Last Chance 05 - Second Chance

by Christy Reece

  The child psychologist would be by tomorrow to see if anything could be gleaned from Hannah. She didn’t want to put her child through any more pain, but she had to find out if Hannah knew anything about her sister. And she needed to know if there was any psychological damage to Hannah. She seemed happy and content, and the psychologist had deemed her well enough to go home. That didn’t mean there weren’t some issues they needed to work through. Only God knew what she had been through since she’d been taken.

  “How is she?”

  Keeley looked up at the tall, dark man in the doorway. This man was still a stranger in so many ways, but in other ways, she felt she’d known him all her life. Her chest tightened with emotion. What would she have done without him, Eden, and Jordan?

  Swallowing past what felt like a permanent lump in her throat, she kept her voice low. “Still sleeping. She’s exhausted.”

  “She probably feels safe for the first time.”

  Lifting a strand of her daughter’s silky black hair, Keeley rubbed it between her fingers. “I can’t believe she’s actually here. I have nightmares like this every night … that I have them back and then I lose them, then I wake up and realize the nightmares are my reality. I’m almost afraid to go to sleep.”

  Though his face was expressionless, something flickered in his eyes.

  “You know all about nightmares, don’t you, Cole?”

  “It gets easier … eventually.”

  “Does it?” She looked down at her sleeping daughter. “Only half of my nightmare is over.”

  “We’ll get Hailey back, too, Keeley. I promise.”

  He said it with such conviction, she got the feeling that finding Hailey was almost as important to him as it was to her.

  “Why do you care so much? Is it because of what happened to your daughter?”

  Another small flicker, then he lifted a broad shoulder. “Children should never know this kind of fear.” He stared at her for several more seconds, as if there was something more he wanted to say. Finally he said, “Why don’t you try to get some sleep? I’m going to check in with Honor and see if they were able to extract any information.”

  “Will you wake me if there is anything?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Laying her head on the pillow, Keeley gathered Hannah closer to her and closed her eyes.

  Cole shut the door to the Keeley’s bedroom and leaned against the wall. Seeing Keeley with Hannah brought back memories of his own daughter, ones he’d thought were lost for good.

  Cassidy had been the joy of his and Jill’s life. He remembered the delight they’d shared when she’d first started crawling. Remembered the first time she laughed. And the time Jill called him at work … got him out of class to tell him Cassidy had said her first word. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what that word was.

  He rubbed at the dampness of his eyes as he headed downstairs for their meeting. Despite Jordan’s insistence that Eden lie down once they returned home, she’d insisted on attending.

  Cole entered the living room and was glad to see that Jordan had at least gotten her to lie on the sofa. A small bruise was already forming on her jaw, and he knew from experience that she must have a headache. If the harsh, hard look in Jordan’s eyes was any indication, Eden was probably feeling better than her husband. He’d been furious when she’d been knocked unconscious.

  Eden lifted her head when Cole entered. “How’s Keeley?”

  An image of her haunted, beautiful face appeared in his mind. “Better, but still hurting.”

  “And Hannah?” Jordan asked.

  “Sleeping. Poor kid’s exhausted.” Cole checked his watch. “We ready?”

  Both Eden and Jordan nodded. Cole pressed the speed dial on the phone beside the couch.

  Honor answered immediately, her tone filled with frustrated fury. “They don’t know shit.”

  He’d been afraid of that. Transactions like these were often done anonymously, with as little information given as possible between the seller and the buyer. Cole rubbed his temple where a drum serenade had set up for an all-nighter. “Where’d they get Hannah?”

  “Friend of a friend hooked them up.” Honor snorted and added, “Husband thought a kid would keep his wife happy. He cashed in his 401(k). Bought her a kid and him a plasma television.”

  “You’re tracking down this friend of a friend?” Jordan asked.

  “Yeah. Hopefully we’ll have something in a few days. How’s the kid doing?”

  “Better than anybody else. She’s asleep in her mother’s arms,” Cole said.

  Honor’s voice softened. “Poor baby. How’s Keeley?”

  “Ecstatic and terrified,” Cole answered.

  “Yeah, don’t blame her. The child psychologist will be by around noon tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be ready,” Eden said.

  “Okay. By the way, good work. Though I should have your ass for waiting so long to call me. Don’t do it again.” Her voice softened once more. “Sorry you got bruised up a bit, Eden.”

  Jordan growled and Eden laughed softly. “No worries, Honor, I’m fine. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  The second Cole pressed the keypad to end the call, Jordan stood. “Okay, my love, you stayed and you listened. Now you’re going to bed.”

  “In a minute, Jordan. We need to talk about our next move. Hannah’s home, but how do we know that Keeley and she are safe? This person might be ready at a moment’s notice to grab them again.”

  “I’ll keep them safe,” Cole said.

  “For how long?” Eden asked.

  Cole shrugged; his priorities were set. “As long as it takes.”

  “We’ve got to find the bastard,” Jordan said. “If someone hates Keeley enough to have arranged three kidnappings, they won’t stop until they get what they want.”

  Cole nodded. “Yeah, whatever the hell that is. If I didn’t think it’d hurt Hannah more than she’s already been hurt, I’d recommend we take her away until we find him. Problem is, with the trauma she’s had over the last couple of months, doing that might cause irreparable damage.”

  “No, we’re staying here. I’ll make sure Hannah stays safe. I won’t be careless again.”

  They all jerked around. Keeley stood at the door. Looking both fragile and brave, she held a sleeping Hannah in her arms.

  “Don’t blame yourself for what happened, Keeley,” Eden said. “No one could have predicted this.”

  Cole clenched his jaw. Predicted? Maybe not. But if he’d been where he was supposed to be, doing what he’d vowed to do, he could have prevented it.

  She pressed a kiss to her daughter’s head lying on her shoulder. “Perhaps. But now that I know there’s someone out there who hates me that much, I’ll be ready for them.”

  Both Jordan and Eden shot him a look, as if he was supposed to argue with her. Cole wouldn’t. Keeley being on guard was a good thing. He planned to teach her some self-defense moves so she could gain more confidence. However, she didn’t have to know that he’d die before she’d ever be put in that position again.

  “And you still have no suspicions about who it could be?” Keeley asked.

  “Not really. We can talk about it tomorrow.” Cole glanced at his watch. “It’s late. We all need to get some sleep.”

  Jordan stood and held out his hand for Eden. “Cole’s right. Let’s catch a few hours and meet again around nine, before the psychologist gets here for Hannah.”

  Holding hands, Eden and Jordan said good night and headed upstairs.

  “So no news? Those people still aren’t talking?”

  As Cole stood he drew in a deep, controlled breath. The beginnings of a migraine were coming on strong. “Not yet. If they have any knowledge of where Hailey is, we’ll get it from them.”

  “Do you need something for your headache?”

  “How’d you know I have one?”

  “My mother suffered with migraines. I recognized the signs.”

  “Than
ks. Sleep will work better than anything.”

  They began walking up the stairs together.

  “Would you like …” She swallowed, adjusted Hannah on her shoulder, and started again. “I used to massage my mother’s neck and shoulders. That seemed to help her. I could do that for you.”

  A surge of lust hit him hard. Great—a blinding headache and a throbbing hard-on. She’d only asked if she could massage his neck, and suddenly the hot, sweet memories of their night together flooded through him, along with images of all the things he hadn’t done that he’d dreamed about doing. Dammit. He did not need this.

  “Thanks. I just need to get some sleep.” Cole ignored her wide-eyed astonishment as he stomped off. Yeah, he’d been rude, but if she’d seen his arousal at such an innocent offer, she’d be a hell of a lot more than just astonished. She would know that he wanted a repeat performance, only longer, more drawn out, and a hell of a lot more times. That couldn’t happen … and his body damn well needed to get the message.

  Keeley felt as though she’d just gotten into bed when the doorbell clanged. Pulling herself from one of the deepest sleeps she’d had in months, she opened her eyes and gazed down at her still-slumbering child. Hannah always slept so deeply. Hailey was the light sleeper. A pang of grief hit her hard and tears sprang to her eyes. She had to get her baby back.

  The doorbell clanged again and then again. Whoever it was appeared to be very anxious. Could it be someone with information about Hailey?

  Keeley slid her arms out from under her daughter and slipped her shoes on. She was still wearing her jeans and shirt from yesterday. Combing her hands through her hair, she took one last look at Hannah and ran from the room.

  At the top of the stairs, she stopped when saw Elizabeth Fairchild standing just inside the foyer. Damned if she wanted to see the woman this morning … or any other morning for that matter.

  “Where is she?” Elizabeth snapped.

  “If you mean Keeley, she’s still asleep. When she wakes, I’ll tell her you stopped by.” Cole’s deep voice was quiet but Keeley recognized the anger beneath the surface.

  “I just heard that my granddaughter is home. I demand to see her right now. How could you bring her home and not even call me?”

  “How the hell did you even know about it?”

  Though Cole’s voice remained quiet, his tone was becoming more disgruntled, verging on furious. Keeley didn’t know why, but for some reason she liked this Cole much better than the one who’d been so charming and flirtatious with Elizabeth. Maybe because she recognized that this was the real Cole?

  “I heard about it on the news.” Elizabeth huffed, “The news of all places!”

  “Why do you want to see her?” Cole asked.

  “Because it’s my right. Keeley should have called me and told me what happened. I shouldn’t have to watch television to find out these kinds of things.”

  “Well, she was slightly busy.”

  Cole’s sarcasm brought a lift to Keeley’s mouth.

  “The reporter didn’t even say which one it was.”

  “Hannah,” Cole said.

  There was a short pause, and even from a distance, she could see Elizabeth’s confusion. “Is that the blond one or the dark one?”

  Cole jerked the front door open. His voice, even softer and quieter than before, was filled with a seething fury. “Get out. Now.”

  Elizabeth gasped but apparently recognized she’d gone too far. She took a step outside. Cole barely gave her enough time to get clear of the door before he slammed it shut behind her.

  Elizabeth’s insensitivity and arrogance no longer surprised Keeley, but it was obvious that her not knowing which granddaughter was which had hit a hot button for Cole.

  She eased down the stairway, wondering if his headache was worse. “Good morning?” She made it a question.

  Cole jerked his head up to look at her. “I just threw your mother-in-law out of the house. You got a problem with that?”

  Her heart flipped and then melted at her feet for this fierce, protective man. “Absolutely none.”

  The small twitch to his mouth told her he approved of her answer. “Good.” He headed back toward the kitchen. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

  Something slowly unfurled inside Keeley. That budding crush she already had for this grumpy, gorgeous man became an enormous, full-sized bloom.

  Her heart kicking up an excited beat, Keeley said, “I’ll go get Hannah.” She turned and raced up the stairs.

  Elizabeth barely waited for Patrick to open the door before she stormed through it. Of all the overbearing, obnoxious, and rude people, Cole Mathison had to be the worst. How dare he talk to her in such a way? She was a Fairchild, the only one left that mattered. Did he not realize the power she wielded? Two days ago, the man had been absolutely charming, and now he’d become an obnoxious bastard. No doubt that slut’s influence.

  “What’s wrong, Mama?”

  She whirled around. Miranda stood in the middle of the foyer, her daughter, Maggie, at her side. These two would probably be thrilled with the news.

  “Don’t call me Mama. Haven’t I told you again and again I don’t care for that term?”

  Mealy-mouthed child that she was, Miranda said, “I apologize, Mother. What has you so upset?”

  “That man staying with that slut insulted me.”

  Miranda frowned, causing a line to appear on her forehead.

  “Miranda, haven’t I told you hundreds of times—don’t frown. You’ll look older than you already do.”

  “Sorry, Ma—Mother. But what man are you talking about?”

  “That Cole Mathison that was here the other day. When he visited, we had a perfectly pleasant conversation. Now he acts as if I’m some sort of vagrant.”

  “Keeley believes that—”

  She waved an irritated hand at her daughter. “I don’t care what Keeley believes. Why you choose to hang out with such trash is beyond me. When your brother first married her, you were as livid as I was.”

  Elizabeth waited to see if her daughter would dare defend the slut. She was slightly disappointed when all Miranda said was “We all make mistakes.”

  She rolled her eyes … whatever the hell that meant. “The mistake that man made today won’t be forgotten. He’s a rude, obnoxious bastard and he’ll rue the day he treated me that way.”

  Miranda’s face held a mixture of emotions as she looked down at Maggie. “Why don’t you go ask Cook what we’re having for lunch today?”

  Maggie’s green eyes were wide as she stared at Elizabeth, then she nodded and took off running.

  “I don’t like her running in this house, Miranda.”

  “Mother, I realize that we’re here by your good graces, but please refrain from cursing in front of my daughter.”

  Elizabeth jerked. “Don’t you dare lecture me in my own home. If it weren’t for me, you’d be—”

  Miranda held up a hand. “I would be out on the streets. Yes, you’ve reminded me numerous times. And I will be respectful as I can be; however, when it comes to my daughter, I will not have you exposing your hatefulness to her.”

  Before Elizabeth could speak, Miranda turned and walked away.

  Trembling with rage that her daughter was developing a backbone, Elizabeth snarled, “Don’t you want to know why I went to see your friend Keeley?”

  “Other than to torture her, I can’t imagine why.”

  Triumph filled her that she knew something Miranda obviously didn’t yet know. “I went over there to see Keeley’s child.”

  Gasping, Miranda whirled around and grabbed a nearby table. “What do you mean? The kids are back?”

  “Children, Miranda, not kids. Kids are goats. Besides, just one of them was found. Unfortunately, not the blond one. The dark one that looks like her mother.”

  “Hannah?”

  Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, found herself frowning at her daughter and smoothed out her face. “Her name starts with a
n ‘H.’ That’s all I know.”

  “They both do.”

  “Whatever. They got her back last night. I heard about it this morning … on the television news of all places.”

  The shock on her daughter’s pale face caught her attention. “Oh good grief, you’re not going to faint, are you?”

  Miranda shook her head. “I’m just so surprised … I didn’t think—”

  Elizabeth headed upstairs. Listening to Miranda’s mumblings accomplished nothing. There were things to be done. The slut probably thought her troubles were over. Damned if she would let that happen.

  Keeley tugged on the hem of Hannah’s favorite princess-print pants. Her daughter had grown and now they were almost too short for her. Thank God the people who’d had her had fed her well. Was Hailey being treated as kindly?

  The ringing of the doorbell pulled her from that tortured thought. This would be the second visitor she’d had this morning. For someone who rarely received visitors, she seemed to be getting very popular. Remembering the identity of the last visitor, she amended that word to unpopular.

  Hannah wrapped her arms around her mother as Keeley lifted her. At some point, she knew she needed to let her daughter walk, but not yet. She just didn’t want to let her go. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go get breakfast.”

  She was just coming out of her room when Jenna and Miranda shouted in unison from the foyer, “Keeley!”

  Keeley ran to greet them as they came up the stairs, meeting them halfway down the staircase. “What’s wrong?”

  “We just heard that Hannah’s back.” Jenna reached out her arms. “Hannah, come to Aunt Jenna.”

  It took all of Keeley’s willpower to hand her daughter over. Even as much as she loved Jenna, she just hated to let Hannah out of her arms.

  Jenna hugged Hannah close to her and kissed her forehead. Tears sparkled in her eyes as she looked up at Keeley. “How did you get her back? Where’s Hailey? When did this happen? Why didn’t you call me?”

  Miranda pulled Hannah from Jenna’s arms and hugged her tight. “Hey there, baby doll. Maggie’s going to be thrilled that you’re home.” She pressed Hannah against her shoulder and whispered, “We want details!”