by Mimi Barbour
An open balcony faced into the inside of the plaza and a pair of binoculars duct-taped to a stand caught his attention immediately. Before he could follow his inclination to step outside for both fresh air and a chance to view her panorama, she stopped him to whine.
“I’ve called the precinct lots of times and you’re the first person who has ever come to discuss my complaints. I suppose I oughtta thank you.” She wobbled to where an ancient old lazy-boy, ratty and filthy, sat in front of a beauty of a big-screen TV.
Seems Matilda liked certain luxuries, Kai surmised. Empty beer bottles lined the floor around her seat and littered the table in front and beside her. The woman didn’t go without.
“Nice place you have here, Miss Swift.”
“Mrs. Swift. My man left it to me. Set me up before he passed on. Wanted to make sure I was looked after. Good husband, my Henry, I still miss the old goat.” Tears filled her rheumy eyes.
So maybe the old doll wasn’t as wacky as Ham thought. Kai sat on the hard-backed chair nearest her and decided to just come straight out with his questions, no beating around the bush.
“Last night you mentioned seeing a red-headed woman, a mother who didn’t know how to look after her baby. I’m interested in anything you can tell me about this woman.”
“They’re all over the place, so called mothers who have no sense. God isn’t as select anymore—lets any stupid hussy give birth. It’s the babies who suffer. I never had any children, and I still curse him for making me that way.”
Matilda reached to the floor and lifted a half-empty bottle of beer and drained it. She burped loudly and then continued. “The Bible says God is all-seeing, all-knowing. Well I say he don’t know nothing! What goes on around me in this place would make your head spin. It’s a crazy world out there, full of nuts. Nuts everywhere!”
O-kayyy… she’s as wacky as Ham warned. Kai wondered if he was wasting his time. One more go at it and he was outta here.
“About the redhead, Mrs. Swift?”
Matilda shook herself and her head spun in his direction as if she wondered who he was and how he’d appeared. Then she put her hand up to her forehead and rubbed. “The redhead? Not so red anymore. She’s changed it to black. Looks horrible if you ask me. I liked it better before.”
Son-of-a-bi… Excitement began to prick at the queasiness in the pit of his stomach. “Tell me about your black-haired neighbor.”
“My neighbor? Oh yes. She changed her hair color but I’d recognize her anywhere. I call her Mama of the Year. At least she isn’t one of them that hurts her baby. She just never puts the kid down. Day and night I see her carrying the babe, always kissing and smooching, and singing. It’s kinda nice sometimes, you know what I mean? I like watching her.”
His heart instantly took up the rumba. A breath caught in back of his throat and he thought if he forced it through his lungs it would choke him. So instead, he breathed through his nose and halted the ecstatic joy that pulsed throughout his system. Please God, please!
“Umm Mrs. Swift, could you show me the window you’re talking about?” He rose and waited for Matilda to follow.
Like a recorder clicked on to play, Matilda still talked and ignored him. “She never goes out. Gets her groceries delivered from all different stores. I know. I see the trucks all the time. Once in a while, she brings the baby to the balcony for fresh air. I like him. He’s beautiful.”
Quickly, Kai strode back toward the nutcase still nattering. “You’re sure it’s a boy?” Harsh with sorrow, his tone one decibel down from a yell, he instinctively probed.
His voice must have registered because she blinked and gave him her attention. A crafty grin lit her face and she added. “She dresses the babe in blue, but if you see the darling’s blue eyes and cute giggle, it don’t look to me like a boy. Too pretty! Come on, I’ll show you.”
She led him to the binoculars and swung them to the building straight across. “One floor down, directly opposite.”
Barely able to contain himself, Kai did as she ordered, fixed the sights on the glasses and stared directly into the face of his precious baby daughter.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Aurora took the call from Kai. When she answered and heard his warm voice, she knew. Just like that.
Her ears gave off signals that would have driven her crazy if not for the sheer happiness his words generated.
“I’ve found her, Darlin’. I’m going to give you an address. You need to collect the troops, but keep everyone away. Jane can’t be spooked. You know that?”
“Oh God, Kai. I can’t believe it’s almost over. I’ll be there soon. How do we get into the place without agitating her?”
“I’ve stopped a delivery truck bringing groceries to her apartment. I’ll take the driver’s place. Once I’m in, I can survey the layout and her state of mind.”
“Don’t upset her. Remember, Lelonde warned us how precarious she is. Maybe it would be better having a woman talk her down. Like mother to mother.” Aurora wanted nothing more than to get close to Lily and rip her from the other woman’s arms.
“Not you, babe. She’ll recognize you in an instant.”
“Debbie would step in if you think it’s more feasible.”
“Tell you the truth, I think she might panic with having a woman appear. She’s only been used to delivery guys at the door.” Kai added a sexy tone to his warmth. “You know I’m good with women.”
“Yeah! Yeah! Just be careful.”
“Will do. Talk soon. I love you.” The click in her ear told her it was too late to counter his message.
I love you. The words rang in her head and ignited a small flame burning deep in a hidden core inside her heart. A place where only grey had existed for as long as she could remember. Until the day she met Kai.
She’d heard others use those words as a matter of fact—like they had no special meaning. To one who’d never heard them aimed at her before, the sentiment mattered, big time.
She just hoped she’d get a chance to someday be able to reply to the hotshot with a “love you more” answer.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kai’s fast talking, plus his badge, eventually convinced the young delivery guy he wouldn’t lose his job by passing his uniform and the box of groceries over. However, he’d have trouble walking if he gave Kai any more arguments. Just his luck to run into the only conscientious grocery clerk in the whole freakin’ city.
When the long-haired pimple-faced kid went to drive away, again Kai had to use force tactics to keep him in place.
“Hey, I can’t stay here,” the clerk whined. “There’s a pile of other deliveries to make. C’mon, man. I just got this work and my boss is a real SOB. If I don’t finish my route, all my route, in the allotted time, I can kiss this job good-bye.”
“You don’t listen to me and get your butt out of that truck right now; you’ll be kissing your ass good-bye.” Since Kai knew the truck could be identified by a glimpse out of the patio, and since he was dealing with a kidnapper who supposedly had the smarts of a genius, he couldn’t take any chances.
Eventually Kai convinced the antagonist—in a roundabout way. Being cuffed in the back with the groceries and a rag shoved in his mouth seemed a bit bizarre, but who knew what trouble the stupid fool could start if he compromised the delicate scene?
It took Kai a few minutes to wiggle into the tight monogrammed shirt. He was glad the uniform included an open vest that covered the rip up the back. He rolled up the too-short sleeves and soon picked up the heavy box of groceries that included baby formula and diapers.
The store receipt had the apartment number as being #1147. He quickly texted the information to Aurora, and then whistling, he strolled briskly to the front door.
Like in the neighbouring apartment where Matilda lived, the key-pad had easy access and in no time Kai had rung the suite. Feigning nonchalance, he waited for the woman to answer his summons. In actual fact, his body thrummed like a live power li
ne.
To clear the excitement he knew showed in his eyes, he did some deep-breathing exercises and blinked a number of times and then to be on the safe side, he slipped on his sunglasses.
From the minute she’d given him permission to enter and opened the lock until he stood at the end of her hallway, he worked to erase all emotion from his features. He shifted the box on his knees and wiped the moisture from his hands. Then he ran his fingers through his hair, hoping he looked presentable.
When he stepped in front of her door, it didn’t surprise him that she took her time opening to him. Her inspection through the peephole felt almost physical, his stress was so encompassing.
When he heard the lock click open, the relief surged from the top of his head to deep in his gut. Soon!
And there she was, his beautiful darling daughter dressed in blue baby-boy pants and a blue t-shirt, goo-ing her happiness at seeing a new face.
His Lily—clutched tightly in the arms of a maniac with wild in her eyes and the bulge of a gun in the hand sheltered just under a soft, teddy-bear blanket.
My God Lily’s as beautiful as her mommy.
Because the only time he’d seen the babe had been at night, he hadn’t been prepared for her likeness to him, especially their eyes. Hers were slanted similar to her Daddy’s, vibrant blue, full of innocence and sparkles whereas he knew his must have been the same vivid color once but he guessed life had tamed them.
A noise alerted him that his scrutiny of Lily had taken too long and so he turned his attention to Jane, the nutcase who held his most precious possession in her rigid arms.
Her eyes looked haggard, her now black-dyed hair a mess, tangled and wild. The clothes she wore were creased and soiled with spit-up on the shoulder. But her wide-eyed expression held absolute conviction.
Behind her, he made out the baby gear that looked new and shiny. This woman had obviously wanted Lily to have the best. He saw that the layout of the suite duplicated the one he’d visited earlier across the courtyard. Except for one difference—these furnishings were modern, clean and a hell of a lot more desirable.
“Just leave the box here.” Jane spoke the words in a no-nonsense voice. By standing in the doorway, she completely blocked entry into the suite.
“Couldn’t do that, Ma’am! This box is heavy. My boss would have my job if I didn’t deliver properly. Just tell me where you’d like this, and I’ll be glad to carry it inside.”
“No!”
Kai pretended to be surprised and hurt by her rudeness.
Her tone gentled a little. “Fine, put it here.”
She moved aside so Kai could step over the threshold and to the nearby chair she motioned him to put the box on. Then she handed over a bundle of twenties.
He accepted the money. “You have a cutie there. What’s his name?” Kai took his time making out the change.
“Keep it.” She waved away the money. “Larry. His name is Larry.”
“It’s a nice name. My Dad’s name is Lawrence and everyone calls him Larry. Well of course, I don’t. I call him Dad. He’d throttle me if I called him by his first name.” Kai babbled on talking nonsense while sussing out the situation.
As if Lily sensed his anxiety, she began to fuss. All of a sudden, she shocked both adults as she pushed away from Jane’s clinging arms and lunged towards Kai, her tiny body arching and her little hands reaching, trying to grasp him.
Obviously agitated by this seeming rejection, Jane whipped the baby away from him. Not liking this treatment at all, Lily let the world know. Her screams rent the air and broke his heart. Instinct took over as he offered to take her, his smile warm, his hands extended.
“I have a way with the girls, let me help.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Once Aurora and Ham arrived on the scene, they released the furious grocery driver and had a uniform drive him back to the store so he wouldn’t be in trouble with the boss who worried him so much.
Before he left, all he could tell them was the time Kai had disappeared into the building. With a sniff and some derision, he added that it never took him that long to make an ordinary delivery.
Once he headed off, Aurora paced beside her car. Something was wrong. She knew it. The ringing in her head confirmed that Kai must have run into a problem. Turns out she had one of her own. Alan Haynes of the Federal Bungling Incompetents and his posse drove up and parked out in the open.
“Get those vehicles away from here. You’re jeopardizing a crime scene,” she informed them in a tightly-controlled voice. God she wanted to scream the words at his mealy-mouthed face. “I don’t care where you move them to; just get them away from where the suspect can see them from her windows or patio.”
“Detective Morelli, kidnapping falls under Federal jurisdiction. You have withheld pertinent information from us on this case. Just so you know, I will be making a full report to my immediate supervisor.”
“Fuck off, Haynes. My partner is inside, so is my baby and if you ruin this for any reason, I’ll personally shoot you and cheer when the jury decides on justifiable homicide.”
“Morelli, be reasonable! Our SWAT teams are trained for this kind of situation. And we have negotiators who are highly specialized to deal with women like Mrs. Lelonde.”
“Right now, that woman has a gun and the will and smarts to use it. She’s irrational and believes that Lily is her own child. She will not let anyone forcibly remove that baby from her arms—not again. We know that.”
“I’m completely aware of what’s happened. We can take it from here.”
“Look, if Kai doesn’t succeed in talking her down, we have no idea where this will end. It’s delicate and it’s happening now. Not when your dicks can get their act together. Now back off and clear these cars out of here. Let us do our jobs or so help me God, you’ll see an irrational mother with a loaded gun pointed in your face.”
The disgust on his face didn’t faze her at all. But having the fool step from the unmarked vehicle and then wave the three away to park around the corner had her breathing a bit easier.
Aurora spoke into her shoulder phone to Ham who was organizing the police van’s arrival. “Ham, did you notice any movement on the patio from where you are?”
“No, nothing. I’m hopeful Mrs. Lelonde didn’t see all the traffic.”
“Find Matilda’s apartment and get some eyes on the scene if you can. Let me know what’s going on. I’ll wait here for Cory. He’s on his way.”
“Will do. You okay?” Ham didn’t need to make a gesture toward the stupid prick next to her. She knew what he was getting at.
“Yeah! Go.” Grudgingly leaving Aurora alone with Haynes, he scurried off to approach the other apartment from a different direction.
Ignoring the idiot beside her who yattered on his phones, telling his crew to close off the vicinity and keep everyone from the site, Aurora called the number Mr. Lelonde had given her. She explained to the husband of the broken madwoman that a car would pick him up and bring him here. Never knew when a loved one could make a difference in an emergency. Best to be prepared.
All of a sudden, Aurora heard Ham’s voice and he sounded anxious. “Aurora I’m in. And I have bad news. She’s made Kai. He’s on the floor and she has her gun aimed at his head while he’s putting on some handcuffs.”
Chapter Forty
“Who are you?” The woman was totally cool. Her hand holding the gun didn’t shake. Her eyes holding his didn’t flinch. Neither did the hatred blazing from her eyes wane. She scared the living shit out of him.
Not wanting to alarm her, Kai casually put his hands in his pockets and took a relaxed stance. “I’m Lily’s father.” After he spoke the words, they hurtled back at him like a shock wave of pure elation. He’d never said it out loud before and somehow it made his claim seem more real. Holy smokes! I’m a father. And this little blue-eyed darlin’ is mine.
It was then he knew he could die. Because he’d do anything it took to keep his little a
ngel safe. If it meant taking a bullet, well then he’d gladly leave this life for her.
Except for one thing, he had the world by the tail right now. The love of a gorgeous female was in his grasp. He had a daughter to teach how to become a gutsy woman like her mom. It was a chance at a life he could only dream of. Somehow he had to get through this drama so he could have his happy ever after.
While he took the moments to think of his options, she’d laid Lily on the floor and stepped back motioning with the gun for him to sit against the wall.
The hardness in her tone hadn’t faltered, if anything it had strengthened. “Baloney, you’re a cop.”
He slowly removed his glasses and watched the truth sink in. “I’m her father. And I live in LA. I came as soon as I heard she’d been taken.”
“How did you find me?” She narrowed her eyes and waited.
Okay no more wriggling around the truth. Being as smart a lady as she was, she wouldn’t appreciate it. “I’m a detective with the LAPD.”
“I knew it. Otherwise you’d never of had the wherewithal to search out all the different deliveries. I had to order supplies because I couldn’t take a chance yet on anyone recognizing Lily. But I worried that you’d track the baby stuff.”
He had to think fast. “There was a pattern.”
Jane nodded. “I know. She likes only certain foods and I wanted her to be happy.” For a second, she glanced at the baby on the floor playing with her toes and gurgling. Her expression softened wondrously.
A bit of the ice in Kai’s animosity melted. He couldn’t let this softening override his knowledge though. She was a land mine, one wrong step and detonation could occur.
“Give me your gun,” she ordered.
He did as she asked and watched as she backed to a small table and put it in a drawer.
“Now sit there, put your handcuffs on and don’t move.” She was all business once again.
He did as she said, and leaned back against the wall—calm and quiet.
