Secret Surrogate

by Delores Fossen

  With Kylie’s blue eyes.

  Fate and DNA certainly had a twisted sense of humor. Here he’d spent years despising those eyes, yet he might spend the rest of his life looking at them on a son or daughter whom he dearly loved.

  “Well?” Finn prompted. “You want to know the gender?”

  Lucas shook his head. “No.” He wanted to get a few things straightened out in his life so he’d have time to savor the news.

  Finn actually seemed disappointed. “Still having trouble coming to terms with all that’s happened?”

  Lucas sank down onto the chair tucked in the corner. “I’m having trouble with a lot of things.”

  “Hmm.” Finn dropped down on the examining table directly across from him. “Buttin’ my nose in here, but when’s the last time you were with a woman? And I don’t mean that in a general sense. I mean clothing removal, et cetera, et cetera.”

  It was sad, but Lucas it took him a while to come up with an answer. “About six months.”

  Finn stared at him.

  “All right, almost a year.” And it had been just sex. Comfort sex at that, with an old high school friend who’d been in town to visit her folks. Lucas couldn’t even remember if it involved total clothing removal. Heck, he couldn’t remember if it’d been marginally satisfying. What he could remember was that he’d felt guilty as hell afterward. It’d been like cheating on Marissa.

  “There. You have the answer to some of those things that are troubling you,” Finn concluded. “Maybe you’ve never noticed, but Kylie’s an attractive woman—”

  “I was married, not dead,” Lucas pointed out. “I’m a man, not a eunuch. I noticed.”

  Finn opened his mouth, probably to continue to plead his case as to why Lucas should have yet another round of guilt-producing sex, but thankfully Lucas’s cell phone rang. Saved by the bell.

  “Lucas Creed,” he answered, dodging Finn’s disapproving you-won’t-get-off-that-easy gaze.

  “It’s Sheriff Knight. I’ve been working on those things we discussed, and we got lucky. Well, in one way. In another way, our luck just didn’t hold out.”

  “Start with the good,” Lucas requested. Maybe by then, he’d be in the right frame of mind to hear the bad. God. He really didn’t need any more bad news.

  “I called the detective in SAPD that you suggested, and he managed to locate a Tiffany Smith through her cell phone records.”

  If this were true, they had gotten more than just lucky. They’d gotten a huge break. “You’re sure she’s the right one? There’s probably more than one person with that name in a city of over a million people.”

  “She’s barely eighteen, a runaway. She recently had a baby, and she used that same surrogacy clinic you mentioned that your friend had used. With that kind of bio, I’d say she’s the right one. I managed to talk to her, briefly, on her cell phone. She wouldn’t tell me where she was. Fact is, she sounded a little scared. But she did agree to a meeting with you, me or both. Tomorrow afternoon, four o’clock, at Mama’s Pizzeria on Broadway. You know the place?”

  “I’ll find it,” Lucas assured him. Because this was too important a meeting to pass up. Since he didn’t figure he would get the truth from Isaac Dupont, maybe Tiffany Smith had info or even evidence that could link Dupont to illegal surrogacy.

  And to the kidnapping attempt on Kylie.

  If that attempt had been made to silence Kylie, then Dupont was at the top of his list of suspects. He was also at the top of the list of people who riled Lucas the most. He didn’t intend to let Dupont or anyone else get away with what had happened to Kylie.

  “I did a little checking into the surrogacy clinic itself,” Sheriff Knight continued. “It’s just a suggestion, but you might want to take a hard look at the clinic’s director, Kendrick Windham.”

  Lucas knew the name. It’d come up in his preliminary research. “I planned to do that just as soon as I’m finished here.”

  He’d read back through Kylie’s now infamous article after she’d gone to bed, and even though she hadn’t actually mentioned Kendrick Windham, it’s possible that Windham thought she was referring to him. Or maybe he thought she was alluding to his highly successful clinic.

  Alluding.

  There was that word again. Kylie was right. All that sidestepping might have gotten her into a lot of trouble. Now, it was his job to end the trouble so she could concentrate on a safe and healthy pregnancy.

  “Are you ready for that bad news now?” Sheriff Knight asked.

  At the same moment the sheriff said that, Kylie came out of the bathroom. Lucas listened to what his fellow police officer had to say, and at the end of the explanation, he concurred. It was bad news.

  Now he had to figure out what to do about it.

  “Is everything okay?” Kylie asked.

  Lucas nodded. That nod, though, was a huge lie. Things were far from being okay, but he’d save that for later. First, he wanted to try to sort through the implications of what he’d learned and then try to come up with a solution or two.

  If that were possible.

  She’d changed out of the paper gown and back into her maternity jeans and a loose tropical blue sweater that was almost a perfect match for her eyes. She glanced at both Finn and him, as if she were trying to figure out what they’d discussed.

  “I’m outta here,” Finn announced. He snagged his jacket from the chair and headed for the door. “I’ll let you know as soon as I get the results from the lab work. But I wouldn’t worry. Everything looks good.”

  Kylie nodded and thanked him. However, as soon as Finn had made his exit, she turned her gaze on Lucas.

  “I didn’t ask about the baby’s gender,” Lucas volunteered, putting on his coat.

  Shoot. She looked disappointed, as well. Lucas preempted that look by telling her what he’d just learned. “Sheriff Knight over in Gold Creek made some calls for me. He found Tiffany Smith.”

  “You’re kidding.” Kylie slipped on her own coat. “How?”

  “We got some help from SAPD. They checked cell phone accounts. Anyway, Tiffany’s agreed to meet with me tomorrow afternoon.”

  She cocked her head to the side, studied him. “If you managed to put all of this together, you didn’t get any sleep last night, did you?”

  “Not much.” But then, she probably hadn’t either. He opened the door to get her moving, and she fell into step beside him as they headed down a massive, glossy tiled hall. “I also want to do some checking on the clinic director.”

  “Kendrick Windham,” Kylie provided. “I met him briefly. You?”

  “Never saw him. I dealt only with the intake coordinator for the paperwork and the lab tech who processed my, uh, collection.”

  Sheesh. Why he’d nearly tripped over that word, he didn’t know.

  “You were lucky,” Kylie concluded. “Windham apparently likes to meet all of his girls face-to-face. He’s as slick as spit, if you ask me. He has Hannibal Lecter eyes. Come to think of it, he has a Lecter smile too. Seriously creepy. Definitely the kind of person you don’t want to cross paths with unless you have no choice.”

  Great. Lucas had used a clinic with a slick-as-spit director. And because he’d used said clinic, that meant Kylie had used it, as well.

  Nothing like a little extra guilt to bear.

  “Okay, spill it. Is there something wrong with the baby?” Kylie demanded. Not only did she demand. She came to a complete stop just inside the exit.

  “No. The baby’s fine. You heard Finn say so.”

  Judging from her expression, she obviously wasn’t convinced.

  “Then what’s wrong?” Her voice softened. “And please don’t tell me all is well, because I know from your body language that it isn’t.”

  He hadn’t realized he’d been that obvious. Still, he hadn’t intended to keep it a secret, especially since it involved her. Lucas drew in a long breath before he started. “I requested that SAPD provide protective custody for you. Sheriff Knigh
t checked on it, but they told him they’d turned it down.”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “The kidnapping attempt wasn’t within their jurisdiction. And let me guess—they don’t have the manpower or the funds to assist. Not until they officially open the case against Dupont.” She pulled in a hard breath. “But not to worry. I can make other arrangements—”

  “What other arrangements?” Lucas glanced at her and then out into the massive parking lot.

  She obviously noticed that parking lot glance because she looked out the double glass doors, as well. She no doubt noted the parked vehicles just as he’d just done. Once a cop, always a cop.

  “I can stay with my cousin in Houston,” she suggested.

  “Delmon,” Lucas said. He knew him. Had grown up with him. And trusted him, for the most part. But there was a problem. “Don’t know if you’ve spoken to him recently, but he seems to be out of town. I tried to call him this morning. Got his machine. I tried again while you were getting ready for the ultrasound. Still no answer.”

  Kylie shrugged. “All right. So, if I can’t get in touch with Delmon, I’ll hire a bodyguard.”

  That nonchalant shrug didn’t fool him one bit. “You could do that, yes. It’d take time to find someone reliable. Days, maybe. And even then, you might learn the hard way that this employee isn’t so good at stopping determined kidnappers.”

  Her shrug turned to a huff. “This isn’t your problem, Lucas. You have enough to deal with already, and believe it or not, there are some things I can do for myself.”

  “Why did you tell me that you were my surrogate?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Presumably, it wasn’t because you wanted to make a get-it-off-your-chest confession. And I don’t think it was part of chloroform haze, either. It’s because you were scared. Are scared,” he corrected.

  Her chin came up, and he saw the fight brewing in her blue eyes.

  Lucas cut her off at the pass. “You did the right thing by telling me. I know that. Now. If you hadn’t, and if something had gone wrong, I never would have forgiven myself.”

  “Or me.”

  He couldn’t argue with that. After all, he’d managed to hang on to his anger, hurt and blame for a long time. He was still holding on to it. But he couldn’t let that get in the way now.

  His child needed him.

  “This isn’t about forgiveness or blame,” he insisted. “For better or worse, you’re carrying my baby. And that baby is the most important thing. I won’t let your pride or your fear get in the way of what has to be done. Because you see, Kylie, no one wants to protect this baby more than I do. No one. I’m willing to put my life on the line. You think a bodyguard for hire will do that?”

  She blinked. “Kevin Costner did for Whitney Houston in that movie, The Bodyguard.”

  His first reaction was frustration because she seemed to be trying to brush him off. But the frustration quickly passed when he looked at her. And then he remembered. When she had been his deputy, Kylie had always been the one to infuse a little humor into a bad situation. Even if that humor was a smoke screen to hide her own concerns.

  “So, your answer is yes?” he asked. “You’ll let me provide protection?”

  “No.”

  He tried very hard not to groan, but gave up. “No?”

  “No,” she repeated. “Lucas, think this through. You can barely stand to be in the same room with me. Now you’re saying we should stay together, under the same roof. Indefinitely.”

  He really didn’t like it all spelled out that way, but even the bare facts wouldn’t make him back down. Not on this. “Temporarily,” he added.

  “Temporarily won’t lessen the discomfort you’ll feel when you have to face me every morning.”

  It wasn’t exactly the facing that concerned him most. The danger was his first concern, but he couldn’t dismiss this sizzling attraction, either.

  A burst of winter wind came right at them when they stepped out of the building. Because they had a long walk through the massive parking lot, Lucas pulled the sides of his jacket tighter around him. It didn’t help; the cold got through anyway. Ditto for the jeans. They weren’t much of a barrier against the unusually bitter weather. He suddenly wished that he’d asked Kylie to wait inside while he brought his truck around to the front.

  Kylie struggled with her own tan wool coat, but no matter how she shifted it, there wasn’t enough fabric to cover her stomach. Lucas finally just reached out, hauled her against him and pulled her into the cover of his buckskin jacket.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled. Then, she started to hum. He couldn’t help it. He smiled. He wanted to tell her that the closeness made him as uncomfortable as it was obviously making her, but it wasn’t necessary. Kylie no doubt knew.

  The cold and the moisture in the air had scabbed the surface of the parking lot with thin patches of ice. It was a reminder that the drive back wouldn’t be easy on several counts. Still, he’d gotten her to agree to the protective custody. Now, they just somehow had to survive it.

  Kylie stopped and glanced over her shoulder. Lucas turned, as well, and spotted what had captured her attention. It wasn’t difficult to spot—a dark blue SUV entering the parking lot.

  There were at least two dozen cars in the parking lot, and not all were stationary. Two were driving slowly toward the exit. Another was in the process of parking. However, the SUV seemed to stick out.

  Lucas glanced at his own truck. It was still a good twenty feet away. He considered latching onto Kylie and running toward it for cover. But Kylie probably wasn’t in the best condition for a run, and besides, there was no indication that they needed cover.

  Well, no indication except for that tightening feeling in his gut.

  “Is everything okay?” Kylie asked. But it didn’t sound nearly so much a question as it did a concern.

  Without taking his attention off the approaching vehicle, Lucas stepped to her side. He didn’t stop there. He positioned himself slightly in front of Kylie and eased his right hand over his gun.

  Just in case.

  The SUV came around the corner just ahead of them. The driver must have stomped on the accelerator because the vehicle lurched forward and swerved. Not in the opposite direction, either.

  It charged right toward them.

  Chapter Eight

  Kylie saw the vehicle and reacted.

  But not as quickly as Lucas did.

  Yelling for her to get down, he hooked his arm around her waist, and he shoved her out of the path of the oncoming vehicle. He twisted his body to take the brunt of the fall, and they landed on a narrow gravel easement just in front of a parked car.

  It wasn’t a second too soon.

  The SUV sliced across the path where they’d just been standing. The vehicle clipped the shoulder of the parking lot and narrowly missed the car directly in front of them.

  Fear slammed through her. God, what was happening? First, the kidnapping attempt, and now this. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

  Lucas drew his weapon, turned again and angled his body over hers, sheltering her. She cursed. So did he. This day had doled out enough without adding a near-death experience to it. And there was no mistake about it—they’d just come close to dying.

  Kylie frantically dug through her purse, the one she’d picked up at her house earlier, and she pulled out her snub-nosed revolver as well. She didn’t make a habit of carrying a concealed weapon, but after what had happened the night before, she’d wanted to bring the weapon with her.

  Just in case.

  Well, just in case had happened.

  The SUV screeched to a halt, and Lucas dragged himself off the easement. Kylie tried to get up, as well, but he merely forced her back down.

  “Stay put,” he warned. “You can’t put yourself in danger. Think of the baby.”

  Until he added that last part, she’d been ready to disagree. He was right. However, it sent her adrenaline and fear levels soaring. Finn had just given her a clean bill of hea
lth, and the baby was right back in danger again.

  When was this going to stop?

  Because she had no choice, Kylie did as Lucas said. But while taking cover behind the parked car, she repositioned herself so she could assist and return fire if necessary.

  The SUV had come to a stop at the far end of the parking lot. She couldn’t see anything behind the heavily tinted windows, but Kylie had no trouble hearing the driver of the vehicle hit the accelerator. The SUV lurched forward, and the back tires fishtailed on the icy surface of the parking lot. It sped away, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust.

  That speedy exit got Lucas moving away from the meager shelter of the easement. He kept his Glock ready and aimed, and he darted out into the parking lot.

  “Did you get the license plate numbers?” he called out to her.

  “No. You?”

  He cursed again. Obviously he hadn’t seen the license plate, either. Like the other vehicle that had followed her from San Antonio, this one appeared to have mud or something on the plates.

  Without taking his attention off the exit path, Lucas took out his cell phone and used his thumb to stab in some numbers. Probably to SAPD. But that might not do any good. They were outside city limits. Again, out of SAPD’s jurisdiction. But this latest incident might be enough to get them to open the investigation into Isaac Dupont’s alleged illegal activity.

  However, the question was, would that help? Or would it make things worse? She didn’t think Dupont was the sort of man merely to accept an investigation without causing some waves of his own.

  And that made her furious.

  Because Dupont, or whoever was doing this, was putting Lucas’s child at risk.

  With her heart banging in her chest, Kylie stood, and her gaze whipped across the parking lot, first to one end, then the other. She didn’t stop there. She studied the rural highway that fronted the clinic. No sign of the SUV. It, and its lethal driver, had simply vanished.

  “Let’s go after the SOB,” she insisted, already storming toward Lucas’s truck. “I think he turned left when he headed out of the parking lot. That means he’s driving east.”