Marry Me, Major

by Merline Lovelace

  “Yeah, and you’re supposed to keep an eye on her. Seems like you screwed up a lot worse than me. I guess we could fight it out in front of the judge. Or...”

  When he let that hang, she had a sick feeling she knew what was coming next. She caught Ben’s tight-jawed look and knew he was expecting the same thing.

  “Or what?” she ground out.

  “We could settle this friendly like.”

  He let that hang, too, milking every second until Alex wanted to scream at him to get to the bottom line they both knew was coming.

  “Look, I admit I’m not prime daddy material. With the right incentive, I might even be persuaded to drop my objection to the adoption.”

  “How much, Eddie?”

  “Enough to set me up in a new place. A new life.”

  “How much?”

  “Ten grand oughtta do it. In cash.”

  “I don’t have access to that much cash!”

  “The hell you don’t. Maria says your business is doin’ real good. You gotta keep some backup in your account to buy supplies and stuff.”

  “It’s Saturday. The banks are closed.”

  “So make the rounds of the ATMs.”

  “I can’t withdraw that much from—”

  The anger he’d banked up to now broke through. Spewing venom, he cut her off.

  “I don’t care how you get it, bitch. Just get it. Or maybe I should tell the court how close Maria and me got this afternoon. Whaddya call it? Father-daughter bonding or some crap like that.”

  He pitched his voice to a high, fake falsetto that raked along Alex’s nerves like fingernails on a blackboard.

  “Oh, Judge, I gotta tell you. When I saw my kid, standing there, all by herself, playing in the street while her guardian was up in Santa Fe getting it on with her new husband, I had to step in. Had to identify myself. ’N’ when she walked into my arms, I thought my heart was gonna burst. All that stuff Ms. Scott ’n’ her lawyer fed you ’bout me abandoning Maria and her stepmom. Lies. Nothing but lies. The kid loves me and I love her.”

  Nausea roiled in Alex’s stomach. There was just enough truth stirred in with Eddie’s perverted recital to tip the scales against her.

  “Or maybe,” he added, slicing into her chaotic thoughts, “I might take a little trip. Tell you the truth, I’m not real excited about reporting to a parole officer every month. Maria and me might go to Florida. Or California.”

  “You can’t take her out of state, Eddie! That’s kidnapping.”

  His voice hardened. “Get the money, Lex. And call off the cops. Or I promise, you’ll never see the kid again.”

  He was bluffing. He had to be bluffing. Yet her mind was so crippled with fear for Maria that she couldn’t dismiss the very real possibility he would carry through on his threat.

  “Eddie, listen to me. You can’t—”

  Muttering a vicious oath, Ben yanked the phone out of her hand. “No, asshole. You listen to me.”

  “Who the hell is this?”

  “Alex’s husband. Maria’s stepdad.”

  “Stepdad?” he echoed on a snort of derision. “You’re not a ‘step’ anything, pal. You’re not her blood kin. Neither is Alex, for that matter. And the both of you have zero chance of adopting my kid if I tell the judge how you left her with Ms. Tits while you went off and did the dirty. Anyone coulda walked away with her.”

  Ben’s jaw went even tighter. “Tell us where to meet you. We’ll bring ten grand.”

  A smug laugh came over the phone. “Glad someone’s talking sense.”

  “Where?”

  “Call me when you’ve got the cash and I’ll tell you. And come alone,” he warned. “One sign of the cops and me and the kid are gone.”

  Ben hit the off button and tossed the phone to Alex. “Check your Recents and write down the number he called from. Then call Chelsea and have her put one of the police officers on the line. Give him the details and see if they can start a trace on the number.”

  Alex gripped the phone. They had to involve the police. Her rational mind didn’t dispute that. Yet the fear roiling her stomach was anything but rational.

  “What if he disappears, Ben? With Maria?”

  “If he’s stupid enough to think you can withdraw ten thousand dollars from various ATMs in one day, he’s stupid enough to sit wherever he is and wait for it.”

  He shot her a look that glinted with the promise of pure savagery.

  “We’ll take him down, Alex. Hard.”

  * * *

  The police were waiting with a clearly distraught Chelsea when they pulled up at the house. The seasoned veteran introduced herself as Officer Elizabeth Park. Her partner was a kid who looked like a rookie but both officers impressed Ben with their efficiency.

  They’d already traced the number Musgrove had called from to a cell phone purchased yesterday at an electronics store in the South Valley. They’d also confirmed that he’d been released from the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas the day prior.

  “The prison texted us Musgrove’s mug shot,” Park told them. “We’ve put it out over the police net, along with Maria’s picture. Our commander has also notified the FBI and they’re activating a Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team. Luckily, one of the teams operates out of the FBI office right here in Albuquerque. Team members should begin arriving on scene within the next few minutes. Among other things, they’ll need to know your custody arrangements and the details of any court-ordered visitation conditions.”

  “I was granted temporary custody after my sister—Maria’s stepmom—died. Eddie was allowed ‘reasonable’ visitation but that was before he was convicted and sent to prison.” Alex’s precarious hold on her nerves slipped. “This isn’t a visit, Officer Park! He’s kidnapped Maria. He wants cash to return her.”

  “That’s what it looks like. Did you by any chance manage to record the ransom demand?”

  “No, but my husband heard it.”

  Ben nodded, a feral gleam in his eyes. “The bastard wants us to call him back when we have the cash. We’ll get him on record then.”

  * * *

  After that it seemed to Alex that events moved with a combination of agonizing slowness and blinding speed. As promised, elements of the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team began to arrive within mere minutes. They reconfirmed the situation with Ben, Alex and a still-shaken Chelsea, then carefully coached Alex on what to say when she contacted Eddie. Her heart thudding, she hit the return-call button.

  He answered on the first ring. “Yo, sis. You got the cash?”

  Alex ignored the tense, tight circle listening in on headsets and focused every ounce of her concentration on Eddie. “I’ve got it.”

  “See, I knew you could get it together.”

  “Let me talk to Maria.”

  “She’s playin’ in the sandbox with her cat.”

  “Put her on the phone.”

  “Why? You don’t think I’d hurt my little girl, do you?”

  “You don’t get a cent until I talk to her, Eddie.”

  “Okay, okay!” He raised his voice. “Hey, kiddo! Grab the cat and come say hi to Alex.”

  Every listener in the room breathed palpable sighs of relief as Maria’s seemingly cheerful voice floated through the phone.

  “Hi, Alex. Did Daddy tell you that he climbed up the tree and rescued Sox?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “He said he called Aunt Chelsea to let her know we got Sox down. Hope she’s not mad at me for coming to the park with him. I probably should’ve told her first, huh?”

  “Yes, you should have.”

  “When are you and Ben coming home? I want to... What? Oh, Daddy wants to talk to you again.”

  Her heart in her throat, Alex heard Eddie tell Maria to take her cat back
to the sandbox before firing off a quick set of instructions. “Guadalupe Park. Bring the cash there. We make nice in front of the kid, you pass me the dough and I’m outta your life.”

  “Until the next time you’re broke and need to score a hit,” she said bitterly.

  “Just bring the cash. I’ll be watching,” he warned. “Make sure it’s just you.”

  “It’ll be me and my husband,” Alex countered quickly. “I need him to drive. I’m too upset.”

  “Oh, right,” Eddie sneered. “The stepjerk. What kind of wheels?”

  “What?”

  “Your car, what’ll you be driving?”

  “A black Chevy Tahoe.”

  “Okay. I’ll be watching,” he warned again. “Don’t do anything stupid, or Maria and me will take a nice long trip.”

  The FBI team leader whipped off his earphones. “Good job, Ms. Scott. We’ll take it from here.”

  “No! Eddie needs to see me, see the Tahoe, or he might get desperate and hurt Maria.”

  “We won’t let that happen.”

  “I can’t take that chance. I won’t take that chance. Ben, tell them!”

  “Alex and I will go to the park,” he confirmed tersely.

  * * *

  Surrounded by older homes and shaded by centuries-old live oaks, the small oasis of green was located in the south part of the city. Alex’s frantic gaze swept the swings and monkey bars, the sandbox, the benches with their peeling green paint. When she didn’t find any sign of Maria or Eddie, her glance zinged to the rusted junker parked on the cross street.

  She was out of the Tahoe almost before it rolled to a stop. Ben shoved it into Park and was right beside her as she headed for the junker.

  Ben’s ex-cop pal Dingo always maintained that most criminals were pretty stupid, even the military variety. Eddie Musgrove proved no exception to that general observation. He obviously believed he’d conned Alex into complying with his demands because he made no effort to stop Maria when she hopped out of the car.

  “Alex! Ben!” the girl called joyfully. “You’re home early.”

  Hugging Sox to her chest, she darted across the stubby grass. Alex raced to meet her, then swung her up in a fierce embrace that made Maria squeal and the kitten hiss a protest.

  Musgrove followed in a saunter. Ben needed only a single glance to peg his type. Too cocky. Too sure of himself. Muscled up, probably from his years in prison, and thick as a stump between the ears.

  The ex-con did some pegging of his own. His disdainful gaze drifted from the plastic shopping bag in Ben’s right hand to the cane in his left.

  “Whaddya do, Alex? Marry a cripple?”

  The jeer brought Maria’s head around. A surprised frown creased her brow. “Ben’s not crippled. He just broke his foot.”

  “If you say so.”

  “He did,” she insisted, still frowning. “And you shouldn’t make fun of people, ’specially if they’re sick.”

  “Yeah, okay, whatever.” His derisive glance cut back to Ben. “You got something for me?”

  “I do, but why don’t we conduct this business in private? Alex, take Maria to the car.”

  He, Alex and the FBI team had agreed the first single most urgent priority was to remove Maria from any possible line of fire. Although Musgrove didn’t appear to be armed, none of them was about to take that chance.

  Nor did they want the seven-year-old to witness an FBI team swarm the park and take her father down. No child needed to see that, especially one who had no idea that Musgrove had offered her for sale. The psychologist on the team had promised to help Alex finesse an explanation of that situation later.

  “Say goodbye to your dad, Kitten.”

  The words almost made her gag, but she got them out and managed not to claw her former brother-in-law’s face when he flipped his daughter a careless wave.

  “I’ll see you later, kiddo.”

  “The hell you will,” Ben muttered while Alex transported Maria and her now mewling pet to the Tahoe.

  “You gonna stop me, Crip?”

  “I might.”

  “Don’t think so,” the punk facing him drawled as the Tahoe’s engine kicked over. “You’re big. I’ll give you that. And you look like you got some muscle on you. But you’re old and you gotta be slow with that clunky black boot ’n’ cane to trip you up. I got nothing to worry about from you, Crip.”

  From the corner of one eye, Ben saw the Tahoe turn a corner. He and Alex had agreed she’d get Maria away from the park. Ben would hitch a ride back to the house with the police. He had some business to conduct first.

  “You want the cash, asshole?” A slow smile curved his lips. “Come and get it.”

  “Christ, you really think I won’t hurt you? Guess again, pal. In fact, I’m lookin’ forward to—”

  That’s all he got out before Ben dropped the cane, tossed the shopping bag aside, and took two lunging steps.

  Musgrove swung first. Ben made sure of that. He blocked the wild punch easily, then followed with a vicious right to the midsection that doubled the ex-con over. A left uppercut caught him on the way down, snapping his head back. He sailed backward and slammed into the ground just as police cars erupted from half a dozen side streets and swarmed the park.

  Chapter Twelve

  Alex drove home, drowning in relief and wanting desperately to shield Maria from the ugliness that almost happened. She also burned with the urge to scream at the girl that she’d better not go off with anyone—a friend, a relative, a teacher or even a police officer—before checking with Alex or Ben or, as in this case, the babysitter they’d left in charge. But the psychologist on the FBI team had suggested that Alex hold off any explanations or recriminations until he had a chance to ascertain whether Maria had sustained any emotional, physical or sexual trauma.

  Alex’s own emotions almost choked her, however. She barely heard Maria chat happily about the ice-cream cone her dad had bought her, said nothing as she coaxed a purr from her kitten. When they turned the corner and the girl saw the squad car parked at the casita, however, her expression slid from surprise to guilty comprehension.

  “Did you call the police to look for me?”

  “Chelsea did. She didn’t know where you were and got scared.”

  “But Daddy called her.” A faint hint of doubt crept into Maria’s voice. “Didn’t he?”

  She got her answer when the front door flew open. Chelsea raced out, her black hair a wild mass of tangles and mascara streaking her cheeks. Yanking open Maria’s door, she dragged the girl and her kitten into a fierce embrace almost before she’d unsnapped her seat belt.

  “I’ve aged ten years in the past hour, brat! Don’t ever, ever do that to me again.”

  Maria squirmed loose, still clutching her indignant pet. Her face wrinkled with worry, she tried to calm Sox with a quick, nervous stroke. “Daddy said he called you, Chelsea. He told me you said it was okay to go to the park.”

  “Yeah, well, he didn’t. And when I get my hands on that sorry excuse for a...”

  Alex stopped her with a quick shake of her head. “Let’s go inside, Chels. The police want to talk to Maria.”

  Thoroughly scared now, the girl clung to her pet with one hand and groped for Alex’s with the other. “Are they gonna arrest me?” she asked in a small frightened voice.

  “No, sweetie. They just want to make sure you’re all right.”

  * * *

  The team psychologist was a pro. Tall, calm, his dark hair liberally sprinkled with gray, he gave Alex a card that identified him as Dr. James Silverthorne and introduced himself to Maria as Dr. Jim.

  Responding to the doc’s request, Chelsea scooped up Sox and disappeared into the kitchen with her. Alex moved a few feet away to provide a status update to the law enforcement officials remaining at the house. Silver
thorne settled in one of the living room armchairs while Maria perched nervously on the edge of the sofa. His relaxed manner soon had her explaining how Sox had slipped out and scampered up a tree before either she or Chelsea could stop her. Although she sounded a little hesitant about her dad now, Maria still obviously considered him a hero for rescuing her pet, then buying them both ice cream and taking them to the park. The psychologist didn’t disabuse her. And he couched his questions about whether her dad touched her so gently and skillfully that Maria remained completely open and unselfconscious with her answers.

  After their chat, he drew Alex aside to say he didn’t note any obvious signs of trauma but would need a longer session in a more controlled environment before finalizing his report. He would also, he informed her, interview the father and include that assessment in the final team report.

  “When you bring Maria in, I’ll be happy to discuss with you how best to apprise her of her dad’s hidden motives.”

  “Thank you.”

  A stir at the front door interrupted their quiet exchange. Hopping off the sofa, Maria rushed to greet Ben.

  “Didya see the police cars?”

  “I did.”

  He scooped her up, cradling her loosely in the crook of his right arm while he maneuvered his cane with the left—the knuckles of which, Alex noted, were bruised and split.

  “They were looking for me,” Maria explained, alternating between guilt and a revived excitement. “But I wasn’t lost. I wasn’t. Really.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Alex and I were pretty worried, though.”

  “Chelsea, too. She yelled at me.”

  The girl’s lower lip inched out. Not all the way, since she knew she’d crossed a line, but enough to earn a grin from Ben.

  “Guess you better come up with a way to get back on her good side,” he advised.

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Help make her a special dinner, maybe? Or put her picture in one of those pretty flower frames on your iPad, like I showed you, and send it to her iPhone.”

  Maria’s face brightened. “I can do that! But I’ll put her in a fish frame, since she’s gonna be a mermaid in an underwater show.”