Chapter Nine

Donovan stood in the doorway of his office watching his team.  A new assignment had been delivered; Illegal gun running.  Jake, Alex and Cody were digging into the information on the suspects while Shay was creating profiles for Jake and Alex to go under cover.  

After they had returned to the hotel yesterday, he and Shay had left D.J. with Thomas to go check out some houses that the realtor Thomas hired suggested.  They were all large houses and Shay had commented that if her dad was going to live with her most of the time, there had to be a lot of space between them.

"Why live with him?" he asked, as they toured the last of the houses. 

"He's my father.  We're all we've got," she stated quickly, opening the large walk-in closet of the master bedroom.

"You have me now," he reminded her, following her into the closet and pulling her into a crushing embrace.

"Do I?" she asked playfully as her hands traveled down his back to squeeze the firm muscles of his buttocks.

"You know you do.  I think you've known it since the first moment we met," he replied huskily. 

Shay laughed.  "Oh yeah, I think you just got really hot seeing a chick bound and gagged."

He grinned wickedly.  "It does give me ideas," he murmured before his lips descended to hers.

It was at that moment that the realtor decided to venture into the bedroom looking for them.  "Oh, I...uh..." she stammered.

Shay had laughed and gave his butt another squeeze before pulling away from him and said, "Silk scarves and stiletto heels later, tiger." 

The realtor had turned beet red.  Shay was unpredictable; it was a side of her he enjoyed. 

It was at that moment that Shay turned in her chair and gazed up at his office.  She toyed with the scarf she had worn tied around her neck and winked.  He almost groaned aloud when he felt the tightening in his loins.  He gestured with his head for her to come to his office.

"You rang, sir?" she joked as she entered the room and sat down at his desk.

"Have you thought any more about what we discussed yesterday?" he asked.

"Working together? Yes, it kept me up all night," she admitted, that and missing the feel of his arms around her.  "You still think we should give it a try?  That our relationship won't interfere?"

"Yes, I know we can make it work," he said, assuredly.

"What about Burkholtz?  Did you talk to her?"

"Yes.  Deirdre is a little apprehensive about it, but confident that we won't let our personal feelings jeopardize our work here."

"What about the team? Are you going to tell them?" she asked as she stood and moved to the window.

He watched her staring out the window, watching the team below.  "You honestly think they haven't figured it out?"

Shay nodded and turned back to face him.  "I suppose they have."

"Hell," he said, grinning, "they probably placed bets on how long it would take us to get together."

Shay couldn't help laughing.  "Wanna bet who won that bet?"

"Jake," he guessed.

She laughed at him as she crossed the room.  "You'd lose, Mister," she said with a wink.  "Cody."  She tugged on one of his ear lobes and leaned down to kiss him when they heard Cody's voice over the intercom. 

"Hey, Boss.  Is Shay up there?"

"Yes."

"Shay?" Cody asked.

"She's already on her way down to you," Donovan answered.

"You better come down, too.  Something's wrong with her father." 

Donovan was already out the door by the time Cody finished his statement.

"Shay...it's Renquist...he's calling from CCH," Cody informed, holding the phone out to her.

She took the phone from Cody with trembling fingers.  Something must be terribly wrong with D.J. for her father to take him directly to the hospital without calling her.  She placed the receiver to her ear, "Hello?"

"Shay?  Shay?" 

Shay gasped audibly.  She had never heard such desperation and fear in her father's voice.  "Daddy?  I'm here, Dad.  What's going on?"

"I...I'm so sorry, baby.  I was hit from behind...I didn't see them."

"Daddy?  Are you okay?" 

Donovan listened as the fear crept into her voice.  She had truly grown close to her father over the past thirteen months. 

"I'll be all right; just a concussion.  Honey, he's gone," he said through the gut wrenching sobs that overtook him.   "When I woke...he was gone."

Shay dropped the phone and a hand flew to her mouth as a grief-stricken cry escaped her throat and her face twisted in anguished horror as reality hit.  Her son!  Her beautiful baby boy!  Someone stole her son!  Her legs gave way beneath her and she slumped to the floor, sitting cross-legged, hugging her arms around herself, rocking back and forth, her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs through which she cried out the name of her son,  "D.J. no no no no D.J. no no no" over and over again.

Jake knelt beside her, taking her into his arms.  "Shay, what is it?"

"Who's D.J.?" Alex asked, kneeling behind Shay, comfortingly rubbing her back.

"My godson," Jake whispered, looking up at Alex.  "Shay's son."

"Son?" Alex and Cody exclaimed in unison.

Donovan picked up the phone Shay had dropped.   More than anything, he wanted to be where Jake was, comforting Shay in her time of need.  First he needed to know what was going on; what had her so upset.  "Tom, what the hell is happening?"

"I was attacked in Shay's hotel room.  D.J.'s been kidnapped!  How is she, Frank?" 

"She's devastated, Tom.  I'll get back to you as soon as I know something."  He tossed the phone to Cody and knelt down, placing a hand on Jake's shoulder.  Jake turned slightly and released his hold on Shay, who glanced up through the strands of hair that hung in her face.  She reached out instinctively for Donovan and clung to him for support when he pulled her into his embrace.  "Jake, bring the car around.  D.J. was kidnapped from Shay's hotel."

"Wha...what?!"  The thought that he had just seen him mere hours ago crept into Jake's thoughts.  They had played with some musical toys that Jake had brought to D.J.  Now he was gone?  Missing?

"Now, Jake!" Donovan commanded.  He knew Jake was suffering from the news.  Dammit, so was he!  Shay's son, an extension of the woman he held protectively in his arms, had grown to mean a great deal to him.  Giving in to emotions would not help find the baby, and finding him was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

Jake nodded and hurried to his task, with Cody and Alex trailing close behind him.

"Come on, Shay," Frank encouraged soothingly, as he stood and pulled her up with him.  "We have work to do and you need to be strong if you're going to help find your son."

She nodded, although her tears did not stop, and she allowed him to guide her to the door and the waiting SUV.  He helped her into the rear seat beside Cody and climbed in next to her.  "Let's go, Jake," he ordered and strapped himself in with the seatbelt before reaching over to do the same for Shay. 

Alex reached back from the front passenger seat and patted Shay's knee in a gesture of comfort.  "Hang in there, Shay."

Donovan watched as she nodded absently, not really hearing the words Alex spoke.  Her eyes were glazed and unseeing, her face was pale and he feared she was heading for a breakdown.  He reached over to take her hand but she snatched it away and wrapped her arms around herself in a severe hug. 

Dun...dun...dun....