Free Between Love and Duty by Janice Kay Johnson

said he would call.”
     
    “Okay. Let me know if you want to shoot some baskets in the meantime.”
     
    Tito nodded but didn’t say anything. Duncan didn’t allow himself to show disappointment or hurt, but she was very sure that he felt both.
     
    “All right, Tito,” he said in a voice that astonished her with its gentleness. “Good night.” He nodded at Jane, waited until she’d gotten in and closed her door, then walked away.
     
    JANE’S WEEK GOT EVEN MORE stressful as the court date for another case she’d taken on neared. It was a far more contentious custody dispute with both parents and one set of grandparents all using the children as a battleground. If she’d known she would be handling the supervised visitation for Tito, she wouldn’t have done both, but it was too late now. The fact that she was so busy was her only excuse for not wondering sooner why Hector and Tito hadn’t scheduled another outing.
     
    Duncan’s call triggered her alarm.
     
    “What’s going on?” he demanded in his usual charming style.
     
    She injected an excess of sugar into her voice. “Why, hello, Captain MacLachlan. How nice to hear from you.”
     
    “Jane…” It was a clear warning.
     
    Did the man have friends? Date? Or could he be charming when he chose? Jane grimaced. She was never likely to find out since he obviously had no interest whatsoever in anything but butting heads with her. And she ought to be amending, Thank God.
     
    “I haven’t heard a peep from Hector,” she said.
     
    “It’s been four days.”
     
    Her gaze flew to the calendar that hung beside her desk in the small office at Dance Dreams. “I’ll check and let you know.”
     
    After she’d ended the call, she considered whether to try to reach Hector or whether she should stop by Lupe’s and potentially talk to Tito instead—or first. Or better yet, both. She’d be closing the store in fifteen minutes. Today, if she remembered right, was one of Lupe’s nights off. It was likely, therefore, that Hector would be joining his family for dinner.
     
    Stop by, s he decided. Surprise them.
     
    Or waste half an hour on the one-and-only evening she’d had all week without an interview scheduled for the other case for which she stood as Guardian ad Litem.
     
    Still.
     
    She was nearing Lupe’s apartment house when she spotted Hector and Tito walking toward it. Tito was dribbling a basketball and they were talking. Feeling a headache coming on, Jane drove a circuitous route so that they didn’t see her and parked around the corner. Then she hustled into the vestibule of the front door and waited, arms crossed, toe tapping in irritation.
     
    They all but bumped into her. Worry flared on Tito’s face, anger on his father’s.
     
    “What are you doing here?” Hector asked.
     
    “Tito,” she said calmly, “please go up to your sister’s apartment. Your father and I need to talk.”
     
    Tito looked anxiously at Hector, then nodded and hurried inside. Jane didn’t say a word until she heard his footsteps on the stairs. Then she said, “You’ve violated the conditions of your visitation with your son. I could go to the judge right now and tell him I think you shouldn’t be allowed to see Tito at all.”
     
    He leaned toward her, his face flushed. “I’m allowed to have dinner with my children.”
     
    “You heard and understood Judge Lehman. You cannot spend time with Tito unless either I or Lupe are with you.” She looked around ostentatiously. “Where is Lupe?”
     
    “We went out only for a few minutes while she cooked.”
     
    “This isn’t the first time, is it?”
     
    His furious stare gave her his answer.
     
    “Señor Ortez, I will be calling Judge Lehman tomorrow. I’m going to give you one more chance to comply with the order. However, you can no longer visit Tito at your daughter’s apartment.”
     
    He slammed a fist against the wall to one side. Jane couldn’t help jumping.
     
    “ Hijo de