by Blythe, Jane
In principle, Malachi seemed sincere and convincing. He was calm, cool, and in control. Everything he said sounded believable. But Jack didn’t believe him one iota.
* * * * *
11:29 P.M.
Ryan was distracted.
Xavier was talking to him, but he hadn’t heard a word the other man had said. It wasn't that he didn’t care about Maegan and her sisters. If the girls were kidnap victims, then he hoped that they could help them go back to their real families.
He just had a lot on his mind. He hated it when Sofia was sick, although it was an inevitable part of having young kids who picked up every germ going around, it brought back a lot of bad memories for both of them. At least she was looking better, so that was a load off his mind.
He just wished that things would go as smoothly for Paige.
She was avoiding him, despite her protestations that she wasn't, which meant that something was wrong. And she was talking to Jack about whatever was going on. Ryan knew that Jack and Paige were good friends, but she usually talked to him about what was going on with her, not with his brother.
As if on cue, Paige walked out of the bathroom, heading straight for the door. She looked like she was in a daze. That couldn’t be good. He was about to tell Xavier he was going to go and check on his partner, but Xavier spoke first.
“Go to her, she doesn’t look good.”
Following Paige out into the parking lot, he found her off to the side staring blankly into space.
“Paige?” he said softly as he approached.
She turned to him in slow motion, her brown eyes watery, and Ryan’s concerns stepped up a notch.
“What happened? What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering, his partner just turned away and resumed her sightless staring.
He sensed this wasn't the time to be tough and push her too hard. “It’s cold out and you're not wearing a jacket,” he said gently, shrugging out of his and slipping it onto Paige’s shaking shoulders.
“It should have been me.” Paige’s voice trembled.
Confused, he asked, “What should have?”
“That night. It should have been me who stayed with Laura, not Rose.”
He frowned. “What? So you could have died?”
She shrugged indifferently. “I feel like I'm half dead already. It would have been better for me to die than Rose.” Paige’s hands gripped the lapels of his jacket and pulled it tighter around herself, like a protective shield. She shuddered violently; the movement seemed to send the tears brimming in her eyes tumbling out. “I miss Rose so much.”
“You're still grieving,” he reminded her. So much had happened so close together for Paige, being nearly killed, the threat of the stalker still being out there, finding out she couldn’t have kids, losing Rose—it had all been too much; no wonder she hadn’t been able to deal with it.
“It’s been four years.” Paige brushed at the tears still trickling down her cheeks.
“You never stop grieving someone you love,” Ryan reminded her. He was positive that this had been what Paige and Jack had been talking about earlier. They had been the closest with Rose and he knew that they both still missed her a lot.
“Do you still miss Katrina?”
“Yeah, I do,” he admitted. Not that he thought about Katrina that much anymore. Katrina had been his fiancée; she’d committed suicide eight years ago. At first, he’d thought about her a lot, but over time, and especially once he’d met Sofia and they’d fallen in love, gotten married and had kids, Katrina had bit by bit faded from his mind. But she’d never completely leave it. From time to time something would remind him of her, and he still wished he knew why she’d taken her own life. Katrina was a part of him, and that part of him would always love her.
For a long time after her death, Ryan had blamed himself. A part of him still did. She had been his fiancée; he should have noticed that she was suicidal. He should have been able to say or do something to help her. Yet, he hadn’t. While he still wished things had turned out differently, he had to accept that what Katrina had done was not his fault. Accepting that was a process. A long process.
“Now tell me why you feel like a part of you is already dead,” he prompted Paige.
Paige didn’t reply, just turned away from him and seemed to shrink further inside herself.
Fearing she was about to flee, Ryan grabbed hold of her shoulder and turned her back around to face him. “Because you can't have kids?” he asked gently.
Fresh tears welled up in her eyes and she nodded.
“It’ll happen, Paige. An adoption will work out; you just have to be patient.”
At that, Paige began to cry and all but collapsed against him. Wrapping his arms around her, Ryan held her as she wept. She didn’t need to tell him that this latest adoption had fallen through.
“I can't do it again, Ryan,” Paige said through her tears.
“Do what, honey?”
“I can't have another adoption fall through … I'm not doing it again.”
“I'm so sorry, Paige.” Ryan wished there was something he could do to help her. “It’s going to work out, you just have to keep having faith.” She shook her head against his chest. “It will, I promise.”
“You can't promise me that.”
While Ryan knew that was true, he still wanted to reassure her and make her feel better. “What about other options? What about surrogacy?”
“No, I have to accept that Elias and I are never going to be parents,” Paige’s muffled voice insisted.
Letting it go for now, she needed time to process this latest disappointment before she could consider taking another avenue to become a parent.
She pulled herself out of his arms. “I'm sorry,” Paige sniffed as she wiped at her eyes.
“About what?”
“Crying all over you.”
“That’s what friends are for, Paige,” he rebuked gently.
Her gaze dipped. “I'm sorry I haven’t been a very good friend lately.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I avoid you sometimes,” she whispered, still refusing to look at him. “And sometimes I even think about asking for a new partner.”
“What?” Panic sliced through him. He did not want a new partner.
“I don’t really, Ryan.” She finally looked up at him. “But I don’t like that you saw me beaten nearly to death. Knowing that it happened because I was distracted. I don’t know how you can trust me to have your back after seeing me like that.”
“That’s ridiculous, Paige,” he admonished. “We’ve been in dangerous situations in the past four years since that happened, and I always trust you to have my back. You do always have my back. Now, tell me why you avoid me.”
She shrugged fitfully. “I get jealous sometimes. Because you and Sofia are so happy with Sophie and Ned. I'm sorry. I love your kids, and I'm so glad that you have such a fabulous family. I'm sorry.” Her pale cheeks heated a little with embarrassment.
“Would you please stop apologizing to me?”
“Sorry,” she said the word before she realized it, and a small smile lit her lips. “I can't help it,” she said as way of explanation.
He smiled back, pleased that she seemed a little more in control of her emotions. “Come on, let’s go back inside. You're still cold, and Jack’s probably finished talking to Malachi by now.”
“Ryan,” Paige grabbed hold of his arm and held him in place as he moved to head for the door. “You're a really good friend. Thanks.”
Paige gave him a hug, and as he hugged her back, Ryan prayed that somehow something would work out and Paige would get a chance to be the awesome mother he knew she’d be.
* * * * *
11:36 P.M.
Fuming.
He was completely fuming.
Bruce had just spent the last ten minutes or so watching Detective Paige Hood throw herself all over Sofia’s husband.
Even now as he watche
d, Paige once again shoved herself into Ryan’s arms.
Carefully, he studied the other man’s face and body language to see if he was reciprocating Paige’s blatant attempts to seduce him. If Bruce thought that Ryan was in any way going to cause Sofia pain, he would do something about it.
Paige had the ability like no one else on earth to get his blood boiling.
He hated the woman.
Really hated her.
It seemed he had made a mistake by not taking her out before now. He’d thought she had learned her lesson. He’d thought she had learned to be content with her own husband. Obviously, he’d been wrong.
Bruce had seen her earlier with Jack Xander.
Once again, she’d used the crying jag to elicit sympathy.
He’d been too far away to hear what they were talking about, but he’d seen her start to cry and then barge her way into Jack’s arms.
It seems Paige couldn’t stop with just one man.
She had her husband, and now she was after both Ryan and Jack. And who knew how many other men.
Bruce wasn't about to let her go on seducing married men.
He would put a stop to it.
Put a stop to her.
He wouldn’t allow her to go on causing pain to the people she claimed to be friends with. He felt guilty that he hadn’t stopped her before now. He had known that she was bad news. He had known that she had tried to have an affair with Ryan before. When his attempt to take her out had been thwarted, he should have gone back at her right away. He shouldn’t have waited so long.
But he wouldn’t wait a single day longer.
He was going to take her out.
Permanently.
And he was going to do it tonight.
* * * * *
11:40 P.M.
“Everything okay?” Xavier asked Paige and Ryan as they came back inside. Paige’s eyes were red-rimmed. She’d clearly been crying, but she looked like she was holding it together. Given Paige’s history, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the latest adoption had fallen through. Xavier felt so bad for her and wished there was something he could do to help her.
“Everything’s fine,” Paige assured him with only a hint of a wobble in her voice.
Obviously, it wasn't. Xavier caught Ryan’s eye and arched a brow, wanting confirmation of that. Ryan gave a discreet half nod, and Xavier let it go. However, he made a mental note to check in with Paige later.
“Jack, you talk to Malachi?” Ryan asked.
“Yes.” Jack gestured to the office where they’d interviewed Maegan earlier. “Let’s talk in there. It’s quieter.”
He, Ryan, and Paige trailed after Jack, taking seats in the small room and then looking expectantly at his partner.
“So, Maegan was right,” Jack announced. “Malachi claimed she was crazy. Said that she’s delusional, that she sees a psychiatrist, and is on medication.”
“Did he give you a doctor’s name and permission to do a blood test on Maegan?” Xavier asked. With both of these pieces of information, they could clear this up immediately.
“Both,” Jack nodded. “Although he was adamant that her name was Alice and not Maegan. And he was adamant that she was his daughter. He showed me some pictures of a toddler that could have been Maegan, but there’s no way to be sure.”
“What did he say about the other kids?” Paige asked.
“Said they don’t exist,” Jack replied. “He claimed to only have two daughters, Alice and Ariyel.”
“So, we could have been searching the hospital for children that aren’t even here?” she asked.
“Possibly,” Jack acknowledged.
“What was his demeanor like?” Ryan asked.
“Calm and totally in control. He was appropriately shocked, concerned, apologetic,” Jack explained.
“So, both Maegan—or Alice—depending on what her real name is, and Malachi tell a convincing story,” Xavier mused.
“And both are completely contradictory, so one of them is lying,” Jack added. “Any progress in IDing Malachi?”
Paige’s pale cheeks pinked in embarrassment.
“We got a little distracted,” Ryan replied.
“Everything okay?” Jack’s blue eyes were glued to Paige.
“Yes,” Paige answered firmly, holding Jack’s gaze.
“Ryan?”
“Sorry, Jack. Paige and I are friends, and anything we talk about is confidential unless she tells me otherwise,” Ryan parroted back what Jack had told him earlier in response to the same question. Jack rolled his eyes at his brother, who grinned back at him.
Some of the tension eased from Paige’s face at her partner’s attempt to lighten the mood. “We need confirmation from someone else in order to confirm Maegan’s story,” she said. “We either need to talk to Ariyel or to the other little girls—if they even exist.”
“I agree,” Xavier nodded, glad the case was helping to distract Paige. She always did better when she kept busy, but he doubted she could keep it up forever if they never found the stalker. Living with the knowledge that someone wanted her dead had taken its toll on her, and she’d never be able to move on so long as the stalker remained at large. “We can't prove a kidnapping at the moment. Even if we do a blood test on Maegan and she comes back clean. It still doesn’t prove kidnapping. Malachi could claim that she’s been pretending to take her medication.”
“He’d probably say that Maegan used the drugs she was supposed to be taking to drug Ariyel,” Jack added.
“What do we think on the overdose?” Xavier asked. “Let’s count out the little girls. Even if they exist, I don’t think they'd be capable of drugging Ariyel, so that leaves her, Maegan, or Malachi.”
“Depends if the overdose was accidental or intentional,” Paige mused thoughtfully.
“I don’t think it was Malachi,” Jack replied. “If he wanted to kill her, he wouldn’t have brought her here.”
“What if it was an accident?” Ryan pressed. “He’s trying to keep her under control and accidentally gives her too much, then he can't wake her up and panics, bringing her here.”
“If they really are kidnap victims, then Maegan could have done it on purpose,” Paige put forward. “She wants an excuse for Malachi to take them out of the house so she can get help, only she’s too scared to hurt herself, so she thinks she can overdose Ariyel and get Malachi to bring them here.”
“If she did, that could have her up on charges of attempted murder,” Ryan noted.
“What about Ariyel?” Jack asked. “Do we think it was a suicide attempt? Could have been if she’s a kidnap victim. She just decided she’d had enough.”
“While you guys were talking, I started doing a little research into the fire—” Xavier began.
“Don’t even think about starting up with the apologies again,” Ryan interrupted to order Paige, who had opened her mouth presumably to apologize for not helping.
“I'm glad you talked to Ryan, Paige,” he assured her.
“Ryan called me to come here and help, not hinder.” Paige wasn't about to be placated.
“You're not a hindrance,” Ryan assured her.
Paige didn’t look convinced, but turned her attention back to him and asked, “Did you find anything?”
“So far, no. I've started trolling the internet for fires where four sisters were killed, since we don’t know if the mother was also killed or not. Plenty of hits came up, but so far nothing that looks like it could be related. And we don’t even know where this happened. We’re assuming he lived around here, but there’s no guarantee of that. He could have lived anywhere.”
“So, right now,” Ryan said, “we have two completely different and yet convincingly told stories. Who are we believing?”
“Maegan,” Jack replied immediately.
“Because of Laura?” Xavier agreed that Laura was fabulous at reading people, but everyone got things wrong once in a while.
“Not just because of Laura.” Jack
looked unfazed by the challenge. “When we were talking to Maegan, the only look in her eyes was fear that we couldn’t help her. When I talked to Malachi, he was in control the whole time except for a brief moment of panic when I asked about letting us do a blood test on Maegan.”
“You still have doubts about her, Xavier?” Paige asked.
He wasn’t sure. Maegan seemed genuinely afraid, but if she were truly suffering from some sort of psychiatric disorder, then her fear could be genuine and yet unfounded. “I don’t know yet. I need more information.”
“Since Ariyel is still unconscious, let’s take another go at Maegan,” Jack suggested.
“Ryan and I will keep trying to ID Malachi, and then we’ll have a go at him …”
“No,” Jack interjected firmly.
“What?” Paige looked at him with irritated surprise.
“You're not to go near him.”
“What? Why?” Paige’s indignation was growing.
“He was watching you, Paige. He asked about you. I don’t trust him, and I don’t want you going near him.” Jack was in full bossy mode.
“You don’t decide what I do and don’t do in the course of an investigation,” Paige objected.
“Unofficial investigation,” Jack corrected.
“Whatever,” Paige growled.
“We don’t know if this guy is dangerous …”
“You know, believe it or not, Jack, I've been in dangerous situations before. It kind of goes with the job.”
“I know that, Paige. But would you please just keep your distance from him until we know more?” Jack gentled his voice and this time phrased it as a question instead of an order.
“Jack,” she groaned.
“Please, Paige. I'm already worrying about Laura. I don’t want to be worrying about you, as well.”