Hero of Mine (18 page)

“Dani, you know Blake, but these pains in the asses are Dwayne Harlow, Olsen Myers, Jamie Platt, and Hank Osbourne.”

“Nice to meet you, ma'am,” they all chorused.

“So nice to finally meet you. Tyler talks about you guys a lot.”

They all shot him a look, as if wondering what he said, so she added, “All good things, I promise.”

The boys relaxed.

“She's lying; I complain about you constantly.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Sure, you never tell me how fast Dwayne is or how hard Jamie works with his dog. Or that Hank is really smart and Olsen is a born leader. Nope, he never says anything nice about you.”

All the boys were beaming now, and Olsen said, “I like you. If the Sarge ever breaks up with you, just wait for me.”

“I saw her first,” Jeremiah said, surprisingly, a wide grin on his face.

Dani's cheeks burned, and Tyler came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Both of you are shit out of luck. She's all mine.”

And as all the boys started chattering, each vying for Tyler's attention, Dani leaned back into him and just enjoyed being his.

T
HE EARLY
D
ECEMBER
air nipped at them as they climbed the steps to Eve and Oliver's place for their holiday party, their hands interlaced as Tyler pressed the button.

Dani should have been used to Tyler's friends after nearly six weeks together, but they still seemed to stare at her as if she was some kind of exotic creature. As if they still couldn't believe Tyler hadn't dumped her for a bar wench.

Eve threw open the door. “Hey, come on in, guys. Everyone is just meandering. Can I get you anything to drink? Wine? Beer? Eggnog and brandy?”

“We'll get it ourselves, Eve, thanks,” Tyler said.

“Sure. Feel free to make yourselves at home.”

“Hey, Best.” Kline clapped him on the back, and Dani noticed he wobbled a little.

“What's up, buddy? Started the party early, I see.” Tyler was frowning at his friend, and Dani wondered if Blake didn't usually drink.

“I just needed a little pick-me-up. You know how it is around the holidays. They suck balls.”

Dani and Tyler laughed a little awkwardly.

“Well, looks like I need another glass of holiday cheer. What an oxymoron, right?”

As he stumbled away, Dani leaned close to ask, “Is he okay?”

“I'm not sure. He lost his wife a few years ago, and after the shooting last month, he hasn't really been himself.”

“Poor guy.”

“Yo, Best, you're under the mistletoe! Better give that girl a smooch,” Martinez called from across the room.

Tyler reached out to bring her close, but their new law enforcement trainer, Zack Dalton, came up behind Dani and kissed her cheek.

He backed up too quickly for Tyler to catch him, moonwalking backward as he taunted Tyler. “Oh, yeah, Best, I kissed your girl.”

“I'll fuck you up, Dalton.”

Dani reached up and pulled him down for a real kiss, ignoring the catcalls from the room. When they pulled away slowly, Tyler whispered, “Ready to go yet?”

She laughed and took his hand, leading him over to where Megan Bryce was making a cookie that looked suspiciously as if it had a giant penis.

“Hey, guys,” she said warmly.

“That looks tasty, Bryce,” Tyler said. “Never knew you were a big balls kinda girl.”

“Well, they gotta be bigger than mine.” Her attempt at a joke fell a little flat, and she cleared her throat. “You know, I'm gonna go talk to Eve.”

Once she was out of earshot, Dani asked, “Is it just me or is everyone acting weird tonight?”

“Don't ask me; I wanted to stay in and do it under the tree. You were the one who saw the invitation and said, ‘Oh, this sounds like fun.' ” His high, screechy imitation of her made her scowl.

“I don't have a tree yet.”

He pressed his lips to the side of her neck. “We could have rectified that with a trip to Home Depot.”

“Not without Noah, we couldn't!”

“I'm teasing, babe,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. “Wanna make a cookie together? I bet if we worked together, it would be epic.”

She laughed and leaned back against him as he took her hands in his, manipulating them to spread frosting over the sugar cookie.

Have I ever been this happy before?

The answer was definitely no.

T
YLER STOOD WITH
his friends several hours later, drinking beer and bullshitting. They'd decorated cookies, done an ornament exchange, and even sung Christmas carols. Tyler was definitely ready to go, but it was the first time he'd seen Dani relax around his social group, and he was loath to pull her away.

“So, Blake, any thoughts to getting back out there?” Martinez asked.

“Nah,” he said, nursing his beer.

“I still can't get over how Best landed a woman like Dani,” Sparks said.

“You guys are a bunch of assholes, you know that, right?”

“Hell, Best has it good. He's so fucking pretty, even when he blows women off, they still send him naked titty shots.” Blake's words carried across the room, and everyone stiffened.

Tyler's gaze found Dani's, her face sheet-white.

“Dani—”

She got up from the couch with a mumbled “excuse me,” and he pushed past his friends to follow her outside.

“Dani, it's not what you think, I swear.”

She stood at the bottom of the steps, her arms wrapped around herself.

“So, women haven't been sending you naked pictures?”

“Yes, one girl, and I told her I had a girlfriend and to lose my number.”

She spun around, her hand held out to him. “Let me see.”

“I deleted the thread. It happened weeks ago.”

Her laughter had a bitter edge he hated. “Erased it, huh? That's convenient.”

Tyler recoiled as if she'd slapped him. “Have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?”

“None, except your track record and the reaction of everyone who knows you. I actually started to think that I had everything, that my life was pretty fucking perfect, but that's the problem with trying to convince yourself people can change.”

“So, that's it? You assume I'm guilty of something because you can't believe I want to be with you?”

“Whoa, that is not what I said. I said that you like sex and women, and I was crazy to think that would stop.”

“It did stop. It fucking stopped the minute I saw you sitting next to Noah in that hospital room. I didn't know why, but I couldn't get you out of my head.”

“And yet”—before he could stop her, she snatched his phone out of his hand—“Alison, Alicia, Amy, Andrea, April . . . Wow, we haven't even made it to the
B
s yet.”

He jerked his phone out of her hand, his body shaking with hurt and rage. “Stop this. I love you. I wouldn't hurt you, and I haven't cheated on you.”

She sniffled, and he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. He was dying to reach out and brush them from her cheeks.

“I really want to believe that. I want to believe that you love me and you're committed to me, but you didn't delete them from your phone, Tyler. You kept other women's numbers. Women you've slept with. And that tells me that even if it's just on a subconscious level, you're keeping your options open.”

He opened his mouth, wanting to tell her that he hadn't thought about it because his mind had been taken over with thoughts of her, but what was the point? She didn't trust him, didn't believe him.

“I'm gonna grab my coat and see if Megan will give me a ride,” Dani said.

“I can drive you home.”

“Not right now.” She climbed up the stairs past him, closing the door behind him, and he wanted to yell. Scream and rail at his idiot friend, call out to Dani that he hadn't thought about the numbers or how she might interpret it.

The door opened again, and Sparks came out with a drunken Blake hanging on him.

“Best, hey, I'm sorry for what I said. I hope Dani isn't mad at you, bro.”

Tyler wanted to hit him, and it took everything he had not to knock Blake off his feet and pound him.

“You need to get some help, man,” was all Tyler said, turning his back on his two friends and heading for his car.

D
ANI CHECKED ON
Noah again the next afternoon, and when she saw he was still out, she went into the living room to find something to watch. Preferably nothing romantic or funny. She wasn't in the mood to laugh.

In fact, she'd spent most of last night neck-deep in tissues. In the fresh light of day, she had a feeling she'd overreacted. Tyler had never given her a reason to be suspicious of him, and holding his past against him wasn't fair. He could do the same thing to her, and she definitely wouldn't come out smelling like a rose.

She needed to call him but wasn't even sure what to say.
I'm sorry for being such a judgmental bitch? For not trusting you? Thinking the worst of you?

All of it was bred of her own insecurities. That good guys, men who were honest, trustworthy, and kind, could care about her.

Because you're a young mother?

Yes, in a way, but not totally. More that she had made so many bad calls, it was hard to trust her gut.

Someone knocked on the door, and Dani went to peek through the hole. Blake Kline stood on her porch.

She pulled open the door and noted he looked like hell. His hazel eyes were bloodshot, and his skin looked a little green.

“Blake, what are you doing here? I didn't even know you knew where I lived.”

“Your address is listed online,” he croaked.

“Well, I'll have to change that.” Okay, so she wasn't being very nice to the guy, but to be fair, he'd started shit by bringing up titty pics in the middle of a Christmas party. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I was in a bad place, and I shouldn't have said what I did about the text messages. Best did get one while we were at the bar, but he told the girl he was taken. I saw the message myself.”

Confirming what she'd already figured out for herself—that Tyler was telling the truth—she nodded. “I appreciate you coming by and telling me.”

“Yeah, sorry for just showing up, I just . . . Best isn't talking to me, and I feel like a real asshole, you know?”

Dani softened a little toward him. “We've all gone through bad times. It happens. Besides, no matter what you said, I was the one who didn't believe him. So he's probably not talking to me, either.”

“He really loves you, Dani. If you call him and tell him that, he'll forgive you. Believe me, love makes you do stupid shit, but when it's real, it can overcome a lot.”

“Thank you, Blake.”

“Well, I'll let you get back to whatever you're doing. Just wanted to come by and say how sorry I was.”

“Thanks again.”

She closed the door on him and leaned against the solid wood. God, she hated apologizing. It always made her feel weak and at the mercy of the receiver, who was usually her mother.

But she wanted Tyler more than anything, and he deserved to know she believed him.

Dani picked up her cell and dialed his cell, but it went straight to voicemail.

“This is Sergeant Tyler Best. Leave me a message, and I'll get back to you.”

The phone beeped, and she said, “Hi, Tyler, it's Dani. I need to talk to you, so if you could please call me back, that would be great.”

She hung up without saying I love you, not sure if she had the right anymore. What if he was avoiding her calls? Her eyes stung with tears, and she chided herself for imagining the worst.

She heard Noah calling for her, and she went into his nursery with a smile, wiping at her wet eyes. “Hey, sweetie.”

“Tywer here?”

He must have heard her on the phone. “No, honey, he's not here right now. Do you wanna go see him?”

Noah nodded emphatically.

“Okay, let's get you changed, and we'll go.”

Fifteen minutes later, she set Noah down next to her outside as she shut the door on an excited Shasta and Bella. “Sorry, babies, you can't come this time.”

She heard an answering whine and scratch as she picked Noah up and carried him to the car. She buckled him into the car seat and pulled out of the backseat.

Blinding pain exploded in the back of her head, and she slammed into the side of the car before sliding to the cement. Her vision blurry, she rolled over and tried to climb to her hands and knees, but something hit her stomach with enough force to knock the breath from her.

Dani lay on her back, blinking against the painful sunlight. She could hear Noah screaming and tried to say his name.

Someone blocked the sun, standing over her. She couldn't make out the features, and she didn't recognize the terrifying voice.

“Say good night, bitch.”

And everything went black.

T
YLER WAS AT
the park playing basketball with Jeremiah. He seemed to be doing better, especially living with Sue and Martin Grayson. Tyler had gotten a call from Jeremiah after Thanksgiving, and Jeremiah had told him that his mom was willing to sign the guardianship papers. Apparently, they'd had a long talk after Neil's visit, and after some hard truths, Jeremiah had convinced his mom that she needed to do what was best for him. Tyler wished he knew what Jeremiah had actually said, but he'd never pressed.

Despite the cold air outside, sweat dripped down Tyler's forehead as he chased after the teenager, and he finally gave up after the kid did a perfect jump shot. He grabbed his knees and took several gulping breaths as the ball arched in the air and swooshed through the net beautifully.

“Wanna take a water break, Sarge? You look a little winded.”

“Smart-ass kid,” Tyler muttered, though he took him up on it. Last night, after he'd left the party, he might have gone home and finished off a couple glasses of whiskey, and he was definitely paying for it today.

He took a long pull from his water bottle and saw his phone light blinking. Sliding his thumb over the screen, he saw a missed call from Dani.

He walked away from Jeremiah to listen to the voicemail.
“Hi, Tyler, it's Dani. I need to talk to you, so if you could please call me back, that would be great.”

Very formal. No
love you
at the end like usual.

Maybe she's calling to dump your ass.

If that was the case, no sense in putting it off, although a hard knot twisted his stomach painfully.

He hit the call button and waited.

“Hello, this is Officer Coleson Ricks with the Sacramento Police Department. To whom am I speaking?”

Tyler's heart stopped. Why the hell did the police department have Dani's phone?

“This is Tyler Best. I'm trying to get ahold of my girlfriend, Danielle Hill.”

“Mr. Best, Ms. Hill is on her way to Sutter Memorial—”

“Why? What happened? Is Noah okay?”

“Noah?” the officer repeated.

“Yeah, her son, he's almost two. Is he okay?”

“Mr. Best, Ms. Hill was found outside her home near her car, unconscious. She appeared to have been assaulted.”

Assaulted.

“Her mom. Did you call her mom?” Tyler asked.

“No, but, Mr. Best—”

Tyler hung up the phone and dialed Dani's parents' house.

“Hello?” Laura answered.

“Laura, it's Tyler. Is Noah with you?”

“Noah? No, Dani picked him up this morning. Why?”

“I don't have the details yet, but Dani's been attacked. She's on her way to Sutter Memorial Hospital, but Noah wasn't at the scene.”

“Oh, my God! George!” He could hear Laura screaming for her husband, but Tyler didn't have time for hysterics.

“Laura, I need you to listen. Go to the hospital and tell Dani I'm going to find him, okay? I am pretty sure I know who has him, and I'm bringing him back to her.”

He hung up the phone. “Come on, Jeremiah, I'm dropping you at home.”

“What's going on—”

“Just move your ass!” Tyler barked, sprinting for the car.

T
YLER JUMPED OUT
of the passenger side of Sparks's truck and didn't even wait for his friends to catch up.

He tried the front door of the Ramirez home, and it was unlocked.

He burst through, and Angel scrambled up off the floor, his meth pipe falling to the floor as he stared at Tyler, his eyes wide in terror.

“I don't know nothing!”

“Yeah, you don't know nothing, you piece of shit?” Tyler hauled Angel up by his throat, running on nothing but adrenaline. “Where is Noah?”

“I swear, I didn't take him—”

Tyler squeezed, and Angel clawed at his hands. “Maybe not, but you know where he is. And if you want to ever be able to walk again, you're gonna tell me.”

“Might want to ease up on him so he can talk, Best. He's turning blue,” Martinez said.

Tyler dropped him onto the torn-up couch, and Angel coughed and sucked in air.

“Clear the house.”

His friends did as he asked, while Sparks stood at his back.

“You can't . . . do this,” Angel wheezed.

Tyler squatted down. “Like I told you before, I'm not a cop. And if you think for one minute I'm above putting you through the worst kind of hell imaginable to find that little boy, you're wrong.”

Tyler's tone was cold and deadly, and Angel appeared on the verge of passing out with fear.

And then a bit of the bravado the guy seemed to have in spades shone through. “Whatever, you'll never find him. My mother is on her way to Mexico with him right now.”

Cold fingers of fear gripped Tyler's heart as he imagined Noah terrified and calling for his mom. If this was the kind of cockroach Camila raised, what would Noah become in her charge?

And Dani? How would he look her in the eye if he couldn't bring her son home?

Tyler pulled out his large, serrated knife, and, calling Angel's bluff, he trailed it over the outside of the other man's pant leg. “If you don't tell me where they are, I'm going to start with your Achilles tendon. It won't kill you, but you'll be in so much pain you'll wish I had.”

“You crazy motherfucker!”

Tyler knew he wouldn't do it, but he needed Angel to believe he would.

“Hold him down,” Tyler said and felt his friend move forward.

“All right, all right! Shit, she wanted him, okay, and she wouldn't stop bitching at me about it. So I had my cousins go get him and take him to their place!”

“Write down the address. And it'd better be right.”

Angel wrote down an address and handed him the paper with shaky hands.

Tyler pulled out his phone and typed the address into his GPS. Twenty minutes away.

Hauling Angel to his feet, he placed his face within a millimeter of his. “If you breathe a word about our visit to anyone or tip off your mother or cousins, we'll be back.”

T
HEY PARKED DOWN
the street from the house, and Tyler scoped out the two-story, a plan forming.

“How long is it going to take for the cops to get here?” Martinez asked.

“About five minutes out.”

“Man, you do realize this is going to fuck us if shit goes south?” Sparks said.

“If you want to back out, I get it. You can wait for the cops, but these people have already had Noah for almost two hours, and if Angel's right, Camila is getting ready to take him out of the country.” Opening the car door, he hopped out. “I'm going in.”

“I've got your six,” Kline said, following him.

Tyler nodded. He still owed Kline a shot to the jaw, but when he'd called for backup, he hadn't hesitated.

“Shit, I'm coming.” Sparks climbed out of the passenger side and Martinez followed him out of the back.

They shut the doors silently and formed a tight triangle, Tyler taking point.

They rounded the back and went through the unlocked door.

“People really should learn to lock their doors,” Blake joked softly.

The sound of a TV blared from the front of the house, and they came through the living room.

Two men on the couch jumped up, and Tyler held his finger to his lips. They didn't move a muscle; apparently having three large strangers break into the house was enough to freak them out.

“Where is Noah Hill?” Tyler asked quietly.

The man on the left sniffed at him, obviously thinking they weren't armed. “Man, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but if you don't get out of my house, I'm gonna call the cops.”

“Cops will be here in a few minutes anyway. Really hope there's nothing in here you don't want them to find,” Tyler said.

The one on the right looked like he was gonna piss his pants.

“But if you want us to let you leave this room so you can flush whatever you've got stashed, you'd better tell me where Camila Ramirez and Noah are.”

Scared dude on the right caved pretty quickly. “The kid's upstairs with his grandmother.”

“Fuck, José, shut your mouth,” the other man said.

“I'm not going to prison for your bitch aunt,
ese
. I'm getting the fuck out of here.”

“You were right there with me, bro. If I go down, you're coming with me, mother—”

“Don't let them leave,” Tyler said to his friends.

The men on the couch protested, but Tyler was already gone. He raced up the stairs and went for the shut door at the end of the hallway. When he tried the knob, it was locked, and he pounded on the door. “Noah!”

“Get out of this house!” Camila screamed from the other side.

Tyler kicked in the door and found himself facing down a trembling Camila pointing a gun right at his chest.

“I will shoot you if you take another step.” Her shrill, irrational voice pierced his ears, and he held his hands up, trying to appear nonthreatening. Tyler saw Noah's still form on the queen-size bed, a blanket pulled over him. He could see the blanket moving in deep, even breaths. Tyler's gaze missed nothing as he scoped out the room, spotting the clear medicine bottle half full of red liquid on the nightstand.