order to put up his hands. Instead, he’d gone for his gun. When the shooting had stopped, two officers were injured, the man was dead, but the boy was safe. Traumatized, but safe.
Garrick had spent the rest of the day dealing with the paperwork that followed a situation like that. The boy had been bruised from a beating, but otherwise physically all right. Back in town, the mother had a black eye and a broken arm. Garrick had insisted that in addition to a medical checkup that they both got counseling to deal with the aftermath of what they’d been through. He didn’t believe killing a suspect was ever a positive outcome, but sometimes there wasn’t a choice and every now and then, he thought maybe the world was better off because of it. This was one of those days.
He’d spoken with all the officers involved in the shooting, visited the two injured officers at the hospital, been reassured they would be released in the morning and had given an accounting to the local TV station. Garrick told himself the kid and the mother were safe and that was what mattered, but he didn’t like the reminder that the world could be a dark place, even in Happily Inc.
By the time he got home, he wanted nothing more than a shower, a beer and a couple of hours of watching his favorite football team kick someone’s ass. Instead, he found his daughter pacing in the living room.
“I heard,” she said, staring at him wide-eyed. “About that man kidnapping his son. There was a shoot-out. Are you all right?”
She sounded worried, which felt kind of nice. Without thinking, he held open his arms, before remembering that for some reason, Joylyn didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Only instead of rejecting him, she raced into his embrace and hung on tight.
“I was so scared,” she said.
“I’m fine. I wasn’t in any danger.”
He held her, aware of the differences in her body. Her huge belly got between them, reminding him that his little girl was a grown woman and soon to be a mother herself. He thought about how scared the boy’s mom had been and knew if something like that ever happened to Joylyn, he would move heaven and earth to keep her safe.
She stepped back. “Did you go to the shoot-out?” she asked.
“It wasn’t a shoot-out. It’s not like in the movies.”
She glared at him. “Did the suspect have a gun and did he fire at officers?”
“Yes.”
“Were any of them injured?”
Damn. “A couple.”
“So you were in danger.”
“I was coordinating the action. I wasn’t in the direct line of fire.”
“But you still could have been shot.”
“I suppose, but I wasn’t. I’m fine.”
He thought she might continue to grill him, but instead she nodded. “Okay, Dad. I know you want to take a shower. We’ll talk after that.”
Twenty minutes later, he joined her in the kitchen. When she saw him, she got a beer from the refrigerator and opened the bottle, then poured herself some water. She put out chips and dip, along with a plate of cut-up vegetables.
“Thanks,” he said, both surprised by and wary of her thoughtfulness.
She picked up a slice of red bell pepper but didn’t take a bite. He waited, wanting her to tell him what was on her mind. He assumed she would want to know more about the morning’s events, but she surprised him by asking, “Were you working for the DEA when you were gone that one year?”
He groaned silently. Not a topic he wanted to discuss with her. He didn’t like talking about that time in his life. So much had happened that still haunted him. His capture and torture, Raine’s death, the realization that someone he’d trusted had betrayed him.
He nodded slowly. “Yes, I was on assignment in Colombia, working undercover. I wasn’t supposed to be gone that long, but the cartel found out who I was and took me prisoner.”
Her eyes widened. “Wh-what?”
He raised one shoulder. “It was a long time ago and I’m fine.”
“It wasn’t a long time ago. You came home less than four years ago.” She brushed away tears. “I thought you were just living your life. No one told me.”
“I’m sure your mother didn’t want to upset you.”
“Upset me? She didn’t tell me my own father was held captive by some drug cartel? How did they even know who you were?”
“Someone on the inside told them.”
The tears stopped. “Do you know who did that?”
He nodded. “He’s dead.”
“Did