by Mimi Barbour
Soon the boss called on Aurora to explain certain elements, the parts she’d been involved in personally. Smart as a fox, he forced her to join in the conversation. Concentrating on the upcoming battle made sense and Kai felt indebted to Cory for his quick thinking.
Chapter Nineteen
Cory, driving like a madman with his lights flashing and noise deafening, pulled up behind a multitude of other police vehicles. The lack of activity told its own story. They knew exactly what they would find.
Nothing!
Disappointment made Aurora clench her teeth so hard it brought a new surge of tears to her eyes. God how she’d wanted to see that white Peterbilt surrounded by law enforcement. Hungering to hold Lily ate away at her insides and made her breasts swell painfully.
From the front seats, the men readied themselves to join the group.
Kai turned to her and asked; his voice considerate but flat. “You ready?” She saw the pain in his expression, the tightening around his mouth and knew he suffered.
She didn’t trust herself to speak so instead she nodded.
Flashlights, passed out between them, helped them walk over the uneven ground. Approaching the yellow tape with their badges in full sight didn’t get them beyond the boundary. Following orders, the young officer stayed them by holding his arms out. Only a roar from Cory towards the strutting peacock dressed like a SWAT general got them admitted.
Aurora heard the snarl growing in Kai’s chest before even a hint of it surfaced and wondered how she held her own cool. Frustration ate away all her civility. Pulling her gun and putting a bullet into that incompetent bastard, Haynes, began to seem like a really good idea.
How the hell they thought they’d keep a crime scene from being contaminated with so many people milling around, she’d never know. Half the vehicles could leave and take eighty percent of the personnel and it would still be too many.
Cory and Kai approached Haynes with questions. Aurora didn’t trust herself around the man who’d waited too long and ruined the best lead they had to getting Lily back safe. She would do her own investigating.
On the way to the warehouse, Cory had shared the earlier report he’d received from L.A. on Leon Chang-Lee, the half-brother who lived there. Seems the Feds had brought him into their office for questioning, and like any smart crook, he’d lawyered up. Needless to say, they’d failed to do anything other than warn the bastard. Now he’d crawl underground until the heat lifted.
Aurora’s people knew that it made sense for the Chang-Lee’s merchandise to be transported by sea and so they’d quietly investigated all vessels heading to China in the next few days. They’d paid special attention to any connected with the Chang-Lees and came up blank. Which of course meant squat. Papers could be falsified, and unless they searched every single container ship, they weren’t likely to find any damning evidence.
If successful, this raid would’ve been their best chance to gain evidence against the brothers and sever the whole operation. Shaking with tension, Aurora wandered around the perimeter to cool down.
The ache in her ears gave her the first clue and the when the low hum started she already knew why. Sure enough, tire tracks, like those she’d seen recently were plainly visible. Excitement revved her already fired up senses. She pulled her phone and called Cory.
“I need you here. You and Kai. Alone.” She saw him glance around until he spotted her, and with a nod to Haynes, he touched Kai’s arm and motioned him to follow. They nonchalantly walked over to where she stood.
“What’s up?” Cory looked primed and she supposed he’d picked something up in her voice.
“The Peterbilt was here. See those tracks? They’re an exact match to the ones at the crime scene by the scales. I studied them there, Cory. I’m sure. Can we get our team here to do the casting? “
“No can do, Aurora. Right now, it’s their jurisdiction. Granted, I’d like nothing better than to show up their incompetence, but we can’t take the chance on anyone messing with the prints either.” Cory thought for a moment and the disgust in his voice became even clearer. “We’ll have to point it out to them to be sure it’s taken care of. This is the kind of evidence that could win a case against some pretty bad characters.”
Kai finally spoke up, and from the sound of the disgust in his voice, his aversion matched Cory’s. “On the way here you said that you think the trucker has human cargo. What makes you think he’s kidnapped the babies?”
Aurora replied. “Not saying he’s the one who kidnaps them, but we believe he has them in the truck and most likely is supposed to deliver them somewhere. Problem is every road’s been blocked. The helicopters are searching the outlying trails and every white truck is being searched.”
Cory added, “Ham had a long talk with the Nellis scale operator and he mentioned that the driver dumped a bunch of dirty diapers in his garbage can. Pissed him off so much he remembered it and since he was already complaining to Ham about the driver’s shitty attitude, this came up.” His grin didn’t reach his eyes. “No pun intended.”
Aurora added. “The driver most likely came here to pick up more cargo, possibly Lily.” Her voice broke on the last word.
“Then we need to find that truck.”
“Not we! I have every available officer and deputy working the highways. He can’t hide forever. We have a sketch, poor but better than nothing, and it’s been sent through every channel. There’s an Amber Alert for all the babies and pictures being shown on every TV station, in all the newspaper and even in the flyers circulating in every gas station in the state. We have men stationed in the airports, bus station and train depots. It’s near midnight. We need to get some rest.”
“No.”
“Aurora, it’s an order.” Cory’s tone brooked no opposition. His side glare at Kai spoke volumes.
“No!” This time her voice broke.
Kai turned quickly. “Aww, Darlin’. We’re spinning our wheels right now and you know we’ll need to be at our best tomorrow. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
Too tired to fight, lulled by the gentleness in the devil’s voice, she caved.
Chapter Twenty
As they drove back to the city, Cory tried coaxing Aurora into coming home with him. She panicked and sent a beseeching look to convince Kai that it wasn’t what she wanted.
“You’re not going home alone, Aurora.” Cory’s tone meant business.
“I’ll either stay with her or she can come to the hotel with me.” Kai burst into the argument.
When Kai suggested he take her to his place, all she could do was agree tiredly.
Soon, Cory stopped outside the well-lit building and left the car running. He opened the back door for her and moved in close before she could disappear inside the hotel.
His normally loud voice soothed with tenderness. To add to the moment’s poignancy, not only did he hug her but he used a nickname from their past. “Smidge, in case you need to move quickly, I’ll arrange to have your car dropped off and the keys left at the desk. In the meantime, do me a favor. Get some food into you and try to rest.” His voice broke as he added. “I promise we’ll do everything we can to find Lily. I’ll call in every single cop and you know they’ll all come for you. You know that.”
She nodded and let him hug her again and then she started toward the entrance in a trance of absolute pain.
Cory turned to Kai and whispered. “Get her some food and make her sleep.” He looked downwards and spoke again, his voice quavering. “Her eyes are breaking my heart.” Then he stomped off to get back into his vehicle and he peeled away.
As soon as they reached Kai’s room, she demanded his computer.
“Let me order room service first,” he said. “What do you feel like?”
“I don’t want food. I don’t want to throw up. Where’s the laptop?”
“Fine. I’ll just order hamburgers. In this joint, they don’t count as food. Tell me what you want to drink.”
“Coff
ee.”
“No. Whiskey. Cory will have my ass if I get you stuff that’ll rev you up. He ordered us to rest.”
Something in his voice got through to her and made Aurora search his expression. Straight away, she noticed how sickly he looked. His suit that had appeared so spiffy earlier, to the point where she almost didn’t recognize him from her purse-carrying cowboy, now looked rumpled and dirty in places.
His loose tie and crumpled white shirt added to his overall unkempt appearance. It was the lack of color in his thinner, scruffy face and the exhaustion he couldn’t hide, his utter lack of energy that made her re-think her plans and decide to use common sense.
Something had happened to him while he’d been gone. No doubt it had affected his health, because right now he looked weak and drained, barely able to stand.
“Fine, nix the coffee and order me some wine. Then we go to bed.” She saw the flare in his eyes and added. “Separately.”
Two queen-size beds took up most of the space in the room, one for each of them. Aurora’s plan was simple. Once she’d lulled him into sleeping, she’d sneak out and search for a white Peterbilt.
He hung up the phone and turned her way. “You want to freshen up first? I’m being a gentleman and it isn’t coming easy. Right now having a shower is worth all the money in my wallet.” His cocky grin reminded her of the old Kai and her heart tripped over.
“So you’re broke!” The wisecrack came without thought. “No. I’m okay. I want to watch the news. You go first.”
“Promise you won’t run out on me?”
“I promise I’ll be here. I need a shower also.” Careful of her words, Aurora realized that what she’d told him was a fact. A shower began to seem like heaven.
Kai left the room with a small overnight bag and she heard him turn on the water. Statue-like, she remained where she’d collapsed on the bed and posed a question she had no answer to.
Why wasn’t she furious with that man? Where had all her righteous anger disappeared to? For almost a year, the pain of his rejection had solidified into a hard ball in her stomach. The lesson she’d come away with had been simple. Never, ever trust a man no matter what his smile did to her insides or how his eyes spoke to her heart.
Here she sat not only putting her faith into a male but the same guy who’d been her teacher. Brooding, she carried out an inner search for the old anger she’d fanned for months and accepted that sometime in the last day it had fizzled out.
His disappearing just didn’t seem that important anymore. He’d appeared when she’d needed him most and for that she’d be forever grateful. A tiny bud of warmth crept into the coldness buried inside and she nipped it instantly. Not going there. Right now all that mattered was that Lily needed her. And she’d move heaven and earth to answer that need.
Stepping over to the big-screen television to get the remote, she flipped the channels until she came to the local news. Sure enough, there were pictures of the missing babies and the artist sketch of the ugly beast who held their lives in his treacherous power.
Feelings held at bay loomed over her head and drained down into her soul. The wall she’d built since the incident, the one that had kept her moving one step in front of the other, began to crumble.
Lily’s picture appeared on the TV. She paused it with the click of a button. Her hand stroked the screen and she lost herself in her memories until Kai spoke softly and broke the spell.
“She’s beautiful, Aurora. Perfect.” Kai, looking almost like his old self in jeans and a blue plaid shirt, leaned against the wall as he rolled up the sleeves.
“Yes.” Her voice came out low and raspy, but she didn’t cry. “Lily shocks everyone with her good nature. She’s the most easy-going baby and always has been from the day she came into the world.”
“Can you tell me?” He moved to sit across from where she’d collapsed, knees almost touching.
Aurora settled back on the bed and folded her hands to stop them from ripping at each other. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. Her delivery. Tell me about the night she was born.”
“You mean the day.” Aurora cleared her throat. “Like everything else our baby does, she revealed great consideration the morning of her birth. She gave me a small hint during the night with a slight back ache and then showed up mid-morning with a few manageable pains and very little fanfare. Easiest delivery the nurses had seen for months.”
“I bet Debbie was impressed?” Kai smiled and for a second the glee they shared made her feel lighter. The memory of Alec’s birth and Debbie’s experience lingered and lightened the tension for a few seconds.
The knock on the door startled them both into jumping, tearing their entwined glances apart and making Kai move away. Once he paid for their food, he served her and then served himself. He held his wine glass and waited until she picked up her own. Then he took a sip.
She knew he expected her to follow suit but she didn’t know if she could. Not without choking. Surprisingly, it went down. So she swallowed again and again until he took the glass from her hand and pushed the hamburger closer. “Try some food. It’s good.” He took a bite and started to chew.
The smell revolted her. No way could she swallow it. She refused by shaking her head, then smiled when he spit out what he’d had in his mouth. “Okay, not such a good idea.”
He shoved his hands through his wet hair to push it to the back and she saw wet curls form; one day Lily might have her father’s natural curl. Already a tendency showed up in the soft locks at the back of her head.
Spilling the wine over the rim onto her hands, she slapped the glass down on the dark wood of the TV stand and bolted to her feet. “I’ll go for my shower now.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Kai tried once again to chew a mouthful of food so he could take the pain pills he’d done without all day, because he’d foolishly left them behind in his hotel room.
In his case, it became a matter of lay down or fall down. He hated the weakness but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it. The injury on his arm didn’t bug him much but the deeper chest wound ached like a son-of-a-bitch.
He roused and went to his purse-like computer bag, slid his hands into the side pocket and pulled out his cuffs. He knew he’d brought them. Didn’t know why. While packing he’d almost left them out. Then thought what the heck and stuck them in there. Good! He’d be needing them tonight.
Next, he opened a package of his prescription sleeping tablets, crushed one between his fingers and added it to Aurora’s wine. Using his finger, he mixed the powder into the red depths. After that, he made a nice comfy nest for her with pillows and the top quilt.
He called the desk to make sure the car had arrived and then gave the order that the keys were to be given to him only. That his girlfriend had overly imbibed and she wouldn’t be safe behind the wheel. Smiling grimly, he knew that even with cuffs, his lady could make miracles happen.
His lady! God he wished that were true. He knew in his heart that he’d been given a pass right now. Because of the horrible circumstances, she’d use him to help find their daughter. Once they got Lily back to where things were normal again, he didn’t hold out much hope for a future.
Did he even deserve a future with her? After the way he had treated the most wonderful woman he’d ever had the good fortune to meet? Even he didn’t believe he did. In fact, in his heart he understood only one thing clearly. Number one, he treated her like shit and number two, he wasn’t good enough for her to wipe her feet on.
Having this opportunity to be in her company, to feel the goodness she radiated, the utter unconscious conviction she held of her power to succeed, and the femininity she ignored that was so ingrained and he’d grovel like a whipped pup if he thought it would help. It wouldn’t. The only help she’d accept from him would be to find their baby. His Lily, the baby he’d promised only the day before that he’d give his life to keep her safe.
Shakes started deep ins
ide and he looked around wildly. What the fuck am I doing here when she needs me? Stumbling with emotions, he fell to the side of the bed, landing awkwardly. The burning fury in his chest reminded him instantly why he had agreed to have this rest.
God knew he needed it. A sick smile formed and he reiterated his last thought. He needed it if he wanted to be able to help with the investigation tomorrow.
Steam escaped as soon as Aurora stepped out from the bathroom. She’d redressed in her clothes and turbaned a towel around her head. The lack of any makeup left her looking childlike and vulnerable and heartbreakingly beautiful.
His breath caught and he gripped his hands together to stop them from reaching.
“Thanks for leaving the shampoo in the tub. I’d forgotten about it until I’d stepped under the water.” She hadn’t looked directly at him and he knew from the swelling around her eyes why.
Coaxing, he patted the bed opposite his. “Just come and drink the rest of your wine. If you don’t mind, would you tell me more about Lily?” He hoped the chance of talking about the baby would be a sufficient bribe for her to do as he asked.
Aurora whipped the towel off and used it to dry her hair more and then used her fingers until Kai pointed at his brush. She pulled it through her long strands, and flipped them towards her back. Then she stepped over to sit on her bed and took the glass her offered her.
They both sipped until she finally let her glance meet his. The raw agony he recognized, accepted. It was the impatience he feared.
“What does she do that you most love?” He began the questions.
“She tries to talk. I mean, I know all babies goo and giggle, but Lily is different.” A self-conscious smile appeared so he nodded, encouraging her to continue. “Okay, I know it sounds silly, but I swear when I ask her questions, she yatters on in her own language answering me. It’s hilarious and cute as hell.”