Unless...
Unless he was waiting. Unless this barn was about to become a trap.
Jericho reached for the walkie. Keyed the mic. “Deke, any news on our hunter?”
“That’s a negative, JB,” Deke answered.
Jericho drew in another breath, looked at Harley. Then, “I’m not sure we have five minutes. Hurry up.”
12
She could liveforever on the joy of meeting her nephew.
Harley refused to think about how much she’d missed. Watching this little guy toddle his first steps, mumble his first words, get those baby teeth and learn his letters and numbers, and most of all hear his laughter when his dad tickled his tummy.
“He’sso adorable,Ga—Adam.”
Words spoken at the hospital when Gabe and Sunni arrived with Winnie. They’d run into the ER lobby, Gabe’s gaze landing on his son.
And he just swept the boy up, nearly unraveling right there. It put a stone in her throat as she watched.
Adam Waters. Yes, she’d have to get her brain around his WITSEC name before she blew his cover.
Her brother, garbed in a wool hat and a beard, finally put the boy down, and only then addressed her words with a wink. “Takes after his old man.”
Sunni had laughed through her tears, pulling Daniel into her arms.
Clearly, Gabe’s little boy knew him.
As the hospital staff wheeled Gregg into surgery to stitch hiswound, it occurred to her that Gabe hadn’texactlystayed lost, at least not to the people who mattered to him.
Sunni held her mother’s hand as Gabe stood next to them, Daniel in his arms. The picture just tore a hole through Harley.
Mostly because she wasn’t—hadn’t been—a part of it.
But also because it simply dragged up that moment so many years ago when her parents did exactly the same thing, praying that Gabe would survive his first overdose.
Maybe they hadn’t really. Or really,shehadn’t.
Gabe had managed to reassemble his life.Withouther.
And, of course, as if Jericho knew, he put his arm around her and pulled her against him, her back to his safe, strong chest. Orlando sat, whining softly, and she put a hand on his head.
So maybe she had her own huddle of support.
They’d sat in the waiting room chairs while Sheriff Deke came in and took a statement from Jericho and Harley about the hunter from the woods. The Bowie brothers stopped by, too, on their way back to the lodge.
The nurse finally came out and directed them to Gregg’s room where the sturdy man lay in a bed, hooked up to a heart monitor and oxygen. Groggy but still strong enough to grab Winnie’s hand and pull her down for a kiss.
“Pops!” Daniel had nearly leaped on him, but Gabe caught him.
“Let’s let Pops rest there, big D.”
Gregg lifted his fist and Daniel bumped it and, again, a stone lodged in Harley’s throat. And weirdly aThank you,Godrose in her mind.
Then the nurse brought in crayons and paper. Gabe sat in a chair, Daniel on his lap, and they drew a picture on the bed tray, Gabe occasionally tickling his son and Sunni leaning over them to draw a rainbow above Gabe’s stick figure family.
And again, memory took Harley up.