A Hero In Uniform - The Complete Series (8 page)

So, she was back.

Kelley woke early and found herself in her old bed, in her old room in her old apartment. Rolling over, she got out of bed and used the bathroom before heading to the kitchen, noticing on the way that all her furniture was back where it had been before Daniel had taken her north.

She found Daniel in the kitchen, sitting on one of her bar-stools at the breakfast bar, an assortment of weapons laid out before him.

“
Morning, beautiful.” He said when she seen her. He was cleaning a wicked-looking blade, but he paused and looked at her as he asked, “How are you feeling?”

“
Hungry.” She replied, bending to raid the fridge. When she found it stocked will all the creature comforts, she looked at Daniel over her shoulder and said, “I see you did some shopping.”

“
Not me. That would be the guys.”

“
Well, thank them for me the next time you see them.” She said, standing as she bit into a chocolate muffin. She crossed to the breakfast bar and eyed the three guns and the two knives as she asked, “Have you got enough there, sailor?”

Daniel grinned that sexy grin of his and replied, “There is no such thing as having too much, babe.”

Kelley rolled her eyes and took another bite of her muffin. But she was glad she had a man like Daniel. Not that he was her man. She knew that, even if she did want more. It was just nice to have someone care enough about her to fight her battles. 

“
No morning sickness?” Daniel asked as he swapped the blade for a gun.

“
Not yet.” She looked at him and, in all seriousness, asked, “How long do you think we're going to have to stay here?”

He held her gaze and replied, “For as long as it takes for me to keep you safe.”

Twelve

Two months later …

It seemed Ronald had just vanished off the face of the earth.

The AFP still had agents looking for him and Michael Blake's WPP unit were still shadowing Kelley and Daniel, even after Michael gave the Lieutenant hell for moving Kelley yet again without permission.

They were living in Kelley's old apartment, with Michael and his men taking the apartments next door and the local police on alert for any sign of Ronald Coleman.

But it'd been two months since anyone had last seen him, and he hadn't made any moves to suggest he was coming after Kelley or trying to leave the country. But that didn't mean any of them were letting their guards down.

Kelley was now seven months pregnant, and no one – not Daniel, Michael or the sailors from HMAS Sydney – were willing to risk her life or her baby's life.

Even now, on a hot Thursday afternoon while Kelley was waiting for her doctors appointment, there was a team of agents shadowing her and Daniel as they went into the CBD for some lunch. Daniel wanted to catch up with his mates but he didn't want to take Kelley to the pub they'd suggested, so she told him to go and have fun while she had lunch at a cafe across the street that was also within walking distance of the doctors office.

Daniel was reluctant. “I don't want to leave you.”

“
I know, but I'll be okay.” Kelley told him. “Agent Blake is my new shadow.”

It was true; every time she lifted her head, the federal agent was there.

“
Okay.” Daniel finally agreed. “But stay within his line-of-sight and call me if you need me.”

“
Okay.” Kelley agreed. She kissed him before going to the cafe.

She wasn't overly worried that something would happen while she ate lunch at a crowded cafe.

Even someone like Ronald Coleman wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything in the middle of the day at a crowded cafe.

She ordered a hamburger with some salad and flipped through an out-of-date magazine as Michael drank coffee two tables over and Daniel and his buddies enjoyed beers on the side-walk bar that overlooked the street and the cafe.

Time seemed to drag, so when she finished her lunch, Kelley decided to walk the three short blocks to the doctors office. After all, Agent Blake was still with her.

As she walked down the quiet street that had only a few pedestrians and a few cars passing, she came across a store that was having a sale on all things baby. Pausing to make sure Michael was still behind her and could see where she'd gone, Kelley ducked into the store and began browsing the many aisles, looking at everything she could buy for her daughter when she got back from the doctor. As she looked at a beautiful blanket set for a crib, she saw Michael standing outside the door and smiled.

There was one federal agent who didn't take his job lightly.

But even as she thought this, something hard and cold was jammed into the small of her back as a very familiar voice growled in her ear, “Come with me and everything will be alright.”

When Daniel saw federal agents running down the street in the direction he'd seen Kelley and Michael head, he felt sick to his stomach and didn't waste anytime in racing after them. Near the doctors office, Michael had the street blocked off and was issuing orders to his men.

Daniel couldn't see Kelley anywhere and the feeling of dread in his gut got worse. “Blake! Where's Kelley?”

Michael looked at him and said, “Gone.”

“
What?!”

“
She's gone, Coleman.” Michael said, his voice and face grim. “I lost her.”

“
How did you lose her? You were right behind her!”

Ric Jordan placed a restraining hand on his arm when Daniel would have lunged at the fed, and Steven Leigh stood on his other side, shaking his head in silent warning not to do anything stupid. By force of will, Daniel managed to calm himself enough to speak normally and he glared at the federal agent as he growled, “Ronald has her.”

“
It would seem that way.”

“
For your sake, Blake, you'd better pray he doesn't do anything to her.”

Thirteen

On a stroke of pure luck, Ronald had found Kelley.

He'd been heading back to her apartment on his way back from the Navy yard, where he'd been informed Daniel had taken some extended leave, and had found her leaving a cafe and heading directly towards him. He'd seen the bodyguard shadowing her, and when she'd entered that baby store, he'd seen that at his ultimate opportunity to grab her because all the shops along that side of the street had an alley directly behind them.

It'd been perfect.

Now, he had her tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse on a property that was almost impossible to find. He played with his butterfly knife as he stared at her.

He couldn't believe the little bitch was pregnant and she hadn't told him.

And he knew it was his because Kelley hadn't been away from him long enough to get pregnant to someone else. Not even to his bastard of a brother.

Snapping the knife open, Ronald went over to her and bent down so he was in her face as he asked, “How far along are you?”

Kelley jerked her head up and glared at him as she growled, “Go to Hell.”

Ronald chuckled and pressed the blade against her skin, letting the tip of the knife rest against the pulse-point in her throat as he said, “You always were a sassy little bitch, Kelley.” Moving the knife up to her jugular, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and cradled the back of her head as he whispered in her ear, “Answer the question.”

“
Seven months.”

That only confirmed what he already knew; the baby was without a doubt his, because she'd been in the WPP for only five months.

He moved away from her and folded his arms, glaring at her as he said, “So I'm going to be a father and you didn't even tell me.”

Kelley said nothing.

Ronald smiled and asked, “Are you screwing my brother?”

She still said nothing.

He was starting to get very pissed with the little bitch, but he couldn't do anything to her yet. He needed her to think he wasn't going to harm her so he could use her to get to Daniel.

He wouldn't harm her.

Not yet at least.

A full-scale manhunt was underway in Cairns.

Michael Blake and his AFP agents were scouring every inch of the city, looking for Ronald Coleman and his hostage, Kelley Harmon. He'd advised Daniel to stay out of the way and to let them do their jobs, but Daniel couldn't just sit around and do nothing.

He had to get out there and do something.

He needed to find Kelley.

Ric and Steven had volunteered to assist him in searching for them.

Daniel jiggled his car keys in his hand and shook his head as he head, “I can't ask you guys do that.”

“
Then don't.” Ric said. “But we're helping.”

“
What about the Navy?” He asked. “If this goes south, and it will because I know how Ronald can get, you're more then likely going to get discharged.”

Steven shrugged. “Saving a pregnant woman from an evil ex-federal agent is a good excuse to be discharged.”

“
Besides,” Ric added, “We've all given the RAN twenty years of service. And all our jackets are clean.”

Daniel was grateful his mates were so keen to help him, and he said, “Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you.”

They got into his GT and began searching the streets.

It was a lousy start, but it was the only one they had because Daniel didn't have a clue as to where to start looking.

Ric and Steven had their eyes on the surrounding area, searching for anything that could tell them where Ronald was while Daniel kept his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel, even though anger and an eagerness to locate Kelley were jumping through his veins.