Texas Kidnapping

by Barb Han

  She took a seat on one of the barstools and repositioned the baby, cradling her with one arm. “Thank you for finding her pacifier in your car. And I sure hope you’re right. I’ve always wanted to be a mother. Life wasn’t exactly ideal for a long time so I didn’t think much about it but then lately it’s like everything in my life snapped into place and I just knew the timing was right. For her. For a change. For a new life.”

  “Can’t say that I have personal experience with an epiphany like that one, but I have always felt like I was supposed to be in law enforcement from as early as I can remember.” He paused long enough to take a sip. “Which brings me to my next action. Calling in my brother.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea with what your family is going through?” she asked pensively.

  “Work is good for grief and there’s a kidnapper on the loose in Katy Gulch.” He stopped short of saying words like kidnapping ring. “Besides, we’ll be grieving my father for a long time to come.” Cash could scarcely contemplate the hole their father’s death was going to leave in the family. If sadness got hold of Cash, it might not let him go. So, he decided it was best to deal with his emotions in doses rather than try to take it all in at once. It would swallow him up otherwise.

  “As long as you’re sure I won’t be in the way.” Those big blue eyes searched his for confirmation.

  Cash was one hundred percent in trouble when it came to the little family sitting in his mother’s kitchen. Nothing was going to happen to either of them on his watch. It was a promise he knew he couldn’t guarantee no matter how much his heart wanted to.

  The buzz of his cell phone indicated a text had come in. Cash glanced at the screen and then looked up. “Colton is parking right now.”

  Chapter Seven

  Colton walked into the kitchen where Cash greeted him. The two embraced in a bear hug that nearly melted Renee’s heart. Having grown up an only child, she had learned early on in life to depend on herself.

  “Renee, I’d like you to meet my brother Colton O’Connor, the sheriff.” Cash practically beamed with pride when he introduced his brother.

  Colton extended his hand. Renee accepted the offering with a solid shake.

  “I’m really sorry about your father.” She meant those words. Mr. O’Connor must have been a wonderful father and man to have raised such amazing sons. It was easy to see both Cash and Colton were honest, respectful and kind men.

  “Thank you for your kindness. We can’t begin to fill the void our father leaves behind.” Colton nodded his appreciation.

  “He gave us a lot to live up to, that’s for sure,” Cash added. The warmth Renee witnessed between the brothers drew out a surprise longing to be part of a big family. She had always wanted to be a mother. But she figured hers would be a one-and-done situation. The sudden picture of big family holidays with three or four kids running around sent warmth shooting through her. She chalked the sentiment up to overwrought nerves and the biology class that had taught her about ingrained primal needs when it came to protection. A large close-knit family would offer more defense during a dangerous time.

  Having a baby made her feel more vulnerable than she’d expected. Renee was slowly realizing just how much motherhood would change her. Hearing Cash review details as he brought his brother up to speed made her realize she needed to add security measures if she ever wanted to sleep at night after this ordeal. Having a complete stranger come inside her home without permission made her feel violated and angry.

  “It’s too early to rule anything out but I’m not as worried about the general population of town being at risk now that I’ve been caught up.” Colton’s lips formed a thin line. “On the surface, this crime appears to be targeted at Ms. Smith and her daughter.”

  “Please, call me Renee.” She’d suspected as much. However, hearing those words caused her to hold Abby just a little bit closer.

  Colton conceded her request with a small smile and a nod. She also noticed that his gaze moved from her back to his brother where it lingered a few seconds too long. In her mind, the attraction happening between her and Cash had been mostly on her side until then. Watching his brother, she was thinking that maybe the feeling was mutual. No one had ever stirred her heart or made her stomach free-fall the way he did. As much as she wanted to run toward the feeling, it was best to leave well enough alone.

  “Since this does appear to be a targeted crime,” Colton continued, “I’d like to start interviewing those closest to the witness.”

  Cash nodded in agreement. It seemed both investigators were on the same track.

  “We can interview suspects together, separately or split the list. However you want to get this done. You’re the lead on this one.” Cash rocked on his heels.

  “Considering there have been two attempts in less than a day, it makes more sense to split the list so we can cover more ground, faster.” Colton paused a few beats. “It might be a good idea for me to call and ask suspects to stop by my office so you can watch them give statements from behind the glass of the interview room. Hearing the statements might spark something and we’ll hopefully get further.” He made a good point. One that had his brother rocking his head in agreement one more time. Colton looked to Renee. “I’d like to start with your ex.”

  “Agreed,” Cash stated. “With a family on the way, he shouldn’t be a flight risk. Asking him to come and give a statement shouldn’t raise any red flags. We’re merely requesting that he make an appointment to stop by, which seems a lot less threatening than showing up at his home or job.”

  “Very true.” Colton cocked his head to one side. “I don’t like the lawyer on the adoption case. His name has come up far too often in questionable cases.”

  Renee gasped. “Does that mean my adoption could be illegal?” Fear gripped her, squeezing the air out of her lungs.

  “It’s too early to make any predictions in this case and I know he’s had legal adoptions to his credit.” Colton’s reassurance fell short of comforting her.

  “He’s like oil,” Cash said. He and his brother seemed to be on the same page when it came to Kipp McGee.

  “Nothing sticks,” Colton agreed.

  “The unknown guy from the moving company tops my list, as well.” Cash tapped his phone where he’d been keeping notes. “As does the contractor from her office, Darion.”

  Hearing the names of possible suspects—people who wanted to hurt her—sent a chill racing down her back. Discussing her life and people in it struck her as surreal. Then again, after being stagnant for so long, at least her life was moving forward again. This situation was awful and creepy but at least she was living again.

  “Her ex’s new girlfriend has my attention as well. Do you happen to know the name of her boss?” Colton asked Renee. “I want to be able to verify their whereabouts from an independent source. I also might need to call her during the day to ask her to come in.”

  “Yolanda Tran works for the same person Jamison does. The guy’s name is Adam Sartre.” She gently rocked Abby who was surprisingly still asleep. Bedtime wasn’t that far off and Renee might pay dearly for letting her angel sleep this late in the day but she didn’t want to disturb Abby.

  “Do you work at the same place?” he asked.

  “Yes, but different departments. They work in sales and I work behind the scenes keeping our company’s website up-to-date with products. We sell tax software. The company name is TaxedUp.”

  “A quick call to their boss might help answer a few questions.” Colton got up and poured a glass of water. “Considering the first attack happened in the middle of the night, no one with a nine-to-five office job would’ve been at work. So, we can’t rule anyone out based on the timeline. However, today’s attempt is a different story.” He looked at Renee. “Can you provide a cell number to Adam Sartre?”

  With her free hand, Renee fished her cell phone
from her pocket and scrolled through the contacts. She stopped on Adam’s number. “This is his number.” She rattled it off.

  Colton thanked her. “Let me give him a quick call and see if we can find out if they were at work during the second attempt.”

  He excused himself before walking back to the sink to refill his glass. “Good evening. Is this Mr. Sartre?”

  He must’ve said it was because Colton continued after a beat. “My name is Sheriff Colton O’Connor and I’d like to ask a couple of questions about two of your employees if I could have a moment of your time.” There was silence for a few beats. “Yes, sir. I’m calling about Jamison King and Yolanda Tran.” There was another pause. “Did either one of them show up for work today?” Another pause. “Neither?”

  Renee’s heart dropped. As mad as she was at Jamison for everything he’d done during their relationship and especially the past year, the thought he could be involved with a kidnapping attempt on Abby nearly gutted her. Losing his mother had accelerated the changes in him. Could he actually be that cruel?

  Hearing the lawyer that she’d used for the adoption was shady sent her mind in another direction. Was it possible Abby’s birth parents wanted her back? Had Abby been taken from someone illegally? Granted, if that were true it seemed like the person would use regular channels to get their daughter back. The court system would be the first line of defense for Abby’s parents if she’d been taken illegally. Plus, wouldn’t there be an AMBER alert issued? Cell phones would have been blasted and her picture would be all over the news.

  Unless whoever had given the baby up had changed his or her mind. The mother or father could have known Kipp McGee wasn’t honest. He might even have paid them good money to stay quiet. The person might have followed him to Renee. In that case, Renee might have the upper hand legally. But then she could end up bankrupting herself fighting it out in court.

  Her brain cramped thinking there might be some way she could lose her daughter.

  Renee couldn’t go there. Not even hypothetically. Her gaze searched Cash’s for some kind of reassurance. It should be odd that a man she barely knew had become like a lifeline in a matter of hours. And yet, there was something different about Cash O’Connor that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. No man before him made her feel comforted when her world was careening toward the wall. In all the years she’d been together with Jamison, she’d never once had a sense of belonging or of the world being right.

  Again, she blamed biology. Cash was strong and intelligent. He wore a badge. The man was clearly capable of handling any situation that came his way. Having someone around who she could lean on for a change was foreign but nice. She could get used to being a team with someone like Cash.

  The situation was temporary, a little voice in the back of her mind reminded her. After the investigation, he’d go back to his life and she’d go back to hers.

  So, why did the thought make her sad?

  They both lived in Katy Gulch. She planned to stick around. With a stubborn streak a mile long, she had no plans to repack her belongings and head back to Dallas. Security needed to be installed to make her environment safer. Katy Gulch was home now.

  His brother ended the call and shot her a look of apology. “Neither Mr. King nor Ms. Tran made it in to work this morning. She wasn’t feeling well so she called in sick. Mr. King told their boss she made a doctor’s appointment and he wanted to be there since the pregnancy was progressing.”

  “Does that mean what I think it does? She is his alibi and vice versa?” Was that even allowed? Renee had no idea how the law worked or how a judge would view testimony from someone who had a vested interest in hiding the truth.

  “I’m afraid so. I can have my assistant dig up information about her doctor, see if they made it to their appointment this morning.” Colton drummed his fingers on the granite island as Cash’s gaze intensified.

  “It’ll be interesting to hear what they have to say.” Renee couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Interesting wasn’t exactly the word that usually came to mind when she thought of Jamison.

  Cash grunted. “I definitely want to be behind the glass of the interview room to hear their excuses in person.”

  “I’m going to make some calls on my way in to my office. See how fast we can get meetings set up for tomorrow. I want to move on this quickly before this perp has a chance to regroup and strike again.” Colton’s words sent another icy chill down Renee’s spine. He turned to her. “You’ll be in good hands with my brother here. As a US marshal, protecting a witness is one of the many things he does well. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you remember anything that might help with the case.”

  “We’ll head out soon.” Cash’s jaw tightened and it looked like he clenched his back teeth.

  She thanked Colton again for everything he was doing for her and Abby. It surprised Renee that she wanted to be more to Cash than just a work assignment.

  * * *

  THE BABY HAD been fed and was happily sleeping. The little thing barely had any hair but she made up for it with the biggest brown eyes—eyes that melted hearts. Cash had been cycling through a few thoughts while Renee took care of the baby’s immediate needs.

  He had a dozen thoughts running through his mind. It was possible Jamison and Yolanda had something against Renee. Revenge? Why? What would they have to gain by taking her child? The thought occurred to him that something might’ve happened to Yolanda’s pregnancy to make her lose her baby. Then Abby would be a replacement. Still, why? It didn’t quite add up that the two of them would be in league against her. What would Yolanda have to gain? Jamison didn’t seem to want a child. Or, maybe he didn’t want a child with Renee, in which case the man was an idiot.

  Renee was an intelligent, beautiful woman. Any man would be lucky to have her in his life. Jamison must be a real piece of work.

  It was altogether possible that Jamison had realized that he’d made a mistake walking away from Renee. It was worth considering the position Yolanda would be in should Jamison declare he was still in love with his ex. But why try to kidnap the baby? Why not go after Renee directly? Taking Abby to hurt Renee was a roundabout way to punish her. Yolanda dropped a few notches down the suspect list.

  Since this was a targeted crime and he and his brother had been focused on someone looking to punish Renee, it was worth considering the birth mother or father simply wanted their child back. Kipp McGee wasn’t exactly known for dealing aboveboard.

  A young mother or father who’d changed their mind had motive. It might even make more sense. The mover, in Cash’s opinion, was a pawn if he was involved. He was a tool meant to accomplish a goal. He could also lead them to the real perp. Figuring out his identity could be the lead they needed to crack the case open. Cash couldn’t count the number of times a case had exploded after a small piece of information lit a fire, creating a domino effect.

  Then there was the contractor from Renee’s job. The guy was a creep and most definitely out of line. Was he the criminal they were looking for?

  Cash’s thoughts circled back to Kipp McGee. That was the interview Cash most wanted to listen in on. When he got the green light to take Renee to his brother’s office, he needed to have a conversation with Colton about the lawyer, who moved up the suspect list based on his reputation in the law enforcement community.

  “Any word from your brother?” Renee had kept Abby within arm’s reach since they’d arrived at his family’s home. She must need a break by now but she seemed determine not to let the little girl out of her sight and he couldn’t blame her. If the shoe was on the other foot and it was his daughter, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight until he taught her basic self-defense moves.

  “Nothing yet.” He wondered if he could convince her to eat something or go to sleep. “Are you hungry?”

  Renee shook her head. “Not really.”

  “I can
’t speak from personal experience, but my brother Colton swears the only time he got any rest was when his twins were asleep.” Cash glanced at the carrier.

  Renee blew out a frustrated-sounding breath. “I seriously doubt I’ll ever close my eyes again after what happened. I’ve literally never been so shaken up in my life.” She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. “That must make me sound a little crazy.”

  “Not really. I saw how much having children changed my brother. I’m pretty sure crazy comes with the job.” The fact that she laughed at his joke made his chest puff out a little bit more than he should probably allow. It was the first break in tension and she very much needed it. Being on alert that long and overstressed wasn’t good for Renee. Cash had seen it countless times with witnesses in his protection.

  “I’m beginning to see that now.” Her smile didn’t exactly reach her eyes, but he’d take it. It was progress. She was quick to add, “I still think it’s the best job in the world.”

  He had no idea. No plans to figure it out, either. Cash had seen his brother go through falling in love, having kids. And then having his heart cut in half when his wife walked because law enforcement was too risky a job. It was true. Only a special kind of person could hang in there not knowing whether or not the love of their life would walk through the door at night. Many men and women couldn’t handle their spouses putting their lives on the line on a daily basis.