by Debra Webb
“According to Angel’s longtime girlfriend, he stole a body from a morgue in L.A. He set it up to look like Sloan’s son, even made sure there would be no way to identify it.”
“Why would he go to all that trouble?” Victoria asked, still suspect.
Rachel quickly explained about Angel’s sister, and where she lived now according to Tanya.
“It’ll take a couple of days to check it out, but I’ll put Ric Martinez right on it.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” Victoria said quietly. “If there’s any chance that Sloan’s son is alive, I’ll do whatever it takes to find him. I’ll send Zach Ashton along as well. He’s our top legal advisor.”
Rachel ended the call and decided she had one more stop before leaving the hospital.
Pablo was watching television when Rachel and Josh entered his room. A woman sat next to his bed.
“Señora Rachel, Josh! It is good to see you.”
Rachel lifted Josh up so he could shake hands with Pablo. Rachel kissed the man’s cheek in lieu of a handshake. Pablo blushed and patted her hand.
“This is my sister, Rosa.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Rosa.” Rachel beamed a smile at her. The resemblance between Rosa and her brother was easy to see. Same thin features. Same gentle smile.
The woman nodded and said something in Spanish.
“She’s not much for the English,” he explained.
Rachel shrugged. “That’s okay. I’m not much for the Spanish.” She placed her hand on his and squeezed affectionately. “You’re doing okay?”
“Very fine. Yes.” His gaze turned somber. “I’m glad the evil man is dead.”
Rachel sighed. “Me, too.”
“The woman who shot me, she is here in the hospital?”
“Yes, but she’s under guard. She won’t be going anywhere except to prison when she is well enough.”
Pablo nodded. “Good.”
“I haven’t seen Sloan since I left the house.” Rachel ventured.
“He had urgent business.” Pablo took her hand in his this time. “Give him time.”
“He left without saying anything, even goodbye,” Rachel told him, unable to hide her hurt. “I’m sure he knows I’ve been at the hospital today, but he’s avoided me. I don’t understand.”
“Don’t doubt his heart, señora,” Pablo insisted. “But you must give him time. He is afraid to admit his feelings. He has lost so much in his life. It is difficult to risk such great pain again.”
Rachel wished she could tell Pablo that Sloan’s son might be alive, but she had to be sure first. It would be too painful to get Sloan’s hopes up, and Pablo would surely tell Sloan about the investigation.
“I’m taking a room in the hotel across the street.”
Pablo nodded. “I know the one.”
“Would you please tell Sloan that if he wants to see me I’ll be waiting there.”
“Yes, I’ll tell him. He will be back day after tomorrow.”
Rachel hesitated before turning away. “Did he say or ask anything at all about me when he was here earlier?”
Pablo stared at his hands. “I’m sorry, Señora Rachel, but he did not. He was called away very suddenly.”
“Well.” Rachel blinked back the tears of disappointment. How convenient that he was called away so suddenly. She forced the bitter hurt away. “I should be going.” She kissed Pablo’s forehead, making him blush again, then smiled for Rosa. She had to get out of here. She needed time away from everyone to grieve for what she had hoped could be, but never would. Later, when Josh was fast asleep, Rachel would allow the soul-shaking tears to fall, but not now.
TWO OF THE LONGEST days and nights Rachel had ever lived dragged by. By noon on the third day she was sure she would lose her mind if she didn’t hear from either Sloan or Victoria Colby soon.
Josh had colored in his new coloring book until he’d fallen asleep in the middle of the bed. They couldn’t just keep staying here cooped up like this. This was ridiculous, she decided, she should just go to Sloan. She and Josh had left their things there. Though she’d bought a few clothes to get them through, she still had a legitimate excuse to go back to Sloan’s house. But she couldn’t do it. If he wanted her, he would come for her. She had known that this would be the way of it. Though she felt certain Sloan had feelings for her, for Josh even, they would never have a future together. Their combined pasts were too painful. Josh was still Angel’s son, there was no changing that. She had to face the facts. Sloan didn’t want her or her son in his life. She couldn’t make him feel something that wasn’t there.
The telephone rang and Rachel lunged for it. It had to be Sloan. “Yes,” she answered, breathless.
“Miss Larson?”
It wasn’t Sloan.
“Yes, this is Rachel Larson.”
“This is Ric Martinez from the Colby Agency.”
Rachel’s heart sped into overdrive. This was the investigator Victoria had assigned to check into Tanya’s story.
“Do you have news?” she demanded, impatient.
“Yes ma’am, I do. But I would prefer to discuss the information in person. Could we meet?”
Rachel frowned. “Where are you?”
“In the lobby of your hotel.”
“I’m in room 223.”
“I’ll be right up. And Mr. Ashton is with me.”
Rachel placed the receiver back in its base and tried to slow her racing heart. It had to be good news. Why would Mr. Martinez and the Colby Agency attorney have come all this way otherwise? They wouldn’t. Victoria would simply have called.
She opened the door on the first knock. A tall, lean man waited outside, a large envelope in his hand. As his name and accent suggested, Martinez was Latin.
He removed his designer sunglasses and tucked them into his shirt as his throat. “Miss Larson, I’m Ric Martinez.” He stepped inside her door. “And this is Zach Ashton.”
Rachel’s gaze shifted to the man who entered her room next. Older than Martinez, late thirties maybe, Mr. Ashton looked every bit the lawyer. Despite the heat, he wore a suit, the jacket draped over his left arm, his pristine white shirt remarkably devoid of wrinkles.
“Miss Larson, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Ashton offered his hand. “We have some good news for you.”
Rachel pushed the door shut, then took his hand. “Did you find him?”
Ashton gave her hand a quick shake. “Yes, we did.” He turned to Martinez. “Ric will bring you up to speed on the case.”
Hope mushroomed inside Rachel. She wanted to shout for joy but she contained herself until she heard the rest. “Would you like to sit down?” she offered, remembering her manners.
“That’s all right, ma’am, we’re fine,” Ric Martinez assured her. “Katrina Renaldi lives just outside Detroit with a ten-year-old boy.” He withdrew a hand full of eight-by-ten glossies from the envelope he held and passed them to Rachel. “She claims legal guardianship of the boy whom she says was orphaned by a distant relative seven years ago.”
Rachel stared at the pictures in her hand. The boy was tall for ten. His hair was blond, thick and slightly curly, with the same sky-blue eyes as Sloan. She had no doubt that this was his son.
“What name is he using?” she wanted to know.
“Mark Renaldi.”
Mark. That was Sloan’s son’s name. It had to be him. “Is this enough proof?”
“Not quite,” Ashton interjected. “We needed more conclusive evidence.”
“Needed?” Rachel prodded.
Martinez grinned sheepishly. Rachel had to admit, when exposed to that brilliant smile, Ric Martinez was a true Latin hunk. Zach Ashton was every bit as handsome, in a more classic, sophisticated way. Rachel suddenly wondered if drop-dead gorgeous was a prerequisite for working at the Colby Agency. Sloan certainly fit the bill.
“I ran his prints, and they were a perfect match for the ones on file with missing persons for Sloan’s son,” Mart
inez explained. “It’s him. There’s no doubt.” He gathered the pictures from her and slid them back into the envelope. “If the woman puts up a fuss, they can always do DNA testing. But I’d bet my as—” he cleared his throat “—my next paycheck that the test would confirm my findings.”
Rachel frowned, confused. “How did you get the boy’s prints?”
Martinez raked his fingers through his jet-black hair. “I salvaged his milk carton.”
“You what?” she asked in disbelief.
Aston shook his head, a wry smile on his lips. “You don’t want to know.”
“I had lunch in the school cafeteria. The female attendant was very friendly,” Martinez explained. “It wasn’t—”
“That’s okay,” Rachel cut in. “I’m sure you did what you had to.” Mr. Martinez appeared to use those Latin good looks to his advantage when working on a case. Victoria had been right in choosing him.
“Mrs. Colby is anxious to notify Sloan,” Mr. Ashton began, “but she asked that we get word to you first. She thought you might want to tell him personally.”
Rachel wasn’t sure that was a good idea now. She hadn’t heard from Sloan since that awful morning…with Angel. Maybe he didn’t want to see her again. He’d done what she hired him to do, what else did she expect? He hadn’t made any promises. I won’t hold you to any promises you make tonight. Sloan’s words echoed inside her head. They had no future together. She had known that from the beginning.
“Maybe you should tell him,” Rachel suggested. “I’m not sure—”
A knock at the door interrupted her. She looked from the door to Martinez, then to Ashton. “Did someone else come with you?”
“No. Just the two of us.” Martinez stopped her when she would have reached for the door. “Would you like me to answer it?” he suggested.
She shook her head. “No. I’ll get it.” She was through being afraid, through hiding. Angel was dead.
Rachel tamped down the foolish hope that it might be Sloan. If he had wanted to see her, he would have come already. Or maybe it would be him. After all, he hadn’t collected his fee yet. For that matter, he hadn’t even named an amount. Whether he wanted her or not, he would probably want his money.
“Excuse me.” Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, Rachel stepped between the two men and pulled the door open. She stared up into Sloan’s piercing blue eyes and her heart lurched. Unable to utter a word, she drank in the beauty of him as if it had been a lifetime since she’d seen him instead of only a couple of days.
“I was afraid you’d be gone.” His gaze flicked to Martinez and Ashton then back to her. “I had an emergency that couldn’t wait.” He glanced at the two strangers again. Something changed in his eyes. “Is this a bad time?”
She knew better than to hope that what she saw in that translucent blue gaze was jealousy. “No.” Rachel stepped back. “Please come in.” She’d been so caught up in staring at him that she hadn’t thought to ask him in. “This is Ric Martinez and Zach Ashton from the Colby Agency.”
A line of confusion marring his brow, Sloan accepted the hand Martinez offered first, then Ashton’s.
“It’s an honor to meet you, man,” Martinez said eagerly. “You’re a legend at the agency.”
A ghost of a smile twitched Sloan’s lips. “A legend, huh?”
“Absolutely.” Martinez was clearly impressed.
“Well after forty-eight hours of surveillance and nonstop travel, I definitely feel old enough to be a legend.”
“Sloan, Martinez brought some news,” Rachel told him, broaching the subject, but not quite sure how to begin.
Sloan turned back to her, his eyes full of something that looked a lot like hope. She would gladly have traded a year of her life to kiss him right then, but she had to do this first. He’d suffered too long already.
“What news?” He looked from her to Martinez and back.
“I spoke to Tanya after her surgery,” Rachel ventured, not sure how you told a man this sort of news. “She confirmed what Angel told you about your son.”
Sloan’s expression grew wary. “What do you mean?”
“She said your son is alive.” Rachel took the envelope containing the pictures from Martinez’s hand and opened it. “Angel’s sister has been raising him in Detroit.” She passed the photographs to Sloan.
Rachel watched, holding her breath, as myriad emotions stole across Sloan’s face. He looked at Rachel then, afraid to believe, but desperate for someone to make it all right.
“Martinez—” she stopped to compose herself “—he managed to get the boy’s prints. They match your son’s.” A sob caught the last word.
Sloan turned to Martinez. “How close was the match?”
“As close to perfect as you can get. The kid has to be your son. The woman suddenly shows up in a new town seven years ago with a three-year-old boy. There’s no adoption papers, no history of the kid prior to that.”
“Take me to him.”
The softly uttered command was directed at Martinez.
“We can leave now,” Ashton suggested. “We’ll discuss the legal ramifications and steps we’ll need to take en route.”
Sloan nodded. “Good.” He turned to Rachel. “I have to go, but I will be back.”
Rachel nodded, unable to speak without losing her grip on the tidal wave of emotions looming over her.
Sloan grabbed her and kissed her. The taste of his lips sealed her fate. She would love him for the rest of her life, whether he ever loved her or not.
LATE THE NEXT afternoon Rachel and Josh left for New Orleans. She couldn’t bear to stay in Mexico another day. Sloan hadn’t called. She was very happy that he had found his son, but it was clear to her, that he wasn’t interested in her and Josh. He had said he’d had an emergency and that’s why he hadn’t been to her hotel before, but he could have called. He could call now. She couldn’t do this to herself any longer.
She sighed. He probably had his son back by now. What did he need with her and Josh? He had his own family. Besides, what did they really know about each other? Nothing. Two people with a connected past had reached out to each other during a time of horrendous stress, and now it was over.
Rachel had to get on with her life. It wasn’t fair to Josh for her to mope around like this, and it wasn’t fair to her. The fall semester would begin in a few days. Josh would be starting preschool, she might as well sign up for a few classes at the university. Her father would have wanted her to finish her education. And she had to find something to do with herself if she couldn’t be with Sloan. Her heart ached at the dream that would never come true.
It was time she and Josh started a normal life. With or without Sloan. He had come to her hotel that day. Maybe he planned to tell her how he felt, but had gotten derailed with the news about his son, which was entirely understandable. Or maybe he simply wanted his fee.
Enough, Rachel, she chastised. Time to put the past behind you. She had Josh to think of.
Early the next morning, Rachel determined to do something about her state of depression. She dressed in the lovely print dress Sloan had bought her the day they’d gone shopping. He might never be a part of her life again, but she would never forget him. He had changed something inside her. Given her back the confidence and trust Angel had taken away. He would always be more than a hero to her.
Determined to take the first step in getting on with the rest of her life, Rachel left Josh with her neighbor, Detective Taylor’s wife, and visited the nearby university campus. Though she admired the lovely campus and the offerings were extensive, she couldn’t bring herself to actually sign up for anything. She gathered all the necessary forms and a schedule of what classes were offered just in case. She could look everything over tonight. Maybe then she could make a decision about what to do. There was still time.
Halfway across the deserted parking lot, Rachel stopped dead in her tracks. Sloan was leaning against her car, waiting for her. He looked wonderful.
From the plain white T-shirt to the faded jeans that gloved his muscular body, he looked like the man she loved. His hair was loose, the way she liked it. He looked amazing, like some Greek god come to rescue her from the humdrum of everyday life.
Ignoring the hope soaring inside her, Rachel covered the distance that separated them with measured steps. She clutched the papers and college catalog to her chest as if she could keep him from seeing what was in her heart. But she knew she couldn’t. Her love of him was shining in her eyes, she felt certain.
“Hello, Sloan.” She moistened her lips. “What brings you to the Big Easy?”
His gaze lingered on her lips for a very long time before he spoke. “Unfinished business. We have some settling up to do.”
Rachel blinked, taken aback. His fee. “Oh. I’m sorry. I guess you thought I’d run out on you. But you were busy and I couldn’t hang around that hotel forever.” She shrugged. God, she was rambling. “If you’d like to follow me to my bank I’ll have a cashier’s check drawn up for you.”
“First, I wanted to thank you for helping find my son.” He stared at the pavement for a moment. “I really believed he was dead. I wouldn’t have asked Tanya.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t risk that much pain. I would have just spent the rest of my life believing he was gone.”
“It was the least I could do.” Profound relief washed over her at the confirmation that he did, indeed, have his son back. “No one should be able to take your child and get away with it.”
Sloan nodded his agreement. “He’s grown so much. It’s hard to accept that I’ve missed all this time with him.”
“It’ll be fine,” she assured him. “What about the woman, is she going to give you any trouble?”
“Actually, she’s been very cooperative. She found out a few months ago that she has terminal cancer. She had already written Mark a letter explaining everything. The letter was to be opened upon her death.” Sloan blew out a breath. “She’s made her peace with God, now she just wants to be sure Mark is going to be okay. Despite how it sounds, I guess I’m grateful to her for swaying Angel from his original plan.”
He fell silent then.
