by Barb Han
Domestic violence was a serious issue. Amber had heard from Zach countless times those calls were the most dangerous. Domestic violence calls and traffic stops ranked up there as the most threatening to officers.
Still. Every one of Amber’s brothers would stop to help any person in need. There’d be no question. She could tell by the way Rylan tensed that he would’ve done the same. That was his personality. He might be the type to move around and never settle in one place for long but he wouldn’t turn down anyone who asked him for a hand.
“What happened next?” Deputy Perry kept the interview on target.
“She got a panicked look. Started looking from side to side like someone might jump out from behind the gas pump. I’d finished my business so I told her that I had to go inside and pay. I told her to come with me and call someone. That’s when she took off running.” He paused another beat. “I figured that was the last I’d see of her or her baby. But when my back was turned she sneaked the baby in the driver’s seat and took off.”
“How’d you remember the address?” Perry made a good point.
“Easy. My mom moved out that way when she and my pops divorced. I’d been over there more than a few times to visit. Mom used to live next door to Mrs. Parker.” Chess seemed satisfied with himself for the answer.
Amber turned to face Zach. “Any chance he could be him?”
“He would’ve been the last one to see her alive if the victim turns out to be Brooklyn’s mother, which makes him our top suspect,” Zach stated. “And he just admitted to being familiar with the area.”
“I picked up on that, too.” A shiver raced down Amber’s back. She turned and studied the man sitting at the table. Would she even know if she was staring at a killer?
“Does your mother still live at the same address?” There was a slight difference to Perry’s voice. She doubted Chess picked up on it.
“No, sir. She moved two years ago.” If Chess was the Jacobstown Hacker, would he admit to knowing the area so freely? “My stepdad got work in Houston so they headed south.”
“Do you come back to Jacobstown to visit friends?”
“Didn’t have any. I’d stop by my mother’s for lunch on Sunday a couple times a month. We didn’t go out. I’d watch the game with Paul, her husband, and then head home,” he admitted.
Zach’s phone pinged. He checked the screen. “Coroner is sending over pictures of the victim.”
Amber searched Rylan’s face. He may not have had a relationship with the woman who could very well be the victim, but that didn’t mean this would be easy. He’d spent time with her. They’d had a child. Granted, he didn’t know about Brooklyn until two days ago, but a child connected people whether they wanted to be or not. She thought about the child she’d lost. About her ex, Red Coker. Losing their child had broken their relationship. Every time she thought about what happened to her baby, she ached. The pain hit her full force, like it had happened yesterday.
She shoved the thoughts down deep and refocused on Zach, who was pulling up an image on his phone.
He must’ve texted the deputy in the next room because he told Chess to sit tight and then left the room.
Chess fidgeted with his hands before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. His right leg was going a mile a minute.
Zach stared at the image on his phone as he shared it with Rylan.
“There’s no birthmark on her neck,” Rylan pointed out. “It can’t be her.”
“Can I see? I might be able to help.” She handed the baby to Rylan before walking over and standing next to her cousin. She wanted to protect the innocence of the child even though Brooklyn would have no idea what she was looking at. It didn’t take but a second to recognize the victim. “I know who she is. That’s Breanna Griswold.”
Zach muttered a curse under his breath. “I remember that family.”
“They moved away a few years ago saying they wanted a fresh start after Breanna got into trouble here. We were in the same grade in school, but we didn’t hang out. She used to skip a lot. I think she got held back for nonattendance after freshman year of high school. I always felt so bad for her. She seemed sad all the time.” Amber had invited her to sit together at lunch, but Breanna flat-out refused. “She kept to herself and never socialized. I saw her a few times hanging out with the McFarland boys, and we all know they turned out to be bad news.”
Rylan suddenly got very still. She remembered overhearing a fight between him and Will about those brothers years ago. She figured this wasn’t the time to reopen those old wounds. It was obvious by Will’s actions earlier that he hadn’t forgiven Rylan for whatever happened between them in the past.
She turned to Rylan. “Did you know her?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea why she would’ve been on the ranch.”
Brooklyn tried to jam her entire fist inside her mouth. She started fidgeting in Rylan’s arms.
“She’s probably getting hungry,” Amber stated, ignoring the look Zach issued. He could look all he wanted. It wouldn’t stop her from getting to know Rylan’s daughter. Besides, that man needed a hand if anyone did. He admittedly had no idea how to take care of a child. He didn’t exactly have time to learn, either. She’d literally been thrust in his arms two days ago. “Can I help you get a bottle ready in the break room?”
Rylan glanced at Zach. “I don’t want to get in the way of a family discussion.”
He must’ve picked up on the feeling of being the monkey in the middle. She wasn’t trying to put him in that position.
“Zach, you have anything else you want to say to me?” Amber’s balled fist was on her hip now.
Her cousin shot a defeated look toward her. “I’m good.”
“Then it’s settled. I can take you to the break room. There’s a microwave in there where we can heat up her bottle.” Amber motioned for Rylan to follow. She thought about the offer to keep Brooklyn at the ranch and figured the idea deserved more consideration.
With a glance in Zach’s direction, Rylan joined her in the hallway. He turned back to the sheriff. “Let me know if Chess says anything worth hearing.”
“You bet.”
“I can take her or the diaper bag. Which is a better help?” Rylan asked.
“You want to hold this muffin so I can figure out how to heat her bottle in that microwave? I never come here anymore,” she admitted.
Brooklyn fussed the minute her daddy took her in his arms. “I don’t think she likes me very much.”
“You’ll get the hang of it, Rylan. Give yourself a chance. The two of you just met.” Amber looked at the baby, who was working up to belt out another cry. Her heart fisted while everything inside Amber rushed to comfort the baby. Yeah, she was in deep trouble. “I’ll take her back and you can make the bottle.”
“She met you after me.” Rylan admitted defeat as he handed over the little girl. He followed Amber down the hallway and into the break room.
Amber rattled off instructions for heating the bottle as she rocked Brooklyn, offering what little comfort she could when all the baby really wanted to do was fill her belly.
Fifteen minutes and one crazy messed-up bib later, Brooklyn was sucking on a bottle of formula. It was dangerous to get too attached, Amber thought. And then she looked into those beautiful brown eyes that looked so much like the baby’s daddy.
Thoughts of Breanna struck, of her family and how they would have to hear the worst news ever. Now Breanna’s parents would suffer the heartbreak no parent should ever have to endure. Granted, Amber didn’t wish that particular brand of pain on anyone. Having heard rumors about the family, she knew they wouldn’t be described as close-knit. Did that really matter?
To her thinking, pain was pain. Loss was loss. And she wished she’d made even more of an effort to reach out to Breanna back in school. Would it have made
a difference? Amber would like to think that everyone’s actions could. Was she living in a fantasy world?
Maybe she didn’t want to live in a world where they didn’t.
Looking at Brooklyn, at her innocence, Amber had to believe that everyone could make a difference in someone else’s life. She would already do anything for the little girl in her arms. The thought was dangerous.
Could she open up her heart again?
Chapter Twelve
Rylan studied Amber as Brooklyn slept against her chest. Ellen Haiden, Zach’s secretary, had dimmed the lights in the break room, and Amber had moved to a leather club couch that was backed up against the east facing wall.
“I’m sorry about your friend,” Rylan said.
“That’s the thing—she wasn’t.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“She had trouble at home. I heard rumors that she had it pretty rough. I invited her to sit at my lunch table, but she refused. I gave up even though I knew I shouldn’t have.” Her voice was laced with regret.
“How old were you?”
“I was in ninth grade. Old enough to know better,” she said.
“Most kids that age can’t be bothered to think about anyone but themselves. The fact that you noticed says how special you are.” He took a seat on the arm of the couch and touched her cheek. Outside of the break room, activity was a blur. Here, with Amber, time seemed to slow and the setting felt intimate. It was just her. Being with her stirred places inside him. He still wasn’t ready to figure out what that meant, but he was intrigued. No one had ever held his attention like she did. He’d never felt a draw this strong or wanted to reach out and touch a woman this badly.
And that’s where he put on the brakes.
Amber was a friend, probably his only friend. He didn’t need to go messing around with that. As long as he was in Jacobstown, and for the first time in his life he was thinking about sticking around somewhere more than a minute, he needed that friend.
Part of him wanted to say that he needed her, but he shut it down before it could gain any traction. Rylan didn’t need anyone. He did, however, appreciate her help. So he wouldn’t repay her kindness by taking her to bed, even though she gave him signs and his body tried to convince him it wouldn’t end in disaster.
Besides, Will hated Rylan enough already. He didn’t want to hurt his former best friend any further.
When Rylan had called Amber, he thought he was asking for a favor that might last a couple of hours. He never would’ve signed her up for what was going on. “You sure you want to keep doing this?”
“Doing what?” She bit back a yawn.
“Stick with me. I realize you’re in danger, Amber. And you have a heart bigger than Texas, which is saying a lot. But there are places you could go to be safe,” he said.
“Where? Like the ranch?” She twisted her mouth. “Look how well that worked out for Breanna.”
She made a point. And he was still trying to figure out why she would’ve been on the family’s ranch in the first place.
“Besides, Rylan, how do you know you didn’t save my life?”
Now she was going overboard. “What does that mean exactly?”
“If I’d been on the ranch, that could’ve been me. This jerk was ready to strike. He’s been ready. He’s been biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity. What if that had been me out there instead of Breanna?” He couldn’t argue the logic. And he appreciated her trying to take the burden off him.
“I hear what you’re saying. We go back a long time,” he started, “so don’t take what I’m saying the wrong way. But I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you because you were helping me.”
She stared at him for a long moment. He expected her to put up a fight, but she seemed to be contemplating his words instead. She pursed full pink lips, and then she spoke. “I understand.”
Silence sat between them, and he gave her a minute to rethink her position.
“I hear you, Rylan. I do. You’ve said it more than once. No matter how much this investigation heats up, I’m committed to helping you and this baby. You have a family, Rylan. How wonderful is that?” She put her hand up before he could comment. “Granted, I know the circumstances are not ideal. We’ll find this baby’s mother and figure out who she’s running from. But at the end of the day you have a healthy and beautiful baby girl. That’s a blessing some people never get.”
Her words, her loss, was a gut punch. He must seem pretty damn selfish to her, considering she’d lost a child. He couldn’t argue the point that Brooklyn was a beautiful kid. He had bigger fears about what the child’s mother had gotten all of them into. From the sound of Chess’s statement, Brooklyn’s mother was scared half out of her mind. “We don’t have any idea what’s really going on. If I have a chance to protect you from it, I will.”
“I know that, Rylan. I appreciate the fact that you care. Right now, you need me. You don’t have the first idea how to take care of this little angel.” Amber held that child tight against her chest. It was easy to see that someone would need pliers to pry Brooklyn from Amber’s hands.
Rylan knew when he’d lost a battle. He wanted Amber’s help, just not at the risk of losing her.
So, he conceded the argument for now and paced while he waited for word from Zach.
A half hour ticked by while they waited for Chess to work with a sketch artist.
The man was scared and, better yet, willing to cooperate. He was also the last known person to see Brooklyn’s mother alive. Rylan could only hope she wasn’t physically harmed. After hearing the story from Chess, it was clear that Brooklyn’s mother was in serious danger.
About a year ago, Rylan remembered spending a lot of his leave time with a buddy. This was as good a time as any to make the phone call he’d been needing to make. Fishing out his cell, he told Amber about making the call and excused himself. It seemed wrong to talk about his time spent with another woman in front of her, like a betrayal.
Roger Hendricks answered on the first ring. “Rylan, man, are you in town?”
“Hey, Roger. Nah. I’m back in Jacobstown.”
“Yeah? I heard you got out. Thought you might be up for a party,” Roger said.
“Another time.” Rylan had no plans to follow up on that. “I was hoping you could help me out, bro.”
“Anything. You know I’d do anything for you, man,” came Roger’s response. The two had gone through basic training together before different deployments sent them to opposite ends of the world. They’d stayed in touch. Rylan had set his sight on elite forces, where Roger had served and then gotten the heck out, as he’d put it. His friend had said the only sand he wanted to see for the rest of his life was on a beach in the US. Rylan couldn’t blame the man. Places like Kandahar weren’t for everyone. “What’s up?”
“I’m trying to locate a woman—”
“Who am I? Tinder?” Roger joked.
“Funny, bro. It’s someone from last year. A friend of Sandy’s.” Sandy was Roger’s girlfriend.
“Ah, yeah, Sandy. We had a good time together. But, man, we broke up months ago,” he informed him.
“No worries, bro. What’s Sandy’s last name? Maybe I can find the person I’m looking for on her social media,” Rylan explained. “It’s important that I find her. I think she might be in some kind of trouble. I’d like to help her out.”
“Good thinking. Bonds is her last name,” Roger replied.
“Cool. Thanks, bro. I owe you one.” Rylan didn’t want to get into the whole baby business with his buddy. Not yet anyway. He was still coming to terms with the fact that he was that little girl’s father.
He ended the call and located Zach in his office. The sheriff had a serious expression as he studied his computer screen.
Rylan knocked on the doorjamb.
�
��Sorry, I didn’t see you standing there.” Zach seemed caught off guard. “I have the sketch.”
He motioned toward his desk and studied Rylan as he walked over and picked it up.
“I don’t know.” Rylan racked his brain. She seemed kind of familiar but he wasn’t certain. “It’s not ringing any bells.”
“Sorry,” Zach said. His tone said he meant it.
“I have the name of my buddy’s ex-girlfriend. I just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago. I might be able to use her social media page to locate our mystery woman. Do you have a tablet I can borrow? Amber and I can search social media sites and see what we can come up with,” Rylan said.
“Great idea.” Zach searched around on his desk, and had to move a couple of files before he uncovered a tablet. He held it up. “Here you go.”
Rylan thanked him and returned to the break room with the tablet in hand. He sat next to Amber. “Let’s see what we can find on this.”
“Who are we looking for?” Amber’s shoulder touched his, and he ignored the impact the contact had on him. When the time was right, he planned to address it. He also planned to see how far another kiss would take them even though he knew better than to go there in his mind.
“I have the name of one of Brooklyn’s mother’s friends. Sandy Bonds. I thought we could check social media now that we have a face to go on.”
He set the sketch of the mystery woman on his leg while he pulled up a popular social media site on the tablet and performed a search for Sandy Bonds. Several faces popped up. He searched each one until he recognized her.
“There she is. There’s Sandy Bonds.” Amber studied the page.
“Who has seven hundred–plus friends?” Rylan asked under his breath. Close friends he could count on one hand. Okay, maybe his best friend was sitting next to him. And that was another reason why he shouldn’t be thinking about the kiss they’d shared or wanting more than that from her.