After Michael hung up, he asked, “Do you mind if we stop by my office for a minute? Ron says he has a problem only I can solve.”
“No, that’s fine.” She wasn’t sure her stomach had calmed down enough to eat anything yet.
When they pulled up in front of Michael’s office, Dani was tempted to just sit in his new BMW and breathe in the long-forgotten aroma of luxury and leather seats she’d once had. But she really had to use the ladies room, so she let Michael open her door and help her out. His hand on her lower back as he led her up the steps made her all tingly inside again.
Yeah, Jake needed to hurry up and sign those papers.
After she was done in the restroom, she followed the sounds of raised voices and a bawling child down a softly lit hall. Peeking into Ron’s office, she saw a little girl with blonde hair lying on the floor, throwing a temper tantrum. Ron sat behind his desk, holding his head in his hands, and Chad paced back and forth, while Michael knelt beside the child, trying to sooth her. Before she could say anything, the little girl raised her head, locked gazes with her, then raced toward her. She didn’t know what to do but brace for the impact.
When a set of little arms wrapped around her legs and held on like a rat aboard a drowning ship, Dani tried to hold her panic in check. Little kids terrified her. Especially ones who were crying at the top of their lungs.
“What’s going on?” she asked Michael, who stood and dusted off his slacks.
Michael’s face was red with fury as he waved a hand in Ron’s direction. “I’m sure Ron’s just dying to explain this one.”
While Dani awkwardly patted the kid’s back, she glanced at Ron, who rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. He spoke loudly, trying to be heard over the crying kid. “The child’s mother dropped her off and informed my secretary that this little girl is my daughter. The woman said she had to leave for a while and to take care of her.”
Chad added, “Don’t forget the part about ‘and it’s your fault I have to hide.’”
Michael looked like a pit bull straining against a chain about to break.
“So who’s the mother, Ron?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. There’ve been a few women who might qualify.”
Michael let out a low growl, then grabbed Ron’s lapels, pulling him out of his big leather chair. “The kid appears to be about two. Add another nine months and look it up!”
After Michael released him, dropping him back into his big leather chair, Ron frantically dug through his phone for clues.
Meanwhile, the little girl’s whimpering became softer. Dani pried the little arms from her knees, then picked her up. The child’s legs automatically clamped around Dani’s waist, and the toddler’s arms tightened around her neck, cutting off her air supply. The kid snuggled her face against Dani’s neck, soaking her collar with tears and snot.
She’d rather face Carlos, the crazy car-bashing lunatic who’d threatened to kill her, than do this. At least she could point her gun at him and make him go away.
Dani sort of rubbed and patted the kid’s back as Chad and Ron discussed all the women Ron had been seeing over the years.
With each new name thrown out, Michael seethed harder. She felt awful for him. He adored his mom, and that had to hurt.
While the child squirmed in her arms, she tried to think of something to say that might calm her, and then wondered if the kid was old enough to know her own name. She leaned closer and whispered, “Uh, hi? My name’s Dani. What’s yours?”
The little girl swallowed her tears, leaned back to face her, and made a sound like “Mah.”
What kind of name was that?
Before Dani could ask for clarification, the little girl laid her hands on either side of Dani’s face. “Owie.” She leaned forward and laid a kiss on Dani’s bruised cheek as gently as Michael had done the night before. Then the kid lifted a finger wrapped in a cartoon bandage. “Mah owie.”
Touched by the child’s concern for her face, Dani grinned and figured she should probably kiss the kid’s finger in return. So she did. When the little girl beamed a sweet smile as a reward, Dani was certain she’d done the right thing, although she was fighting the urge to spit out the adhesive flavor lingering on her lips.
This was obviously a child who’d been loved. But what could make a woman so scared she’d dump off a kid with a man who knew nothing of her existence? Or maybe Ron did and hadn’t stepped up to the plate?
The fear in the little girl’s eyes was gut-wrenching. She was surrounded by strangers and must have wanted her mother. The intense emotions radiating from the kid made it impossible for Dani to get any sort of reading from her. Not even a color, which was odd.
Dani knew just how the girl felt, recalling how frightened she’d been during her kidnapping. She’d been just a little older than this child, and her heart ached for the kid.
As Ron continued to grumble and rustle around on his computer for clues, Dani crossed to the couch where a car seat, a backpack, and a diaper bag lay. At the beginning of every school year, her friend Zoe wrote her kids’ names on everything they owned. This child was probably too young for school, but maybe she went to day care. Sitting down with the girl in her lap, she opened the backpack and peeked inside. She wasn’t disappointed. “Ron, your daughter’s name is Emma Anderson. Does that last name sound familiar?”
Chad stared at Dani, surprise lighting his face as if she’d just found the cure for cancer instead of using simple logic. But, oh yeah, she forgot: they all thought she was a total dingbat.
After repeating the last name, Chad turned to Ron, “Isn’t that the last name of one of our accountants, Dad? The blonde, good-looking one?”
Ron’s eyes grew wide. “Uh, yes it was. We have new ones now. But without a DNA test, I’m not conceding this child is my daughter. What am I going to do with the kid until I get the test results?” He turned to Michael. “You’re the only one with any recent experience with children, so you need to take her.”
Michael crossed his big arms, ignoring Ron’s plea. “Why would our firm’s ex-accountant feel the need to hide out?”
Chad piped up. “Who cares about that? We need to call social services. They’ll send someone over and place her in foster care until this whole mess is settled.” Chad quickly googled the number on his phone.
Ron nodded enthusiastically. “That’s a great idea.”
For ten minutes, Michael argued some lawyer gobbledygook about how Ron shouldn’t do that, especially because he could be the father, but Ron wasn’t buying it.
Chad finally blew out a sigh. “Found it.”
“Give it to me.” Ron’s hand flew toward the phone on his desk.
Dani glanced into Emma’s tear-filled blue eyes. Worry crumpled her little forehead.
A kid that came from a caring home that bought cartoon bandages for her owies would be frightened and absolutely miserable in foster care. “Ron, stop. You can’t do this to the poor kid.”
Ron waved her comment away with a sweep of his hand. “Dani, the last person I’d take advice from is a spoiled rich kid whose mother bails her out of trouble on a regular basis. Go do your nails or something.”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Michael snapped.
“You know your mother’s temper, Michael.” Ron lifted his hands. “I’d rather take a bullet than walk through the door with a kid from one of my affairs.”
Dani asked, “Is a bullet what it’ll take for you to grow a heart, Ron?” Hot anger seared her belly as she marched toward her purse. Ron was a cheating bastard and a heartless pig. He deserved everything he was about to get. If he wouldn’t listen to reason, then maybe it was time to be unreasonable. For Emma’s sake.
She plunged her hand inside her purse and pulled out her unloaded gun. Dani pushed Emma’s face into her neck—the kid probably shouldn’t see what she was about to do—and then pointed the gun at Ron. “Put that phone down right now. You are not sending this poor
child into the foster care system. She’s probably your own flesh and blood, you moron.”
Ron slowly placed the phone back onto his desk, his eyes wide, his breathing suddenly shallow. “Hold on, Dani. There’s no need for that. Let’s just stay calm.”
Dani heard Michael’s quiet curse but didn’t dare look at him, afraid she’d lose her battle to maintain her composure. The fear on Ron’s and Chad’s faces was hilarious and extremely gratifying. She might have to carry the gun more often.
She pulled herself back together. “What is your ex-accountant’s first name?”
“It’s . . . Julia,” Ron stammered, “Julia Anderson.”
Dani held the kid with one hand and her gun in the other. How was she going to use the phone? Gesturing with the gun in Ron’s direction, she said, “Punch the ‘Speaker’ button and dial this number.”
After Ron entered in the numbers she’d called out, Jake’s voice filled the room. “Detective Morris.”
“Jake, will you please run the name Julia Anderson and see if anything comes up? I’ll wait.”
He grunted. “You’ll wait? Dani what the hell have you—”
“Please, Jake.” She cut him off. “I’m on speaker phone, and I need this information quickly.”
He let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’ll put you on hold. Anderson or Andersen?”
“Son,” Dani replied.
As the police department’s sappy on-hold music filled the air, Emma let out a long breath, snuggled deeper into Dani’s neck, and closed her eyes.
Thank God.
But did snot come out of silk?
She motioned to Michael to come take the kid, but when he tried to lift Emma, she woke and started whimpering.
Resigned to ruining another of her favorite pieces of clothing, Dani hugged Emma tightly against her chest, tossed the gun in the direction of her purse, and flopped into one of the chairs in front of Ron’s desk. Who knew how much a little kid could weigh?
When relief flashed across Ron and Chad’s faces, she laughed. “You guys didn’t really think that gun was loaded, did you? I’m not that irresponsible. Jeez.”
Michael dropped into the chair next to her and whispered, “Nice work, Rambo.”
Finally, Jake’s voice sounded, instead of the offensive excuse for music. “You still there?”
She spoke quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping time bomb drooling on her chest. “Yes, what have you got?”
“Ms. Anderson has the IRS hot on her tail for some clients’ overdue tax payments. Someone local is looking at her and her business partner regarding money laundering. If you know where she is, I need to know, or else you’re harboring a suspected criminal.”
Dani leaned closer to the phone. “I don’t know where she is, but I’ve got her kid slobbering all over me. Do you have any information on next of kin?”
“Hang on.” The sound of shuffling papers filled the air. “Maybe. The report shows a woman who might be Ms. Anderson’s mother living up north, near Taos. We think her name is Martha Anderson, but she doesn’t answer her phone. We haven’t been able to confirm yet. Hey, your grandmother lives in that area. Maybe she could use her woo—”
“Uh, yeah.” Dani cut Jake off again. “My grandmother may be of help to you. She seems to know everyone in Taos. Maybe you should call her and then let me know? Thanks, Jake.” Dani motioned to Ron to disconnect the call.
After he did, Ron stared intently into Dani’s eyes. “Please. Won’t you take the child? She seems comfortable with you. I don’t want to bring her home and upset Maeve.”
Oh, she could learn to hate Ron. Maeve, the woman she loved as much as her own mother, did not deserve to have an illegitimate child shoved into her face. Maeve had always been there for her when her mom couldn’t be, even after she’d stopped working for Annalisa. She was one tough lady, never afraid to stand up to the powerful Annalisa Botelli, and Dani had always admired her for it.
Before she could answer, Michael jumped out of his chair. “This is your problem, Ron, not Dani’s.”
He tugged on Dani’s arm and helped her stand while balancing the kid. When Michael reached for Emma, Ron’s eyes widened with panic. “I’ll pay you, Dani. Name your price.”
Michael’s gaze met hers for a moment, silently asking if she was interested. She gave him a quick eyebrow hitch then turned toward Ron.
She was going to make up a sum so outrageous he’d never agree to it. “I’ve got a very hot client on the line right now, and a kid isn’t going to help me sell any homes. I stand to lose a lot, so if you want me to babysit, I’m gonna have to charge you a thousand dollars a day.”
Take that, you cheater.
“Done,” Ron said without hesitation. He stood and held out his hand for her to shake. “Let me know what Jake comes up with for next of kin, will you?”
“Uh, well,” Dani stammered, trying to realign her train of thought as she shook his hand. She should have asked for more, apparently. “I’ll need three days in advance. If it takes any more time than that, we’ll have to renegotiate. And if we find a solution sooner, you get no refunds.”
Undeterred by any of her desperate attempts to get out of babysitting, Ron quickly reached for his checkbook and filled in the amount. He ripped the check out and handed it to her. “The child will need to have a DNA test tomorrow. I’ll call you with the details.”
Suddenly, the enormity of their transaction hit her. She had been so intent on making Ron pay for being such a jerk that she forgot that she knew absolutely nothing about children and now was stuck with one for three days. Worse, she might have a raving lunatic after her when he was released from jail in a couple of days. She couldn’t endanger Emma’s life.
Holy crap, what had she just done?
Michael gently strapped the sleeping Emma into his daughter’s car seat because it was easier than trying to install Emma’s in the dark, and then he slipped behind the wheel. “Dani, are you the only human being on this planet who doesn’t know you can go to jail for pointing guns at people?” He tried to keep his voice low but was losing the battle.
“Shhhh. You’ll wake the kid. And it wasn’t loaded, so it hardly counts.” Dani frowned and crossed her arms. “Besides, Ron was so thrilled to be rid of his parental responsibilities he’s probably forgotten all about it by now.”
It was like banging his head against a brick wall trying to break through her version of logic. “Please refrain from doing that ever again. At least in my presence. But thanks for taking Emma. Ron got off too easy.”
He would’ve taken Emma before he’d let her go with child services, but he would’ve made Ron beg. He wanted to spare his mother more heartache, but the child was obviously happier with Dani.
A smile tugged at his mouth when he recalled how she’d stood up for the poor kid. He didn’t care for her guerrilla tactics but had to admit she’d gotten the job done.
Dani just kept surprising him.
She turned toward him with a deer-in-the-headlight look. “I can’t believe I just did that. I have no idea what to do with a kid. We need to find her family right away.”
“I’ll help you with Emma, and I want to know about her mother as much as you do. My mom told me Ron has hidden all their money. He’s making it difficult for her to divorce him, and I haven’t had any luck digging through his office files. I’m thinking Emma’s mom, Ron’s ex-accountant, might know where that money is.”
Dani frowned. “That is if we can find her.”
“Yeah, and there’s probably a reason Julia didn’t leave her kid with the grandmother, because Ron couldn’t be the best choice unless he was the last one.”
“You’re right, we’re going to have to find Emma’s mom.” She stared out the window for a moment, then pointed to an ATM. “Hey, pull over, will you? I need some cash, and I want to get this check deposited before Ron changes his mind.”
When Dani hopped out of the car to deal with the ATM, he glanced over his shoulder to check
on Emma. She was a cute kid. Blonde, with an angelic face, and her little blue eyes were staring into his. She smiled and pointed out the window. “Mic Dee’s!”
He turned and saw the fast-food joint that his daughters loved, too. “You’re hungry, huh? What would you like?”
Emma sputtered, “Nuggeeees.”
“Want a chicken nugget kids’ meal?”
“Peeezzz,” Emma said, nodding enthusiastically.
“Well, since you asked so nicely, nuggets it is. I’m not sure Quick Draw Dani will be as happy, though.”
Emma clapped her hands. “Yay nuggeeees!”
Dani returned, then snapped her seat belt into place. “Now I can pay you back the twenty-five hundred you lent me. And thanks to Ron, I’m buying dinner tonight.”
“Thank you.” He pulled out and crossed the street, slipping into the drive-through. “Emma mentioned she’d like to partake of this fine cuisine instead of the boring adult food at the Skyline Club.”
A bright grin lit Dani’s face. “She said she wanted this? That’s pretty good for a kid her age, isn’t it?” She turned and smiled at Emma, who was bouncing up and down in the car seat. “I guess we have a little genius on our hands, huh, Em?”
Dani didn’t protest even a little? He didn’t know too many rich girls who made a habit of eating at fast-food joints.
At the happy sounds coming from the back seat, he glanced in his rearview mirror. He hoped the poor kid would have a place to live when her mother was sent to jail.
After they’d gotten their meal to go, Michael pulled into Annalisa’s estate and parked beside Dani’s eyesore of a car. Annalisa was right. Dani needed a new one.
They carted Emma, her diaper bag, and their food inside and found Jake reclining on the couch, watching a movie.
The smug look Jake sent Michael was a familiar one, but he stood and managed a “Hey,” before he turned to Dani and beamed a smile at her. “Well, looky here, two gorgeous women for the price of one. How’d I get so lucky?” He reached out for Emma, who was snuggled against Dani’s chest.
Starry-eyed, Emma went willingly into Jake’s arms and smiled and cooed right back at him.
Seeing Double (A Heartbreaker Novel Book 1) Page 9