Daniel hoped that was a warning she’d take to heart. He didn’t want Kara setting up any more traps for this snake. She certainly didn’t jump to defend what she’d done. Nope. Her emotions went in the other direction. Her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, God. Daniel, I’m so sorry.”
Hell. He’d hoped she would be able to keep the aftermath of all of this at bay. Apparently not. Those tears didn’t spill down her cheeks, but she was blinking hard to keep them from falling.
Daniel figured this was a mistake the size of Texas, but he went to her and pulled her into his arms. Kara practically sagged against him, her head landing on his shoulder. He didn’t want to notice how well she fit. Didn’t want to notice her scent that he immediately took in. Or the soft breathy sigh she made.
But he noticed.
Having her this close was a reminder that she was an attractive woman. And that he was a man. Something he’d been noticing more and more whenever he was around Kara.
It’d been nearly two years since he’d lost his wife. Since Kara had lost her sister. It was only natural for Kara and him to tap into the grief they shared for the loved one they’d lost. Grief that could still slice to the bone.
Added to that, there was Sadie. Kara had carried his little girl for nine months, and Sadie and she had DNA in common. These were all the things that Daniel had gone over and over. All the reasons he kept giving himself for why he felt this connection with Kara. At the moment, though, those were not the reasons his body was having this reaction to her.
A bad reaction.
He felt the stir of familiar heat and knew if he let it continue that it would put a serious dent in his resolve to keep his hands off his late wife’s sister. Sexual heat could do that. It could make excuses and blur lines that shouldn’t be blurred.
And that’s why Daniel stepped back from her.
He’d hoped that Kara was so caught up in her near meltdown that she wouldn’t notice how fast he’d moved away from her. But she did notice. Her eyes came to his, their gazes connecting, and he saw something he wished weren’t there.
The same blasted heat that he was battling.
Kara was battling it as well, and in that long look they gave each other, many things passed between them. Things best left unsaid, and that’s why Daniel decided to do something to put an end to this nonverbal conversation.
He went into the adjacent kitchen to get himself a bottle of water. What he really wanted was a beer or a shot of something stronger, but until the killer was caught, he was essentially on the job. Plus, he didn’t want anything, including this lust for Kara, to cloud his head and therefore his judgment.
“How secure are the grounds around your ranch?” Kara asked, joining him in the kitchen.
She didn’t look at him. A smart decision. That meant she’d learned her lesson about making long eye contact with him. Added to that, it was a good question. Too bad his answer was going to suck. He considered softening it some, but that could end up being dangerous. He didn’t want Kara to have a false sense of safety that could end up getting her killed.
“I have four hundred acres,” he reminded her. “Along with barns and other outbuildings. There are at least a half-dozen old trails that thread through the area. And in the middle of all that sits this house.”
She nodded, drew in another of those unsteady breaths. “I’ve brought danger to your house, to your daughter.”
“Wrong. The killer did that by going after us tonight.” He paused, added the rest that she needed to hear. “I could have been the target.”
Now it was surprise that flashed through her eyes. “You?”
“Me,” he verified, and he tapped his badge to let her know that he was referring to his being a cop. “I’ve arrested people who might want to get back at me.”
In fact, just a couple of months ago he’d had a tense run-in with a nearby rancher, Neal Rizzo, who’d threatened him. Mandy’s murder pointed to the other surrogates and the fertility clinic, but Daniel had to look at this from all angles. And one big angle was that Mandy’s killer hadn’t launched another attack until after Kara and he had left for his ranch. It would have been easier for the killer just to go after her when she was alone. But he hadn’t. So, maybe Kara and he were both targets.
“I’m going through all my old cases,” he went on. He’d have a chat with Rizzo, too. “We’ll take as many precautions as we can.”
They’d already done that by closing all the curtains and blinds, locking all the doors and arming the security system. He also had several full-time ranch hands and another part-time one who could help keep an eye on the house and grounds. But even all of that might not be enough.
“There are just too many places for someone to lie in wait,” Daniel continued a moment later. “Or someone could climb up one of the trees and take shots at the house. That’s why Noreen will be sleeping in her bathroom tonight, and you’ll be staying in the guest bathtub. It won’t be especially comfortable, but it’ll add another safety layer.”
Kara didn’t give him even an argumentative glance about that. “You’ll take precautions, too?”
He nodded. “No pj’s for me tonight.” Though he was more of a “boxers and tee” kind of guy, and in his earlier days, commando. “I’ll be wearing Kevlar.” And he’d be armed to the hilt. He didn’t like carrying a gun with Sadie around, but he couldn’t risk having to run for his weapon if the worst happened. “Keep your Glock with you.”
She nodded as if that were exactly what she’d expected him to say, but Daniel could still see the tension, and the fear, this had caused her. Tension and fear, though, were better than not being prepared if this killer came after them again.
“Because it’s already getting late, we need to stay here for the night,” Daniel went on, “but tomorrow, I’ll find someplace safer.” He’d been mulling that over, while no place was a 100 percent safe, he had an idea. “I’m considering moving the four of us to the Serenity Inn in town.”
The inn was on Main Street, only two buildings away from the sheriff’s office. Along with having a security system and motion-activated exterior lights, the open yard would make it harder for a gunman to sneak onto the grounds.
Harder but not impossible.
“I’m sure I can talk Ellen into closing the inn to everyone but us,” he added. Ellen Deavers owned the place and rarely had visitors anyway since Mercy Ridge wasn’t exactly a hotbed for tourism. “We can get the adjoining rooms on the second floor, and one of the other deputies can sleep downstairs.”
“That might work,” Kara said after releasing her bottom lip that she’d been biting. “We’d still have to keep Sadie away from the windows.”
“Noreen and you, too,” he emphasized. “I don’t want either of you taking any unnecessary risks.”
Especially since the necessary ones were plentiful enough. After all, Daniel would have to take them out in the open to get them from his ranch to the inn.
“You’re okay with connecting rooms?” Kara asked.
Daniel couldn’t pretend that he didn’t know exactly what she meant. This was about the heat that was still in full simmer mode. Being under the same roof with Kara could send it from simmer to boil. But again, it was a risk he had to take. No way did he want her out of his sight as long as she was in the crosshairs of a killer.
“I’m okay with it,” he said.
Again, their gazes held, and it seemed as if she were trying to figure out if that were true. However, she didn’t get a chance to do that because his phone rang, and when Kara saw Barrett’s name on the screen, it got her attention. It got Daniel’s, too, because this was almost certainly connected to the investigation. He hit the answer button and put it on speaker so that Kara could hear.
“I’ve got bad news,” Barrett immediately said. His brother didn’t wait for them to verbally respond to
that, but inside, Daniel felt the punch of dread. A moment later, the dread was confirmed when Barrett added, “There’s been another murder.”
Chapter Five
Loretta Eaton, the office manager at the fertility clinic, was dead.
That was the thought that had run through Kara’s head most of the night, and it was one of the reasons she hadn’t gotten much sleep. Of course, it hadn’t helped that she’d spent the night in a bathtub and knew that Sadie had done the same. Kara hated that such measures had been needed to keep the girl safe. Hated even more that such measures would have to continue, well, indefinitely.
From what Daniel and she had learned, Loretta had gone into the office to check the files on Mandy and according to the San Antonio cops, the woman hadn’t made it out of the building alive. When Kara had finally gone off to “bed,” they hadn’t yet received a time of death from the medical examiner, but according to the security login, Loretta had been in the fertility clinic about two hours before her lifeless body was discovered by a janitor.
Kara hadn’t needed any further proof that all these deaths were connected to Willingham Fertility Clinic, but Loretta’s murder added to the weight of the case. There were now three confirmed deaths: Mandy Vera, Loretta Eaton and Brenda McGill. Marissa Rucker was still missing, and Kara could only pray that she was still alive and would stay that way. If Marissa had figured out what was going on, that her life was in danger, maybe she went into hiding. At the moment, that was the best possible scenario when it came to Kara’s fellow surrogate.
Kara finished her shower and dressed in jeans and a top, and she used some makeup that one of Daniel’s ranch hands had brought over from her place. Whoever had processed her house for evidence must have cleared the items since they’d been waiting for her when she got up.
She tried her best to hide the dark circles under her eyes. Even though Sadie probably wouldn’t notice something like that, Kara didn’t want to give the little girl any reason for concern. Ditto for Daniel. He was already worried about a killer and didn’t need to spare any of his thoughts to her well-being.
Following the smell of coffee and the sound of Sadie’s babblings, Kara made her way to the kitchen. Everyone was already up, making her feel a little like a slacker. Sadie was in her highchair eating bits of scrambled egg and cut-up fruit. Noreen was at the stove, and Daniel was at the table, sipping coffee while he read something on his laptop.
Noreen was wearing one of her usual loose cotton dresses and white sneakers, and she gave Kara a quick smile that didn’t quite make it to her weathered blue eyes. Since Noreen was a local, Kara had known the woman her entire life, and she was as steady as they came, having raised her three now grown sons on her own after her husband had been killed when the boys were children. That steadiness would come in handy with what they were facing.
Daniel glanced up at her, studying her face, and her frown. Obviously, her makeup attempt hadn’t fooled him one bit. She must have looked as exhausted as she was.
“Nantie,” Sadie greeted, which was her attempt at Auntie. Thankfully, she was grinning and showed no signs of stress.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Kara murmured, giving Sadie a kiss. Her dark curls were haloing around her pretty face, and her gray eyes practically sparkled.
Sadie added a hug to the kiss, her sticky fingers leaving bits of egg and strawberry in Kara’s hair. She didn’t mind. Despite the horrible circumstances, it felt good to see her niece first thing in the morning. It was a rare treat that would help her get through this.
“Have some coffee,” Noreen offered, and she stopped scrambling more eggs to get Kara a mug.
Kara filled the mug to the brim, certain that she would need lots of caffeine to make it through the day, and she turned back to Daniel to ask if there were any updates. However, before she could say a word, his phone rang.
“Barrett,” he mumbled, already standing. “I need to take this.” He answered it while walking out of the room. Obviously, he was worried about Sadie overhearing something she shouldn’t.
Noreen sighed, shook her head. “Daniel’s worried sick,” she whispered. “So are you.”
Kara didn’t deny it. Couldn’t. “How about you?” she asked the nanny. “How are you holding up?”
“About as well as can be expected,” she said, still whispering. “I’m trying to stay calm for Sadie’s sake.”
Kara was trying to do the same. “Did Daniel talk to you about all of us staying at the inn?”
She nodded, dished up the scrambled eggs that she then handed to Kara. “I’ve already gotten Sadie’s things together. Eat,” she added, stepping away from her to load the dishwasher.
Kara wasn’t hungry. In fact, her stomach was in knots, but she had to eat. She wouldn’t be any good to Daniel and this investigation if she walked around with a light head.
She ate standing, her back against the counter and her gaze on the living room where Daniel was talking on the phone and pacing. Whatever Barrett was telling him had caused Daniel’s forehead to bunch up.
“You’re worried about him,” Noreen said, startling Kara and causing her to practically snap toward the woman.
There’d been something in Noreen’s tone. Something that went beyond concern for their safety. That same something was in the woman’s eyes, and it made Kara believe that maybe Noreen had picked up on the attraction between Daniel and her.
Noreen managed a slight smile. “I always figured Daniel and you would get together.”
It was a good thing that Kara had already swallowed the coffee and eggs, or she would have choked. “It’s not like that between Daniel and me,” she assured the woman.
Noreen shrugged in a “suit yourself” gesture. “I think it’s what your sister would have wanted, too.”
Kara didn’t even want to consider that. She didn’t want that idea in her head. But it was too late. It was already there. It had been for months now. Before Maryanne died, Daniel had been her sister’s husband. Period. Of course, Kara had noticed he was hot. She would have been blind not to see that, but he’d been hands-off. Now, her body was nudging her to test that hands-off rule.
And that could be a huge mistake.
If Daniel and she did try for a relationship, and it failed, Sadie could end up being hurt. Kara didn’t want any awkwardness between Daniel and her. It just wasn’t worth the risk.
She mentally repeated that to herself. Twice.
But, oh, her body could spin some images. Unfortunately, those images were fueled by actual memories of the time she’d seen him and his brothers skinny-dipping in the creek. Even then, he’d been Maryanne’s, but that hadn’t stopped the memory of him, naked, lean and amazing, from being branded in her mind.
“Let me get Sadie cleaned up while Daniel and you talk,” Noreen said.
It took Kara a moment to pull herself out of her heated daydream and realize that Daniel had ended his call with Barrett and was making his way back into the kitchen. One look at his somber face and Kara knew this was a conversation that Sadie definitely shouldn’t overhear.
Sadie insisted on giving her daddy a sticky kiss and hug before Noreen whisked her away. It didn’t take long, but during that handful of seconds, Kara could feel the anxiety build inside her.
“Has there been another murder?” she came out and asked.
“No.” He dragged in a long breath. “Barrett got an update from the ME about Loretta. She died from blunt force trauma. Multiple blows to the head,” Daniel added in a mumble. “Barrett saw the crime scene photos, and he said there was a lot of rage in the attack. Plenty of overkill.”
That turned her anxiety to an ice-cold chill. Kara could almost see Loretta’s beaten body, could feel the terror the woman had gone through before some monster ended her life.
“Are we dealing with two attackers?” Kara asked, forcing her mind back on the investiga
tion. The only way she could help Loretta now was to find her killer and get justice.
“Maybe, but there was over an hour between the attack on us and Loretta’s estimated time of death. That’s plenty enough time for our attacker to make it to the clinic.” Daniel paused. “San Antonio PD found several tiny cameras planted throughout the clinic. Ones that didn’t belong to the clinic’s security system.”
Kara took a moment to process that. “The cops believe whoever planted the cameras knew that Loretta was there and went after her?”
He nodded. “The question is why. Loretta had already confirmed that Mandy Vera was a surrogate, but she’d also searched some other files. We don’t have the details on that yet, but we should soon.” Daniel checked the time. “Someone from the clinic should be calling me any minute now.”
Good. Maybe that person would be able to tell them what Loretta had been searching. It had to be more than simply providing them info about Mandy since Daniel would have gotten that intel shortly after he verified who she was. Of course, maybe the killer just wanted Loretta dead so that she couldn’t give them anything that would help the cops catch him.
Overkill and caution.
Take out a potential threat before it became a real threat.
Of course, when the cops continued to dig, they might discover that Loretta had some kind of connection to the killer. Maybe even be an accomplice. But if that were true, it didn’t seem as if the woman would have been so quick to cooperate with them by confirming the info she’d given them on Mandy.
“San Antonio PD is giving me access to the files of the murdered surrogates and the missing one,” Daniel continued. “They’re not dismissing the theory that Brenda was killed by her abusive boyfriend, but in light of everything else, they’re going to treat her murder as connected to the others.”
“Good,” Kara murmured, and she felt the knotted tension inside her ease up a little. “Maybe there’s something from the crime scene that can help ID the person.”
Daniel nodded and stared at her as if he wanted to say more. More that might not be connected to the murders. He finally huffed and groaned softly. “I don’t want this thing between us to get out of hand.”
Safeguarding the Surrogate Page 4
