Risky Return (Covert Operatives Book 3)

by Virginia Vaughan

She was well aware of her father standing behind them, shocked by the mention of the baby as well as the marriage. She didn’t care. It was time to come clean about everything. But she was through listening to excuses. “So you took a payoff to abandon your own wife? If you’d wanted out so badly you could have just told me. You didn’t have to go behind my back.”

  “I didn’t want out. That was the last thing I wanted. But I couldn’t protect you. I couldn’t care for you or our child. I couldn’t even keep the lights on most of the time.”

  “Then we should have handled it together. I’ve spent the past twelve years blaming myself and when I saw you again, I wondered if I could ever really trust you again. You had me fooled, Collin, because I was trusting you again. For the first time in a long, long time, I was looking forward to the future again. It was bad enough that you left me but to discover it was all about the money... That’s a betrayal I can never forgive.”

  “Rebecca, please.”

  She put up her hands as he tried to reach out to her. She didn’t even want to be in the same room with him, much less the same house. “I—I can’t even look at you anymore. I don’t want to see you again. I want you to leave.”

  “You need me here. Your life is still in danger.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I can’t trust you. I’ll never trust you again. I will hire someone to keep me safe. At least I’ll know where I stand with him. Goodbye, Collin.”

  He stepped away from her, dug his hands into his pockets and gave a heavy sigh. The pain on his face only made her even more angry. How dare he pretend to be hurt when she was the one devastated by his betrayal.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you,” he said before he walked out.

  She didn’t move until she heard the slamming of the front door, then she burst into tears. Her father stepped toward her, intending probably to comfort her, but she didn’t want his pity, either.

  She ran upstairs to her childhood bedroom for a long overdue cry.

  * * *

  Collin tossed his suitcase into the back seat of his rental car then got in, slamming the door hard. He had no idea how things had fallen apart so fast. An hour ago, he’d been hopeful for a future with Rebecca. Now, he knew that would never happen. He’d lost her for a second time and, like the first, it was all his fault. He hadn’t been honest with her. When she’d confronted him about the money he’d taken from her father, he’d tried to justify his actions, believing she could never love him if she knew the truth. But, as usual, she’d seen right through his excuses.

  The truth was he’d wanted something he could never have. He’d reached for Rebecca and had fallen short, but money had seemed to make everything better for those who had it. He’d hoped it would make it all better for him, too. It hadn’t. It had made him a coward, too afraid to face his own issues. The army had taught him to confront situations head-on and never flinch, and he could do that when it was a physical confrontation. He was good at that. He was well trained to disarm a gunman or guard a base from enemy attack. But he’d never learned to fight the battles of the heart, issues that couldn’t be fixed with a gun or proper perimeter defense.

  He also knew something else. He’d never faced the consequences of his decision to take that money and run. He’d left Rebecca to face the mess he’d made alone. He was glad she hadn’t lived the past twelve years knowing he’d left her because of the money. That would have been too heartbreaking for her. But she knew it now and she was hurting and he realized that, once again, he’d tried to justify his way out of the problem instead of taking responsibility for his actions and apologizing.

  Yes, he’d been a frightened kid in over his head. But he’d also been a husband and father, and his wife had deserved better than what he’d given her. She’d deserved the truth. It was time he learned. Rebecca may never forgive him and probably would never consider a future with him again, but he could face this problem and give her the proper apology she deserved.

  He pulled out a notebook and jotted down some notes. This was also a good life lesson he could pass on to Dylan, assuming the boy survived his injuries. The last update Collin had heard was that he was still unconscious.

  He stared up at Rebecca’s window and saw the curtains were drawn. She didn’t want to see him. His instinct was to sit outside to make sure she was safe. But there was little he could do if she didn’t want him around.

  He phoned Kent and wasn’t surprised to find him at the sheriff’s office. “I need a favor. Can you increase patrols around Bob Mason’s house?”

  “Is there a problem? Has something happened?”

  There was a big problem and something had definitely happened, but he wasn’t interested in going into it with Kent. “Rebecca and I had a fight and she asked me to leave. She’s planning to hire a bodyguard, but I would appreciate some extra security for the house for the next day or so.”

  “No problem. I’ll take care of it,” Kent said.

  “Thank you. I was thinking of swinging by the hospital to see Dylan. Have you gotten any updates on him?”

  “Not on his condition, but I did place a guard on his door in case someone wanted to keep him from waking up. I found something disturbing during my check of the cameras around the holding cells. One of my deputies, John Seaver, was the last one to log in to the holding area before Dylan was found hanging. He should have had no reason to be there. He wasn’t even on duty.”

  That was interesting. Had he said something to Dylan to make the kid want to hang himself? Or had he tied the rope himself, going back to the dirty-cop scenario? “Is there any reason to suspect he might have done something to Dylan?”

  “There was one thing. Right after Seaver logged in, the cameras in the holding cells went dark. They came back on once he was gone and it was only a few minutes later that you arrived and found Dylan.”

  Collin shook his head and sighed. If he hadn’t shown up, Deputy Seaver might have succeeded in killing the boy. It was looking more and more like Missy had been right about a dirty cop.

  “It’s too early to say what did or didn’t happen during that time, especially since we can’t talk to Dylan yet, but I’m bringing Seaver in for questioning. He has a lot of explaining to do about why he was there.”

  Collin would like to have been there to hear those answers, but his gut told him they would only be lies. His time was better served going to the hospital and making certain Dylan knew he had people around who cared about him. “Let me know what he says. And thanks for the extra patrols, Kent.”

  “No problem. I’ll call you later.”

  Collin drove to the hospital and parked, then walked up to the third floor, where a nurse showed him to Dylan’s room.

  “How is he doing?” he asked her and she gave him a reassuring smile.

  “He regained consciousness a while ago and he’s going to be fine. No permanent damage.”

  That was good news. He approached Dylan’s room and slipped inside. The kid was asleep but the machines beside his bed continued to monitor his vitals. Collin stared at the ugly marks on his neck and grimaced, but also noticed bruises on his arms as well. Had those been there before? He didn’t think so.

  Dylan opened his eyes and looked his way as Collin approached the bed.

  “Hey, Dylan. How are you feeling? I came to check on you. To see how you are.”

  His voice was scratchy from the swelling and he seemed groggy, but he got right to the point. “I didn’t do it, Mr. Walsh,” the boy said adamantly. “I didn’t try to kill myself like they’re saying.”

  “I found you hanging from the neck, Dylan. Can you tell me what happened in that cell?”

  “Someone was there. I didn’t know him but he grabbed me. I blacked out. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up here and the nurse said I’d tried to commit suicide. It’s not true, Mr. Walsh. I didn’t do that.”

  Collin move
d closer to the bed and pulled up a chair. “Can you describe this man, Dylan?”

  “I’m not sure. It all happened so quick, but I know he was wearing a uniform. He was one of the deputies at the jail.”

  As the kid drifted to sleep again, Collin pulled out his phone and texted this new information to Kent. He would need that information when he questioned this Deputy Seaver about why he was at the jail.

  Kent definitely had a rogue deputy on his hands and would have to add security around Dylan. If this deputy had been working on the ring’s orders to shut Dylan up, the kid wasn’t safe.

  He pulled out his phone again to call Rebecca to update her on Dylan’s condition, but the call went straight to her voice mail. He imagined she’d seen the caller ID and let it roll over, not wanting to speak to him. He couldn’t blame her. It had barely been an hour since their blowup. He left a short message, letting her know the boy was going to be fine, then ended the call. He would try calling her again later or going over there. Whatever he had to do, whether she ever spoke to him again or not, he wasn’t giving up on keeping her safe.

  He would protect her with his last breath.

  * * *

  Rebecca packed her bag and left with Janice and David when he arrived to pick up his family. As she sat in the back of their SUV, she couldn’t help but think how quickly her life had gone downhill. She was right back where she’d started, alone and in danger. Her heart longed for Collin and the bright future she’d already started imagining, but how would she ever trust Collin or her father again? They’d both betrayed her in terrible ways. Her father for offering the man she loved money to leave her...and Collin for accepting it. It was a blow she wasn’t sure she could ever get past.

  She thanked her cousin again for allowing her to stay, then carried her bag upstairs, along with the box of her files, and locked herself into the spare bedroom. Her cheeks were wet with tears when a knock came on the door and she heard Janice’s voice call her name. She quickly wiped away the tears and unlocked the door. Janice stood in the hall carrying a tray with a plate of food and a glass of sweet tea.

  “I brought you some supper and before you say you’re not hungry, you have to eat something.”

  She smiled. She had been about to say those very words. Janice knew her so well. “Thank you,” she said instead, taking the tray.

  Janice walked into the room and closed the door. “You look terrible.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No, I mean it, Rebecca. I’ve never seen you look like this before, not since...well, not since the last time with Collin. You two must have had quite the falling-out this time.”

  The final falling-out. “We did.”

  She walked into the adjoining bathroom, turned on the faucet and ran a washcloth under the water. “Well, it’s a good thing you found this out now before things got too serious between the two of you.” She handed the washcloth to Rebecca, who could only laugh at that statement.

  “I’d say things were very serious.”

  “I know you care about him, Rebecca. I’m just saying it’s a good thing you found this out before you married the man.”

  She got up and went to the bathroom again. “I did marry him,” Rebecca said. Now that her father knew her secret, it was time everyone else did, too. “We also had a baby.”

  At first, Janice didn’t seem to hear her. She laughed then ran another washcloth under the sink. After a moment, she turned to Rebecca. “Wait, what?” She took up a stance in the doorway. “What do you mean you married him?”

  Rebecca nodded as she wiped away the tears. “Collin and I are married.”

  She looked stunned. “I knew you were falling hard for him, Becca, but I had no idea you were in this deep.”

  “I married Collin twelve years ago when we ran off together. We got married by a justice of the peace in Louisiana.”

  Janice gasped. “Because of the baby?”

  “Yes. We ran off together when I discovered I was pregnant.”

  “And you never told anyone? Your dad didn’t know?”

  She shook her head. “We weren’t trying to hide it. I just thought once the baby was born, he would see his grandchild and everything would be forgiven.” She lowered her head at the memory of that terrible loss. “That obviously didn’t happen. I lost the baby and soon after Collin left.”

  Janice pulled her into a hug. “No wonder you were such a wreck. I’m so sorry, Rebecca. I had no idea.”

  “I was too ashamed to tell anyone. Part of me kept hoping he would come back but another part knew he wasn’t. I had no idea how to go about getting a divorce from him and I wasn’t about to tell Daddy what I’d done.”

  “He would have been furious that you’d gotten married, but he would have helped you.”

  She nodded. “He would have constantly reminded me how he was right about Collin. I just didn’t want to hear that. It was easier just to pick up my life and move on. By the time, I was old enough and knew enough about the world to get a divorce, I was too embarrassed. I had no idea where Collin was and without him there to sign the papers, I would have had to place an ad in the paper. I just couldn’t do it.”

  Janice hugged her again. “Well, you know where he is now. We can get this all straightened out before he skips town again. And I’ll go with you to see a lawyer.”

  “He’s not going to skip town, Janice, but thank you. I suppose it is time to put an end to this marriage once and for all.”

  “He left you once, Rebecca. What makes you think he won’t do it again?”

  She opened her mouth to make excuses for him, all the ones he’d given for himself. He’d been a scared teenager with no prospects—but it sounded hollow even to her own mind. Janice had just asked the same question she’d been struggling with ever since Collin reappeared in her life. How did she know he wouldn’t leave her again? She sighed at the truth. She didn’t. If today’s encounter had proven anything to her, it was that she didn’t really know Collin. She’d seen him through lovestruck youthful eyes, but she wasn’t a child anymore and she couldn’t put her faith in someone who was going to let her down again. She couldn’t take that heartbreak again.

  “I’ll let you get some rest,” Janice said. “You should try to sleep. Everything will look clearer tomorrow.”

  She watched Janice walk out then crawled under the blankets and sobbed into her pillow. She might not be able to trust Collin, but that didn’t stop her heart from wanting him.

  * * *

  Rebecca awoke the next morning and went downstairs. The sun was shining outside, but she didn’t feel particularly cheery. She had court at 2:00 p.m. and she still had recommendations to write. Plus, she had the added task of hiring someone to act as a bodyguard for her now that she’d vowed never to see Collin again. And the FBI was supposed to be coming into town. They would want to question Rebecca at some point. Her life was booked and the things she needed to do didn’t stop because she was brokenhearted.

  Matthew was in his high chair nibbling a biscuit when she entered the kitchen. Janice was at the stove cooking.

  “How did you sleep?” her cousin asked and Rebecca only shrugged.

  She’d had a difficult time falling asleep. Thoughts of Collin kept moving through her head. The good times together and the bad. Even when everything around them had been falling apart, after the baby’s death and the bills and no money, she’d still been happy with him. He’d always been everything she’d wanted and needed. It stung to know he’d thought so little of her that a few thousand dollars could alter his devotion to her, especially when she’d given up everything to be with him.

  Her cousin handed her a plate of eggs and toast, but Rebecca only picked at her food. She wasn’t hungry.

  Janice obviously saw how down she was. “I’m sure it will all work out,” she said. She unbuckled the baby from his high chair. “This little g
uy has been up for hours. I’m going to try to put him down for an early nap, then we’ll talk.”

  After Janice left the room, Rebecca carried her plate to the sink and emptied her food into the disposal. She washed the plate and set it in the rack by the sink. The refrigerator was covered in photos of Janice, David and baby Matthew. He was such a bright boy and Rebecca smiled at his photos. Her eyes scanned the refrigerator, noting cards and daily planners for diet, exercise and appointments. Janice was organized to the point of obsession.

  Rebecca saw a note on the calendar and an appointment card attached with Janice’s name on the card. It was for a doctor’s appointment with Dr. Rayburn. She gasped. She didn’t know her cousin was a patient of Dr. Rayburn, and after what she suspected she knew about the man, she hated to believe her cousin would see him. She had to tell Janice her suspicions of Rayburn and pray she found another physician.

  But something about the photo of Matthew with David and Janice sent a terrible thought rustling through her. Janice had tried for years to get pregnant before finally adopting little Matthew. But now that Rebecca knew about the baby-selling ring operating around town, was it possible the child her cousin had adopted had come from there?

  No, she refused to believe Janice would be involved in something like that. Just because Matthew was adopted did not mean he came from the ring. Janice walked back into the kitchen and Rebecca debated whether or not to speak. But she needed to know for certain.

  Her cousin glanced at her curiously. “You’ve got that crazy-eyes look, Rebecca. Is something wrong?”

  She turned to her and held out the appointment card. “Dr. Rayburn is your doctor?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Janice, did he have a hand in helping you adopt Matthew?”

  Janice gave her a hard look. “What’s going on, Rebecca?”

  “He’s a bad man, Janice. Collin and I believe he’s involved in kidnapping women and stealing their babies. Please tell me you didn’t get Matthew through him. Please tell me he didn’t have a hand in his adoption.”