“Does Gloria know?”

Jane repeated the question to David, a question she would already have asked if she’d been coherent. It was barely an hour before she had to get up, but with Sebastian in the living room, she’d spent another sleepless night. Although she hadn’t been with him physically, she’d tossed and turned, thinking about him.

“She was pretty delirious when the doctors first saw her,” David said. “An older lady brought her in-a Louise Stetzel.”

“How did Mrs. Stetzel find her?”

“I’m still piecing that together, but I wanted to give you a heads-up. I thought you might like to call Gloria while I deal with the situation around here.”

That was sweet of David. He understood how personally invested she’d become in this case. Maybe they’d been enemies six years ago, but he was now one of her favorite people. “Of course.” Imagining Gloria’s relief, Jane felt her eyes swim with tears. “I’ll call her right away.”

A click signaled that he was gone. After returning the phone to her nightstand, Jane focused on Sebastian and Kate.

“Who’s Latisha?” Kate asked.

“Remember that person I told you about after the last time we got a call in the middle of the night?”

She came into the room. “The one who needed help?”

“Yeah.”

Hope filled her innocent face. “She’s okay now?”

“She’s okay.”

Kate walked around to give her a hug. “I knew you could do it, Mom!”

Jane laughed weakly. “I did my best, but I don’t get the credit for this.” It could easily have gone the other way; she was surprised it hadn’t.

Sebastian stood by the door. He was wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and a T-shirt.

“Did you find out if Gloria knows?” he asked. He was relieved, too. She could hear it in his voice.

“I’m about to tell her.” She nudged Kate, who’d plopped down beside her. “Will you run out to the kitchen and get my cell phone, sweetie? Gloria’s number is in my address book.”

Kate jumped up and, squeezing past Sebastian, hurried out of the room. She returned seconds later and handed Jane her cell. “Who’s Gloria?” she asked.

“Latisha’s sister,” Jane explained.

“She’s going to be happy, huh?”

“Very.” Holding up a hand to forestall any more questions, she made the call.

Gloria answered on the third ring, sounding a bit disoriented. “Hello?”

“They’ve found Latisha,” she announced. “Your sister’s alive.”

Silence, then muffled weeping came across the line. “Thank the Lord.” She cried some more before controlling her tears. “Where she at now?”

“Sutter Memorial Hospital. She’s been shot in the arm, but the doctors have assured Detective Willis that she’s fine.”

“Do they have him? The man who did this? The man who killed Marcie?”

Jane’s elation dimmed. “Not yet. At least, I don’t think so. I don’t have any of the details.”

“Okay.” She sniffed. “I’m headin’ down there right now.”

“Gloria, I’m…” Jane didn’t know how to describe what she felt. Realizing, once again, how little power anyone had to overcome another person’s evil intentions was frightening. It was humbling, too. Everything she’d learned in the past few months, all the bravado that swelled inside her when she talked about fighting back, had done nothing to bring this girl home. Yet, somehow, Latisha had survived. “Relieved and grateful,” she finished.

“Me, too,” Gloria said. “Will you be there, at the hospital?”

“Of course. I’ll be over as soon as I shower.”

“See you there.”

As Jane hung up, she dashed a hand across her wet cheeks. Slightly embarrassed, she swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled at Sebastian. “Hearing she’s okay feels so good.”

His nod said he understood; Kate gave her another hug. She started to get out of bed-then remembered that there was another person she should contact. Once again searching her cell phone’s address book, she called Luther.

He didn’t pick up. Keeping one arm affectionately around Kate, she waited for the beep that would signal her to leave a message.

“Luther, it’s Jane Burke.” She allowed herself a watery smile. “Latisha’s safe. I just…I didn’t want you to worry about her anymore. So call me when you get a chance-or talk to Gloria if you prefer,” she said and disconnected.

Folding his arms, Sebastian leaned against the doorjamb. “That was Latisha’s father?”

Jane nodded while reaching for her robe.

“You didn’t tell him where she is.”

“I think I’ll leave that up to Gloria. She might want to spend some time alone with her first.” She addressed Kate. “Try to get some more sleep while I take a shower. I’ll drop you off at school on our way to the hospital.”

Her face fell. “Can’t I go with you?”

Latisha’s story wouldn’t be pleasant, and Jane wasn’t about to have her twelve-year-old in the room when she heard it. “Not today.”

“Why not?” Kate whined. “It’s Friday. We don’t do a lot on Fridays. I could miss school.” The oblique glance she cast over her shoulder told Jane that Sebastian was part of the attraction. Seeing her mother in a romantic relationship was exciting and new. Interrupting that kiss last night had ignited her daughter’s imagination.

“You can’t miss school,” Jane said. “There’s no need for that.”

“One day’s no big deal. I want to be with you guys. Please, Mom?”

Sebastian interceded. “How about if we take you ice-skating tonight instead?”

Jane watched her daughter struggle to rein in her reaction. She could tell that Kate wanted to continue pleading. On the other hand, she didn’t want to make a bad impression on Sebastian. Finally she backed off and sent him a grateful smile. “That’d be fun.”

The image of her late husband creeping down the hall with a knife suddenly appeared in Jane’s mind. She was so used to protecting her daughter, so used to protecting herself. It wasn’t easy to lower her guard. Not after what Oliver had done. Not even for Sebastian. Especially for Sebastian. She wasn’t just tempted to sleep with him, to love him-she was tempted to trust him.

“Are you okay with that?” he asked.

Was she doing the right thing getting involved with him? Had she given herself enough time to heal? What would she do when Sebastian went back to New York? Forget him and move on?

She knew it wouldn’t be that simple. But life was all about taking chances. Somehow she had to learn how to embrace normal risks again.

“Sure. It’s a date,” she said and went into the bathroom.

“Can she give us any indication of where she was kept?” Jane asked. She and Sebastian had bumped into David in the hall on their way to Latisha’s hospital room. They were standing off to one side, speaking in hushed voices-partly in deference to the setting and partly to keep others from overhearing their conversation.

“No,” David said. “She told me he pulled her and her sister over by putting a Kojak light on top of his van.”

“We’d wondered about that,” Sebastian said. He’d showered in Jane’s second bathroom, but not until he’d made breakfast for Kate. By then, he didn’t want to take the time to dry his hair, despite the cold weather. Still damp, it was curling over his ears and the back of his neck.

“I guess Marcie was driving their car,” David went on. “Latisha admits the van didn’t look like a public vehicle. And Wesley Boss, as she knows him, wasn’t wearing a uniform. But when he explained that he was an undercover officer and flashed a badge, she thought that was the point-he wasn’t supposed to look like a cop.”

“Pulling someone over without the proper authority takes a lot of nerve,” Jane said. “I’m afraid I would’ve believed him, too, and I have a lot more experience than they did.”

David raised his eyebrows. “Let’s hope you would’ve checked his badge a lot more closely.”

“Maybe I would have, but we’re talking about two young girls who were probably afraid they were going to be ticketed.”