Caid walked into the kitchen, only feeling slightly awkward about being in a robe in a stranger’s house. The scent of coffee filled his lungs, and in that moment, he would have begged for a cup. Luckily, he didn’t have to -- one was already sitting steaming on the countertop.

Mildred sat at the counter, a book in her hands, and she smiled at him when he came into the room. “I wasn’t sure how you liked your coffee. There’s cream in the fridge and sugar on the counter.”

“Black is fine, thanks.”

“That’s how my Mikey took his.” She smiled sadly and pointed to a photograph on the counter. “That’s him.”

“He was a good-looking guy.”

She nodded. “He certainly was. How’s your friend?”

“Better. She’s had a rough day.” He looked back at the stairs and hoped she was relaxing some.

“It looks that way. I hope you two get done with whatever needs to be done with no more injury.” She patted his hand.

He smiled at her. “Thanks.”

“Do you have any kids?”

Caid shook his head. “Haven’t gotten around to it yet. You?”

“I have six.”

“Dang, you are a brave woman.”

Her eyes crinkled with a smile. “That’s what I’ve been told, but I never saw it that way. I was an only child, and I knew I wanted a huge family one day. Lots of kids and grandkids I could hold.”

“That’s wonderful.”

She nodded. “I have ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.”

“You’re a busy lady.”

Mildred raised a silver eyebrow. “That’s the way I like it. Is your friend going to be okay?”

Caid sighed. “I hope so. She’s been through a lot but--”

“Now she has you. You know, I met my Mikey because I got into a little trouble with the law.”

Caid couldn’t have looked more surprised.

“Don’t look like that, you’ve only just met me. I’m not all innocent.”

“What happened?”

“I was with a boy I’d known for years, high school sweethearts. And wouldn’t you know, he was spotted kissing another girl!”

“No.”

“Oh yes. I was so angry that I threw a rock through his windshiled.” She smiled at the memory, but Caid could tell it was what followed that made her happy. “He called the police, and my Mikey showed up. He escorted me away and asked me if I wanted to grab a bite!” She let out a laugh, and Caid couldn’t stop the wide grin from splitting his face. “Can you believe it? I had just committed a crime, and he wanted to eat. That was it for us; from that day on we were inseparable.”

“That’s a wonderful story.”

“It is. The point of it all is that sometimes you meet someone at the most inopportune time, but that doesn’t make it wrong.”

“You trying to pick me up, Mildred?”

She slapped his arm gently but laughed. “I couldn’t keep up with you. You kids these days like to ‘Netflix and chill’, and I’m a bed at six-thirty kinda girl.”

Caid laughed. “You are a special lady, Mildred.”

“I know.” She smiled back and then stood to grab some more coffee. A buzzer went off, and Mildred turned to Caid. “Clothes are done.”

“I can grab them. Where’s the laundry room?”

“Down the stairs in the basement. More coffee?”

“Yes, please, that’d be great.”

* * *

Jemma sat on the edge of the bed staring at the closed blinds. She couldn’t stop feeling her own weight as the chair dragged her down into the water. The way her lungs burned when she couldn’t breathe. The icy temperature of the water that surrounded her.

She closed her eyes and began to rock slowly. She had to move past this, she knew. But she worked so hard to be strong, and in that moment, she couldn’t have felt weaker. She could still feel the coolness of the barrel as it pressed against her temple, and it brought back the images of her mother kneeling on the floor.

Had she felt the same fear? Or had hers been worse knowing she was leaving a daughter behind?

Her hands clenched into fists in her lap. She needed to move forward. Thoughts of the kiss she and Caid had shared came back into her mind. He had been so gentle, so loving in that moment, and it had helped a part of her she never thought she’d feel again slip back into place.

She relaxed slightly as she mentally revisited the first time they sparred together, the first time she had ever seen those gorgeous blues.

“Jemma.” As if her thoughts summoned him, Jemma turned to see Caid standing in the door. “Clothes are dry.” He handed her a pile of warm clothes, and she just stared at them in her lap.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For caring enough to save me.”

“Anytime, Saige.” He winked at her and left the room carrying his own pile of clothes.

She was falling for him, and the thought terrified her.

* * *

“Thank you so much for everything, Mildred.” Caid pulled the old woman in for a hug, and she smiled.

“A hug from a handsome man is thanks enough.” She winked and turned to Jemma. She reached out and gripped both of Jemma’s hands. “You stay safe, dear, and keep your eyes on this one.” She leaned in closer to Jemma. “He’s the good kind of trouble.”

“Thank you.” Jemma offered a smile. “I will. Thank you for everything. I’m sorry I wasn’t more social.”

“Don’t apologize for anything. Maybe after everything is done, you two can drop in on an old woman and let her know you’re okay.”

“We will,” Caid and Jemma both said.

“I look forward to that. Go and get whoever you need to.”

They followed Lance to his car, and Caid opened the back door for her so she could climb in. They waved at the woman who had opened her house to strangers, and then pulled away from the curb.

“Can you get a uniform to patrol this area?”

“You think they will come looking for you?”

“I wouldn’t put it past them to go after anyone who helped us.”

Lance nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. My family has a cabin on the outskirts of the city. I’m gonna take you guys there, I think. It’s going to be the safest place for you right now.”

Jemma leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes to try and get some sleep.

“So, want to fill me in on what the hell happened?” Lance asked as he drove.

After glancing back in the seat to check that she was really asleep, Caid looked back out the windshield. “They found her at her safe house and dragged her out. Took her to the docks. By the time I got there, he had a gun pressed to her fucking head.”

“Glad you got there in time.”

“Nearly, but she was tied to a chair looking utterly terrified. I’ve seen her in the midst of a panic attack, but I have never seen anyone look so afraid. Then the fucker tossed her through a hole in the floor right into the fucking water.”

Caid saw Lance’s hands clench on the steering wheel.

“I had a choice to make. Shoot my way out and arrest him, or save her.”

“If it’s any consolation, you made the right choice.”

“I know I did. It was never an option for me to let her drown.”

“What can I do to help?”

“You are helping now. I really don’t want to drag you down any more than I already have.”

“Listen, if you’re worried about my life, I chose to be a cop. I don’t run when things get tough.”

“They will come after family if they can.”

“Let me worry about that.”

“If you’re sure, who am I to turn down help? Especially when I have no idea who the hell I can trust anymore.

“You can trust me.”

“I get the feeling I can.”

“Good. So how did they find her safe house?”

Caid’s jaw tightened. That was something he didn’t have an answer to. “I’m not sure. She said she buried this place even deeper than her main apartment. It’s possible he just has the resources to find her, or--”

“Someone tailed you two.”

“The only place we went other than the docks, which if they had followed us from there I think they would have made a move sooner, and to meet you, was the bureau. Unless someone tailed her from our meet up. But I was gone for hours. You think they would have moved in the second they got her alone.”

“Could someone have tracked you from your office?”

Caid thought on it. “Possibly. My boss said she got those who she discovered to be working with--” He stopped quickly and turned to gently wake Jemma.

“What is it?” she asked sleepily.

“That thumb drive, you swore it wasn’t blank.”

She nodded. “But Pax--”

“I trust you,” he said quickly. “It wasn’t blank? You checked it?

She nodded. “I never looked at the content in the files, but I know they were on there.”

“What are you thinking?” Lance asked when Caid turned back around.

“I need to think on it a bit first.”

“You got it.”

They were silent for a moment before Jemma cleared her throat. “Those girls?”

Lance smiled in the rearview mirror. “Their families should be arriving soon. As soon as I drop you guys off, I’m headed back to make sure they all get somewhere secure until this is over.”

“They are safe now?”

“Absolutely. They’re with my partner. She’ll take care of them.”

Jemma nodded and leaned back again.