Page 8 of Paternal Instincts
I handed him the blanket. “I don’t know anything yet. I’ll try to make it quick. I’m going to contact Travolta to see if he can take over, then Jordyn will be fine. She shouldn’t work this alone, so putting another team on it would be better.”
“No rush.” He glanced at Sparrow. “And this one?”
“Exhaustion. Maybe mild shock. I doubt she’s slept, and I know she hasn’t eaten properly in days. She might crash after she gets food in her.”
“I’ve got this. Go do your thing.” He tapped his chest over his heart and gave me a wink.
“Love you too.” I glanced at Sparrow, whose cheeks were stuffed with gummies. “Don’t feed her a meal of junk. She needs proper nutrition at this point. She’s… gotten lost in the flow. I don’t think anyone’s… She needs…” I pressed my lips together, unable to go on, the past intruding against my will.
Aslan read the look on my face and understood all I couldn’t say. “I’ve got this, Quaid. Trust me.”
“I do.” Aslan had always been great with kids, and he would make a fantastic father. It was why I’d brought Sparrow to him. Sparrow, who shoved two Oreos into her mouth alongside the gummies. Sparrow, who couldn’t seem to eat fast enough because she’d been brushed aside in a time of crisis.
Aslan snagged my hand and squeezed. “Go, hot stuff. We’re good.”
I went but called over my shoulder, “I’m making a mental note to acquire a better dentist for our child. Your junk food habits concern me.”
Aslan’s laughter filled my chest and heart as I fled to MPU.
Chapter 3
Quaid
Nixon Davis seemed a somewhat better when I landed back at my desk. Jordyn had found the man a box of tissues and hot coffee.
He apologized the moment I sat as though his child’s abduction had somehow inconvenienced me. Had Jordyn hinted about it being my last day of work? I hoped not.
“Nothing to be sorry for, Mr. Davis.”
“Where’s my birdy?”
“She’s having something to eat with another detective. This is a stressful situation, and she could use a break.”
Something crossed Nixon’s face, and he slapped his forehead. “Oh god. I’m such a shit father. I didn’t feed her. I planned to make pancakes… She told me she was hungry, but… It completely slipped my mind.” He covered his mouth, and fresh tears flooded his eyes. “My baby girl. How could I do that?”
Since we didn’t need another breakdown, I slid my chair closer and rested a hand on Nixon’s knee. “You’re not a shit father, and yourdaughter will be fine. She’s being taken care of. You’re under a lot of stress, and right now, I want you to focus on telling us what happened to your son.”
Nixon blew his nose, nodding robotically, but it did nothing for the faucet of tears and snot running down his weary face. His chest hitched a few times before he took a shuddering breath and squeezed the tissue in his fist, doing what he could to compose himself. “My son is gone. He… I was late… I told her I would be, but…” He huffed humorlessly. “Crowley thinks he’s so grown up some days. Work has been hell, and fucking Jude is… I’ve been trying to put out fires left and right. She fired our nanny… I don’t know why. She needs her, and I couldn’t get there on time. I told her to keep him home. He’s too young to go alone. She isn’t supposed to be up and about, but it was a game night, and Crow… God, why didn’t she keep him home like I asked?”
I patted Nixon’s knee. “Deep breath, Mr. Davis. You’re talking in circles, and I can’t understand anything. I need a linear timeline with details. Can you do that? Your son’s name is Crow, right?”
“Crowley. We call him Crow.”
“And he’s eight?”
“Yes. He turned eight last month.”
“Do you have any other children besides Crow and Sparrow?”
“No. Not yet, but my wife is thirty weeks pregnant with our third. She’s on bed rest because of… a placental abruption. She almost lost the baby at twenty-four weeks. Went into premature labor and… They stopped it. It was a miracle.” His face crumpled like he was about to lose control.
“What’s your wife’s name, Mr. Davis?”
“Imogen. I’ve always called her Genie. She isn’t supposed to be out of bed or taking care of the kids. No stress, the doctor said. No liftingor excess activity. I hired a nanny six weeks ago when she was put on bed rest, a university student who was off for the summer already and looking for work, but Genie fired her last week.”
Nixon scrubbed his face with both hands, visibly trembling. “I don’t know why. Genie needed her.Ineeded her. I tried to pick up the slack, but things at work are… really fucking shitty right now. Everything is falling apart.” He tugged his hair and gritted his teeth. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I can’t be at home and at the office at the same time. I told Genie that. I can’t chase after the kids and keep a business running. It’s why I hired help.”
“Okay. Tell me about Crow’s abduction.”
