“What were her demands?”
“We have until Sunday to hand her over.”
It was Wednesday at least she had some time to think.
“What happens if we don’t hand her over?”
“She doesn’t know our exact location, but she’s willing to take it to the media. Do whatever she can to get the government in on it. By the time she finishes spinning her lies everyone will be looking for Mia and by extension all of us.”
“Welcome to life in the Murphy household.”
“The lawyer is trying to stall her, but I doubt she will pay attention to anything he says.”
“Your right so we need a plan.” She wrapped her arm around herself and started to pace. “I was waiting for this.”
Her mother never gave up it wasn’t in her DNA. If she were someone else, it would have been a good trait. In her mother, it was just evil looking for another way to make itself known.
“Did she say where she wanted to meet?” Cole’s voice was quiet. The sound of it made Jessie shiver.
“Cole?” She pressed her hand over his heart which was beating slowly.
“She won’t stop, trasire. She’ll keep coming until she finds a way to get her hands on Mia. I won’t let that happen.”
She nodded and snuggled closer to him.
“She wants to meet outside of town. Told the Detective that she wanted to make a new life for herself and Mia.”
“Why out of town?”
“She plans to have whoever brings Mia to her killed. If I were her, I’d make sure the place was as far from the public as possible.”
“Ding, ding, we have a winner.” Deja smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“She wants to meet at one of the remote parks several hours from here.”
“Tell me she wants to do it closer to night time.”
“She does.”
“Then there is only one thing to do.”
Cole turned to look at Jessie and raised a brow. She giggled, it still looked strange when he did it. It was an unnatural move for him. He spent hours practicing it. She wasn’t sure, but he seemed to do it when she needed a laugh.
“What should we do?”
“Visit Detective Baker.” He looked at her with blank eyes. “Well, I can’t live the rest of my being dead. I tried that once it didn’t work out so well for me.”
He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her as she wondered what her real parents had been like.
“Won’t he try to kill you?”
She looked up at Ven. His face was filled with horror. Once again she wondered what horrors he faced as a child. Deja had told her some of his story but the look on his face said there was so much more to it.
“No, there may be some problems because of what I did, but I’m going to tell the detective everything. Then we’ll know.”
“Know what?”
“If he really wants justice or if he’s just there for his own personal reasons.”
“When do you want to go?”
“Now. Deja do you mind watching Mia? She’s taking a nap right now.”
“You know I don’t mind. All the more experience for when I have a baby girl.”
“Can you give me a sister soon, please?”
Ven was on his way to Mia’s room but stopped to turn around to look at his mother.
“We’re working on it.” Her face turned red before he walked away laughing.
“You might want to think about it. I think Mia’s spoiled, I can’t imagine how spoiled your daughter will be between Enzo and Ven.”
“She’ll be a freaking princess, I love it.”
They laughed. Jessie went to change her clothes before they left.
“When Mia wakes up we’ll take her back to our place. I’ll make dinner or have the guys grill out. See you later.”
“Later.” Jessie hugged her before leaving.
*~*~*~*
“Do you think I was a little too hasty in coming to the police station?”
They were sitting in the car in front of the station watching people come and go. Several cops had spotted them and looked the car over, but as of yet, none had approached them.
“No, I think you are doing the right thing. We’ve taken care of one threat to our family now we have to take care of the next threat.”
“Don’t you mean the last threat?”
“No, there are always going to be threats because we are so different, trasire.”
She nodded, why should this be any different than any other part of her life. Although, this time she had Cole, and he wouldn’t leave her alone.
“Let’s do this.”
He took her hand when they exited the car. Together they walked up the steps to the station with several officers watching them. She smiled at the cop at the counter remembering him from her first trip there.
“Hi, we would like to see Detective Baker.”
“He’s very busy, I can get someone else to help you.”
“Tell him Jessie Murphy is here. I’m sure he will see us.”
They turned around and sat where she waited for Cole to come out the first time they were here. The station hadn’t changed, and she was almost tempted to visit the coffee machine they kept to the side marked for guests.
A different officer approached them.
“Ms. Murphy, Detective Baker said he would be happy to see you if you would follow me.” She waved at the officer at the desk as they went past. They may have to come here again better to make a friend than an enemy.
The officer opened the door and closed it behind them.
Detective Baker looked up, seeing her he ran his gaze up and down her body.
“You look good for a ghost.”
“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
He extended his hand to indicate the chairs in front of his desk while he laughed and wiped a tear from his eye.
“I must tell you, I usually never have this much fun in this office. Ms. Murphy, you seem to be keeping me on my toes. Let me go out on a limb and say this is Mr. Loup, the man that did not abduct you or your daughter.”
“Correct.”
“Tell me, Ms. Murphy, why does a certain percent of the population believe that you’re dead? I took the time to look for your certificate of death and couldn’t find one.”
“Here are the hospital cliff notes. My mother ordered me shot, I woke up on the operating table something the doctor said should never have happened. I asked him to tell her I was dead and allow my real family to come save me. I wanted to die with them.”
“You’re alive, not dead.”
“They finished the operation and were able to save me, although my life hung in the balance for a while.”
“I take it you don’t plan to give your daughter to her grandmother.”
“No, she’s not her real grandmother. How familiar are you with the Mayor Connolly case?”
“The patrol officers called me in that night.”
She knew that but couldn’t tell him that she had been there.
“What if I tell you he’s not the mastermind behind the trafficking of children in this city.”
“What would make you think that, Ms. Murphy?”
“Because I know who is.”
“That’s interesting. Are you saying that you’re the one behind this?”
“I’m twenty-five unless I was doing this before I was born I’m pretty sure we can rule me out.”
“Maybe.”
“Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Jessie Clark.”
He pulled a file off his desk and started to flip through it.
“That’s me the black hair blue eyed baby girl that went missing. The one thought to be torn apart by wild animals. Once again the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
“How would Jessie Clark end up with Carol Murphy?”
“I wish I knew the answer to that. I also wish I knew how she could be pregnant so many times and miscarry
them all.”
“That is possible.”
She tilted her head in acknowledgment.
“I know but to carry them almost to full term and lose them with the medical advancements we had back then. That’s almost unheard of.”
He gave a tilt to his head, and a small smile played around his lips as he acknowledged what she was saying.
“Mr. Loup, you’re quiet.”
“This isn’t my story, I’m simply here to make sure my female and my child are taken care of.”
“I see. So, Ms. Clark are you stating that your mother is behind all of this?”
“I am.”
“Why tell me?”
“On Sunday, we are going to meet my mother, but we will not be leaving Mia with her. The easiest thing may have been to meet her in secret. That way we could ensure that she never came after Mia again. I’d like to take the right path if given a choice.”
She stood up. “Think about it Detective you know how to get in touch with me.”
She smiled at him, then placed her hand in Coles before they left his office.
Chapter Twenty-three
“Are you nervous?” Cole was parking the car at the meeting spot her mother set up. It was dark, and they were in the middle of nowhere or at least it felt that way in the dark.
“Yeah.” Her stomach was rolling making her glad she skipped dinner. She looked in the backseat Mia was asleep in her car seat. Her hand went to her stomach trying to make it calm down as fear for her daughter rolled through it.
“We can stop this right now. Take Mia home and challenge her to do her worst.”
“I can’t Cole I’ve seen her worst and so have you.”
“Mia will be safe.” His hand covered hers.
He was right they had spent the last few days planning and going over every obstacle. If it came down to it, her mother wouldn’t walk out of there alive. It was their Hail Mary pass. She didn’t want that. She wanted her mother in jail, wanted her to experience pain, and fear like all those children felt. She wanted every inmate to be gunning for her, every woman who was missing her child, she wanted them to kick her ass every day. There should be some mercy inside of her, but she couldn’t find it. She just didn’t want Mia in danger.
Her voices had been quiet for some time neither agreeing or arguing with her.
“Are you ready?”
“I am.” He got out of the car and came around to open the door. He took his time and pulled her into his arms to kiss her.
She leaned into his chest before she smiled at him. Taking a deep breath, she took Mia into her arms.
“We’ve got a long walk in front of us.”
“I could carry you while you hold Mia.” He lifted her chin grinning at her.
“That’s one of the reasons I love you, but I think I’ll walk to this fight.”
“Spoken like a true trasire.” He took her hand, and they moved off into the darkness.
The meeting spot was two miles from where they stopped. Her mother demanded they walk in to keep them from having reinforcements in the trunk or simply having weapons in the car.
Cole agreed to all the demands. He was to bring her granddaughter. His heart was beating too fast bringing his daughter into danger, but Jessie would never be able to live with the consequences of not bring her.
They walked slowly taking their time.
“Do you think we’re being watched?” She handed Mia over to Cole to carry for a while.
“Yes.”
She nodded, of course, they were being watched because her mom didn’t plan for anyone to survive this night.
“I still don’t understand.” Her voice was so soft when she said it.
She lived in the real world, some people were sick, bad, evil. What she didn’t understand was how one woman living in a poor area could become so evil that she would abduct kids to be killed in some of the vilest ways. It didn’t make sense to her. Her mother never loved her, but she still didn’t treat her as bad as she could have. The two thoughts didn’t seem to go together. It was almost like she was two different women.
“I have thought about your mother. Cait told me that some of your people have several different personalities or people living within them. That may explain her behavior.”
She shook her head vigorously. “I can’t accept that. It’s like giving her an out, saying she wasn’t responsible for her actions and I don’t believe that.”
“You may be right. What if she embraced evil? Maybe that is what makes some people have these differ people in one body. The majority of the galaxy has more than one being in their body. She might not change, but still, maybe she embraced evil, and now it lives within her.”
“You think she had a choice and she deliberately chose this path?”
“Evil is seductive.”
Cole reached out and pulled her to a stop. He could hear her mother up ahead waiting for them impatiently as she paced back and forth. He handed Mia to her and walked slightly ahead protecting them.
“There you are,” she spit the words out when she was able to see Cole. “Where’s my granddaughter?”
Jessie came into the open carrying Mia as she looked at the scene in front of her. On the ground tied up and duct taped were four children ranging from the ages of three to five.
“You really did it. You abducted more children. How do you get away with it?”
“What does it matter to you? I want the brat, then you can have them. Take them back to their whiney parents.”
“You can’t think it will be that easy.”
She reached out and kicked one of the little girls making her cry harder. Jessie grabbed at Cole’s arm stopping him.
“We have to do this right so that everyone walks out of here alive.”
“You’re right.”
He stopped moving. The stillness of his body sent a chill up her spine, but her mother missed it she was gloating thinking she won.”
“Give her to me.”
“You don’t want to do this. I promise you, this is the last thing you want to do.”
She moved a little closer. “Poor little Jessie doesn’t want to give up her little brat who’s dying. Your daughter has a genetic defect, she won’t live long.”
“You’re lying.”
The smile on her face was cruel and filled with joy.
“No, I’m not. She’s dying why do you think she’s not talking. Her doctor would have told you, but her heart went out when she realized that you were also dying and would be dead long before your daughter. So, she told me the responsible grandmother. I made the decision not to have her treated. I wanted Mia to die in peace.”
Jessie tried to thrust Mia into Cole’s arms so she could go after her. He wrapped his arm around her and picked her up as she told her mother exactly what she thought about her.
“Your body should have been one of the ones found in those graves. I always regretted keeping you, but at least you’re finally giving me something, Mia. I have a new buyer for her.”
The color drained out of Jessie’s face.
“Finally, you understand your place.” She reached behind her and pulled out a weapon she had hidden in her pants. “This is how this is going to go down. You bring Mia to me and let me walk out of here unharmed or I shoot each of these children before I shoot you.”
“You can’t shoot us all.”
“Jessie you’re the only one I have to shoot, and since you’re already dead, no one will wonder why you don’t show up. Believe me, it will be a head shot this time.”
Cole reached for Mia.
“Nope, I want Jessie to bring her to me. I want her to know the ultimate defeat as she gives up her precious daughter.”
“Is it because you can’t have children?”
Her mother laughed even as she brought one of the young children up in front of her as a shield.
“Don’t get your hopes up, Jessie. I had five abortions I never wanted to deal with the filthy monsters, and th
en you came along, and I didn’t have a choice. Bring her now.”
Her eyes went to the little girl her mother was holding, she had strawberry blonde hair with eyes so green, they reminded her of Cole. Her feet moved even as she screamed at herself to stay still. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down. She was never supposed to get close to Mia. How could she turn her over? How could she let the other children die?
“You’ll be okay Mia. I will come after you I promise.”
Mia looked up at her mother before looking back at her grandmother. Her little body shook, Jessie hugged her tightly even as her feet kept moving.
She stopped when she was standing in front of her.
“Give her to me.”
“You don’t want to do this.”
“You’re pathetic always have been.” She reached her hands out.
“Hold on Mia, I will be coming for you.”
“You won’t be coming for anyone, but you’ll find that out soon enough.” She snatched Mia away from her making sure she dug her nails into her arms. “Too bad you're too little to walk and keep up.”
“I’d like to say it’s been nice knowing you but you’ve been nothing but a chore.”
Jessie fell to her knees as her mother walked away with Mia.
“You mother has become so predictable.” She tucked her head as Cole roared and changed forms.
His body covered hers, and the children’s as a barrage of bullets came at them.
“Cole?” There were several holes in his back.
“I’ll be fine go get our daughter trasire. I’ll be right behind you after someone comes to get the children.
She gave him a quick kiss and stood up. Her mother wouldn’t leave the forest tonight. She would have found a place to hide until all the killing was over.
Jessie never felt her hair lift from her shoulders to trail behind her. The ends began to change color as she continued to walk.
She tracked her silently until she found an old cabin in the woods. Mia’s voice could be heard crying.
“Hold on baby.” The words were said softly as her ears became pointed curving a little in front of her head giving her the ability to hear better.
Cole (The Wolves Den Book 2) Page 15