“Which means if you’re right, then you’re possibly walking into a trap. I won’t allow that.”
Den’s golden gaze is the harshest I’ve ever seen in his interactions with me. I can tell he’s angry and in my heart I know it’s because he cares. I hate that I have to ignore it, but this isn’t about me. “If Simone has my child in that apartment, I’ll crawl through a snake pit to get her back.” Opening the car door, I step out and look back at him. “I hope you’ll be there to back me up.”
He gets out and quietly shuts his door, then comes around to meet me on the sidewalk. “Always. Let’s go.”
My father mentioned that the entrance to the apartment was on the back side of the building, so Den and I quietly make our way there. I shouldn’t be surprised that he knows how to pick the main door’s lock, but I certainly appreciate his talent as we enter the lower level entryway of the building.
As we take the stairway up to the only apartment upstairs, I hold my breath with each stair we take, praying that none of them creak.
A fine sheen of sweat mists my skin under my coat by the time we make it up the stairs, then turn down the hallway that leads to the apartment.
Halfway down the hall, Den pulls his gun out, but I quickly shake my head and point to his holster, whispering for him to put it away. “I don’t know what she’ll do if she sees a gun. I’m not taking a chance that she might flip out and hurt Jocelyn.”
Den’s jaw works, but he re-holsters his gun, keeping his jacket tucked behind it for easy access.
When we reach the front door, Simone’s voice comes through a speaker on the door, which apparently also holds a camera.
“It’s rude to stand outside and lurk. Come in you two.”
A low light is on in the living room as Den and I step inside. My gaze instantly moves past Simone standing in front of the couch, a laptop on the coffee table in front of her and a phone in her hand. I look for Jocelyn and when she’s not readily in my line of sight, the worry that had been building in my chest shifts to full-on panic. “Where’s Jocelyn? What have you done with my baby?”
I take a step forward, but Den grabs my arm and holds me in place, then taps his ear. Finally I hear the tiny mews of my child. She must’ve heard my voice, because she starts to whimper.
Holding her hand up, Simone walks behind the sofa and grabs a baby carrier by the handle. Setting the carrier down so I can see my child squirming and acting generally unhappy, she looks at me. “You know…I had begun to wonder if you were as smart as Nathan seemed to think you were. That sap turned out to be exactly what I needed to make all this work. All I had to do was push all his Talia buttons and…well, let’s just say that wearing a red wig in bed was a small price to pay to get exactly what I wanted.”
She looks up at me as she releases the handle and puts her hands together in a silent clap, a mocking smirk lifting the corners of her mouth. “But since you’re here, I have to say…you surprised me. I’m not quite sure how you found me, so high marks for that.” As the baby begins to fuss again, she uses her foot to rock the carrier, then turns an expectant expression toward me. “Why do you think I took your baby, Talia? Well, other than the fact that I’ll do a much better job raising her than you ever could.”
I shake my head, afraid to say anything that might set her off while her foot is near my child’s head.
“Come on,” she says, tucking a hank of her blond hair behind her ear. Her gaze straying briefly to Den, she uses her foot to pull the carrier in closer to her, and tilts her face at a different angle. “Don’t I look a bit familiar to you?”
Her comment drags my full attention from my newborn. I frown as I study Simone’s cheekbones, nose, and brown eyes. “I don’t know why you look familiar, but you do. How do you know me?”
She laughs at my question, her amusement so loud that it sets the baby off on a bout of whimpers. Sobering, her expression hardens. “I look familiar to you because I’m Amelia’s mother. You killed my baby and in return I’ve taken yours.”
My stomach drops and my throat goes dry, a low gasp escaping my lips.
“And the light bulb goes off in her pretty red head,” Simone snorts.
Jocelyn is working herself up to a wail and the pitiful sound hits my chest so hard, it feels like a rolling pin moving from my throat to the tips of my breasts. The tingling is so strange, it makes me a bit lightheaded. I narrow my gaze on Simone. “I loved Amelia like a little sister. You killed your child the moment you walked out on her.”
Simone bristles. “I was messed up. A druggie. I had to get clean.”
“While you were getting ‘clean,’ Walt went knee-deep into the drug dealing business.” A flicker of guilt crosses her face, and I fold my arms, anger overriding my lightheadedness. “That’s right, Simone…drugs are what killed Amelia. Walt started using the drugs he sold and one day he backhanded his own child because he was coming down from a high and her high-pitched squeals of happiness bothered him. Her little head hit a table and she never woke up.”
As Simone’s face drains of color, I nod. “Not that I have to tell you the rest, but Walt got what he deserved for his crime.”
“He died in a fire. That’s what the newspaper said.”
“They found him after the fire was put out. That part is true.”
“Dead is dead. At least he paid for his sins.” She tilts her head, her expression hardening. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to discover your child died in the newspaper?” She doesn’t give me a chance to answer. Instead, she curls her upper lip in contempt. “It took time to find you and your aunt, since you left no forwarding address, but I persevered. I saw how happy you were, as if my child had never existed in your life. Vengeance has been the balm that kept me focused ever since. I just needed the perfect opportunity to implement my plan. Cue Paulo.”
Her gaze narrows to pleased slits. “Imagine my surprise to discover someone else was trying to hurt you. I couldn’t have him screwing up my revenge, so I hijacked his bomb for my own use. It would’ve been the perfect crime, with Paulo taking the blame. Then that bitch, Isabel, took your limo instead.”
As she talks, the baby’s cries turn more strident and sharp. My shirt starts to grow wet underneath my coat jacket and I suddenly realize that rolling pin sensation earlier was my milk coming in. I’ve never wanted to strangle a person so much in my life. I have to raise my voice to be heard over Jocelyn’s cries, my tone sharp. “Did you give my baby the sugar water you were supposed to?”
“I was a bit busy leaving the hospital,” Simone sneers, folding her arms. “I tossed that damn bottle in the trash on my way out. Formula is what she needed.”
“You what?” The simmering anger inside me whips to a full-blown explosion of fury and before I can think twice, I pull Den’s gun and turn it on Simone. “Take the baby to the hospital right now, Den.”
Simone bends to grab the carrier, but I quickly cock the gun. “Back off!”
She instantly straightens, but stays planted close to my child.
“All you really care about is me, Simone. Jocelyn is innocent and could die if her blood sugar level isn’t taken care of. Move away and let Den take her.”
Simone’s gaze narrows, but instead of moving, she puts her shoe on top of the handle and slowly rocks the carrier, which only seems to upset the baby more. “It’s true…you’re who I really want. I took care of your aunt first. Enjoyed every moment of beating the shit out of that old bat. After all, she was the adult in charge of my child.”
“Walt was the parent, Simone. Give my baby to Den,” I snap.
“Vanessa got what she deserved.” She jerks her chin upright. “I’m glad she’s dead.”
My gaze slits on her. “You tried your best, but she’s going to be fine. My aunt’s a survivor.”
“Much to my annoyance that massive heart attack didn’t kill her.” She grunts. “Damn, that woman seems to have nine lives.”
My heart dips, and when I shoot a look
at Den, I see the truth in his eyes. “Aunt Vanessa had a heart attack?”
Simone’s laugh is short and tense. The baby’s cries are starting to get to her. “Did I spill a secret?”
“She’s in recovery, Talia,” Den says. “She survived. Your health during the baby’s delivery took priority.”
Frustrated that everyone kept me in the dark about my aunt’s condition, I look at Simone. “Den’s taking the baby now. I’ll stay.”
An odd smile curves her lips before she takes a step back from the wailing baby. “You’re right. She’s innocent in all this. He can take her. Hurting you was my ultimate goal. Your aunt is dead. I assure you of that. Does that make your heart hurt the way it did mine when I found out about Amelia?”
Den quickly closes the eighteen-foot gap between us, his massive size blocking Simone from my line of sight as he lifts the carrier. As he stares hard at Simone and I see his left hand curl into a fist, for a panicked moment I worry he’s going to go after her while holding the baby, but then he returns to my side by the door and looks at me. “Let’s go.”
I shake my head and his expression hardens. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Jocelyn is your priority.” I glance at the gun in my hand. “I’m covered. Get her to the hospital as fast as humanly possible and have Cass call the police on your way there.”
Den gives me an unhappy look, but then walks out. As the door closes behind him, a heavy weight of worry lifts from my chest. He’ll make sure my baby gets what she needs. Once I shift my gaze back to Simone, she’s holding her phone, her head tilted at a contemplative angle.
“You know, the ICU was surprisingly easy to get into when your aunt was first wheeled in there. Of course, she’s in a lot of pain considering what all her body has gone through recently. That IV of painkiller has become her very best friend.”
Tapping on her phone’s screen, her expression turns strangely serene. “The next time your aunt hits that button to relieve her pain, a lethal dose will finish her off. So you see, I wasn’t lying. Your aunt is dead. But don’t worry, I rigged it so it’ll look like you were responsible …” A wide smile, full of giddy malice, spreads across her face. “Which is ironic justice considering you’re not a killer, at least not an intentional one.” She looks me up and down with pure disdain. “A passive killer, most definitely…with my Amelia.”
Oh God, Aunt Vanessa! My heart racing and my body aching all over, my voice shakes from the tension rising inside me. “I’m so thankful Amelia never had your influence in her life.” Adrenaline keeps me going as my hand tightens around the weapon. “Your narcissism would’ve ruined that sweet child.”
“Thanks to you she has no life,” she snaps, then lifts her chin toward the gun. “You don’t have it in you, so why don’t you run along and try to save your pitiful excuse for an aunt, who apparently had no problem fucking up your life. I’m not really sure why you’d want to save hers. But, it’s your choice…me or Vanessa.” She glances down at her phone. “How long do you think it’ll take for the police to arrive? Tick-tock…if only you could predict when Vanessa will wake up and need another hit of the good stuff. Who knows, you might already be too late.”
“You’re not going anywhere!” Holding the gun with one hand, I pull my phone from my coat pocket and hit the button to dial Den’s number, but nothing happens.
Simone lets out a low laugh, her eyes full of delight. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m jamming your phone.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sebastian
Den is leaning in the backseat of his car, buckling in an infant car carrier as I pull up next to his car. Cass is in the backseat helping him, but Talia’s nowhere in sight.
Putting the car in park, I jump out and hear the baby’s high-pitched screams. “Is she all right?” I jerk my gaze around, my voice deepening with worry. “Where’s Talia?”
Den stands and looks at me. “I don’t know if the baby is okay. Simone never gave her the sugar water she was supposed to have. Cass is going to rush her to the hospital. I’m going back for Talia.”
“You fucking left my wife with that psychopath!”
Den jerks his head. “Not by choice. Talia pulled my gun and turned it on Simone. The baby was in distress. I had no choice but to get her down here to Cass as fast as I could.”
“She couldn’t bring herself to shoot a wolf, Den!”
His mouth pressed in a hard line, Den steps into place beside me and hands his keys to Calder. “Get the baby to the hospital. Have them check her sugar levels ASAP.”
Calder nods and pulls open Den’s car door, jumping into the driver’s seat.
Before he closes the door, I grab it. “Don’t let my baby out of your sight, Cald. I don’t give a damn what their policy is!”
“Quit fucking talking to me and get up there to Talia—”
The sound of a gunshot cuts him off. And then another echoes right behind it.
My heart jumps to my throat.
“Go!” I bark. Slamming the car door, Den and I take off for the building at breakneck speed. I don’t remember going around to the back of the building, or even taking the stairs. The adrenaline pumps through me, jacking my body to the highest level possible.
All I know is, I have to get to Talia. To know that she’s okay.
Den and I stand outside the door, my heart feeling like it might pound the hell out of my chest. Focus is hard, but I find calm and pull my gun, nodding to Den. Just when I lean back to kick the door, it opens and Talia walks out with Den’s gun hanging by her side. Den and I both glance inside to see Simone laying on her back, blood pooling between her fingers as she grabs her upper chest and moans in pain.
With the sound of police sirens echoing in the distance, I’m shocked that after everything Simone has done to our family that she’s moving at all. “The fact she’s still breathing took some major restraint on your part, Little Red,” I say in a low tone.
Talia stares straight ahead as if dazed and holds the gun toward Den. As he takes the weapon, she says in a flat, angry tone, “I missed,” then walks toward the stairs.
As Den and I exchange a worried glance, her legs start to wobble.
“Shit!” I lunge forward and catch her before she hits the floor. Scooping her up in my arms, I hear her mumble something about Vanessa and an IV, then I glance down past her long coat to see blood from the crotch of her pants to the middle of her inner thighs. A fucking lot of blood. “Hold on, Talia! Don’t close your eyes, sweetheart. Get the car, Den! I think she’s bleeding out.”
I hold my wife’s limp body close as Den rushes past me, thundering down the stairs. Right behind him, I hit the last stair and kick open the door. My chest tightening with fear, I pray to whomever will listen. Don’t take her away from me. Keep her safe. Keep my child safe. Fuck, I can’t lose them!
Chapter Nineteen
Talia
Warm sunlight on my face wakes me. It’s so comforting it makes me want to stay in bed all day. Why do I feel like I’ve been flattened by a truck? As my eyes flutter open and the distinctive hospital ceiling comes into focus, my whole world comes crashing around me.
Jocelyn!
My pulse jolting into panic mode, I grip the covers and jerk my line of sight around the room, ready to scream for the nurse. My gaze lands on Sebastian leaning over our baby girl, changing her diaper. She’s making whimpering sounds like she’s hungry, which tells me she’s no longer in danger. Taking a calming breath to slow my heart, I watch my husband silently and bite my lip at the utter cuteness of his military precision of lining up the tabs to make sure her diaper is on good and snug. But what makes my heart melt even more is how comfortable he seems tucking her little legs back into her onesie, then wrapping the blanket around her like an expert.
“Your bottom’s all clean. So why all the fussing?” he says in a hushed tone. Lifting her into his arms, he squints against the sunlight while he gently bounces her up and down until her crying subsides. “Pa
pa knows what you like, doesn’t he, Joey.”
Joey? I blink back unshed tears. How adorable is that? “Why didn’t you close the blinds. I know the sunlight bothers your eyes.”
Sebastian glances my way and the look of relieved love on his face chokes me up. He swiftly moves to my side and settles the baby against my breast. Sliding his hand into my hair, he cups the back of my head and presses a kiss to the top, whispering against my hair, “But you love the sunlight, Little Red.”
I soak in the strength of his comforting hold and rest my fingers over his gauze-wrapped knuckles folded over my arm. We both apparently paid in blood today. “I love you too,” I say, my tears flowing.
Pulling back, he brushes my tears away. “They wouldn’t let me wake you. God knows I wanted to. I needed to see your eyes. To know…” He exhales and his throat bobs. “That you were going to be okay, but they said to let you sleep until your body woke you up.”
I suddenly gasp as another worry hits me. “My aunt. Please tell me she’s—”
He moves his hand to my shoulder. “Your message before you passed out was enough to remind me of the comment you made when Theo was attacked. Remember you questioned why she was unharmed? As soon as I got here, I had them change out her IV. Upon investigating, we found that her machine had been tampered with. She’s still in ICU, but she’s safe. The doctor said you can visit her once you’re feeling up to it.” His hold on my shoulder tightens slightly. “Nathan and Simone have been arrested and are facing multiple charges.”
I exhale my relief that the threat to our family is finally over, thankful we’re all okay. “So you spent the time I slept coming up with a nickname for our child?” I tease as I help the baby latch on and begin to nurse.
He rubs his thumb along the baby’s hair, a smile tilting his lips. “She likes to bounce. It’s our thing. So Joey it is.”
It takes my foggy brain a second, then I laugh, loving my husband’s sense of humor. “As in a baby kangaroo?”
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