by Hope White
Whit was surprised by Carly’s assertive tone, and appreciated it. Her challenge seemed to snap Sam out of her downward spiral.
“Okay, take me to the hospital.” She sighed. “But if he finds me again...he will kill me.”
“My phone,” Whit said.
“When we get to the hospital,” Sam said.
“Who did this to you?” Whit asked.
“A guy hired by Mia’s biological father.”
“Tell Whit what you told me about the kidnappers,” Carly encouraged.
“Mia’s father,” Sam started. “He’s a brutal man.”
“I thought this was about my sister-in-law’s fund-raising activity,” Whit said.
“No, it’s Levi.”
“Levi?” Whit said.
“Levi Moore. His family is into racketeering back east. I...I didn’t know that when they hired me to do IT work. Levi was—” she hesitated “—charming. I fell in love with him.”
“Levi’s got my brother?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”
“What do you mean?”
“I said I didn’t know who the father was, but Mia is Levi’s child. I was pregnant when I found out the truth about his family. I disappeared, went off the grid. I couldn’t let my baby be raised by criminals. I wanted her to have a nice home and loving parents. I moved to Colorado and answered an ad for a private adoption.”
“Levi knew about your pregnancy?” Whit asked.
“Yes. We were planning our wedding when I found out the truth and left. I was four months pregnant.”
“You could have gone to the feds,” Whit said.
“I didn’t want to be arrested for helping the Moore family, even though I didn’t, not intentionally anyway.”
“The feds would have taken that into consideration.”
“If you say so.” She hesitated. “I guess I should apologize about before, at the house.”
“You mean the gates?” Whit said.
“No. I was the one who broke into the Bremerton house. I needed to check his computer, see if there was any communication between Mr. Bremerton and Levi, using an alias. I was trying to confirm my suspicions. I’d hoped I was wrong.” Sam smiled weakly at Mia. “She is so beautiful.”
“And sweet. The perfect little girl,” Carly said.
“I should have known Levi would never give up looking for us. Please, don’t let anything happen to her.”
“We won’t,” Whit said.
Sam sighed and closed her eyes.
* * *
The hospital ER was a buzz of activity. Carly and Whit sat in the waiting area with Mia on her lap. Whit constantly scanned their surroundings.
Mia’s criminal father wouldn’t send henchmen into a public hospital, would he? According to Sam, he was capable of much worse.
Things were looking grim for the Bremerton family, especially since Mia’s biological father was determined to get his child back by any means necessary.
“Harper is on the way,” Whit said to Carly. “Plus, they assigned a deputy to Sam, and one by the front entrance to the hospital.”
He must have guessed what she’d been thinking.
“Did they find your brother?”
“No, they got there too late.”
“You mean—”
“They got away.”
She sighed with relief that they hadn’t found Mr. B.’s dead body.
“There was evidence Harry had been there,” Whit said. “Harper’s bringing it with him.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“He’s still alive. I know he’s still alive.”
“Should we talk to Mrs. Bremerton? Maybe she—”
“She’s been uncommunicative since yesterday.”
“Surely the baby can bring her around.”
“The baby can’t fix everything, Carly,” he said, rather sharply.
He was frustrated and no doubt worried sick. She decided to leave it alone and refocus on Mia. The child had been through so much this week.
Detective Harper turned the corner and joined them. “Does this look familiar?” He offered Whit an evidence bag with a medallion hanging from a silver chain.
Whit nodded. “It was mine. I put it in Harry’s room when I left for boot camp. I...I didn’t know he still had it.”
The vacant expression on his face made Carly want to hug him, warm his cheek with her palm, hand him the baby.
But Whit was right. The innocence of a child couldn’t fix everything and wouldn’t wash the pain away.
He stood suddenly and paced. She studied Mia’s little fingers as they clung to a teething ring. If Whit turned and Carly saw tears in his eyes...
It would break her heart, and this wasn’t the time or place for that kind of intense emotion.
She needed to be strong.
“What’s next?” she asked Detective Harper.
“I’ll interview the biological mother and see if she has anything we can use to find the kidnappers. I’ve been in touch with the feds. The Moore family has been under surveillance and is close to being charged with multiple counts of racketeering. It’s just a matter of time—”
“Which we don’t have,” Whit said. “We need to find my brother and soon.”
“We’re working on it—24/7.”
“And the feds?”
“We’re working with them, as well. In the meantime, we need to get you to a safe house.”
“Sam is worried that Levi Moore will find her in the hospital and kill her,” Carly said.
“Which is why we’ve assigned a deputy to her.”
Whit’s phone rang, and an odd expression creased his brow.
“What is it?” Carly said.
“I’ll be right back.” He walked away.
She watched him pause down the hall, intent on his conversation.
“How are you holding up?” the detective asked.
She glanced at Detective Harper. She’d almost forgotten he was there. “Okay I guess. I’m worried about Mr. Bremerton.”
“If he’s tough like his brother, he’ll be okay. I’m starting to think this is about revenge, not simple murder.”
“Well, that’s comforting,” Carly said in a sarcastic tone. She strained to see down the hall. Whit had disappeared.
* * *
Whit gripped the phone. Had to keep it together.
“I’m done with your brother,” a man’s voice said. “You can come pick him up.”
“Is he...?” Whit had to ask.
“He’s still breathing. For now.”
“If you hurt him—”
“I’m in charge here, Whittaker. Follow my instructions and you’ll see your brother again, alive. If you involve the cops, well...”
Whit waited. “What?”
“Cops equals corpse. It’s that simple. And bring my daughter. We’ve been apart far too long.”
If Whit refused, Harry was dead. Yet Whit had no intention of handing Mia over to this monster.
“Ten p.m. Willows Landing.”
“Let me talk to my brother.”
A few seconds of silence passed, then a hoarse voice said, “Brody...?”
“Harry, are you okay?”
“I’m... Mia?”
“She’s fine, she’s—”
“That’s enough,” Levi said. “Don’t be late, Detective.”
The call ended. Whit sighed with frustration. He had less than two hours to figure this out. If he didn’t bring Mia, the guy would kill his brother. If he did bring her...
He’d promised his brother to protect Mia at all costs.
But he couldn’t let Harry die.
“Whit?”
He turned to see Carly and the detective walking toward h
im. Mia waved her arms and reached for Whit.
Carly tried to redirect the baby’s attention to a toy, but Mia seemed intent on getting attention from Whit. He took her and gave her a loving hug.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” he whispered against her ear, because his decision meant she’d grow up fatherless, and Whit would lose a brother.
“What’s going on?” Carly said.
He finally looked at her, and then Detective Harper. “Levi Moore called. I’m supposed to meet him at 10:00 p.m. with the baby.”
“Whit—”
“I agreed in order to buy time,” he interrupted Carly. “He said if I involve cops, my brother is dead.”
“If you don’t, he’ll kill you and take the child,” Harper countered.
“What do we do?” Carly asked.
“First, we get you to a safe house,” Harper said. “Come on.” He motioned them down the hall to the stairwell. Harper called one of his deputies and gave him instructions to meet downstairs.
Whit clung to Mia, blowing raspberries against her cheek to make her giggle. There was no way he was going to surrender this precious child and he couldn’t sacrifice his brother either.
When they reached the side exit to the hospital, an unmarked car was waiting. They quickly got in back.
“Where’s the car seat?” Carly said.
“No time. It’s not that far,” Harper said. “Deputy Schneider will get you to the safe house. I’ll come by shortly and we’ll make a plan for the meet-up.” Harper tapped the top of the car and stepped back.
Deputy Schneider pulled away a little too fast.
“Slow down, we’ve got a baby in the back seat,” Whit said.
“Sorry, sorry,” the deputy said.
As Carly stroked Mia’s hair, Whit said, “He’s still alive. I spoke to my brother.”
“That’s great news,” she said.
“I don’t know what to do. Either way I lose.”
“Don’t talk like that. We’ll figure something out.”
The car suddenly sped up.
“Deputy—”
“I think someone’s following us,” Schneider said.
Whit glanced out the back window and was blinded by piercing headlights.
“They’re too close,” Carly said.
“Call it in,” Whit ordered.
The deputy grabbed the radio. “Dispatch, I need backup, someone’s—”
They were suddenly jerked forward.
“Whit!” Carly shouted.
“Hold on!”
Whit clung to Mia, his arms stronger than any car seat.
It couldn’t end like this. He’d made a promise to his brother.
And he loved Carly.
They were hit again and the baby squealed as the car spun out of control.
FIFTEEN
Carly slammed back against the seat. Mia burst into tears.
Whit handed Mia to Carly. “Stay in the car and keep the doors locked.”
“What are you—”
He was gone before she could finish her sentence. The car had swerved off the road, headlong into a tree.
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Carly patted Mia’s back to soothe her, while trying to control her own frazzled nerves. She strained to see out the back window.
Tapping against the glass made her shriek. A man motioned to her from the other side of the window. “Open the door!”
She wouldn’t surrender that easily. Whit ordered her to stay in the car. Police backup had to be on the way, right?
“I said open!”
She decided to pretend he wasn’t there. He tapped again, this time with his gun.
Whit sprung out of nowhere, tackling the guy to the ground. Carly clung to Mia and prayed.
A second guy dived into the fight. Whit was outnumbered.
She had to do something.
“Deputy!” she shouted at Deputy Schneider, who’d been consumed by the airbag.
Whit was on the ground and being kicked repeatedly by the two men.
One of the guys stopped kicking, stepped up to the window and pointed the gun at Carly. Carly flung open the door, nearly hitting him in the gut.
“Are you an idiot?” she said. “You’re going to shoot us? What do you think your boss will say about that, about shooting his daughter?”
The guy took a step back and looked at her like she was insane. Well, that’s how she felt right now—crazy enough to lay down her life for the two people she loved: the child in her arms and the man on the ground. She cast a quick glance at Whit who seemed semiconscious. She hoped his head wasn’t injured again.
Girl, you’ve got bigger problems than Whit’s concussion.
“His boss would be most displeased,” a voice said.
She glanced at the SUV behind them. A broad-shouldered man in his forties sauntered toward her. He had dark, empty eyes and a cold expression. This had to be Levi Moore.
Her grip tightened on Mia.
“So this is my child,” he said, reaching out to touch the back of Mia’s head. The little girl hadn’t stopped crying. “Daddy’s here.” His voice made Carly nauseous. He motioned for one of his men to take Mia.
“Not happening.” Carly backed up and formulated a plan to ingratiate herself to the criminal.
Levi raised an assessing eyebrow.
“Mia doesn’t know you and she’s already upset,” Carly started. “If you truly care about her, you’ll put her needs first. Do you know anything about babies?”
Levi narrowed his eyes.
“I do,” Carly continued. “I’m her nanny and I’m studying to be a nurse. I’ve raised this child since she was four weeks old. You need me.”
“Do I?” he said.
She ignored the shudder trickling down her spine. Don’t stop now.
“Yes. I can keep her happy and healthy. Where she goes, I go.”
“Give me the kid,” one of the thugs said, aiming a gun at Carly.
She didn’t flinch. She’d already committed herself to dying to protect Mia.
“Put that away,” Levi ordered, then addressed Carly. “You’d die to protect my child?”
“Of course. I love her like she’s my own. I’ve been the one constant in her life. Susan Bremerton didn’t love her like I do. She was rarely home. She didn’t sing to her at night before bed or sit on the floor and play blocks. She doesn’t know Mia’s favorite food or how she likes her belly rubbed. It’s been all me for the past six months. I don’t care who’s paying my salary as long as I can take care of Mia. She needs me.”
“Boss, we gotta go,” one of his men said.
Levi held her gaze. Carly broke eye contact only to place a pacifier in Mia’s mouth to help soothe her.
He motioned Carly toward the SUV. “We’ll negotiate terms later.”
“Wait.” She crouched and grabbed Whit’s phone. “We don’t want him calling for help.”
She pocketed the phone and went to the SUV. She hoped she could discreetly turn on the location services so Whit could use it to find her.
“What about him?” one of the guys said.
“Kill him.”
Carly spun around. “No, don’t!”
Levi studied her.
“Killing a cop will put a bull’s-eye on our back and make it impossible to get out of town. Local cops will rally to find us. Are you going to risk putting your daughter in that kind of danger, getting hit by a stray bullet?”
Levi smiled and put out his hand to stop his men from killing Whit.
He leaned closer to Carly. “I like your style. Shall we?” He motioned her to the car.
She did it. She’d convinced Levi not to kill Whit. Relief settled across her shoulders.
Although what came next, she had no idea. She hoped, s
he prayed, that Whit would figure out what she was up to and come find her, wherever she ended up.
* * *
Whit groaned and got to his knees. A hissing sound echoed behind him from the unmarked patrol car. He struggled to stand, gripping bruised ribs that screeched in pain.
Not nearly as loud as his own guilt. Whit allowed Carly and Mia to be taken by Levi Moore. Now that Levi had his child, there was less motivation for him to return Harry alive.
Whit dug in his pocket for his phone and remembered Carly taking it. We don’t want him calling for help.
Could he have been so wrong about her, so drawn in by her gentle charm and sincere eyes that he’d missed what she truly was?
Let it go, Whit. His priority had to be getting his niece and brother back, so he pushed aside the sting of betrayal.
He opened the car’s front door, shoved the airbag out of the way and checked Schneider’s pulse. He was okay; semiconscious. Whit grabbed the radio and called for help. He gave dispatch the plate number and description of the SUV. If they had any brains, they’d swap cars sooner rather than later.
Then again, if they had any brains they would not only have taken Whit’s phone, but would have destroyed the patrol car’s radio.
Well, that was good news. If they weren’t all that bright they’d be easier to find.
Schneider moaned.
“You’ll be okay,” Whit said. “Help’s on the way.”
Would it arrive soon enough, or would Levi Moore flee the state with Whit’s niece?
“I’m sorry, brother,” Whit said. Oppressive guilt overwhelmed him. He was no hero. He did it again. He’d let his brother down.
Whit had trusted the wrong person, was falling in love with her and wasn’t physically up to the challenge of protecting his niece.
And now he migt never see Harry or Mia again.
* * *
Back at the sheriff’s office, Harper and his deputies formulated a game plan, while Whit struggled not to let his anger render him helpless.
“Why set up a meet?” Harper said.
“As a distraction,” Whit said. “We were so intent on the meet-up that he caught us off guard.”
“Carly took your phone?”
