by Hope White
She parked on the side of the road. As she and Whit changed spots and crossed in front of the car, Whit unexpectedly pulled her into a hug, an embrace that warmed some of the fear right out of her body.
“We’re okay,” he said, and then released her.
With renewed confidence that they were safe, at least for the moment, Carly slid into the back seat beside Mia. She wiped tears off the little girl’s cheeks and popped the binky into her mouth.
Humming softly to calm both herself and Mia, Carly thanked God for their swift escape.
“You shouldn’t have waited,” Whit said suddenly.
“Excuse me?”
“You should have driven off with the baby.”
“And leave you to be killed?”
“The baby has to be the priority, Carly.” He caught her eye in the rearview. “Can we agree on that?”
“Whit—”
“If there’s a choice between Mia and me, you’ve got to choose Mia. I can defend myself. The baby is completely vulnerable.”
Carly sighed and eyed Mia’s reddened cheeks. Although Whit was right, Carly couldn’t have abandoned him. Were her feelings for Whit putting Mia in jeopardy?
She thought about that for a second. No, she’d calculated the risk and knew Whit could make it out through the gates, that he’d follow the car and would join them around the corner.
“I understand what you’re saying,” she started. “But I knew you’d get out of there safely.”
“Not if I’d been shot.”
The thought sent a shiver across her shoulders.
“You weren’t shot.”
“They were shooting at us through the gates. What if they’d hit the car?”
“They couldn’t hit the car from that angle.”
“You don’t know that, unless you’ve become a forensics expert in the past few days.”
She didn’t appreciate his biting comment or his snappy tone, although she sensed it came from a place of worry about losing his niece. He already might have lost his brother, and to lose his niece, as well? Brody Whittaker was a strong man, but that would devastate him.
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” she said.
“Aw, Carly, I don’t want you to apologize. I want you guys to be safe.”
“I know. I’m—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry.”
“I was going to say I’m grateful for your concern, truly.”
“I’ll call Harper,” he said, indicating the end to their conversation.
He put his phone on the dash and hesitated before making the call.
“If anything happened to you guys...”
She reached across the front seat and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I know.”
He called the detective and it went into his voice mail.
“It’s Whittaker. The property was breached. We escaped and left the assailants locked inside the compound. We’re on our way to a rendezvous with Mia’s biological mother. She claims to have information about what’s going on. We’ll be at—”
“Whit,” Carly interrupted. “She wants to meet us alone.”
“I won’t risk it. Harper, if you get this message, we’ll be at Freeland State Park in an hour.”
Carly leaned back against the seat, frustrated. Sam asked to meet the three of them, no cops. What would she do if police showed up? Then again, they were busy following the lead on Mr. Bremerton’s whereabouts.
A lead that might be a distraction devised by whomever was after the baby. Sam’s words suddenly resonated with Carly.
The police left, right? That was probably him, luring them away from the house.
Oh, man. Carly hoped that wasn’t the case. She hoped Harper and his deputies were following up on a legitimate lead. She wondered if Sam’s comment had sunk in with Whit, but decided not to ask.
“Tell me again why you think we should trust this Sam person,” Whit said.
“She’s Mia’s mother.”
“Maybe all this is about getting her baby back.”
“She said she wasn’t good with kids and pleaded with me to take care of Mia. She wants what’s best for the baby.”
“You can’t know that for sure.”
“You didn’t see her eyes.”
“I hope you’re right, Carly, I do, but you can see why I think it’s a good idea to have backup.”
“I wish it wasn’t the police. She doesn’t like the police.”
“That’s a red flag right there.”
“Not necessarily. I don’t like cops either, remember? And I’d give my life to protect Mia.”
When he didn’t respond, Carly thought she might have won her argument, even though a small part of her agreed with him that backup would be wise in this situation. What if the bad guys were tracking Sam? Then again, Sam seemed like a smart woman, especially considering she’d controlled the gates at the Bremerton home.
Sam obviously didn’t like cops and Carly figured it was due to questionable tech activity. Carly had learned as a young adult that you couldn’t keep running from your mistakes; you had to face them head-on. Otherwise they kept coming at you in different ways, until you finally learned the lesson.
Which, in Carly’s case, tended to be the lesson of self-forgiveness.
Mia squealed and kicked her feet.
“What’s going on back there?” Whit said.
“She’s probably hungry.”
“Do you have any food?”
“Not much in the diaper bag. A few crackers I think.”
“Let’s pick something up on the way to the park.”
“You sure we can risk it?”
“I’ll go shopping and you stay in the car with Mia. This time if there’s trouble, you take off, got it?”
“Yes, sir.” She saluted.
“I’m serious.”
“I know. Sorry.”
Carly had to try to lighten the mood. She didn’t like thinking about leaving Whit behind, much less talking about it. On some level she knew he was right, that Mia’s safety had to come first.
She prayed that she’d never be put in the position of having to make the choice between the two of them.
* * *
Whit parked at an outlook where he could see the entrance to the state park. He and Carly ate sandwiches while he kept an eye on the picnic area in the distance.
He’d texted Harper with his location. The detective hadn’t responded. Whit hoped Harper couldn’t return text messages because he was in the midst of finding Harry.
“Such a good girl,” Carly said in the back seat.
“How’s she doing?” Whit asked.
“She’s loving her carrots, aren’t ya, baby girl?”
“How about you, you get anything to eat?”
“I’ll finish my sandwich in a minute.”
“I’ll come back there and feed her so you can eat.”
Whit got into the back seat on the other side of Mia and took over feeding duty.
“Thanks.” Carly picked up her sandwich. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” He held another spoon of mushy baby food to Mia’s lips. She opened them and her eyes lit up.
“Why are you on a leave of absence?” Carly asked.
He didn’t answer at first, not sure how much to tell her.
“Sorry, too intrusive?”
“Nah. I was injured and they haven’t given me medical clearance to return to work.”
“Still suffering from the injuries?” She bit into her sandwich.
“Yep. Still struggling with headaches, occasional dizziness, plus they weren’t sure my arm would heal properly so I may not be able to shoot accurately.”
“But you shot the bad guys’ tires at the house.”
“True.”
“Okay, here’s another question, why police work?”
“Why a nurse?”
“I asked you first.”
“You’ll laugh.”
“I promise I won’t.”
“I like helping people. You’d be surprised how many of us get into this line of work for that very reason. To help people, to do good work in the community.”
“Huh,” she said softly.
“You had a bad experience with cops so you assume all cops are jerks. There are bad people in every line of work, not just police work.”
“Bad cops have more of a negative impact.”
“Do they? What about bad nurses or doctors? When people go the hospital, they’re extremely vulnerable. What if they encounter a rude or insensitive medical professional? How do you think that makes them feel?”
“Pretty bad, actually.”
“You can’t paint the entire police force with the same brush, Carly. I mean look at me. I’m not a jerk, am I?”
“Mostly not.”
“Mostly, huh?” He smiled and wiped food off Mia’s cheek.
“You’re not a jerk,” she said. “You’re...unusual.”
“Unusual?”
“I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I meant, I haven’t met many guys who have the strength of character that you do along with a gentle side.”
He nodded at Mia. “I think this little charmer brings out that side of me.”
“You ever think about having children?”
“Gotta get married first, and I haven’t found anyone willing to put up with my long hours or cocky attitude.”
“You’ve never dated?”
“Sure, I’ve dated.” He stopped for a second, not wanting to share the details about his relationship with Pamela. Then he remembered whom he was talking to. “Even had a serious girlfriend for a couple of years.”
“What happened?”
“Didn’t work out.”
“Long hours and cocky attitude?”
“Something like that.”
“Too bad. You’d be a great father.”
“What about you?” he said, uncomfortable with her comment. “Surely you’ve had a serious relationship or two.”
A part of him hoped she hadn’t. Again, selfish.
“No time for romance, what with working full-time and going to school. I do want children someday. Taking care of Mia has opened my heart to that possibility.”
“You weren’t sure before taking care of Mia if you wanted kids?”
“I didn’t think I’d be a good mom, considering I wasn’t able to save Greta.”
“Stop doing that.”
“What?”
“Blaming yourself for something you couldn’t control when you were a kid. It wasn’t your job to protect your sister. It was your parents’ job.”
“Yeah, well, that wasn’t happening. And I failed.”
“Careful. You’re starting to sound like a hypocrite.”
“Excuse me?”
“You talk about how God forgives, yet you can’t forgive yourself. Aren’t you supposed to follow God’s lead?”
“Of course, but—”
“Then let it go. If God has forgiven you, it’s time you forgive yourself.”
She frowned and studied her sandwich.
Way to offend her, Whit. Now she’s giving you the silent treatment.
He wiped food off Mia’s cheeks. “It’s almost time.” He glanced out the window and didn’t see anyone at the picnic area. A part of him wanted to stay put and wait until Sam showed up before he exposed himself, Carly and Mia, or even wait for backup.
As he opened the door, he felt Carly’s hand on his arm. He glanced at her.
“Thanks,” she said.
“For what?”
“For calling me out. You’re right. I have been carrying this burden way too long.”
“You were a kid, Carly.”
“So were you.”
“What do you mean?”
“When your brother got hurt.”
“That’s different.”
“Because...?”
“I was older, seventeen, arrogant and self-centered. Some would say I haven’t changed much.”
“Not me. I see a man wanting to heal his family, save his brother and protect his niece. That’s not self-centered at all.”
Somehow, through her eyes, Whit saw a different side of himself, a side he didn’t think existed. In a flash, it opened up myriad possibilities for the future.
The possibilities were quickly crushed when the self-critical voice echoed through his brain: You’d be a bad husband and a horrible father.
“What happened?” Carly said.
He cocked his head.
“You seemed good for a second, then your expression changed.”
How was it possible that she could read him so easily?
“Let’s concentrate on our meeting with Sam.” He exited the car and hesitated half a second before getting behind the wheel. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by the possibility of living a different life, a better life with a woman like Carly. Those thoughts were dangerous on many levels. He had to stay alert and determined to protect the passengers in his back seat.
A beep indicated a text message. He got into the car and checked his phone. “Harper is on the way.”
“Let’s get over there and talk to her before the cops scare her off.”
He eyed the picnic area. Still no Sam.
His own instinct seemed to be inaccessible, not giving him a clear signal as to the right course of action.
“Ready?” she said.
Whether it was the concussion or lack of a solid night’s sleep, Whit was off-kilter. Once again, he relied on Carly’s judgment to make a decision. He put the car in gear and headed for the picnic area. Eyes darting to the rearview, side mirrors and up ahead, he kept constant surveillance on his surroundings.
Everything was clear. There were no cars in the immediate area, and police backup was on the way.
He turned onto the road leading to the state park, the picnic area up ahead.
Mia cooed in the back seat, obviously happy about having a full tummy. The sound made him smile.
You’d be a great father.
Would he? Was he being a good father by driving his niece into a potentially dangerous situation?
“Over there!” Carly said, pointing out the front window.
He spotted a young woman in the distance, stumbling out of the woods to a picnic table. She collapsed, looking either exhausted from hiking, or drunk.
Whit did another scan of the area. The park ranger office was up ahead, blinds closed. He parked the car.
“You and the baby stay here,” he said.
“She doesn’t know you.”
Before he could open his mouth to argue, Carly was out the door. She wasn’t far away, maybe only thirty feet. He wanted to go after her, bring her back to the car where she’d be safe.
A squeak from the back seat reminded him why he needed to stay put.
Eyes darting from the rearview mirror to the scene unfolding in front of him, he took a deep breath, ready for anything.
He watched as Carly sat next to Sam, who was hunched over, looking at something. Her phone?
Carly put her arm around Sam.
Suddenly Sam shoved Carly off the bench seat.
Whit gripped the door handle. Eyed Mia through the rearview. Looked back out front.
With a surprised expression, Carly stood up and held out her hands.
They were covered in blood.
FOURTEEN
Whit flung open the door.
“It’s not my blood!�
� Carly called out to him. “Stay there!”
Heart pounding, he struggled to tamp down the anguish ripping through his chest. For a second when he thought Carly had been wounded...
He’d never felt anything like that before, and he’d seen his share of blood in his line of work. He wanted her to get back to the car. ASAP.
If it wasn’t her blood it was Sam’s, which meant the kidnappers had found her and they could be close.
“Get back to the car!” he called out.
She seemed to be negotiating with Sam. Carly grabbed Sam’s arm, pulled her off the picnic bench and helped her to the car. From this vantage point, Whit saw blood staining Sam’s jacket sleeve.
With a clenched jaw, Carly practically carried Sam to the vehicle, and Whit took over as they got close.
“Put her in front,” Carly said.
He helped Sam into the front seat and shut the door.
Carly climbed into the back with Mia and they took off, Sam clutching her arm to her stomach.
“Hospital,” Carly said.
“No, they’ll find me,” Sam protested.
“They already found you, and you need medical attention,” Carly argued. “She’s got a deep laceration on her arm,” she explained to Whit.
Mia started whimpering, probably picking up on the anxious energy in the car.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Carly soothed.
“I’ll call Harper.” Whit reached for his phone on the dash holder, but Sam grabbed it first.
“Who’s Harper?” she asked.
“The detective trying to find my brother.”
“No cops. No hospital.” She shoved the phone in her pocket.
Carly reached into the front seat and placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You care about your daughter, right?”
“Of course I do.”
“What are we going to tell her when she wants to meet her biological mother? That we let her mom bleed to death because she was a stubborn Sally? Is that what we should tell her?”
Sam turned to look at Mia. “She won’t want to meet me. I abandoned her.”
“Stop thinking about yourself, Sam,” Carly said. “You can’t die on this little girl.”
“She has a mama and a papa.”
“Well, her mother might be going to jail and her father is still missing. Step up and be a good parent.”
