by Sommer Smith
They worked in silence for a few more minutes before she brought up Savannah Reid. “Do you think she has been kidnapped by the same people who are after Lily? Why would they want to take Savannah?”
Grayson pondered her question a moment before he replied. “No. I don’t know what to think just yet.”
“Do you think she’s being held for ransom, like they planned to do with Lily?” Her rapid-fire questioning took a different turn than his thoughts.
“It’s a good possibility. There is another team of marshals looking for her, though. They will find her soon.” Grayson’s hand went to his chest in the unconscious gesture.
“I hope you’re right. It’s sickening to think that Romine might use his own child in such a manner.” Lauren looked disgusted at the prospect. “But what about the marshal who was attacked?”
Grayson pressed his lips together. “I heard he was fine, but I’m still not sure how Romine got the drop on him.”
“Me, either. We have good security at the hospital. It’s odd.” Lily began to fuss from her pallet and Lauren turned to go check on her. She paused, though, and spun around to give Grayson a questioning look. “Do you think she’ll go back to sleep?”
Grayson winced and shrugged. “How should I know?” Then he glanced in the direction of the crying baby. “I’ll get her.”
“Are you sure?” She couldn’t hide her surprise.
“I think I can manage for a moment.” He gave her a crooked grin before going to the living room to retrieve the infant.
When he returned, he found Lauren watching him with concern. “Did you check to see if she’s wet?”
He nodded. “Her diaper is dry, but she feels a little cold.” He clasped a tiny hand. “She had kicked out of her blankets.”
“She’s pretty strong. I’ll wrap her more tightly.” She reached for Lily.
He motioned her away with his head, having the baby carefully cradled in his arms. “She’s fine for now.” She felt so tiny bundled into a little cocoon of blankets, and he felt clumsy and overlarge. But his naturally protective nature welled up with a new strength at the thought.
She needed him.
“When do you expect your colleagues to arrive?” Lauren’s tone was light, but she seemed anxious about the frequent silences. It made him wonder just what it was about him that made her so nervous. She seemed like a competent and confident individual otherwise.
“I expect they won’t be longer than another hour or two. Then you should be able to get some rest.” He adjusted his hold on the baby, who had calmed considerably with his closeness. It gave him a warm, unfamiliar feeling. This was more than the protectiveness he’d expected to feel. It was breathtaking in its tenderness.
“I’m making it okay, after the nap in the vehicle.” She put away the last of the dishes and looked at the baby. “I’m more concerned about you.”
“I’m used to resting at odd times when I’m on the job. I can make it as long as I need to.” He meant to sound confident, but it came out sounding a little cocky.
She arched an eyebrow. “The human body has its limits, even when trained for prolonged periods of alertness. You will function better with some rest.”
Ah, yes. Her scientific, trained-nurse side. He smiled.
“Oh, I’m sure that’s true for most people. But when you work in law enforcement, you adapt.”
She didn’t argue further but shook her head. He wanted to laugh at her disapproving frown. “What? You don’t believe the human body can learn to adapt for things like that?”
She cleared her throat. “I believe it can adapt. But, as with any other human ability, adaptation has its limits.”
“Of course it has limits, but it also continues to gradually adapt over time.” Now he was just enjoying her indignant responses.
“You’re laughing at me?” If Lauren’s expression was any indication, he was about to get an earful.
The moment was broken when the crunching of gravel called their attention to the driveway.
“Are those your friends?” Lauren inclined her head toward the window where they could see two plainclothes officers getting out of an SUV almost identical to the one they had arrived in.
“Friends? I really don’t even know them that well. ‘Colleagues’ would be a more appropriate term. I’ve only been around them once or twice.” He strode to the door, cradling Lily close.
He sensed her presence behind him. He wondered what she would think about the marshals about to join them. From what he remembered, Cole Reynolds was a rigid, by-the-book kind of guy. The total opposite of Shayla McKenzie. She was a sunbeam next to his thundercloud. The pair would make Grayson seem downright normal.
The unlikely duo approached the porch as Grayson opened the door. Shayla practically bounced up the walk in her aviators, while Cole’s dark scowl accompanied him all the way to the door.
“Marshal Thorpe.” Cole didn’t do much more than nod as he brushed past them into the house. He barely glanced at the child.
Shayla, on the other hand, stopped to pull off her sunglasses and extend a hand. “Great to see you again, Thorpe.”
He took her hand and returned her greeting before watching her turn to Lauren. “Hi, I’m Shayla McKenzie. I assume you’re Miss Beck?”
Lauren looked thunderstruck in the wake of the odd pair. “You can call me Lauren.”
“Great to meet you, Lauren.” She turned back to Lily, nestled in Grayson’s arms. “And this little sweet thing?”
“This is Lily,” Grayson said. “The innocent victim in all of this.”
“Hello, Miss Lily. You’re such a beauty! Mind if I hold her?” Without preamble, she took the child from his arms.
Before he knew what was happening, the two women launched into a conversation about the baby that had his head spinning. He made his excuses and went to find Cole.
“You got here fast.” Grayson dropped down into the chair across from where Cole was setting up his laptop.
“You would, too, if you were stuck in the car with McKenzie.” Not a hint of amusement colored Cole’s tone.
Nevertheless, Grayson chuckled. “She can’t be that bad.”
Cole looked up with a disbelieving frown, one brow cocked. “No. She’s worse.”
Grayson sobered. “You’d better get used to her. We could all be stuck here together for a while.”
He hadn’t believed Cole’s expression could get much darker, but it did. “What do you mean? This should be a pretty cut-and-dried case. It’s likely Romine who is after the baby. You’ve been studying his case. So we just apprehend him and send the baby back to her mother. It’s likely he’s hiding out at his brother’s ranch in Texas. There is a team on the way there as we speak.”
“Yes.” Grayson stacked his fingers together. “But it might not be as simple as all that.”
“What do you mean?” Cole straightened and focused on Grayson.
“We need to find Savannah Reid. I think Romine plans to attempt to get money from her father, Senator Reid. There’s a possibility Romine will harm her if Reid doesn’t cooperate. And aside from that, with the senator as powerful as he is, it’s quite possible Romine isn’t the one trying to abduct the baby.”
“Excuse me?” Cole’s expression indicated he’d never considered such a possibility.
“The mother was kidnapped from the hospital about the time a man tried to abduct the baby. The security guard at the hospital said it looked like there was a struggle in her room. The marshal protecting her was hit over the head, tied up and stuffed in a closet. If it was Romine or one of his men who tried to take the baby, it’s possible he took Savannah at the same time.” A knot formed in the pit of Grayson’s stomach.
Cole spoke his thoughts aloud. “It’s a sick man who would use his own child to get ransom money from his daughter’s grandfather
.”
“I agree. But Romine knows we are close to getting him, and he will do anything to get out of the country right now. If the child is truly his, maybe he won’t harm her. But that’s more than I can say for the child’s mother. And I’m not sure I trust Senator Reid, which complicates things even more. That means we have twice the number of twisted minds to deal with.” Grayson sat back in the chair. “I can tell you, I have my doubts about Senator Reid’s integrity. But I don’t think he would kidnap his own blood to try to extort money.”
The sound of women’s voices warned them of their approach. Cole inclined his head. “The nurse. What does she know?”
“Pretty much all we do, right now.”
Cole nodded. “How’s she handling it?”
“As well as you’d expect, I guess. I think she’s tougher than she seems, though.” He thought about Lauren’s staunch defense of the baby in the face of the men who had tried to kidnap Lily. She was pure steel when she was sticking up for someone else.
Shayla stuck her head in the door of the room Cole had set up as a temporary office. “Can we crash your party?”
Her smile was infectious. Grayson noticed it only served to deepen Cole’s scowl, however. “Nothing to crash. Just talking business.”
Lauren wasn’t exactly smiling, but he noticed that the lines of tension had relaxed around her mouth as she followed Shayla into the room.
“Lauren says the senator’s daughter has also been kidnapped.” Shayla cut to the chase, almost as if she already knew what the men had been discussing. Had she overheard them, or was it just a coincidence?
“And Shayla tells me that you might have information as to Romine’s whereabouts right now,” Lauren added.
Grayson looked over at Lauren. “You two seem to have covered a lot of information pretty quickly.”
“Is there some reason I shouldn’t know what is going on?” Lauren looked a little injured.
“No, I don’t suppose there is. I just didn’t think you were...” He hesitated. Of course she was interested. She was up to her ears in this situation whether he liked it or not. Why hadn’t he told her more about what he knew?
“I know I’m not a marshal like the rest of you, and maybe you have to keep some things confidential. But maybe I can help.” As soon as she said it, her face turned pink. Why was she embarrassed? She didn’t have any reason to be.
“I didn’t mean to leave you out, Lauren. I guess I wasn’t thinking about it. I get absorbed in my job sometimes.” He tried for a conciliatory tone, hoping she didn’t take it as patronizing.
She smiled, but it seemed a little forced. “It’s okay. I’m going to go check on Lily.”
* * *
Lauren fled to her room. She was so far out of her comfort zone. She wished she could take back her words. She didn’t know anything at all about the work the marshals were doing. They probably thought she was really silly. She hadn’t made the impression she would have liked to make on these people she didn’t know. She barely knew Grayson, if the truth were told.
Taking deep breaths and trying to think of other things, she worked through it. She had relaxed a little when Shayla had arrived, finally feeling like maybe she could talk to someone who might understand, because Grayson didn’t want to share details with her. But maybe she had made a mistake. She had no business being so deeply involved in this situation. Why did this have to happen on her shift? If it hadn’t, maybe she wouldn’t be here now, feeling like she was the outsider. She needed to focus on Lily, not feel sorry for herself. Ridiculous.
The worst part was that it frightened her in a new way thinking that maybe Grayson hadn’t told her things about the case for a reason. It brought back too many thoughts of Marcus, her former husband, and how he had wanted to control everything she did—who she talked to, what she said, where she went, even what clothing she wore. He had kept things from her all the time. When she’d found out, he’d claimed that her shortcomings had kept him from telling her. She had nearly suffocated under his constant pushing and demands. Nothing she did without his prior approval had ever been right or okay. It had gotten to the point he’d been very nearly violent, raising a hand to her one day over something she’d said.
She’d known then it was time to get out of the relationship. Before she could ask for a divorce, though, he had been killed in a freak accident. She had never wanted another relationship since. At least as a single person she was free to be herself.
Lauren heard the footsteps coming down the hall, but she didn’t move, thinking it was probably Shayla. The knock at the door came an instant later.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” She tried to keep her tone light. She didn’t want to talk about the reasons she was upset just yet.
It surprised her when Grayson’s voice came through the door. “Uh, Lauren, I know I upset you. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
She didn’t really know what to say. “I’m fine. We can talk later.”
She thought she heard him sigh. “Will you please open the door?”
Something in his tone changed her mind. She paused a moment before answering. She couldn’t refuse him. “Okay.”
She rose from the bed and walked over to open the door. His contrite little-boy expression softened her just a bit more. “What is it?”
“I just want to apologize for making you feel like you were in the dark. I really thought that maybe the less you knew, the better it would be for you if we were to become separated or something. I see now that wasn’t fair. Forgive me?” He stuck out a hand. She looked at it in amusement.
“It’s okay. It’s possible I might have overreacted a bit.” She took his offered hand, feeling silly until his touch sparked an electrical reaction in her. She jerked her hand back.
He looked down at his hand, as if he, too, felt a little confused. “No, you didn’t. You have every right to know what is happening, and I need to remember that. I shouldn’t be so insensitive.
“We just learned that Romine has contacted Senator Reid, asking for ransom money for his daughter’s safe return. The senator is reluctant to comply, considering the circumstances. We feel that’s why they’ve become so aggressive with trying to get Lily, as well.” Grayson’s voice was level but concerned.
He finally looked up from his hand and straight into her eyes. Tenderness shone in his blue eyes, and her heart gave a little thud. Uh-oh. Good thing this was a temporary arrangement.
“I’m sure you aren’t accustomed to people being so nosy.” She gave a little laugh. “It probably seems silly to you. You deal with this stuff every day.”
“You aren’t nosy or silly.” He paused a moment. “You’re smart, and having your help will be a privilege.”
“I haven’t had a lot of time to be anything else.” She smiled to soften the statement.
“Lauren, I know it probably isn’t any of my business, but what happened to make you so wary of me? You don’t seem to want to trust me. Did someone hurt you?” He looked afraid of the answer.
“No. Not like that, anyway. I was married.” She paused to look him in the eye. “He—died. But I had already been to see a lawyer. He was very, um, controlling. He didn’t want me to have a life of my own. Everything had to revolve around him.”
Grayson frowned. “I promise if I ask you to do something, it will be for your protection. I might not always have time to explain, under the circumstances, but you can trust me.”
She nodded. “You’ve never been married?”
His expression turned fierce. “No. My parents had a rocky marriage. I had a close call once, but Rebecca also proved to be a bad idea. She wasn’t who I thought she was. I haven’t dated since we broke off our engagement.”
“Ouch. I guess you’re glad you found out before the wedding, though.”
She watched as he hesitated. She couldn’t help wondering if he was
trying to decide how much to tell her. “Yes, I was glad things turned out the way they did. She betrayed me, but I managed to salvage the situation before anyone was seriously injured.”
Lauren reached for his arm. “What do you mean?”
When he raised his eyes, they were full of anguish. It made Lauren regret asking the question, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She was about to tell him he didn’t have to talk about it when he spoke again.
“She was an informant. A spy. And I fell for her act. She had everyone believing her innocent kindergarten-teacher act. A bunch of local church ladies thought it would be cute to get us together.”
He paused for so long, Lauren thought he might not go on. He finally did. “She almost got my whole team killed on a mission to bust a drug house because she had told them we were coming. We got to the decrepit old house, and I knew something was wrong. The usual signs of a bust were off. It smelled like cigarettes, and all I could think of was the way Rebecca had always tried to sneak around and smoke, even though she knew I didn’t like it. That was the last thing I remembered thinking before everything went south. They were waiting on us with AK-47s.”
Lauren was shocked into silence for a moment. “She set a trap for you?”
His eyes took on a troubled look. “Yes. We almost didn’t get out without losing everyone on the team. Four guys were seriously injured.”
“Including you?”
“Yeah. Including me. By the time I got out of the hospital, she had her act all planned out. She tried to make it sound like she had been forced into it. I didn’t have enough on her to throw her in jail.” Was he wondering how he would have felt if she had gone to prison?
“So you just broke things off with her, and she went free?”
Grayson nodded. “There was nothing else I could do. She’s out there somewhere, though, free to pull the same stunt on another unsuspecting man. I never saw it coming.”
His anguish was apparent in every word, so she tried to soothe him. “It’s okay. You had no way of knowing you couldn’t trust her.”