exactly. I paged down, hoping someone would defend you, and look what I found.”
She leaned closer to read with him, head to head, and almost gasped. Someone had posted a rebuttal, all right. It read “Leave Baby Sister alone. Or else.”
By the time he had contacted headquarters and reported what he’d seen on the anonymous blog, Linc was fighting a terrible headache, probably partially due to his injury. He hadn’t intended to tell Zoe he felt ill, but she must have sensed something off about him.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked for the third time when they got to her apartment.
“I told you I’m fine.” The rebuttal came out stronger than he had wanted. “Sorry.”
“See? That’s what I mean. You’re not acting like your normal self.”
Arching a brow, he immediately regretted it because the pain intensified and he winced. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” She came back from her kitchen with a glass of water and painkillers. “I’m not giving you aspirin in case your head damage is worse than the doctors thought. Take these and maybe your mood will improve.”
Reluctantly, he did. “Thanks. I do have a slight headache.”
“It’s more than slight, but I won’t argue as long as you take care of yourself.”
Nodding carefully, Linc got to his feet. Star stirred, lifted her head, then relaxed again and closed her eyes as if planning to spend the night.
“I probably should go,” Linc said.
“Not on your life.” Zoe was adamant. “Your relief is already parked out front. You’re staying right here with me and Freddy so I can watch you for signs of a serious head injury.”
“You’re a doctor now?”
“Nope. A mother. We come with built-in sensitivity training. One look at you and I knew you felt rotten.”
“I should be out looking for the RRK, not resting.”
“Look.” Facing him, Zoe placed a hand on his forearm. “I feel responsible for what happened to your head. And for what happened to Star the time before. You won’t gain anything by chasing a mystery blogger’s invisible fan in the middle of the night, even if he did sound like the RRK. Star can stay right where she is, and I’ve promised Freddy he can bring his blanket and pillow in here to camp out with the two of you. He’s gone to pick out a stuffed animal to share with Star, too.”
“Suppose there’s a problem during the night?”
“With Security Forces visible outside and Star in here, I strongly doubt anybody will try anything. But I can tell Freddy that if the dog barks or growls, he has to come get me right away. He loves to have important jobs, so I’m sure he’ll follow orders.”
“Maybe I will rest here for a little while,” Linc said. He sank onto the overstuffed sofa and laid his head back. “I am feeling pretty lousy.”
“You may be hungry. All we had this afternoon was ice cream and cold pizza. How would you like some soup? I have vegetable and chicken noodle.”
Freddy skipped into the room, his pudgy arms loaded with stuffed animals. “I love chicken noodle.”
“Okay,” Zoe said. “You guys make yourselves comfortable and I’ll go open a can.”
“Make sure the back door is locked,” Linc called after her. He didn’t hear a clear reply, but her tone was enough for him to tell she wasn’t impressed with his suggestion. That was okay. He knew she’d already checked all the locks and was perfectly capable of taking care of such details. Habit and her enemy’s efforts at making her look unstable had spurred him to speak up.
Freddy was standing at his feet, apparently waiting for an invitation to join him, so Linc patted the adjoining sofa cushion. “C’mon up, kid. And bring your friends.”
Scrambling up with a small assist from Linc, the boy dumped his armload of toys in a cascade of synthetic fur.
Linc smiled. “Who all have we got here?”
“That’s puppy one.” He chose another. “This is puppy two.”
Linc picked up a similar toy. “Is this puppy three?”
Freddy giggled. “No, Sergeant Linc. That’s a kitty.”
“Oh, sorry. My mistake.”
“You can have her to sleep with if you want,” Freddy offered. “She’s a really good kitty. My favorite.”
“Thank you.” Linc couldn’t help his growing smile. Freddy had not only presented him with a stuffed animal, he’d given his best. “That’s very nice of you.”
“You’re welcome. I like you.”
He ruffled the child’s soft hair. “I like you, too.”
“You like my mama?”
“Sure.”
Apparently satisfied, the boy wiggled around, pushing aside toys, until he was snuggled tight against Linc’s side and partially tucked beneath his arm. Then he yawned so loudly Star looked up to check on them.
“You go to sleep,” Linc said. “I’m tired, too.”
“Uh-huh. ’Night.”
Leaning over slightly, despite the throbbing in his temples, Linc placed a kiss on the top of Freddy’s head. “Good night, buddy.”
When the boy snuggled even closer, laid a small arm part way across his ribs and whispered, “I love you,” Linc was stunned. All his life he’d believed he disliked children, yet this one had punched a Texas-size hole in his opinion—and in his heart.
Leaning his head back again, Linc replied softly, “I love you, too, Freddy.”
* * *
Zoe heated the soup then peeked in to ask Freddy and Linc if they wanted theirs in bowls at the table or in mugs they could sip from on the sofa. But she found them asleep. So was Star, who was snoring loudly.
Hesitant to disturb them, she gazed fondly at the scene of familial bliss. The only thing missing was her. In Zoe’s eyes, she belonged on the opposite side of Linc, also snuggled close, to share in the perfect peace and trust her son was enjoying.
Instead, she returned to the kitchen and took the pot of soup off the stove. It would keep. So would her unacceptable dreams and wishes. Even if Linc did seem to be showing affection toward Freddy, she had to assume that feeling didn’t extend to her. She was a job, a duty and an often-unpleasant one. If Linc and his fellow Security Forces members weren’t after Boyd, they were chasing other bad guys, which had made her formerly stable life the subject of their ongoing investigations.
