Family Under Fire

by Jane Godman

  Chapter 13

  “I do not have an online shopping problem.”

  Alyssa reasoned that if she said the words often enough, they might turn out to be true. Although, right at that moment, she was fighting a losing battle. There were just so many things she wanted to buy for Kennedy.

  Melody had called in earlier for a coffee and a chat, but her job at OverHerd Ranch didn’t allow her much free time. It was fine, Alyssa had assured her. Everett wasn’t planning on being out for long. That had been three hours ago. Since then, she had cleaned the apartment, done the laundry and prepared dinner.

  She swiped through a few pictures on her cell phone. “It’s his own fault if he comes back to find I’ve bought a life-size sleigh and a real reindeer.”

  Kennedy, who was lying on her back on the play mat, trying to eat one of her own feet, chuckled happily.

  “And, if he’s not careful, Everett is going to find himself unwrapping this cute, fluffy bathrobe on Christmas morning.” Alyssa tilted the screen to show Kennedy. “What do you think? Too much?” Hampered by a mouthful of toes, the baby made a gurgling sound. “You could be right. He’s not really a snuggly, teddy-bear kind of guy.”

  In a corner of the room there was a stack of parcels that had been delivered when Melody was still there. Just the thought of their contents sent a flood of excitement pouring through Alyssa’s veins. Later, when Everett was home, she would open them and hang Kennedy’s stocking next to the tree. Then, when the baby was asleep, she would wrap her presents...

  “Oh, I know what that one will be.” Jumping up, she retrieved the smallest package from the pile.

  This item had been the most expensive and well-researched of all her purchases. She’d initially been unsure whether it was possible to place a GPS tracker on a baby, but in a short time, Alyssa had become an expert on the tool. Convinced Everett would think she was paranoid, she hadn’t told him about her plans.

  Now she held in her hands a box containing a tiny bracelet, a button that clipped inside a child’s clothing and details of how to activate her subscription. One of her main priorities had been to find a method for tracking Kennedy’s whereabouts that didn’t look obvious. She figured that if someone—Georgia—managed to abduct the little girl and found an electronic device on her wrist, they would simply remove it. A pretty pink bracelet would be more likely to survive.

  For a moment, the image of Georgia abducting Kennedy, or even gaining custody of the little girl, swamped Alyssa’s thoughts. Although the idea of her daughter in danger was paramount, the loss of her new parenthood scared her as well. It was a mirror of her own childhood and it filled her with dread. Brushing it aside, she focused on the tracking device.

  Minutes later, Kennedy was wearing her bracelet and button, her movements corresponding to a flashing dot on Alyssa’s cell phone. “That’s it, honey. No secrets for you for the next eighteen years.”

  It was a tiny victory in an otherwise harrowing time. The knowledge that someone was out there, hunting them like prey, was emotionally draining. It wanted to consume her thoughts and eat away at her peace of mind. The only things that stopped it were Everett and Kennedy. Now an app on her phone screen was helping.

  “Where is he?” Just as Alyssa was checking again to see if there were any messages, she heard Everett’s key in the door. Instantly, her tension lifted like steam rising from hot coffee.

  Resisting the temptation to run to him and wrap her arms around his neck—because...where did that come from, anyway?—she watched as he kneeled beside Kennedy.

  “Don’t swallow those toes, sweetheart.” He indicated the foot that Kennedy was still chewing. When he kissed her cheek, the baby cooed contentedly. Alyssa shook her head to dispel the sudden rush of emotion.

  Maybe he is a big, snuggly teddy bear, after all.

  “I’m sorry.” He looked up at Alyssa and she saw the lines of weariness around his eyes. “I should have called.” Quickly, he outlined the details of his visit to the Torrington Law office and Robert Torrington’s house.

  “Is it possible Ray was the person who stabbed you? He could have panicked and decided to go on the run.”

  “Whoever attacked me was smaller than Ray,” Everett said. “In my opinion, he’s lying low because he knows he’s in a world of trouble because he knows I suspect him of trying to cheat Kennedy.” He caught sight of the pile of boxes. “You’ve been busy.”

  “This is the last of the Christmas shopping. I want—”

  He laughed. “I know. You want it to be special for Kennedy.”

  “For all of us.” She would never be able to convey how much it meant to her to have a family of her own this Christmas. Instead, she changed the subject. “Kennedy won’t remember her first Christmas, so I want to capture lots of magical moments.”

  “Alyssa.” He gave her a measuring look. “Do any of your plans involve me wearing a silly sweater?”

  She hung her head. “Just for the photographs.”

  He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Show me.”

  Going to the stack of parcels, she found the one from the online sweater store and opened it. “Promise you’ll keep an open mind?”

  “How bad can it be?” Everett asked. “Or are you intending to get me drunk before you answer that question? Like last time?”

  “There are three sweaters, one for each of us.” Alyssa held them up, one at a time, smiling a little at Everett’s reaction to the snowflakes and sleigh bells. “Mommy Elf. Daddy Elf. And, for Kennedy, there’s one that says Raised by Elves.” He put his head in his hands, but from the way his shoulders were shaking, she guessed he was laughing. “I thought it would make the cutest family portrait.”

  When he looked up, the laughter was gone. Even though his expression was unreadable, his gaze warmed her from her head to her toes. “Yeah. That was my plan for the holidays until a few weeks ago. The cutest Christmas.”

  “Well, excuse me if Kennedy and I spoiled your single-guy holiday of beer, pizza and video games—”

  “What’s this?” Everett interrupted Alyssa’s half-joking rant.

  When she’d moved the packages, a folded piece of white paper had slipped out from between them and fallen to the floor. Reaching for it with his good hand, he clumsily opened it. The message, like the last one, was in that familiar scrawl and had been written in black felt pen.

  Looks like the knife did some serious damage to the tough guy’s arm. Can’t wait to see what the next one will do to the baby.

  * * *

  “Who delivered these?” Everett was on his feet, cell phone in hand, any traces of tiredness gone.

  Alyssa stared at him, her face chalk-white and her eyes wide. He could see her chest moving in time with each shallow, rapid breath. As she lifted a shaking hand to her lips, Everett bit back an exclamation.

  What had he been thinking? She’d just seen a gruesome threat to kill Kennedy and he’d responded by barking a question at her as if she was a suspect. He could try using the excuse that he was in shock as well, but...really? Would making this about him help?

  Don’t go there, Colton. Just this once, get it right.

  He closed the distance between them and drew her close, tightening his uninjured arm around her. “I’m a jerk and I’m sorry.”

  She melted into him, her whole body quivering. “You are a jerk.” The words were muffled by his shirt.

  “What was that? I didn’t quite catch what you said. Something about a jerk, but also incredibly hot?”

  She leaned back and the tears in her eyes made his heart ache. “You’re impossible.”

  “But also incredibly hot?” he asked hopefully.

  She managed a slight smile, along with a loud sniff. “I need to blow my nose.”

  She disappeared into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later. Her eyes were red and her face was blotchy, but s
he shook her head when he raised an eyebrow at her. “Ask your questions. I know it’s important.”

  He took a seat on the sofa and patted the cushion next to him. “Who delivered your parcels?”

  Alyssa sat down, frowning in an effort to remember. “It was a regular courier service. When the guy pressed the buzzer, I looked out of the window. His vehicle was in the parking lot and, because Melody was here, I figured it would be okay to open the door.”

  He didn’t like her reasoning. Two women and a baby alone in the apartment... The person at the door could have been armed or taken Alyssa by surprise and overpowered her. His mind skittered away from the disturbing images. Once he’d dealt with the immediate matter of the letter, he’d come back to the issue of tightening security.

  “Can you remember the name of the company?”

  “No, but the company logo was something about smiles.” She wrinkled her nose. “‘Sending smiles’? No, that’s not right.”

  “‘Delivering smiles.’” Everett clenched his right fist a little too hard and felt the pull on his damaged arm. “The company is Blaze Couriers.”

  “That was it. How did you know?”

  “Because it’s the same firm that delivered the teddy bear on Kennedy’s first day with us.”

  “Oh.” She went to the baby, lifting her into her arms. Kennedy snuggled sleepily into the crook of her arm. Although his mind was focused elsewhere, Everett observed Alyssa fiddling with a bracelet on the little girl’s chubby wrist. He hadn’t seen the item before and, although he wouldn’t normally have chosen to put jewelry on a baby, it looked pretty.

  “I don’t suppose you saw the guy’s name tag?” Alyssa shook her head. “Could you describe him?”

  “He was average-looking. Early twenties. Slim build. Brown hair. I didn’t notice his eye color. Nothing made him stand out to me.”

  “It could be Joe Meyer, the guy who delivered the bear,” Everett said. “I need to pay him a visit.”

  He stared at Alyssa, taking in her soft, golden beauty and the protective way she held Kennedy. Just watching her brought him so much mingled joy and pain. Until now, he’d never dared dream of eternity. His past had made him scared to look beyond tomorrow. But in that instant, he wanted to hold out his hand to her and ask her to be brave enough to trust him again.

  As he moved across the room toward her, Alyssa must have sensed his intention because she shifted Kennedy’s weight to her shoulder. Mindful of the sleepy baby between them, Everett lowered his head until his lips grazed across Alyssa’s skin, tracing a line from the hollow beneath her ear to her jaw, until he reached the trembling pulse at the base of her neck.

  Her tiny indrawn breath told him everything he needed to know. Brushing his lips across hers, he toyed with her, tempting her until she gave a little moan.

  When he slid his open mouth over hers, she edged her tongue just far enough between his parted lips to taste him.

  With a low growl, he fastened his mouth on hers, still arching away from her to avoid disturbing Kennedy. The muscles of his shoulders trembled as it took all his strength to keep his hands away from her body.

  Their mouths moved together in a kiss that was both tender and passionate. Everett devoured her mouth, caressing her tongue with his and sucking on her lower lip.

  As Alyssa leaned into him, the baby murmured and stirred and they sprang guiltily apart.

  “I—” She hitched in a sharp breath as Kennedy tugged on her hair. Laughing, she untangled the strands from between the baby’s fingers and started again. “I don’t want to stay here alone while you go out again.”

  Everett wanted to ask her what she’d really been about to say. He wanted to talk about the kiss and if it meant as much to her as it did to him...

  “Let me make some calls.”

  A few minutes later, he finished speaking to Casey, and explained the details of their conversation to Alyssa. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to take you and Kennedy to my parents’ house. They are both at home today. After an attempted break-in last year, my dad installed a hi-tech security system, complete with cameras. In addition, Casey has put a red alert on your cell phone. If you call 911, or the sheriff’s department main number, it will be flagged for an immediate response. He’ll also send a cruiser out to check on this apartment, and my mom and dad’s place every hour. And, of course, we have an alert out for Georgia but no luck so far in finding her.”

  Her shoulders relaxed. “As long as your parents don’t mind?”

  “My mom has been desperate to get her hands on Kennedy.” He grinned. “If she starts with the wedding hints again, you may be the one who minds.”

  She matched the grin with one of her own. “Maybe I should distract her with the novelty sweaters?”

  “That conversation is not over.” He removed Kennedy from her arms and pointed her toward the bedroom. “I’ll get this little one ready for the journey while you get the pink-elephant bag for all eventualities.”

  * * *

  Any fears Alyssa may have had that Ryker and Maribelle’s home would prove too imposing were soon put to flight. The property was certainly large and luxurious, but it was also comfortable and welcoming.

  She drove close to the house, halting just in front of the steps that led from the wraparound porch to the drive. Maribelle was already heading toward the car with her arms outstretched.

  “Let me get that sweet little girl out of the cold and into the house.”

  With all the skill of a woman who had clearly been practicing to be a grandmother for many years, she had the baby out of her seat and was heading up the steps. Alyssa watched them disappear inside. She should probably follow them, but it was no good. There was something she had to ask first.

  Everett was in the passenger seat and she shifted her position to face him. “You’ll—”

  He flexed his right arm. “Be careful? You have my promise.”

  It didn’t feel like enough, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. Actually, that wasn’t true. She could think of a hundred things, none of them relevant to this moment.

  “Not being able to drive is frustrating the hell out of me.” Everett turned to look behind them and she knew he was scanning the area for signs of Casey’s arrival.

  She should be glad his whole focus was on catching the bad guys, right? She didn’t want him to be distracted, not even by thoughts of her. There would be time to think about the future when they knew if there was a future. Leaning closer, she kissed his cheek.

  “Hey.” He looked surprised but pleased. “What was that for?”

  “Luck. Memories. Thanks. Does there have to be a reason?”

  “I guess not.” He smiled, taking her hand and placing it on his knee.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes until the sound of Casey’s car approaching broke the mood. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  They exited the vehicle together with Alyssa heading toward the house while Everett went in the opposite direction. Before she started up the steps, Alyssa took a glance over her shoulder. Casey swung the car into a U-turn, ready to exit the drive. As he drove away, she was just in time to see Everett raise his left hand and press his fingertips to the point where her lips had recently connected with his cheek. It was a sweet ray of light on a dark day.

  Once she was inside, she found Kennedy had taken over the house. In the short time she had been there, Ryker and Maribelle had become her devoted servants. Seated on the rug, with cushions piled around her, the baby only had to wave in the general direction of an object and Everett’s parents went scrambling on all fours to get it for her.

  “These belonged to the twins when they were babies.” Maribelle got to her feet. “They’ve been stored in the garage since then.”

  Alyssa laughed as Kennedy whacked Ryker over the head with a stuffed toy. The respected oncol
ogist rolled around pretending to be injured and the baby squealed with excitement.

  Maribelle’s eyes shone with pleasure. “It’s wonderful to hear that sound within these four walls again.”

  When Ryker sat up, his hair stood on end as if he’d been given an electric shock. “I’m sorry to hear about these awful threats. I’m sure Everett will catch the person responsible very soon.”

  “Oh, goodness, I hope so,” Maribelle said. “It makes me shudder to think that such evil exists.” She slid Alyssa’s hand into the crook of her arm. “Why don’t you come through to the kitchen with me while I finish getting lunch ready? Ryker can keep the baby entertained.”

  An hour later, Alyssa felt as though she had known these people forever. It wasn’t Maribelle’s fresh-baked lemon cake, or her beautiful china, or even the hand-picked flowers from Ryker’s conservatory that made this place feel like she’d come home. It was the smiles, love and warmth.

  After lunch, Kennedy fell asleep and Alyssa placed her on a sofa in the cozy lounge, tucking her favorite blanket around her. Maribelle came to sit next to them.

  “I know she’s not his biological child, but the way she’s lying right now reminds me of Everett.” Her expression was tender. “He was such a sweet baby.” She laughed. “I know I complain about raising twins, but they really didn’t give me much bother, only the usual rough-and-tumble boy things. At least...” A troubled look came into her eyes. “Not until the summer after Everett graduated. He was dealing with some things that caused him a few problems.”

  Alyssa’s heart began to thud. That would have been the summer before they met. “Do you know what happened?”

  Maribelle shook her head. “We hadn’t seen him for over a month and, when we did, we were shocked at the change in him. He was quiet and withdrawn and had lost a lot of weight. He’d recently started a job as a paralegal with a big law firm in Phoenix. Ryker and I were seriously concerned about his well-being, but when we tried to talk to him, he brushed our concerns aside. Our only hope was that he might confide in Casey. Not long after that visit, he quit his job and joined the FBI. We never did find out what had affected him so badly.”