One Secret Night, One Secret Baby

by Charlene Sands

  It could be nothing or...

  His hands shaking, he peeled the envelope open carefully and unfolded the short note.

  “You took my family, now I’ll take yours.”

  Dylan froze, staring at the threatening words. Momentary fear held him hostage. His mind raced in a dozen directions and came to a grinding halt. Emma.

  His wife.

  She could be in danger.

  And Brooke, too.

  His sister.

  He had to get to them. “Dan! Jeff! Get in here, now!”

  Ten

  Emma sat at her desk at Parties-To-Go working on the numbers for an upcoming wedding. It was after five in the evening, but she’d rather be here than in her lonely apartment. She went through the motions robotically with none of her usual enthusiasm. Debbie Downer had nothing on her. She’d sent Wendy and Rocky home early. She needed to dive into her work with no distractions. She’d been on the receiving end of their sympathetic glances and worried expressions all afternoon. No one knew about her breakup with Dylan yet, aside from Brooke, but her employees were astute and of course had heard about the murder attempt on her husband’s life. She was worried sick about Dylan, and missed him so much. She’d spent a good part of the night at the hospital waiting on word of Dylan. Once she knew he was doing well and they expected a full recovery, she’d breathed a sigh of relief and left the waiting room. She didn’t want to bring him any bad memories by showing up. He didn’t need a confrontation and he’d made himself clear about how he felt about her and their situation.

  Resting a hand on her tummy, she closed her eyes and then...the baby kicked! It was more like a flutter, a butterfly taking flight, than an actual kick, but oh, her heart pinged with joy. This was amazing and so absolutely miraculous. A miracle that should be shared and treasured, and her mind went back to Dylan and how happy he’d been thinking he was going to be a father.

  She couldn’t dwell on what wasn’t to be anymore. She was on her own, and her focus had to stay finely tuned to the child she carried.

  From now on, she wouldn’t be totally alone.

  The back door jingled. She stopped to listen. Someone was trying to get inside. Her heart raced and she rose from her desk. She did a mental tally: the part-timers had been sent home, Brooke was on a special date with Royce. She heard more jingling and a couple of loud bangs as if someone was pressing their body against the door, struggling to get in. She glanced around, picked up a kid’s baseball bat left over from a party and strode to the door just as it burst open.

  “Brooke! You scared me to death.”

  “Sorry,” her friend said. “The dang lock keeps sticking. We’ve got to get that fixed.”

  “I wasn’t expecting anyone. Aren’t you supposed to be with Royce tonight?”

  Brooke shut the door and glimpsed the baseball bat in Emma’s hand. That’s when Emma noticed the hollow look on her friend’s face. “What is it?” Bile rose in her throat. “Is it Dylan? Is he okay? Did something else happen to him?”

  “Dylan’s fine, honey. I’ve talked to him three times earlier today. He’s been released from the hospital and had a police escort home. There’s no damage to his lungs and his bruises are superficial. He told me he wanted to rest. Translation—stop bugging him. And I got the hint.”

  “Oh, thank God. But he’s all alone there now. Are the police watching him?”

  “He’s got two bodyguards round-the-clock and you know about the added security he has around his house. He told me not to worry.”

  “How can you not? Someone tried to kill him.”

  “I know. Freaks me out.” Brooke took the bat out of her hand. “Must’ve freaked you out, too.”

  “Yeah, well...this whole thing is so scary.”

  Brooke took a shaky breath. Her eyes were rimmed with red. She moved into the office and sat down. Emma did the same. “So why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with Royce tonight?” she asked carefully.

  “Royce and I are over.”

  Emma’s brows lifted. She didn’t expect this. “What do you mean, you’re over?”

  “I walked out on him, Em.”

  “Why?”

  Brooke sighed. “When Royce said he had something special he wanted to give me, I thought, oh my goodness. A key to his place maybe, or a piece of jewelry, maybe even a ring. I let my imagination run wild. I mean, come on, he knows what I’ve been through this month with Dylan. And he actually used that. He told me he knew I was worried about my brother and that he’d probably have time on his hands, now that the studio shut down production, so—”

  “He didn’t!”

  “Oh, yes, he did. He gave me three scripts for Dylan to look at. Scripts that were his pride and joy. He said he’d been working on them for two years and he knew Dylan would love them and want to produce and star in the movies once he read them.”

  “Oh, Brooke, I’m so sorry. You must’ve been...”

  “Pissed and hurt and most of all shocked. That’s the part that gets me. I was shocked and I shouldn’t have been. I really thought he was the one guy I could count on, who didn’t want to get close to me because of my brother. He’s in finance, a Wall Street type. I didn’t think there was a creative bone in his body. And I loved that about him. I mean...I really thought... Oh, I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself. Not in front of you.”

  “Are you saying I have bigger problems than you?” Emma leaned in to give Brooke a goofy smile. “Is that what you’re telling me?”

  “No. Yes. You know what I mean.”

  “I do know. So, we’re both hurting right now.”

  Brooke nodded. “But I’m not going to let that idiot ruin my life. I’m not going to fall to pieces.”

  “Promise?”

  “I...uh...well, maybe a little crumble.” Her voice shook.

  Emma took Brooke’s hand and they sat there for a few minutes, holding on to each other and trying not to cry.

  “You know what?” Brooke said. “We should get out of here. They’re showing a special screening of The Notebook at the Curtis Cinema down the street. If we’re going to cry, it might as well be over our favorite chick flick. Let’s go and then have a late dinner. Just like old times.”

  “I like the sound of that. No more moping.”

  “Pinkie swear?”

  They locked their pinkie fingers, just as they did when they were kids. “Pinkie swear.”

  “We’ll shut down our cell phones and have a night free of worries.”

  “Shouldn’t you check in on Dylan?” Emma asked.

  “I will, as soon as the movie ends. Deal?”

  “It’s a deal,” Emma said, her spirits lifting for the first time in two days.

  * * *

  “Damn this traffic.” Dylan sat shotgun as Dan navigated the streets leading to Emma’s apartment, cutting in and out of the lineup of cars on Pacific Coast Highway whenever he could. “It would have to be the busiest time of day.”

  After Dylan had called Detective Brice about the threatening letter, he was ordered to stay put at home. That had lasted only half an hour. His nerves had been bouncing out of his skin and there was only so much pacing he could do. How could he sit around and wait when Emma’s and Brooke’s lives could be in danger? Neither of them were answering their phones and their part-time employees confirmed they didn’t have an event tonight. He’d left countless messages at their homes and at the office, which had gone straight to voice mail. His texts hadn’t been answered, either.

  He’d moved fast then, ordering Dan to drive, while Jeff followed behind, both in black SUVs. The first stop was Emma’s place. She should’ve been home from work by now. Dusk had settled in, a gray cloud cover shutting out the lingering light.

  His unanswered voice mails put fear in his heart. Emma was
in danger, he was sure of it. That creep Lincoln couldn’t get at him after two failed attempts and now he was going after his unsuspecting pregnant wife.

  Emma.

  As soon as he’d read that damning note, his first thoughts were of her and the child she carried. She was his family now, along with the baby. That child was his best friend’s baby, an innocent in all this, and someone who deserved to be loved. Dylan was ashamed of himself for turning away from Roy’s baby. He hadn’t been thinking clearly. He’d felt the same sense of deceit and betrayal from Emma as he had from Renee. It had all been too much; his hopes and dreams had been paralyzed and he’d lashed out at the injustice, but none of it was Emma’s doing. He believed that now. Deep down he’d always known Emma wouldn’t resort to that kind of devastating deceit.

  Good God, had his heart been so hardened that he couldn’t recognize true love when it slammed him in the face? Had it taken a threat to her life to make him realize what she meant to him?

  He was in love with her.

  And the very thought of Emma and the baby being hurt was too hard to imagine.

  “Hurry, Dan. I can’t let anything happen to her.”

  Once they finally reached Emma’s apartment building, Dan parked on the street and Dylan threw open the car door.

  “Wait!” Dan ordered. “You can’t go running in there. It might be a trap.”

  Jeff raced over, blocking him from getting out of the car.

  “Then what are we going to do?”

  “The smart thing is to wait for the cops to arrive,” Jeff said.

  Dylan shook his head. “Think of another option.”

  His cell phone rang and he immediately picked up. “Dylan, it’s me.”

  “Brooke, thank God. I’ve been trying to reach you. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He got out of the car now, listening to the sweet sound of his sister’s voice. “Where are you and is Emma with you?”

  “Yes, I’m with Emma. But first tell me, are you okay? I panicked when I saw a dozen missed calls from you. Your texts said Emma and I were in danger?”

  “Yeah, you might be. The creep who tried to kill me sent a note saying he was going after my family. You’re sure Emma’s fine?”

  “Uh, well, she will be. We were at the movies and she started feeling weak. When I looked at her face, she had gone completely white. I didn’t let her argue with me. I drove her straight to the emergency room. We’re at Saint Joseph’s.”

  Dylan stopped breathing. God, if she lost the baby, he’d never forgive himself. He loved the both of them with all of his heart. “What’s wrong with her, Brooke? It isn’t the baby, is it?”

  “The baby’s fine. Emma’s been under a lot of stress lately. She hasn’t been eating and, well, she’s been upset and crying lately. She’s dehydrated. Could’ve been really dangerous, but we caught it in time. They’re pumping her full of fluids now and the doctor said she’s going to be okay.”

  Dylan ran his hand down his face. “Okay.” He heard the relief in his own voice. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. And I’m calling Detective Brice to put a guard on her door. Don’t leave the hospital under any circumstances.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” At the gruff-sounding voice, Dylan turned and found Detective Brice approaching, a frown on his face that would scare the devil. “You don’t listen very well, do you, McKay? You almost blew our cover coming here.”

  “Brooke,” Dylan said into the phone. “I’ll call you back in a sec. Just stay with Emma.” He hung up the phone, surprised to see Brice. “What do you mean?”

  “We had the apartment under surveillance since this morning. Your sister’s place, too, just as a precaution. Sure enough, we found Lincoln tonight, lurking in the bushes in the courtyard. He’s in our custody now and he’s not going to be able to harm anyone ever again.”

  The courtyard gates opened and Dylan faced the man who’d murdered Roy. Blood ran hot in his veins. Here was the man who’d tried to kill him twice, who was lying in wait to harm his pregnant wife. Lincoln was in handcuffs, two officers flanking him and three others following behind. All Dylan wanted to do was meet him on equal turf and beat the stuffing out of him. He took a step toward him and Brice got in his way, his hand firm on Dylan’s chest. “McKay, don’t be an idiot.”

  Lincoln’s eyes bugged out of his skull when he saw Dylan. “You sonofabitch! You home wrecker! You don’t deserve to live!” Lincoln was out of his mind, wrestling with the officers restraining him. “You think you can take my kids, my wife. Ruin my life! You hotshot, you’ll live to regret this!”

  Two of the other officers grabbed Lincoln, restraining his arms and maneuvering him into the squad car that had pulled up behind Jeff’s SUV.

  Dylan shook his head. “He killed Roy.”

  “He’ll pay for that,” Brice said. “And all the other crimes he’s committed.”

  Dylan nodded. “Yeah.”

  “He’s deranged, but something set him off. You said over the phone his ex-wife called you.”

  “Yeah, she was the one who figured it out after she saw the headlines today about the attempt on my life. I don’t know too many details about her life, just that we were close once and that more recently she was near poverty, trying to raise her kids and keep her ex away from them. I’ve been sending her money to keep food on the table for her children. That was my crime. That’s why he hates me.”

  “He’s going away for a long time.” Brice patted Dylan on the back. “It’s over now, McKay. You can go on being a superhero, on film,” he said, giving him a teasing smirk.

  “There’s only one person I want to think of me that way.”

  And unfortunately, it was the one person he’d hurt the most.

  “Are we through here?” he asked.

  “I’m going to need your statement,” Brice said.

  “Can I give it to you later tonight? I just found out my wife’s in the hospital and I want to see her as soon as I can.”

  “Sorry to hear that.” Brice puffed out a breath. “Okay. Sure. Go check on your wife. You both had some close calls lately. I hope she’s going to be okay.”

  Dylan hoped so, too. “Thanks.” Dylan shook the detective’s hand. “I appreciate what you’ve done for my family. Your team did excellent work.”

  “It’s all in a day’s work. Sometimes things go sideways, but this one turned out in the best way possible. No one got hurt today. I’m proud of these guys.”

  Dylan left the detective to speak with his bodyguards. He dismissed them for the night, thanking them for their help, explaining that he wanted to see Emma on his own. He needed time alone to think things through on the drive over and he didn’t want to show up at the hospital with an entourage. He’d had plenty of experience sneaking in and out of places—fame did that to a man, made him hunt for ways to go undetected. He borrowed Jeff’s ball cap and his oversize gray sweat jacket as a disguise.

  Dylan called Brooke back on the way to the hospital and told her the entire story. His little sister nearly broke down on the phone and he couldn’t blame her. What had transpired was like something out of a bad B movie. But they were all safe, he assured her, and he told her to hang tight. He would be there shortly.

  As the SUV’s tires hit gravel on the way to the hospital, one thought continually nagged at him. How in hell was he going to make this up to Emma? He had no doubt he was responsible for her unhealthy state. She hadn’t been eating well and she’d been terribly upset lately. All because he’d misjudged her and had the foolish notion that he couldn’t love completely again.

  At the hospital, he found Brooke sitting in a waiting room. She took one look at him, bolted up and flew into his arms, tears streaming down her face. “Dylan, my God...to think what could have happened to you. To Emma. I’m a freak
ing basket case.”

  “I know. I know.” He brought her into his embrace and held on tight. Her face was pressed to his chest, her quiet sobs soaking his terrible disguise. “We’re all going to be fine now, Brooke. The police have the guy in custody. He’s not going to hurt anyone anymore.”

  “He murdered Roy.”

  “Yeah, he did.” Dylan would have to live with that guilt the rest of his life. “How’s Emma? I need to see her, Brooke. I need to tell her... I just have to see her.”

  Brooke pulled out of his arms, sniffled and gave him a somber look. How quickly she’d transformed into a mother hen. “Dylan, she’s sleeping now. They gave her a sedative and she’ll stay here for the night. She needs to rest and she especially needs no further drama in her life. Doctor’s orders.”

  “I got that covered, sis.”

  “Are you sure? Because you can’t mess with her, Dylan. She’s not as strong as she looks. She’s had a rough life. And she—”

  “Brooke, I know what my wife needs.”

  Brooke’s lips lifted in a smile and the defiance in her stern eyes faded. “And you’re going to make sure she gets everything she deserves?”

  “Yes. I’ve been a fool and I plan on rectifying that now. But I’m going to need your help. Are you willing to help me win my wife back?”

  “Is it going to cost me her friendship?”

  “No, it may even earn you a spot as godmother to the baby.”

  “Well, shoot. I’ve already got that in the bag.”

  “But you’ll help me anyway because you love me?”

  “Yeah, big brother. I’ll help you. Because I love you and Emma.”

  * * *

  Emma sat at her office desk and laid a hand on her belly, thanking God that her baby was thriving and growing as it should. The scare she’d had the night she went to the movies with Brooke couldn’t happen again. She couldn’t let her emotions get the best of her like that anymore. She was eating well now, drinking gallons of water a day, or so it seemed, and taking daily walks. All in all, she felt strong. Facing the future didn’t frighten her as much as it once had. Emma adapted well and she was learning how the new life growing inside her only encouraged her own private strength.