Sworn To Protect

She was so relieved, she threw her arms around him, pulling him close before she realized what she was doing.

Tony had been hugged hundreds of times, and he’d given plenty of hugs. At Jordan’s funeral, he had stood beside Katie, his arm around her shoulders, offering support, because he had known that’s what his friend would have wanted.

Now, though, she was nearly nine months pregnant, her belly pressing against his abdomen, her arms wrapped around his waist. He felt the baby move, the tiny life demanding attention.

He had made a promise to Jordan, and he meant to keep it. He would make certain Katie and the baby were safe. Even if that meant going out to hunt for Martin with a bandaged arm.

Katie stepped back, eyes dark in her pale face. “Sorry.”

“For what?”

“The hug.” Her gaze jumped to Brianne.

“No need to apologize. We’re family.”

“You and Jordan always did call each other brother,” she said, offering a half smile.

“We did,” he agreed. She was obviously self-conscious about what had been a completely platonic hug.

“I was worried about you.” She touched the edge of the bandage that covered his cleaned and sutured wound. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. I would have been here sooner, but Martin grabbed a teenager in the park, and he was wounded.”

“Oh no! Will he be okay?”

“He has a cut on his cheek and is shaken up, but he’ll be fine.”

“And your shoulder?”

“Also fine, but Noah insisted I get checked out at the hospital and take a couple of days to recuperate.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“It wouldn’t be, if Martin weren’t still running free.” He took her arm and led her back into the room. The less time she spent out in the open, the happier he’d be.

“I was hoping to avoid returning to the hospital room,” she murmured, stopping just over the threshold.

“It’s best if you stay here.”

“So everyone keeps telling me, but I’d prefer to go check on Ivy.”

“I spoke with Carter a few minutes ago. Ivy is doing well. She broke her wrist and has a mild concussion. They plan to keep her for observation, but she should be able to return home tomorrow.”

“Poor Ivy. This is all—”

“Don’t say it,” he cut in.

“What?” she asked, raising one light brown brow and eyeing him with a look she had probably used on her fifth-grade class when she was teaching.

“That it’s your fault.”

“If I hadn’t—”

“Katie, we could all spend our lives thinking about what we could have done differently, but none of us can go back. You and I go to the same church. I’ve spoken to Martin a few dozen times, and I never would have imagined he was capable of murder.”

“You’re right. I know that.”

“Then, stop feeling guilty for the actions of a sick individual. There is nothing you could have done to keep him from becoming fixated on you. Even if you hadn’t gone out with him, he may still have stalked you. He’s unhinged.”

“Maybe so.” She smiled, but her eyes were sad. They’d been that way since Jordan’s death.

“Exactly so,” he replied, and some of the sadness left her eyes.

“You’re always a cheerleader, Tony, and I appreciate it. But, I’d appreciate it a lot more if you would bring me to see Ivy and then drive me home.”

He should have refused.

Noah had already told him to get treatment and to return home to rest. There’d been nothing in his directives about visiting Katie or taking her home. But, Tony had never been one to blindly follow someone else’s lead. He was off the clock, and he knew how to protect Katie.

He’d bring her up to see Ivy, and then he’d check in with Jordan’s brother Carter, who was still recovering from being shot several months ago and had only just returned to the office part-time. The other two Jameson brothers, Noah and Zach, were hunting Martin while Carter stayed at the hospital with Ivy and their father.

“All right,” he agreed.

Her eyes widened, and she offered the first real smile he had seen in months. “Really?”

“Did you think I’d refuse?”

“Everyone else has.”

“I’m not everyone else.”

He touched her shoulder, brushing aside a thick strand of hair. She looked exhausted, her cheeks hollow, her eyes red-rimmed. In the few years that he’d known her, she had always seemed energetic and enthusiastic, her outlook optimistic. She had a clear-eyed, pragmatic view of life that had attracted Jordan and intrigued Tony. He had grown up in a family filled with silence and unspoken resentment. His mother had gone to the grave bitterly resentful of his father’s career. An NYPD homicide detective, Dillard Knight had devoted his life to law enforcement. He’d had little time for his wife or his only child. Even when Tony’s mother had been dying of cancer, Dillard had spent more time working than he had at home.

Jordan and his family had been Tony’s escape from that, and when Katie had entered the picture, the joy she took in the simple things in life had captured his attention. That may have dimmed after Jordan’s death, but she had kept her focus on the future and tried hard to stay positive.

He didn’t want that to change.

Not because of someone like Martin.

“It’s going to be okay, Katie,” he said.

“Ivy told me that right before Martin showed up,” she responded, stepping away and walking into the hall.

He followed, staying close as they walked to the bank of elevators that would bring them up to Ivy’s room.

Jordan had never been one to ask for much.

He was more likely to give than to expect to receive help.