Trevor was watching him, his brows drawn together in concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Ridge shook the memories off. There was no sense in reliving the past—nothing was going to change. He glanced around, recognizing the parking lot of the hospital. “We’re here.”
“That’s right,” Trevor said, employing the kind of encouraging, helpful tone one used when potty training a small child. Ridge glared at him. “Is that really necessary?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Trevor asked. “You checked out on me there for a while. Did you get hit in the head and not tell me?”
“No. I was just thinking.”
“Hmm.” Trevor pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened the door. “Try not to do that until we get inside. Don’t want you to hurt yourself. You’re too big for me to carry.”
Ridge made a crude gesture in his brother’s direction, but Trevor only laughed. “Come on,” he said, rounding the hood and opening the passenger door. He offered the support of his arm, but Ridge ignored him. Each step was torture, but he’d be damned before he leaned on Trevor. His brother would never let him hear the end of it if he used him as a crutch.
Penny walked beside him, slowing her gait to match his labored strides. She would have been happier at home, but he didn’t want to risk leaving her there alone. Dennis was still out there and was probably very angry at the way things had turned out. There was no telling what he’d do to get back at Ridge for ruining his plans—he had a reputation as a mean drunk.
Ridge stopped as a new thought struck him. What if the Alphabet Killer had nothing to do with Sara’s mother? What if she had disappeared because she’d refused to give Dennis what he wanted, and he’d taken out his anger on her?
“Do you need a wheelchair?” Trevor’s question broke into his thoughts and Ridge realized they were still in the parking lot.
“No. I’m good. Say, do you think Dennis Hubbard may have something to do with the disappearance of the baby’s mother?”
Trevor tilted his head to the side, considering the question. “It’s possible. You think he approached her for the baby first and when she didn’t hand her over he lost his temper?”
“Something like that,” Ridge said. “It makes sense. How else would he know where to look for the baby? The mother had to tell him where she’d stashed the little one.” He had a sudden vision of a young woman, her eyes red-rimmed and her cheeks streaked with tears as she begged Dennis not to hurt her.
“And if Dennis went too far...” He let the suggestion trail off. “Well, it’s no wonder she hasn’t come back to claim her child.”
Trevor nodded. “It’s a solid theory,” he said. “Now we just need to figure out where Dennis might have stashed her body, if he did in fact kill her.”
Ridge shook his head. “I’ll let you and your team work on that. I have no desire to learn more about him and his habits.” Especially if Trevor’s suggestion was correct—was Dennis really trying to sell Sara on the black market? If so, was this his first time, or was he an old pro at stealing children from vulnerable women and turning a profit on the misery of other people? The thought made his stomach heave, and he swallowed hard to clear the foul burn of bile from the back of his throat. Just how extensive was this shadow network?
He picked up his pace, ignoring the protests of his knee. The possibilities of human trafficking, the foster system and the death of Sara’s mother swirled together in his head, creating a black storm of thoughts that made him anxious to see the baby. He needed to hold her, to feel her little body against his chest and know on a visceral level that she was truly okay. The world had turned into a very scary place, and he wanted to wrap her up tight and shield her from the evils of life for as long as he could.
He hadn’t been able to protect Josie, and the knowledge that he had failed her haunted him to this day. He was determined not to make the same mistake again.
CHAPTER 12
Darcy thumped softly on the baby’s back, swaying back and forth as she stood in the middle of the exam room.
“I know you’ve got a burp in there,” she said quietly. “Give it up, little one.”
The baby let out a sigh and started to squirm against Darcy’s shoulder. Darcy kept patting, knowing if she didn’t get the baby to burp after feeding she would spit up once Darcy laid her down. Having just tackled a soiled diaper, Darcy didn’t fancy cleaning up another mess so soon.
There was a soft knock at the door and a nurse entered. “Test results,” she said, passing them over.
Darcy scanned the information, relieved to see everything was normal. The baby was probably just fighting off a virus, and since her temperature was now under control, there wasn’t much more to be done.
“Thank you,” she said.
The nurse smiled back at her. “I’m glad everything looks good,” she said.
“Me, too,” Darcy replied.
The baby chose that moment to let out a belch, as if to add her two cents to the conversation. “Good job,” Darcy said, surprised to find she was genuinely pleased. Since when had she gotten so excited over a baby burping? A week ago she probably wouldn’t have cared all that much, but being around Ridge and this baby had changed her perspective on a lot of things.
The thought of Ridge made her heartbeat pick up. He’d been gone awhile, certainly long enough for him to make it home. Had the masked intruder taken the bait and tried to attack again? Had Ridge been able to get the information he needed out of the man? Most importantly, was Ridge okay?
The baby wriggled and let out a soft whimper, and Darcy realized she was squeezing her little body too tightly. She relaxed her grip and laid the baby back in the hospital crib, tucking a blanket over her to ward off the chill of the room. Then she started pacing, trying hard not to imagine Ridge unconscious on the floor of his cabin.
Or worse.
“He’s fine,” she told herself firmly. Ridge Colton was a large, strong man. The chances of someone overpowering him were very small.
But he was a little banged up from the earlier attacks, her nerves helpfully pointed out. What if the blow to his head or the jab to his ribs had hurt him more than he’d let on? It would be so like him to pretend he was fine when he was in pain. Had she been fooled by his act and missed the true extent of his injuries?
“Doctor of the year, that’s me,” she muttered, working to keep her fears from taking over. Ridge had trusted her to keep the baby safe, and she couldn’t do that if she let her emotions rule. Besides, he was probably going to stroll through that door any minute now, flush with the triumph of his victory over the mystery intruder.
Yep. Any minute now.
She stared at the door, willing it to open. Come on, Ridge, she pleaded silently. Where are you?
The door offered no response, so she went back to pacing. I could call him, she thought. Then she shook her head, dismissing the idea almost as quickly as it had come. If Ridge was in the middle of an encounter with the intruder, she didn’t want to distract him. But she could call Sam and fish for an update. After all, Ridge had only asked her to take care of the baby. He hadn’t said anything about leaving his brother alone...
She dug her phone out of her purse and started to dial, but was distracted by the sound of raised voices outside.
“Sir, you can’t bring a dog in here!”
Darcy rushed to the door and threw it open, just in time to see a tall, dark-haired man help Ridge onto a gurney. Penny sat at the foot of the bed, alert and watchful, totally oblivious to the protests of one of the nurses.
“It’s okay, Linda,” she called out. “Penny is a service dog.”
The woman clamped her mouth shut and nodded, but didn’t look happy about the presence of a dog in the ER. A few days ago Darcy would have felt the same way. But after seeing Penny work to p
rotect Ridge and the baby, Darcy was willing to throw the dog a ticker tape parade if it would make her happy.
“What happened?” She took a step out of the room but then remembered the baby and stopped, feeling torn in both directions. She wanted nothing more than to rush over to Ridge and make sure he was okay, but she couldn’t leave the baby alone. Things could change in an instant, and even though she’d only be a few feet away, she wasn’t willing to risk it.
Ridge glanced up at her and gave her a wry smile. “The usual. How’s she doing?”
“Better.” Darcy held up a finger and retreated back into the room. She grabbed the edge of the hospital crib and pushed, rolling it out of the room and over to Ridge. Problem solved.
He glanced into the crib, the lines of pain around his eyes softening when he saw the sleeping baby. “Hi there, little one,” he said quietly.
The baby stirred, turning toward him in unconscious acknowledgment of his voice. Darcy felt her heart swell. “She loves you,” she told him softly.
He blinked hard at her words and the corners of his mouth curled up in a small, shy smile. “Feeling’s mutual,” he said gruffly.
The man next to him cleared his throat unobtrusively. She turned toward him, noting the strong resemblance between the two of them. This must be another one of Ridge’s brothers.
“Darcy, right?” he said in a friendly tone.
She nodded. “That’s me. And you are?” She offered her hand and his grip was warm and solid.
“Trevor Colton.”
“The FBI profiler,” she said, the pieces clicking into place.
“That’s right.” If he was surprised she knew his profession, he didn’t show it.
“Nice to meet you.” She’d known about Trevor’s existence while she and Ridge were dating, but this was the first time she’d met him. The Colton siblings had been scattered across the foster system, which meant for all practical purposes, Ridge had been an only child.
Trevor opened his mouth to say more, but Darcy turned back to Ridge. It was rude of her, but she wanted to know what had happened at the cabin, and why Ridge had needed help walking in to the ER.
“Where are you hurt?” she asked him, effectively ending her conversation with Trevor.
“I’m fine.” Ridge dodged the question, refusing to meet her eyes.
“I’ve never known you to need help walking before,” she pointed out. Ridge kept his attention on the baby, his jaw set in a stubborn line.
Darcy appealed to Trevor with a look. “His knee,” he said helpfully. “But I don’t know if that’s the only spot.”
“Thank you,” she said, turning back to Ridge. “Let me take a look. Please,” she added, hoping if she acted as if he was doing her a favor he’d cooperate more readily.
He leaned back reluctantly, stretching out his leg with a grimace that told her just how much pain he was in.
“Can you take your pants off, or do I need to cut the fabric?”
Despite his discomfort, Ridge still managed to flash her a heart-stopping grin. “I bet you say that to all the guys,” he teased.
Darcy felt her face heat. If he only knew the truth! “Just you, honey,” she said, trying to keep her tone light. Now was definitely not the time to share her feelings, especially while his brother stood there watching them, a speculative gleam in his eyes.
“I’ll help you,” Trevor offered. “It would be a shame to ruin a good pair of jeans. Besides,” he added, a playful note entering his tone. “I have absolutely no desire to watch a woman take your pants off.”
Darcy couldn’t help but laugh as the tips of Ridge’s ears turned red. “You don’t have to vocalize every thought that pops into your head,” he muttered. Trevor merely winked at Darcy, ignoring his brother’s griping.
It took only a few minutes to get Ridge back on the bed. He had remained quiet through all the maneuverings, but his face was now the color of old milk and there was a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. It was no wonder he was in such pain—his knee was a swollen, purple mess that was hot to the touch.
“This doesn’t look good,” she said grimly.
“You should see the other guy,” Ridge replied.
“I’m serious, Ridge. You’re going to need an orthopedic consult.”
“Sounds like something that will take a while,” Ridge said. “I don’t have that kind of time. Can you just wrap it up and send me on my way with some ibuprofen or something?”
“Are you out of your mind?” Darcy said. “Look at your knee—this isn’t the kind of injury you can just shake off. Besides, where do you need to go? What’s so important that you can’t take the time to heal properly?”
Ridge looked away again, which triggered alarm bells in her head. “You want to go after the intruder again, don’t you?” He didn’t reply, which only confirmed her suspicion.
Darcy stared at his knee, feeling her temper build like a summer storm. “You always were a little reckless,” she said, her throat tight with the need to scream. “But I never thought you were stupid. I guess I was wrong.”
Ridge jerked his head up, a spark of temper in his eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You heard me,” she said evenly, crossing her arms.
Apparently, the baby sensed the growing tension in the room. She let out a squeak of distress, but neither Ridge nor Darcy softened.
“I think we’ll just step outside,” Trevor said. He took hold of the crib and pushed it out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
“I know who the intruder is,” Ridge said through gritted teeth. “I need to go after him and finish this.”
“No,” Darcy replied. “He’s already hurt you three times—is that not bad enough?”
“He got lucky.”
“He seems to have no shortage of luck when he’s attacking you,” Darcy said. She saw Ridge clench his hand and knew she had landed a blow to his ego, but she didn’t care. Better to hurt his feelings than have him run off again and wind up dead.
“Darcy—” he began, a note of warning in his voice.
“No, Ridge,” she said, cutting him off. “You’re being ridiculous. Just call your brother and tell him who the attacker is. Let the police deal with him.”
“I’m going to,” he said with exaggerated patience. “But they’ll need my help.”
“Oh, so you’re a cop now, too?”
“I’m a tracker.” His voice was lethally quiet, and Darcy realized she’d pushed too hard. He was about to shut her out completely, if he hadn’t already done so. “The man’s been in my house several times. Penny can get his scent, and we can find him. It’s what we do.”
She swallowed hard, then tried a different approach. “Your knee is too fragile right now. If you go hiking after the intruder, you will probably do permanent damage to the joint, which means you’ll be dealing with chronic pain in the future. Is he really worth it?”
Ridge studied her for a moment, his dark brown eyes inscrutable. “What’s this really about?” he asked finally.
It was Darcy’s turn to look away. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’re awfully worked up about this. Why do you care so much what I do?”
“Your knee—” she began, but he interrupted her.
“To hell with my knee. It’s more than that, and I want to know what’s going on. Why are you suddenly so worried about what my future holds? You’re not going to be around to see it.”
She flinched, but she couldn’t deny the truth of his words. “We’re friends,” she said, the excuse sounding lame even to her own ears. “Friends care about each other.”
“Yes, they do,” he agreed. “But are we friends? Because that’s not how I remember things ending between us.” He sounded curious now, all trac
es of his earlier anger gone.
Darcy took a deep breath. She might as well tell him. If she passed on this opportunity, it would only put more distance between them. “I was wrong,” she blurted out. Nothing subtle about that.
Ridge didn’t react to her declaration. She lifted her head to find him watching her, his expression patient. “Breaking up with you was a mistake. I know now, my parents framed you to make me think you had stolen the watch. I believed their lies, and I’m sorry. I should have trusted you, not them.”
His face went blank. “I see.”
“I hate that we missed out on ten years together.” Might as well tell him everything, before she lost her courage. “But now that I’m back, I was hoping maybe...” She trailed off, watching his face for signs of what he was thinking.
“Maybe what?” he asked, sounding a little wary.
Her stomach sank. “Well, I thought we might be able to try again.”
She held her breath, waiting for his response. He stared at her for a moment, clearly trying to process what she’d said. Then he shook his head slowly. “You want to pick up where we left off, ten years ago?”
Darcy frowned. “No, not exactly. I know we’ve both changed. But I thought we could give things another shot, see where they lead.”
“I already know where they lead,” he said. “Your future is in New York. Mine is here. There’s really no point in discussing this further.”
“Is that the only reason you think it’s a bad idea?” A spark of hope kindled to life in her chest. If Ridge still had feelings for her they could find a way to make everything else work.
He frowned at her. “Isn’t that enough? I’m not interested in a long-distance relationship or a temporary fling. That doesn’t leave us with any other options.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” she pressed.
“What do you mean?”
She took a deep breath and spoke before she could change her mind. “I want to know if you still have feelings for me the way I do for you.”
Harlequin Romantic Suspense March 2016 Box Set Page 37
