Chapter 2:

"Katie? Dinner . . ." Zoe called out. Katie had been staying with her for the last two days ever since she had gotten that early morning phone call. Five year old Katie and her grandparents were the closest Zoe would ever get to a family. Her own parents moved to Florida after her father was released from prison and she rarely kept in touch.

No one else knew about Zoe's close connection to Katie's family. A precaution Zoe took due to the type of work she did. Although not dangerous in most instances, there was still that potential as evidenced by her first meeting with John.

Zoe heard little feet running towards her as she finished setting the dinner table and braced herself. Thud. "Whoa, Katie bug, take it easy on me okay? I'm too old for you to be throwing yourself at me."

"Oh Mommy, I mean Zoe, you're silly. You're not old, at least not as old as grandma or grandpa."

Yee-ouch! Zoe shook her head at the honesty of the five year old. She called me Mommy again . . . third time in two days.

"Do you think grandpa's going to be okay?"

"Of course he will. He's at one of the best hospitals around and the doctor that's going to do the operation is one of the best." Although Katie still looked doubtful, she nodded her head and started to eat her dinner.

"How long do I get to stay with you?"

"Until your grandpa is out of the hospital."

"Can I stay up and watch TV tonight?"

"Sure."

"Can we have hot chocolate?"

"After dinner."

"Who's J?" Katie asked.

Zoe was used to the quick changes in topic when she talked to Katie. It was normal for the five year old to jump from one subject to another. "Have you been looking at my phone again?"

At little Katie's smile, Zoe responded. "He's a friend."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Listen little girl, that is none of your business, now eat dinner."

"Finch, I found the grandparents at the hospital. I don't see the little girl though. Do they have other family that they would have left the girl with?" John flicked his ear bud so that he could hear and talk to Finch. He was at the waiting room in the Cardiology wing of New York General. Their current number's grandfather had just suffered a heart attack two days ago and was awaiting surgery.

"None that is readily apparent. I would think it is safe to say that she would be the victim in this case. I can't imagine what a five year old could do to hurt anyone."

"What happened to her parents Finch?" John asked.

"Her birth certificate lists a Jamie Wilson as the mother, father is listed as unknown. Miss Wilson died of cancer right after her daughter was born; the grandparents have full custody and by all accounts are good guardians. No criminal records whatsoever. Robert Wilson is retired FDNY and Maggie Wilson owns small dance studio. I can look a bit deeper to see if there is anything on the unknown father and into the grandparents' history. In the meantime, you may try to find out where the little girl is."

John watched her approach, carefully observing her as if it was the first time he had seen her. Her hand with nails painted a dark, crimson shade was holding a much smaller hand. Their fingers entwined. The little girl that walked beside her was beautiful with long brown hair held up in a ponytail. When the little girl smiled, she had dimples. Zoe was smiling too and it felt somewhat odd to be seeing her look so carefree.

When John set out to find his target, five year old Katie Wilson, he certainly did not expect to see his girlfriend, lover, not wife with the actual target looking very comfortable. She was dressed much as she was the other day when she left in the middle of the night; jeans, sweater, boots. No power suit, no stilettos, unguarded, refreshing.

John was in a quandary; should he let Zoe become aware of his presence or not? Why was she with their target? What was her connection? And why did they look so right together? There really wasn't a question. If he wanted to protect Katie from harm, he needed to be right there with them.

He followed her from a safe distance until he caught up from behind. She didn't notice him until he shortened his stride to walk next to her and spoke. "Zoe. Who's your friend?"

She paused for just a moment. "What are you doing here John?" she demanded, turning to face him.

He slightly nodded his head motioning towards Katie. Zoe didn't need to be told twice. "No . . . Katie?"

"Not if I can help it."

After putting Katie down for the night, Zoe curled up on the sofa with a cup of coffee and watched John go through the files she had given him on Katie's father. It didn't surprise John that Zoe had taken it upon herself to seek out information about a potential risk to Katie. She pulled her knees up to her chest and set her mug down on the coffee table, watching him for a minute before she spoke.

"I've gone through that entire file several times over and I just can't see what Dan Matthews has to gain by hurting Katie. He's in California, hasn't been seen since 2008. I'm not sure he even knows he's her father. His mom died a few months ago from complications after surgery. His dad's still around, but nothing unusual with his background that I could find. I've also looked through Maggie and Robert's file and they're good people John they can't be wrapped up in anything bad."

"We'll just have to keep looking . . . "

"So, what's with Katie calling you 'Mommy'?" John asked Zoe.

Zoe gave an uneasy one shoulder shrug. "She only does it when she's really excited about something or when she's really tired. She identifies me with her mom."

"You don't seem to mind it. And you're good with her," John said with a small smile as he leaned back on the couch.

"Yeah, well, she's a good kid." Zoe was uncomfortable that John had gotten a glimpse of that part of her life she kept hidden.

"You ever thought about it?"

"About what . . . being her mom?" Zoe paused, seemed to think about it then just shook her head. She had long given up the hope of ever being a mother.

"I'll never be her mother, but I'll always be here for her. I promised Jamie."

John caught the quick flash of pain in Zoe's eyes but didn't comment on it. Instead, he gently pulled her into his arms. She curled up comfortably next to him with her head in the crook of his neck.

"Jamie and I were best friends since we were kids. She found herself pushing forty, desperately wanting a child. Katie was her last chance at being a mother." And mine, she added silently. "I did what any friend would do, made a promise to take care of Katie. She couldn't stay with me obviously, but I see her often; often enough that she occasionally calls me 'mommy'."

"And, how does that make you feel?" John asked, curious.

"Scared the crap out of me the first time she said it." Zoe smiled at the memory of twelve month old Katie calling her 'ma-ma'. "Now, it's not so bad. I make sure she knows who Jaime was," she thought sadly of Jamie who wanted a child desperately but never got a chance to be a mother.

This was a rare occurrence for both of them. The aura of domesticity surrounding the act of sitting and talking was unsettling to both of them. But somehow, it felt right. John stretched is long frame more comfortably on the couch with his feet on the coffee table. Zoe's arms were around his waist as she nuzzled her nose in closer and sighed. John was running his fingers rhythmically through her hair lulling her to sleep.

John kissed her forehead and laid Zoe down to stretch on the couch. Finding a blanket, he draped it across her sleeping form. Zoe was an enigma, John thought as he watched her sleep. The façade she put on every day, the one she wanted people to see was so vastly different than what he had seen today and the bits and pieces he had gathered the past few months. Zoe was confounding. She threw his already set views and ideas about her into a tailspin.

John's phone vibrated interrupting his thoughts. "Yes Finch? Okay I'll get to that address. Do we know who we're looking for yet?"

Instead of waking Zoe up, he left her a note saying that he got called away. He was positive that she and Katie were safe. Knowing Zoe, John suspected that she already had her people working on finding out who the threat to Katie was.

The room smelled musty from misuse. The floor beneath Zoe was hard and cold against her cheek when she woke. As she opened her eyes, there was an eruption of pain in the back of her head, and instinctively reached her hand up to soothe it. She felt a significant sized lump at the base of her skull as well as the stickiness that she assumed was drying blood. Pushing her hands under her body, she forced herself into a kneeling position so she could get to her feet. The movement brought another eruption of pain as well as nausea. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and waited for it to pass.

Zoe Morgan, fixer of problems to many a powerful senator, CEO, or business magnate, the one who knows all the angles and always has something to trade had totally, royally, and unequivocally screwed up. She had received an odd call from one of her sources saying that Katie's father was at a certain location. Knowing John was unavailable, she decided to check it out herself.

The sound of footsteps from behind her had her turning around too fast on her heels and an explosion of pain overcame her. "Jesus Christ!" She bit out, her hands instantly grabbing the sides of her head.

"Now, Miss Morgan, thou shall not take the lord's name in vain." A man Zoe didn't recognize said. He was tall and solidly built with a mass of graying hair. What she noticed the most about him was that he had a gun and his hands were big, big enough to cause a lot of damage.