Dutch gave him a nod, but the thin line of his mouth said he was anything but in agreement with Shawn’s plan.
Before Bess could take a step Shawn’s attention was on her. “You too.” He pointed at her. “You know this prick better than anyone. We need your input.”
Bess glanced at the bedroom. “What about Parker?”
Wade backed toward the room. “I got him.” His eyes flicked to the open office door and then back to her. “You go in. I’ll be there in a few.”
Bess squared her shoulders. She was not the kind of woman who crumpled on the floor at the first sign of danger. She’d proved that more than once.
She fought Chris every step of the way, stood up to every threat he tried to make.
Now it was time to figure out how to get ahead of him. To be the one making the threats.
Bess walked through the door to find most of the men she’d met over the past few days seated around the long table. She made her way to where Harlow and Dutch sat at the head of the table, and took the seat just around the corner from the only other woman she’d seen since her arrival in Alaska.
Wade came in just as Shawn was closing the door, a still-sleeping Parker tucked in his arms. He sat at Bessie’s other side and leaned in. “He’s still warm.” He pressed the palm of one hand over her son’s forehead. “Are you sure it’s his teeth?”
Bess nodded. “He’s getting four at once.” She stroked the soft skin of Parker’s cheek with one finger. “This happened last time he had some coming in.”
“I got him some Tylenol at the store.” The concern in Wade’s eyes as he studied the toddler in his arms went straight to her heart, squeezing it tight.
“Thank you.” She glanced up as his gaze shifted to her.
His face was serious. “You don’t have to thank me for helping take care of him, Bess. Not ever.”
“I think we need to get started.” Dutch stood from his seat as Shawn reached back to dim the lights. With the click of a remote, Dutch switched on a projector pointed at a large bare whiteboard at the opposite end of the room that served as a makeshift screen.
With another click a photo filled the board.
Bess couldn’t stop the air from rushing out of her body at the sight of Chris. It wasn’t clear, but the man in the grainy image was unmistakable. “That’s him.”
Dutch nodded. “This is our primary target. Name is Christopher Snyder Jr., son of Senator Christopher Snyder Sr.” He clicked the small remote again and the screen changed. “This is the vehicle he was driving today. Black BMW SUV, license plate one Hotel Oscar Tango Mike Foxtrot.”
Harlow looked her way. “His plate is one hot motherfucker?”
Heat crept across her skin. How could she have been so stupid? So blind? “He’s a twat.”
Harlow lifted her hands. “I’m not judging.” She pointed to the screen. “I saw the guy. He’s not wrong.”
Dutch’s eyes widened. “He just killed two men.”
Her gaze whipped to where Dutch was still staring her way. “How many men have you killed, Pretty Boy?” She leaned toward him. “And don’t tell me none.”
“Stop.” Shawn slapped one hand onto the table. “We’re here for a fucking reason, and it’s not to watch you two’s fucked-up version of foreplay.”
Harlow’s mouth dropped open. “I would never fuck him.”
Dutch’s lips twisted into a smug smile. “You sure wouldn’t hate me nearly as much if you did.”
“Jesus Christ.” Shawn leaned across the table and snatched the remote from Dutch’s hand, flicking through a few more shots from the outside of a small building set into the middle of a bunch of trees. Without warning, a close-up of a man filled the large board.
A dead man.
It should have disturbed her more than the sight of her ex, especially considering there was a jagged hole in the center of his forehead.
But that wasn’t what Bess was focused on.
She pushed up from her seat, staring at the pale, mottled skin and slightly crooked nose.
“I know him.”
CHAPTER 15
“YOU’RE KIDDING.” WADE watched Bess as she stared at the photo of one of the men Chris killed. He grabbed the remote from Shawn’s hand, flipping to the next photo. “What about him?”
The remaining color drained from her face. “These were the men he killed?”
Wade reached for her, hoping to catch Bess before she went down. She slapped at his hand as he tried to pull her into the chair. “I’m fine.”
Her eyes didn’t leave the screen. “Were those the same men who were here?”
“Yes.” Wade waited as she chewed her lower lip. “Flip back to the other picture.”
He did as she directed. “Who are these men, Bess?”
Her head slowly moved from side to side, brows coming together. “It doesn’t make any sense.” She turned to Harlow. “They were contractors. Heating and air. In Wayfield.”
Harlow’s fingers flew over the keyboard of her laptop. “You got a name?”
Bess looked back at the dead man populating the large screen. “His name is Rodney Brooks.” She tapped one finger on the table in a slow, steady drum. “I think the other guy is Dennis Markum.”
“Got ‘em.” Harlow yanked the cord from Dutch’s computer and shoved it into the port on the side of hers, ignoring his protests. A second later her computer screen appeared on the wall, a photo of two men standing side by side filling the space. “Looks like them.”
Bess nodded. “That’s them.”
“How does Chris know them?” Wade shifted in his seat as Parker started to stir, rousing from his nap.
Bess stared at the screen as if she hadn’t heard him.
“Sweetheart?”
She blinked, head snapping his way. “What?”
“How did Chris know them?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t.”
The room was quiet for a minute.
Wade decided not to point out that he obviously did, and opted to get information that might actually be more relevant. “How do you know them?”
Bessie’s attention moved back to the screen. “They were one of the contractors my family’s company used.”
The silence in the room continued for what felt like forever. It was the sort of quiet that said more than any collection of words could.
Harlow blew out a loud sigh as she kicked back in her seat. “Well that’s bad fucking news.”
Bess slowly nodded. “It is, isn’t it?”
Parker started to fuss in his arms. “Ma-ma-ma-ma.” He leaned toward Bess, tiny fingers grabbing for the woman who stood strong and straight at their side.
When she turned to her son, her face showed no sign of the fear that Wade knew had to be fighting through her. The smile she gave Parker was soft and sincere. “Come here, big boy.” She hefted him into her arms and held him close. Somehow her spine became even straighter, her jaw more set. “Anyone got a dry-erase marker?”
Shawn slid one toward her across the table. Bess caught it and immediately went toward the large whiteboard that also served as their digital screen. “Can you turn that off, Harlow?”
“Hell yeah.” The screen switched off just as Bess stepped up to it.
“They know you. Could identify you easily.” Harlow was up too, moving in beside Bess. “Might even be able to get you to come with them.”
Bess snorted. “Fat chance on that one. We had to fire them because they weren’t showing up to jobs.”
Harlow’s head snapped to one side, her blue eyes on Bess. “So they were pissed at you.”
The two women stared at each other for a second. Finally Bess nodded. “I didn’t technically fire them, but I certainly suggested it.” She started writing across the board again. “I also might have accused them of theft.”
Parker started to sniffle a little. Bess pressed her hand against his head, marker still tucked between two fingers. She looked back at Wade. “Could you bring me the Tylenol yo
u got?”
“Yup.” Wade stood up, pushing back from the table as the men seated around it continued to watch the two women work through all the information they had. Shawn stood with him and followed Wade out through the great room and into the kitchen where the bag from the drug store sat on the counter.
“She’s something, isn’t she?”
Wade glanced up at Team Rogue’s mission coordinator but didn’t reply. Shawn was going somewhere with this, and he wasn’t sure if it was going to piss him off or make him proud. Maybe both.
“Makes sense why you’ve been such a dick for the past couple of years.” Shawn leaned against the counter as Wade opened the cardboard sleeve and dropped the bottle of red liquid into his hand. The other man watched closely as Wade pulled the plastic collar free and read the back label. Finally he laid out the reason for the one-sided conversation.
“What’s going to happen when this is all over?”
It was a question Wade had been avoiding. One he didn’t have a complete answer to.
But he had enough. “I go where she goes.”
Shawn nodded. “That’s what I figured.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “What if she stayed here?”
“Why would she do that?” Wade eyed the door to the office where Parker was fussing louder.
“Maybe a job offer?”
That caught his attention. Wade focused on Shawn. “You want to offer Bess a job?”
He shrugged. “I want to keep Harlow, and she and your girl are already thick as thieves. I’ve got a hunch the two of them together might be the piece we’ve been missing.”
Bess and Parker. With him. In Alaska. “I don’t know that she will go for it.”
Shawn shrugged. “Might not, but I wanted to run it past you before I offered it to her.”
“And if I say no?”
Shawn grinned. “Then you’ll have to take that up with your lady.” He pushed off the counter. “I’m going to offer it to her either way. She’s smart as hell. You can almost watch the gears turn in her head.” Shawn nodded toward the open office door. “And Harlow is wicked at what she does, so expect the offer to be lucrative.”
“Her family’s rich. Lucrative won’t mean shit to her.” Bess wouldn’t be swayed by financial gain. She wasn’t that kind of woman.
Shawn’s gaze stayed on him. “I’m not betting that will be the draw for her.” He pointed to the medicine in Wade’s grip. “Better take care of your son.”
Wade stared at Shawn as he made his way back through the great room.
Thinking he might be a reason for Bess to do anything was more than he could hope for. She had a whole life. A family. Expecting her to leave all that behind for him was asinine.
But he would leave it all behind for her. For them.
Because they were his life now. All that would ever matter. He’d missed out on so much. Good and bad. Parker’s first words, first steps.
The opportunity to end this bullshit with Chris before it could grow legs.
Before Bess got hurt.
Now it was time to prove he could make up for all of it and take the one thing he never expected to want.
A family.
Wade was just walking into the room when his cell started to ring. Bessie’s eyes met his, one hand frozen mid letter against the board covered in her careful, perfectly straight writing.
He held her gaze, answering the call and putting the phone to his ear.
“This is Michelle with the Alaskan Paternity Lab. I’m looking for Wade Denison.”
“This is.”
“Hello, Mr. Denison. You should have been given a password. I need that before I can give you the results of the test submitted under your name.”
“Lilac shanty.” It was a ridiculous code, but one he would never forget as long as he lived.
“Thank you.” Michelle went quiet for a second. “Bear with me while I pull up the results.”
The room was silent. No one even seemed to be breathing.
And Bessie’s hazel eyes never left his. Never wavered as they waited.
“Okay. I have a paternity test that shows the probability of parentage of the samples for Wade Denison and Parker Hines is 99.9%.”
Wade didn’t move. He thought hearing the truth he knew from the beginning would change something, impact him in some way.
It didn’t. Parker was always going to be his, no matter what, because Bess was his. “Thank you.”
He disconnected the call and stepped away from the door. “Get out.” His eyes finally left Bessie’s to scan the shocked faces around him. He pointed at the open doorway. “Everyone. Out.”
Brock was the first to stand up. “Come on. He’s going to be an ass if we don’t move fast enough.” He held back as the rest of the group filed out in silence. As he was walking past Wade he grabbed him in a hug, slapping his back as he whispered in his ear. “Congratulations, man.” The door shut quietly behind him.
“Already?” Bess was a little pale.
Wade nodded.
“What did they say?” The question was barely a whisper through Bessie’s lips.
Wade walked along the side of the long table toward where Bess and Parker were, cranking open the child-proof lid on the medicine bottle as he went. “How much does he weigh?”
Bess blinked at him. “What?”
“How much does Parker weigh?” He lifted the medication. “The label says the dosage depends on how much he weighs.”
“Are you kidding?” Bess glared at him. “What did the test show?” She pulled Parker a little closer. “Is he yours?”
Wade stopped at her side, setting the Tylenol and its measuring syringe on the table in front of them before pressing one hand to Bessie’s back and one to Parker’s. “Sweetheart, that was never in question.” He slid one hand up to brush against Parker’s dark hair before stepping back to lift the dispensing syringe so he could read the lines. “How much does he need?”
“3.75 milliliters.” She waited as he pulled the amount into the plastic syringe.
Wade gently put the tip of the dispenser between Parker’s lips and pushed the plunger slowly. Parker didn’t flinch, didn’t fuss, just sucked the medicine down without complaint. “Good boy.”
“Please tell me.” The waver in her voice hurt his pride, made him wonder if she knew the truth.
That he didn’t care. Never cared.
He never had a father. Never expected to want to be one.
But when the opportunity arose, Wade never batted an eye.
Parker was his. Genetic connection or not.
Wade took a deep breath, setting the empty syringe on the table before finding Bessie’s gaze. The fear there broke his heart, stabbed guilt deep into his gut.
And it was his fault. He left her, plain and simple. Thinking a few days of showing her the truth of what happened would change anything was selfish as hell. “Bess,” he pulled her and Parker close, resting his head on hers, “he’s mine in every way.”
The tears weren’t completely unexpected. It’s why he cleared the room. Letting Bess react to this without an audience was the most important thing.
She needed as much privacy as he could give her right now.
He held her close, cradling both her and Parker against him as she sniffled into his shirt.
After less than a minute she sucked in a deep breath and straightened, head tipping back, chin lifting in the air. “We need to file with the courts. Prove Chris has no claim to him.”
“That might not help our cause, Sweetheart.” Wade fought the need to pull them close again. “I’m not sure that man is playing with a full deck right now.”
Bessie’s lips barely lifted. “That’s what I’m counting on.” She turned to the board, eyes scanning the information neatly laid out. “I think something else is going on but I’m not sure what.” She pointed to where her name was at the center of the board. “This might not be only about me, but I’m the common denominator for everything so far.
” Her eyes turned to him. “And it’s time to force him to make a mistake.”
Wade was already shaking his head. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not happening.”
“It’s the only way.” Bess smoothed Parker’s dark hair back. “It’s either me or Parker and I think we would both prefer it’s me in the line of fire.”
“It’s not happening.” A level of panic he’d never experienced bubbled through him at the thought of either of them being used as bait. “No fucking way.”
He knew what it was like to grow up without a parent. Knew how that shaped a person. Dictated the way they lived their whole life. The choices they made.
Bess held firm, chin tipped back, shoulders straight. “I will do anything to protect him, Wade. I don’t care what it is.”
“There has to be another way.” Wade shook his head. “I’m not letting you—”
“Wrong answer.” Bess moved past him to the door. She yanked it open. “Everyone come back in. We’ve got shit to do.”
Wade moved in behind her, slamming the door shut with one hand and catching her with the other. “Just because it’s what you’ve always done doesn’t mean it’s the only fucking way, Sweetheart.” He crowded her. “You’ve been on your own until now, I get that.” He shook his head at her. “But things have changed. You aren’t the only thing standing between Chris and Parker anymore.” Wade pressed her against the door. “He’s got a lot of men way fucking scarier than he could ever hope to be that will put their life on the line to keep him from so much as setting eyes on you or our son.”
Our son. He didn’t even have time to enjoy the sound of the words, because Bess needed to realize there was never just one way to handle what needed to be handled. “And he will have to go through each one of them, understand?”
She blinked up at him. “But it’s the easiest way.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Wade gripped her chin, holding her in place so he could do the one thing that would ease the fear gripping him. Bess barely gasped in surprise when his mouth covered hers in a kiss that was a little rougher than Wade wished it was. But that was how he felt right now. A little rough. A little desperate.
He needed her to see it. Know that the thought of her getting hurt made him out of his mind in a way he’d never experienced before.
Loss Recovery (Alaskan Security: Team Rogue Book 1) Page 14
