Shattered Lullaby. Laura Scott

      “Good night.”

      When he and Duchess left the room, she made sure the connecting door remained ajar as he’d asked before dousing the light and crawling beneath the covers fully dressed.

      Sleep should have come easily, but for some reason her mind decided to replay the events of the past few hours. She pressed the pillow over her ears, as if that would help silence her sister’s pleas. The subsequent gunshots.

      Deafening silence.

      She must have slept a little because Rory’s crying woke up her up at quarter to six in the morning. Bleary-eyed, she dragged herself out of bed, stumbling a bit as she went over to make him a bottle.

      She should have made it the night before. That’s probably what Jill would have done. Using warm water from the tap, she made his bottle, then quickly changed his diaper.

      It was messy, and of course she’d completely forgotten about picking up wet wipes. The washcloth from the bathroom seemed too rough against his skin, but it did the trick. Finally, she had him changed and settled in the crook of her arm with the bottle.

      She eased down onto the bed and closed her eyes, feeling like a failure. Being a mother wasn’t as instinctive as she’d hoped. What else had she forgotten? The poor thing didn’t even have a change of clothes.

      She kissed the top of his head. “It’s just you and me, kiddo. Just you and me.” Hopefully, she and Rory would be able to figure things out, together.

      * * *

      Matt groaned when he heard the baby crying, tempted to bury his head into the pillow to drown out the noise.

      Although if Lacy was up, then he should be awake, too. He squinted at the clock, realizing it was barely six.

      He needed to talk to his boss, his lieutenant, not his shift commander, but he wouldn’t be in until eight o’clock. A full two hours from now.

      Beside him, Duchess thumped her tail and lifted her head as if asking if it was time to get up.

      “Easy girl,” he soothed, lightly scratching her between the ears. “You need your rest.”

      Duchess licked his wrist, then set her head back down on the mattress. Propping himself up on his elbow, he gently palpated the long laceration. The wound looked decent, considering what she’d been through. Still, she’d carry the scar with her always.

      A fresh burst of anger hit hard. Not just because of Duchess’s injury, but on behalf of the woman and baby next door. That guy had killed his wife and had tried to kill a woman and her baby, not caring that he’d almost taken out two police officers.

      Yeah, capturing David Williams and putting him behind bars was definitely at the top of his list of priorities. He’d have to find a way to convince his boss to let him assist in the investigation.

      The crying next door subsided, but even in the silence, he couldn’t fall back asleep. Dragging himself upright, he walked over to the window next to the door and pushed the curtain aside to sweep his gaze over the area. Convinced that nothing seemed out of place, he gestured for Duchess to come.

      His partner ambled up and lightly jumped from the bed. He didn’t carry her this time, needing to understand what she was able to do. Being the trooper she was, she moved as gracefully as ever, the pain from the incision apparently not bad enough to hold her back.

      “Good girl,” he praised, giving her a treat from his pocket. Deciding to leave her off leash, he pulled on his jacket and took her outside.

      He was making his way back across the parking lot when the door to Lacy’s room burst open. She had the baby wrapped against her with the cloth thingy, but the expression in her eyes was full of panic.

      He immediately broke into a run, heading straight toward her, Duchess keeping pace at his side. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He looked for signs of an intruder.

      “I— Nothing, sorry. I thought you were leaving me behind.” Her cheeks went pink and she averted her gaze.

      “No, of course not.” He was relieved there was nothing seriously wrong. He took her arm and drew her back inside the room, closing the door behind them. “I told you I wouldn’t call my boss without talking to you first. He won’t be in until closer to eight o’clock.”

      Her smile was weak as she dropped back down on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry to overreact like that. It’s just...” she shrugged. “Realizing that I’m all Rory has left in the world is a little overwhelming.”

      The baby was wide-awake, lifting his head and looking around with large curious blue eyes. Matt hadn’t really understood until this moment just how big of a change this was for Lacy. The reality of her situation was clearly just sinking in.

      “Looks like he’s going to be up for a while. Should we find something to eat?”

      Her tenuous smile widened, but then she grimaced. “That sounds great. Except for the fact that I don’t have a car seat for Rory. I’m not sure I can manage a restaurant without one.”

      “Okay, how about I pick something up and bring it back? There’s a family restaurant a few blocks from here. Tell me what you like.”

      “Scrambled eggs, wheat toast and bacon,” she said. “Looks like the motel provides coffee in the room.”

      She had ordered exactly what he’d planned to get, which made him smile. “Yeah, but the pot only makes one cup. I’ll get us both coffee to go, too.” He turned toward his room, then looked back at Duchess. “Stay, Duchess. Guard.”

      Duchess instantly dropped to her haunches, sitting straight and tall. Lacy reached out to pet her, and he bit back a protest. It was clear Lacy was feeling emotionally fragile at the moment, and it wouldn’t hurt for Duchess to get a little extra attention.

      The trip to and from the restaurant didn’t take long, but he didn’t like leaving them alone. Duchess would protect Lacy and Rory with her life, but she wasn’t bulletproof, either.

      And he suspected that next time, David Williams wouldn’t bother using a knife. In fact, he was surprised but glad he hadn’t used his gun against Duchess.

      Matt entered the motel through his room, then knocked on the connecting door that was still ajar. “Food’s here,” he called.

      “Come on in.”

      Duchess greeted him with her usual tail wag, and he had to admit he loved that she was always happy to see him. Lacy had cleaned off the small desk so he could set the insulated containers down. He smiled when he realized she’d brewed herself a cup of coffee.

      He pulled the two chairs over as Lacy set Rory back in the crib. Duchess went over and stretched out on the carpet in front of the crib, as if knowing it was her job to protect the baby.

      “Duchess is amazing,” Lacy said, dropping into the chair beside him. “Thanks for picking up breakfast.”

      “Yes, my partner is awesome, and you’re welcome.” He bowed his head and began to pray. “Dear Lord, we thank You for this food we are about to eat and for Your continued guidance and protection as we seek safety. Amen.”

      There was a brief pause before Lacy added, “Amen.”

      “Dig in,” he teased, thinking about how they’d always said those words after their family prayer when growing up.

      Lacy picked up her plastic fork and dug into her eggs. “Do you always pray like that?” she asked.

      He bit into a crisp piece of bacon, glancing at her in surprise. “Yes, always. That’s the way I was brought up.”

      “Hmm.” Her noncommittal response made him frown.

      “I take it you didn’t grow up attending church?”

      She let out a harsh laugh. “Oh, sure. We attended church every