Texas Kidnapping

by Barb Han

  Kipp McGee wasn’t the crisp-suit type that Cash had expected to see. The lawyer looked to be in his early forties and would be considered tall by average standards, maybe five feet, eleven inches. He had on a suit, dull gray in color, and his appearance could best be described as sloppy. One side of his white button-down shirt was untucked. He didn’t wear a tie and the top couple of buttons were undone. He looked to be average weight except for his gut, which seemed a little overstuffed. His ruddy complexion gave him an aging amateur golfer or tennis player look, and his hair looked like it had been finger combed rather than brushed.

  “Do you mind standing right here, Mr. McGee?” Colton pointed to a spot not five feet in across the mirror and directly in front of Renee. She flinched and leaned back in her chair as McGee moved into position.

  Cash placed a hand on her shoulder to offer some measure of reassurance as he leaned toward the mirror and studied the lawyer. Much about his demeanor was disarming, except the slight twitch under his left eye.

  “Right here?” McGee asked. On the surface, he looked eager to cooperate.

  “Yes, sir.” Colton always watched his p’s and q’s with a suspect and that wouldn’t stop now. It was also one of the many things that had earned him a reputation as a one of the best in the state while still young in his career. He had a knack for reading people, knowing when to push and when to take a step back. As a fellow law enforcement officer and his brother, Cash couldn’t be prouder.

  “That’s all. Thank you for your cooperation.” Colton moved toward the table and chairs in the middle of the room.

  McGee stared at the mirror a second longer than seemed appropriate, which was an odd thing for him to do. He had to realize he wouldn’t be able to see who was standing on the other side.

  Was the move meant to intimidate a victim or witness? Cash made note of the behavior and moved on. Granted, his opinion was tainted by the man’s reputation—a reputation that, based on appearances, seemed to have been earned.

  “How can I help you today, Sheriff?” McGee took the seat across the table from Colton. He took off his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair. Cash noticed sweat stains. If it hadn’t been for the eye twitch and the fact the man had tried to stare into the mirror, Cash might have written the man off as harmless.

  Paul Miser had claimed the dragon lighter. That piece of evidence no longer seemed to come into play, which was unfortunate. Forensics might have gotten lucky with prints. It had been less than twenty-four hours and that would increase their chances.

  “I appreciate your willingness to cooperate,” Colton began.

  McGee’s arms came up and he waved his hands in the air. His wide smile belied narrowed eyes. “Happy to oblige, sir.”

  Bet you are. McGee didn’t come accompanied by another lawyer, which was strange but also seemed like a ploy to make him appear innocent.

  “He seems different to me.” Renee finally spoke up, her gaze still locked on to her lawyer. “It’s like he’s putting on a show to hide the fact that he’s nervous.”

  “I agree.”

  Renee had keen observation skills.

  “And he’s working too hard. You know?” Her elbow accidentally touched his, sending more heat swirling from contact.

  “It crossed my mind,” Cash said.

  She blew out a sharp breath. “Tell it to me straight. You’re an officer of the law and I imagine you’ve seen or heard just about all there is to. What are my chances that I could lose Abby?”

  “I’d like more than anything to say none, but I can’t tell you that in good conscience.”

  There was no response, just a palpable sadness. When she turned to face him, her chin jutted out and her expression tensed. There was a whole helluva lot of determination there, too.

  “I’ll do right by Abby. Even if that means I have to give her up if it’s best for her in the long run,” she stated.

  “We don’t know if the adoption was illegal yet.” It was important to follow evidence all the way through. Worrying beforehand—although he completely understood—wouldn’t do anyone any good.

  “True,” she said on a sigh. “I’m just preparing myself for the worst. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll fight tooth and nail for this angel. But a few scenarios come to my mind that mean it wouldn’t be right to keep her no matter how much she feels like my daughter already.”

  “You’re an amazing mother—”

  “How can you tell?” She blinked clear blue eyes at him.

  “You’re ready to put her above everything and everyone else, including yourself. She’s barely been in your life and yet it’s easy to see that you’d walk through fire for her.” The fact that she smiled despite going through what must be one of the worst days of her life caused a thunderbolt to strike him in the center of the chest.

  With those big beautiful eyes wide open, she thanked him.

  Yeah, he was in trouble.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Can you account for your whereabouts for the past forty-eight hours?” Colton pushed the same notepad she’d recognized from earlier across the table. A pen rested on top.

  Renee waited on the edge of her seat for the answer to that question.

  Kipp made a show of being caught off guard by the question. His actions up to this point seemed very off to her compared to the confident lawyer she’d dealt with.

  “Do I need to?” Kipp’s expression morphed into shocked indignation.

  “Yes, sir.” Colton quickly added, “Purely in the spirit of cooperation.”

  “Okaaay.” Kipp drew out the word. “I’m usually on phone calls throughout the day. I met with a client at lunch yesterday.”

  “What time exactly was that?” Colton leaned forward like he was hanging on the lawyer’s every word.

  “It was late. Around two o’clock.” Kipp checked his wristwatch.

  “Seems like an unusual time to eat lunch,” Colton said.

  “I go where my clients need me to. There are days when I work through lunch.” Kipp’s eyebrow shot up. “I’m sure you understand that.”

  “Yes, sir. I’m a little too familiar.” Colton seemed to be trying to ease the tension. Even Renee could see that a wall had just come up.

  Kipp leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers.

  “How did you qualify your lawyer?” Cash asked.

  “I didn’t. I took him at face value.” She should’ve done more digging around, checked into his background a little more. It had never occurred to her that the adoption wasn’t anything but aboveboard or that she could give her heart to a child only to have her ripped out of Renee’s arms. It wasn’t like she’d acted on impulse, either. She had been carefully considering having a family for years. Of course, she’d believed that she and Jamison would’ve been married first. A cold chill ran down her back at the thought of being trapped in a marriage with a partner like him.

  Looking back, she had no regrets. If she’d walked away from Jamison while his mother was dying, Renee would have felt like an awful person. By the time his mother had passed away, Jamison’s affair was out in the open.

  There was no denying the fact that Renee had made a snap judgment on hiring her attorney, but she’d carefully thought out becoming a mother. It was something she’d wanted to do for years and maybe for her entire life.

  Looking back on what had led up to the adoption wouldn’t do any good. Renee refocused on the here and now. If there was an unwitting birth mother out there somewhere who’d had her child taken from her by anything other than her own free will, Renee would do the right thing by Abby and ensure the two were reconnected. After having her child nearly abducted in her own bedroom, Renee could imagine the horror a birth mother would go through to find her child missing.

  “I’m sure you’ll understand my need to respect the privacy of my clients,” Kipp’s vo
ice cut through her heavy thoughts. Her mind was starting to spin out. She had always been an overthinker and this was a lot to chew on.

  “Does that mean you won’t provide the names of anyone who can verify where you’ve been in the past forty-eight hours, Mr. McGee?” Colton’s voice caused the hair on the back of her neck to prick.

  “No, sir. I will not.” Kipp stood up and wrangled his arms into his suit jacket. His actions so far weren’t flattering or instilling any confidence.

  “Sir, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask one more question before you walk out of this interview.” Colton didn’t stand up but he nailed Kipp with his glare. His tone had switched to all business. Kipp straightened his back like he was preparing for a fight.

  “Go right ahead. I don’t have anything to hide.” Renee wished with all her heart that was true. As much as she didn’t want someone she knew to be responsible for terrorizing her and Abby, if her lawyer had done something illegal to push the boundaries then her life could drastically change. If Jamison or the creepy guy from the office was responsible, an arrest would solve the problem. The jerk would end up locked behind bars and Renee would be able to resume her new normal life with her daughter. But the lawyer on her adoption case...

  She couldn’t go there again because disaster was written all over the scenario involving McGee.

  “What is your relationship with Ruth Hubert?” Colton asked. Renee picked up on the fact he hadn’t used past tense even though the woman had been murdered in her garden.

  Kipp glanced from the door to the mirror and then back to Colton. He rubbed a hand over his chin. “I don’t have one.” Kipp couldn’t walk toward the exit any faster. He paused at the door but didn’t turn around. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m late for a meeting in Houston.”

  “Do you travel around the state frequently for business?” Colton’s eyebrow shot up.

  “I go where work requires.” McGee focused on the closed door.

  “You’re free to go. A deputy is waiting in the hallway to see you out.” Colton rose to standing. “Mr. McGee.”

  Kipp stopped just outside the door. “Yes.”

  “Are you planning to travel outside of the state anytime in the near future?” Colton’s question caused Kipp to bristle.

  “No, sir.” There was more than a hint of worry in his voice now.

  “Good. Please let my office know if that changes.” Colton’s tone didn’t waver.

  “Yes, sir.” Kipp couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  “That’s so not good,” Renee said quietly.

  Cash was by her side in the next beat, his reassuring hand on the small of her back.

  “No, it wasn’t.” His steel voice was low. “You want to get out of here and head back to the ranch?”

  “Yes, I do,” Renee answered quickly. In fact, there was little else she wanted at the moment besides a safe place to unwind. She needed to get a permanent fix for Abby’s window and hadn’t done that yet. Lack of solid sleep was catching up to her and she was getting so tired her bones ached.

  The door opened and Colton filled the frame. “The lawyer is gone. It’s safe to come out now.”

  “It’s been a long day. Renee agreed to take off with me so she can settle her daughter in and get some rest.” The fact Cash so easily spoke of Abby as Renee’s daughter brought more warmth to her heart. In a world that could be twisted and crazy and unexpected, that those words felt so right confirmed everything Renee had fought for in order to become a mother.

  “I was just about to suggest the same. We’re still trying to track down Mr. King and Ms. Tran.” Colton rubbed the back of his hand over red-rimmed eyes. With one-year-old twins at home and a more-than-full-time job as sheriff, Renee could hardly imagine.

  Cash embraced his brother in a hug and more of Renee’s heart melted. She could learn a lot from these brothers about family, and part of her wished she would have the opportunity once this case was behind them. “Will you call if there’s any change or news?”

  “You know I will.” Colton turned to Renee. “We’ll do everything in our power to find the person responsible for both attempts.” He didn’t say kidnapping and she was grateful. Hearing the word spoken out loud brought back all those helpless feelings when she was caught off guard at home. The second time had been scary but she’d been more prepared. And determined.

  Plus, there was something different about the second attempt. Granted, there were more people and the location was public. Was that why, looking back, she felt safer now? She had people around? People who cared about her and had her back?

  “Thank you for everything you’re doing,” she said to Colton before kissing the top of Abby’s head. “Becoming a mother is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. I have every intention of doing whatever’s necessary to keep her safe.”

  Colton nodded. “We promise to do the same. My office will be in touch.”

  “I’m taking them to the main house at the ranch,” Cash informed his brother. Colton’s eyebrow shot up but he didn’t speak. “I’d like her to be around people and the ranch is the safest place I can think of until she gets her bedroom window fixed and a security system installed. I’m getting Russell on the job. He’s the best, but he’s also booked solid. He said he’d fit her in soon, but he might be calling last minute.”

  “Sounds like a good plan,” Colton agreed.

  Cash held his hand out toward the door and locked eyes with Renee. “Shall we?”

  She retraced their earlier steps to his brother’s office with Cash right behind her. Colton’s secretary was on a call. She put her hand over the phone. “Nice meeting you.”

  She smiled and waved as they moved through the lobby. After securing Abby’s car seat, Renee shook her arms to get some feeling back in them. Both had gone numb more than an hour ago. She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled in.

  “Are you okay with going back to my family’s ranch?” he asked. “I’d offer to stay at your place but with everything going on with my family I’d like to check in at home. We can stay at the main house again in a guest suite and—”

  “Yes, I’ll go. I don’t want to go back to my house right now with everything that happened, and your family needs you. It’s the safest compromise until I can get an alarm installed. Speaking of which, thank you for setting up a contractor.” She’d cut him off because he didn’t have to oversell the idea. Being with someone who had her back while she attended to her daughter’s needs was exactly what she needed right now. If Cash was willing to be that person...even better.

  A small part of her enjoyed being with a capable adult male for a change. The O’Connors seemed to have quite a few of them. By the end of her relationship with Jamison, she’d felt more like his caregiver than his life partner, and he’d become incredibly needy. It had come at a price of neglecting herself and her needs. She would never do that again in any relationship.

  “The main house it is.” Cash smiled, turned the key in the ignition and started his vehicle. Renee tried to ignore the part of her heart that wanted to convince her she could really like this man. Any relationship besides the new one she had with Abby was more than enough to handle even though her heart wanted to argue there was room for more.

  * * *

  A COUPLE OF steps inside the massive entryway to the main house, a noise sounded from down the hallway. Cash turned to Renee who was standing close behind him. Her arms literally felt like they might fall off at this point, but she couldn’t put Abby down, either.

  “That sound came from my mother’s library. I want her to hear the news about Ruth Hubert from me. Are you okay with meeting my mother now? Because I can take you to the guest room first if you’re not ready.” Cash was sweet to consider her feelings.

  “I’m fine, actually. I’d like to meet your mother very much. In fact, once this is all over, I
’d like to get some parenting advice from her considering what an amazing job she’s done with the sons I’ve met so far.”

  His genuine smile spread warmth through her chest and a desire to stand close enough to be in his sun.

  She followed him to the opened double doors, where he knocked. “I’m sorry to interrupt you—”

  “Don’t be silly. Come on in. I could use the company.” Margaret O’Connor had the kind of gentle but firm voice that took Renee back to third grade in Mrs. Malone’s class. Renee smiled at the memory of her favorite teacher.

  “I have a friend with me.” The casual reference shouldn’t cause disappointment. She mentally shook it off, figuring she was lucky to call an O’Connor a friend.

  “The more, the merrier.” Even though Renee didn’t know Cash’s mother, the words sounded like they were spoken with a forced cheeriness and she completely understood why.

  One step inside the library halted Renee in her tracks. First of all, the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves were delicate and impressive. The room had endless layers of patterns and brass accents. Even the ceiling had a bronzed hue and a pattern that mirrored the rug. A granite frame and mantel flanked the fireplace on the opposite wall from the French doors. A deep orange sofa with leather club chairs made up the seating area. A pale blue ottoman anchored the room with a rug covering the floor beneath it. There were so many books it would be impossible to count them all. She took note of stacks of mysteries and true-crime novels.

  The impressionist painting over the fireplace looked familiar and Renee was struck by just how wealthy a family the O’Connors were. Neither Cash nor Colton came off like they’d been born with silver spoons in their mouths. In fact, they were two of the most down-to-earth people she’d ever met.

  “This is Renee Smith and her daughter, Abby,” Cash said to his mother, who sat straighter as Renee walked toward her.