by A. C. Arthur
Sam had never assigned Bailey another kidnapping or child related case. She’d silently thanked him every day for that courtesy.
As for the baby she’d lost, the child she’d only found out she was carrying a few days before the accident, there was nobody for Bailey to thank or to hate for what had happened. Nobody but herself.
“She’s going to reach out to him,” Devlin said pulling her from those bereft thoughts.
She’d heard him but Bailey continued to stare out the window as they drove down the highway.
“Jaydon was born here, so he probably buried her here. If we find out which cemetery, stake it out for a couple of days, I’m sure Roslyn will show up.”
He was saying that Roslyn would show up at her daughter’s grave. If Bailey had known the sex of her child, if there’d been a body for her to bury…she would visit that grave faithfully. But she’d only been about eight weeks pregnant. So there was nothing. Nothing but the ache that she carried with her every hour of every day.
“No,” she replied quietly.
Devlin waited a beat. “No, you don’t think she’s going to go there, or no you don’t think he buried Jaydon here?”
She looked over at him then and said, “No, I don’t think we should stake out her gravesite.”
“It’s our best shot of getting to Roslyn in the next couple of days,” he continued. “Dane isn’t going to be a fountain of information. I think because he’s more involved with his mother than he wants to admit, but I don’t have time to go back and forth with him. Capping his ass would have been worth the time it’s taken to drive out here and back.”
Bailey shook her head, her palms flattening on her thighs. “No. Enough death. Enough pain. We’ve all had enough. Let Roslyn mourn her daughter. Wouldn’t you want that courtesy?”
“I’m not the one going around kidnapping people and terrorizing a family because I made a mistake almost forty years ago,” he replied.
“So you’ve never made a mistake?” she asked. “You’ve never done one thing that you were ashamed of doing?”
When he didn’t reply, she continued. “Look, I know what you do for a living and I don’t judge you for your career choice. I once wanted to be involved with the FBI so I know what that might have entailed. I know all about the special ops work you and Trent did, the bodies that neither of you want to count or carry with you every day. I get it.”
She sighed.
“But this is different, Devlin. These are the lives of real people, not treasonous villains or hired guns. They’re just people who were trying to live the life that was given to them. I don’t think Dane was lying. He doesn’t know where his mother is. Sure, he knows who and what she is, but that doesn’t mean he can’t love her.”
“He’s harboring a criminal!” Devlin yelled. “You can’t tell me that you’re okay with that.”
“She’s his mother,” Bailey snapped. “There’s nothing, absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do to bring my mother back, Devlin. If I had to lie, steal, or even kill, I would. And if I had a child…I…I would hope that my child loved me enough to do the same.”
He didn’t respond.
Bailey didn’t care. She had a headache.
Besides, Devlin Bonner was a difficult man. She’d known that the moment she met him. He’d looked like a rebel, a fighter to the end. The scar on his face only told half the story, the other half, well, it was likely that nobody would ever know. Devlin certainly wasn’t going to participate in any sort of expose of his life’s story. He was a private man. A man who had no doubt seen some gruesome things. A man that most likely did not know how to live any other way. He was solitary, independent, defiant, closed-off. Everything that Bailey knew she never wanted in a man. She’d already had the bad boy with the chip on his shoulder that turned out to be more like a bolder. He’d gotten her pregnant and then walked out of her life. She’d be a fool to want more of the same.
And yet, here she was. With Devlin. Going back to a hotel with Devlin, knowing full well that this physical thing that had been going on for the last year with them, wasn’t over. Not by a longshot.
Chapter 7
What the hell was he doing?
How many times was Dev going to ask himself this question? He should have left her there with her family. Hell, he shouldn’t have gotten involved with this family in the first place. He’d known. Years ago, he’d known that they were drawing him in, that he was developing connections, threads that could easily lead to his demise, just as they had before.
She was sitting across from him in the passenger seat so Dev couldn’t slam his fists on the steering wheel and curse until his throat hurt while driving into the parking garage. He also couldn’t pull out the picture he’d lifted from Dane’s office and study it further.
Her scent filled the interior of the car, the tension rolling off her body adding a layer of tension over the sweet floral aroma. She’d been staring out the window for the last half hour of the ride, her hands clasping her knees. There were no rings on Bailey’s fingers and no long painted nails. She had small hands but Dev could tell they were capable. The way she held them steady even though he knew she was trembling inside. Seeing Dane had upset her, but Dev wasn’t sure why. He knew that no one in the family had been in contact with Dane since the revelation that he was Bernard’s son. Especially not Bailey. Unless Dane had been there when she was kidnapped.
No. Bailey would have definitely said so if that were the case. So there had to be something else going on here. Why had seeing and speaking to Dane changed her attitude? When they’d arrived at the mansion she was ready to interrogate the guy and find out all he knew about his mother’s whereabouts. Once inside however, her entire demeanor had changed. Dev wanted to know why. The question was, should he want to know?
The truth was, he didn’t need Bailey here with him. He could have questioned Dane, planted the seed that he was going to be watching the guy even closer than he had before and that he planned to kill Roslyn on sight, just as easily on his own. Getting inside his home and looking around could also have been achieved without her. Hell, he could have broken into the Imagine Energy building and tossed the guy’s office on his own too. That was something he would have never considered doing with Bailey tagging along anyway. So, to be frank, there was no real reason that Bailey Donovan had to be here with him. None at all.
Except, Dev couldn’t think of sending her away.
He parked the car, stepped out and engaged the alarm system as she was closing the passenger door. She’d already begun walking toward the elevator when Dev heard the sound of an engine. Immediately looking around, he tried to locate the vehicle. There were at least fifty cars on this level, some of them parked front end to the wall, others in the opposite direction. None of them had lights on and as far as he could tell there was no one sitting in any of them. Still, the sound was clear so Dev knew without a doubt that there was a car and it was near.
Taking quick steps he caught up with Bailey just before she reached the elevator and he stood close to her. Even when he leaned in to push the button to summon the elevator, Dev made sure to keep her situated between him and the wall. When the doors opened he hurried her inside, turning to look out at the garage one more time. Nothing. He silently cursed.
Bailey stood to one end of the elevator car staring down at the floor. Dev figured she was still thinking about whatever was bothering her. That didn’t worry him so much now since he had something else to think about himself. Like who the hell had been in that garage.
“I get what you said about going to the gravesite,” he spoke suddenly. “I’ll give her that much respect.”
Even though he really wanted to be hiding behind a tree at the cemetery when Roslyn showed up to mourn her daughter. He’d give her a moment before he jumped out and tossed her ass to the ground. After that…Dev really hadn’t thought about it. Was he really going to kill Roslyn Ausby? Didn’t the woman deserve to die after all she’d done?
“You’re giving her a lot of credit,” he told her.
She lifted her head and looked at him. “I listened to her talk for days. I have an idea of how she thinks now.”
Dev nodded. He could relate to what Bailey was saying. She was a trained investigator. Listening, taking mental notes, forming a big picture, that’s what she did for a living. “Tell me,” he said.
“This has always been about Uncle Henry for her. The pain in her voice when she talks about him is still raw and alive. She’ll go back to him now. To the beginning,” Bailey said as the elevator doors opened.
When she moved to step out, Dev put his arm out blocking her movement.
“What is it?” she asked, concern lacing her voice.
“Nothing,” he replied after doing a quick scan of the area in front of them.
He turned then, wrapping an arm around her waist and moving back to guide them both out of the elevator. Her hands came quickly to his chest as she walked with him, her gaze still questioning. When Dev backed her up against a wall, she let out a whoosh of breath.
She opened her mouth to speak and he dove in, taking her lips with his, pressing his tongue instantly against hers. There was no hesitation on her part. Bailey grabbed the lapels of his coat, pulling him even closer to her as she tilted her head and melted into the kiss. His hands moved to her hips, his fingers digging into the thin material of the jumpsuit she wore. He’d been watching her ass in the flimsy fabric, praising Camille Donovan to the highest for selecting such a simple, yet sexy outfit for Bailey to wear. The high heeled boots and the leather jacket gave her just enough bad ass to make him groan with anticipation. Dev wanted to bend her over one of these cars and drive his length into her right this second.
She moved her hands past the lapels of his thick coat. As she rubbed down the front of the fitted sweater he wore, Dev groaned as his teeth scraped over her bottom lip. This kiss was only meant to be a distraction because Dev didn’t want her to know what he suspected. Tell that to his body which was now acting on its own accord.
In the next instant Dev had lifted her so that Bailey’s legs wrapped around his waist, he pressed his burgeoning length against her and she moaned. Her hand had moved upward to cup the back of his head and Dev cursed. He kissed down the line of her neck, loving the soft feel of her skin against his tongue. When she arched in his arms, offering herself to him he thought he would come in his pants at this very moment.
“Devlin,” she whispered.
He wanted her. More than he wanted to breathe. All he had to do was undo his pants and then he could maneuver her clothing somehow. He could have her. He could…what the hell?
Dev pulled his mouth away from her and swore.
He let her legs down slowly, still keeping his hands on her hips.
“Dammit!”
With every ounce of strength he possessed, he let go of her and turned away. He made sure his body still blocked hers from view, but he couldn’t face her. Not at this time.
“That wasn’t ‘nothing’,” she said as she came to stand beside him. “Whatever else is going on around us, I think it’s time we both realize that what just happened between us, is not ‘nothing’.”
She was walking away then, heading down a hallway toward the bank of elevators that would take them to their room. He didn’t want to reply to what she’d said and he definitely did not want to give any credence to her statement. But he had to catch up with her because she couldn’t walk alone, not now when Dev was almost certain they were being followed.
They took the next elevator in silence. She walked a little ahead of him down the hall to their room. Dev used his key to swipe them in and he’d planned to enter the room first, but a man stepped out from behind the door first.
Dev reached around his side to grab his gun just as Bailey let out a gleeful squeal.
“What are you doing here?” she was yelling and laughing as the guy standing inside their room scooped her up into a bear hug and swung her around.
Dev’s fingers clenched around the handle of his gun, even though he kept his arm at his side as he stepped into the room. With the heel of his foot he kicked the door closed and continued to watch as the man, probably the same height as Dev’s six foot four stature hugged Bailey tightly. Too damn tight for Dev’s liking.
Another thing Dev didn’t like and was about to make perfectly clear, was how and why the man was in the hotel room that Dev had put under a different name and paid for in cash. If Bailey didn’t seem so happy to see him, the man would probably be dead by now, for that act alone. As it stood, the man was spinning Bailey around again and she giggled. Dev had never heard her giggle before. On the last spin, Dev spotted a gun holstered at the man’s back and figured he’d finally had enough. Dev cleared his throat loudly and waited for this joyous little reunion to stop. He also tried like hell to keep from raising the gun to dude’s head and demanding an explanation.
“Oh,” Bailey said as her feet finally hit the floor. “I forgot. I should introduce you…”
“No, let me,” the man replied and then stepped in front of Dev like he had brass balls or secret knowledge that Dev wasn’t going to shoot his ass if he stepped any closer.
This was the second time today Dev had drawn his gun, a huge part of him felt it was way past time he actually fired it. Still his finger moved on and off the trigger a couple of times as he watched the man approach with his arm outstretched.
“Special Agent Cadence Donovan,” he said in a voice that was equally smooth as it was commanding.
Again, Dev noted this guy was tall. He was also built as if he were no stranger to a gym and hard work. The crisp blue jeans, fitted white shirt, and stylish leather boots he wore said he paid attention to his appearance. There was a gold watch at one wrist, a thick link bracelet on the other. His face was clean shaven, his skin tone only a few shades lighter than Dev’s. Close cut black hair sported row after row of deep trained waves and his teeth were straight and white.
“Special Agent? You FBI?” Dev asked as he relaxed his stance minutely and put the safety back on his gun.
Cade nodded as Dev finally shook his hand and Bailey spoke up.
“Cade is my Uncle Charles’ son. They’re from Virginia. He always kept his head in the books that’s why he could never make it to the family reunions. Cade graduated from high school when he was fifteen and Harvard when he was nineteen. He’s been a key agent at the FBI, sharing his vast knowledge ever since,” she nearly gushed.
Dev tried not to frown. It wasn’t easy, and hell, why should he even try. He wasn’t in the business of attempting to impress anybody. Ever.
“Ah, yes,” Cade said, nodding his head in Bailey’s direction and then returning his gaze to Dev. “Everything she said.”
“What are you doing here?” Dev asked. “How did you know where to find us?”
Cade slipped one hand in his front pant pocket. “I’m a profiler,” he told Dev.
“So what, you profiled your cousin to figure out where she would go next?”
His gun was comfortably tucked back into the ban of his pants, but Dev was still on edge. He hadn’t wanted any of Bailey’s family to know where they’d gone. The less interference at this stage of the game, the better.
“No. I’m profiling Roslyn Ausby,” Cade announced.
“What?” Bailey asked immediately. “How do you even know about Roslyn?”
“I was down in Miami a couple of months ago on a case. I decided to stop by to see Uncle Bruce and Uncle Reggie,” Cade told them. “Uncle Reggie looked worried and Uncle Bruce seemed pensive. Even Aunt Caroline and Aunt Janean were acting strange. So I asked about the cousins and their grandbabies. They were quic
k to talk proudly about Dion and Sean’s work at the magazine and Parker and Savian’s accomplishments at the television station and even Regan’s work on the fashion reality show. On a hunch I circled back to Savian because Aunt Caroline looked like she was on the brink of tears as she talked about him meeting a woman. Uncle Reggie told me about the murder charge against Savian.”
“But he didn’t do it,” Bailey interjected.
Cade nodded. “I know. After doing a little digging of my own, I found that out around the same time Jenise cleared his name. I’d already returned to Quantico when Savian and Jenise announced their wedding and I was tied up with a few things so I couldn’t get back for the wedding. But the day after New Year’s I got a call from Uncle Reggie. He still sounded worried. This time when I asked him why, he told me. Everything.”
Bailey sighed and Dev continued to watch Cade Donovan. The guy was intelligent and a quick study. He moved immediately to Bailey’s side and lifted her hand into his.
“They didn’t want any of us to know at first,” Bailey said quietly. “But even when they told us they made it clear that we were as far in the family as it would go.”
Cade gripped her hand, his fingers twined with hers. Dev clenched his teeth.
“Who else did you tell?” Dev asked Cade.
When the guy looked over to him, Dev asked again, “Who did you tell about what’s going on with them?”
Cade didn’t blink as he replied, “I wrote down everything Uncle Reggie told me. From the first blackmail note, to the murder of Detective Anthony Lucas, to the bricks thrown through Aunt Caroline’s window to the Giovanni Morelli murder.”
Dev did frown this time. “So you knew that Roslyn had two children?”
“Yes,” Cade replied. “I knew that Jaydon was her daughter.”