that this sort of online activity wasn’t allowed. As she looked closer, she jumped with shock. The name of the person her son had been conversing with caused her to gasp and drop the fruit to the floor. The peach exploded on the carpet, showering her ankles with a spray of juice, but she didn’t care. She simply looked at the paper, too stunned to move.

“Archie,” she yelled. “Come here, please.”

She held the printed paper with shaking hands, confronted with the name Edward Harding. Josie blinked hard. Edward Harding was the name of her ex-fiancé. Edward Harding was the name of her son’s father, a man who had never known of Archie’s existence. Could Archie have possibly found his father? Could a six-year-old have managed to complete a job that several private detectives had failed to do?

Archie appeared in the doorway, his blond, unruly curls and freckled face making him appear impish and mischievous. When he saw the paper in his mother’s hand, his cheeks flushed, and he looked at the floor guiltily.

“I’m not mad,” Josie said gently, leading her son to sit on the bed. “But will you explain this to me?”

She cast her eyes over the email, trying to make out the words behind the doodles. She saw, mom, danger, bad man, help us. Archie was asking for assistance from a man who might very well be a complete stranger.

“I saw him on a news channel,” Archie said in a small voice. “And I called the news station. They gave me his email address.”

“Who did you see, sweetie?” Josie asked. “A man you thought was your dad?”

“It was my dad,” he replied, imploring her to believe him. “Some bad guys were arrested in Missouri last week, and my dad helped catch them.” He pointed to the television in the corner of his room. “A reporter asked him all about it and put it on TV. The man’s name was Edward Harding. That’s my dad’s name, right?”

“Oh, honey,” Josie said, sitting on the bed next to her boy and placing an arm around his slim shoulders. “There are probably lots of men named Edward Harding. I know you want to meet your dad, and I’ve tried really hard to find him, but we have to accept that he’s gone.”

Archie looked up into her face, his bright blue eyes glittering with the hope of a child. “But this guy had one leg, Mom.”

She drew a sharp breath. Archie’s father was a former navy SEAL who had lost his lower leg after being injured on a mission in Afghanistan seven years previously. Archie knew this. She had told him as much about his father as he had wanted to know. Which was a lot.

“I know it was him, Mom,” Archie continued. “He looked like me.” He pointed to a spot on his ear where the cartilage was flattened and smooth. “He even has the same ears.”

Josie found her head reeling. “Why didn’t you come and talk to me about it?” she asked, attempting to control the unease in her voice. “You should have told me.”

Archie looked down at his hands cupped in his lap. “I don’t know if you like my dad now,” he said quietly. “You never talk about him anymore. I thought you would keep me from seeing him.”

“Archie,” she said, wrapping her arms around his torso. “Of course I want you to see your dad. I’ve tried to find him. I really have.” She pulled back and wiped tears from beneath her eyes. “It’s complicated. It’s hard for you to understand. You should never get in touch with a stranger unless you ask me first, okay?”

Archie jumped off the bed and stood with his fists clenched. “But he’s not a stranger, Mom. He’s my dad.” Archie pointed to the email still clutched between Josie’s fingers. “He wrote back to me and he was nice. He says he remembers you. I told him you were scared because of the bad man, and he says he can come help us.” He pulled himself up to his full height, like a proud soldier. “I know he was in a special army. He can make you safe.”

Josie listened to her son with a mixture of terror, bewilderment and disbelief. Was this Edward Harding truly the man she had loved and lost? Could this be the man who had vanished from her life overnight because he couldn’t accept his disability? Or was someone cruelly playing a trick on her beautiful little boy, exploiting his desperate desire to meet his father?

“Sweetheart,” she said, kneeling to the floor and clasping Archie by the shoulders. “When did you get in touch with this man?”

“Yesterday.”

“And did you tell him where we live?”

Archie nodded solemnly. “He’s coming to see us.”

Josie’s heart skipped. “When?”

When Archie refused to speak, Josie pushed a little harder. “This is really important, Archie,” she said. “I need to know when he’s coming here to Sedgwick.”

But before her son could answer, a loud crash sounded through the room. A brick came through the window and hit the wall, smashing a mirror and then bouncing onto the carpet. Around the brick was a white piece of paper secured with a rubber band. Josie reacted instantly, yanking Archie to the ground, away from the glass, before covering his small body with her own. She could see bold black words written on the paper: DROP THE CASE OR PAY THE PRICE. In the next moment, the police officer who had been stationed out front came bounding into the room.

“Go to the back of the house,” he ordered. “And stay away from the windows. Let me deal with this.”

Josie scrambled to her feet and lifted her son into her arms. He curled his legs around her waist and she carried him into the kitchen, almost colliding with her dad, Tim, in the hallway.

“What’s going on?” Tim asked, his eyes wide and fearful. “What happened?”

“Somebody threw a brick through Archie’s window,” she replied, holding her hand over her son’s head, not wanting to imagine how close he came to serious injury. The person who wanted to terrorize her had no intention of stopping. “Oh, Dad, why does this have to happen to us?”

Her father steered her into the kitchen and pulled down the blinds, shielding them from view to anybody outside.

“The police will do their job, Josie. Don’t worry.” Yet her father was utterly failing to hide the anxiety in his voice. “It’s just somebody trying to scare you. That’s all.”

Josie hugged Archie even tighter. She felt his breath quicken on her neck.

“It’s okay, Granddad,” Archie said, keeping a tight hold on his mother. “My dad is coming to help us today. He promised.”

Tim’s eyebrows shot up high, and he looked sharply at Josie. “What did he just say?”

Josie squeezed her eyes tightly shut. If what her son said was true, then she would shortly be seeing a man who had vanished from her life seven years ago, someone who had no idea she was ever pregnant with his child. After losing his leg, Edward had broken off their engagement via letter and disappeared, severing contact with his friends and family. She had understood why he had done it, but she had never forgiven him. After searching fruitlessly to find him and inform him of the birth of his son, she had eventually given up.

Her stomach was a swirl of dread. How on earth was she going to face the difficult task of allowing him into her life again? She had turned her back on the past and forged a future without him.

“Dad,” she said shakily, “you’d better sit down. I have something to tell you.”

* * *

Blade Harding entered the small town of Sedgwick with a knot the size and weight of a sledgehammer somewhere in his gut. He had been on the road for the last twenty-four hours, driving from his home in North Carolina, only stopping to nap in the truck before setting off again. As each mile clocked on the dash, his heartbeat turned up a notch.

Since losing the lower portion of his left leg to a shrapnel wound seven years ago, Blade had battled a range of destructive and negative feelings before finally reaching acceptance. Now he was fully integrated back into society, running a successful business and enjoying life again. He was also training for the Invictus Games, where he would compete against other wounded, injured or disabled veterans. He was proud of himself once more, something he never thought would happen. He had even embraced his new life by introducing himself to new people as Blade instead of Edward. It was a nickname that his buddies had given him due to the prosthetic blade he used for running, and it had stuck.

He glanced at the GPS screen on his dash, checking that he was correctly headed for the Kansas address his son had given him. Knowing he was close by triggered an emotion so intense that he had to pull to the side of the road and compose himself. Could he really have a son? When he had first read the childlike email purporting to be from a six-year-old boy, he had dismissed it as the prank of somebody who worked in the auto body shop he owned. The first line of the email was too unbelievable to be true: My name is Archie and I think yoo ar my dad. But after reading more of the poorly spelled words, he found himself astonished and stunned to learn that the boy’s mother was Josie Bishop. Only a very small, select group of people knew about Josie. And none of those people would prank him like that.

He had gone over and over events in his mind. Had Josie been pregnant when he’d left for Afghanistan? It was possible. He hadn’t been a Christian at the time, and neither was she. They hadn’t fully considered the consequences of their actions. But why wouldn’t she have told him?

He started out on the road again. He was now just one block away. The knot in his belly tightened. Archie had told him that Josie was in danger and needed help. Somebody was threatening to hurt her. Would she accept help from him? Would she see him? Was the child even his? The questions flying through his head were relentless. But the one thing he most hoped was waiting for him in Kansas was respect and understanding. Since he had become disabled, so many people treated Blade differently, as if he were a weaker man. He was desperate for Josie not to feel this way about him. He wanted her to see him as a complete man.

He pulled into a wide, tree-lined street, instantly spotting a house with a police car outside. The house was single-story, large and well kept, with white shuttered windows and a silver SUV parked in the driveway. His heart lurched to see a police presence and a window boarded up with wood. Given that Archie had already talked of the danger his mother was facing, he knew this must be Josie’s home. He rolled the truck to a stop along the curb. But he had no time to steady his nerves, because a police officer walked over to the truck and requested that he roll down the window.

“Can I ask what your business here is?” the officer asked.

“I’m visiting,” he replied. “Is everything okay?” He looked at the boarded window. “Has anyone in the house been hurt?”

“We’ve had some trouble here this evening, but all the occupants are just fine. However, all visitors must be approved by the home owner before exiting their vehicles. Can I take your name, please?”

“It’s okay, Officer.” A female voice cut through the air, loud and clear with the soft lilt of a Kansas native. He knew instantly that it was Josie. “I’ve been expecting him.”

The officer tipped his hat and stepped aside, allowing Blade to catch sight of Josie for the first time in seven years. She had barely changed, and his breath caught in his throat. Her hair was as red as he remembered, cascading over her shoulders in waves of lava. The intense color was the perfect frame for her china-white skin and striking green eyes. She stood with her arms crossed, wearing a black pencil skirt and a white tailored blouse, looking every inch the beautiful, professional woman. And he was struck temporarily dumb.

“Hello, Edward,” she called. “Are you going to come inside?”

He swallowed hard. He was a wreck. He slipped out of the driver’s seat and began walking up the path, all the while feeling her gaze on him. She was impossible to read.

“Everybody calls me Blade these days,” he said when he reached her. “Edward is who I used to be.”

“Well, whatever you call yourself now, we have a lot to discuss,” she said flatly as he reached the door. Her defensive posture clearly let him know that any physical contact would be unwelcome.

He looked at the police officer standing on the front lawn. “I didn’t realize your situation was so serious,” he said. “What happened?”

She ushered him inside and closed the door. “That’s not important right now. What’s important is introducing you to your son.”

Blade put a hand over his belly, which had exploded with butterflies. “So it’s true? The child is mine?”

Josie’s arms remained crossed. “His name is Archie,” she said. “And, yes, he’s yours. He’s with my dad in the kitchen. I wanted to explain things to you before you met him.”

Blade walked into the living room, feeling the need to sit in one of the large wicker chairs. He rubbed two hands over his face, now stubbly since he hadn’t been able to shave for the past twenty-four hours.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, looking at her imploringly. “Seven years have passed, and I had no idea my son was walking this earth without his father.”

She let her hands drop to her sides, and he noticed that she was digging her nails into her palms. “When you came back from your mission in Afghanistan, I was already ten weeks pregnant, but I didn’t want to tell you the news while you were undergoing intensive medical treatment to try to save your leg.” Her eyes flitted to his left pants leg, under which was a carbon fiber prosthetic limb encased in flesh-colored plastic. “So I waited.”

Blade stood up. “I had a right to know. You should have told me immediately.”

“That’s not fair!” she shouted before dropping her voice again. “I had no idea you were about to run out on me. After you had the leg amputated, I thought you’d recover, we’d get married and our family would be complete. But you had other ideas, didn’t you?” Her eyes were blazing now. “You just vanished and nobody knew where you were, not even your friends. I had no choice but to move back home to Sedgwick and raise Archie with the help of my parents.”

Blade sat heavily in the chair. Her criticism of him was justified. He had behaved in a cowardly way, but he had a good reason for leaving like he did. Or so he’d thought at the time.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “When I lost my leg, I was devastated.” He looked up at her. “I assumed I couldn’t be a good, strong husband for you. I knew I’d be medically discharged from the SEALs, and I had no idea how I’d earn a living. I didn’t want to rely on VA disability compensation to provide for my family. I felt useless, and I thought you’d be better off without me, so I decided to disappear.”

She sat on the chair opposite him. “You left me a note,” she said in a whisper. “That’s all. If you’d broken off our engagement in person, I could have explained I was pregnant, but you didn’t give me the chance.”

“I’m sorry.” It was all he could say, but it was hopelessly inadequate. “I thought it was for the best at the time.”

She regarded him with steely eyes. “You broke off contact with everybody in your life. Why did you do that?”

Blade hated thinking about this part of his life. It was a dark time. He had no strong family connections, so cutting himself off from distant relatives was easy, but abandoning Josie and his friends shamed him.

“I was grieving,” he said. “I didn’t want to be reminded of my old life, when I was strong and able-bodied. I just shut down.” He held his hands up. “I know it was selfish, but it was the only thing I could do.”

Josie put her head in her hands, letting her hair envelop her fingers. “I tried to stay in touch with your old SEAL buddies so that I would know when you resurfaced, but over the years, I lost contact.”

“I’m guessing you never told any of them you were pregnant,” he said. “Otherwise they would’ve let me know.”

Josie twined her fingers together. “I didn’t want you to hear the news from a third party. I assumed I’d find a way to contact you, but before I knew it, I was all out of leads.” She raised her head and locked eyes with him. “I would never intentionally keep your son from you. I prayed so hard for an answer.”

He smiled weakly at her. It looked like she shared his Christian faith now. It was comforting. “After I left Virginia, I went down to Florida and lived there for four years, working for a motor mechanic business. I was just bumming around with no direction and no hope. I wanted to drop off the radar. But then I met an athlete who competes in the Invictus Games, and he turned my life around. I started training with him, and I learned to be proud of myself again. I got back in touch with my SEAL buddies through the military support unit, and I moved back to my hometown in North Carolina.” He felt himself welling up. “But this is all irrelevant now.” He looked at the doorway that he assumed led into the kitchen. “What I really want to do is meet my son.”

Josie stood up, wiping her moist palms on her skirt. “Archie says he saw you on the news and contacted you through the station. Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Blade replied. “Do you remember my old buddy Tyler?”

She nodded.

“I helped him catch the leader of a meth gang in Missouri recently. He’s a sheriff there. It’s a long story, but a national news station came to interview me about it. When I got back to North Carolina, there was an email waiting for me from Archie. He’d recognized my name and gotten my email address from the news station.” He smiled. “He’s a smart kid.”

“Yes, he is,” Josie said. “But why didn’t you contact me when he sent you the email? Surely that would have been the best option. And then I could’ve been better prepared for this moment.”

“I tried,” Blade replied. “But your number isn’t listed, and Archie wouldn’t tell me what it was. He thought you might try to stop me from coming. He said you were in trouble and needed somebody to protect you. I just had to get here right away, so I hopped in my truck and drove through the night.” Every moment that passed was another moment without his son. “Please, Josie, can I meet Archie now? I’m dying here.”

“Of course,” she said, extending her hand toward him. “Can I help you out of the chair?”

He briefly hung his head and sighed. So his most important question had now been answered. Josie did see him as a weaker man. And he was bitterly disappointed.

“No, thanks,” he said, standing with ease. “I’m good.”

She walked briskly to the doorway and closed her fingers around the handle. “Are you ready?”

Blade’s heart began to hammer. Would he ever be ready for this moment? “Absolutely.”

With that, Josie opened the door. “Archie, your dad is here to see you.”

* * *

Josie’s emotions ran rampant as she watched Blade kneel to the floor and hug his son for the first time. She saw a tear fall down Blade’s stubbly face, and she fought hard to suppress tears of her own. The instant love that her ex-fiancé felt for his son was clear to see, and his embrace was fierce yet gentle. It made her think of a father bear cradling a cub. But at the same time, Blade’s presence here caused her chest to ache with regret and pain. Could she ever forgive this man for abandoning her when she needed him most?

Archie, meanwhile, took this profound moment in stride.

“Hi, Dad,” he said, as if it were an everyday occurrence to hug his father. “I knew you would come.”

Blade pulled back. “Thank you for finding me, Archie.”

Archie smiled broadly, his freckled face a picture of innocence. “Which one of your legs was chopped off?” He glanced between the right and left. “They both look the same.”

Blade laughed heartily, throwing back his head the way he always used to. His mop of curly hair was as unruly as ever, just like his son’s, and his rugged face had gotten even more handsome over the years. His strong and chiseled jawline was hidden by beard growth, but his Roman nose was still his most prominent feature, the high bridge settled between his piercing blue eyes.

“I’ll show you if you like,” Blade replied, pulling up the left leg of his jeans. He knocked on the pink plastic beneath, making a hard clunking sound.

“Wow!” Archie said with genuine admiration. “Just like a superhero.”

Blade winked. “I keep my cape in the truck.”

Josie saw her father hanging back nervously. She coughed. “Edward... I mean, Blade, you remember my dad, right?”

“Sure I do,” Blade replied, holding his hand out to shake Tim’s. “It’s good to see you again, Tim.” He glanced around. “So where’s Martha?”

Tim looked at his feet.

“Mom died five years ago,” Josie said, saving her father the difficulty of answering. “Cancer.”

A look of pain swept over Blade’s face. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“You have a lot of catching up to do,” Josie said. “An awful lot.”

“So,” Blade said, pulling a chair from the table and sitting on it. “Let’s start from the beginning.” He put two strong hands in his son’s armpits and pulled the child onto his lap. “I’m all ears.”

But as Josie reached for the coffeepot, a series of shots rang out, seeming to come from her front lawn. She screamed and rushed to take Archie from Blade’s lap.

“It’s the bad man,” Archie said, curling his arms around his mother’s neck as she lifted him up.

Blade’s demeanor changed to one of total control, rushing down the hallway to the front door. “I have a gun in my truck,” he said. “Stay here and keep out of sight. I’ll be back soon.”

“Blade, no,” Josie said, watching him peer through the glass panel in the door as the shots ceased. “It’s too dangerous for you. Let the police take care of it.”

But he didn’t answer. He silently slipped through the door and closed it behind him, leaving Josie and her father staring at each other in silence, neither believing that somebody was firing a gun outside their home.

“Dad can save us now,” Archie said. “He’ll get his cape from his truck.”

“He’s not really a superhero, honey,” Josie said. “He’s just a man.”

She sat on a chair, waiting for the danger to pass, wondering how she could keep her family safe from this escalating level of threat. She must try to shield Archie. But how? The only thing she could do was close her eyes and pray.

* * *

“There’s a shooter across the street,” the officer called to Blade from his protected position behind his cruiser. “He’s reloading. I’ve radioed for backup. Go inside, sir.”

Then the officer began firing at a black sedan parked just a few feet away, giving Blade the perfect cover to run to his truck at the curb.

“My son is in this home,” Blade called back, opening the door to his truck and reaching into the glove compartment for his weapon. “There’s no way I’m staying inside.”

He lifted his head over the hood of the truck to see the barrel of a gun poking through the window of the black car. The officer’s firing was opening up a series of holes along the metal, but Blade couldn’t see a person inside. The attacker must have been well shielded from the bullets because he seemed unharmed as his gun burst into action again, aimed squarely at Josie’s home. Windows shattered, tree bark spit onto the lawn and holes appeared in the yellow front door.

Blade thought of Josie inside, cradling Archie in her arms, and he began to see red. This was the family he never knew he had, and something primal stirred deep within him. He knew he had to protect them at all costs. He had no idea how he would fit into their lives, but he had arrived just in the nick of time. While he suspected that Josie might have doubts about his ability to take care of them, he had none.

Rising from behind the truck, he took aim and fired back. Opposite Josie’s home were open fields, and his shots echoed across the grasslands, the noise of each bullet magnified tenfold. Blade managed to hit the car’s side mirror, taking it clean off. It obviously spooked the shooter enough to send him scrambling up from his hiding position in the car and into the driver’s seat. He raced away from the house, tires squealing on the frosty asphalt on the cold January morning. Blade gave chase, hoping to stop the car in its tracks, but he saw it round a corner and disappear out of sight before he could get an accurate shot.

He ran back to his truck to pursue, only to be confronted with a deflated front tire peppered with bullet holes. He sighed and holstered his weapon, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

The police officer spoke rapidly into his radio, relaying the information to patrol units, giving a description of the vehicle.

Blade walked back up the path to Josie’s home. When he opened the door, he saw her standing in the hallway, gripping their son tightly, her father to her side with an arm around her shoulder.

“Did he get away?” she asked.

Blade nodded. “I’m sorry.”

Josie’s face crumpled, but she composed herself quickly, taking a deep breath and holding on to her father for reassurance.

She looked Blade up and down. “Are you okay? You shouldn’t have rushed out like that. You lost one leg already. Don’t risk injuring the other.” Her voice was kind, but her words cut him to the quick. “I was worried about you.”

He suppressed his irritation, reading between the lines: You’re not strong enough to handle this.

“I’m absolutely fine,” he replied. “But this situation is a lot worse than I imagined. I think I should stay here for a while to help protect you.”

Archie lifted his head from his mother’s shoulder and smiled. “See, Mom, I told you he was a superhero.”

“I already told you, Archie,” Josie said gently. “He’s only a man.”

Blade knew it would be a challenge to insert himself into their lives under these circumstances. Josie would need time to accept his presence, and the existence of danger would make it doubly hard.

But Josie was wrong. He wasn’t only a man. He was a father, and a fiercely protective streak had torn itself through his body. He sensed her difficulty in forgiving him for vanishing from her life all those years ago, but whatever differences they might have, they would need to work together to ensure that their son’s safety came first. It would require all of his patience to work closely with Josie. Her throwaway comments had already confirmed his worst fears: she didn’t see him as an equal to an able-bodied man. He had briefly wondered whether their reunion would reignite a spark, but he was wrong. He could never get close to a woman who treated him with pity or who tried to shield him from danger because of his disability. No way.

He was a complete man. And he intended to prove it. This time, he would go the distance.

TWO

Josie sat in her kitchen, opposite Blade, jiggling her foot anxiously. She kept stealing glances at her old flame, still struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was actually there in her home. Even though she had wished him back in her life for the sake of her son, now that this scenario had become reality, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

She was getting along just fine as a single mom, and was used to being the sole decision-maker in matters relating to Archie’s well-being. Now all of a sudden, her son’s father had a right to demand an equal say. The shooting incident had terrified her and she wanted to get Archie as far away from Sedgwick as possible until the danger had been neutralized. But would she and Blade disagree on the best way forward?

Two detectives from Wichita were also seated in her kitchen. They had been summoned by the public defender’s office to oversee protection for Josie and her family. Detectives Dave Pullman and Carly Sykes had completed a thorough crime scene examination and interviewed Blade, Tim and Archie before asking to discuss a plan of action with Josie. Meanwhile, uniformed officers began to sweep the glass and board up the broken windows. Blade insisted on remaining with Josie while Tim and Archie packed some bags in preparation for leaving. Staying in their home now was impossible.

“You two are Archie’s parents, right?” Detective Sykes began. “This must be a pretty scary time for you folks, but your son seems to be taking it all in stride.” She smiled at Blade. “He places a lot of faith in his father to come to the rescue. He’s a really sweet kid.”

Blade smiled. “Yes, he is. I’m proud of him.”

Josie bristled. Blade had only just met Archie, yet he was taking the credit for how he’d turned out. It wasn’t fair.

“Can we get to the point?” she asked. “I’d like to make plans as quickly as possible.”

“Sure,” Detective Sykes replied briskly. “I understand that a brick was thrown through your window this morning. And there was a note wrapped around that brick.”

Blade looked sharply at Josie, his face full of concern.

“Yes,” she said. “The police officer stationed outside my home said it was thrown from the same vehicle that returned later with a shooter inside. It matches the description of a car that tried to run me off the road a couple of weeks back.”

The detective checked an entry in her notepad. “Unfortunately, this car was stolen from Wichita last month, so it doesn’t lead us to the perp, but we’ve put out a description to all our patrols.”

Blade leaned toward Josie. “What did it say?” he whispered.

She was confused. “What did what say?”

“The note around the brick.”

“Oh, that.” She closed her eyes, not caring to remember the hastily scrawled capital letters. “It said, ‘Drop the case or pay the price.’”

“We’ve been told that you’ve also been receiving abusive phone calls and letters,” Detective Pullman said. “They’re all related to a current case you’re working on at the public defender’s office, right?”

Josie nodded.

“I think it’s awesome that you’re a public defender,” Blade said admiringly. “No matter what’s happening right now, you should be proud of yourself.”

She ignored the praise. “I worked hard to establish myself as a good attorney,” she said, silently adding in her head, while you were busy finding yourself in Florida. “It was difficult, but my parents helped out a lot with babysitting Archie.”

“I need to know the background to this case,” Blade said. “Can you explain the details to me?”

“I don’t think there’s any point. The police have got it under control.”

He furrowed his brow. “It doesn’t look that way to me. Please, Josie, just give me a little more information. I might be able to help. Don’t forget about my background.”

How could she forget his history in the military? It was the SEALs who cost him his leg. It was the SEALs who destroyed their relationship.

“That was a long time ago,” she said. “You’re a different man now.”

She saw a look of irritation fall across his face. “I’m not so different that I can’t step up and help protect you. It won’t hurt to give me a little background information, will it?”

Detective Sykes seemed to sense the atmosphere grow a little cooler and gave a light cough as if to cover her embarrassment.

“It would be useful if you went over the details with us as well,” she said. “We’ve only just been assigned this case, and although we have the incident reports to read, it would help us to hear the full story in your own words.”

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath to run through the events yet again. “I’m currently defending a client named Norman Francis, who’s been accused of kidnapping a three-year-old girl, Lisa Brown, from outside her home almost two years ago. Lisa and her parents lived across the street from him. A neighbor of Norman’s telephoned the police one evening and claimed that she saw Norman drag the little girl from the sidewalk and into his home. The police responded immediately, entered Norman’s house and found Lisa in the kitchen, unharmed and helping herself to cookies from a jar. Norman said he had been in his living room for the previous two hours, carving figurines that he sells at craft fairs. He claimed to have no idea that the girl was in his kitchen and asserted that she must have walked in through his unlocked back door of her own accord. But the witness testimony from the neighbor helped to build a strong case against him, and he was subsequently arrested and charged with child abduction. But I believe his story. I don’t think he did it.”

“What did the child say?” Detective Pullman asked.

“Lisa was interviewed by specially trained officers, but due to her age, it was very difficult to get a consistent account of what happened. She started off saying that she went into the house by herself but subsequently changed her story to claim that Norman led her inside with a promise of candy. Then, a little later, she said that Cinderella took her inside.” Josie rubbed her index fingers on her temples. “She’s simply not a credible witness, so the prosecution decided not to include her testimony. But she was examined and found to have no injuries, so there’s no forensic evidence to label Norman as an abuser.” She shrugged. “That doesn’t stop people from gossiping, though.”

“I guess a small place like Sedgwick is full of rumors and amateur detectives,” Blade said. “So this Norman guy has already been judged guilty.”

“Correct,” confirmed Josie. “He’s kinda odd. Before all this happened, he hardly ever went out, but when he did, he always wore a huge padded coat and kept his head bent low like he didn’t want to be noticed. It was only after I agreed to represent him that I found out he suffers from cerebral palsy, which limits the movement of his right arm and leg. He wears the big coat to hide his arm, and he walks in a shuffling sort of way to compensate for his leg. He was bullied a lot as a youngster, so he’s a very secretive person and doesn’t want people to notice his disability.”

Josie glanced at Blade. He appeared to be listening carefully to her every word. Maybe Norman’s experience resonated with him. Perhaps he also suffered the same negative response from society because of his missing limb. Thankfully, she was sensitive to the needs of those with disabilities and always made sure she phrased her words carefully to avoid giving offense. But others were not so tactful.

“It takes a really long time to prepare for a trial,” she continued. “So for the last eighteen months, I’ve been building Norman’s defense case and overseeing all the trial preliminaries. I know a lot of people in Sedgwick think that Norman’s guilty, and I sometimes get yelled at on the street, but things really started to escalate about three weeks ago. That’s when I received the first anonymous letter. Then the phone calls started. It’s always a muffled man’s voice saying I’ll suffer for defending a monster like Norman. I used to ask who he was, but now I just hang up.”

“And how is Norman doing?” Detective Pullman asked. “I understand that he’s out on bail.”

“Norman’s required to wear an electronic tag as part of his bail conditions,” Josie replied. “So he’s housebound. He used his home as collateral to raise the bond, and I had to fight hard to get bail granted. Norman has precise physical needs, and his home is specially adapted to suit him, so the judge agreed to bail Norman on the condition that he never leaves his home. Norman was so distressed about news of his disability leaking out to the community that the judge allowed the hearing to be a closed one, and the media didn’t get to hear the details. It’s unusual for a judge to agree to something like this, but I successfully argued that revealing Norman’s medical history to an open court would have caused him psychological damage. Of course, now everybody assumes he has something sinister to hide.”

“What about the little girl?” Detective Sykes asked. “Surely her family doesn’t want to be living in proximity to their child’s alleged kidnapper.”

“The Brown family moved from the street within a few weeks of the incident, so there’s no chance of Norman running into them.” She shrugged. “But Norman never goes outside, anyway. He’s too terrified. The community doesn’t want him back in their neighborhood, and he knows it.”

“But how does he manage being housebound?” Blade asked. “He has to eat.”

“I take groceries to him once a week and make sure he’s okay.”

Detective Pullman raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like you’re dedicating a lot of your schedule to this client. How do you find the time to work on anything else?”

“Norman is my only client until the trial is over,” Josie said. “Since I became the target of threats, the public defender’s office decided to allocate my other cases to alternate attorneys. I simply can’t offer anybody else quality service while this situation continues, so Norman gets me all to himself. And it’s probably a good thing, as he has nobody else to take care of him right now.”

“But he’s not in danger, is he?” Blade asked. “He’s not getting bricks through his window or nasty phone calls?”

“No,” she replied. “That’s the odd thing. The letters and phone calls have been directed at me.” She stopped to steady her voice. “And now it’s gone way beyond that. Now somebody doesn’t just want to frighten me. They want to kill me.”

Detective Sykes closed her notepad. “This situation does appear to have intensified in these last few hours, and it’s now too serious for the Sedgwick Police Department to monitor. I recommend that you and your family move to a safe house for the duration of the trial. The public defender’s office has informed us that they will spare no expense in ensuring your protection.”

“Neither will I,” Blade said. He turned to Josie. “I’ll make some calls and put a temporary manager in charge of my business so I can stay here in Sedgwick for however long it takes.”

Josie found her mouth dropping in disbelief. “You want to come to a safe house with us.”

“Of course,” he replied as if the question was ridiculous. “I promised Archie that I’d take care of you, and I meant it.”

She began to panic, imagining being forced to spend each day with the man she had once loved but no longer knew. “But...but...my dad and I are perfectly capable of looking after my son by ourselves.”

“Our son,” Blade corrected her. “Archie is mine, too.”

“I know,” she said. “But I’ve been taking care of him by myself for such a long time. It would be difficult for him to adjust to his father’s sudden presence in his life every day.” She knew this was a lame excuse, designed to suit her delicate emotions rather than Archie’s. “We should wait until this is all over before making visitation arrangements.”

Blade’s expression looked genuinely hurt and, for a few moments, Josie deeply regretted her words. After all, she had dreamed of the day when her son would finally meet his father, fulfilling his longest-held wish. This should have been a day of joy for her. So why did she feel so tormented inside? Why did she feel that Archie might be slipping from her grasp?

“I don’t want to wait,” Blade said quietly. “I want to be around constantly to make sure that you’re both okay.”

The detectives clearly sensed the need to give the two parents time alone to discuss the matter, and they both rose in unison.

“We’ll give you a few minutes to talk it over,” Detective Pullman said. “We’ll go check on the progress of the cleanup.”

“Thank you,” Josie said. “I’ll be ready to leave soon, I promise.”

As soon as the detectives had left the room, Blade went to sit close to Josie.

“Why do I get the feeling you’d rather I wasn’t here?” he asked. “Are you sorry that Archie found me?”

“No, not at all.”

Blade’s blue eyes were wide and intense, a mirror image of Archie’s. “So why the reluctance to let me stay with you?”

“Because...” She struggled to find any words that wouldn’t make her sound like the most selfish, awful person in the world. “Because I never felt such primal and fierce love before Archie came along. I would literally kill anybody who tried to hurt my son.” She shook her head. “Our son. And I’ve been solely responsible for his welfare until now.”

Blade obviously knew exactly what she was trying to say. “And you don’t think you can share him twenty-four hours a day.”

She crossed her arms and sighed. He had hit the nail on the head. Yes, she most definitely was the most selfish, awful person in the world.

“No, it’s not that,” she protested weakly, before bowing her head in shame. “Actually, you’re right. I always wanted you in his life, but I never knew how hard it would be until this moment.”

Blade put a hand on her shoulder. His fingers applied a gentle pressure, and she felt their warmth through her thin cashmere cardigan.

“We’re only just learning how to do this,” he said. “Let’s take it one step at a time. I’ll try to be sensitive to your feelings and not tread on your toes, but I have a right to be with our son while he faces such a serious threat.”

Josie nodded. “Of course you do.” She silently admonished herself. “You’re very welcome to come with us to the safe house.”

“Thank you.”

She rose from the chair. “I’ll need to go pack some things.”

In truth, she was desperate to get away from Blade, to gather her thoughts and say a prayer to soothe all her anxieties and fears.

“Sure,” he said, standing with her.

She brushed past him and headed out the door, not knowing which aspect of today’s developments had scared her the most. Was it the man taking aim at her home with a gun, or the man taking aim at her son’s heart with a fatherly love that potentially would usurp her own?

* * *

Blade watched his son struggle toward the door, clutching a stuffed dog in one hand and a huge birdcage in the other, covered with a white sheet. Josie was a couple of paces behind, also struggling with a suitcase on wheels and a huge file of papers.

He stepped forward and reached for the handle of the case in Josie’s hand. “I’ve got this.”

“It’s better if I keep it,” she said. “It’s heavy and awkward.”

“All the more reason for me to take it,” he said, casting aside her concerned expression with a smile and pulling the case from her grasp. “I’m more than capable.” She didn’t look convinced, and the smile became fixed on his face. “I’ll put it in the car.”

He then turned to Archie and knelt to the floor. Just looking at the boy’s face still took his breath away. The freckles, the piercing blue eyes, the impish grin and blond curls—they were all features that could be clearly seen in old photographs of him as a child.

“Who is this little guy?” Blade asked, pointing to the black-and-white toy dog.

“It’s Oscar,” Archie replied. He held up the cage. “And this is Sherbet. He’s a blue parakeet and he’s two years old. I’m covering him so he doesn’t get scared by the lights on the police car.”

“It’s okay,” Blade replied. “It’s an unmarked car, and they won’t be using any flashing lights.” He lifted up the sheet to see a small bird with a beautiful bright blue chest sitting on a perch. The long tapered tail bobbed up and down as the bird edged along the perch, his inquisitive black eyes instantly responding to the human face studying him.

Archie bent his head to peek under the sheet. “Say hello to my dad, Sherbet,” he said. “He’s looking after us now.” The level of pride in his voice was unmistakable.

Blade quickly swallowed the emotion forcing its way to the surface. He’d become a dad overnight and was constantly awestruck.

“Hello, Sherbet,” he said, focusing all his attention on the bird so Archie wouldn’t see the moisture collecting in his eyes.

“Hello, hello, hello,” Sherbet chirruped.

“That was the first word he ever learned,” Archie said. “He says it a lot. But he can say tons of other stuff, too. I’ll show you when we get to our new house.”

“I’d like that,” Blade replied, taking the cage from Archie’s hand. “Why don’t you let me carry this for you? It’s kinda big.”

Archie gave up the birdcage without a fight and grabbed hold of Blade’s shirt with his free hand. The small gesture of vulnerability was enough to bring the tears back to Blade’s eyes. Man, this was killing him, but not in a bad way. The instant love he felt for this small child seemed to produce enough power to knock him right off his feet. Seven years ago, he had assumed he was not a sufficient man to be a good husband and potential father. He had written himself off as worthless. But now was his chance to prove his worth. Now he could be the man he had failed to be back then, even if Josie doubted his physical capabilities.

It was then that he noticed her watching his and Archie’s interaction. She was standing by the front door, where the two Wichita detectives were waiting to escort them to the vehicles outside. She was smiling, yet there was sadness in her eyes, and she was biting down on her lip and furrowing her brow.

“You two look like you’re getting on well,” she said, grinning a little too brightly. “You both have the same nose, you know that?”

“No way!” Archie exclaimed. “Mine is not that big.”

Blade laughed. “Not yet, son, but just you wait.”

Detective Sykes turned the knob on the front door. “Are you ready to leave, Miss Bishop?” she asked. “Your father is already in one of the cars. We’ll have to go in two vehicles. Would you like to ride with your dad or your son?”

“My son,” she replied quickly. “I’ll ride with my son.”

Archie let go of his father’s shirt and walked to his mother’s side. But he turned and looked at Blade earnestly. “Are you okay riding with Granddad?” he asked. “He’s really funny and he knows a lot of jokes, but don’t let him tell you the one about how to make a tissue dance because it’s gross.”

Blade smiled. “How so?”

Archie stuck out his tongue and pretended to gag. “Because you put a little boogie into it.”

Blade laughed out loud. “It sounds like your granddad has a good sense of humor. I’d love to ride with him.”

Detective Sykes opened the door. The January air was damp and chill, seemingly charged with an ominous threat. Was someone waiting for Josie to show herself? Blade automatically positioned himself in front of her and Archie, but he couldn’t rest his fingers on his holstered weapon. In one hand, he held the birdcage, and in the other, he wheeled Josie’s huge suitcase. He hadn’t thought this through.

“Mr. Harding,” Detective Sykes said. “You get into the second vehicle with Detective Pullman. I’ll be with Josie and Archie, leading the way.”

Blade walked down the path, checking the vicinity all the while. The street was quiet. It was just a few days after New Year’s, so everybody was probably taking down decorations and recovering from the overindulgence of the last couple of weeks. Blade didn’t like things quiet. He’d spent far too long in his own company, wallowing in self-pity, shutting himself off from the world. It was as though he’d been through a long, dark tunnel, finally emerging into the light with the help of a fellow wounded soldier named Peter.

Peter had handed Blade a Christian leaflet on the street one day, and the words written on it had spoken directly to him: “Does your life have no meaning?” Blade had felt that way ever since losing his leg, so he had stopped to chat before accepting an invitation to attend a church meeting, where Peter had surprised and amazed him by revealing his own story. He, too, was a wounded veteran, a double amputee injured in the field in Afghanistan, yet he was an athlete, having competed in the first Invictus Games. Peter had shown Blade that the love and grace of God might not be able to give him a new leg, but they could give him a new purpose. That was his turning point. He became a new man, looking after himself, working out, becoming strong and fit again. And now he was an athlete like Peter, looking forward to competing in his own Invictus Games.

But it looked as though the Lord had a new challenge for him: protecting his newfound family. Even though his relationship with Josie was well and truly over, its legacy meant that he was intrinsically bound to her forever.

Tim opened the trunk to allow Blade to put Josie’s case inside. “So you’re riding with me, huh?” he said with a kind smile. “It’ll give us a chance to talk.” He glanced at the birdcage in Blade’s hand. “I think you’d better keep Sherbet on your lap.”

Blade craned his neck to check that Josie and Archie were safely in the leading vehicle. Then he walked to his truck and pulled out a bag containing some clothes. When he’d left North Carolina, he had no idea how long he might be away, but he’d come prepared. He also picked up the black case containing his carbon fiber, reinforced polymer running blade. He wanted to continue training wherever they might go. Once he’d placed these items into the trunk of the SUV, he slid into the backseat, positioning Sherbet between him and Tim. Detective Pullman was in the driver’s seat, engine running.

“All ready?” the detective asked. “It’s only a short trip. Thirty minutes or so.”

The SUV pulled smoothly into the road, and Blade waited for Tim to start speaking. He had met him only once, shortly after he and Josie had gotten engaged. He guessed that Tim might harbor some resentment toward him for the mistakes of his past.

“It’s really good to see you, Blade,” Tim said finally. “I always knew you’d show up eventually, and I tried to be a good father figure to Archie until that time. I hope I’ve done a good job.”

Blade was taken aback and more than a little humbled by these words. “You’ve done a great job, Tim,” he said. “I can’t thank you enough.”

Both men fell into an awkward silence. Neither seemed to know what to say next. Blade spoke first. There was so much he had to say that it came out in one big push.

“I’m sorry that I abandoned your daughter seven years ago, sir. I stupidly thought that she’d be better off without me in her life. If I’d known she was pregnant, I’d never have left. Meeting my son for the first time has blown me away, and I can assure you that I will be ever-present in his life from now on. I love him.”

Tim was listening intently, his gray eyes creased at the corners and his balding head tilted slightly in concentration. “What about Josie? Do you love her, too?”

Blade wanted to give the question the careful consideration it deserved, so he took a while to answer. “I did love her. To tell you the truth, she’s the only woman I’ve ever loved. But we’ve both moved on now. I sense that she’s a little hostile toward me, and I totally understand why. She has every right to be angry.”

“She’s not angry,” Tim said. “She’s hurt, and she wants you to make it better.”

Blade wasn’t quite sure what Tim was asking of him. “I can’t rewrite the past. I can’t make anything better.”

Tim shook his head. “I’m not suggesting that you rewrite the past,” he said. “I’m suggesting that you write the future. You say that Josie is the only woman you’ve ever loved. Well, I happen to know that you are the only man she’s ever loved, and probably ever will love.”

Blade couldn’t help but laugh. “Josie doesn’t love me. Not anymore.”

Tim sighed in exasperation. “Maybe not, but she could fall in love with you again.”

“I’m sorry, Tim,” Blade said, feeling an urgent need to quash these unrealistic hopes. “I know you want this story to have a happy ending, but Josie and I are two totally different people now. To tell you the truth, I get the feeling she doesn’t see me as a strong protector.”

Tim seemed surprised. “You do?”

“Since I lost my leg, I’ve gotten used to people treating me differently, assuming that I’m somehow weak and fragile. I know they’re well-intentioned, so I say nothing. But I’d never tolerate that attitude from somebody close to me.” He gave a soft laugh. “Maybe that’s why I’ve never fallen in love again. I’m waiting for a woman who treats me like a man with two legs.”

Tim mulled over his next words for quite a while before saying, “Doesn’t Josie treat you like a man with two legs?”

“No. She doesn’t even think I’m capable enough to carry a heavy suitcase, let alone chase down the bad guys.” He looked out the window wistfully. “She doesn’t see me the way she used to. She patronizes me.”

“Don’t you think you should talk to her about the way you feel?”

“No,” Blade replied quickly. “Our relationship is already pretty rocky. I don’t want to make it even more uncomfortable, so I’d appreciate you keeping this conversation between ourselves.”

“I think you should be open with her,” Tim said. “She probably doesn’t realize that her comments are hurtful.”

Blade shook his head. “She’s likely to be defensive, and I’d rather not start off on the wrong foot.” He laughed again. “Although I have only one foot to start off with anyway.”

He then noticed Detective Pullman pick up the radio and put it to his mouth. “Carly, I think we’re being tailed. I recommend evasive action. Let’s go off our designated route.”

Blade spun his head around to get a view of the pursuing vehicle. Behind them was the same stolen black sedan that had been parked across the street earlier, showing ragged signs of the earlier gun battle. As soon as Blade’s eyes came to rest on the man sitting behind the wheel, the car surged forward, ramming into the SUV’s bumper and sending the vehicle lurching forward.

“Carly!” Detective Pullman shouted into the radio. “Let’s move. Now!”

* * *

Josie put her arm around Archie and pulled him close, placing her hand on his chest. His heartbeat was strong and steady, whereas her heart was beating like a jackhammer. Detective Sykes was driving at top speed, weaving her way through the quiet streets of Sedgwick in an attempt to lose the car pursuing them.

“It’s okay, Mom,” Archie said, taking her hand. “Dad’s in the car behind. He won’t let the bad man get to us.”

Josie closed her eyes and pulled Archie closer. Her son had built up an aura of invincibility surrounding his father. He knew that his father had been in the navy SEALs and, consequently, believed him to be some kind of all-conquering hero. But Josie knew different. Josie knew that Blade was a man with weaknesses and failings like any other. Yet she couldn’t burst her son’s bubble by telling him this. And she definitely couldn’t compete with the rough-and-tough persona that Archie had allocated to Blade. She felt sidelined.

“Hold tight, guys,” Detective Sykes said, taking a sharp left and sending Josie and Archie leaning heavily to the side. “Don’t worry. We’re taking the scenic route to your new house.”

“We’re not worried,” Josie said, forcing brightness into her voice.

“I hope Sherbet is okay,” Archie said, looking up into his mother’s face. “I should have brought him with me.”

“I’m sure he’s fine, honey,” Josie said, craning her neck to look back. She saw Detective Pullman at the wheel of the second SUV close behind. She could just make out the outlines of Blade and her dad in the seats behind him. Blade was positioned in a way that allowed him to observe the car on their tail, and she wished that her son was correct in his assumption that his father was invincible. They sure could use a hero right now. But she couldn’t expect Blade to be the action man he used to be. It simply wasn’t possible anymore.

She saw Detective Pullman look in his rearview mirror and open his mouth, seeming to shout a warning to his passengers. The SUV pitched forward, having been hit from behind by the pursuer, and the vehicle momentarily mounted the curb, ramming into a fire hydrant so hard that a loud bang sounded. The tire had blown. They were sitting ducks.

“They’re in trouble!” Josie shouted. “We should help them.”

“We don’t stop unless we have to,” Detective Sykes said. “We follow protocol.”

Then, quick as a flash, Blade jumped from the car and, using the open door as a shield, he began firing rapidly into the windshield of the black sedan, shattering the glass and creating an explosion of noise. Detective Sykes eased off the gas and took their vehicle to the end of the street before stopping at the side of the road and looking around to observe the scene anxiously. She picked up her radio and requested backup, shouting over the noise of firing bullets.

Josie put her hands over her son’s ears and held his head on her chest.

“It’s okay,” she whispered into his ear. “It’s all under control.”

Looking back, she saw that Blade had been joined by Detective Pullman. Both men fired on the black sedan, alternately shouting orders for the man to exit the vehicle with his hands up. But this guy had taken cover by crouching beneath the dash and clearly had no intention of showing himself. Instead he put the car in Reverse, floored the gas pedal and careened backward, the tires squealing and smoking on the asphalt. He mounted the curb, veering wildly from side to side, but managed to bring the vehicle back onto the road and perform a skidding turn. Then he raced away, vanishing from sight in just a few seconds.

Josie took her hands away from Archie’s ears and smiled at him. “The bad man has gone.”

Blade appeared at the passenger side of their SUV, alert and watchful. He opened the door. “Tim and I will ride with you while Detective Pullman stays with his damaged vehicle,” he said, reaching into the backseat and touching his son’s cheek. “You okay, kiddo? That was a bit scary, huh?”

Josie could see that a look of apprehension had crept onto Archie’s face. “Where’s Granddad? And where’s Sherbet?” He looked around. “He didn’t fly away, did he?”

“Granddad’s right here,” Blade said, opening the back door to allow Tim inside. “And he’s got Sherbet with him, so scooch over and make some room.”

Josie could hear the smooth, even tone of Blade’s voice, yet he couldn’t mask his urgency to leave this situation behind.

Detective Sykes turned to Josie. “Detective Pullman will be just fine here until backup arrives, and he’ll ensure that the black sedan doesn’t come our way.”

“There’s no way that his vehicle will get very far,” Blade said, sliding into the passenger seat and securing his belt. “The engine was pouring smoke from bullet damage. I figure he’ll be caught soon enough.”

Josie looked down at her hands. She knew that these were hollow words, designed to comfort and reassure. This criminal was determined to catch her, determined to make her pay a heavy price for representing Norman Francis. And she had no doubt in her mind that he was already long gone, plotting how to find her and when to launch his next attack.

She watched Archie lift the blanket on the birdcage and talk to Sherbet in a gentle voice. Her son was the most tender and kindhearted child in the world. He didn’t deserve this level of threat in his life. It just wasn’t fair. While she could take the danger and the risk, Archie was just a six-year-old boy. He was innocent of any wrongdoing.

There was nothing else to do. She would have to send him away until the danger had passed, whether Blade liked it or not.

THREE

Josie had barely spoken a word to Blade since arriving at the safe house. She was distracted, preoccupied and jittery, hardly surprising under the circumstances, but he sensed that something else was weighing heavily on her mind—something more than the narrow escape from her attacker. She was pacing the hallway, stressing about her missing suitcase.

“Relax,” Blade said. “Detective Pullman will be here soon. Why don’t you sit in the living room with Detective Sykes while I make some iced tea?”

As she shook her head, Archie’s voice echoed through the house. “Mom, Mom,” he called, tearing down the stairs. “You should see my room. It’s got a jungle painted on the wall.” He took a deep breath and splayed his fingers in the air, pausing for dramatic effect. “Including tons of parrots. Sherbet loves it. It’s like being back in the wild.” He turned to Blade, his expression changing to an earnest one. “Budgies don’t actually live in the jungle. They are knave to Australia, but Sherbet doesn’t know that.”

“The word is native, honey,” Josie said. “Budgies are native to Australia.”

Blade smiled at his son. “You are such a smart kid, you know that? I had no idea that parakeets come from Australia.”

“I know all about parakeets,” Archie said, already climbing the stairs to return to his cool new room. “I can teach you.” He continued speaking even as he rounded the bend in the stairs and disappeared from view. “Boy budgies talk better than girl budgies. That’s why I got a boy.”

Josie pulled her cashmere cardigan tightly around her waist as she stared up the empty staircase. “He sure loves that budgie,” she said in a faraway tone. “It’s his best friend.”

“Are you okay?” Blade asked, going to stand next to her in the wide hallway. “Do you like the house?”

Josie glanced absentmindedly around the brand-new family home still smelling of fresh paint. The house was set in a recent development on the outskirts of Wichita, where every home was almost identical: large and detached with a perfectly clipped lawn. Inside, the overwhelming presence of the color beige created an insipid and characterless interior, broken up only by the occasional potted plant. But it was comfortable, with big fabric sofas and a wide-screen TV. Blade wouldn’t have cared if Detective Sykes had taken them to a barn in a field. As long as he was with Josie and Archie, this was all that mattered.

When Josie didn’t answer his question, Blade put a hand on her arm, and she shrank away from his touch.

“It’s nice,” she said, shivering slightly. “A little cold, perhaps, but the thermostat just got switched on.” She walked to a heating vent in the wall and leaned against it. “There are a lot of stairs, so maybe you’d like to choose one of the downstairs rooms as your bedroom.”

“Stairs are no problem for me,” he said.

“Are you sure? I’m sorry. I didn’t think to ask about accessibility.”

“I said that stairs aren’t a problem for me,” he said, injecting a little annoyance into his voice. She was trying to be helpful but failing miserably. “I might sleep on the first floor, anyway,” he continued. “I’d like to stay close to all the points of entry.”

Josie fell silent. Something else was bothering her.

He tried to catch her eye. “What’s up?”

She took her time to respond. “I’m not sure that this is a good arrangement.”

“What do you mean?” Was she asking him to leave?

Josie clearly struggled to contain her tears when speaking. “I don’t think it’s safe for Archie to be with me right now. It’s not fair to him. What if that crazy man finds me here?” She pointed to the front door. “You saw what happened on the drive over here. This guy doesn’t care who gets caught up in the cross fire. Archie could end up...” She couldn’t finish the sentence, and put a hand over her mouth to stop a cry from escaping.

“A detective will be stationed here twenty-four hours a day,” Blade said. “And there are panic buttons in every room. Plus, I’ll be here around the clock. I promise to protect our son with my own life if necessary.”

She looked him straight in the eye, her green irises glinting like jade. “School starts back next week. What are you going to do then? Sit with him in class? Stand guard in the school yard at recess?”

Blade heard the hostility in her voice, but he knew it was caused by fear. “Archie is in first grade,” he said. “He can take a couple of weeks off school, surely? We’ll homeschool him for a while. Between the two of us, plus your dad, I think we’ve got all bases covered.”

She sighed heavily. “We can’t keep him cooped up in this house all day every day. He needs to see his friends. He needs to be a normal little boy.”

Blade began to wonder what Josie was skirting around. “What are you suggesting we do? It seems like you have a plan already but are shy about sharing it.”

“I think he should go stay with my aunt in Nebraska for a while. It seems like the safest option.”

Blade didn’t like this option at all. “How is it safer? He’ll be unprotected there.”

“Don’t you see?” Josie replied. “My attacker isn’t interested in hurting Archie. He’s only interested in hurting me. And if he finds me here, he might target Archie to get to me. So it makes sense for us to be separated.” Her voice cracked slightly. “As much as I can’t bear to be parted from my little boy, I have to be sensible.”

Blade could hear Archie and his granddad talking upstairs, their voices intermingled with the chirrups and whistles of Sherbet. They sounded relaxed and happy in their new environment.

“I understand your reasoning,” Blade said quietly. “But I happen to think that the best thing for Archie would be to stay with his mom. You’re a family, and families should stick together at times like these.”

She stood up straight. “Are you thinking of what’s best for Archie or what’s best for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you met your son only this morning, so I’m guessing you don’t want to be parted from him.” She eyeballed him, challenging him. “You don’t want to send him to Nebraska because you want him here with you.”

“Of course I want him here with me,” Blade said, his voice rising slightly. “You’ve had six years to get to know our son, and I’ve had barely six hours.” He put a hand on his heart. “It physically hurts to think of all the time I’ve missed out on.”

“That’s not my fault,” Josie retorted.

“I’m not blaming you,” Blade said, feeling the need to calm the situation down before they began a blazing argument. “The time I’ve missed with Archie is all my own fault. When I came back from Afghanistan, I should’ve realized there was a chance you could be pregnant. I should’ve talked to you instead of leaving in a hurry. I was in a bad place, and I shut you out. I’m sorrier about that than you’ll ever know.”

Josie leaned against the vent again. She seemed pacified by his apology.

“You’ll have plenty of time to catch up with Archie and get to know him after the trial,” she said. “For now, we need to focus on how to keep him safe. I’m going to call my aunt today.”

Blade tried to contain the frustration that was creeping into him. “So my opinion doesn’t count?” he asked. “Am I a father in name only?”

Josie’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t want to fight with you, Blade, but I think it’s too dangerous for Archie to stay here.”

“At least I can keep an eye on him if he’s close to me,” Blade said. “A father should be allowed to protect his son, right? There’s no way I can relinquish that authority to anybody else.”

She looked resigned to Blade’s fierce argument. “Okay,” she relented. “Then I’ll ask my aunt if you can go stay with her, too. She has plenty of space, so I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

Blade ran a hand down his face in exasperation. “I need to be able to protect you, too, Josie. I’d rather you and Archie were in the same place, so I can keep you both safe.”

“I never asked you to look after me, Blade,” she said coolly. “I have police detectives to do that. That’s what they’re trained for.”

Blade raised his voice slightly. “That’s what I’ve been trained for, too. I know how to detect danger, evade capture and protect the innocent. And I probably know how to do it way better than a Wichita detective.”

“But...” she began, before stopping.

He crossed his arms. “But what?”

“You’re not a SEAL anymore. You were medically discharged, remember?”

“I’m still the same man.” He looked down at his legs. “Physically there’s a little less of me now, but I have the same heart I always did.”

“You don’t have the same body,” she said. “You shouldn’t be running through a hail of bullets or standing guard for hours on end. You’re training for the Invictus Games, right? You can’t afford to be injured. You have to protect your good leg.”

He raised his eyebrows. “My good leg?”

“Yes,” she said, folding her arms. “You have to take care of yourself.”

He stared at her, his patience with her condescension wearing thin. “I’ll take the risk.”

“I’m just trying to look out for you, Blade,” she said, a little more softly this time. “This is serious.”

His patience finally snapped. “I know this is serious,” he said. “And the risk is mine to take, not yours.” His pent-up anger was threatening to burst its way out into the open, so he threw his hands up into the air and turned on his heel. “I’m done talking with you.”

As he stalked away, Josie called him back. “Blade, wait.”

He stopped, but kept his back to her.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” she said. “Let’s not fight. I don’t want Archie to see us arguing.” She sighed. “I won’t call my aunt today. I’ll give it a few days and then reassess the situation. How does that sound?”

He let the anger flow from his body and turned around. This was progress. “It sounds like we just made our first coparenting decision. I’m happy with that arrangement.”

Josie’s eyes flicked everywhere but to Blade’s. “Good.”

Silence descended, quickly followed by awkwardness, and the huge gulf between them was evident. Neither knew how to reach out to the other, too afraid to speak for fear of igniting another disagreement.

“I’ll go help Archie unpack,” Josie said, running upstairs as if making a quick escape. “He might need me.”

Blade watched her feet bounce up the stairs, her ballet pumps lightly brushing each step, and he wondered whether she would find every coparenting decision as difficult as that one. If so, he had a long, hard battle ahead of him.

And she not only was unwilling to share her parenting role but also continued to treat him like an invalid. Blade had come to terms with other people’s misplaced offers of help, but to hear them from Josie was doubly hard. They made him sad, angry and disappointed.

He shook his head, still smarting from her comments about needing to protect his good leg. Both his legs were good. They were strong and fast, serving him well. He certainly didn’t need to be cosseted and protected. Josie should have known him better than that.

But apparently, she didn’t know him at all.

* * *

Josie sat on the edge of Archie’s bed, watching her son play with Sherbet while her father settled into his room. The bird was out of his cage, walking along the wooden floorboards, exploring his new environment. The budgie’s wings were slightly clipped, so he couldn’t fly far, but he enjoyed his freedom and usually ended up in mischief somehow.

Along one wall of the bedroom was a huge mural depicting various animals that wouldn’t be found living naturally side by side in the wild—lions and tigers, pandas and kangaroos, giraffes and grizzly bears—but the effect was striking and vivid. She could see why Archie loved it.

“Are you okay, Mom?” Archie asked, steering Sherbet’s beak away from his Power Rangers toy. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

Josie smiled brightly and rubbed her thumbs beneath her eyes. “I’m fine, honey.” A few tears had managed to spring forth on her way up the stairs, but she had hoped her son wouldn’t notice. “I’m just a little tired.”

She stood and walked to the window, hoping to see Detective Pullman drive up in the car that contained her suitcase. All her clothes and toiletries were in that bag, and she didn’t want to be without it. She hated to admit it, but she wanted to look her best while Blade was around. Although they were poles apart, she still felt an old attraction simmering away. Blade was as good-looking today as he was the last time she’d seen him, with sandy curls and a wide, playful smile. She admired him for pulling himself up by the bootstraps and turning his life around, but she wished he didn’t look quite so handsome. It would have been much easier if he had returned to her life as a less attractive man.

She focused her attention back on her son. “Archie,” she began, “how would you feel about going to stay with Aunt Susan in Nebraska for a little while?”

Josie knew that she and Blade had already discussed this issue and made a decision, but it wouldn’t hurt to get Archie’s feelings on the matter, would it? She ignored the sensation of disloyalty to Blade and awaited the answer.

“I want to stay with Dad,” he said, continuing to play with the budgie. “I like it here, and so does Sherbet.”

Archie’s response was predictable. Even though he had known his dad for so little time, accepting Blade as his father came totally naturally to him, exactly as it should have been. Yet her son’s words stung deeply.

“What about me?” she said with a forced laugh. “Don’t you want to stay with me, too?”

“Sure,” he said, jumping up to fetch Sherbet’s toys. “I don’t want to go to Aunt Susan’s house. Her big, sloppy dog will frighten Sherbet, and she always watches boring movies where ladies cry all the time.”

Josie giggled. Her aunt Susan loved old romance movies, and Archie hated them.

“Okay, honey,” she said. “I just wanted to know how you felt about it.”

“If I stay here with Dad, we can watch boy movies where cars turn into other stuff.” Archie struck a pose, extending his arms and clenching his fists tight. “And we can pretend to be robots and fight everybody who tries to come in. It’ll be awesome.”

Josie bit hard on her lip. Her son had no true idea of the level of danger facing them, and she was glad of it. In his mind, he and his father could save the day simply by imagining themselves as Transformers. On arrival at the safe house, Archie had instantly torn around the place as if in a racing car, encouraging Blade to do the same. She had seen a sudden change in his behavior since Blade had shown up. In just a few hours, her son had gone from being a sweet and gentle-natured boy into a car-loving, boisterous kid. Although her own dad had tried hard to be a father figure to Archie, he was missing an essential ingredient—the energy of youth. Blade’s appearance had triggered a rambunctious quality in her son, and it made her even more concerned that she was losing him. Blade was demanding an equal say in parenting, and her son had talked of little else but his father since he’d shown up. She knew it was silly, but she felt shut out.

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