by Barb Han
“Any idea who the car belonged to?”
“Yes, Christopher Desmond.” Her voice was all business and a little colder than usual. Was having Alyssa on the call throwing Liz for a loop?
“His own car picked him up and then he was shot in it?” Blake asked, a little surprised it had gone down like that. Someone had to be driving Desmond’s vehicle.
“That about sums it up.”
Alyssa brought her hand up to cover her mouth. She moved over to the bed and sat down, a shocked look on her face.
“Who filled out the paper that let them out of jail in the first place?” Little had they known they would be safer locked up. Obviously, someone couldn’t risk them talking. The Judge? Was he connected to law enforcement in some way?
“A rookie.”
“Are you telling me this was a mistake?” Blake couldn’t hide his frustration. He smacked his palm against the table.
“Collins said he got a phone call stating the two needed to be released immediately. He was told paperwork was coming down the pike but that their attorney was on his way.”
“And he released them on someone’s word?” Rookie or not, the man needed to be fired if that was the case.
“No. He checked the database and got the okay to release them. He walked them to the door and set them free.”
“Inside job?” His gaze moved to Alyssa, who’d gone sheet white.
“Naturally, I want to say no. I don’t think I’d have a leg to stand on if I did, though. As much as I hate to admit it, this could be coming from the inside.”
“The Judge?”
* * *
“YOUR GUESS IS as good as mine.”
Alyssa’s heart sank when she heard Liz’s words. None of this sounded good. Not at all what Alyssa wanted to hear. Based on Blake’s expression, thin lips and narrowed gaze, he was on the same page.
“Detectives are on their way to process the scene,” Liz continued.
“Keep me posted if they find anything.” Blake issued a sharp sigh.
“You know I will.” Liz ended the call without addressing Alyssa, which got under her skin. She knew she shouldn’t let the woman bother her but there was something about her attachment to Blake that didn’t sit right.
Again, Liz was helping with the investigation, so Alyssa should keep quiet about her concerns over the woman’s constant contact with Blake.
“Are you ready to roll?” Blake asked.
“Yes.” She needed to get out of there. The walls felt like they were closing in since hearing the news about the murders and she needed air. Suddenly, the thought of going to the ranch to breathe in fresh, country air wasn’t so awful. She wanted to disappear in a place where she and the baby could be safe until the birth if she were honest.
She had the family business to think about. How would she keep up financial support for her mother if it failed? How long could she be away before trouble started? Before the small operation started cracking?
Best as she could remember, she wasn’t planning on taking a whole lot of time off for maternity leave. That was the thing about running a small business. She’d learned she could pick her own hours, but she still had to work all of them anyway.
Pushing up to standing, she found that one of her legs had fallen asleep and she went back down. Thankfully, she landed on the bed on her backside. Other than embarrassing, there was no real harm done. Based on the concerned look on Blake’s face, she wasn’t as graceful as she’d hoped.
“Are you all right?” He was standing next to her in a matter of seconds.
“Fine. I’m good.” As long as embarrassment couldn’t kill her, she’d be okay.
He held out his forearm and she took it, using it as leverage to pull herself up.
“See. I did it.”
“You’re sure?” His gaze traveled over her.
“One hundred percent.” She threw her arms up to show him she could balance without holding on. “I’m so good.”
He nodded before picking up the duffel he’d set out. He placed it on the bed and unzipped it. “Want to put your things in here?”
She gathered up the few pairs of underwear and placed them inside. He immediately zipped it up and she saw he had an extra weapon inside. He went to the closet and took his holster out. He put it on along with a Houston PD windbreaker. Next, he secured his service weapon in the holster.
Duffel in one hand, he took her hand in his and then linked their fingers. She couldn’t help but notice how well they fit together. And how comforted she felt every time they had a physical connection. When this was over, leaving him again was going to hurt.
She glanced down at her belly and almost laughed out loud. It was ironic more than funny. She and Blake would be connected in some fashion for the rest of their lives by the little bean.
Speaking of laughing, pretty much nothing was funny except that if she didn’t laugh a little bit she would probably go out of her mind from the stress. She had to take mental breaks, or she’d overthink the situation and that wouldn’t be good for her or the baby.
Besides, she was more determined now than ever to figure out who Bus Stop and the Judge were. She would turn over every stone if she had to in order to find out why Nasal and Gruff were murdered and who pulled strings to have them released from jail so they could be shot.
An icy chill raced down her spine at the thought these ruthless men were after her and would do anything to stop her. What information could she possibly have? She and her dad ran a small business. They weren’t sitting on a fortune. Norman Hazel was the most normal person in the world. He’d shown up to her soccer games when she was a kid. He’d threatened never to let her date and then had a “talk” with her prom date before she could walk outside the front door. As far as she knew, he stayed inside the law.
Blake helped her climb inside his Jeep that was parked inside the garage. He fired off a text and she imagined he was letting Liz know the two of them were on the move. Liz. What was it about his former partner that had Alyssa’s stomach twisted up in a knot? Blake wasn’t interested in the woman. He looked at her like any other coworker.
Alyssa wasn’t sexist, so it wasn’t the fact that Liz was a woman in police work that bothered her. Chalking it up to missing her ex, Alyssa set those thoughts aside. She would have her laptop soon, and she could start digging around there for answers. It was as good a place as any.
Blake tucked the duffel in the back seat before claiming the driver’s side.
“I forgot to let my mom know we’d be coming for her. Mind if I use your phone to send a text?” she asked.
“No. Go right ahead.” He handed it over and then hit the garage door opener.
She sent a short message, letting her mom know she’d be by to pick her up shortly. Her mother didn’t respond right away. She rarely ever kept her phone with her, and it seemed like half the time she had the volume off so she could “hear” her shows better. And then there were the times her mother just left the phone in another room and didn’t think about it.
Alyssa’s phone was practically glued to her hand at all times. She missed it and felt oddly disconnected from the world without it. For a minute at the townhouse, it had been nice to escape reality. But now she wished she had her phone with her. And while she was wishing, she might as well request her purse. Not having ID, a credit card or cash made her feel oddly naked as well.
The ride to her doctor’s office was quiet. Not awkward. Just silent companionship. She missed that about Blake. They could be right next to each other, one reading while the other surfed the web, and neither had to fill the air with words. Just being around him gave her a settled feeling she’d never experienced with anyone else. There was an excitement too. Butterflies in the stomach and her heart catching in her throat when he looked at her. The feeling never stopped, not even after the wedding. She rememb
ered feeling like the luckiest person in the world that day.
Her parents had given her a solid upbringing. She was admittedly closer to her dad than her mother, loved by both. She’d always wanted siblings, but none came. Her mom had been around but distant. It wasn’t until years later that she’d learned her mother had been pregnant as a teen, and forced to give her child up for adoption, a daughter.
Alyssa chalked up the emotional distance between her and her mother to the loss. Hand to belly, Alyssa couldn’t fathom giving up her child. But then, she wasn’t sixteen and under her parents’ thumb. Her grandparents were the stern, old-fashioned types. Religious to a fault.
She couldn’t imagine the looks on their faces when their only daughter came home pregnant as a teenager. Mother met Alyssa’s dad while volunteering part-time at an animal shelter. He went in for a puppy and came out with the best thing that ever happened to him, according to him. They loved each other and, in some ways, Alyssa felt like the odd man out.
Meeting Margaret O’Connor had made Alyssa understand her own mother better. Mrs. O’Connor had her child stolen from her crib, in her own home. Every parent’s worst nightmare played out in her life. And yet, the loss caused her to be closer to her boys in some ways. She’d picked herself up and moved on with life because of them, not wanting to miss out on the gift of motherhood.
According to Blake, she never gave up hope of finding out what happened to his sister, Caroline. Now that Alyssa was experiencing pregnancy and would soon be a mother, she was beginning to have a deeper understanding of Mrs. O’Connor’s courage and her own mother’s pain.
She made a promise right then and there to do whatever had to be done in order to keep her daughter safe from whoever was coming for her. Even if that meant making herself uncomfortable being around Blake’s family. He was right. There was security at the ranch. No matter how his family felt about her, they’d accept her and protect her.
It was just the way O’Connors were made.
Chapter Fifteen
Blake pulled into the parking lot of the doctor’s office. His buddy, Aaron Smith, was off duty but he’d been ready to slap on his holster and escort Blake with no questions asked after a quick text. Aaron parked next to Blake. No doubt, Liz had filled in a few of their buddies. Or, heck, maybe they figured it out on their own. Word traveled fast in law enforcement circles. The best part was the brotherhood he felt, much like at home on the ranch. He would miss the friends he’d made at Houston PD once this was over and he returned to the ranch full-time.
Taking care of Alyssa and the baby was his top priority. Once those two were safe, he could resume searching for the truth about what happened to Caroline. Digging around in a thirty-year-old case meant following a lot of dead trails. He knew the odds of solving a cold case. Until his father’s death, there’d been no leads. Now, it was clear that Finn O’Connor had been killed while taking up the investigation on his own. His health condition—a condition he’d been keeping secret—would have taken him at some point. But he still had time until he started investigating.
Blake exited the vehicle, scanning the small lot. The doctor’s office was in a stand-alone building, which made it easier to monitor people coming and going. A couple walked out. The woman was less pregnant than Alyssa but it was clear she had a bump. She had on a smile while her partner had a worried look.
“Twins,” she said to the man escorting her.
Blake could only imagine what that would be like. No wonder the man looked like someone had just robbed his piggy bank. Twins also meant twice the cost of everything. He strode over to the passenger door and opened it once he was certain the area was secure.
Having backup was a godsend.
Blake, acting nonchalant, took a glance around as he opened the door for her and stepped aside. He clicked the key fob, locking his Jeep.
There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary going on in the parking lot. Blake held out his arm, thinking Alyssa had been to this place countless times without him, without support. They made their way inside. Glancing around the waiting room, it seemed more like a couple’s retreat considering every female had a partner.
Now, he really felt bad. He reminded himself there wasn’t much he could do about her taking these appointments alone when he had no idea that he was going to be a father in the first place. And yet, part of him couldn’t help but think he’d done something wrong for her not to trust him.
Had he said something to lead her in the direction that he would be anything but thrilled to find out they were having a baby?
He walked beside her to the glass partition, noticing that all the chairs in the waiting room were pairs. Someone immediately opened the window and smiled.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked with a smile.
“Alyssa Hazel for Dr. Kero.”
“What time is your appointment?” she asked. The usual receptionist must be out today and since this one didn’t have a name tag, Alyssa assumed she was filling in or new.
“Eleven o’clock.”
The receptionist glanced at the clock.
“I’m early.”
“Okay. Can I see your ID and insurance card?” the front desk person asked.
“Um, normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but I seem to have misplaced my purse,” she said.
Blake smiled at the receptionist, turning on the O’Connor charm. “I called ahead and spoke to someone by the name of Lorraine.”
“She’s the office manager.” The woman’s cheeks flamed as she smiled back at Blake. “I’m new here.”
“You see, I explained the situation to Lorraine, and she said it wouldn’t be a problem since the nurses already know who my wife is.” He’d picked up on the fact that she wasn’t still using her married name, but he went out on a limb.
“Okay. No problem then.” She looked at Alyssa again. “What did you say your name was again?”
“Hazel,” she supplied.
The worker pulled a chart out from a stack. “I have it right here. Take a seat and someone will be with you in a moment.” She glanced at the file, and then called them back. “Is this still a cash account?”
Alyssa started to answer but Blake cut in. “I’m responsible for all the medical bills. I’m her husband.” He had no idea why it felt important to say that, but it did.
A hint of confusion passed behind Alyssa’s eyes even as a small smile upturned the corners of her lips.
“They’ll settle up at the end of the visit.” The receptionist smiled again.
Alyssa led them to a pair of chairs nestled in the corner of the room.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said after taking a seat.
“Offer to pay the bill? Yes, I did.”
“Well, no, I didn’t mean that, but that too.”
“Oh, the part about being your husband?” He wasn’t ready to jump into the role again. Not after the hurt he’d experienced. But they needed to learn how to work together if they were going to co-parent.
“Yes.” Her cheeks flamed and it made her even more beautiful.
“Yes, I did.” He started to say it was about protecting her in case someone at the office had a connection to Christopher or Jordan, but he didn’t want her to feel like she was alone in this. Up until now, she had been. Granted, it had been her choosing. But, was it? If she believed she was protecting him in some way, then she’d put herself in a hard position to do it. “I wanted to pay you back in some small way.”
“Because?”
“You said before that you have a strong feeling you hid the pregnancy from me to protect me. The divorce was to protect me. And you’ve been doing all this alone. Something—” he motioned toward all the pairs of seats “—people normally do with a partner or spouse.”
“The feeling is no doubt stronger than anything I’ve felt. I can promise you that.
But what if I’m remembering this all wrong?” She motioned toward her head. “I lost three days of my life. I had no idea how long I was in the closet until someone told me. I don’t remember how I got in there in the first place. Clearly, big chunks of my memory are gone.”
He started his protest when a head poked from behind the door next to the window. Instead of saying what was on the tip of his tongue, he held off.
“Alyssa.” The nurse had on scrubs.
Blake followed Alyssa, who followed the nurse into a hallway that was more like a maze with little rooms that made him feel like a mouse searching for cheese. They stopped off long enough for Alyssa to give a urine sample and then stand on a scale.
The nurse walked them into a room and told Alyssa to undress. She pointed to a paper gown that was folded and waiting on a bench. There was a privacy curtain that Alyssa ducked behind while Blake took a seat in one of the chairs against the same wall as the door.
The nurse busied herself on the laptop.
Alyssa pulled the curtain back after a few minutes. Seeing her look like a patient struck a chord with him. He also realized, ready or not, a baby was coming. He needed to pull up his bootstraps and be the partner she needed while they navigated the last part of the pregnancy and then the birth.
“In or out? It’s your call,” Alyssa said to Blake.
* * *
“YOU CAN STAY. If you don’t think it would be too much,” the nurse added. The table was positioned facing the opposite wall, so his chair was at her head and not the other way around. She figured it was strategic placement on her doctor’s part.
He laughed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I did grow up on a ranch. Birth is the most natural thing. So, no, nothing that happens in here could throw me for a loop.”
“Okay. Because I’ve seen guys being wheeled out of here who apparently fainted when they saw what goes on,” the nurse said.
