Servicing the Target (Masters of the Shadowlands #10)(17)

Zachary saw the determined jaw, the set of his shoulders. The sergeant had listened…and now would go his own way. Fair enough.

Lightning struck so close that he could almost hear the sizzle.

The power went out.

In the sudden darkness, Zachary rose and paused to orient himself. “I need to get to Jessica.” The club floors had low-level battery-operated emergency lights as required, but he’d never extended them to his private quarters. He usually appreciated the lull a power outage created in his busy life.

He’d never thought about having a pregnant wife and no power.

A chair creaked and Benjamin said, “I’ll hang out down here for a bit in case you need help with anything.”

“Thank you.” Using his cell for light, Zachary ran up the stairs to the third floor entry. A kitchen drawer yielded two flashlights. “Jessica, where are you?”

“Living room.”

She was still on the couch, the cat on her lap, and a delightful pout on her face. “The power cut out right when McClane was having a shootout. That’s so not fair.”

Damn, she delighted him. He crouched in front of her, running his palms over her round belly. His child was growing in there, surrounded by the woman he loved. “I’ll have a word with the storm and register your complaint. How are you doing?”

“My back hurts. And I have to pee again, but Galahad says he doesn’t want to move.”

She had a soft spot for the battle-scarred cat. Ruthlessly, Zachary picked the feline up and set him on the floor, winning an impertinent flick of the tail.

He put his hands under Jessica’s arms and stood, lifting her to her feet. So tiny to hold. Such a resilient, sturdy personality. She awed him at times. He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go, little one.”

In the bathroom, as he lit the candles she kept around the bathtub, Jessica disappeared into the toilet stall. Her moan of relief made him laugh.

“Call when you’re done so I can walk back with you, pet.” Giving her the privacy she preferred, he stepped into the master bedroom.

A minute later, the sound she made wasn’t his name. More like a groan or whimper.

“Jessica?”

“Um.” He heard her whisper, “Oh, God,” and concern tensed his gut.

He was in front of the stall before she had a chance to step out. In the flickering candlelight, he couldn’t read her face, but her emotions were all over the place. Worry uppermost. And pain. “Tell me.”

She bit her lip. “Well, I’m in labor. I thought so before, but I’m positive now since”—her skin darkened—“my water just broke.”

He exhaled slowly and shut down his first instinct—a thorough scolding for not telling him sooner. “I see.” With an arm around her, he guided her out of the bathroom. “How long would you estimate you’ve been in labor?”

“Weeell.”

Hell.

“At first, I thought the contractions were just those Braxton-Hicks. They didn’t really hurt and were far apart. Only the contractions haven’t stopped. And really, I was going to tell you, only you had the group session today, and I didn’t want to mess that up.”

“Jessica, I’d have rescheduled.”

“They’re our soldiers. They deserve priority.”

His stubborn, big-hearted submissive; she’d be the death of him. “Did you happen to time any of the last pains?”

“They’re close to five minutes apart. I called the midwife right before the lights went out. She said to head for the birthing center now since the rain would slow us down. She’ll leave now as well.”

“Indeed. In that case, you’ve ruined the lecture I was planning.”

Her wavy blonde hair glinted in the candlelight as she grinned up, looking like a roguish fairy. “There’s good news.”

He captured her face between his hands and kissed her, slow and sweet. “I love you, Jessica.”

“That’s a relief,”—she went on tiptoes to press a light kiss to his chin—“since we’re going to have a baby.”





Anne parked her car in the Shadowlands parking lot, turned off the headlights, and stared through the pouring rain at the very dark, three-story, stone mansion. No lights were on. Tonight, of all nights, Z and Jessica weren’t home?

No, wait. Z never left the entire house unlit. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen any house lights in miles. The power must be out in the area.

Through the rain and dark, she glimpsed flickering lights in the third story windows. It’d be worth checking. If the place was empty, she could sack out in the back of her vehicle. She’d slept in her SUV a time or two before, although what’d been cool in her twenties wasn’t so much fun a decade later.

What a mess of a night. The second fugitive had fallen easily into their hands. But not the third. They’d knocked on doors of his closest friends and family, searched his favorite hangouts, and gotten drenched for nothing.

Then, after her team had called it a night, Anne had detoured to check out another skip’s home. No joy there.

To top off the crap night, she’d been blocked by a traffic jam on the Suncoast Parkway where the rain had caused a multi-multi-car pileup. So she’d made her way by back roads to the Shadowlands. A good night’s rest in her bed was obviously out of the question.