Last Chance 05 - Second Chance

by Christy Reece

  “Do you remember what the man who took you looked like?”

  Another emphatic shake of her head and then, “Mommy, can I swing again?”

  Cole held back his impatience. As much as he wanted to push her, he couldn’t. Hannah was five years old. It was a miracle that she had suffered no apparent emotional trauma from her abduction. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

  As Hannah stood, she looked at Cole and said, “He had a boo-boo like that.”

  Cole looked down at the inside of his forearm where he had a long, slender scar. A scar caused by a whip. His heartbeat kicked up. It wasn’t much but it was something. The man who’d taken the girls had a scar.

  His heart still thundering, he kept his voice only slightly curious and said, “Really. Where was it?”

  As if she didn’t know that the two adults were hanging on her every word, she said, “On his hand.”

  “Did he have dark hair like you and your mommy’s?”

  She shook her head.

  “Was it like Eden’s?”

  “Like Hailey’s and Daddy’s.”

  “You mean blond … kind of like Aunt Miranda’s?”

  She nodded her head and said, “Can I go swing again?”

  Cole looked up at Keeley. There were tears in her eyes and gratitude on her face. Wanting nothing more than to pull her into his arms and hold her, he stood and said, “I’ll call Honor,” and walked away.

  Keeley followed Hannah to the swings, her emotions close to eruption. Her baby had remembered something. No, it wasn’t a lot—hair color and a scar—but it was more than they’d had before. Anything at all to help narrow down the suspects was progress. And she owed it all to Cole. She hadn’t wanted to come here. Hadn’t wanted to put Hannah through more questioning. Hadn’t wanted to relive the horror of that day, even though it was ingrained into her mind. But Cole had done the hard thing, and thanks to him, they had something they didn’t have before.

  “Mommy, who’s that with Unca Cole?”

  Last week Hannah had started calling Cole “Unca Cole.” She should discourage it. He wouldn’t be here forever, and having Hannah attach any kind of nickname to him meant she could easily form an attachment.

  So far she hadn’t told her not to call him that…. She should, she knew … but not yet.

  Keeley twisted her head to see Cole standing beside a truck and being hugged by a beautiful auburn-haired woman. A man with shoulder-length golden-blond hair, about Cole’s height, stood beside the woman. He gave Cole a brief manly hug. They talked for several seconds and Cole did the most extraordinary thing. He pulled the woman back into his arms and swung her around, the golden-haired man grinning the entire time. Then Cole set her down and placed his hand on her belly.

  A lump formed in Keeley’s throat. The universal signal of a woman expecting a baby. Everyone wanted to touch the tummy.

  As if they knew they were being watched, all three of them looked over at her. She should be embarrassed to be caught staring, but couldn’t force herself to look away. This was the most emotion she’d ever seen from Cole. Even when they’d had those passionate encounters, he’d been aroused but so very controlled. It was obvious this couple meant a lot to him.

  As the small group headed toward her, she took her daughter’s hand and led her to the blanket Cole had spread. Hannah pulled out her new doll and Keeley waited for Cole and his friends. The woman was even more beautiful than Keeley had first thought. Vibrant auburn hair, creamy magnolia skin, and twinkling emerald eyes.

  Keeley glanced over at the golden-haired man and could only stare. To say he was unusual-looking would be an understatement. His long hair was a mass of different colors—blond, brown, and golden—and he had a scar on the left side of his face. The scar did nothing to detract from his striking looks.

  “Keeley, I’d like you to meet Shea and Ethan Bishop. They’re with LCR, too.”

  As Keeley shook their hands, she was surprised at the way Shea kept looking at Cole, as if assessing him for something. A slight furrow of her brow told Keeley she was concerned for him for some reason. Why?

  “And this must be Hannah,” Ethan said.

  Hannah raised her head to give an adorable grin and then resumed playing with her doll.

  “Are you here to work with Cole?” Keeley asked.

  Shea smiled. “If he’ll let us. We just got off an op and were at loose ends.”

  “You mean we couldn’t wait to come here and tell Cole the news,” Ethan said.

  “Well, that, too.”

  “Congratulations,” Keeley said.

  “How’d you know?” Shea asked.

  “Cole put his hand on your stomach. When I was pregnant, that seemed to be the first thing people wanted to do, too.”

  Shea laughed. “That’ll take some getting used to.”

  “So you guys going to stay awhile?” Cole asked.

  Ethan glanced at his wife and then back at Cole. “If you think we can help.”

  “We just learned something new. Maybe you could help with that. Research. Not any action.”

  “Ethan needs a rest.” Shea shot her husband a teasing grin. “He pulled a muscle chasing down our ride in Chile.”

  Ethan snorted. “If I hadn’t, we’d still be walking. Damn stubborn mule.”

  Keeley watched their exchange in awe. Their kind of life was so foreign to her. Before her world was torn apart, her daily routine consisted of meals for the girls, play and nap time, reading bedtimes stories, and the occasional grocery store run.

  She watched Cole’s face as he talked with his friends. Their world was his. Adventure and danger. No wonder he didn’t want to become involved with her. How boring she must seem to him. Even though he’d been a history teacher in the past, he’d left that life behind. Had even told her he was a different person and could never go back to it.

  “You okay, Keeley?”

  Cole’s concerned frown pulled her from her wistful thoughts. Getting both her girls back was all she needed. Hoping for any kind of permanent relationship with a man like Cole would be futile.

  “I’m fine.” She smiled at Ethan and Shea. “It’s great to have more LCR people on my case.”

  “We’ll do all that we can,” Shea said.

  “How’d you know we were at the park?” Cole asked.

  “We stopped at Keeley’s house and Mrs. Thompkins told us where to find you,” Ethan said.

  Keeley felt a tug on her shirt and looked down at her daughter’s angelic face. “Mommy, I’m hungry.”

  “I am, too.” She glanced up at Cole’s friends. “We were just about to have a picnic. We have plenty of food to share.”

  As if sitting down with a five-year-old was the highlight of their day, they grinned at each other and then Ethan said, “I’m starving.”

  And with that, three LCR operatives sat down on the blanket and ate the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and drank their milk as if they did it every day.

  Pacing across his bedroom suite, Cole waited for Ethan and Shea to join him. Keeley had put an exhausted Hannah to bed and had already bid good night to everyone. She looked worn out. Reliving the girls’ abduction today at the park hadn’t been easy.

  He was beginning to feel as helpless and useless as an old shoe. There had been no leads in weeks. The most hopeful thing that had happened was Hannah remembering the hair color and scar on the hand of the bastard who’d grabbed her. It wasn’t much, but it was more than they’d had before.

  That’s why Ethan and Shea were meeting with him. He intended to put as much description as he could together and give it to Shea. She was a gifted artist. Yeah, they’d done this already with the FBI, but he wanted to try it again. With Keeley’s descriptions of height and weight, along with the little Hannah had given them, he hoped something else could be discovered from Shea’s talented hand.

  He looked up at the knock on his door. Shea and then Ethan entered. They were practically glowing they looked so damned hap
py. Once again he was reminded that even if he wouldn’t wish what happened to him and Shea on his worst enemy, he was glad something good and right had come out of all of it. Shea and Ethan had loved each other for years. The pain they’d gone through to get to that happy ending made them appreciate it all the more.

  Ethan eased down onto the sofa with a grimace.

  “You did hurt yourself in Chile, didn’t you?” Cole asked.

  “You try running with sixty pounds of equipment on your back after a skittish mule, with Shea laughing hysterically behind you.”

  Cole chuckled. They’d had good times together once, before they’d all screwed it up. Shea with her insecurities, Ethan with his guilt, and Cole with his damned interference.

  “Don’t let him fool you, Cole. He’s faking most of it.”

  Ethan’s expression was a mixture of indignation and guilt. “Hey, it does hurt.”

  Shea rolled her eyes. “He’s worried about me. He’s hoping that if we get involved in this case, it’ll keep me from suggesting something with more action.”

  Ethan shrugged, but didn’t deny her claim. Cole understood completely and concurred. The miscarriage she’d suffered the first time she was pregnant wasn’t something any of them would ever forget.

  Cole sat in the chair at his desk; leaning forward, he took in both of their gazes. “I could use your help. Especially you, Shea. Hannah remembered something about her kidnapper. I’m hoping we can ease her into remembering even more. I have a vague description from Keeley. The bastards were wearing ski masks, so Hannah is probably our best bet to find out what their faces look like. If we can put more time on it, we might be able to come up with something we can work with.”

  Shea nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can. This has got to be killing that poor woman, not knowing where her daughter is.”

  “Finding Hannah helped, but you’re right, it’s killing her not to find Hailey. She’s a strong woman. Just one of the things she’s gone through in the last few years would have broken most people. Everyone has a breaking point, though.”

  “You sound … fond of her,” Shea said.

  Cole shrugged. “I admire her strength.”

  He ignored the exchange of concerned glances between Shea and Ethan. He wasn’t about to explain that his admiration for Keeley went far beyond just her strength. Nothing could come of it, and having to answer questions about his feelings wouldn’t change anything. Especially when he had no answers.

  “How can I help?” Ethan asked.

  “I need you to be Keeley’s shadow. I still think she’s in danger. She doesn’t go out much, but Eden was with her whenever she did, and you’re a hell of a lot more intimidating-looking than Eden.”

  “Shea and I read the file and talked with Eden and Jordan before they left for Thailand. You still believe this could be some sort of vendetta against Keeley?”

  “Yeah. Unfortunately, the only person who publicly despises her would probably be the last person to invite all the publicity this case has garnered,” Cole said.

  “Elizabeth Fairchild,” Shea said.

  Cole nodded. “She’s a bitch and loves to make Keeley’s life miserable, but it’s brought the Fairchild name up for public scrutiny and that’s the last thing a woman like her would want.”

  “Maybe her hatred is stronger than her need to protect the family name.”

  “No. Nothing is stronger than that. I know—I’ve spent way too much time in her company.”

  “Oh really?” Shea didn’t bother to hide her amusement. “Have you become cougar bait?”

  Cole’s stomach twisted. Having Elizabeth attracted to him gave him an advantage, that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  “I think I’m a little too old to be considered cougar bait. However, staying on her good side has been helpful. She’s revealed some things I don’t think she meant to. I’m going to stick—”

  The bedroom door flew open. Cole looked up to see Keeley standing in the doorway, tears streaming down her face. He was at her side in an instant.

  “What?”

  She held a piece of paper in her shaking hand, but seemed unable to speak. Taking the paper from her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and read the vile email.

  I got your little girl, Keeley. You’ll never see her again. Never get to dress her in that pink and green jumpsuit with the baby elephants on the front. How sad … boo hoo. Maybe I’ll send her body back to you so you can bury her in it.

  Rage bubbled inside Cole but he forced it back. Keeley needed his support, not his anger. He looked down at her ravaged expression. “I’m assuming Hailey has a pink and green jumpsuit with elephants on the front?”

  He watched her throat work as she tried to speak and couldn’t. Finally she nodded.

  “You’ve received sick emails like this in the past, but this confirms what we already suspected. It’s someone you know … apparently very well for them to have information about what’s in Hailey’s wardrobe.”

  A shudder ran through her as she visibly tried to compose herself. When she spoke, her voice was thick with emotion. “You don’t understand. I bought that outfit the day before the girls were taken. She never even wore it.”

  “Where did you buy it?”

  “At the children’s store in town.”

  Shea took the paper from Cole’s hand and said, “So anyone who saw you buy it there could have—”

  “No.” She winced as if embarrassed. “The owner, Cindy Brackett, knows I don’t like to be seen in town that much. She sometimes let’s me come in after hours to shop.”

  Cole tamped down additional fury. First they’d focus on finding Hailey, then he’d work on the antipathy Keeley had been putting up with for far too long.

  “So Cindy Brackett could be a suspect,” Ethan said.

  Keeley shook her head. “Cindy’s seventy-nine years old. There’s no way she would be involved in anything like this.”

  Cole didn’t respond. He’d question Ms. Brackett before he cleared her. If she was innocent, there was only one other explanation. One he had never considered. He hoped to hell he was wrong and cursed himself for not thinking of it before.

  Breath shuddered from Keeley as she worked to control her emotions. Just how much more could this woman take before she completely lost it? He didn’t want to find out.

  “I’m sorry I interrupted you … didn’t I?” Keeley asked.

  “Not at all,” Shea said. “We were just discussing how we can best help.”

  “Thank you both for being here.” She brought her gaze back to Cole. “I think I’m going to sleep with Hannah in her bed tonight.”

  “No.” Cole inwardly winced at his abruptness, especially when Keeley flinched. “I want you to sleep in one of the guest rooms with Hannah. Just for tonight. Okay?”

  Her eyes glittered with tears and questions, but Cole was humbled by her faith in him when she just nodded and said, “Okay.”

  Keeley said “Good night” to Shea and Ethan, then left the room.

  Following her out into the hallway, Cole couldn’t have stopped what happened next if an earthquake hit. He pulled Keeley into his arms and held her close. Breathing in the beauty of the fragrance that was Keeley, he whispered, “I promise you, Keeley. It will all work out and we will get Hailey back safely.”

  She held him tightly for several seconds and then pulled away. Her heart in her eyes, she whispered, “I believe in you, Cole.”

  Holding her face in his hands, Cole leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Get some sleep.”

  Cole waited until she disappeared into her daughter’s room and then, seconds later, reappeared with Hannah in her arms. Whispering another soft “Good night,” she went into the bedroom suite across from the girls’ and closed the door.

  His eyes closed for a long second as he acknowledged what he’d been denying for weeks. It wasn’t just desire he felt for Keeley. It was more, so much more.

  He’d thought he knew every l
evel of hell that existed. He had been wrong. Falling in love with the widow of the man he had killed was like free-falling into the fiery pit and looking up to see heaven and knowing he didn’t have a chance in hell of attaining it.

  nineteen

  Cole parked in front of the Bows and Britches children’s clothing store. After he and Ethan had made a preliminary surface search of Keeley’s house that morning with no results, he decided to come into town and talk with Cindy Brackett. Once he eliminated her as a suspect, he’d go back and break the news to Keeley.

  She would be upset that her house might be bugged, but not surprised. He’d seen the knowledge in her eyes last night when he’d requested that she and Hannah sleep in another room. But until they did a thorough search of the house, any serious discussions needed to be done outside.

  He’d left Shea in charge of showing Keeley some self-defense moves. He was determined she’d never be left defenseless again.

  LCR operatives would soon arrive to do a more thorough search of the house. After his interview with Cindy Brackett, Keeley and Hannah would be moved to a safe house. Ethan was making those arrangements now.

  He opened the door of his Jeep and got out slowly, his eyes searching the perimeter. Ever since he had arrived in Fairview, he’d felt as if he were being watched. Small towns were notorious for wanting to know people’s business. This felt like more. Almost as if there was a malevolent presence eyeing him. Other than the normal goings-on of a small, prosperous town, Cole saw nothing out of place.

  Shrugging off his unease for now, he opened the door of the store and walked in. An elderly white-haired lady with a sweet smile, twinkling eyes, and a cane hobbled toward him. If this was Cindy Brackett, he immediately eliminated her as any kind of threat. Nevertheless, perhaps she’d mentioned Keeley buying the clothes to someone. He was here. Might as well ask some questions.

  Dressed in a mechanic’s overalls and wearing a stringy black wig with an attached cap, Wes sauntered over to the black SUV that Cole Mathison had just exited. Why the bitch wanted the man dead wasn’t something he concerned himself with. She’d called him last night and insisted it had to be done today. Fine with him. Wasn’t like he didn’t want to do the job, he’d just been looking for the right opportunity.