he’d gathered her into his arms and run out of the inferno into the fresh air. The woman was light, petite and curvy.
Ambulances, police cars and fire trucks, all with their sirens wailing, converged at the location.
Not wanting to put her down on the damp grass, Daniel held her until a paramedic rolled a stretcher out of the back of the ambulance and urged him to lay her on the clean white sheet.
Only then did he let go. Despite her tangled and dirty hair, and a bruise the size of a goose egg rising on her forehead, her pale face was beautiful. Her dark brows arched delicately, and high cheekbones and soft, pink lips tugged at something in Daniel’s heart. Something he thought long suppressed in his determined march down his chosen career path.
“We’ll take care of her.” The medic stepped between him and the girl to position an oxygen mask over her face.
Daniel didn’t want to leave her side. “I’m staying with her.” Based on the photograph Patrick O’Hara had shown Kate, this was Shelby O’Hara, granddaughter to the former vice president of the United States. He turned to a cop and told him to let Thad know he’d found Shelby.
“Anyone else in the house?” the cop asked.
“I don’t know.”
Firemen went inside, checking the rooms one by one until they all came out, declaring the house was clear. Whoever had kidnapped Ms. O’Hara had gone, leaving her to burn to death.
Daniel’s hands clenched into fists. If this kidnapping and attempted murder were in any way related to Kate Winston, one attempt on Shelby might not be the last, given the rash of attempts over the past few months.
Thad joined him at the back of the ambulance as the paramedics loaded the stretcher with the pale woman strapped down. “She gonna be all right?”
The paramedic paused with his foot on the back step. “You a relative?”
Thad shoved a hand through his smoky hair, a half grin on his face. “I think I’m her uncle.”
The paramedic frowned. “You think, or you know?”
Thad stared down at the woman. “She has dark hair like our mother’s. Yeah, I’m an uncle.”
The paramedic rolled his eyes and gave him the news. “She has some nasty bumps on her head and possible concussion and smoke inhalation, but she should be fine.”
“Where are you taking her?” Thad asked.
“WakeMed. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” The paramedic climbed in and started to close the door behind him.
Daniel grabbed the door. “I’m going with you.”
“Are you a relative?”
“No. I’m Secret Service, responsible for the safety of this woman.” Daniel flashed his credentials.
“Guess you get a free ride to the hospital.” The paramedic jerked his head toward the front. “You can ride shotgun.” Then he closed the door and twisted the handle, locking it in place.
Daniel rounded to the front and climbed into the passenger seat.
“I’ll notify the family and meet you there.” Thad closed the door, shutting Daniel in the ambulance.
Daniel twisted in his seat, peering through the window into the back of the ambulance, watching every move made by the paramedics as they checked Shelby’s vital signs.
At the hospital, she was taken to radiology for X-rays of her head and lungs. By the time she was moved to a room on the third floor, the entire Winston family had arrived, along with Patrick O’Hara.
When Patrick spotted Daniel and Thad at the nurses’ station, he hurried forward. “Where is she?”
“They just moved her into a private room and are getting her settled,” Thad told him.
“I want to see her.” Patrick pushed past the two men.
Daniel hooked his arm. “The nurses are settling her in. They said they’d let us know when she’s ready for visitors.”
Patrick slumped. “Two weeks. She’s been missing for two weeks. What did those bastards do to her?”
A nurse emerged from a room down the hallway and strode toward the group of Winstons. “Who is Ms. O’Hara’s closest relative?”
Patrick and Kate both spoke at once. “I am.”
Patrick glared at Kate and stated, “I’m her grandfather.”
The nurse addressed him. “Ms. O’Hara is still unconscious, but the doctor administered a mild sedative and pain medication. He’ll be by to give you her diagnosis shortly.”
“Can I see her?” Patrick asked.
The nurse stared around at the others. “Just you, for now. The rest of you should stay in the waiting room and leave the hallway clear for the staff.”
The relief in the man’s face was palpable. The nurse led him into the room, the door closing behind them.
Daniel wanted to follow them, but remained back. Part of the job of a Secret Service agent was to maintain a low profile, only stepping forward to defend those he is assigned to protect. He moved with the rest of the group to the waiting room on the same floor.
Kate, Trey and Samuel circled Thad.
“Did you see her?” Kate asked.
Thad nodded. “I did.”
“What did she look like?”
Thad shrugged. “The paramedic had already slipped the oxygen mask over her face. I couldn’t tell what she looked like, but she has light brown hair.”
“She looked a lot like you, Mrs. Winston,” Daniel offered. “Light brown hair, slight build. When she opened her eyes briefly, I could tell they were blue.”
“So it could be true.” Kate stared at the door leading into the hallway. “My baby didn’t die like my mother told me.”
“Mom, what baby?” Trey held her hand. “Who is Patrick O’Hara? How do you know him?”
Kate’s gaze shifted to the window, looking out into the night. “We were teenagers when we met on the Outer Banks. I was vacationing at the family beach house. He was the bar owner’s son.” She smiled. “We spent the whole summer together. Young, in love and foolish.” Her smile faded. “When I returned home, I found out I was pregnant. My father was livid. He’d been grooming me to marry rich. I didn’t want to. I wanted Patrick.”
“What happened?” Trey asked.
“My father threatened to hit Patrick with charges of statutory rape if I didn’t go away to New Hampshire to live with my aunt until the baby was born.” Kate’s hands covered her belly as if she was seventeen and pregnant all over again. “I wanted to keep the baby. I was going to run away with it and find Patrick. He’d said he loved me. I was certain once he saw his baby, he’d want us to be together as a family.
“When my due date arrived, I was scared. My mother was there with me, but no one prepared me for what it would be like. The delivery was difficult because the baby was breech. The doctor gave me something to knock me out. When I came to the next day, my mother was crying. She told me the baby was dead.”
Daniel’s chest tightened at the anguish evident in Kate Winston’s face. It was a lot for a young girl to handle.
“My mother told me the baby was dead.” She pressed her fist to her mouth. “I was so sad, I wanted to die.”
Trey hugged his mother. “But you didn’t, and we’re glad you didn’t.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We love you.”
Samuel and Thad gathered around their mother, hugging her.
Trey