by Jane Godman
Now it was close to midnight and Abigail was still watching over her as she slumbered.
“She’s fine and you need to get some sleep.” Gently, Griffin steered her away from the side of the baby’s crib.
“I know. It’s just, after everything that’s happened, I almost can’t believe we can stop looking over our shoulders at last.”
“Why don’t we take the baby monitor downstairs. I’ll make us a hot drink and we can talk without disturbing Maya,” Griffin said.
“I’m not sure...” She gave the monitor a wary look and he knew she was thinking of what had happened the last time they’d left Maya alone. Although her caution was understandable, he was determined to help her overcome it.
“Riley has put new locks on all the first-floor windows and I’ll check on Maya regularly.” He took her hand. “But Jenna is behind bars.”
She nodded. “I know that. I just keep thinking about how close we came to losing her.”
“And now we have her back.” He led her to the door. “And she’s not going anywhere ever again.”
They went into the kitchen and, even though the night was warm, Griffin made hot chocolate. Once they were in Abigail’s room, they switched on the bedside lamps and sat side by side on the bed.
“This is nice.” She rested her head on his shoulder with a contended sigh. “Like something normal people do.”
“We could go home tomorrow.” He paused for a few seconds. “If you want.”
“Oh.” She reached across him for her drink and took a sip. “Whose home?”
“That’s up to you.”
She returned her drink to the bedside table before shifting position to look at his face. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m asking you—very clumsily—if we can get married and adopt Maya together as husband and wife.”
Her beaming smile was the only answer he needed. “I would love to marry you, Griffin.”
“I was so scared of love that I never gave myself a chance to try it. I loved my mom with all my heart and when she died my world fell apart. I felt like nothing could be worth that same gut-wrenching pain all over again.” He wrapped his arms around her, taking care not to hurt her injured arm. “But, at the same time, I craved love. I was terrified that I would drive other people away with my longing for acceptance. I can see now that was why I backed off from my Colton family. I wanted to be part of the group, but I was scared of losing them. When it came to dating, I would take a few steps, then back off, afraid of getting in too deep or coming on too strong.”
She touched his cheek. “I’m so sorry you were scared.”
“But that’s just it. Because of you, I’m not scared anymore. I fell in love with you during the worst possible time in our lives. Your world had been shaken upside down and I wanted to be the one you could lean on to get through it. I fell in love with you in the darkest most painful days we’d both experienced. But loving you is worth it. Loving you makes me feel alive. And I know now that I deserve to know what it feels like to fall in love. Even better, I deserve to be loved.”
“You do.” Abigail placed a hand on his face. “And I’m looking forward to spending my whole life loving you. For me, it was a different kind of fear. I knew what happened when you love the wrong person,” Abigail said. “I saw my own mom give her heart over and over and get it broken every time. And somehow, because she’d made a commitment to my dad, she was supposed to glue the pieces back together, pin a smile on her face and carry on. I knew from a very early age that I wasn’t going to let that happen to me. I would never let someone else be careless with my heart.”
She felt the tears on her cheeks and brushed them away. “But I know I can trust you with my heart, Griffin, just as I trusted you with our baby’s life. I’m so glad we didn’t let our fears hold us back from finding each other and from something so magical.”
He drew her back into his arms, sliding into a half-lying position. “What sort of wedding shall we have?”
“One where Maya can be a flower girl.” She answered promptly. “And, if Maya is walking, she can hold Lucy’s leash as they walk down the aisle.”
“Have you already planned this?”
“I might have given it some thought.” She tilted her chin and gave him a mischievous smile. “There’s something else I’ve been thinking about.”
He studied her face in fascination. “What’s that?”
“Remember that shower we said we’d share...?”
Chapter 17
The next day, Emmanuel came to see them. “Jenna hasn’t confessed. Not exactly. But there is so much evidence against her that it doesn’t really matter.”
“Why did she kill Evan?” Abigail asked.
“Because he was going to fire her. She believed it was over her online adoption scam,” Emmanuel said. “When Jenna was working on the miscarriage project, she’d seen an opportunity to make money and had developed the MorningStar baby con. It had worked well for her with no real issues and she made a lot of money from it. When she found out someone was on to her about her fake company, she assumed it was you, Abigail, because she knew you were looking into adoption.”
“But it was me,” Griffin said. “Liam and Shelby Desmond had asked me to investigate the online scam.”
“And the reason why Evan had decided to let her go had nothing to do with her dirty tricks,” Emmanuel said. “When we went through his computer, we found her dismissal letter in his files. Jenna was a shoddy worker and she’d been falsifying scientific evidence as part of her research. Dr. Hardin had warned her in the past, although it seems he’d given her chances because of their brief affair. This time he wasn’t prepared to give her another chance.”
“She killed him for that?” Abigail asked.
“People kill for less,” Emmanuel said.
“But she went back and planted the bracelet at the scene,” Griffin pointed out. “Are you sure it wasn’t her intention to frame Abigail all along?”
“That’s a possibility, I guess, but we’ll never know the answer. Any half-decent defense lawyer will go for the spur of the moment scenario. Killing her boss in anger because she was devastated at the thought of losing her job sounds better than bashing his head in to frame a coworker she hated.”
“But I lost the bracelet six months ago, long before the RevitaYou story broke, or before Griffin started looking into MorningStar.” Abigail was confused. “Jenna and I were friends back then. If she picked up my bracelet when I lost it, why didn’t she just return it?”
“Jenna’s diary will be part of the evidence against her at the trial. It even gives details of how she planted the idea with Ryan Thorne of how you should ‘get what was coming to you.’ If you’re feeling strong enough, I suggest you come and see me and read it before then,” Emmanuel said. “But the answer is simple. She was jealous of you. Personally, and professionally, you were everything she wanted to be.”
“So she made up the story about taking RevitaYou in order to publicly humiliate me?”
“It was a clumsy attempt. If she’d been serious, she could at least have researched what the pills looked like.” Emmanuel smiled. “But I’m glad she didn’t. Even though that damn green bottle gives me nightmares, Griffin was able to use it to trick her and spook her into the open.”
“Yeah.” Abigail rolled her eyes in Griffin’s direction as she rubbed her left arm. “Thanks for that.”
“Things could have gotten a lot worse,” Emmanuel reminded her.
“I know.” She leaned against Griffin. “I have a strange way of showing gratitude.”
He smiled down at her. “But I like you anyway.” He looked back at Emmanuel. “Returning to the serious conversation, do you know where Jenna was hiding out while she was on the run?”
“She was in the basement of an old house down the road.”
&n
bsp; Abigail gasped. “You thought she was in Roosevelt Park.”
Emmanuel looked embarrassed. “I reached that conclusion because she sought medical help at a clinic in the Roosevelt Park area.”
“So she was right here, watching us, the whole time?” Abigail shivered. “That’s creepy.”
“It seems she was reconnoitering the house, studying the entrances and exits, and watching who was coming in and out. We found pictures on her cell phone of the doors and windows, including close-ups of the window she smashed to get in here on the day she abducted Maya.”
Abigail had to ask the next question, even though she dreaded the answer. “And the contents of the syringe?”
“Crushed RevitaYou pills mixed with water.” Emmanuel grimaced. “Jenna was planning to film herself as she injected Maya with the compound and send the video to you in real time. She was slowed down by her infected wrist and took a nap. You can thank your little ferret buddy that she wasn’t feeling strong enough to put her plan into action sooner.”
Overtaken by a bad case of the “what-ifs?” Abigail bowed her head. Griffin placed a warm hand on the back of her neck, and, after a few seconds, she looked up again with a smile.
“I’m okay. But Lucy needs some serious treats when we get her home.”
* * *
The Colton family removal machine was in full flow again. This time the team was moving furniture from Abigail’s house into Griffin’s apartment and taking other items to be placed in storage. They had decided that they would live at his place for the time being and make some permanent arrangements after the wedding.
“Abigail has her job back at Danvers and she’s been completely cleared of all the allegations against her. The adoption process is proceeding as planned, so it feels like life is back on track,” Griffin said to Riley. He looked across at where Abigail and Charlize were sitting in the shade and sorting through a box of baby clothes. As soon as they placed anything in a neat pile, Maya, who was trying out a crawl, came over and tossed it aside. “Well, life is a whole lot better than on track. A whole lot better than before.”
“And I couldn’t be happier. For both of us.” Riley gripped his arm.
Pippa carried a tray of lemonade out onto the lawn and everyone gathered around as if she was a rescue dog carrying brandy in a blizzard. As they took a break, Griffin checked the local news on his cell phone. One of the items caught his attention. A homicide victim had been found in Heritage Park. The man, named Robin Olver, had been shot twice at close range.
In the video accompanying the news item, the anchor reported that Olver had invested in RevitaYou, the vitamin that had been in the news lately because of its deadly ricin compound. Anyone with information was encouraged to call the tip line...
“This needs to be checked out.” He sent everyone a link to the news item. “Robin Olver had eight recently broken bones.”
“An even number of broken bones?” Riley looked up from his own cell phone when he’d finished reading. “You’re thinking Capital X?”
“Has to be,” Griffin said. “I’ll call Emmanuel.”
Emmanuel answered almost immediately. “Tell me you aren’t thinking of performing any more heroic acts.”
“Tell me you aren’t thinking of taking up a new career in comedy.”
“I’m too tired to be funny.” Griffin could hear background noise as though Emmanuel was in a busy office. “What can I do for you?”
“This case that’s being reported on the local news channel. The homicide victim who was found in Heritage Park? He was clearly killed by Capital X.”
“What leads you to that conclusion?” Emmanuel asked.
“Aside from the fact that he’d invested in RevitaYou? The guy had eight recently broken bones. You know the Capital X goons break two at a time when their borrowers can’t pay up. This Robin Olver must have been one of their victims.”
“You could be right,” Emmanuel conceded. “It’s an angle we need to look at.”
Griffin looked over his shoulder at the family group on the lawn. He took a few more steps away, making doubly sure he couldn’t be overheard. “My sister, Pippa, is determined to infiltrate Capital X.”
“You need to talk her out of that plan. Those guys are loan sharks and they’re dangerous.”
“We’re doing our best to change her mind, but she’s pretty stubborn. If she goes ahead with it, can I count on you to take care of her?”
“Griffin, if you sister manages to go undercover and get inside Capital X, you can rest assured that I will be watching her like a hawk.”
Griffin thanked him and ended the call. A hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to find Pippa studying his face. “Who were you talking to so seriously?”
He considered the matter and decided it wouldn’t hurt to tell her. “Emmanuel Iglesias.”
She pulled a face. “Oh. Him.”
It wasn’t exactly promising. “Yes. I told him about your plans to infiltrate Capital X.”
Pippa sucked in a breath. “It’s got nothing to do with him.”
“Maybe not. But he said he’d look out for you if you go ahead with that strategy.”
“That’s big of him.” Pippa’s whole body bristled. “But you can tell Detective Iglesias that the only way I’ll work with the enemy will be over my dead body.” She flounced away to join the rest of the group.
Bewildered by her reaction, he went to sit on the grass with Abigail and Maya. “Why would Pippa think of Emmanuel as the enemy?” he wondered.
Abigail shrugged. “I’m sure she has her reasons. And we should probably stay out of them.”
“Wise words.” He grinned. “Hey. You’re all moved in.”
She nudged his arm. “No getting rid of us now.”
Griffin slid one arm around Abigail and the other around Maya. “That’s exactly the way I want it.”
* * *
Don’t miss the first installment in the
Colton 911: Grand Rapids series:
Colton 911: Family Defender by Tara Taylor Quinn
Available now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense
And look out for Book 3
Colton 911: Detective on Call by Regan Black
Available in September 2020!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Colton’s Amnesia Target by Kimberly Van Meter.
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Colton’s Amnesia Target
by Kimberly Van Meter
Chapter 1
“You’re gonna love this,” Reese Carpenter promised with a subtle quirk of his lips that pretty much guaranteed his partner, Jordana Colton, would not agree. “John Doe at the hospital, all banged up, unconscious, no ID. And—wait for it—nothing but your name on a piece of paper clutched in his hot little hand.”
Jordana, Braxville police detective, looked up from her report and narrowed her gaze. “Come again?”
Reese wagged the phone receiver at her. “Yeah, line four. All yours, practically gift-wrapped.”
Jordana rolled her eyes and switched the line. “Detective Colton here.”
“Detective, we’ve got an unconscious male Caucasian with no identification that we might need your help identifying down here at the hospital. Think you can come down and take a peek?”
“Sure thing,” Jordana said, perplexed. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Jordana clicked off and returned to Reese with an annoyed sigh. “Guess I’m heading down to Braxville General to unravel a mystery.” Like she had time to spend on a John Doe when there was a case potentially involving her family on the d
esk. Sidenote: she hated mysteries of any sort.
“Oh, your favorite,” he quipped, to which Jordana shot him a look that said, I’m going to spit in your yogurt if you leave it unattended, then grabbed her keys to leave. “Hey, call me if you hear back from forensics, yeah?”
“Sure. Let me know if your mystery guy is an old boyfriend looking to rekindle a lost love.”
“Screw you. I don’t have old boyfriends,” Jordana returned, adding with a smart-ass grin, “None here, anyway.”
Reese chuckled and Jordana exited the building. The sticky heat of Kansas in September clung to her face and body as she climbed into her car, the steering wheel burning hot to the touch. God, she’d be so happy when the weather turned to cooler temps. She’d had enough of this fall heat-wave crap.
Hot weather made people cranky and mean-tempered. Just last week she’d nearly been clocked by a mean drunk standing in his skivvies outside his place, waving a whiskey bottle, ranting at the world, sweat dribbling down his sun-weathered face.
In a small department, even detectives had to do fieldwork and that meant answering disturbance calls if none of the street cops were available.
As luck would have it, Jordana plucked the short straw on that one.
Heat and booze, a combination guaranteed to bring out the worst in people.
Braxville General loomed ahead and she pulled into the emergency loading zone reserved for cops bringing in perps with medical issues.
She waved at Rosie, the front desk volunteer, a living fossil if there ever was one, but hers was a face Jordana would associate with Braxville General until the day she died.
“Hi there, honey,” Rosie called out. “Say hello to your mama for me.”
Jordana offered a short smile and a thumbs-up, saying, “Copy that, Miss Rosie,” before going through the double doors to the emergency room where her John Doe was being held.