“Not if you know the facts. My brother-in-law bailed them out. He paid off the debts and set them up with an income. He took over managing everything for them. Something I should have done. Something I should have saved them from.” She tried to pull away, but he held her close. “Damn it, I just wanted to protect Sam and now you are accusing me of being the worst kind of person.”
She felt the breath shudder through his chest, and he let out a long breath. “Thank you. I just didn’t want to call the police and get you into trouble. I’m sorry I had to ask.”
“I’m calling the police.” She pushed herself away from him and he released her. Taking her cell out of her pocket, she pressed the keypad.
“No.” His hand stilled hers. “I’m calling Landy first. I trust him.”
“That means you don’t trust everyone.” She looked down at the floor. “Which is sensible, because someone betrayed us.”
At those words, the man on the ground moved, and then started to laugh. “What are you talking about? You know very well it was you who paid me to come here and steal that baby,” he said to Chrissie.
Chapter Eleven – Joel
Joel wanted to kick the guy unconscious. He didn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth for one second, but others would.
“I didn’t pay you. I’ve never even met you,” Chrissie said.
“Yes, you have, I came to your house, sat on your floral sofa and drank coffee. You gave me an envelope of money and then put these luscious lips around my cock and gave me a blowjob.”
“Liar!” she gasped.
The guy chuckled. “Why would I lie? What possible reason have I to frame a woman like you?”
“That’s what you’re going to tell us,” Joel said, moving towards him, threatening him with every drop of the essence of his bear that leaked through to his human form. He was fighting for control, fighting with his bear, trying to stop him breaking out and defending his mate’s honor. She would not do something like this, and the thought that someone had set out to ruin her—worse, to have her jailed for being part of Angela’s death, was too much.
“Joel. Just call the police. We can clear this up.”
“You would think so. But I’m going to swear you paid me, and they’ll believe me, because why would I lie?” He sneered. “You are going down with me, Crystal Cartwright.”
Joel raised his hand to punch the guy into the ground; he wanted to hit him and keep on hitting him until he was gone from the planet, gone from their lives, which he was threatening to destroy before it even got a chance to actually get going.
The only thing that stopped him was Chrissie’s hand on his arm, futile in its match for his strength, but the shock that swept through his body at her touch brought him back to his senses. So too did his phone, when it beeped in his pocket.
“You’d better check that,” she said, shoving him away.
“Yeah, do as you’re told, or she will pay someone to hurt you too,” the guy cackled. “I have you in my control, sweetheart.”
“How do you live with yourself?” she spat at the man. “You killed an innocent woman. For what? Money.”
“Those with money never understand what it’s like for the rest of us. You live in your big posh houses, and have your perfect lives. The rest of us are just rats in the gutter.”
“That is not true.” Then she closed her mouth and stepped back. “I’m not arguing with you.”
“Not going to defend your precious lifestyle.”
“I have nothing to defend.”
After a few deep breaths, he felt his bear settle, and then he took out the cell phone the chief had given him. It was a text message from a number he didn’t recognize. It simply said—Get out of there. Now! Find somewhere safe, I’ll be in touch. L
His stomach dropped. It had to be from Landy, or was this a setup too? Joel raked his hand through his hair. This had all gone so wrong: what should have been a few days with his mate by his side had turned into a disaster, which he had to get them out of.
“Chrissie.” He motioned for her to join him in the kitchen.
“What about him?” Chrissie asked, pointing at the guy on the floor.
Joel picked up the Taser. “He moves, he’ll get this. I don’t care if it’s the right thing to do or not.”
“I don’t need to run. You’ll let me go so I won’t give evidence against your girlfriend.” He lay back down and began to whistle. This guy was the worst kind, he thought he was invincible, and Joel’s bear longed to tell him otherwise.
“What is it?” Chrissie asked.
He showed her the message on his phone. “We should go.”
“Run. You want us to go on the run? We’ve done nothing wrong. Especially you. This has nothing to do with you.”
“It has everything to do with me. I told you I would protect you, and that means from everyone, not just scumbags like this.”
“It will get straightened out,” she insisted.
“Will it?” He arched an eyebrow, questioning her.
“It has to.”
“Have you given any thought as to who is setting you up? I don’t know what Landy knows, but he gave me orders, and I follow orders,” Joel said firmly. “If what he says is true, someone is going out of their way to make you the fall guy. Who would do this, Chrissie?” His theory on Anderson was looking thin: what reason did he have to hate Chrissie? But the key, and the code, it had to be someone who had been here, and knew it was where they were bringing Sam. The chief had said four people knew. Damn it! What if Landy had sent his cryptic message because their chief had set this whole thing up?
“I don’t know.” She put her face in her hands and shook her head. “Maybe someone from work, a disgruntled client.” She looked up at him. “Or it could just be Krieg. How do you know this isn’t his way of covering up his own involvement? Look, if I was blamed for the death of Angela, he could come forward and take Sam legally.”
“That would be smart thinking. Is Krieg that smart? And it doesn’t explain the key, or the code.” Joel shook his head. “It doesn’t add up.”
“I don’t know too much about Krieg, I got the feeling he used brute force rather than his brains. And you are right, it doesn’t explain the key.” She looked so tired and pale. He longed to tell her to go back to bed, that by the time she woke up in the morning, he would have it all resolved. But that would be a lie, and mates didn’t lie to each other.
“We need to move. If Landy sent this, and I’m sure he did, then he has a good reason for wanting us to run.”
She lifted his hand and read the text again. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure if we don’t, we are going to play straight into the hands of whoever is behind this. And I am not willing to let that happen. We run, we regroup. I’ll talk to Landy. All we have to say is we were afraid for Sam. The chief already admitted there was a mole. So let’s try to unearth him.”
“But where do we go? It’s not easy to lay low when you have a baby in tow.”
“I know where. It’s a long drive, so grab everything you can, let’s load it in the car and get out of here.”
His phone beeped again and he looked at it quickly, this time not showing it to Chrissie, who was heading for the stairs. She was already moving fast; she did not need to know—They are coming… Don’t be there when they arrive. The mole has surfaced. And he has big teeth.
Chapter Twelve – Chrissie
They had found a small, roadside, all-night diner to stop at. The kind lady behind the counter had warmed a bottle for Sam, and Chrissie had fed him, while forcing herself to eat some waffles. Joel had no problem polishing off a large breakfast, and two large cups of coffee.
“One of us needs to stay awake,” he’d said as an excuse.
When they returned to the car, it was obvious he intended to be the one. He helped her put Sam into his seat, and then insisted she climbed in the backseat next to him and tried to sleep. He pushed the driver’s seat as far back
as it would go, and somehow squeezed himself behind the wheel, then headed back onto the road and drove through the remains of the night and into the morning.
The next time Chrissie opened her eyes, it was light and they were driving along a back road that was in need of repair. Lifting her head, which throbbed, while her neck ached from her awkward sleeping position, she was greeted by a gurgle and leg-kicking from Sam.
“Hey there, fella.” She stroked his cheek and smiled, knowing it was all worth it if they could keep this little boy safe. Every child deserved happiness, and security. Chrissie could not imagine Sam being brought up to be a drug dealer or petty thief. She would do anything, fight anyone, to stop that happening. Whoever was responsible for Angela’s death, the outcome would most probably be the same, Sam being brought up by Krieg.
“We’re nearly there. Maybe it would be good to keep down, just in case we are seen,” Joel said.
“Really? We’re in the middle of nowhere.” She lowered her head, much to Sam’s delight, and he tugged on her hair and giggled some more. Angling her head, she looked up at the mountains around them. “Where exactly in nowhere are we?”
“We’re going to stay with some friends of Liam. If they’ll take us in, I’m sure.”
“Wait, we’ve driven through the night, and you don’t even know if we will be welcome?” Her head throbbed harder, and she felt sick, both with hunger and nerves. They were friendless out here, wherever here was.
“They’ll take us in,” he said confidently.
As he turned off the road, and headed up a track to a large house surrounded by trees, she thought how peaceful it looked, and hoped whoever lived here wouldn’t resent a couple of fugitives landing on their doorstep.
Fugitives. That was what they were. Joel had been dragged into something that was not his concern. She caught his eyes as he looked at her in the rearview mirror. She was wrong, it did concern him, not because he insisted he would do anything for her, but in the way they were both working to keep an innocent child safe.
Someone bad out there wanted him, and Joel had signed up to the police force to help innocent people, just as she had become a social worker to help vulnerable people. Sam, at only six months old, was about as vulnerable as you could get.
The door of the house opened before Joel had turned off the engine, and a man came out, big, broad and wary. “Can I help you?” he called, stopping about twenty feet away.
“Stay here,” Joel said to Chrissie, and got out, leaving the keys in the ignition. “If anything goes wrong, just run.”
“I am not…”
The look he gave her silenced her. “Please.”
“Sure.” They both knew she wouldn’t be running anywhere, but he didn’t argue with her.
Joel walked over to the other man. “You Beau?”
“And if I am?” he asked, hands clenched at his sides, his head tilted back a little as if he was scenting the air. What kind of backwater place was this?
“I’m Joel. Friend of Liam’s.”
“Joel! Liam’s partner. I remember you from the wedding. How are they getting on?” Beau seemed happy to see Joel; that had to be good.
“Late honeymoon.” Joel had reached Beau now, and she had to strain to hear what was being said, Sam was making it particularly difficult by cooing and then squealing.
“How can I help you?” Beau said, his eyes sliding past Joel to the car. “You have someone with you. You in trouble?”
“Yes.” Joel nodded. “Someone is trying to kidnap the baby we have. We were looking after him at a safe-house, and last night we got attacked. I knocked the guy out, but when he woke up he tried to set up the woman I’m with.
“She your mate?” Beau asked. There was that word again, maybe it was some dialect spoken in the mountains by big men who liked to have a more animalistic nature.
“Yes.”
“You had better come in and tell me all about it, before she has to lean out any further to listen to what we’re saying. My wife, Elise, is in the house, she’ll need to listen too.”
“Thank you,” Joel said.
“I haven’t said I’ll help you, I just said I would listen to what you have to say.” His voice was good natured, and despite his words, Chrissie had a feeling they had come to the right place.
“OK, young man. Let’s get out, and get you changed. I am so sorry about that wet diaper.” Chrissie undid the harness and picked Sam up, cradling him in her arms as she got out of the car, went to the trunk and took out the baby bag.
“Want me to carry that?” Joel asked.
“No, I have it. If you could grab my purse, that would be wonderful.” She watched him pick up her purse, and retrieve one of his packs, then he waited for her to walk beside him toward the front door of the house, through which Beau had gone.
“We can trust him, we have to. So I’m going to tell him everything,” Joel said.
“And he’ll help?” she asked.
“He’s our best shot, he used to be a PI, still is now and again. His sister got murdered by some psychopath, so he’ll have an emotional attachment to the case.”
“I hope so. I need a shower and some food. Then I need to work out exactly who is behind this. No word from Landy?”
“No. I don’t want to make contact. Not until we have an idea of what’s going on. I think it’s time we ran some background checks of our own. Beau should have a computer we can use.”
“And whose name is at the top of your list? Not mine, I hope.”
He was quiet as they reached the door, and paused. “I’ve been thinking it through. If it isn’t Krieg, and I can’t see why he would set you up…” He looked at her, his eyes filled with sympathy. “Then I think it’s your boss.”
“Mr. Anderson?” she asked in a high voice.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“I still don’t see what he would gain from this?” Chrissie asked.
“That’s what we have to work out. Who would gain the most? Krieg would gain a child, but what would Anderson get?”
“Money,” Beau said, coming back to see what was taking them so long.
“You don’t even know him,” Chrissie said defensively.
“I know people. And money may not be the root of all evil, but it is often the root of all crime.” Beau ushered them in. “Eat, drink some coffee, and then we’ll get to the bottom of your problem.”
Chrissie liked his confidence, but she couldn’t feel the same way. They were going down the wrong track thinking it was Mr. Anderson. The guy might call her Princess, but he always had other people’s best interest at heart. She mused over this as they followed Beau through their lovely light and airy house, and into a kitchen that was warm, and smelt of coffee and warm bread, fresh from the oven.
“This is Elise,” Beau said, introducing a pretty, curvy woman, who was cutting the bread and spreading the slices with butter, while a toddler circled around the table with an airplane in his hand. “Elise is my wife, and this is Connor, and soon you can meet the newest addition to the family, Tamsin, who is having her morning nap.”
“Lucky Tamsin,” Elise said, smiling. “She’s not a good sleeper, too restless, like her father.”
“What? I like to be up early. I’m not sure you can blame me if our daughter inherited that trait. At least she got her mom’s good looks,” Beau teased.
“And her brains,” Elise said. “She’ll be outwitting Beau by the time she can walk.”
“There’s a difference, she doesn’t outwit me, I let her think she does.”
“She wraps you around her little finger,” Elise said happily. “Anyway, sit down, and let’s get you some food. You can tell us everything.”
“I’m Joel. Liam’s partner. And this is Chrissie.”
“Good to meet you Joel, Liam told us what you did for him.”
Joel blushed and looked awkward. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“I think it was the best idea.” Elise came over
and hugged him. “No one deserves to be that lonely.”
Chrissie longed to know what they were talking about, but didn’t want to pry. Maybe Joel would tell her later.
“Hey, come on, Chrissie. Don’t look so down. Beau might be able to be outwitted by a baby, but he’s the best PI in town.”
“And not just because I’m the only PI in town,” he said, smiling at Elise. “Sit. Eat.”
Chapter Thirteen – Joel
“I’ll help you clear up,” Chrissie offered, getting up from her seat. They had eaten, made small talk, and then slowly, Beau had gathered the information about the case. Joel was pleased he hadn’t been too prying, especially about Chrissie’s parents. But then as a PI, he expected Beau to go away and dig a lot deeper, in the same way a police officer would.
“Joel, can I see the message?” Beau asked. “We could head out into my office and I can get on the computer and see what I can find about your Mr. Anderson, and Krieg. But I think your hunch might be right.”
Chrissie opened her mouth to say something, but she turned away instead, and took the plates to the sink. As they had gone over everything, he had sensed her bristling about his theory on her boss. But the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed he was behind it all. The motive, however, eluded him. Maybe if he found that, it would all make sense.
If it was Anderson, it would destroy her faith in a man she obviously admired. However, that wasn’t the worst part, it would also mean a man she admired was trying to frame her. For being a princess. Beau was right, the motive here had to be money.
“Here,” he passed Beau the phone. “Scroll down, there’s two.”
“You are sure they are from Landy?” Beau asked, frowning as he read them.
“I can’t be one hundred percent sure. The L points to him, and I’d spoken with him earlier.”
“That means he suspects someone is working against you and Chrissie,” Beau answered, and passed the cell back to Joel. “Have you tried calling him?”
“Didn’t want to risk it. Just in case it isn’t him.”
Baby Protector Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Baby Paranormal Romance (Who's the Daddy? Book 4) Page 6
