by Barb Han
Blake stood at the table as he answered. “Hey, Liz.”
Hearing the name caused Alyssa’s muscles to tense. One, for the attraction she was certain she felt on Liz’s part with Blake. Alyssa had witnessed it while the two were partners even though Blake honestly couldn’t pick up on it. He’d said partners always kidded around with each other. In her heart of hearts, she believed he saw it that way. Alyssa wasn’t so confident about Liz’s intentions. The second reason was that Liz was most likely calling with an update on the case.
Alyssa was still trying to wrap her mind around Blake’s comments about his priorities right now. Was he avoiding the possibility of becoming a father? She might not remember much about the past eight months, but she was certain Blake was the father of her child.
He said a few uh-huhs into the phone, followed by an I see. He thanked Liz for the heads-up, and then ended the call.
“She said there were a few fibers and hairs collected from your clothing. They’ll send them off to the lab.” He shot a warning look as he reclaimed his seat. “Before you get too hopeful, getting results back from those can take weeks if not months. Investigations in the real world aren’t anything like TV shows where results come back in a matter of hours. Liz is owed a favor, so she called in a marker. But it still might take weeks to hear anything.”
“That’s disheartening.”
“I know,” he agreed. “She was able to track your cell phone records. The last activity on your phone was three days ago. You made a call to an obstetrician by the name of Dr. Kero.”
“Oh, right. I’m on weekly appointments now. I keep everything on my phone, including my calendar.”
“It would be easy for someone to figure out your doctor appointments,” he said.
“One of the jerks had a late-term girlfriend. The one I call Gruff for lack of a better word. He mentioned that he would have a hard time breaking or cutting off my finger to get me to talk because of the pregnancy. His girlfriend must be close to as far along as I am.”
“Which means he would have an idea how often your appointments were. Do they schedule them at basically the same time every week?”
“Mine does. I mean, if I’m remembering correctly, I kept my appointments routine. As long as nothing came up, I got the same schedule every week.” She gasped. “Could his girlfriend be a patient of Dr. Kero?”
“Liz will check into it. See how many other patients they have in the practice as far along as you are. Are there a lot of doctors in the practice? Is it a team?”
She shook her head. “No. Just Dr. Kero. I picked her because I didn’t want to see someone new every week at the end of my pregnancy or risk a different doctor showing up last minute to deliver my daughter.”
A look passed behind his eyes at the mention of the word daughter that she couldn’t quite pinpoint.
“Do you remember anyone in the waiting room at the same time as you that could have been as far along as you?”
“I’m blurry on all that. I’m doing well to remember my doctor’s name at this point.” She figured Dr. Kero must be a positive person in her life or she would have selectively forgotten the doctor. Then again, she’d meticulously vetted the person who would care for her unborn baby. If she was going to go through the pregnancy and birth alone, she would need the best possible support team.
Hold on. Did she just remember making the decision to go it alone? Something felt off with that line of thinking. Or did she feel like she didn’t have a choice? It was plausible she believed she had to go through it alone. Blake was clearly shocked by the pregnancy. Why wouldn’t she have told him the minute she found out? Didn’t he want children?
She remembered a vague conversation about him wanting to start a family later rather than sooner. He’d said he wanted to do something first.
What was it, though?
No. She was remembering it wrong. He’d said he needed to do something first. Big difference.
* * *
BASED ON LIZ’S INFORMATION, the last time Alyssa had her phone was three days ago. Had she been locked inside the closet the entire time? Or transported around to cut down on the heat? In the first twenty-four hours after an abduction with some of the known criminal elements in Houston, a victim was moved around two or three times. In part, to make it more difficult to track them but also to confuse the victims and make it more difficult for them to get their bearings.
The thought his child, if she was his and he wasn’t quite ready to concede the point yet, had been abducted and possibly injured sent a well of anger shooting through him he never knew could exist.
“When should we head out to my office?”
“We need to take a minute before we act. I don’t want to move you until I absolutely know it’s safe.” He was still surprised by his reaction.
“What should we do in the meantime?” She’d never been one to sit still. But that’s exactly what this situation called for.
“Practice patience.”
She shot him a look that said more than he needed to know of what she thought about his comment. When she took in a sharp breath, he figured he was about to be read the riot act. Instead, she blew it out slowly like she was doing some kind of yoga breathing.
“Talk to me about something familiar. Like...how’s your family?”
Blake compressed his lips. His father’s death was a little too raw. “They’re doing the best they can under the circumstances.”
“What happened, Blake?” The genuine concern in her voice tugged at his heart and threatened his carefully constructed defenses. There was no way he would allow those walls to come down. Not even with a stick of dynamite.
“On the good side, a few of my brothers are married now. Cash married a wonderful single mother. Renee and Abby seem to make him happy in a way I’ve never seen before.” He’d felt it once with Alyssa but questioned whether any part of their relationship was real. “Then, there’s Dawson who is now married to Summer. Those two are made for each other.”
“I thought your brother was still unhappy about his divorce from someone named Autumn.” Her eyebrows did that thing again. The thing they did when she was confused.
“Yeah, so, turns out she has a twin sister. Autumn was in trouble and her sister, Summer, tracked her down. She met Dawson and the two fell in love while finding out what happened to her sister. My brother was never this happy or in love. I can attest to that.”
“He deserves it. All of your brothers do. They’re all amazing people who should have the happiest lives.” She’d gotten along with his family perfectly. Too perfectly? Was everything about Blake’s life with his wife too perfect?
Right up until the day she took off.
“Tell me about your parents. I hope I’m not out of line in saying how much I miss talking to them.” His expression must’ve dropped because she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “Oh no. What happened?”
“My dad...” Blake had to stop right there. Talking about his father gutted him. Blake had looked up to Finn O’Connor as the strongest man alive. His father was honest, no one worked harder and he was the most down-to-earth soul who ever lived.
“Oh, Blake. I’m so sorry. What happened?” Alyssa was to her feet and then standing in front of him in a matter of seconds. She put her hand up to the center of his chest and then pressed her flat palm against his heart.
“He opened the investigation into my sister’s disappearance, and someone came after him. We found him on the property.” He dropped his gaze. “He’d been murdered.”
“That’s awful and scary.”
Temporarily caught up in an emotional storm, he covered her hand with his. Hers was small by comparison. Delicate. Although, he wouldn’t describe her as a wilting flower. Her femininity and strength made her even more beautiful in his book. There was something vulnerable about the way she was looking up at h
im now, something that connected to a place deep in his soul. It was like time warped and he got trapped in the wave—a wave that made the past eight months disappear.
Suddenly, the moment happening between them was the most intimate he’d ever felt with her. Rather than ride the horse until it broke, he stepped back and broke off contact.
“Your mother must be beside herself,” she said quietly.
“Yes. She’s also strong and has plenty of support. She’ll get through it even though she seems a little bit lost without Dad.”
“Of course, she does.”
“It seems to help that there have been new faces coming into the family recently. Cash married a wonderful single mother and Dawson found his match with Summer.”
“No one will ever replace Finn O’Connor. But I’m sure having new life around brings a whole different energy to the house.”
He nodded. Emotion caught in his throat.
“I’m truly sorry, Blake. Losing your father is big and I hate that you had to go through it alone.”
“I didn’t.” The words came out a little too harshly, but she needed to know he was fine.
They had the intended effect. She got so quiet he could hear a pin drop. So, why did that make him feel like a jerk?
He didn’t want to feel the connection with her that he’d once felt so strongly it seemed unbreakable, no matter how temporary. Liz was right. Going down the road of being close again wasn’t an option. Not in his book. The two of them would have to come up with a custody, financial and visitation plan should the baby she was carrying turn out to be his child. There would be enough on their plates without adding the complication of emotions. He needed to apply his professional habits to home before this “connection” got out too far in front of him to reel it back in.
More than anything, he needed to lean forward in the saddle so the horse would back up a few steps.
Chapter Eight
The hurt Alyssa felt was temporary. Rejection always stung. Why she needed to remind herself of the fact now was beyond her. Hearing about the loss of Finn O’Connor had knocked her off balance. The fact he’d been murdered and found on the property sent an icy chill racing down her spine. Her baby was going to miss out on one helluva grandfather. Such a shame.
But the thought of splitting custody and seeing her daughter every other Christmas practically gutted her. The O’Connors had every right to be in her daughter’s life. The realization that this was going to be harder than she originally expected nailed her. Was that the reason she’d kept her pregnancy a secret?
Blake was right about one thing. Focusing on the pregnancy and the complication of their relationship had to take a back seat to the investigation. So, she forced herself to think back to what they’d been talking about before she asked after his family.
The doctor’s office. Other pregnant women who were as far along as she was. Since Gruff had a distinct voice, she wondered if she could just call the office and ask the receptionist. On second thought, HIPAA laws made getting patient information next to impossible. Liz would have to badge her way to the data. An ordinary citizen couldn’t get the information out of the front office. Not without some finesse. She’d have to think of a lead-in question. The office was probably closed for the evening, so that would give her some time to think about it.
Basically, they were at a stalemate until Blake thought it was safe enough to head into her office. Lucky for her, he could call in a few favors and have the area watched as they made the trip in. Having people who got paid to notice things would definitely be a good thing, especially if Nasal or Gruff was watching her office. The thought caused a chill to race down her spine. Three days. She’d been trapped in the trailer or something very much like it for seventy-two hours, give or take. The selective memory theory combined with a head injury easily explained her forgetfulness.
Before she could move on from the topic of his family, she had to add, “Your mom is an amazing person and so are your brothers.”
He made a face and she knew exactly who he was thinking about. Garrett.
“I’m sure Garrett has good reasons for pushing everyone away,” she argued. His brother was the rebel, the lone wolf of the family who didn’t fit into the O’Connor family mold. “My point is that I’m still sorry for the family’s loss. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. I know how much you loved and respected your father, Blake. I hate that he’s gone so young.”
Blake sighed. “Thank you. On behalf of my family, we appreciate your kindness.”
His voice was stiff, and his words carefully chosen. It wasn’t so much a hit against her as it was him struggling to keep his emotions in check. He’d always concealed his true feelings, except when it came to their relationship. She was beginning to realize how special it had been. How special it was for him to open up to her. And from a very deep place inside her, she ached.
A few minutes of silence passed after the two reclaimed their seats in the living room. She picked up her piece of paper along the way. Once seated and comfortable, which was saying a lot at this stage of pregnancy, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She strained to hear Gruff’s voice, once again remembering he was the more compassionate one of the pair. The thought that he and his partner could be out there searching for her or kidnapping another person fueled her desire to recall.
Random thoughts drifted in and out. Attempting to discipline her thoughts was laughable. No matter how much she tried to concentrate, the most random things popped into her mind. Like, watermelon. And how good dinner was. This was a treat, a meal when they were both too tired to cook. Why was she tired? Working a lot of hours. Remembering her father as he lay in bed, too sick to lift a fork to his mouth. Pneumonia. He’d been too weak to fight it. Both she and Blake were fatherless now. What a strange thought to have lost both of their fathers in the span of less than a year.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes.” She opened her eyes. “My mind is wandering despite my best efforts to try to remember.”
“It’ll come back.” His tone held more compassion now and she wondered if he’d snapped into cop mode. He would get more out of a witness if he came across as sympathetic. He lowered his tone when he said, “Thank you for all the nice things you said about my family a minute ago. I’m still trying to process the fact that my father went to his grave without ever knowing what happened to Caroline.”
Considering he was talking to her about something that mattered very much to his family, she wanted to make sure he knew she cared. Their marriage might not have lasted, but from a place deep inside her, she cared about him and his family. She still did. The emotion threatening to overwhelm her couldn’t come from another place but love.
Strange that she still loved a husband she’d divorced.
“Is that why you’re still working in Houston as a cop?” She hit the nail on the head when he compressed his lips.
“Figure I’ll take my rightful place at the ranch soon enough. Everyone is circling the wagons to make sure someone is with Mother twenty-four-seven. We know that Dad was investigating Caroline’s death when he was killed. Mother also revealed he was sick. Not something that would take him out right away, but over time he’d become sicker.”
“I’m guessing that’s the reason your father took up the investigation again.”
“We’re figuring the same. He knew his time was winding down. His condition would have taken years to bring him down, but he saw the end of the line and wanted closure.” The first time she’d heard about Blake having a sister who’d been kidnapped from her crib in the family home while still an infant was on the drive to meet his family. Their relationship had obviously moved to the next level when he invited her to meet his folks. He’d mentioned something about Sunday supper and the whole family being around. He’d warned her they could be a lot to handle all at once but that he was one hu
ndred percent certain his parents would love her.
From the minute she set foot on the O’Connor ranch, she’d been welcomed. The place in all its grandeur had caught her off guard. It was also the first time she realized Blake came from money. Lots of it. Boatloads. Despite being the most grounded person she’d ever met. Her father had always chased money like it was a deer and he had to hunt using only his hands. Elusive was a good word to describe his approach to money. They had enough. She had meals on the table and a mother who stayed at home to bring up children. Alyssa was supposed to be one of three or four, but her mother had had a complicated pregnancy and was unable to have more children.
“My mom depends on me for money,” Alyssa blurted out. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to change the subject like that. It just came to me.”
“Really?”
“It’s why I was working so hard to help my father. I’m sure of it.” The fact this was news to him told her she hadn’t confided in him before. Why?
“You might want to write it down on your paper.” He motioned toward the piece in her hand.
She smoothed it out on the TV tray while he located the pen and then brought it to her. She wrote down money problems?
When money entered the picture, a whole different kind of motive came to mind. So, she wrote that word down too. Greed.
* * *
“IT’S ONE OF the top motives for murder.” Blake realized her kidnappers had kept her alive instead.
“My finger. Gruff said something about having a hard time thinking about breaking or cutting off my finger to get me to talk. And they mentioned Bus Stop and Judge but I have no idea who they were referring to.”
Greed could be a motivator for a kidnapping. Either for ransom, which seemed not to be the case here. Or to sell information.