by Rita Herron
But Drew’s anguish and shock seemed too real to be faked. The man literally looked physically ill.
Jacob’s phone buzzed as he climbed the mountain. Liam. He pressed Connect. “I’m driving. You’re on speaker.”
“I got your message about Hilary Westbrook. We’re closing in on Muldoon. If he faked adoption papers for Alice, he’s been at this a lot longer than we thought.”
“Good. We’re on our way to find Hilary,” Jacob said.
Drew made a pained sound in his throat.
“Drew’s with me. Hilary’s family owns a cabin in the northern part of the mountains. We’re on our way there now.”
A tense heartbeat passed. “Send me the coordinates and I’ll meet you there. This woman sounds dangerous.”
Jacob glanced at Drew, who gave a nod as if consenting for Liam to provide backup.
“I don’t know the exact address,” Jacob told him.
Drew cleared his throat. “The house is owned by Selma and Wilton Jones,” Drew said. “It’s off Route 5.”
“Thanks. I’m on my way.”
The line went dead, and Jacob glanced at Drew, his stomach twisting. “She won’t hurt Cora or the little girl, will she?”
Drew looked at him blankly. “I have no idea. If she stole Alice, apparently I don’t know my wife at all.”
* * *
“PLEASE, HILARY,” CORA PLEADED. “Think of Drew. When he learns what you did, he’ll want to know where his daughter is. If you hurt her or Faye, or me, he won’t be able to forgive you.”
“He won’t find out,” Hilary screamed. “He won’t, because you’ll be dead and Faye and her daughter will be gone.” She glared at Faye. “And if Faye tells anyone, I’ll kill her, too.”
“Put the gun down,” Faye said. “You don’t have to kill anyone, Hilary. Cora can go away just like me, move to another state, and your secret will be safe.”
“You’re lying,” Hilary bellowed. “You and Cora will go to the police!”
She swung the gun toward Cora and aimed. Faye suddenly lunged at Hilary. Cora screamed, “No!”
Faye tried to knock the gun from Hilary’s hand, and they struggled. She pushed Hilary against the wall, but the gun went off. Faye cried out and collapsed, one hand clawing at Hilary. Hilary shoved her away, and Faye dropped to the floor, her hand covering her chest where blood gushed.
Hilary staggered from the wall, her face etched in shock, her hand jerking as she still clenched the gun.
Cora ran to Faye, dropped down, then grabbed a pillow from the sofa and pressed it over Faye’s chest. She placed Faye’s hand on top of the pillow. “Keep pressure on it, Faye. I’ll call for help.”
“Save Nina,” Faye reached for her hand. “Save our daughter, Cora. Please. Save her and love her for me.”
Tears burned Cora’s eyes. She wanted to help Faye, but she had to rescue Nina from this madwoman. Then she could phone an ambulance.
Hilary was staring at her gun hand and the blood, as if she was dazed and confused. Cora had to hurry.
She jumped up and ran down the hall. “Nina?” she called as she entered the first bedroom.
No answer. Please, dear God, Hilary hadn’t hurt her, had she?
Trembling with fear, she tried the closet, but it was empty. Adrenaline pumped through her, and she ran to the last bedroom. “Nina, if you’re in here, call out!”
Silence.
Fear drove her to cross the room, and she checked that closet. Nothing. Terror pounded in her heart.
She ran back to the hall and noticed a door, then opened it. An attic. She raced up the steps, the darkness engulfing her and adding to her terror. “Nina?”
A low sound. A cry.
Cora almost burst into a sob. She had to get Nina out of here. She raced across the room and opened the door to another closet. It was so dark inside she could hardly see.
“Nina?”
A whimper.
“Nina, it’s Cora Reeves are you in there, honey?”
“Ms. Reeves?”
It was the faintest whisper of her name, but relief surged through Cora. She knelt and reached out her hand. “Come on, sweetie, we have to hurry!”
Nina took her hand. The little girl’s fingers were icy, and her legs almost gave way. Tears tracked her cheeks, but Cora gave her a quick hug.
“Where’s Mommy?” she cried.
I’m right here, Cora said silently. But Nina was talking about Faye. “We’re going to get out of here, then find her.”
She clasped Nina’s hand, ran down the steps, then veered down the hall toward the rear. But just as she and Nina reached the back door, Hilary pressed a gun to Cora’s temple.
“Walk into the woods,” Hilary ordered.
“Ms. Reeves,” Nina cried.
Cora squeezed Nina’s hand and pulled her against her. “Stay close to me, sweetie.”
“Walk,” Hilary ordered.
Cora scanned the dark woods, debating what to do. If they made it deeper into the trees, she could trip Hilary up, then she and Nina could run back to the car.
She’d just found her daughter. She couldn’t lose her.
She wrapped one arm around Nina’s small shoulders. Nina’s body was shaking, her lower lip quivering. She wanted her mommy, Faye. But Cora had no idea if Faye was still alive.
One step. Two. She trudged deeper into the thicket of trees. Leaves crunched and twigs snapped beneath their feet. A breeze picked up, stirring the brush, and thunder boomed in the sky.
The sound of the water rippling over rocks echoed in the wind. Another few steps, and Hilary halted. Cora’s breath lodged in her throat. They’d reached the edge of a cliff.
She inhaled, desperate to save Nina. Alice. They were one and the same. All the letters she’d written to her daughter and the presents waited.
She turned, determined to make one more plea. “You can do anything you want with me, Hilary, but promise me you won’t hurt Nina.”
“You just couldn’t give up, could you?” Hilary said in a rage-filled whisper. “If your little girl dies, it’s your fault.”
Then Hilary raised the gun and fired.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jacob eased up the drive to Hilary’s cabin, scanning the area for an ambush. Hilary was a desperate woman. It was possible she’d hired someone to help her escape justice.
Her husband was a criminal defense attorney. He knew people who would work for hire. She’d worked at his law firm and knew how to access information. She could have snuck into Drew’s files or on his computer at any time.
Cora’s car was parked behind a gray SUV.
“That’s Hilary’s car. She drives it instead of the minivan when she meets her friends,” Drew said in a strained tone. “Do you want me to call her?”
Jacob debated on the effectiveness of a call as compared with a surprise attack.
“I think seeing you in person might be our best bet. If she did all this for you, maybe you can get through to her.” Jacob narrowed his eyes. “But it could be dangerous.”
“I don’t care.” Anger sharpened his voice “I’ll do anything to save Alice.”
Jacob gave a clipped nod. “Her name is Nina now,” he said quietly. “That’s what the woman who adopted her calls her. Nina.”
Pain streaked Drew’s face. “Cora knows this now?”
“She suspected. We figured it out. I’m sure she came here to rescue your daughter.”
“God, she’s the strong one,” he said brokenly.
A gunshot blasted the air as Jacob climbed from his SUV, and pure terror seized him. Drew cursed and jumped from the vehicle.
“It came from the woods.” Jacob removed his service revolver from his holster and clutched it at the ready. Drew started ahead but Jacob grabbed his arm. “She’s armed, Westbrook.
Stay behind me.”
Drew growled another obscenity, and the two of them scrambled around the side of the house. The wind whistled, and lightning zigzagged above the trees.
The sound of a scream reverberated over the rustle of the branches. “That way.” Jacob hooked his finger toward the right and pushed Drew behind him again. He eased forward, ducking from tree to tree until he spotted Hilary, who was waving the gun like a crazy woman.
“You can’t hide forever!” she yelled. “I’ll find you and it’ll all be over.”
Drew lurched forward. “Hilary, stop it!” Drew shouted. “Drop the gun!”
Jacob searched the darkness for Cora and Nina but didn’t see them.
Hilary whirled toward her husband, eyes crazed. “What are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to come!”
Drew held up a warning hand, inching closer. “You kidnapped my baby five years ago, Hilary. How could you do that to me?”
“I loved you,” Hilary cried. “I always did. I was the one who was supposed to help you climb to the top, but you married that woman instead.”
Drew inched another step closer, his voice low. “So you stole my child to break up my marriage?”
“I had to show you that you were supposed to be with me,” Hilary said, her hand bobbing with the gun. “And then you did see...”
“You wrecked my life, and you devastated Cora. That was cruel, Hilary.” He fisted his hands by his sides.
Jacob braced his gun to shoot the woman, his gaze still scanning the woods.
Dear God, Cora had to be all right. He was in love with her. He had been for a long time. And he’d never told her how he felt.
They knew who her daughter was now. She had a chance to know her, to love her little girl, to make up for lost time.
“For God’s sake, Hilary,” Drew said. “Cora and I were crazy with worry and fear. We didn’t know if Alice was alive or dead. And you knew all along and stood by and watched us suffer.”
“I consoled you, then I helped you make partner. Don’t you see? Taking your baby was the best thing for you. It garnered you all kinds of publicity and sympathy.”
Rage filled Drew’s eyes. “I didn’t want to make partner by having people pity me.” He stepped closer. “You know I had nightmares about what might have happened to Alice. Terrible, horrible nightmares that she might be hurt or thrown away in a ditch somewhere.”
“I gave you a baby!” Hilary screamed, venom in her voice.
A movement to the left caught Jacob’s eyes, and he eased toward it. Relief surged through him when he spotted Cora stooped down, hiding behind a boulder. The little girl was tucked beneath Cora’s protective embrace. But where was Faye?
Jacob aimed his gun at Hilary, squared his shoulders and crept into the clearing. “It’s over, Hilary. Put the gun down and let’s end this peacefully. No one has to get hurt.”
“No, I can’t go to jail,” Hilary shouted.
Drew took another step toward her, but Hilary backed toward the cliff. She glanced over her shoulder, a strange look in her eyes. Jacob had seen that look before, the look of a criminal cornered and panicking. She was going to throw herself off the cliff.
“Hilary, please don’t,” Drew said, a calmness overcoming him. “Just think of our son. You don’t want him to remember you like this.”
She released a sob, her gun hand lowering, but inched backward.
Jacob raced forward and caught her just before she slipped over the edge.
He jerked the gun from her hand and tossed it into the dirt, then dragged her away from the cliff. She collapsed into a hysterical sobbing fit as Jacob snapped handcuffs around her wrists.
“Cora, it’s all right,” Jacob called. “You and Nina can come out now.”
Hilary rocked herself back and forth, crying while Drew’s gaze searched the woods.
A second later, Cora emerged from behind the boulder, carrying the little girl who was crying in her arms.
Brakes squealed, and the sound of an engine cut through the night. Liam. He was going into the house.
Cora looked at him with shock in her eyes.
“It’s over,” Jacob murmured. He wanted to go to her, but he had to guard Hilary.
Drew walked toward them, anguish, regret and awe on his face as Nina lifted her head.
“You didn’t give up, you found her,” Drew said in a raw whisper.
Cora nodded, although tears streamed down her face.
“I’m so sorry,” Drew said. “I...didn’t know. I swear I didn’t.”
Emotions colored Cora’s face, but when Drew held out his arms, she and Nina went into them.
Jacob’s heart squeezed. He had fulfilled his promise of reuniting Cora with her daughter.
Drew was the little girl’s father, though. He’d also essentially admitted that he still loved Cora. It was obvious he was hurting.
The little girl deserved to have both of her parents together.
If that was what Cora wanted.
He had to give her time. They also had to deal with Faye. Cora didn’t need pressure from him.
She needed to be with her little girl and make up for the years they’d missed.
* * *
CORA WAS SO happy that Nina was safe she could barely contain her emotions. Yet Faye was Nina’s mother. She pulled away from Drew and motioned to Jacob, mouthing that Faye was in the house.
A second later, Liam bolted through the woods. Jacob yelled out their location. Liam’s gun was drawn, but he lowered it when he saw Jacob had handcuffed Hilary.
“Faye?” Cora mouthed to Liam.
He shook his head, his expression grave, and fresh tears blurred Cora’s vision. She wanted Alice back, but she hadn’t wanted Faye to die.
Nina would be brokenhearted. Faye was the only mother she’d ever known.
“I’m so sorry, Cora, so sorry,” Drew murmured. He looked at Nina with such longing that Cora couldn’t help but find forgiveness in her heart.
Cora choked back a sob. Nina—Alice—was going to need all the love she could get.
The next few minutes passed in a blur. An ambulance arrived, and Liam oversaw a crime scene team as they collected Hilary’s gun and went in the house to process it.
The ME arrived and the ambulance loaded Faye’s body to transport to the morgue.
Cora rocked her daughter in her arms while she waited. The little girl was so exhausted she fell asleep on Cora’s shoulder.
“We’ll run DNA to verify that she is Alice,” Jacob told her.
“I’ll start the paperwork to make sure that Cora is deemed the legal guardian.” Drew stroked Cora’s arm. “You won’t ever be without your daughter again.”
Emotions choked Cora as she hugged Nina to her.
Drew looked lost, then he gestured to Cora’s car. “Sheriff, I’ll drive her home. I know you have to transport Hilary to jail.”
Jacob’s mouth tightened, but he agreed.
Hilary screamed Drew’s name, but he glared at her, then turned his back on her, took Cora’s arm and walked her and Nina to the car.
Cora looked back at Jacob, but he was all business. She hugged Nina to her, her heart soaring with happiness that she’d finally found Alice. The transition would be difficult for her baby, but she’d share the cards and presents and her letters, and help her daughter any way she needed.
Only now she had Alice back, did Jacob plan to walk out of her life?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Six weeks later
Jacob had stayed away from Cora to give her and Alice time to adjust and get acquainted. But he missed Cora so much he hadn’t slept in weeks. He dreamed of her. He fantasized about her. Hell, he’d even bought a damn ring.
A ring, for God’s sake, when for all he knew, she might be deep in bed with her former husba
nd, building back the family she’d lost.
He drove to her house anyway. He had to see for himself. He’d made up his mind he’d accept whatever she wanted, but his brothers had cornered him the night before during their weekly burger-and-beer night and told him he was a coward if he didn’t tell her how he felt.
They were right. He was a coward.
No. Correction. He had been a coward. Now he was on his way to her house to confess his feelings like a lovestruck fool.
Unless she opened the door with Drew on her arm.
Then he’d do what?
Fill them in on the case against Hilary. Tell her they’d arrested the man who’d shot at her, an ex-con Hilary had picked from one of Drew’s former client lists. Liam had also busted the child kidnapping ring and made several arrests.
Then he’d act like he wasn’t brokenhearted if she chose her damn ex over him.
Son of a bitch. Drew didn’t deserve her.
He swung his car into her drive, the twinkling stars above glittering like the diamond in his pocket. He stuffed his hand inside and ran his finger over the velvet box. He hoped she liked it.
Hell, he hoped she wanted it. And him.
Cora’s red SUV sat in the drive. He’d made sure her car was repaired and had it dropped off to her.
Drew’s Mercedes was not in the drive.
A good sign.
He inhaled a deep breath, climbed out and walked up to her house. The door opened before he knocked. Cora stood on the other side, looking beautiful in a T-shirt and denim shorts, her long hair draped over one shoulder.
He ached to run his fingers through the silky strands.
“Jacob?”
“Yeah.” Nice opening, idiot.
She shifted from foot to foot, her fingers curled around the doorjamb.
“Is Drew here?” he blurted.
Her brows bunched together in a frown. “No, why? Are you looking for him? Did Hilary get out of jail?”
He shook his head. “No, I just thought that Drew might be here. That the two of you, well, now that you have your little girl back, that you might...um...”