Secret Agent Father

by Laura Scott

  “I would like that,” Shelby confessed. “I’ve been so worried I’m making things worse for him, rather than better.”

  “You’re doing fine,” he reassured. “Considering everything that has happened, I think Cody’s doing remarkably well.”

  “Thank you.” Relieved she’d been on the right track, she offered her hand. “I feel much better now.”

  “My opinion is only based on my expertise regarding a child’s emotional health,” he warned gently. “It’s your decision if the potential physical danger is worth the risk.”

  She nodded, her relief fading. “I know.”

  He seemed satisfied with that. “I’ve been recommending your day care center to my clients,” Dr. Zander said, clasping her hand gently yet firmly. “I believe faith is very important in raising children.”

  “Debbi and I certainly appreciate it.” She couldn’t help thinking about the damage from the firebomb. It wasn’t her fault, but the end result was the same. She couldn’t blame parents for taking their children out of her center to attend someplace else. “Thanks again.”

  Alex was waiting outside when they left the office building. “Are you hungry?” he asked. “I don’t want to go anywhere public, but we could pick up something at a fast food place to take back to the hotel.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Alex pulled into a parking lot of a restaurant offering buckets of fried chicken. Shelby volunteered to stay in the car with Cody. Directly across the street was a small pub, and when a familiar woman stepped outside, glancing around furtively before rushing over to her car, Shelby sucked in a harsh breath.

  “Marilyn!” She couldn’t take her eyes off her stepmother. Marilyn seemed to be in a big hurry, and somewhat upset, her eyes red and swollen when she jumped into her car and quickly drove away.

  Had Marilyn been inside, meeting someone? A man? Cody’s bad man?

  Alex opened the door and handed her the food. She took it, but when he slid in beside her, she grabbed his arm. “Alex, I just saw Marilyn. She left that pub across the street, looking upset. What if she was meeting someone?”

  He glanced in the direction she indicated. “I don’t believe it. Look who’s coming out now.”

  She glanced over and saw a tall man walk out into the sunlight. In a heartbeat, she recognized him. “Mayor Flynn.”

  “Yeah. He’s tall and mostly bald, just like Cody’s bad man.”

  ELEVEN

  A sense of excitement hummed in Alex’s bloodstream, like it always did when he was on the verge of breaking open a case. This was the part of his job he liked, bringing the bad guys to justice. He stared at the mayor, watching as the guy walked towards a shiny black Lexus.

  “Do you think Marilyn was meeting the mayor?” Shelby’s voice sounded incredulous. “That she’s cheating on my father with him?”

  “That’s one explanation,” he murmured with a frown. “But you mentioned she looked upset, so we shouldn’t be hasty, jumping to conclusions.” He turned on the SUV engine and pulled out of the parking lot, heading in the opposite direction.

  “But he can’t be—” she stopped and glanced back at Cody and Alex knew she didn’t want to say too much in front of the boy.

  He didn’t respond, his mind whirling with possibilities. They knew Marilyn wasn’t who she said she was, but for Mayor Flynn to be Cody’s bad man seemed a bit of a stretch. As Mayor, James Flynn’s life was very much in the public eye. Yet at the same time, he could use his power to influence the local police investigation.

  Like telling everyone Trina’s murder was likely a robbery gone bad. And pushing for a quick closure on the case.

  Still, to be fair, Cody’s description covered a wide range of people. Too many to be of much help, really.

  “Isn’t City Hall on the other end of town?” Shelby asked, her brow puckered in a tiny frown.

  “Yeah. If they were having an affair, it’s possible they’d traveled all the way over here to minimize their chances of being seen.”

  “If I hadn’t insisted on bringing Cody to Dr. Zander, we wouldn’t have seen them,” she said in a quiet tone.

  He couldn’t deny the truth of her words. In the rearview mirror he could see Cody sitting in the backseat. “Did Cody see him?” he asked, lowering his voice too, so Cody wouldn’t hear.

  “I don’t think so,” Shelby said with a grimace. “And I didn’t think to point him out.”

  “There’s no guarantee he’d have recognized him, anyway,” Alex assured her. “And we could show him a picture. The mayor’s photo would be easy to find on the Internet.”

  “Which may not help, since we don’t know if Cody got a good look at his face,” she reminded him.

  “I know.” He returned to the hotel as quickly as possible, knowing he needed to get in touch with Rafe and Logan about the latest turn in events.

  “Dr. Zander believes Cody can benefit from attending Trina’s funeral,” Shelby said, breaking the silence. “If you think it’s safe enough to go.”

  He glanced over at her. “Really? And if I don’t think it’s safe enough?”

  For a moment, she looked uncertain. “If you say it isn’t safe, we won’t go. I trust your judgment. But Alex. I really want to attend, especially if going will help Cody deal with the loss of his mother. His emotional health is important, too. The funeral is going to be crowded with lots of people attending.” The all-too familiar stubborn glint was in her eyes. “This is really important. Can you look me in the eye and tell me there’s absolutely no way you, Rafe and Logan can’t ensure Cody’s safety?”

  Alex let out a deep, heavy sigh. He couldn’t look her in the eye and say that, because she was right. The crowded funeral wasn’t exactly the time he would choose to take out a young witness. Yet on the other hand, the thought of his son being in danger, no matter how remote, made him cautious. His earlier enthusiasm for the case evaporated, leaving a vague, nauseous feeling in its place.

  “We’ll see what we can do,” Alex reluctantly promised.

  When they finished their lunch, Shelby took Cody into their bedroom. She didn’t close the door and Alex could hear her asking if Cody wanted to watch a movie or read some of his picture books.

  He called his partner, updating Rafe and Logan on the newest development with Mayor Flynn and Marilyn, along with Shelby’s plan to attend Trina’s funeral.

  When he finished with his phone calls, he stayed on the sofa, eavesdropping on Shelby’s conversation with Cody.

  “I know my mom is in heaven, but why can’t we visit her?” Cody asked.

  “Heaven is where God lives, Cody. People on earth like you and me can’t go up to visit. When we die, our souls go up to live with God in heaven. And that’s where your mom’s soul is right now.”

  “So she can’t come down to visit me, either?” Cody asked.

  “No, sweetheart, I’m afraid not. But you can still talk to your mom, just like you talk to God when you pray.”

  “Is she going to be lonely up there, all by herself?” Cody asked.

  “Oh, no, Cody, she won’t be by herself. Heaven is a wonderful, beautiful, peaceful place with lots of people your mom knew and loved when they lived on earth. Once souls get up in heaven, they don’t want to come back.”

  Alex smiled a bit at the thought of Trina being in heaven. Listening to Cody and Shelby’s conversation about God and heaven made him remember the night he’d waded through the snowstorm, carrying Cody and leading Shelby with a rope, praying for the first time that he could remember.

  Shelby thought God had answered their prayers and looking back, he could only agree. There was certainly no other logical explanation as to how he’d managed to find the shelter of those far trees. He couldn’t see but scant inches in front of his face. One minute he was walking blindly, wondering how much longer Shelby would be able to keep up and the next, he’d stumbled onto the shelter.

  Some people might argue luck, but at that moment, he’d known that he hadn’t fo
und the shelter of those trees on his own. He’d had help.

  Guidance from God.

  Shelby had suggested he seek help in figuring out his future through prayer, but somehow he didn’t think it would work the same way. Just because God had answered one prayer, did that mean He would answer more? Feeling a little foolish, he closed his eyes and opened his heart.

  I’m new at this stuff, Lord, but I need Your help to know what I should do with my life. Since Toby’s death, I’ve vowed to do my best to keep drugs off the streets. But being a DEA agent isn’t the best career for a man raising a son. Shelby will be a good mother for Cody, of that I have no doubt. But I’m not sure how to be an equally good father. I need direction, Lord. Show me the way.

  He opened his eyes and glanced around. Okay, it was silly to think that God would simply drop some sort of note out of the sky telling him what to do with the rest of his life. But deep down, there was a strange sense of peace.

  Shelby came out of the bedroom, half-closing the door behind her.

  “Is he sleeping?”

  She smiled and nodded. “Yes. Fell asleep while I was telling him my favorite Bible story.”

  “I don’t know any Bible stories,” he confessed. “But I did what you suggested. I prayed for guidance as to what I should do with my career and my future.”

  Her expression brightened and he was amazed at how beautiful she was. “I’m glad. I just know God will help you decide what’s best.”

  He gestured for Shelby to take a seat beside him. “Is it really that easy?” he asked. “To become a believer?”

  She laughed, a light musical sound that warmed his heart. “Yes, it’s really that easy. Having faith and praying are a big part of what is important.”

  “I’d like to learn more,” Alex admitted slowly.

  Shelby reached over to take his hand in hers, curling her slight fingers around his. He caught his breath at her soft caress. “I’d love to help you in any way I can,” she murmured.

  The way she stared at him, so intently, made him feel short of breath, as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. Holding her hand like this, as if they were the only two people in the world at this moment, gave him the insane urge to draw her close, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

  And the way she was looking at him, shyly curious, made him wonder how she’d respond to his touch.

  Considering her past experience with men, he knew he had to go slowly, lest he frighten her. She’d allowed him to help warm her up while they were in the shelter of the snowstorm, but at that moment, their embrace hadn’t been personal.

  “Shelby,” he whispered, reaching up to brush a stray curl off her cheek. Her skin was satiny smooth and he was amazed to see his fingers were trembling. He wanted to tell her how special she was but didn’t know how. Gently, he cupped her cheek with his hand, brushing the silky softness with the pad of his thumb.

  Her eyes widened at the caress. But she didn’t pull away. Just the opposite. She tilted her head, leaning into his palm.

  His breath strangled in his throat and he captured her gaze with his, lowering his head, slowly, so as not to scare her, wanting nothing more than to steal a kiss.

  His cell phone rang. No doubt Rafe or Logan with news on the Mayor Flynn angle. He froze, torn by duty and desire.

  Duty won. Regretfully he dropped his hand from Shelby’s face and turned away, reaching for his cell phone.

  Wishing he’d met Shelby at another time or place.

  The skin of her cheek still tingled long after Alex’s hand had dropped away. She sat on the sofa, unable to move, her emotions in turmoil as Alex spoke to Rafe.

  He’d been about to kiss her. She’d known it the moment he’d looked deep into her eyes. And even more shocking, at least to her, was that she’d wanted him to.

  She licked suddenly dry lips and tried to understand what was happening to her. She avoided men, had resigned herself to living her life alone, without male companionship. Yet with Alex, she couldn’t remain indifferent.

  She cared about him. More than she ought to. Because while she knew she could trust him, while she firmly believed Alex would never physically hurt her, she wasn’t so sure she could trust him with her heart.

  “Stephan Kirkland called Shelby?” Alex interrupted her thoughts when he swung around to face her. It took her a moment to realize he and Rafe were discussing her. There was another pause as Alex listened to what Rafe was saying. “I don’t like it, Rafe,” Alex said with a scowl. “I don’t want her anywhere near the guy.”

  She frowned at his commanding tone. She knew Alex wanted to keep her safe, but he couldn’t shut her off from the rest of the world forever. And besides, Stephan might not be Cody’s father, but he’d still raised the boy for the past four years. He had a right to know what was going on. And she knew it would be safe to see him—he was too short to be Cody’s bad man. “I’d like to meet with him.”

  Alex’s gaze drilled a hole into her for a long moment, before he swung away. “I need time to think about it,” he said in an abrupt tone. “I’ll get back to you.” Clearly irritated, he snapped his phone shut.

  “Did Stephan say why he wants to meet with me?” she asked, when he didn’t offer any further information.

  “He claims he wants to talk to you about releasing custody rights to Cody.” Alex’s scowl deepened as he continued to pace the center of the room. “But I’m not buying his story. I don’t trust him.”

  The vehemence in his tone surprised her. “I thought we basically ruled Stephan out as Cody’s bad guy?”

  “No one is ruled out,” Alex responded flatly. “If Stephan was safe, why didn’t Trina send you to him?”

  He had a point. She remembered specifically asking Trina about Stephan and if he could help. “Well, she also told me not to trust anyone, even the police, so apparently she didn’t want me to take Cody to anyone but you. That doesn’t mean Stephan is guilty.”

  Alex spun around to face her. “Can you repeat exactly what she said?”

  It was three days ago, but Trina’s words were indelibly imprinted on her brain. “She told me she had made a terrible mistake and asked if I’d take Cody and keep him safe. She told me to call you, because you were Cody’s real father and once you knew about him, you’d keep him safe. I asked her if Stephan knew, and she nodded and told me she had never listed Stephan as the father on Cody’s birth certificate. She said, ‘He can’t help,’ meaning Stephan. Then she told me not to trust anyone, especially the police.”

  “Especially the police?” He stared down at his cell phone for a moment, as if it were some sort of foreign object. “If the mayor is involved, he could easily have a cop on the inside working for him,” he murmured. “And someone inside the police force would have the ability to trace Trina’s cell phone to Kayla’s bed-and-breakfast.”

  “It’s all my fault,” she whispered.

  He shook his head. “No, it’s mine. I should have realized the possibility earlier. Especially after hearing from Rafe that Holden didn’t have any suspects or a clear motive for murder, and that he was getting pressure to close the case quickly.”

  “No clear motive?” Had everyone gone crazy? “What about giving inside information to the DEA? Surely that’s motive.”

  Alex glanced away. “We haven’t said anything about that. Right now, it’s better for us if the police do conclude robbery. Once we know who’s behind the drug smuggling, then we can gather the evidence needed to pin Trina’s murder on them.”

  Troubled, she dropped her argument. Because what he said made some sense. If there was a dirty cop inside the police force, they would want Trina’s murder covered up too, so pushing for a more thorough investigation wasn’t going to help.

  She rubbed the aching area on the side of her temple. “So we can’t trust the police. I get that part. But Stephan wouldn’t hurt Cody. And Cody would have recognized him if Stephan had been the one arguing with Trina. So there’s really no reason I couldn’t
meet with him.”

  Alex clenched his jaw. “I don’t like it.”

  She tried to hide her uneasiness. “He might know something, Alex. He was married to Trina, after all. Granted, they were having marital troubles, but for all we know, Trina’s mistake involved trusting the police, not anything specifically about Stephan.”

  “I still don’t like it,” he muttered. But the resigned expression in his eyes convinced her that he’d already given in. “You’re not going alone. I’ll be with you and we’re going to meet with him in a very public place.”

  “You?” Once again, she was surprised. “Won’t going out in public risk your cover?”

  A grim smile tugged at his mouth. “If you’d seen me as a longshoreman, you’d know how different I look now. I grew my hair long and dyed it dishwater blond. With a scruffy beard and dark brown contact lenses, even Rafe had trouble recognizing me. Besides, my cover is the least of our worries. The fact that I was jumped and stabbed three months ago indicates my cover has already been blown.”

  Understanding hit hard. “You’re in danger, Alex. They wanted to kill you, too.”

  He didn’t disagree. “I’ll call Rafe so he and Logan can help prepare for this meeting with Stephan. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

  “No. I haven’t changed my mind.”

  Shelby could tell Alex wasn’t happy, even though he hid his feelings behind a brisk no-nonsense attitude. He and Logan had picked a busy restaurant as the place for Shelby to meet Stephan. Logan was seated not far from their table while Rafe had stayed back at the hotel with Cody.

  She and Alex were already seated in a booth when Stephan arrived. Trina’s husband looked awful, as if he hadn’t gotten any sleep since Trina’s murder.

  “Thanks for meeting me,” Stephan said, sliding into the empty space across from them. Shelby was pinned in the corner of the booth, between Alex’s large frame and the wall of the restaurant. He glanced nervously at Alex. “Who’s your friend?”

  “I’m with the federal government and Shelby’s in our protection,” Alex told him. “That’s all you need to know.”