They reached the day care and she breathed easier when she saw Zach flopped on the floor working intently on a puzzle.
“Does that mean I’m off the hook?”
Lorine was about to answer in the affirmative, when Zach turned toward them. He pushed to his feet and hurried over, skidding to a stop right in front of Jim, saluting. “Sir?”
Lorine stared as Jim dropped down in front of her son and told him he was on leave until further notice and didn’t need to follow his orders anymore.
Jim was relieved his only idea had worked, when Zach beamed and ran back to his puzzle. But the horror on Lorine’s face told him he wouldn’t sleep anytime soon. Resigned, he nudged her out of the day care and back to the elevator. He was starting to wonder if he should take her up to the infirmary when she finally spoke.
“What was that? He can’t possibly know what ‘leave’ is.”
Jim agreed, but he didn’t have an explanation that would make her feel better. “That’s pretty much what happened last night. Only he did a perfect about-face and went right back to bed.”
“No way!”
Thinking back, it had been a cute maneuver in those footie pajamas.
“Wipe that grin off your face,” Lorine snapped. “This isn’t funny.”
No, it really wasn’t.
“He’s a little boy, not a toy soldier.” Her voice caught on unshed tears.
“I know that.” He guided her off the elevator and toward her apartment. “Why don’t you catch a couple more hours of sleep and we’ll discuss it after lunch?”
“But—”
He shook his head. “Lorine, he’s safe.” For now. “You should know better than anyone the value of a well-rested mind.”
“Of course.”
“Then we’ll pick this up in a few hours.”
He swiped his master key card to unlock her door. Her gasp only made him more aware of his own tired thought processes.
“Think, Lorine. You had to know I have access to all the suites.” The dark circles under her eyes made him feel worse. “It’s a safety issue. The boss would boot my ass if I ever abused my authority.”
“You’re right.” She rubbed at the tension lining her forehead. “I’m being ridiculous. You’re system is one of the reasons I’ve stayed this long.” She looked up, their eyes locked, and something inside him stirred. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to analyze it.
“Get some rest.”
“We’re having pancakes for lunch. Zach’s favorite. Why don’t you join us, and we can talk about the move. Please?”
He had the time and she was officially his priority until they flushed out whoever wanted the boy.
“Sure.”
Her pleased expression carried him back to his own apartment where he sent an email to Micky.
Maybe knowing Zach’s reactions would help the boss interpret the rumors and threats against Lorine and the boy.
When he finally hit the bed, sleep came easy, but the dreams were hard.
Lorine took extra care as she dressed. She styled her hair and pinned it up and took time with her make-
up. She wanted a casual effect, but something more than the bare minimum of mascara and lip gloss. Not for Jim, for her. She needed the confidence of her best jeans and a holiday sweater in a bold red.
Wringing out every possible minute of sleep, she’d asked Annie to walk Zach back to the apartment while she prepped for the pancake lunch. It wasn’t just about the meal, it was making a little time for the research, too.
She wanted to believe Zach’s behavior was only a matter of his observant nature and imagination, but her intuition said she needed to face the possibility of dear old nasty uncle Kristoff’s tricks. He’d been on the cutting edge of genetic research, and a master manipulator of people. Her research had turned up anonymous video accounts of soldiers responding to a superior officer much as Zach had done.
Damned juice. But Zach had never been juiced. What had set off this behavior? Had her uncle gotten to him after all?
She took it out on the eggs, whipping them to a point better suited for waffles. Luckily Zach wasn’t picky as long as there was syrup.
But a man like Jim didn’t maintain that kind of build on refined carbs alone. And she had no business thinking of his build. On a wistful sigh, she pulled out more eggs and found a container of bacon in the freezer.
She heard the hiss and click of the front door. Jim called out, and she was startled to hear his deep voice rather than Annie’s. Glancing up, her breath caught as she saw Jim filling the doorway, her giggling son tucked under his arm.
“This urchin says you’ll vouch for him.”
“Really? I don’t know any urchins.”
“Momma, it’s me!” Zach shrieked between giggles.
Jim and Zach exchanged a look. In a blink, Jim was holding a delighted Zach upside down by the ankles. “How about now?”
“Hmm. He’s vaguely familiar.” She walked over and gave his feet a tickle. “Does it like waffles?”
“Yes!” Zach squealed.
“Then it can stay, I suppose.”
Her heart skipped a beat when Jim pretended to drop Zach, then simply melted when Jim set her son down with a gentleness that belied his size and toughness.
It pleased her to watch both man and boy stuff themselves with syrup-drenched waffles, eggs, and the last of her bacon. She lingered over her coffee, listening to her son chatter, putting off the inevitable conversation.
“I was against the move,” Jim said when she’d washed the remnants of syrup off Zach’s face and hands and sent him off to play.
“After last night you must be eager to get rid of us both.”
He shrugged.
Clearly he didn’t want to discuss last night, but she needed answers to protect Zach. Topping up his coffee, she wondered how to breach a topic most retired soldiers found uncomfortable at best. “You were juiced during your service.”
“Yes.”
She met his wary gaze with a smile. “I’ve been thinking and researching,” she admitted. “Last night was probably a result of juicing.”
“I’ve been clean— ”
“You wouldn’t be at my table otherwise,” she said with enough force to shut him up. “I’ve seen footage of soldiers behaving just as Zach did with you.”
“Juiced soldiers,” Jim muttered.
“Zach’s father, Derrick Simmons, was a juiced soldier. I think it’s safe to say we don’t know all the ramifications or variations of Kristoff’s experiment.”
“I’ve never heard of any juicing effect passing to the next generation. Most juicers are thought to be sterile.”
“True. Yet Zach is here. I imagine there’s much about juicing we haven’t learned. I ended the relationship when I realized Derrick was particularly close to Dr Kristoff.” What had happened last night had raised her fears that she’d been used by her uncle. “Regardless, something in my son automatically responded to something in you.”
She saw the hesitation again and pushed this time. “You obviously have an opinion, Jim. I’m not too fragile to hear it.”
“I’ve seen that auto-response first-hand, but I’ve never triggered it. Seeing it in Zach lends weight to your theory.”
She ran her finger around the rim of the coffee cup. “How did juicing change you?”
As a researcher she’d only been able to expose the most consistent damages resulting from her uncle’s awful “advancements”. It would be impossible to help all the men in Jim’s situation. If they even wanted help.
“I’ve got a sixth sense about danger.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Think of it like an early warning system. I don’t always know where or how, but I can sense a threat. Best lead time is about two days out. I went by the day care to see if I could get a reading on the threat to Zach.”