“You are now,” Kade mumbled back. “Thanks for coming,” he said to the doctor.
“This is Leah’s birth mother?” the doctor asked.
Unlike their previous visitor, the doctor had concern all over his expression and in his body language. With his medical bag gripped in his hand, he hurried up the steps toward them.
“Yep, the birth mother,” Kade verified.
The sterile title worked for him, but he didn’t know if it would work for Bree. Especially not for long. He’d seen the way she had looked at Leah right before McClendon had interrupted them, and that was not the look of a birth mother, but rather a mother who loved her baby and had no plans to give her up.
“This way,” Kade instructed the doctor, and he carried Bree up the stairs toward his living quarters.
There was probably a guest room clean and ready. There were three guest suites in the house, but Kade didn’t want to take the time to call Bessie, the woman who managed the house. And she also managed the Rylands. Bessie was as close to a mother as he had these days. Heck, for most of his life, since his mother had passed away when he was barely eleven.
“I can walk,” Bree insisted.
Kade ignored her again, used his boot to nudge open his door, and he walked through the sitting-office area to his bedroom. He deposited her on his king-size bed.
Funny, he’d thought about getting Bree into his bed from the moment he first met her on the undercover assignment, but he hadn’t figured it would happen this way. Or ever. After Bree and he had escaped that clinic, he hadn’t thought he would see her again. Now her life was permanently interlinked with his.
“She’ll need blood drawn for a tox screen,” Kade reminded Dr. Mickelson.
“Will do. Any possibility there’s something going on other than drugs?” the doctor asked. “Maybe an infection or something?”
Kade could only shake his head. “I’m not sure. She’s been held captive for months. I have no idea what all they did to her. And neither does she.”
“I’ll run a couple of tests,” Dr. Michelson assured him, and he motioned for Kade to wait outside.
That made sense, of course, because Dr. Mickelson would want to check Bree’s C-section incision. Maybe other parts of her, too. Kade didn’t want to be there for that, especially since Bree had already had her privacy violated in every way possible.
Kade eased the bedroom door shut, leaned against the wall. And waited. It didn’t take long for the bad thoughts to fly right at him.
What the devil was he going to do?
McClendon’s visit was a hard reminder that he hadn’t left the danger at the motel in San Antonio. It could and maybe would follow them here to the ranch, the one place he considered safe.
He couldn’t bear the thought of his baby girl being in harm’s way, though she had been from the moment of her conception. What a heck of a way to start her life. But there was a silver lining in all of this. Leah was too young to know anything about her beginnings. She knew nothing of the danger.
Nothing of a mother who wasn’t totally acting like a mother.
Yeah. That was unfair, and it caused Kade to wince a little. Bree needed to get her footing, and when she did…
Kade’s thoughts went in a really bad direction.
When Bree got that inevitable footing, what if she wanted full custody of Leah? Until now, Kade hadn’t thought beyond the next step of his investigation—and that step was to find Bree. Well, he’d found her all right.
Now what?
It sent a jab of fear through him to even consider it, but could he lose custody of his baby?
He shook his head. That couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it happen. Besides, Bree was a Jane and by her own admission not motherhood material. She worked impossible hours on assignments that sometimes lasted months. Then there was that whole confession about her being raised in foster care and never having planned to be a mother.
But Kade hadn’t thought he was ready to be a father until he had seen Leah’s face. Just the sight of her had caused something to switch in his head, and in that moment Leah became the most important person in his life.
He would die to protect his little girl. But his best chance of protecting Leah was to stay alive. And keep Bree alive, as well. There were probably some much-needed answers trapped in Bree’s drug-hazed memories, and this exam by the doctor was the first step in retrieving those memories.
Kade’s phone buzzed, and he saw on the screen that the call was from Mason. Mercy, he hoped nothing else had gone wrong. He’d had his gone wrong quota filled for the day.
“I’ve got news,” Mason answered. As usual, there was no hint of emotion in his brother’s voice. Mason definitely wasn’t the sort of man to overreact, even when all hell was breaking loose. “I just got off the phone with Nate.”
Kade breathed a little easier. Well, at first. Nate was handling the situation at the Treetop Motel in San Antonio where the gunman had tried to kill Bree and him. “Please tell me nothing’s wrong,” Kade commented.
“Not that I know of. But then all I got was a thirty-second update. Nate wanted me to tell you that he has his CSI folks out at the motel. They’re going through the room where Bree was. His detectives also plan to comb the area to look for anyone who might have seen Bree come in.”
That was a good start. “Any chance of surveillance cameras?”
“Slim to none. That neighborhood isn’t big on that sort of thing.”
Probably because it was a haven for drug dealers, prostitutes and a whole host of illegal activity. Still, they might get lucky. CSI could maybe find something that would help him identify Bree’s kidnappers. That was step two. Then, once he had the culprits behind bars, he could think about this potential custody problem.
And Bree.
There was something stirring between them. Or maybe that was just lust or the uneasiness over what could turn out to be a potentially nasty custody dispute. Kade hoped that was all because lust and uneasiness were a lot easier to deal with than other things that could arise.
“I want to talk to Anthony McClendon and Jamie Greer again,” Kade insisted. Both were suspects, just like Anthony’s father, and he hadn’t officially questioned them in months. “Can you set up the interviews and get them to the Silver Creek sheriff’s office?”
That way, his brothers could assist, and he wouldn’t have to be too far away from Leah or Bree. Though judging from her earlier behavior, Bree might want to get far away from here. He couldn’t blame her after McClendon’s threats. The man hadn’t named Leah specifically, but it had certainly sounded as if he were threatening the baby.
“Sure, I can get Anthony and Jamie out here. McClendon, too. But you have a couple of other fires to put out first. Special Agent Randy Cooper just called and demanded to see Bree. I take it he’s her FBI handler or whatever it is you feds call your boss?”
“Yeah.” Kade couldn’t blame the man for wanting to see Bree, but the timing sucked.
“He seems kind of possessive if you ask me,” Mason went on. “You sure he’s just her handler?”
No. Kade wasn’t sure of that. In fact, he didn’t know if Leah had a boyfriend stashed somewhere. The only thing he knew about her was what he’d managed to read in her files. Which wasn’t much. There wasn’t a lot of paperwork and reports on undercover FBI Janes, and sometimes the files were nothing but cover fronts.
“Tell Coop he’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see Bree,” Kade said. “After the doctor finishes the exam, she’ll need some rest.”
That was the next step in his for starters. Maybe there wouldn’t be anything that rest and time couldn’t fix. Kade really needed her to recall more details of her captivity.
Mason made a sound of agreement. “Don’t worry. I’ll stall Coop.” He paused. “Hold on a second. I just got a text from Nate. Might be important.”
Kade could only hope this wasn’t more bad news.
“There’s another problem, little brother,” Mason sa
id. “A big one.”
Chapter Six
Bree woke up to the sound of voices. Voices that she didn’t immediately recognize.
She reached for her gun and phone. Not there. And an uneasy sense of déjà vu slammed through her. She sprang from the bed, her feet ready to start running when they landed on the thickly carpeted floor. Bree stopped cold.
Where the heck was she? And why hadn’t there been a gun on the nightstand?
She glanced around the massive sun-washed bedroom, decorated in varying shades of blue and gray. At the king-size bed. The antique pine furniture. And it took her a moment to remember that she was at the Ryland ranch in Silver Creek.
More specifically, she’d been in Kade’s bed.
She looked around again, first in the bathroom through the open door, then the massive dressing room. No sign of Kade.
So, she’d been in that bed alone.
And was apparently safe and sound since she had slept hard and long. After the ordeal she’d been through, she was thankful for that. Well, maybe. She was thankful if she hadn’t missed anything important.
Which was possible.
After all, Leah was in her life now, and Kade and she were in the middle of a full-scale investigation. Yes, the potential for missing something important was sky-high, and she had to find Kade.
After she got dressed, that is.
Bree glanced down at the pink cotton pjs. They weren’t familiar, either, but she did remember the doctor helping her change into them before he insisted that she sleep off the effects of the drugs her kidnapper had given her. She hadn’t had a choice about that sleep, either. The fatigue and drugs had mixed with the adrenaline crash, and Bree hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open at the end of the exam the doctor had given her.
Another glance, this time at the clock on the nightstand.
Oh, sheez.
It was nine, and she doubted that was p.m. because light was peeking through the curtains. It was nine in the morning, and that meant she’d been asleep at the ranch for heaven knows how many hours. Not good. She was certain she had plenty of things to do. But first, she needed to locate some clothes, the source of those voices and then see if she could scrounge up a phone and a strong cup of black coffee to clear the rest of the cobwebs from her head.
She hurried to the bathroom to wash up, but since she couldn’t find a change of clothes, Bree gave up on the notion of getting dressed, and instead, she headed to the sitting room wearing the girlie pink pjs. She prayed nothing was wrong and that’s why Kade had let her sleep so long. Too bad the thoughts of ugly scenarios kept going through her mind.
Bree threw open the door that separated the rooms in the suite and saw Kade. That was one voice. He was holding Leah and talking to someone. The other voice belonged to an attractive brunette that had her arm slung around Kade’s waist.
The pang of jealousy hit Bree before she could see it coming.
“Oh,” the woman said, her voice a classy purr.
Actually, everything about her was classy including her slim rose-colored top and skirt. Her hair was so shiny, so perfect, that Bree raked her hand through her own messy locks before she could stop herself. What was wrong with her? With everything else going on, the last thing she should care about was her appearance.
The woman smiled and walked toward her. “You must be Bree.” Her smile stayed in place even when she eyed the pajamas. “I’m glad they fit.”
“They’re yours?” Bree asked.
The woman nodded.
Of course, they were. This woman was girlie, and she was also everything that Bree wasn’t. Bree could see the love for her in Kade’s eyes.
Another pang of jealousy.
Bree smoothed her hair down again before she could stop herself.
“I’m Darcy Ryland.” The woman extended her hand for Bree to shake.
“Darcy is Nate’s wife,” Kade supplied. “He’s the cop at SAPD who’s helping us with the investigation.”
Kade had a funny expression on his face as if he knew that Bree had been jealous.
Bree tossed him a scowl.
He gave her another funny look.
“I’m also the Silver Creek assistant D.A. and the mother of two toddlers who are waiting for me to bring them their favorite books and toys.” Darcy checked her watch. “And that means I should have already been out of here. Good to meet you, Bree. We’ll chat more when things settle down.”
“Good to meet you, too,” Bree mumbled.
Darcy tipped her head to the plush sofa. “I left you some other clothes—ones that aren’t pink. Toiletries, too. And if you need anything else, just help yourself to my closet. Nate’s and my quarters are in the west wing of the house. Just be careful not to trip over the toys if you go over there.”
Bree added a thanks and felt guilty about the unflattering girlie thoughts and jealousy pangs. So, Kade’s sister-in-law was, well, nice despite her picture-perfect looks.
Darcy walked back to Kade and picked up her purse from the table. In the same motion, she kissed him on the cheek and then kissed Leah. Using her purse, she waved goodbye to Bree and glided out of the room on gray heels that looked like torture devices to Bree.
Bree didn’t waste any time going to Leah. No blanket this morning. The baby was wearing a one-piece green outfit that was nearly the same color as her eyes. She was also wide-awake and had those eyes aimed at Kade. Leah seemed to be studying his every move.
“I slept too long,” Bree commented, and she touched her fingers to Leah’s cheek. The baby automatically turned in her direction. “You should have woken me up sooner.”
Bree wondered if there was a time when that wouldn’t seem like such a huge deal. She hoped not. Because now everything seemed like a miracle, and just looking at her baby washed away all her dark thoughts and mood.
“You needed sleep,” Kade insisted.
When he didn’t continue, Bree looked up at him. And she waited. Clearly, he had something on his mind, and thankfully he didn’t make her wait long to deliver the news.
“The doctor got back your lab results.”
That hung in the air like deadweight. Bree couldn’t speak, couldn’t ask the question that put her breath in a vise—had the drugs permanently harmed Leah or her?
“You had a large amount of Valium in your system. It caused the grogginess and the temporary memory loss.” He paused. “It was temporary, right?”
She nodded and felt relief. Well, partly. “Any chance they gave me Valium when I was pregnant?”
“It’s hard to tell, but Leah is perfectly healthy,” Kade assured her. “I suspect because they wanted to use the baby for leverage that they didn’t do anything that would risk harming her.”
Good. That was something, at least. And with that concern out of the way, Bree could turn her full attention back to Leah.
“The doctor said any gaps in your memory should return,” Kade explained. “So, it’s possible you’ll remember other details about your kidnappers.”
She had a dozen or more questions to ask Kade about the test results and an update on the case, but Bree couldn’t get her attention off Leah. She had to be the most beautiful baby ever born.
Or else Bree’s brain had turned to mush.
“How is she this morning?” Bree asked.
“Fine. She just had her bottle.” He motioned toward the empty one on the table.
She felt a pang of a different kind. Bree wished she’d been awake to feed her, and she cursed the long sleep session that had caused her to miss all these incredible moments.
“How long before she’ll want another bottle?” Bree asked.
“Around one or two.” He paused again. “There’s a problem,” Kade said.
Bree’s gaze flew to his because she thought he was going to say that something was wrong with Leah, after all. She held her breath, praying it wasn’t that.
“Late yesterday, Nate’s detectives at SAPD found the gunman who shot at us,” K
ade finished. “He’s dead.”
Bree groaned. So, the problem wasn’t with Leah, but it was still a big one.
“Please tell me he managed to make a confession before he died?” Bree asked.
“Afraid not. His name was Clyde Cummings. We ID’d him from his prints since he had a long rap sheet. In and out of trouble with the law most of his life.” Another pause. “Word on the street is he was a hired gun.”
That didn’t surprise Bree. Whoever had masterminded her kidnapping had no doubt hired this goon. A goon who would have succeeded in killing her if Kade hadn’t arrived in time to save her.
“Cummings didn’t die in a shoot-out with the cops,” Kade continued. “When Nate’s men found him, he was already dead.” Kade paused again. “He died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.”
Oh, mercy. An execution-style hit on a hit man. That meant someone didn’t want Cummings talking to the cops, or maybe this had been punishment for allowing Kade and her to get away. It didn’t matter which. The bottom line was this case was far from being over.
Bree looked at Leah and hated that Kade and she had to have a conversation like this in front of her. A baby deserved better, even if Leah was too young to know what they were saying. Still, she might be able to sense the tension in the room. Bree could certainly feel it, and it had her stomach turning and twisting.
“Since we don’t know who hired Cummings,” Kade went on, “my sisters-in-law and the kids are leaving town for a while. Darcy came back to pack some things.”
That gave Bree something else to be frustrated about. The monster after her had now managed to disrupt the entire Ryland family. Now, all of them were in possible danger, and that included Kade’s nephews and niece.
Kade ducked down a little so that they were eye to eye. “I think it’s a good idea if Leah goes with Darcy and the others.”
“No,” flew out of her mouth before Bree could stop it. But she immediately hated her response and hated even more that she might have to take it back.
“I’m just getting to know her,” Bree mumbled, and she kissed Leah’s cheek as she’d seen Kade do. Each kiss, each moment was a gift that she didn’t deserve but would take, anyway.
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