“You know I hate to even ask.” Trevor sounded truly remorseful. “But it’s your turn, and you know he won’t cooperate if we don’t play by his twisted rules.”
“I know.” Ridge sighed. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. I was already dreading my visit. I really don’t want to have to move it up in the schedule.”
“I understand,” Trevor said. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure you won’t have to.”
“Thanks.” He knew his brother wasn’t just trying to be nice. Trevor was one of the smartest guys he knew. If he needed Ridge to gather more information, it was because he was well and truly stuck.
“Good luck at the post office. I hope she turns up,” Ridge said.
“You and me both,” Trevor replied. “But I have my doubts. She’s got to know we’d find that letter. I have a feeling she’s not being careless but is trying to taunt us.”
“A killer with a sense of humor?”
“If you want to call it that,” Trevor said. “She probably sees this as a game—her on one side, us on the other. The victims are caught in the middle.”
“What about Matthew?” Ridge asked. “How does he fit in with all of this?”
“She sees him as a mentor of sorts,” Trevor replied. Ridge shuddered at the thought that anyone would look up to his father. What kind of sick mind saw Matthew Colton as someone to admire?
“I thought he couldn’t write back,” Ridge said. “How can he act as a mentor for her when the communication is all one-sided?”
“We think she sees him as more of a teacher. She’s writing to report on her activities, let him know how he inspired her. She’s basically bragging to him and hoping he’ll acknowledge her as his star pupil.”
“That’s twisted,” Ridge said.
“Takes all kinds,” Trevor agreed. “Got to go—Sam needs me.”
Ridge signed off and shoved the phone back into his pocket. Then he walked over to the back windows and stared outside, his gaze landing on the familiar, comforting sight of the tree line. Thoughts jumbled together in his mind—Darcy, the Alphabet Killer, Sara, the intruder. And now the threat of an early visit to Matthew Colton.
He needed to move, needed to get away. But he couldn’t very well leave Sara behind. After a moment’s thought, he walked over to the hall closet where he kept his search and rescue gear. It took a little digging, but he soon found what he needed. Then he headed back over to the crib and gathered up the baby.
Ten minutes later, he locked the back door and stepped off the porch, Penny at his side and the baby strapped to his chest. It felt good to be out in the fresh air, and as they headed into the cool stillness of the woods, he felt a calm descend over him.
Hiking like this always helped him organize his thoughts. It was practically second nature for him to seek the solace of the woods whenever he had to think. On several occasions, Annabel had accused him of running away but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He just needed that combination of solitude and activity to figure things out.
Like the identity of the mysterious intruder. Whoever was after Sara knew she was here, which meant he knew her mother. That didn’t help him narrow the field of possible candidates, but a small part of him wished the man would come back so he could ask about the woman who had left her baby behind. A baby needed her mother, especially one as young as Sara. Thank God Darcy had been there.
His heart did a funny little flip at the thought of Darcy. What was it about that woman that affected him so, even after ten years apart? He’d tried to keep his distance, but being around her again had circumvented his defenses in record time. His heart was all set to take the plunge for a second time, but his brain refused to sign off on that plan. Her parents had made their distaste for him very clear, and even though he couldn’t prove it, he knew deep down they had somehow planted that watch in his bag to force Darcy to break up with him.
At first, her lack of trust had hurt—a bone-deep ache that had made him question everything about their relationship. But over time, he’d come to realize Darcy had been played the same as he had. The question was, did she even realize it?
Part of him was tempted to ask her about it, but it wasn’t his place to stir up trouble. Darcy had always had a distant relationship with her parents, and he doubted things had improved in the intervening years. The petty, selfish part of him wanted to tell her his suspicions so she would know just how wrong she’d been. And if that information caused her to confront her parents, so much the better. After all, they had caused him a lot of pain. They deserved some of the same in return.
But no matter how satisfying it was to imagine that scenario, he wasn’t going to act on those impulses. The Marrows certainly weren’t an ideal family, but he had no desire to contribute to their dysfunction. He knew all too well what it was like to lose the people you loved, and even though Darcy had hurt him, he didn’t want that kind of pain for her.
His thoughts drifted to his siblings, and how their lives had changed forever on that fateful night twenty years ago when Matthew Colton had murdered their mother. In a matter of hours they’d been thrown into the system, torn from each other and the only family they’d ever known.
They’d all found ways to cope with the new reality—there had been no other choice. But his youngest sister, Josie, had been especially hurt by the situation.
He’d visited her as often as he could, and his heart broke every time he saw how his once vibrant, bright-eyed and curious little sister had been transformed into a sad, lonely girl. She had put on a brave face, but no amount of acting had been able to fool him.
He hadn’t been the only one to notice the changes. One by one, he and his siblings had turned eighteen and tried to adopt Josie, to get her out of the foster system in the hopes of bringing back the happy girl they’d known and loved. But she’d turned them down every time.
And then she’d disappeared.
It killed him to think of his baby sister, alone and scared in the world. She’d left six years ago with no warning, and she hadn’t tried to contact anyone. Not even a postcard to let them know she was okay. It was as if she had fallen off the face of the earth, as if her very existence had been erased. But the worst part of all? It was possible she was the Alphabet Killer.
He hated to even think his sister was capable of such crimes, but he had to admit, the circumstantial evidence was suggestive. Josie had taken off after her fiancé had dumped her in favor of a young woman with long dark hair. The same kind of hair displayed by all the killer’s victims. Had his betrayal been the trigger that set Josie off? He didn’t want to believe it, but until Ridge and the rest of his siblings could prove otherwise, the police and the FBI kept her on their list of suspects.
They rounded a bend in the path, and Penny’s tail started wagging. They were getting close to the stream that ran through this section of the woods. Normally, when he and Penny hiked this path they stopped at the water so she could play. But since he was carrying the baby today he didn’t want to linger too long. She was still sleeping peacefully, but that could change at any moment and he didn’t fancy being out in the woods when she woke up and decided to fuss.
“Heel,” he said, hating the fact that he was disappointing his dog. Penny fell into place without issue, but she understood there would be no frolicking in the water today. Her tail drooped slightly and she emitted a soft whine, her subtle way of complaining about this unhappy turn of events.
“I know,” he said, feeling only a little foolish about explaining himself to a dog. “But we can’t stay long today. We need to get back in case the baby needs something.”
Penny huffed, as if she found his excuse wanting. But she stayed by his side even when the stream came into view.
As they got closer to the water, Ridge noticed a figure standing on the bank of the stream. He almost didn�
��t notice her—her indigo jeans and dark green T-shirt allowed her to blend in well with the surrounding trees. But now that he saw her, there was something familiar about her...
The hairs on his arms stood on end as he studied the young woman, trying to place her. Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning to the chest.
“Josie?” Her name came out as a rasp, barely audible above the birdsong and the sound of the running water. Ridge stopped dead in his tracks, unable to believe it.
“Josie?” This time he practically shouted her name.
She lifted her head and for a split second he saw her face. Her expression was one of pain, as if the name brought up bad memories. She turned to glance at him and then was gone, moving quickly through the trees and out of sight.
Ridge started after her, but couldn’t move very fast without jostling the baby. He cursed the situation and half considered sending Penny after her to track the girl down. But that would be irresponsible. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and she didn’t deserve to be chased by his dog.
He stopped when he reached the bank of the stream and sat on a fallen log, trying to process what he’d just seen. Had she been real, or a hallucination brought on by his emotions? He’d just been thinking about Josie. Perhaps it was only his imagination that the young woman looked like his lost sister. Her hair had been completely different for one thing—Josie’s hair had always been long, whereas this woman’s was styled in a short bob.
She could have cut her hair, though, he thought. It was the quickest way to change your appearance, and if Josie really was on the run from someone or something that would be the first thing she’d do.
Be reasonable, he told himself. What were the odds he’d happen upon his youngest sister while out hiking in the woods? There was no way she was in Granite Gulch—if that was the case, he or one of his siblings would have run into her by now. The town simply wasn’t that big. No, Josie was long gone. He was just projecting his memories of her face onto another woman. It was the most reasonable explanation, but he still couldn’t shake the fact she had seemed familiar to him.
More importantly, though, why had the woman run from him? He wasn’t exactly a threatening presence, what with a baby strapped to his chest.
“I did yell, though,” he muttered. He’d been so convinced it was his sister he hadn’t been able to stop himself from calling out. Maybe the stranger had been spooked by the sight of a strange man yelling someone else’s name. Now that he thought about it, he had probably looked very much like a crazy person trudging out of the woods. The woman probably hadn’t stopped to really look at him before taking off, and he couldn’t blame her. With the Alphabet Killer still at large, it wasn’t smart for women to be alone right now.
Logically, that explanation made the most sense. But as Ridge watched a leaf float by on the ripples of the stream, he couldn’t shake the feeling he somehow knew that woman.
Was she Sara’s mother? He glanced down at the little one, trying to impose the young woman’s features onto the baby’s face. It was possible. The woman had disappeared after leaving Sara on his porch, which meant she had to know these woods fairly well. And given the speed with which the lady had vanished today, she might very well be the one they’d been looking for.
But if that was the case, why had she run? The note left on the baby indicated her mother was coming back. Wouldn’t she want to see her child, after having been apart from her for the past few days? Ridge hugged her close, an empty feeling opening up in his stomach at the thought of being away from the baby. He was attached to her already, even though he wasn’t related to her and had only known her for a couple of days. He could only imagine the ache of loss her mother must feel over their separation.
A rustle of leaves behind him made him jump. It was probably just the wind, but he was suddenly very aware he was alone with the baby out in the middle of the woods. What had seemed like a good idea before now struck him as profoundly stupid. Who brought a baby to a remote location with a killer at large and a mysterious man hell-bent on kidnapping her still loose in the area?
He stood, one hand on the baby to steady her. “Heel,” he said. Penny responded instantly, sticking to his side like furry glue as they made their way back home. Frustration welled in his chest as they approached the cabin. He was no closer to figuring things out, and if anything, the mysterious young woman in the woods had only made him feel more unsettled.
Sara opened her eyes as he climbed the steps of the back porch. She turned her head to face his chest and opened her mouth, clearly expecting him to put something in it. He smiled, marveling at the instinctive display. She was so young, and yet she knew exactly how to communicate her needs. He’d never been around babies before, and he was humbled by the way this little life trusted him completely and without reservation. It was almost like the bond he had with Penny, which surprised him. After Darcy had broken his heart, he’d thought he could never get close to someone again. But this baby had shattered that assumption. He was forced to admit that perhaps he’d stopped trying to connect with people out of fear, rather than because he was broken.
Sara let out a little cry and he picked up the pace, pushing his thoughts to the side. Time to get her a bottle before she became too upset.
At least he could handle that task.
* * *
“I need more time.”
“That’s not the way this works.” The woman on the other end of the line sounded annoyed, but he was too desperate to care. It was taking longer to take the baby than he’d anticipated, and he needed an extension. Better to be honest with them about it now. Otherwise, the delay might cause the people who’d hired him to think he was trying to double-cross them. And if that happened, there would be hell to pay.
“Please—I know where she is, but I’m having trouble getting her.”
“Why is that?” Her voice sharpened and he realized his mistake—if they thought he wasn’t capable, they’d cut ties and walk away. And he was under no illusions they would leave a loose end like him dangling in the wind...
“It’s not what you think,” he said hastily. “The mother is backpedaling a bit. I just need a little more time to convince her she’s doing the right thing.”
“I see.” There was a pause as the woman considered his words. He held his breath, hoping the excuse had sounded plausible. Please, please, please...
“All right,” she said finally. “You have an additional twenty-four hours to get the job done. Will that be enough?” Her tone made it clear that if it wasn’t, he was in for a world of hurt.
“That’s wonderful,” he said, trying to strike the appropriate balance between grateful and relieved. Too much in either direction would only further arouse her suspicions. “I’ll call you when it’s done.”
“One more thing,” she said, catching him just before he hung up. “Since you are changing the terms of our agreement, I am changing the terms of your payment. Twenty-four hours will cost you ten percent.”
He bit back a reflexive protest and silently cursed her. But there was nothing he could do. If he argued with her, she would only lower his payment more out of spite.
“Fair enough,” he gritted out. She laughed and he gripped the phone hard to keep from throwing it across the room.
“I look forward to your call,” she said, ending the conversation.
He forced himself to gently set the phone down, then gripped the edge of the table to stop his hands from shaking. He needed a drink, just a little something to take the edge off.
There was a half-empty bottle of whisky on the counter and he grabbed it, his fingers fumbling as he worked to unscrew the cap. It seemed to take forever, but he was finally able to get the bottle open. The pungent, eye-watering smell hit him and his muscles began to relax. He forced himself to wait a moment before taking a drink—he had self-control, after all
. Then he took a healthy swig, not bothering with a glass. The burning liquid hit his stomach, sending tendrils of comforting warmth through his system.
He should have known better than to ask for a favor. Ten percent wasn’t a huge amount of money, but he needed every cent he could get. He wasn’t stupid—people didn’t exactly leave babies just lying around, so he was only going to be able to pull this off once. It was only fair he receive the maximum financial compensation for his efforts.
For a moment, he considered calling her back and arguing the point. But there was no use. She’d say something about 90 percent being better than 0 percent, and then she’d dock his pay even more. He was better off figuring out how to get the baby—perhaps if he was able to deliver her at the original agreed-upon time, he’d still get the full payment. No sense in making him pay for extra time he hadn’t used.
The alcohol was beginning to work its magic, clearing some of the cobwebs from his brain so he could think. If he was going to take the baby, he’d have to find a way to take Ridge Colton out of the picture. The man had obviously grown attached to the little one, and he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight. A frontal assault on the cabin hadn’t been successful, so he was going to have to come up with a different approach...
Most important, though, he had to make sure the baby didn’t get hurt. He wouldn’t get paid if he delivered damaged merchandise. That meant no guns. He couldn’t take a chance on a bullet missing Ridge and hitting her. The idea of a knife was appealing, but ultimately unpractical. Knives were a personal weapon—you had to get close to your victim to use them. He would prefer to keep Ridge at a distance. The man was strong, and he’d made the mistake of underestimating his fighting skills before.
What he needed was the element of surprise. But now that Ridge knew he was after the baby, it would be a lot harder for him to catch them unawares. Still, there had to be a way...
Harlequin Romantic Suspense March 2016 Box Set Page 33
