Protecting Their Baby

by Sheri WhiteFeather

  She smiled, too. Only hers seemed genuine. “You even carry a gun.”

  He nodded, and they both turned serious. A 9mm was clipped to his belt.

  “Maybe I should learn to shoot.” She’d gone edgy again. A lioness protecting her cub. “You could teach me.”

  Rex didn’t want her jumping the gun, no pun intended. “We’ll see, okay? For now, you just need to relax. Panicking won’t solve anything.”

  “I’m not panicking.”

  Wasn’t she? He doubted that she’d ever considered a firearm before. But being put in harm’s way changed a person.

  “What happened with Daniel and Allie?” she asked suddenly. “Was Allie’s stalker caught?”

  “Yes, she was.”

  “She?”

  “It was a young woman who had schizophrenic delusions about Daniel. She was taken to a psychiatric facility. She wasn’t stable enough to stand trial.”

  “How is that related to the Warrior Society?”

  “Daniel recovered a medicine bundle for her family. That’s how she knew him, from one of his missions.”

  Lisa made a thought-provoking face. “Maybe there’s a girl out there with delusions about you.”

  “Maybe, but I doubt it.” He’d already explained earlier how the timing was off, how someone associated with him probably wouldn’t have known about the baby so soon. Not unless that same someone was connected to Lisa, too. “But I’ll check into it.”

  She searched his gaze, as if looking for answers in his eyes. “Am I going to meet Daniel and Allie? And the close-quarter combat trainer and his pregnant wife?”

  “If you want to.”

  “I do, and your family, too.”

  “I’m an only child, and my parents live in North Carolina.” Eventually he would have to tell them about the baby, but for now, he preferred to keep it to himself. In spite of their own rotten marriage, they would probably bug him about proposing to Lisa and offering their grandchild a legitimate name.

  “Is that where you’re originally from?”

  “Yes. The Qualla Boundary. The Eastern Band Cherokee Indian Reservation,” he explained when she gave him a curious look.

  “So you’re Cherokee?”

  “I’m half, from my dad’s side. My mom is white.” But she was just as traditional as his old man.

  “You’ll have to teach me about your heritage. For the baby,” she added.

  “Stuff like that is going to take time.” For now, all he could focus on was who had threatened her. “This case takes priority.”

  She hiccupped, then tapped her chest, trying to still the jumping motion. “I’m never going to look at dolls in the same way again.”

  “Someday you might have to. If we have a girl, she’ll want to play with them.”

  “Maybe she’ll be a tomboy.”

  “Are you kidding? A daughter of yours?” He tried to lighten her mood. “Little Miss Sugar and Spice. She’s going to be a girlie girl.”

  Lisa hiccupped again. “I keep seeing it in my head. Its broken body, its chest.”

  Apparently his teasing hadn’t helped. “Try to block the image. Try to clear your mind.”

  “That’s easier said than done.” Another hiccup erupted.

  “I know. I’m sorry.” Was it true that hiccups went away if you scared someone? He wasn’t about to try it and find out.

  Lisa was already on the verge of nightmares.

  Chapter 3

  Lisa made it through the night. No nightmares. But that was because she’d barely slept. You couldn’t dream if you were awake.

  She curled up in bed, dawn seeping through the sheers. As usual, she was nauseous. Mornings were no longer kind to her.

  Fighting her baby-on-board queasiness, she reached for the crackers she kept on the nightstand. She ate slowly, munching on one saltine at a time.

  But it didn’t help.

  She prayed this side effect would go away before too long. Supposedly it would. But she’d heard about women who suffered from morning sickness well beyond their first trimester.

  Perish the thought. She would rather die.

  No, she thought. Don’t think about dying. Or dolls with knives protruding from their fragile little bodies.

  Oh, God. She sat up, clutched the water bottle beside her bed and took a cautious sip.

  Bad move. The water hit her stomach like a roiling rock. The saltines she’d just eaten weren’t going to stay down.

  Lisa dashed down the hall to the bathroom. She knelt in front of the commode and lost her cookies or crackers or whatever.

  Finally, she made her way to the sink, rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth. She scrubbed her face and combed her hair, too, trying to feel human again.

  Upon exiting the bathroom, her breath caught. There stood Rex, wearing a lightweight T-shirt and drawstring shorts. He was also holding his shaving kit.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Great. He’d heard her vomit. She hadn’t considered her morning sickness when they’d agreed on a bathroom schedule. But she hadn’t expected them to wake up at the same exact hour, either. “It’s part of the pregnancy.”

  “Does it happen every morning?”

  “Pretty much. But some mornings are worse than others.”

  “Is it going to happen again? Should I leave the door unlocked?”

  Mortified, she blinked at him. She wasn’t going to go in there and throw up while he was in the shower. Then again, where else was she going to go? Barfing in a bucket sounded even more disgusting.

  “I should be all right.” Her empty stomach seemed to be settling. Of course now she was hungry.

  “Just in case, I won’t lock it.” He gestured to the door. “You can come in if you need to.”

  And risk seeing him in the buff? Lisa sucked in her breath. Not that she hadn’t seen his beautifully sculpted body before.

  She remembered being sprawled across his lap, watching the tight motion of his abs while he’d lifted her up and down.

  “Did you sleep okay?” he asked, jarring her back to the present.

  “I tossed and turned, but I made it through.” She wanted to move closer to him, but she curbed her desire to breathe him in. “I’ll probably take a nap later.”

  “Is it your day off?”

  “Yes. I have classes tomorrow tonight.”

  “I’d like to go with you tomorrow. As a guest.”

  “To my studio?” Why? So he could scout for suspects? “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “You promised to cooperate, Lisa.”

  She sighed. Keeping her guard up with him was difficult. He was an aggressive investigator, but he had her best interest at heart. “Okay, but you better not freak everyone out.”

  “I’m not going to mention the doll. I want to meet everyone first and get a feel for who they are.”

  “I’m not going to say anything, either.” She would have to tell her parents, of course. But she didn’t want anyone at the studio to know, not until it was absolutely necessary. “Did you run some background checks last night?”

  “Yes, but nothing suspicious surfaced. I’ve still got plenty of work to do, though.”

  Because there were lots of people on the list she’d given him. Nervous, she adjusted the bodice of her modest nightgown. “How am I supposed to introduce you?”

  “Just use my name.”

  A simple way of letting everyone know that he was the daddy, she thought. The Sixkiller name had already been bandied about.

  She changed the subject. “I’ll go start some breakfast. Are pancakes okay?”

  “You’re going to cook for me? Hell, yes. Pancakes sound great.”

  “Then I’ll see you when you’re dressed and ready.” Rather than damp and naked, she thought, as she walked away, his handsome image crowding her troubled mind.

  After his shower, Rex put on a My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys T-shirt and a pair of button-fly jeans, then followed the enticing aroma.<
br />
  He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched Lisa. She’d gotten dressed, as well. She looked soft and pretty in a loose cotton dress and sandals.

  She turned and noticed him. She caught sight of the slogan on his shirt, too.

  “Your activism is showing,” she said.

  He shrugged and smiled. “I’ve got more where this came from.”

  “I’ll bet you do.” She motioned to the stove top. “I’m making blueberry pancakes.”

  “Looks like you’re fixing ham and eggs, too.”

  “I’m famished.”

  No doubt, he thought. She was eating for two. He still couldn’t believe that this was happening, that he was going to have a kid.

  “Do you want to eat on the porch?” she asked.

  “Sure. Why not?” Since the front door was already open, he glanced in that direction. The porch was rife with potted plants, and amid the greenery was a glass-topped table. “I can put the plates out if you want.”

  “Thanks. That’d be nice.” She showed him where the dishes and flatware were kept.

  He scooted past her. “Are we going to sit out there and spy on your neighbors? I can change my shirt if we are. I have one that says Love thy Neighbor, but Don’t Get Caught.”

  She shook her head. “Figures you’d have a shirt like that. Especially with the type of neighbors you have.”

  “You mean, young and sexy and single?” Rex loved his naughty neighborhood. “What type lives around here? Old and married and crotchety?”

  “Nice and normal,” she responded, tossing a dish towel at him.

  He laughed and tossed it back at her. Were they flirting? Yes, he thought. And he liked it.

  Soon they were seated on the porch, a hearty, home-cooked meal in front of them.

  Rex decided that he could get used to this. She’d even made cappuccino from one of those commercial-grade espresso machines, decaffeinated for her and the potent stuff for him. He toasted her with his cup. “Here’s to vintage suburbia.” He glanced around at the other houses, with their colorful flowerbeds and white fences. “Are you sure your neighbors are nice and normal?”

  She furrowed her brows. “Why? Do you think you should investigate them?”

  “Do they know about the baby?”

  “Some of them do.”

  “Then, yes, I think I should check them out.”

  “That list of yours keeps getting longer.” She rubbed her arms, as if to ward off a sudden chill. “Better to be safe than sorry, right? What would I do without your help? I couldn’t handle this on my own.”

  Her anxious gaze met his, drawing him in, making him even more protective of her.

  “I’m going to put my other cases on hold.” He needed to devote as much time as he could to this investigation.

  “I dread calling my parents.” She rubbed her arms again. “They’re going to worry something fierce.”

  And with good reason. Rex was worried, too. What kind of sick bastard maimed a doll and left it in a pregnant woman’s car?

  “Do you think the police will uncover any evidence?” she asked.

  “I don’t know.” He doubted that fingerprints or DNA had been left behind. Even the knife that had been used seemed generic. It could have come from anyone’s kitchen. As for the doll itself, he suspected that tons of stores carried them.

  “Maybe I should buy that other car soon.”

  “The SUV?”

  She nodded. “A newer car won’t be as easy to break into. And it’s safer, with air bags and all of that.”

  In the silence, she cut into her pancakes. By now, the food on their plates had begun to turn cold. But he was glad that she’d resumed eating. He returned to his meal, too.

  After a few more bites, she looked up at him. “Do you think I’m being naive?”

  “About what?”

  “About who’s threatening me? Do you think I should have some sort of feeling about who it could be?”

  No way was he going to blame her. “I think you’re sweet and trusting. But from now on, you need to be more aware of your surroundings.”

  “And suspect everyone, the way you do?”

  “It’s my job to be suspicious.”

  “Maybe my mommy instincts will kick in, and I’ll be able to help you figure out who the bad guy is.”

  He hoped that her mommy instincts boosted the case. He contemplated touching her stomach, but he feared his hand would tremble. He wasn’t ready to meet his kid.

  Struggling to regain his composure, he grabbed his cappuccino, taking refuge in the creamy brew.

  “Have your friends picked a name?” she asked.

  “What?” Her question confused him.

  “The couple whose baby is due this month. Have they chosen a name for their daughter?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “You never asked them?”

  “No.”

  “I guess it’s too soon for us to discuss names.”

  For their kid? Way too soon, he thought.

  “It helps for me to talk about the baby.” Lisa cradled the tummy he’d been afraid to touch. “To think about all the good stuff still to come.”

  As opposed to the bad stuff that was happening now? “That’s understandable.”

  “I wonder if I’ll get cravings.”

  “Cravings?” he parroted.

  “For specific foods.”

  “Like the pickles-and-ice-cream thing?” That much he knew. That much he’d heard of.

  “Yes, but I don’t think that’s a common craving.”

  “Then why did it catch on?”

  She made a perplexed face, but she was an expressive girl. He figured it was the dance and theater major in her.

  “I don’t know why it caught on,” she said. “Maybe I’ll research it online.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Anything to keep her mind off the danger she was in, he thought, to give her a short reprieve.

  And create an illusion of normalcy.

  While Lisa napped, Rex worked. He brought his laptop into the living room and ran more background checks. Unfortunately, he came up with nothing. Or at least nothing criminal. Who knew what kind of evil lurked in people’s minds?

  When Lisa got up, she headed to the bathroom, but she didn’t have another bout of sickness. He wasn’t deliberately listening for sounds of retching, but he was trying to keep an eye on her.

  She came into the living room, and he noticed that her dress was wrinkled. She must have slept in it, making her look soft and rumbled.

  “I’m going to fix a snack,” she said. “Do you want one?”

  “No, thanks.” Breakfast hadn’t been that long ago.

  Soon Lisa returned with a peanut butter sandwich and a tall, frosty glass of milk. He was glad to see that she was getting her calcium. He wondered if she was going to breast-feed, then cursed himself for thinking about it, especially since it made him feel kind of sexual.

  Since when did nursing mothers turn him on?

  She sat beside him and munched. “How’s it going?”

  Terrible, he thought. It was all he could do not to look at her breasts. “I did a Google search and discovered that your first boyfriend has a MySpace profile. Mostly it’s family stuff. Pictures of his wife and kids. They live in Cincinnati. But that came up in the background check, too.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that he’d moved. I guess that rules him out as a suspect. Ohio isn’t exactly around the corner.” She took another bite of her sandwich. “What did you find out about Kirk?”

  Her second boyfriend, he thought. The one she’d lived with. “I didn’t come across anything of interest, other than his financial blog.” On the day the doll had been stabbed, Kirk rambled about mutual funds. “His blog gets a lot of traffic.”

  “He works in the banking industry. But you probably already know that by now.”

  “Yes, I do.” He spent quite a bit of time analyzing Kirk.

  “He helped me get the
loan on this house.”

  “Before or after you split up?”

  “After.”

  Rex decided that Kirk required further investigation. You never knew about an old lover, especially when that lover remained active in their ex’s life.

  “I think I’ll go play on the ’Net, too,” she said. “Not that you’ve been playing,” she quickly corrected. “But you know what I mean.”

  Yes, he did. He poked at her ribs. It was as close to her stomach as he’d gotten. “You’re going to look up pickles and ice cream?”

  She laughed. “And check my e-mails.”

  “Have fun.”

  “Loads.” She took the half-eaten snack with her.

  Less than five minutes later, she screeched, “Rexxx!”

  He jumped up and ran into her room. She sat in front of her desktop, as pale as a ghost.

  His heart hit his chest. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  “I got a creepy e-mail.”

  He leaned over her shoulder. “What does it say?”

  “It’s a picture of Alice from Alice in Wonderland.”

  Had he heard her correctly? “Alice?”

  “She’s swimming in her own tears. See?” She pointed to the image on the screen, a depiction that looked as if it had come from the original storybook. “I was scared of Alice when I was little. She helped me when I got lost, but I didn’t trust her.”

  Rex was baffled. Lisa was talking in riddles, in things that weren’t real. “Is that a dream you used to have?”

  “No. It happened. I got lost at Disneyland.”

  Okay, now it was beginning to make sense. Alice was an employee at the Magic Kingdom, walking around in a costume. “Did you get separated from your parents?”

  “Yes. I was five years old, and we were in Fantasyland. I was with my mom, waiting in line to order food, and my dad went to find us a table. It was the Fourth of July weekend, so it was packed.”

  Rex waited for Lisa to continue. He could see the memories in her eyes. But a little girl wouldn’t forget the day she’d gotten lost.

  “After we got our food, I ran ahead to find Dad. Mom called out to me, but I didn’t listen. Then suddenly, I was alone, trapped in scores of people. I was going in the wrong direction and I couldn’t find my parents. I just wandered around, crying to myself.”