by Rita Herron
Sweat trickled down the side of the doctor’s face. “The other little whores who got knocked up without being married.”
Nina couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“So what do you plan to do, Emery? Kill all of us? You can’t believe that you’ll get away with it?”
The doctor’s hand jerked as he frantically looked around the room. Then a sinister laugh escaped him. “Hell, I’ll make it look like Nina killed you both. She had a breakdown before. It won’t be hard to make it look like she had another.”
He waved the gun toward Slade. “Now get down on your knees.”
Nina’s heart started racing. She couldn’t die, not knowing Peyton had survived.
She had to fight to stay alive so she could find her.
SLADE SAW THE WHEELS turning in Nina’s mind. She didn’t intend to give up.
But he didn’t want her to do anything stupid that could get her killed. Dammit, he had to save her. Save both of them.
Where was that damn ambulance? And the sheriff?
“I’ve already phoned the sheriff. And all my people at GAI are on the case, Emery,” Slade said calmly. “There’s no use in taking any more lives.”
“Shut up.”
“Killing us will only add more to your sentence,” Slade continued. “But if you turn yourself in, you might be able to swing some kind of deal.”
“Deal?” Emery barked. “My career, my life will be over.”
“Your life will be over anyway,” Slade said. “The sheriff is going to be here any moment.”
“You’re bluffing,” Emery bit out.
Slade shrugged. “I called when I found Carrie.”
Slade glanced at Nina and saw her eyes flickering sideways toward the fireplace. A fire poker leaned against the brick hearth, and he sensed the direction of her thoughts. He tried to signal her not to risk it, but a siren echoed in the distance, Emery jerked his head toward the door in shock and Nina shoved him away from her.
She wasn’t strong enough though, and Emery pistol-whipped her across the face. She screamed and flew backward from the impact, then landed against the hearth with a groan.
Slade cursed and lunged toward the doctor, but the gun went off. The bullet skimmed his arm, and he ducked sideways and rammed his head into the man’s stomach.
Emery grunted, and they fell to the floor, struggling for the gun. Another shot pinged into the ceiling, sending plaster raining down. Slade shoved Emery’s head against the wall, clawing at Emery’s fingers to force him to release his hold on the weapon. Emery kneed him, and he flipped him sideways, then the gun fired another bullet and he heard Nina scream.
Fear shot through him. Had she been shot?
The second he took to look gave Emery an advantage, and he rolled Slade to his back. Determination seized Slade, and he karate-chopped Emery’s arm. The blow made Emery yelp and the gun fell to the floor beside them.
Emery’s eyes went wild with panic and rage. The siren wailed closer. Nina moaned and tried to get up from the hearth, staggering.
Slade thought of the pain she’d suffered all these years, of her lost little girl, of Emery lying to her and making her think she was crazy, and cold fury empowered him.
He slammed his fist into Emery’s face and sent his head rolling back. Another punch and the man fell to his back, but his hand slid around the gun on the floor beside them. Slade lunged for it, but Nina had grabbed the fire poker and swung it down. The poker caught Emery’s arm above the wrist, and the bone snapped.
Emery yelped in pain, dropped the gun and Slade grabbed it then stood.
“You’re going to jail, Emery,” Slade snarled.
His breath gushed out as he reached for Nina. She fell into his arms, trembling and crying, and he kissed her hair and hugged her to him.
THE NEXT FEW HOURS blurred for Nina. The ambulance and sheriff arrived, along with a crime unit, and they rushed an unconscious Carrie to the hospital. Another team raced up and checked her head for injuries, but she assured them she was fine, then they treated Slade where his arm had been grazed by the bullet.
Sheriff Driscill arrested Dr. Emery, but he refused to talk, insisting that he wanted a lawyer. The medics splinted his arm, then loaded him in the ambulance.
Slade filled the sheriff in on everything that had happened.
“So Emery killed his wife and shot Carrie because they found out what he was doing and threatened to tell?” Sheriff Driscill asked.
“That was my impression,” Slade said. “Maybe you can force more information from the doctor.”
The sheriff turned to Nina. “And he admitted that he kidnapped your baby?”
“He confirmed that he arranged an adoption,” Nina answered.
“I think Stanford Mansfield was involved in the deal,” Slade said.
“I’ll have him picked up,” the sheriff said. “And I’ll obtain warrants to subpoena Emery’s files.”
“Good,” Slade said. “Let me know when you bring Mansfield in. I want to be there when you interrogate him.”
Driscill agreed then headed to the ambulance to ride with Emery.
Slade cupped Nina’s elbow in his hand. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, although she felt numb inside. For so long she’d sensed that her daughter hadn’t died in that fire and now to have that fact confirmed created a mixture of emotions. Relief that she’d survived. Hope that she might find her. Anger over the years they’d lost together. Anxiety over where she was and who had been caring for her.
Fear that she still might never find her.
Slade coaxed her back to the car, helped her inside, and she fastened her seat belt. When he settled inside, he gave her a concerned look, then started the engine and drove away from the blinding lights of the police cruiser and the crime scene they’d just been a part of.
“I know a thousand things are going through your mind right now,” Slade said gruffly.
She gave a small, sardonic laugh. “Since when did you become a mind reader?”
He chuckled. “Because they’re going through my mind, as well.”
Could he really understand? No… No one could…
“I guess I should be glad to have answers,” she finally said. “And I am. But…”
“But you want to know more?”
“Yes,” she said softly. She turned to look out the window, and focused on the rain dripping from the branches, heard the slush of water as the tires rolled over wet pavement. An image of her and her daughter singing in the rain flashed into her mind, and fresh pain rocked through her. She could almost hear Peyton’s voice again singing in a low tone.
“Emery indicated that he’d arranged for other babies to be adopted,” Slade said, jarring her from her fantasies. “My guess is, the adoptions were all private and he was paid well, so I intend to have GAI study his financials and see if they connect with Mansfield’s.”
Hope bloomed in her chest like a rainbow after a storm. Slade was on her side now. She wasn’t alone.
There was still a chance that she could find Peyton.
She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. And if Peyton didn’t need her, if she’d found another mother, somehow she’d find peace in the lies and betrayal she’d suffered. After all, a mother’s love meant being unselfish.
The only thing that mattered was that her daughter was safe and happy.
REBECCA SAT HUNCHED on the floor, her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped around herself, rocking back and forth, back and forth.
How long had she been in this dark closet? Were they ever going to come back?
She had to stay strong. Be tough. Not be a crybaby. She pictured Mary Poppins in her mind and heard her sing, so she joined in in a soft whisper.
Suddenly footsteps pounded in the bedroom. She held her breath at the stench of cigarette smoke seeping through the crack in the door. Then the door opened, and Daddy Reese grabbed her by the wrists and dragged her toward the kitchen. Her eyes hurt f
rom the sudden, blinding light.
“We’re getting rid of you now,” he bellowed. “I can’t stand it anymore.”
She bit her lip so as not to cry as he tossed her into the kitchen, and she fell on the floor. Her chest heaved.
What did he mean? What were they going to do to her?
Chapter Sixteen
Nina suddenly doubled over as she entered her house, a sharp pain wrenching her heart. Something was wrong… She felt it deep in her bones.
Slade gripped her arm. “Nina, what is it?”
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, forcing herself to take slow breaths as the therapist had taught her years ago. One, two, three…breathe through the pain…
Slade suddenly swung her up into his arms and carried her toward her bedroom, then into the bath. “You should have let the medics admit you to the hospital.”
“No…” Nina whispered. “It’s Peyton… Something’s wrong, Slade. Something’s happening to her. I can feel it.”
Slade tensed, but then pulled her into his arms. “Oh, honey…”
She fell against him, inhaled his deeply masculine scent and clung to his strong arms. Slade had stayed with her, had protected her, had fought to find her child when everyone else had insisted she was crazy.
She needed him now. Needed him to hold her until she could pull herself together. Until she could find her daughter.
He cradled her against him, then gestured toward the tub. “I’ll run you a hot bath, then fix you a drink. That will help you sleep.”
She nodded, although sleep was the last thing on her mind. Sleep would bring the nightmares, the waking up to the emptiness, the lonely bed, the dark…
But she felt gritty with dirt and sweat, and needed the stench of the doctor off her skin, so she nodded, and he eased her to the floor. A numbness settled over her as Slade ran the bathwater, a coping mechanism to handle the shock of all that happened. But her mind kept replaying the past few hours.
Mrs. Emery had died. Carrie was in the hospital. The doctor she’d once trusted had shoved a gun at her head.
Slade sat on the edge of the tub and dumped in the bath salts, then brushed her hair back from her cheek. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
For a moment, he simply stared at her, the tension between them palpable, the scent of his body filling the room and making her think crazy things.
Things like she wanted to ask him to join her in the bath. To make love to her.
As if he sensed that need and was sending her a silent message, he turned and walked out the door. Tears pricked her eyes as she undressed and climbed into the bath. Was she just a case to him, or could he possibly care?
He’d been so gentle earlier that she’d felt a connection with him. A connection that went deep. A connection that she didn’t want to lose…
A connection that terrified her because she not only wanted him, but also needed him.
SLADE DRAGGED HIMSELF away from the bathroom when he really wanted to go inside, slowly remove Nina’s clothes, climb in the bath with her and soap her delicate skin, then stroke her body until she groaned his name in oblivion.
The fact that she was struggling with her feelings over all that happened only endeared her to him. The fact that she’d fought so hard to find her daughter and to save herself and him stirred his admiration…and lust.
But there were more answers he needed to find. Not just for Nina but for himself.
He didn’t even know her daughter, but he found himself worrying about her. Wondering how she’d survived. If she was safe and loved.
If someone had taken care of her needs.
Or if her handicaps had caused couples to reject her.
The thought of that made anger rail.
He’d wanted to kill Emery for hurting Nina and depriving her of her child. And of depriving the little girl of her birth mother.
Nina might have been young, but she would never have abandoned her daughter. She would have done everything humanly possible to see that she received the help she needed to thrive.
He heard a splash of water, and envisioned Nina naked, her creamy skin dotted with bubbles, and his body hardened.
He had to get a grip. He still had work to do. They had to break Emery. Interrogate Mansfield.
Forcing the mental picture of Nina naked from his mind, he phoned Gage to fill him in.
“I’ll pass the info on to Derrick and Brianna,” Gage said. “See if they found a lead with the foster child angle.”
“And I’ll follow up with Driscill and Carrie Poole. Maybe she knows more than she’s telling.”
Gage grunted. “I’ll be glad to finally nail that sleazebag Mansfield.”
“You have history?” Slade asked.
“You could say that,” Gage said. “He stood by and watched while a crime happened one night, but he got off scot-free.”
It sounded personal, but if Gage wanted to share details he would. “How’s Nina?” Gage asked.
Slade’s throat felt dry as she slowly descended the stairs. A thin satin robe floated over her curves and made him wonder what she wore beneath it. “Hanging in there. I have to go.”
He closed the phone, reminding himself that Nina was a client, and vulnerable.
But the sultry look in her eyes sent his pulse skyrocketing. The bruises from their earlier accident were still dark and purple, and the image of Emery shoving that gun at her head assaulted him, sending fear straight to his heart.
“Nina?” he said gruffly.
“I can’t sleep,” she whispered hoarsely. “I don’t want to be alone, Slade.”
Every professional instinct warned him to back off. Every self-preservation instinct ordered him to run like hell.
But the tearstains on her cheeks made his stomach knot. And the creamy cleavage that appeared where her robe fell open made his body harden and need surge in his loins.
“Go to bed,” he said, making a last-ditch effort to do the right thing.
She reached out her hand. “Not alone. Not tonight.”
“Nina…”
“Don’t I deserve one night of pleasure?”
“Yes. Of course you do.” Slade gripped his hands by his sides to keep from reaching for her, but his body betrayed him by aching for her, and he lost the battle with his conscience.
Nina was the bravest woman he’d ever met. Far stronger than he was. And he wanted to assuage her pain, to have her in his arms and bed.
So he took her hand and followed her up the steps.
NINA COULDN’T BELIEVE she was being so bold, but the hungry look in Slade’s eyes when she’d descended the stairs had sparked her courage. His sultry eyes and mouth aroused her to the point of desperation.
She was tired of being alone. Of shutting herself off from others because she was afraid of loving and losing again.
Not that Slade would promise anything more than tonight.
But she didn’t care. She still wanted one night in his bed, in his arms, with his lips and mouth and hands touching her intimately.
“Nina…” he said gruffly.
She offered him her most seductive smile, and his jaw clamped as if he was reining in his control.
Control be damned. She’d kept an ironclad leash on herself for years.
Not anymore. She was tired of the pain, of waiting for tomorrow.
“Nina, we shouldn’t do this,” Slade said in a husky voice. “You’re vulnerable.”
Her confidence slipped a notch. “You don’t want me, Slade?”
His shoulders drew back as his gaze raked over her, and she noticed the thick bulge in his jeans. His breath quickened at her perusal, and a bead of perspiration dotted his forehead. “Yes, I want you,” he said in a voice laden with sexual innuendo. “But—”
She pressed her finger to his lips to shush him. “But nothing. We almost died tonight.”
His look darkened, anger radiating from him. “I know, da
mmit.” He stepped toward her, then lifted his hand and stroked her hair from her face.
It was such a tender gesture that her heart swelled with affection, and her body throbbed with longing.
Heaven help her, she was falling in love with him. He could be so tough, so bold…so gentle, that arousal flooded her. Her body tingled, her nipples ached, between her thighs grew moist.
“You deserve more than a broken man like me,” he said gruffly. “I’m scarred, inside and out.”
“I’m scarred, too,” she said softly.
A growl left his throat. “Nina, you’re the strongest, most courageous, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
She slid her hand to the back of his neck to urge him toward her. “Then kiss me, dammit.”
Slade chuckled, but the heat in his eyes intensified, then he dragged her in his arms, slanted his lips over hers and kissed her so deeply that her heart completely melted.
THE VOICE INSIDE SLADE’S head whispered for him to stop the kiss, but he ignored it. Nina deserved one night of love, a night of pleasure to help her forget all the anguish she’d suffered. And he intended to give it to her.
Her lips tasted like warm sunshine, her purr of arousal as he teased her lips apart with his tongue sending fire straight to his sex. He wanted her more than he’d wanted a woman in a long time.
Maybe more than he ever had.
And not just because of her sexy body. Because he admired her, even liked her.
The emotions pummeling him made her kisses more special, more erotic.
Made him wonder if he’d be able to walk away when the case was over.
Of course, he would. He wasn’t a settle-down kind of man. He was a loner. Had to pay for not saving his mother and sister. For not being a better man.
She made a low, throaty sound of need, and he deepened the kiss, threading his fingers into her hair and savoring the erotic scent of her skin as he dipped his head lower to taste her throat. He didn’t deserve her or a family, not after his failures.
But he would take tonight for both of them.
He spread kisses around her face, down her neck, dipping his head toward her cleavage, and cupping one breast in his palm.