by Sommer Smith
“No, it wasn’t okay. It’s my job to know. I could have gotten us all killed.”
“Well, no lasting harm was done, though, right? Everyone recovered?”
“Yeah. Everyone survived, but it was a lesson learned.”
She only hesitated a moment before embracing him. To her surprise, he allowed it.
“I turned to God after that. I knew then I couldn’t forgive myself on my own. I could only do so in Him.”
Lauren wanted to sob for him, but she managed to hold it in and stay strong. “I’m so glad you did, Grayson.”
“To this day, I can’t stand the smell of cigarettes.” He squeezed her to him, and she felt relief, along with some tender emotion she couldn’t name, just knowing he had shared something so personal with her. His story tugged at her heart.
And it made him that much more of a hero in her eyes.
* * *
Grayson had left with Cole to check the status of the case not long after that. She was still mulling over his story—and how much it explained—when he returned with news.
“I thought you’d want to know I have an update on the external workings of the case.”
“Oh? What is that?” Lauren was interested but a bit distracted from their prior conversation.
“We had a team sent out to Romine’s brother’s ranch, but they found the place deserted. But the research Cole has been doing nonstop to avoid Shayla is paying off. It seems that while Savannah Reid hasn’t been in any trouble herself, she has a friend whom she has helped evade several charges—including drug ones—against her. That particular friend happens to live in Texas, just a short drive from Romine’s ranch. We think she may be involved.” Grayson frowned.
“Do you think that’s where they have taken Savannah?” Lauren pressed, even though she already suspected this was the case. She nodded, her eyes searching his face.
“It’s a good possibility. We’re working on finding a link between Savannah’s friend and Romine, as well.” Grayson started to leave. “We’re trying to get this over with as soon as possible.”
“I appreciate that. I’d like to get back to my normal life sooner rather than later.” Lauren gave a little laugh, but it held no humor. Really, though, she was beginning to think this wasn’t so bad. Taking care of Lily was a joy, Shayla was making her more comfortable, and Grayson was growing on her.
Grayson nodded. “I know you would. It shouldn’t be too long.”
But the hours were creeping by, and Lauren knew it wasn’t going to get any better until the kidnapper was caught.
SIX
Lily’s cries awakened Lauren in the middle of the night. Rising from the warm bed, Lauren gathered the baby next to her as she headed for the kitchen to warm a bottle. At first, she was groggy and just wanted to take care of Lily’s 1:00 a.m. feeding, but when she walked through the living room on the way to the kitchen, she saw a shadow move outside the window.
Sucking in a breath, she clutched Lily close and turned to sprint back up the stairs to wake Grayson. But before she could launch in that direction, a strong hand grabbed her by the arm. A squeak was out before he was able to quiet her. She let out a sigh. He must have heard her get up and followed her downstairs.
“You scared me, Grayson,” she said in a loud whisper. He turned toward her with a finger to his lips just as glass shattering in the living room set off the alarm.
He had released her and pulled his Glock before Lauren could even react. “Get the baby out of here. She’s too exposed in the living room with all these windows. Take her to Shayla’s bedroom. Hurry.”
Her body began to move even before her mind could fully comprehend what was happening. Her arms tightened around Lily while she tried to process where she was going. Even as she debated, Cole and Shayla appeared from their corners of the house. Shayla took charge, hustling Lauren and the baby into a small closet.
“I’m sorry. It’s going to be tight, but I’ll be right here to let you out as soon as the threat is neutralized.” Shayla’s words were reassuring, the lilt of her voice belying her fiercely defensive stance. “We don’t have time to find a better hiding place.”
Lauren clutched Lily to her chest, wishing she had something more than the pacifier to soothe the baby. It was unlikely that it would satisfy the child for long, and if the objective was to keep their location secret, Lily’s unhappy cries would be sure to give them away.
The sounds coming from outside the closet held no reassurance for her, either. Shouting and scuffing ensued for what seemed like far too long. Lily fussed a bit, and Lauren did her best to rock her and encourage her to take the pacifier. She just knew they were about to be discovered.
Finally, things went still, and Lauren could hear Cole saying that he had the intruder secured. A few minutes passed and she could only assume the marshals were clearing the property to ensure there was no other threat. She didn’t like the way she was beginning to feel at being closed up. The air was heavy, too dense. The intense darkness pressed around her, and her nerve endings seemed hypersensitive. Her hold on the baby felt like more than she could maintain. Her breathing quickened. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on slowing down her breaths.
“Lauren, are you okay?”
She hadn’t realized the door had opened and Grayson was standing there, scrutinizing her. An instantaneous heat flooded her cheeks. The man always seemed to catch her at her worst.
“Yes. Just ready to get out of here.” She tried to push past him with the remarkably calm baby.
“Are you claustrophobic?” His curious expression was charming.
“No. I mean, yes. I mean—Well... I didn’t think so, but I guess I am.” Her pulse was still pounding, and his close scrutiny wasn’t helping.
His lips curled to one side in an expression that wasn’t quite a smile, but also wasn’t his normal, flat countenance.
Lily intervened at last, drawing their attention with a sudden outburst.
Grayson winced. “Well, I guess being locked in a closet is one way to find out. I sent Shayla to get a bottle ready for the baby.”
“Thanks.” Lauren shifted the tiny bundle in her arms and Grayson reached for her.
“Let me take her. You look a little pale.”
Lauren allowed him to take Lily, rubbing her over-sensitized arms as soon as they were free. She breathed fresh air deeply into her lungs, letting her eyelids close once more for a second.
“Go back to bed. We can handle Lily.” Grayson sounded a bit curt and her eyes popped open in surprise.
“I’m fine. I mean, I will be in just a second. Besides, I doubt I could sleep.” She didn’t want to abandon Lily right now. Even though she knew Shayla was perfectly capable with the baby, Lauren wanted to keep her close. The possibility of someone taking her was now just too real to let the infant out of her sight.
A thought occurred to her then. “What happened to the intruder?” She hadn’t heard anyone leave, but she also hadn’t seen Cole.
“Cole took him to the basement for questioning. It’s quieter with fewer distractions down there.” Grayson started walking toward the kitchen, presumably to check on Shayla’s progress with the bottle.
“He doesn’t care for crying babies, huh?” Lauren found that thought amusing. Boy, had he landed in the wrong assignment.
“I think it was more about avoiding Shayla.” There was amusement in his tone, as well.
Lauren giggled. “What’s the deal with that?”
“He doesn’t know how to handle her. He calls her Little Miss Sunshine.” Grayson had stopped walking, probably so that Shayla wouldn’t overhear their conversation.
“She isn’t that bad!” Lauren burst out laughing.
“No, but Cole can be Mr. Doom and Gloom himself.” Grayson frowned as if to emphasize his point.
Shayla appeared then, coming o
ut of the kitchen. “Are you talking about Cole? He could make the Grim Reaper look pleasant. Someone should really get that man to lighten up.”
Grayson and Lauren exchanged a glance.
“He just takes his job seriously,” Grayson said.
“He takes everything seriously. Too seriously. He wouldn’t know fun if it knocked him over the head.” Shayla handed over the bottle. “Let me take the baby. You can take a breather, maybe get some tea or a snack.”
Grayson grinned as Shayla turned to him. “You’re leaving it to me to help Cole with the interrogation? Don’t you want to do it?”
“Cole wouldn’t welcome my interference.” She rolled her eyes before focusing her attention on Lily.
“Exactly. So where’s the fun in that?” Grayson reached for Lily. “Don’t cut him any breaks.”
Shayla sighed, snuggling Lily before handing her over. “Fine. You get to have all the fun.”
But her wink said she was going to enjoy annoying Cole just as much.
* * *
The man who had broken into the house sat rigidly in a straight-backed chair facing Cole. He was big and burly in every sense of the word. His chest muscles bulged beneath his shirt, his secured arms pushing them forward because his hands were cuffed behind his back. He wasn’t looking at Cole, but his expression was nothing short of mean.
Grayson expected to hear an occasional growl coming from something so angry-looking. He hadn’t expected the hired man to be so sullen.
Since Lauren held the now sleeping Lily, Grayson made sure she was settled out of the way where he could keep an eye on them both, but the man they were questioning didn’t have a good view of them.
“Things will go a lot easier on you if you’ll just talk.” Cole looked almost as angry as the bear of a man avoiding eye contact with him from the chair.
The man didn’t speak, didn’t even look at him.
When Grayson approached, Cole looked his way.
“Nothing?” Grayson ventured, his brow creasing.
“Not a word.” Cole shook his head. “Might as well be mute.”
Grayson picked up the wallet they had found on the man and a photo fell out while he looked at the man’s ID. A woman and small child stared up at him. Grayson picked it up.
“Jonathan Paretti. Native of Texas.” He held up the photo with two fingers. “Your wife and child?”
The man dared a glance in his direction, his expression altering slightly. Was that a flicker of concern? He still didn’t speak.
Shayla nodded and picked up the questioning.
“I’m sure they need you at home. You probably took this job because Romine offered you a lot of money, and no doubt you wanted to make a better life for them.” She paused. The man wasn’t looking at anyone, but judging by Paretti’s expression, he could hear everything just fine.
Lauren listened intently. When Paretti looked her way, Grayson tensed, wondering if he had misjudged her position out of eyesight. He moved to where the guy sat and double-checked. Relief filled him when he was sure the guy couldn’t see them. He knew Paretti wasn’t a threat now that he was in custody, but he didn’t like thinking he might know anything about Lauren, just the same.
Cole chimed in. “I’m sure it didn’t feel like you were doing anything wrong, since the child is Romine’s daughter. He probably told you we were holding her hostage to try to get to him, or something like that.”
Grayson nodded. “It’s sad to have to protect a child from her father. But he seems to think her grandfather will give up some cash to save her life. We just got word that he is trying to ransom the senator’s daughter. Probably plans to use the baby if that doesn’t work. That just goes to show you that the man has no loyalty to anyone but himself. This is his own flesh and blood we’re talking about here.”
He could see the thoughts churning in the man’s head. Paretti’s eyes widened.
“Now, I don’t know...” Cole picked up the dialogue. “Maybe you’ve worked for Romine before. If so, I hope he compensated you well, because our people are currently looking into your record. But if you are refusing to talk out of loyalty to Romine, I hope you realize he wouldn’t do the same for you. I have heard that he turned on his own brother. So if you’re thinking it’s just the kid...well, I wouldn’t count on it.”
Grayson stepped toward him. “If you want to make sure your wife and kid don’t pay the price when Romine finds out you’ve failed, you’d better start talking fast. We can only protect them if you help us out.”
For a second, he thought the man would still refuse to talk. But then his gaze landed on the family photo that Grayson still held in his hand. “I’ll talk. Just keep my family safe.”
Cole almost smiled. “Good. Where do we find Romine?”
“I—I don’t know anything about Romine. The guy who hired me gave me a burner phone he uses to contact me. I have no way to contact him. I’ve never met Arnie Romine. I don’t even know if it’s him.” Paretti frowned.
“Okay, then. Where were you supposed to take the baby if you succeeded?” Grayson put a hand on one hip.
“Uh, just to a gas station outside town. Then someone was supposed to meet me and take her off my hands.” He shrugged.
“How were you supposed to know who to give her to?” Grayson checked to see that Cole, ever the meticulous one, was getting it all down. He was.
“She was going to say ‘It’s a nice night for a drive,’ and I would say ‘I love the lake this time of year’ so she would know it was me. Then we were to switch vehicles with the baby inside. The rest of my money would come through after they got the kid and I returned the vehicle to the rental lot.” Paretti looked annoyed now. No telling how much money he had been promised.
“So it was a woman you were supposed to meet?” Cole asked. “Did she know what you look like?”
“No. Neither of us was given any further information. The gas station is secluded and not busy this time of night.” He shrugged one massive shoulder. “I guess he thought we wouldn’t run into anyone else.”
Cole and Grayson exchanged a glance. “Is there a way the man who hired you would know if you were captured?” Cole asked.
“Only if I didn’t show up.”
Grayson nodded at Cole. “Perfect. Where’s your car?”
“It’s in the woods, up the hill on a side road. Hey, what are you gonna do? What about my family?” His face was turning red.
“Calm down, Mr. Paretti. We’re taking care of it.” Cole rose to conclude the questioning. “You can give your information to Marshal Thorpe here, and he will send out protection. Meanwhile, I’m going to get you some insurance that nothing happens to them before he gets the chance.”
Cole strode out of the room, and Paretti began to calm a little as Grayson verified the address on his ID, then took down everything he could tell him about his family that might help keep them safe. When he had finished, Grayson called headquarters and dispatched a team to Paretti’s home to provide protection for the man’s wife and daughter.
“Hey, Marshal, can I give her a call? She will be scared if I don’t talk to her. Let me call my wife.” Concern filled the man’s eyes. He didn’t look nearly as mean now.
Compassion flooded Grayson. It was risky. What if the man didn’t do what he said he would? What if he called someone else? He could be lying about not knowing how to contact Romine. Or they could have an emergency plan in place in case he was captured.
Grayson looked the guy over, seeing not the hired thug who’d tried to kidnap a child for money, but the desperate man who wanted to provide for his family. Yet it went against all the wisdom he possessed. Even something as simple as the man calling his wife could be some sort of signal that things had gone awry. He couldn’t risk it.
“I’m sorry. I’ll let you call her as soon as this is all taken care of. But I can�
�t take the risk of allowing you to make a phone call right now. There are too many lives at stake.” Grayson didn’t have to try to sound sympathetic. He wished he could trust the guy.
“Will I be released? Or am I going to jail?” Paretti sounded tired now.
“I’ll have to take you in for further questioning, but we will get you a good deal.” Grayson didn’t say any more. All they really had on the guy was breaking and entering, even though they knew he’d been after the baby. He hadn’t gotten to her, thanks to Lauren and Shayla’s quick thinking.
Cole returned with Shayla on his heels. “Let’s go, Thorpe. I’ll explain on the way.”
Grayson nodded. He turned to Lauren briefly. “Shayla will make sure you and Lily are safe until we return.”
Cole actually smiled as they left, leading the way as Grayson carried the “baby,” which was actually a sack of flour bundled up to look like the child.
“Are you losing it, man? You’re smiling.” Grayson shook his head. “We could be walking into a trap.”
“I’m smiling because we’re leaving that bum to have to listen to Little Miss Sunshine until we get back. Serves him right.” He chuckled—actually chuckled. Grayson had never heard anything faintly resembling mirth come from the man.
Grayson was still shaking his head. “Yep. You’ve lost it.”
“Nope. Just glad to be getting out of that house. And she’s bound to annoy Paretti.” Cole was practically skipping.
“Dude. Shayla really isn’t that bad. She doesn’t annoy anyone but you. I think you have another problem with her.” Grayson laughed.
Cole froze. “Like what?”
Grayson gave him a little shove to get him moving again. “That you like her.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She drives me crazy.” He almost snarled the words.
“Exactly.”
Cole looked shell-shocked. He shook his head and picked up his pace. “That’s stupid.”
But his voice didn’t hold nearly as much conviction as before.