Jake woke at the blaring ringtone he used for the Security Solutions big boss, Sheldon Hamilton. Outside the sliding glass windows of his apartment’s deck, the barest hint of dawn pinkened the sky as his boss yelled that Sophie had been attacked by Akane Chang in their office downtown. “Where the hell were you, Jake? Where was your security detail?” Hamilton ranted. “And what the hell are you doing in your bed while your pregnant girlfriend is at work downtown, dealing with a serial killer?”

Jake’s heart jackhammered. He rolled over and reached for his pants, catching Felicia’s sleepy, alarmed gaze as she blinked at him. Jake had never heard Hamilton raise his voice before, let alone yell. “Slow down, Hamilton. I’m getting dressed and I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Thank God she was able to deal with Chang herself, no thanks to you. That bastard threw a tear gas grenade through the window and came in from the outside.” Hamilton was breathing heavily. “The police are crawling all over the office. They’ve taken Sophie in for questioning, since she shot him execution style—two to the chest, one in the head. Get your ass down to the South Hilo PD station. I’ve already called Security Solutions’ lawyer. I’m almost there myself.” Hamilton hung up abruptly.

Jake struggled to get his pants up over his booted foot. He stood, tripping as he tried to get his shirt on. “Shit!”

“I’m sorry,” Felicia said. “I should have woken you up when Sophie came by.”

Jake got his head through the neck of the shirt at last. “Sophie came by?”

“Yeah. Around two a.m. She was looking for you.” Felicia flushed. “I told her you were sleeping and she said she’d see you later. I should’ve just woken you up, but you were finally asleep, and she said it was okay.”

“She must have thought… Oh my God, no wonder she went down to the office in the middle of the night.” Fury darkened Jake’s vision. “Get out, Felicia. Damn it to hell!”

“Hey! No call to take that tone, old man,” Felicia said, but hurried to grab her purse and exit.

Jake raked a hand through his hair and cursed. He grabbed his crutch, weapon, wallet, and keys, and headed for the Security Solutions SUV.

Guilt gnawed at Jake’s gut as he navigated the early morning streets of Hilo.

If only he’d just gone in and woken Sophie up… If only he hadn’t dismissed the security team! He’d sent them home after work, planning to spend the night with Sophie and not wanting an audience for their reunion. But when he’d unlocked Sophie’s door after work and seen her sleeping, the dogs curled up on the bed with her, he’d changed his mind.

He’d wanted to join her. Had curled his hands into fists to keep from touching her.

But she was pregnant, and she needed her rest.

And he needed a little more time to figure out where to go from the stalemate they were stuck in, waiting on news about the baby’s parentage.

Jake had taken the coward’s way out, and left.

He’d gone back to his apartment, figuring he’d see her in the morning. He’d eaten pizza with Felicia when she showed up with a big meat lover’s special. He’d taken his pain meds and fallen asleep while Felicia was still watching TV.

All of that was true, and innocent, but damning nonetheless, because it added up to not being there for Sophie. If they’d been together, if she hadn’t been upset, she’d never have gone to the office alone. There was no denying, even to himself, that he’d made choices—and they’d almost cost her life.

But she’d made choices too!

“Damn fool thing to do, going in there alone,” he muttered, pulling up and parking at the South Hilo police station’s strip mall parking lot. “Damn it, Sophie, you have another life to watch out for, now!”

The baby had begun to feel real to him, someone to be protected and cared for. He worried about the baby—because even if it wasn’t his…it was hers.

Jake waited in his car outside the police station, knowing there was nowhere but the tiny doorway reception area to sit inside. He went through his isometric seat workout, discharging tension through exercise as he always had. Then he paced back and forth in the deserted parking lot on his crutch, watching dawn bleed up and listening to the waking mynahs and doves, and the last of the coqui frog chorus.

He whirled around as the door of the police station opened.

Hamilton had his arm around Sophie as the pair exited. Sophie looked gray with exhaustion, and Hamilton’s sharp dark eyes, behind those hipster glasses, flicked over Jake with contempt.

“Sophie.” Jake ignored Hamilton and hobbled forward, tossing his crutch aside, pulling her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

She stood stiffly in his arms, her hands at her sides. She smelled of the tear gas bomb, and the sweat of fear and exertion. With his cheek close to her hair, he spotted an oozing patch of bare scalp that had to hurt. Little bits of glass were still caught in her hair, sparkling like snowflakes. “It’s over now. He’s dead,” she whispered.

“You have to tell me what happened.” Jake moved back, holding Sophie’s arms, trying to get eye contact. She stared down at the boot on his leg.

“I’m really tired. I just want to get a shower and go to bed.”

“I need to know…” He couldn’t seem to let go of her.

“What you need doesn’t matter, Dunn. We’ll have a meeting tomorrow to go over everything. Chang’s killing looks enough like self-defense for the cops to let her go for now. I’m having a medical team meet us at the jet to check Sophie out and make sure she’s okay. Bix will contact you with the time and location for our meeting, since the office is a crime scene.” Hamilton rewrapped his arm around Sophie’s shoulder and tugged her against his side possessively. Was Hamilton making a move on Sophie? Had something developed between them while they spent all that time together on Kaua`i?

Jake’s brows drew together as Sophie went unresisting with their boss toward a Security Solutions SUV driven by Thom Tang. Sophie looked back over her shoulder. “Please don’t forget to take care of the dogs,” she said.

Jake’s fists clenched but he made himself smile reassuringly. “Don’t worry about a thing. They’ll be waiting for you. And so will I.”

Jake had to watch as their boss helped her tenderly into the back of the SUV and got in beside her, and Thom drove them away.