by Donna Grant
After pulling open the top left drawer of her desk, she removed a wooden box about eight inches long and four inches deep. She flipped the lid to reveal an expensive pen set. Stella didn’t look twice at the Montblanc pen as she lifted out the tray to reveal a hidden compartment beneath, the space holding a burner phone.
She reached for it and turned it on. The phone was only used in emergencies, but this was definitely an emergency. She selected the only saved number and brought the cell to her ear as it began to ring.
There was no answer, but that wasn’t unusual. She waited for the voicemail to start. “It’s me,” she said. “My little problem is closer than ever. The operation here has been very successful, but I think it’s time I find a new location before she gets lucky and finds us.”
After she ended the call, Stella shut off the phone and placed it in the box before she put everything back where it had been. The next location had already been picked, and a team had been sent to set up the area in case they had to leave Texas suddenly. The entire reason Stella had begun to pick out the next territory well in advance and set up a team to get things ready was because of Marlee.
The intrepid cop-turned-PI had nearly cornered Stella three years earlier. That was the closest Marlee had ever come and was the closest Stella would allow anyone to get. Too much was at stake.
Stella got to her feet and walked around the bedroom she’d turned into her office. It was small, but she didn’t need much space. She had learned to keep her business tidy, and with everything in the cloud nowadays, everything she had was highly encrypted and stored electronically. It made her life much easier.
Pure luck had led her to this path to begin with. She’d been young, broke, and homeless at seventeen. Living on the streets had been the hardest thing she’d ever done, but she’d found a friend, another runaway who understood that life on the streets was rough. However, sometimes, living at the home you ran away from was even harder.
She and Jenny had become close. A couple of months later, Jenny told Stella exactly why she had run away from her family—her father had raped her since the age of six. At sixteen, she found out that she was pregnant and told him not to touch her again. That’s when he started hitting her. Jenny managed to get away and jumped out a window. All she’d had on was a pair of shorts and a shirt but being barefoot didn’t stop her. Eventually, she found her way to Los Angeles, and that’s where she met Stella.
Stella had no idea what to do for someone who was pregnant. She had gotten good at stealing food, but soon, that wasn’t enough to feed them since Jenny couldn’t move as fast as she used to. Stella honed her skills as a pickpocket, and that’s how she kept food in Jenny’s belly for her and the baby. When the weather turned, Stella sometimes managed to get enough money to rent a room for the night.
She smiled as she remembered how Jenny used to stand beneath the shower, washing herself and her hair dozens of times before she finished. Stella’s smile vanished as she closed her eyes. Jenny began to complain of her back hurting. Stella knew that Jenny needed a doctor, but it took some convincing to make Jenny see it, as well.
The day Stella was going to bring Jenny to the clinic, she went into labor in the room they had rented. She tried to get Jenny to her feet so they could go to the hospital. She knew in her gut that something was really wrong, but every time she touched Jenny, the girl screamed in pain. Finally, all Stella could do was hold Jenny’s hand and do whatever she could to deliver the baby.
There was so much blood. Stella had never seen so much before in her life. She had been shocked by it, but then suddenly, there was this little baby wiggling in her arms and screaming at the top of its lungs. Out of all that pain, a new life had been born.
She laughed and held the baby up for Jenny to see her son. Only Jenny was dead. Amid her tears, Stella managed to cut the umbilical cord and wrap the baby in a blanket. She wanted to stay with her friend, but if she alerted anyone to what had happened, the cops would come—and they always asked too many questions.
Stella looked down at the baby. She had no idea what to do with him, but she wasn’t going to let him go into the foster system like she had. She was determined to take care of him. The problem was, stealing money or running any cons with a crying baby was impossible. He wouldn’t stop screaming.
The resolve she had to take care of him quickly turned to resentment because she couldn’t leave him alone to get the things he needed, but she also couldn’t bring him with her. She realized that he was starving, and she had nothing to give him. It wasn’t until his cries turned to whimpers and he began to look ashen that she realized that he was dying.
Stella walked all night to the orphanage. She hadn’t wanted to put him in the system, but she didn’t want him to die either. She owed Jenny that much, at least. But as Stella walked around the back of the building, a man stepped from around a shed and stopped her.
“What are you about, girl?” he demanded in a sharp tone.
She held up the infant, who was no longer moving. “My friend had this baby, but she died.”
“You think we’ll give you food or clothing for him?” The man snorted in laughter. “That won’t happen.”
“I—” Stella started.
But the man moved a step closer and lowered his voice. “Is the babe still alive?”
Stella put her hand beneath his nose and felt his breath. “Yes.”
“I know someone looking for a little boy for themselves. How about I offer you five hundred dollars for him?”
She’d never held that much money before. “Five hundred?”
“All right, eight hundred. He’ll be fed and clothed and will belong to a good family.”
Stella glanced down at the child. She’d planned to leave him at the orphanage, but if she could find him a family and get money to live off of, they both benefited. And wouldn’t that have made Jenny happy?
She held the baby closer. “I want a thousand.”
The man smiled slowly and drew out a stack of bills to count out the money. He held it out to her. “Here’s your payment. Give me the baby, and you can be on your way.”
There was a brief moment of hesitation, but the idea of not having to steal money for food for a while was too great a temptation. Stella jerked the cash out of the man’s hand and shoved the baby at him. And she never looked back. After that, it was easy to find women on the streets who’d birthed babies they didn’t want. Stella went back to that old man six more times, earning herself a little more each time and giving some of it to the mothers who’d sold their babies.
It wasn’t long before Stella wanted even more money. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too difficult to find people willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for babies. Soon, demand exceeded supply, and Stella had to find other ways to get the children. That’s when she met Chuck. He’d been a doctor in the military but had been kicked out for murdering someone. It made it impossible for him to practice again. Yet he was exactly what Stella needed.
She found the pregnant women, he followed them for weeks and learned their habits. Then, he cornered them, knocked them unconscious, and cut them open to remove the babies. Once the infants were safely delivered, he sliced the mothers’ necks so they bled out.
It wasn’t optimal. In fact, it was the worst way to get the babies, but sometimes, Stella had to do whatever it took.
And it just might be time to remove Marlee from the equation.
Chapter 13
Marlee blinked and read the paper in her hand.
“The Harpers just left,” the nurse said. “They’re very pleased.”
Marlee could only nod since she couldn’t form words. She swallowed and reread the paper. Irritation began to grow and fester because, somewhere, somehow, she had messed up. But where? She had been so sure that Nate was the missing baby. But she’d gotten it wrong. So very wrong.
Her arm lowered to her side with the paper clutched in her hand. She walked numbly from the hospital to her car and g
ot inside. Then she just sat while trying to evaluate the various emotions colliding within her like a stormy sea.
She was angry that she had overlooked something that had led her to the Harpers and little Nate. Though she also discovered relief among the emotions because she now got to tell Naomi and Brice that everything with Nate’s adoption had been done properly.
Then there was the annoyance because she wanted to end this job and get back to her parents. Along with that came regret, since she wouldn’t be able to tell a grieving father that she had found his missing son.
Marlee tossed the paper onto the seat beside her and placed her hands on the steering wheel. Then she closed her eyes and tried to get a handle on the turmoil within her. She was so glad she hadn’t mentioned to her mother that she was trying to come home early. However, now she had to start her investigation all over again. But first, she needed to pay the Harpers a visit. She owed them that, at least.
The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly rose. Marlee slowly opened her eyes and looked around without moving her head. She used the rearview mirror as well as the side mirrors, but like before, she found nothing. Still, a feeling like that didn’t occur without reason. Not to her. Someone was watching her.
Adrenaline kicked in, but she held herself back. This wasn’t the time to confront whoever it was, though she was getting tired of her watcher. Or was it all in her head? After all, despite the times she’d felt someone watching her, nothing had happened.
Marlee blew out a breath and started the car. She pulled out of the parking spot to drive through the lot. As she did, she let her gaze move over the many vehicles to see if anyone or anything caught her eye. The fact that so many people were getting in and out of automobiles made it difficult to tell who the culprit might be.
She finally gave up and drove away. Though her mind wanted to go over the details of her job to find out where she had gone wrong, she didn’t allow herself that. At least, not yet. She needed a small break. She decided to drive to the Harpers’. They had gotten the results, as well, but she still wanted to talk to them. When she returned to her motel room, then she could look at the various reports, pictures, and all the other evidence she had and start fresh.
When she arrived at the house, Marlee saw Caleb’s truck parked next to his brother’s. She stopped her rental behind them and grabbed the paper before getting out. The front door of the house opened as she approached. Naomi stood with a smile on her face.
Marlee returned the smile. “Mind if I come in?”
“Not at all,” Naomi replied as she opened the door wider.
Marlee walked inside as Naomi led her to the kitchen, where Brice and Caleb were seated. Naomi glanced at the baby monitor, the screen on it showing Nate sleeping peacefully. The little tyke had no idea what was going on around him. It was a good thing because while most kids forgot such turmoil, for some, it became imprinted on them forever.
Brice gave her a nod. “Did the hospital tell you?”
“They did,” she said. “Congratulations. I’m very sorry I caused such worry.”
Naomi walked to Brice as he got to his feet and wrapped an arm around her. Despite the hell they’d gone through over the last couple of days, there didn’t seem to be any animosity directed at her.
“You were just doing your job,” Naomi said.
Marlee forced a smile and turned to leave, but Caleb stepped in her way.
“What does this mean for you?” he asked.
She shrugged, her lips twisting. “It means I have to start my case over. I know it may not look like it to you, but I don’t usually get these things wrong. There are instances, of course, but more times than not, my investigation leads me to the right person.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Caleb glanced at his brother and sister-in-law. “Your investigation brought you here, though. I’d feel a lot better if you told me it was simply Brice and Naomi and not something more.”
Marlee hesitated, feeling three pairs of eyes on her. “Something went wrong in my investigation. I need to figure out what that was. I’m going to start from the beginning and work through it again. It might take me out of Clearview—which it probably will.”
“Is there anything we can do to help? I don’t like the idea of babies being stolen from their families,” Brice said.
Marlee shrugged. “It happens more than you know. Trust me, you don’t want to know the statistics.”
“I think I do,” Caleb told her.
If they wanted it, she would give it. “A child goes missing every forty seconds in the US. Of those, over fifteen hundred are kidnapped. However, I think the number is actually higher.”
Naomi’s brows drew together. “Why?”
“Think of all the illegal immigrants in our country. Do you honestly believe all of them report when one of their children is taken or disappears?”
“No,” Caleb said with a shake of his head. “Damn. I had no idea.”
“I’m truly sorry I put all of you through this, but my job is to find the missing and return them to their families.”
Brice held up a hand. “Thank you, but you don’t owe us an apology. You did what you had to do. I wish you well in your hunt for the missing infant.”
“Thanks.”
Caleb walked her to the door and quietly let her out. Marlee got into her car and was just backing up to turn around when Cooper’s truck pulled up. He rolled down his window, so she did, as well. She didn’t want to be happy to see him, but something about him brought some calm to the storm of her life.
“Hey,” he said with a smile as he pulled up alongside her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I just came to say congratulations.”
His face lit up, then the expression died. “I’m happy for my friends, thrilled they get to keep their son, of course. But that means you’re still searching.”
“That’s pretty much all I do.”
“Do you ever get any time off?”
“I take what I can, when I can.”
“How about tonight?”
She was so shocked by his question that she could only stare at him.
Cooper held up his hands and grinned. “You have to eat, right? It’s already the afternoon. No sense in getting on the road now. Start fresh in the morning. If you’re leaving.”
“I’m not leaving tonight.”
“Good.” His smile widened. “Then let me buy you dinner.”
“I should be the one buying you dinner after what I did.”
He shook his head, his gaze never leaving hers. “My treat. Please.”
“All right,” she said, feeling as giddy as a schoolgirl headed on her first date. Which, sadly, was pretty much what this was since she couldn’t remember the last time she had agreed to anything like this.
Cooper flashed her a sexy smile. “You’ve made my day. How does seven sound?”
“Perfect.”
“There’s a good steakhouse, but if you’re vegetarian—”
“I like meat,” she hurried to say. Then she giggled at how dirty that sounded.
By the look in Cooper’s eyes, he had heard the double entendre, as well. “Shall I pick you up?”
At this, she hesitated.
“No worries,” he said. “We can meet.”
“Actually, I think I’d like you to drive. I’m staying at the local motel, room 110.”
He wrinkled his nose. “That’s not in the greatest part of town.”
“Unfortunately, a lot of where I go isn’t in the best parts of towns. I’m used to it. I used to be a cop.”
“Right.” He paused as if debating something internally, then he winked at her. “I’ll see you at seven.”
“Seven,” she agreed and waved at him.
As she drove away, she couldn’t stop smiling. Even after their not-so-great first two encounters, he still wanted to be around her. At least now, she knew it wasn’t to get information from her regarding his friends. No, she believed he
genuinely liked her. And when was the last time that had happened?
“Ugh. Don’t even think about it,” she told herself.
As she pulled onto the road, she turned up the music when a song came on that she liked. For just a few minutes, she wasn’t a PI searching the country for kidnapped and missing babies. She was just a woman who had been asked on a date by a very handsome, very charming man that she wanted to kiss.
The mere thought of that had her thinking about sex, which of course, made her think of the last time she’d had a lover.
“Just stop,” she chided herself. “I’m in a good mood. If I keep going down this thought path, I’m going to ruin everything for tonight.”
The moment she got to the motel, she bolted the door and jumped into the shower. It was time she actually made an effort with her appearance.
And she might need all the time she could get.
Chapter 14
“Well?” Caleb asked when Cooper walked into the house.
Cooper looked between Caleb, Brice, and Naomi and shrugged. “Well, what?”
“We know you,” Brice said. “More importantly, we’ve all seen how you look at Marlee.”
“I think I should take offense,” Cooper said.
Naomi was beaming when she said, “Don’t. What Caleb and Brice are trying to say—badly—is that they know you’re going to help Marlee.”
Cooper shrugged in an effort to not say anything. He hadn’t intended to tell any of them what he and Jace were up to. Then again, the four of them rarely kept secrets from one another.
“You might as well give it up and tell us everything,” Caleb said with a grin. “By the way, where’s Jace?”
Cooper sighed loudly. “Did y’all ever stop to think that maybe I wanted to keep you out of it because of Nate?”
“No,” the three answered in unison.
Naomi finished stirring the soup and looked his way. “Whether Marlee came today to take Nate from us or to give us the news she did, I’d still want to help her. Because what she’s doing makes a difference. Nate might not have come from my body, but I love him as if he did. If anyone took him, I’d be devastated.”
