“Or perhaps he thinks you will pay him to keep quiet, which is why he’s dragged you into the whole sordid mess,” Lana said bitterly.
“So we have to figure out exactly what he wants. Milly, who he genuinely thinks is his child, or money.” Fiona’s eyes flashed as if fire raged through her.
“Or he wants both. Milly is his child and he wants her and enough money for a comfortable life,” Lana added.
“Or…” Jake began. “He thinks his story is true and he expects to reunite himself, his baby and his mate.”
Fiona shook her head. “The child is definitely, categorically Sally’s baby.”
“We need to find Amber more than ever.” Lana put her face in her hands and growled with frustration. “We just need a lead.”
“Money. We can lure him out with money.” With a grim expression, Jake added, “I’ll pay him. We can always lie and say it’s from Blake.”
“He did say he wanted money. Maybe the rest of it is all a ruse. Smoke and mirrors. He wants money for the story. A story that became more embellished the harder I pushed,” Lana said. “He gave me a charm bracelet that he says belongs to Amber. If it’s hers, it proves he has met her. He might think Blake will throw money at him if he believes it will give him his daughter back. It could imply he is responsible for her disappearance.”
“And if your editor gives him the money?” Harlan asked savagely. “And no doubt he will since he wants to know what happened to his daughter, he might just disappear. Will he also run the story about Fiona to recoup his losses?”
“Mr. Jefferson will do whatever it takes to find Amber. But he wouldn’t print anything without proof,” Lana said defensively.
“What name did you say?” Fiona jumped to her feet.
“Mr. Jefferson?” Lana reached for Jake’s hand and he threaded his fingers through hers, sending her strength and comfort. “Do you know him?”
“No. But Kiki Jefferson is the young woman who raised the alarm over Sally. They were friends. Or had been.” Fiona put her hands to her face as her mouth fell open. Jake rarely saw the dragon shifter in shock. “Does Amber have a sister?”
“What?” Lana asked excitedly. “Kiki? You’re sure of the name?”
“Yes. Kiki had a baby with her. She said she met Sally when they were pregnant.” Fiona’s eyes slid past the people in the room and she stared out over the mountains. “She asked to remain anonymous.”
“She was hiding from someone.” Lana’s face flushed pink with excitement, she reminded Jake of his bear when he caught the scent of a rabbit and ran it to ground.
“Do you remember what she looked like?” Lana plunged her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Crossing the room, she knelt by Fiona’s chair and tapped the screen to pull up her photo gallery.
“That’s her. That’s Kiki.” Fiona jabbed her finger at Lana’s phone.
Lana’s shoulders dropped forward, her hope dashed. “That’s Amber Jefferson.”
“Not Kiki Jefferson?” Fiona asked.
“I don’t think Kiki Jefferson exists. Amber used my daughter’s first name but her own last name. Which must prove they knew each other. We have to find Amber. She is the key to unlocking the whole mystery.” Lana’s hand tightened around Jake’s and her breath quickened as her excitement grew.
Fiona’s face flushed with the same excitement. Like a dog who had found a juicy bone to gnaw on. In this case, the juicy bone was Elliot. “What if she figured that telling Elliot her baby had been taken from her was a good way to get rid of the jerk? What if she is still hiding from Elliot, who is the father of her child? Maybe Kiki helped her come up with the story after Milly was taken by social services. That would explain why she didn’t go home to her parents. She’s still hiding.”
“Does her father know she was pregnant and had a child?” Jake asked, putting all the pieces together. He thought business was complicated, but this was something else. He’d think it was farfetched if it was a movie, let alone real life.
It’s more believable than shifters being real to a lot of people, his bear pointed out.
“No.” Lana shook her head adamantly. “Or at least if he did, he made no mention of it.” She lowered her eyes thoughtfully. “No, there was nothing in any of the details he told me to suggest he knew.”
“So we think Amber made up the story of Fiona taking babies from their parents and selling them as a way to cover herself?” Harlan asked. “Just to be clear.” He didn’t look impressed with the idea of Amber blackening Fiona’s name to cover her own escape from the clutches of Elliot.
“She probably didn’t even name me,” Fiona said in Amber’s defense. “All she might have said was a social worker. But somehow the father tracked me down.”
“That might be my fault.” Jake raised his hand. “I went to Sally’s old address a few months ago and began asking questions about the circumstances of her death. I stirred things up.”
“And somehow Elliot linked you adopting Milly with Amber giving up her baby. Which led him to Fiona.” Harlan nodded. “What a web of intrigue.”
“I mentioned I’d adopted a baby. Perhaps he overheard me talking.” Jake rubbed his hand over his eyes. He was tired. His emotions, the same emotions he’d kept under control for so long, were raw and exposed. How did people live like this? It was so much easier when he kept a barrier between himself and the outside world. But since Milly had come into his life, the barrier had begun to crumble and now that he’d found Lana, it was quickly falling apart. “So what do we do?”
“We spring a trap and catch this bastard.” Harlan clapped his hands loudly making Lana jump. “Sorry.”
“But how?” Lana asked. “Has he done anything illegal? Anything we could have him arrested for? Being an asshole isn’t enough. Unfortunately.”
“That’s what we need to find out.” Fiona’s eyes brightened. “Or, I could just shift and bite his head off. Then I could fly deep into the mountains and drop his body in a deep crevasse where no one will ever find him. I’m sure he won’t be missed.”
“You might have gotten away with that centuries ago, but not today,” Harlan told his mate.
“Centuries ago?” Lana asked. “How long do you live?”
“Harlan and Fiona are a little...special,” Jake explained.
“A little special.” Fiona’s eyes flashed amber. “We’re very special.”
“What are you?” Lana asked quietly.
“Dragons.” Fiona puffed a plume of smoke.
“You’re joking!” Lana went deathly pale and Jake squeezed her hand tightly.
“Don’t faint again.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
“I came to Bear Creek for information, and I have certainly gotten a lot more than I ever imagined.” She breathed slowly and deliberately until the color came back to her cheeks.
“Sapphi and Ruby are home,” Harlan said quickly. “I don’t think they need to hear any of this.”
“Agreed,” said Fiona. She looked at Jake. “We need to deal with this, Jake, and deal with it quickly. If there’s any mention of me taking payment for placing children with families, I will likely be suspended and all my cases frozen until they can be independently reviewed.”
“Max and Josephine. They might have to go through the whole process of being vetted for adoption again.” Jake’s hands curled into fists. “Are we sure we can’t just drop him in the mountains and let nature do its job?”
“No.” Lana shook her head. “We have to find a way of making sure he can’t hurt anyone else. But first, we need to know why Amber is so afraid of him.”
“We have to find Amber.” Jake stood up and pulled Lana to his side. “Fiona, do you have any clues that might help us find her?”
“Only…Kiki…Amber did give an address to the police officers at the apartment. But that might not be any help. If she really wanted to disappear it would be hard to track her down.” Fiona pulled her smartphone from her pocket. “I’ll send you the
address now.”
Jake’s phone beeped as he received the message. “How do you feel about a road trip?” he asked Lana. “You could leave Donald and Ursula with my brothers. I can tell them what’s happening, and they will keep her safe.”
Lana’s expression clouded. “We were supposed to be here on a mini-vacation.”
“I can promise you, she will have the best time with the others.” Jake grinned. “And since you are my mate, you’ll be moving here anyway.”
“I will?” Lana asked. “And you still haven’t explained what a mate is.”
“I will.” He kissed her cheek and she gasped but didn’t pull away. “I’ll explain on the way home.”
Although, when Lana placed her hand on her cheek where his lips had kissed her, he was certain she already knew.
Chapter Seventeen – Lana
“What is our plan?” Lana asked Jake as they drove away from Fiona’s house. There was so much to process, her head was about to explode, but she needed to hold it all together, at least until they found Amber.
“Our plan is to get home, check on everyone, warn Tad and Max to keep a close watch over the children and then leave for the address Fiona gave us.”
“A dragon shifter?” Lana took her eyes off the road for a second as she drove toward Jake’s house.
“A dragon shifter.” He nodded. “Not something you expect to ever see. Not even when you’ve grown up knowing about shifters.”
“I don’t know why it’s harder to believe in a dragon shifter than any other shifter. The whole thing is crazy.” Lana stared at the road ahead as the pressure in her head grew. Maybe if she let some steam out of her ears, she would feel better.
“Dragons are mythical creatures whereas a bear or a wolf or a lion are common, a normal part of this world.” His explanation made sense.
No, it didn’t. None of this made sense. Her world had been turned upside down and there was no way to make it upright again. She needed to breathe. Breathe it out. As they neared the Harrison house, Lana fought to regain her composure. She had to face the others and act as if nothing was different. They were the same people, after all. People she was going to leave Ursula with when she went with Jake to find Amber.
“Are Josephine and Heather shifters?” Lana asked as she indicated to turn off the road. The main house came into view, with the roofs of the two new houses nestled behind them. Was she looking at her new home?
“No.” Jake shook his head. “And I still haven’t explained about mates.”
“No, you haven’t, but I figured if we have a road trip in front of us, we might save it until then.” Lana switched off the engine and leaned back in her seat. “Honestly, I’m having a hard time keeping it all together right now. I don’t think I can walk into your house and pretend like everything is okay if you tell me any more.”
“I understand.” Jake put one hand on the car door handle, but then reached across the seats and covered Lana’s hand with his free hand. “We will get through this.”
She half-turned to face him and brushed her thumb over the back of his hand. “I’m sorry, I’ve been so focused on me, I haven’t asked how you are dealing with all this.”
Jake rolled his eyes and sighed. “I want to punch something. Hard. I want to track Elliot down and rip his head from his shoulders.”
“That good, huh?” Lana asked lightly.
“You have no idea.” His face flushed with anger as he nodded toward the house. “The thought of going in there and telling my family that Milly is in danger of being kidnapped is unbearable. We went through enough when Josephine was threatened by her ex, but now this…”
“I had no idea Josephine was threatened.” Of course, there was no reason Lana would know this fact. She reminded herself how new the Harrison family were to her. “But they are resilient and resourceful. I’m certain your brothers will keep all the children safe until we find Amber.”
“It’s not just about finding Amber, though, is it?” Jake asked. “If Elliot has committed no crime then we have to accept that he is out there, and he is capable of destroying any of us with his lies.”
“He will need proof to back up his allegations,” Lana assured him. “My boss, for one, will not print anything libelous unless he’s seen the proof himself. He always says the magazine and his employees are worth more than a quick boost in sales.”
“Unfortunately there are other magazines that are unscrupulous and would print Elliot’s story without proof. He could also post online to one of the forums that gobbles this kind of stuff up and the damage would be done. The news would travel like wildfire,” Jake pressed his lips together. “Mud sticks. And this mud will not only stick but it will stay stuck for a very long time.”
“Then let’s get going. We tell your family and mine that we have to go and make some further inquiries, then you tell Max and Tad the truth.” She opened the car door and got out. “There is no point worrying everyone else about the threat of Elliot.”
“You’re sure we shouldn’t tell your dad? He should be on his guard.” Jake asked. “If Elliot comes here, he is going to see Ursula and the other children. What if he takes one of them as leverage? What if your dad gets in the way because he isn’t prepared?”
Lana slammed the car door shut making the door rattle with the force. “Do you think Elliot would be that stupid?” Lana couldn’t even begin to fathom how a person could take a child from their home. But people did and bad things happened.
“He might be if he’s desperate. We don’t know if Amber is his mate. In which case he would do whatever it took to get both Amber and his child back to him,” Jake mused. “Family is the most important thing to a shifter.”
“Okay, I know we said we would have our little talk on the road, but maybe we should have one here.” Lana walked around the side of the car to meet him. “What exactly is a mate and is there reason to believe that Amber is Elliot’s mate?”
Jake nodded and raked a hand through his dark hair. Thick and lustrous, it was almost down to his collar. Silver threads streaked it, which were more abundant at his temples. She longed to run her fingers through his hair and kiss his lips. She longed to be alone with Jake.
More than anything she longed to draw his face down to hers and kiss his lips before dragging him off to bed. She hated this game of cat and mouse. It was like trying to solve a puzzle wearing a blindfold.
“I’ll explain it in simple terms.” He reached out and took hold of her hand. “A shifter waits his whole life for a mate. Some shifters die before they even have the chance to meet the person they’re supposed to spend the rest of their lives with.”
“That’s sad.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly. “At least that is not your fate.” Her cheeks colored red. “I’m assuming I am that kind of mate?”
“You are,” Jake agreed. “I’ve waited a long, long time for you.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t arrive in a fanfare of trumpets. Believe me, I did not expect this to be how my weekend panned out. I promised Ursula mountains and instead I’m leaving her with strangers while I drive to a different town on what might be a wild goose chase.” Lana stared out at the mountains. “But this might bring me closer to her mom. I’m convinced it’s all linked. Kiki was in the same town, Elliot’s photo proves she was at least in the same bar or club as Amber.”
“Do you know anything about Ursula’s dad?” Jake asked gently.
“Her dad,” Lana repeated. “Damn it! Do you think Elliot is the father of her child, too?”
Jake looked appalled but didn’t deny the thought had occurred to him. “What reason could there be for all three women go with a man like him?”
“Drugs.” Lana hated to say the word, she hated to imply Kiki had taken drugs and gotten herself into a mess she felt unable to extricate herself from. But if that was the truth, then at least Kiki brought Ursula home to Lana. At least she kept the secret from Elliot.
“If that was the case then there’s
a chance that Elliot is either not a shifter or none of them are his mate. If he has multiple children with different mothers, he might be more interested in the children he’s fathered than their mothers.” Jake didn’t look too sure. “Either that or Sally and Kiki being mothers to young children is a coincidence. He might think if he can bring their child home then there is a chance Amber will make a home and a family with him.”
“Either way, we must protect the children and find Amber before he does.” Lana couldn’t bear the thought of Elliot hurting anyone, in any way. “What are the chances she’s moved on or this was a fake address? Since she gave a fake name to the police, why would she give her real address?”
Jake glanced at the address. “It’s easier to think of a fake name than a fake address. Or maybe she gave out someone else’s address. We won’t know until we get there.”
“Let’s hope that’s what happened, and we go to this address and Amber is there.” He looked troubled. “I also hope Amber can tell us more about Sally and the weeks leading up to her death. The guilt still eats me up inside. We should have stayed close. We are all the family...were all the family she had left, and we let her down.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over something you can’t change. Sally was just as capable of asking for help. Not just from you but from other people. Charities, social services, her friends. You can’t be responsible for her, she was a grown woman.” Lana turned away from Jake and stared toward the house. “I need to follow my own advice.”
“In what way?” Jake asked as he took hold of her hand and they walked toward porch.
“If I can’t find any new information on Kiki while we are there, I need to move on. I have to focus on Sula and my dad instead of wasting my energy on a ghost. Kiki left of her own free will. What if she’s like Amber and left because she didn’t like her life?” Lana glanced at Jake. “Does that sound harsh? Should I simply keep looking?”
“No, not at all. If Kiki wanted to come home, if she could come home, you have to question why she hasn’t when she has a small child to care for and love.” Listening to Jake talk sent shivers down Lana’s spine.
Jake Page 13
