The Cradle Files

by Delores Fossen

  Even with just the dim moonlight, she saw his expression. Saw the question on his face. "I locked the patio door when I came in," she whispered. "I was afraid someone might follow me. Obviously, I was right to be afraid."

  Not that a locked glass door would provide them with much protection.

  Garrett evidently knew that as well, because he didn't look for his phone. He went straight to the laundry room, which was little more than a corridor. He didn't stop there. He reached up and grabbed keys from a wooden rack mounted on the wall, and unlocked the door that led into the garage.

  There was a crash of glass from the kitchen. The gunmen were either inside or would be within seconds. Lexie felt another slam of adrenaline, and it gave her the jolt of energy that she needed.

  Garrett opened the door and caught her arm, practically dragging her into the garage. He didn't waste a moment. He yanked open the driver's door of his vintage black Mustang and shoved her inside. Lexie scrambled into the passenger's seat so that Garrett could get behind the wheel and start the engine.

  "Hang on and stay down," he warned.

  And with that, he gripped the steering wheel with his left hand and gunned the motor. The car bolted forward, crashing through the garage door.

  * * *

  GARRETT HAD HOPED that his garage door wouldn't put up much resistance, but unfortunately, it did. A slab of it landed right in the middle of his windshield. The safety glass cracked, webbed and otherwise obstructed his view, but it stayed firmly in place.

  He didn't dare put down his window and stick his head out so he could navigate, either. Not with three gunmen in the area. But he did turn on his headlights and floored the accelerator. He braced himself for the gunmen to shoot at them, braced himself for an all-out attack, and tried to keep his own gun steady.

  "I don't think they're following us," he heard Lexie say.

  He glanced at her and saw something that caused his blood pressure to spike.

  She was looking out the back window.

  Garrett immediately shoved her back down in the seat. "What part of stay down didn't you understand?"

  "I might have to return fire. You concentrate on getting us out of here. I'll do what I need to do."

  He couldn't argue with that. It was reasonable. Well, semi-reasonable. There wasn't a lot about this situation that qualified as reasonable. Still, he truly might need her to return fire if this evolved into a gun battle. He didn't like the three-to-one odds if he had to do this alone. But then, he didn't care much relying for backup on someone with memory issues.

  Garrett checked the side mirror and was a little surprised at what he saw. He was also slightly relieved. An empty street stretched out behind them. So maybe the gunmen hadn't pursued them. For now, anyway.

  But he couldn't count on them just giving up.

  "Go back through the bits of memory you have," Garrett insisted. "And come up with a theory as to who just tried to kill us."

  "The doctor with me during the delivery," she readily answered. "The man who took the baby. Or the cop who ran me off the road."

  Three suspects. Three gunmen. Coincidence? "And you don't know who any of these men are?"

  She shook her head. "No. But I intend to find out."

  "Because they're the only ones who might know where the baby is."

  He hadn't meant to say that aloud. Heck, he hadn't even meant to think it. He couldn't devote a lot of mental energy to the baby now. Mainly because he didn't know if there was a child. And if their daughter had actually been born, he needed to get Lexie to safety before he started to unravel this deadly puzzle she'd brought to him. Even if there wasn't a child, it was abundantly clear that someone was after Lexie.

  And him.

  The shot that'd come through his bedroom could have been aimed at either of them. Or both. And if they hadn't immediately turned out the lights and gotten down on the floor, Garrett had no doubts that there would have been a second shot. Probably a third. There would have been as many bullets as it took to eliminate them.

  This had not been a warning. It'd been a cold, calculated attempt to execute them.

  Why?

  He checked the mirror again, and when he saw that things were still clear, he slowed to a reasonable speed and took the turn to the highway.

  "Where are we going?" Lexie asked.

  He didn't answer her, because he knew it was an answer she wouldn't like. Even with the possibility that a cop was involved in this, he had no choice. He was going to police headquarters.

  Garrett only hoped it wasn't a fatal mistake.

  Chapter Five

  Garrett took a huge gulp of the god-awful coffee that the rookie officer had given him, then he signed the statement he'd just prepared about the shooting "incident." He hoped the caffeine would help with the headache that throbbed in both temples. Spent adrenaline was a witch to deal with, and he didn't have the time to let the effects wear off naturally.

  He needed a clear head, and he needed it now.

  Across the room, seated on the break room sofa, Lexie was finishing up her handwritten statement and sipping coffee as well. She was also making the same disapproving expression at the bitter taste. Well, that was partly the reason for her expression.

  Some of it was aimed at him.

  All right. Most of it was aimed at him.

  "I hope I don't have to say I told you so again," Lexie grumbled. Practically tearing through the sheets of paper with the tip of the pen, she signed her name to the report and tossed it onto the table.

  It wasn't the first time she'd voiced that complaint since they'd arrived at police headquarters an hour earlier. Garrett didn't think it would be the last, either.

  Nope.

  He was in for a night of her complaints. Garrett just hoped those objections weren't warranted. Because it might be awhile before he could figure out if coming here had indeed been a bad idea. It might be longer still before he could discover if there was a departmental leak. Or worse, a would-be departmental killer who had a penchant for running women off the road.

  Garrett dropped his statement on top of Lexie's and checked the clock mounted on the wall. His brother, Lieutenant Brayden O'Malley, would be arriving within minutes. The shooting and those gunmen put this case right in his brother's lap. However, even if it hadn't fallen within Brayden's realm of responsibility, Garrett had no plans to go to anyone else. He'd already decided to keep this investigation close to the vest.

  Or rather, in the family.

  "We're wasting time," Lexie continued. She practically slapped the foam cup of coffee on the adjacent table, and got up to pace.

  "We're staying alive," Garrett corrected. "That is what you want, right?"

  Lexie stopped pacing only long enough to send a narrowed, fiery glance his way. "I thought you believed me about the baby."

  Her words sent a jab of pain through his right temple. He'd meant to set this whole issue aside until they'd resolved the gunmen situation, but he now knew he couldn't. "I believe you believe it."

  She stopped again. Right in front of him. Mere inches away. "Refresh my memory—are you always this pigheaded?"

  "Always."

  Lexie huffed and squared her shoulders. She was probably aiming for a show of strength, but failed miserably. Because there was nothing she could do to dissolve that look in her eyes. The pain.

  The fear.

  He wasn't unaffected by that look, either. Despite all the bad blood between them, there were other things between them as well. The past that stained their present relationship was one he couldn't forget.

  With her broken memories, Lexie was lucky. In that respect. She probably didn't remember the attraction that had started all of this. It was too bad he couldn't give himself a little dose of selective amnesia. It would help him focus on getting those men who'd tried to kill them.

  "I remember something," she said out of the blue.

  Garrett pulled himself away from the unwanted trip down memory lane
so he could make eye contact. She was staring at him. No. She was studying him.

  "You remembered who's trying to kill you?" he asked.

  She blinked. Shook her head. And it seemed as if she'd changed her mind about what she'd been on the verge of saying. "No. Not that. It's not important."

  He grabbed her arm when she tried to step away. "Excuse me? Your memory returning isn't important?" And he made sure his voice was dripping with cynicism.

  "It's not my full memory. It's a memory. As in one. One memory that I shouldn't have even mentioned."

  "Why?" he asked before he thought it through. And he was immediately sorry about that. Because he saw the blush spread across her cheeks. "Oh," he mumbled. "You remembered us having sex."

  "Not quite. But I, uh, remembered the kiss leading up to it."

  That was some memory to regain. Garrett remembered that kiss, as well. Unfortunately, he remembered it in full, blazing detail. And probably because he was standing so close to Lexie, the memory was as crystal clear as the original.

  "It's still there," Lexie said, looking up at him. "The attraction," she explained.

  As if he needed any clarification.

  "It's there," he admitted, since a lie that big would have stuck in his throat. "But bad things happened the last time we acted on that attraction."

  She flinched. "You mean the baby."

  "No." His quick response surprised him almost as much as it obviously surprised her. "If there is a baby, then that's not a bad thing."

  He meant it. He'd never considered himself father material, but if there was a child, then he would love his baby and do whatever it took to get her back and keep her safe.

  "Thank you," Lexie whispered.

  The emotion in her voice drew his gaze back to hers. "For what?"

  "For caring about the baby."

  Oh, man. There were tears in her eyes. Tears! Again. He couldn't keep resisting her. He would have almost certainly pulled her into his arms to offer what meager comfort he could offer.

  But he didn't get a chance.

  "Want to tell me what's going on here?" he heard someone ask.

  But not just anyone. His brother, Brayden.

  Garrett shifted his attention to the doorway and spotted his older sibling standing there. Even though Brayden had been called in well after normal duty hours, he still managed to look very much like a cop in charge. He was wearing khakis and a crisp white shirt. Tucked in, of course. He had his badge clipped to his belt.

  Garrett suddenly felt very unprofessional in the black T-shirt and boots he'd grabbed from his locker. Still, the too casual attire was far better than the alternative. When he'd arrived at headquarters, he'd only been wearing jeans.

  "Well? What's going on here?" Brayden repeated. He glanced at Lexie, and though his expression changed only slightly, Garrett saw the disapproval in his brother's eyes.

  "It's not what you think," Garrett insisted.

  And he knew his brother well enough to know that what Brayden was thinking wasn't good. Brayden no doubt believed that Lexie was back in Garrett's life. Not back in an ordinary sense, either.

  But in a sexual sense.

  His eyes met Brayden's and a dozen questions passed between them. Before Garrett answered those questions, he motioned for his brother to come inside the break room, and Garrett shut the door.

  "Lexie," Brayden said in greeting, walking toward her. He reached down and picked up the statements from the table.

  She shook her head, glanced at Garrett.

  "She doesn't remember you," Garrett explained. "Someone gave her a drug, and it's caused some memory loss."

  Brayden stayed quiet a moment, but Garrett knew he was processing the information. "And that's why you're here?"

  "We're here because Garrett thought he could trust you," Lexie interjected. "Can he?"

  "With his life," Brayden readily answered. "But I'd still like an explanation about what's going on."

  The three exchanged glances. Garrett decided to go first. "Someone fired a shot into my house tonight. There were three of them. All armed. I had to drive out of there fast."

  Brayden took a deep breath. "Were either of you hurt?"

  "No," Garrett assured him. "But we have a problem. I can't ID any of the gunmen, and I have a feeling they aren't going to stop with just this one attempt."

  "So, why haven't you made this investigation official? Why call me in and close the door?"

  Lexie stepped between them. "Because I have reason to believe that it might be a cop who wants me dead."

  His brother was very good at hiding his emotions but he wasn't able to hide his shock, and perhaps his disbelief. "I'll want an explanation about that, too."

  Before that could happen, there was a knock at the door, one sharp rap, and it opened. The rookie stuck his head inside. "Lieutenant O'Malley?" he said to Brayden. "Lieutenant Dillard is on the phone. He wants to speak to you."

  "Hell," Garrett grumbled. Lieutenant Dillard was his boss, and since he wanted to speak to Brayden, that probably meant the conversation would be about Lexie and him.

  "Did you happen to tell Lieutenant Dillard I was here?" Garrett asked the rookie.

  "I did. Because he asked," the young officer quickly added. "Your neighbor saw some suspicious men hanging around your house, and he reported it. The neighbor said someone bashed into your garage door."

  Great. This just kept getting messier and messier.

  "I'll be right back," Brayden said, heading for the door.

  "Wait," Lexie called out. Brayden stopped and turned back around to face her. He met her gaze head-on. "Remember what I told you."

  She no doubt meant the part about the possible cop who'd tried to kill her.

  "You'll just have to trust me to do my job," Brayden responded. With that, he turned and walked out.

  "Trust," Lexie mumbled. "It's disconcerting how easily that word flows right off the tongue. Let's hope it's a word that actually means something."

  Garrett shook his head. "My brother won't do anything to hurt us."

  "Maybe not intentionally."

  Since that was the truth, Garrett decided it was a good time to finish his coffee. Unfortunately, it was cold and had seemingly turned to gasoline. But because his head was still pounding, he forced himself to drink it.

  Lexie sank onto the sofa with a heavy sigh and leaned her head against the cushion. "Why does your brother hate me?"

  Garrett hadn't been prepared for her question. "Who said he hates you?"

  "I did. I could tell by the way he looked at me."

  And here he thought his brother had the ultimate poker face. "It has to do with what happened when your boss, Billy Avery, was on trial."

  "Oh. He thinks I helped Billy commit those crimes." But then she hesitated. "No. What your brother feels for me is personal, isn't it?"

  Because of the headache, the fatigue, and because this was a subject he didn't really want to discuss, Garrett nearly pulled a silent act. But this was bound to come up sometime or another, and he wanted her to hear it from him. Or rather, he wanted her to hear the sanitized version.

  "Brayden doesn't like you because when you unofficially left my protective custody, you officially put me in a really bad place with my boss and just about everyone in the D.A.'s office."

  She lifted her head, studied him. "I see."

  "The D.A. was lucky to get a conviction without the rest of your testimony." And Garrett hadn't wanted to think just how bad things could have gotten for him if Avery hadn't been convicted. If he'd walked, the D.A. would have looked for someone to hang, and Garrett would have been the one they'd come after.

  With reason.

  He'd failed to do his job, by allowing a material witness to escape custody. Of course, he'd also failed to do his job by having sex with that witness. In this case, two wrongs definitely didn't make a right.

  "Your brother knows what happened between us?" Lexie asked.

  "He knows."


  She stared at him. "And you still think he'll be willing to help me?"

  "I know he will." But what Garrett didn't know was the form that help might take. Brayden wasn't the sort of cop to keep things under the table, but Garrett was hoping his brother would do it this time.

  The door opened and Brayden came back in.

  "Well?" Garrett immediately asked.

  He frowned. "I chose my words carefully."

  Garrett didn't know whose sigh of relief was bigger—his or Lexie's. But there was no hint of relief in Brayden's expression.

  "Lieutenant Dillard knows that Lexie has some issues to be worked out. Personal issues that he's agreed to let me handle at my discretion."

  That brought Lexie off the sofa. "You?"

  "Me," Brayden enunciated. "Because Lieutenant Dillard insisted that Garrett not have any official contact with you." He held up his hand, cutting off the protest that Garrett was about to make. "Dillard is right. You can't be involved in this, Garrett. Because if this—whatever this is—ends up going to the D.A., then it could cost you your badge. The D.A. hasn't forgotten what happened the last time you were involved with Lexie."

  "Your badge?" Lexie questioned.

  Garrett certainly couldn't deny what his brother was saying.

  "Do Mom and Dad know she's back?" Brayden asked.

  Lexie huffed. "What, I riled your parents, too?"

  Brayden shrugged. "If you rile one O'Malley, you rile us all."

  Her gaze flew from Brayden's to his. "Well, I'm sorry. I truly am. But I wouldn't have come back into Garrett's life if it hadn't been for the baby."

  Dead silence fell over the room.

  "Baby?" Brayden repeated.

  Oh, man.

  Garrett so wished he'd had a chance to explain this first. But one thing was for sure—he'd get a chance to explain the baby now.

  Chapter Six

  "I had a baby, a daughter," Lexie said. She cleared her throat. "Garrett's child."

  She stared at the lieutenant and waited for his reaction. There was no mistaking that this was Garrett's brother. Brayden was slightly older, probably mid-thirties, and there was a serenity and calmness about him that Garrett seriously lacked. But the older O'Malley had the same dark brown hair, the same classically handsome face and the same green eyes.