Guard My Baby

by Rebecca Savage

  Her dad closed the newspaper and shifted in his seat. "Not even for Eli?"

  Lainie bristled. "Eli's fine. She's an infant. By the time she's older, I'll either have married and settled down, or I'll simply have stayed single. Staying single wouldn't be the worst thing. It'd have to be better than a loveless marriage - a cold marriage - one that could even turn hostile if there's no love in it. I couldn't live like that, Daddy."

  "But, Lainie, you're so young - too young even to entertain such an idea. You'll be lonely. Especially when Eli's older. And gone from home. You don't know what you're saying. You can't really mean you'd live alone for the rest of your life."

  Lainie shrugged. "Why not? I wouldn't be the first woman to do it."

  "Yeah, well, those women who live that way are just weird, or ugly as sin. Hell, even ugly women find ugly men to love them." He grinned, oozing fatherly love and older-gentleman charm. "And you're neither weird nor ugly, Lainie. You're beautiful and intelligent, and I think you're in love with Cade Sheridan. What's more, I think he's in love with you. I saw the way he touched you and looked at you. Take it from another man. Cade's hooked on you."

  She gasped. "Dad, you can't... how could you possibly think that? You've only met him for a few minutes, and you've seen nothing, and I've done nothing to... " She gave up. "Oh, you're right about one thing. I'm in love him, like a weak-willed nitwit. But he's not falling for me. You're wrong about that. Oh, he wants Eli all right. He says he loves her. Wants to care for her. But I'm not marrying for that reason alone. It's not enough. I want more."

  Her dad's grin widened. "I don't think any of those sparks I saw flying between you and Cade last night were cold."

  Her face flushed, hot and fast. She nearly swooned in front of her father. "Dad, seriously, I can't be having this conversation with you." She got up and took out the fixings for breakfast.

  Her father chuckled. "Embarrassing you, am I? Talking about man/woman attraction. Is that what you're supposed to talk to your mother about? Is girl talk limited, with no room for fathers to discuss with their daughters?"

  Lainie cringed. "No, I don't think I could come close to having this sort of conversation with Mom. It's just that... " She turned to him and took a deep breath. "Okay. You started this. Just remember that. I want him. I think that's obvious. We have a child together, after all. But I won't marry him if he doesn't love me. And I don't trust him not to rip my heart right out of my chest and throw it in my face.

  "He left me last summer. Not on purpose, really... but he left me nonetheless. And when we were together, I didn't even know his real name. It's only by chance that we're back together now. Not that we really are back together. Not that we were ever really together in the first place." Lainie babbled, and she needed to zip her lips. "Oh, you know what I mean. It's so exasperating. And now we're stuck in this unbelievably tense situation."

  Her dad rose, put his arms around her, and hugged her close. "Unbelievably dangerous situation, you mean."

  She looked at him. "How did you know?"

  He reared back and looked at her. "You think your mother would hesitate to try to convince me to try to convince you to come home, especially since a madman is chasing after you and our grandchild?"

  "No. I should've known she'd tell you, but... I wanted to tell you." Lainie's mom had robbed her of the chance to tell her father in a gentle way, in person - not over the phone. It's why she hadn't told them in the first place.

  "It doesn't matter. Are you being careful?"

  "Yes." Lainie embraced him again, held on, and inhaled her dad's soothing scent. It'd always comforted her. A tear slid down her cheek. The sobs were going to choke her, if she didn't let them out.

  "Shhh. It's okay. Cade will take care of you, and so will your mother and I. We'll stay a couple of weeks. I took a vacation. We won't let anything happen to you."

  She nodded into his shoulder, feeling as if she were seven and wishing that she could sit on his knee again. He could hold her, tell her it'd be all right, kiss her boo-boo, and make it all better. But this was the kind of hurt he couldn't heal. It was something he couldn't fix. Only Cade could do that.

  Lainie didn't think Cade had it in him to love her. At least, he'd said he didn't have it in him to love, to trust. It didn't matter. Her stupid heart had tumbled head over his heels in the direction of the father of her child, landed at his feet, and refused to move.

  She might as well admit it to the world. She'd fallen in love with Cade Sheridan.

  Chapter Twenty

  Do it, Drayton, you wimp, Wayne urged in a sinister hiss.

  Drayton winced at Wayne's command, wrapped the towel more firmly around his wrist and punched the glass in the slim window by the woman's back door. He slid his gloved hand around the edge of the door trim, turned the knob, and released the chain link. Too easily, he slipped inside, closed the door behind him, stood listening, and breathed deeply, trying not to pant and panic. Are you sure about his, Wayne? Why tonight?

  Why not tonight? If I leave it up to you, you'll never do it, and God won't wait long. Wayne chuckled inside Drayton's skull. Anyway, you want to do it, and you know it. You're just trying to convince yourself and God that you don't like the thrill of the kill.

  Drayton shook his throbbing head. He couldn't think clearly, what with the pain and Wayne's vibrating voice filling his brain cavity. When had he lost control? Or had he? He sure couldn't stop Wayne from surfacing anymore. When Wayne wanted to talk, he talked. When Wayne wanted to do something, he hammered away at Drayton's will until he convinced him to act.

  Drayton inhaled deeply. It smelled like hell's fire and damnation in this house, and it smelled like a baby. Where do you think the vile creature sleeps, Wayne?

  As if the world outside Drayton's head could hear him, Wayne whispered, Move to the left. It looks as if there's a nightlight on. Yeah. That's right. Keep going. Down the hall and to the left. See it?

  Drayton squinted and rasped, Of course, I can see it if you can.

  Drayton pulled the knife from his boot sheath, but Wayne hissed, No. Not like that. You need practice, for Lainie's baby.

  What are you talking about, Wayne? Part of Drayton's scrambled brain screamed at him to stop, but the other part urged him on. Just how many sides of him were there?

  Can't you remember anything without my help, Drayton, or do anything either? You once considered placing a pillow over Eli's face. Do that now. Get used to it. It'll make it easier next time when you'll have to do it quickly and without hesitation, with Lainie in the house. It won't be easy to make that brat's death look like SIDS.

  Drayton stopped outside the door labeled Sarah's Space. What the hell are you talking about? I'm not going to do this, Wayne. You are.

  Wayne laughed, and the sound tumbled through Drayton's head and bounced back and forth, forcing him to reach up and hold his head on his shoulders. Damn it, Wayne. Don't do that. What's so funny, anyway?

  I'm not doing this alone this time, Drayton. You're not going to allow yourself to slip into a virtual coma and make me do this alone. I want you coherent. You hear me? I want you to experience this full force, not just after the fact when you see the results - the life ebbing away, the pools of blood. Wayne howled and hooted, and then his tone turned to ice. You're watching, doing it, and living it this time, Drayton, and you'll feel the rush, just like me, and you'll adore it.

  Drayton whined and leaned against the wall behind him, rocking his head back and forth. No, Wayne.

  Yes, Drayton, or I'll tell God you're backing out on Him, and that He might as well erase you completely and let me take over. You're useless to Him.

  God sees all, Wayne. He knows better. I'm doing his work. I'm just doing it in my own way.

  Whatever, Drayton. That's lame. Now get your ass moving.

  Cringing at the pain brought on by Wayne's bellowing, Drayton opened the door. A small squeak sounded as he pushed it all the way open. Dim light flooded the hallway. Unaware of its
impending obliteration, the evil being slept. Drayton crept forward, careful not to make another sound. A small decorative pillow with a pink elephant lay beside the infant. Drayton sighed and reached for the pillow.

  His leather-encased hand shook. Why? He couldn't have said. He had to do this. The baby was no real baby. Still, he shuddered as he placed the pillow over the sleeping child's nostrils and mouth and held it there. The child kicked and tossed, its arms flailing wildly. But not for long. Quicker than Drayton would have imagined, the child went stiff, and then limp as a rag doll. Drayton remained, frozen, holding the pillow over the face of the demon he'd snuffed out. He closed his eyes and trembled uncontrollably.

  Thank you, God, for helping to do this deed.

  You're welcome, my son. One more, and all will be well.

  Drayton opened his eyes, but remained fixed where he stood.

  Wayne screeched, What about me? What about my help?

  God boomed, You'd be nothing without me, just as Drayton would be nothing without me. Do not presume to be a god, Wayne.

  Wayne lowered his voice, but replied, I don't want to be a god. I just want to be me - not a part of someone else, just me. I want control - complete control.

  Drayton moved back from the baby's bed, but left the pillow over the face. He didn't want to see the lifeless form. What are you saying, Wayne? You can't have my mind, my body, or my soul. I own the first two, and God owns the last. You own nothing. You do nothing. Unless I allow it.

  Wayne emitted a harsh laugh. We'll see, Drayton, my man. We'll see.

  Wayne's voice faded into the distance, and Drayton called to him, Wayne?

  Nothing.

  Great. Now he thinks he can control me, does he? Humph. Well, then, I guess I'll have to show him. I don't need him. I can do it all by myself.

  Drayton stumbled from the room and halted in front of the mother's door, marked Lydia's Lair. He grasped the knob. Would this be pushing his boundaries? His unsteady hand tightened on the handle. God, should I kill the vessel? Is she bad? Would she have stopped me, if she'd known I was here?

  Peace settled over Drayton. He'd received God's unspoken permission to end the woman's sin-serving life. He turned the knob and slipped inside, closing the door. Not that anyone could prohibit his actions. He had God on his side, and Lydia lived alone, except for the baby, who no longer lived at all.

  Drayton sucked in a shallow breath, and the woman stirred. Drayton grew still. The woman rolled over and opened her eyes. In the soft moonlight, her eyes went wide and wild. She screamed and came off the bed, stumbling, trying to shove the covers aside. She shrieked, "No! Get out."

  Drayton yanked the knife from his boot and grabbed the escaping woman's long, fiery red hair. Her arms flailed frantically, and she tried to step on his foot. Her feeble attempt didn't harm him in the least. She was barefoot, and he wore steel-toed combat boots. He pulled her neck back, stretching it and twisting her head to the side. She fought him, her arms grabbing at his wrists, her nails digging into his flesh, but the blade did damage to her open palms.

  Having lost her grip, she tried in vain to get a better hold. She screamed into the hand he held over her mouth and tried to escape his power. He drew the blade across her throat, slicing her windpipe open. Blood shot out of the jugular vein, and the scream of the woman turned to a watery gurgle in an instant. Drayton let the woman drop limply to the floor, but he stood over her. Blood spurted and pooled onto the hardwood floor.

  He smiled. "Thank you, God." His smile widened. "Who needs Wayne?"

  Wayne screeched, but didn't speak to Drayton. Drayton laughed out loud. This killing thing wasn't so hard after all, and Wayne was right about one thing. Drayton liked it. He'd done what had to be done, and he'd enjoyed it. Not for the thrill of the kill though, as Wayne had said, but for the blessing of accomplishing God's mission.

  Were there others? Other evil beings God wanted dead?

  Drayton decided to talk to God. Maybe he could keep this up. Maybe he could serve God in other ways - be a soldier for God, a mercenary who killed evil doers. Maybe Lainie's brat needn't be the last sinner he wiped from the face of the Earth.

  Drayton made a mental note to talk to God about that, but not now. First, he wanted to release his pent-up stress, and do something with the adrenaline flowing through him. Unzipping his fly, he took his rod in his hand. His sperm was pure now, no longer infected by Satan, and his sperm would flow right onto the corpse beneath him. Take that, you evil vessel. Take that.

  Drayton roared his completion and wished Lainie could see him now.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Cade grew more disgruntled with each passing day. Lainie's parents stayed two weeks. He came and went, did security checks, and left Lainie with her mom and dad, in their care and under their protection, along with every technologically available security measure in place. Then Thomas returned to St. Louis to work, and Lainie's mom stayed. She acted as if she'd camped out for the duration. It ticked off Cade to no end. When would the woman get the hint and go home? It wasn't as if Lainie hadn't dropped a plethora of not-so-subtle suggestions in that vein. She had. Yet, Sharon Blanchet remained rooted in Lainie's home. Cade wanted to carry her out the door, drive her to the airport, and toss her onboard a seven-forty-seven bound for anywhere. That ought to win him some points with the mother-in-law-to-be.

  Cade sat across the bar in Chuck's finished basement, twisting and turning on a high-backed barstool made for comfort and balance. He had no intention of drinking to the point of inebriation and needing the assistance of a fool-proof drunk chair, but he'd considered it a time or two in past few weeks. He'd have one glass of brandy, and then he'd bed down for the night - early, way early. He hadn't slept much lately, and he was exhausted and irritable.

  Chuck poured the drink and handed it to Cade. "I guess you figure it's safe at Lainie's, without you there."

  Cade shrugged. "As long as you and Trish keep showing up over there every now then, and I make myself known constantly, and Sharon Blanchet lives with Lainie, it'll be fine. The more the merrier, I guess."

  What the hell should he do? He'd rather bite off his left foot than sleep under the same roof as that annoying woman, but his baby was in that house. Eli needed him, and he missed her terribly. Sharon or no Sharon. He'd not let anything happen to his Eli or Lainie.

  Chuck pointed out the obvious. "Sharon's an oddity. Maybe she's trying to do right by her daughter and granddaughter, and maybe she's just overprotective, but she seems mighty controlling to me."

  "You can say that again. Maybe she truly loves Lainie and Eli, but she has a strange way of showing it. The bossy old bag."

  Chuck's lips twitched. "You'd better not let Lainie hear you say that. Better yet, you'd better not let Sharon hear you say that."

  "You got that right. Lainie might agree with me, but I'm sure she wouldn't want me bad-mouthing her mama, and Sharon would pin my ears to my noggin if she caught wind of my all-too-true comments." Cade sighed. "I miss Eli."

  He craved Eli's fresh powdery scent, her soft skin, her baby voice, and the way she suckled at Lainie's breast.

  Chuck eyed him. "If the truth be told, I bet you miss Lainie, too."

  "Not a chance." What a whopper of a lie! He shook his head. He didn't want to miss Lainie, but he did. He missed the way she looked, the way she smelled, and the way she gazed at their daughter, as the baby nestled at her full breast and drank her fill.

  "Yeah, right."

  Cade exhaled sharply. "I'm not going to do something stupid and let myself fall in love with a woman, Chuck. Not even one that's given me a child."

  Chuck arched his brows. "Admit it. You want this woman."

  Cade nodded. "That much is true, and I can make a marriage work with her, if I ever get the chance to propose, and if I can talk her into accepting my proposal."

  Cade tossed back the brandy and gulped it down. It'd been four weeks since Lainie had given birth, and he'd wanted desperately to touch
her and feel her against him. He didn't dare get too close. He'd want more. He'd want to take her into his arms and into his bed. She wasn't ready for that emotionally, and probably not physically either. It was too soon. Hell, maybe it'd always be too soon. Maybe she'd never come to him.

  "How do you think you can you can convince her that a loveless marriage is the right thing to do?" Chuck asked, as if he read Cade's mind.

  Cade shrugged his tense shoulders. "I'll have to find a way to seduce her and convince her. I seduced her before, and I can do it again. Not that I really had to try, back in that bar in St. Louis."

  Chuck hopped up on the barstool next to Cade. "Tell me about that. You've never spoken of when you met Lainie. Not much, anyway."

  Cade heaved a sigh and leaned his elbows on the bar, twirling the empty brandy glass in his hands. "Lainie was all too willing to go home with me that night and stay with me for the next three weeks." Cade grimaced. "But that was then, and this is now. Things have changed, for better and for worse." Cade picked up the brandy bottle and filled his glass to the rim. So much for not getting toasted. "I'll never get anywhere, until Lainie's mother goes back to Missouri where she belongs."

  Chuck laughed. "That's for sure." Chuck's face brightened. "Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you take Lainie out? Get her out of the house and away from her hovering-like-a-mother-hen mama?"

  Cade's hand stopped mid-air, close to his lips, ready to slam down the second glass of alcohol. "You think she'd go? And leave Eli with her mom? You think that's safe, or a good idea?"

  Chuck nodded. "I bet Trish would keep Eli and Sharon company."

  Cade plopped the full glass of brandy back down on the counter and eyed his brother with suspicion. "What's up between you and Trish?"