Family Under Fire Read online

  * * *

  Everett’s brain was spinning like a top. As he was trying to get his thoughts under control, the baby woke up and started to cry.

  Alyssa was out of her seat in a heartbeat. Children had always drawn her in like a magnet. “Hey, honey. What’s wrong? Are you hungry?”

  Patty Griffiths handed Kennedy over to her with a look of relief. “She probably is. When she came to us, she’d recently started on solid food, but she still has at least one bottle of formula a day.”

  “Have you been caring for her?” Everett watched as Kennedy hitched in a sob and gazed up at Alyssa through tear-filled eyes. He’d had no time to come to terms with the bombshell Ray had delivered, yet he was getting the impression that events were already spiraling out of his control.

  “She’s been staying in one of our facilities since her parents died.” Patty reached into the bag and withdrew a baby bottle in an insulated carrier. When she handed it to Alyssa, Kennedy made a cooing noise and reached out chubby hands for it. “There are some basics here in this bag, and her car seat is in the front office. Once I have your address, I can arrange to have her other belongings delivered within a few hours.”

  “Wait.” The spell that had been holding him silent snapped and Everett finally found his voice. “We’re not together, and neither of us even lives here in town. This is all moving way too fast. We can’t be expected to put our lives on hold and go along with a plan we knew nothing about.”

  He was conscious of Alyssa watching him as she resumed her seat, Kennedy tucked into the crook of her arm. The baby grasped the bottle, making contented noises as she suckled greedily.

  “If you could leave us alone while we continue this discussion?” Ray waved a hand in the direction of the door and Patty went out. He tapped a pen on the top of his desk and shuffled his papers before continuing. “This is exactly what I said would happen when Sean and Delilah came to me with this plan. They had named you as guardians while you were still friends and had never gotten around to making the necessary changes. When Delilah found out she was pregnant, they wanted to know if they could leave things as they were. I told them that, if they left the custody details in the will without consulting you, there was every chance you would just walk away without agreeing to it.”

  “If it was against your advice, why did they go ahead with it?” Everett asked.

  “Sean’s reasoning was that although you had drifted apart, he couldn’t imagine anyone who would be better parents to his daughter.”

  “The guy always was a piece of work.” Everett shook his head, his emotions ranging between exasperation and a reluctant, lingering fondness for the man who had once been a good friend. “But we can say no to this, right?”

  “Let’s be clear.” It was Alyssa’s don’t-mess-with-me voice. The one she used with her students. “We aren’t saying no. We’re not saying anything. Not yet. We’re gathering information. You said Kennedy had been left in our joint custody. If one of us is unwilling to be involved, can the other take sole responsibility for her?”

  Raymond shook his head. “The will clearly states that she is to be cared for by both of you.”

  Alyssa’s indrawn breath touched a point at the center of Everett’s heart. “What will happen to Kennedy if we don’t do this?”

  “If you choose not to accept custody, Kennedy will be placed back into the care of the Department of Child Safety, where she will enter the foster system,” Raymond said.

  Everett knew what those words would do to Alyssa. When he turned his head to look at her, he could see her own past in the depths of her eyes. There was also a plea for help there. And it was aimed at him.

  She was an only child, traumatized when and her father was killed by a drunk in a random knife attack when she was ten. After that, her mom had wasted away, and her death, when Alyssa was eighteen, brought an end to years of misery. The scars of growing up without any real parental presence in her life ran deep. He knew there was no way she would walk away from this child who, like her, was the innocent victim of abandonment.

  But was she seriously asking him to do this? Did she believe that, after everything that had happened between them, they would somehow put the past behind them and together raise a child? And did he have to make a decision right now?

  Four years ago, he’d have done anything for this woman. She knew that because he’d told her. But it hadn’t been enough. Alyssa had needed assurances he couldn’t give. At the same time, Everett had his own reasons for shying away from responsibility. It was hardly a match made in heaven.

  Nothing in either of their lives had changed since, apparently. Being close to her again would mean handing her his well-being, his dreams and his life in a way that meant she could break his heart all over again. It had hurt enough the first time. Was he willing to go through all that pain again? And this time they would be adding a baby into the mix.

  “We’ll do it.” It was only when Alyssa’s eyes widened that he knew for sure he had said the words out loud.

  * * *

  Alyssa gazed down at the baby in her arms. She had just become a mom. Most people, even those who hadn’t planned it, had nine months to prepare for this moment. She’d barely had nine minutes. Her life had changed forever, and she was totally unprepared for how to deal with it.

  The only thing she knew for sure was that Kennedy needed her and she wouldn’t let the little girl down. Oh, and she would be doing this with Everett. The man who was now striding across the parking lot ahead of her with a pink-elephant bag slung over one broad shoulder and a car seat in his other hand.

  “Wait,” she called out. “Where are we going?”

  “My car is over here.” He jerked a thumb, indicating the dark-colored sedan parked nearby.

  “And mine is in the opposite direction.” Her footsteps faltered. “But that’s not what I meant.”

  He retraced his steps, halting at her side. “I’ve been working on a case here in Cactus Creek and I’m staying in a rented apartment on Main Street. I’ll drive us there and we can talk some more. I’ll get someone to pick up your vehicle later.”

  The suggestion made sense. Although the sun was shining, a few clouds scuttled across the sky and the December air was cool. Kennedy wore only a lightweight sweater, leggings and socks, and the breeze ruffled her fluffy blond curls. Although she clung tightly to the front of Alyssa’s blouse, she showed no signs of distress at being with two strangers.

  “Let’s do that, sweetie, head back to Everett’s place, where we can be cozy.” She bounced the little girl on her hip while they waited for Everett to fit the car seat.

  “I may have misled you if you got the impression the apartment I rented is cozy. Think bland and basic.” Once the seat was in place, he held out his hands for Kennedy. “And small.”

  “It will be cozy for her once her own stuff is delivered,” Alyssa said.

  “I guess so... What is this all about?” He stared in exasperation at Kennedy, who, having allowed him to place her in the seat, was now waving her arms wildly each time he tried to fasten the straps. “It’s like trying to restrain an octopus.”

  “Do you want me to try?”

  “No. I mean how hard can it be?” Each time he tried, the baby twisted in his grasp, laughing as she thwarted his attempts.

  Alyssa leaned closer into the vehicle, watching over his shoulder. “Maybe it was a game she played with her mom and dad?”

  Everett turned his head to look at her and she saw the pain in his eyes. She knew how Sean had hurt him when he encouraged Georgia to ditch Casey at the altar, but surely his fondness for his one-time friend hadn’t completely gone away.

  “Where was Kennedy the night her parents died?”

  “She was staying at Georgia’s place.” A shadow crossed his features as he said Sean’s sister’s name.

  “Oh.” Alyssa took a mom
ent to consider that information. “Sean and Delilah didn’t want Georgia to have custody of their daughter, but they were happy for her to care for her overnight? That seems strange.”

  “Most things about this case are strange.” Everett took a step back. “Your turn to see what you can do with squirmy baby.”

  “Kennedy, there’s only one way to do this...” Using one hand to tickle the little girl’s belly, she deftly hooked the restraints together and closed the clasp. As she did, Kennedy dissolved into helpless giggles.

  “How did you know that would work?” Everett shook his head in disbelief.

  “I interned in a day-care center before I got my teaching degree, remember? Delilah knew that, so I guess it could have influenced her decision about the will.” Backing out of the car, she closed the door. “But just because I know about babies, it doesn’t mean I get all the diapers.”

  “Diapers.” He gave her a look of horror. “We can negotiate on that, right?”

  The drive to Main Street took less than fifteen minutes. Alyssa spent most of it alternating between looking over her shoulder to check on Kennedy and studying Everett’s hometown. Cactus Creek was gearing up for the holidays. All along their route, the stores were lit up with stars and bells; palm trees were decorated with red, green and gold lights. When they swung right onto Main Street, she saw the saguaro cactus plants flanking the entrance to Hoyles’ Department Store had been turned into candy canes. A wide pedestrian area ran down the center of the street, from which Santa waved from the carriage of a rickety wooden train.

  Everett pulled up in the parking lot of a modern block. The apartment building looked like it had been added as an afterthought at the end of a traditional row that included Pizza Paradise and the Sports Bar.

  “I see you didn’t stray too far from the essentials.”

  Pretending to be hurt, he placed a hand over his heart. “You know I can’t cook. Am I supposed to starve while I’m in town?”

  “Let’s get this baby inside.” She shook her head. “That’s a sentence I didn’t picture myself saying when I left home this morning.”

  Located on the second floor, Everett’s apartment was reached by a set of stairs that led directly from the parking lot. It was one of four apartments with front doors leading off a single walkway. His was closest to the outside staircase.

  Although he hadn’t left her with high hopes about his rental, once Alyssa was inside, she was relieved to see that it was clean, and the furniture appeared comfortable. He was right about one thing, though. It was small.

  From the front door, she could see a square lounge area with two small sofas and a TV, a round dining table with four chairs and a narrow kitchen that looked just about large enough for one person.

  A sudden thought occurred to her. “How many bedrooms are there?”

  “Two.” The slight curve of his lips told her he was reading her mind. “Although one of them is more like a closet.”

  She thought of her comfortable apartment in Phoenix. The one she’d spent so long decorating and furnishing with carefully chosen pieces. The one from which she would need to get her clothes and other essential belongings. Then she smoothed down the sparse curls of the little girl who had no one else to care for her.

  “I guess we should talk about how we’re going to make this work.”

  Chapter 2

  Everett didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed when, before he and Alyssa could sit down to talk, they were disturbed by the security buzzer.

  “The Department of Child Safety sure moves fast around here.” He headed toward the front door while Alyssa took Kennedy to explore the bedrooms. “Although, when you think about it, that’s a good thing. We don’t even have a crib or a high chair.”

  Although the apartment had a speaker system, it was low-tech and didn’t have the luxury of cameras. Everett could talk to the person at the front door, but he couldn’t see them.

  “Delivery for Miss K. Dodd.”

  It seemed like an unnecessarily formal way of confirming the arrival of Kennedy’s belongings.

  “Do you need help to carry anything up the stairs?”

  “Uh. I’m good.”

  Shrugging, he held open the door. A few moments later, a guy in uniform with a badge that had a sprig of holly above his name tag appeared. Accustomed to checking people out, Everett registered the name first.

  Joe Meyer.

  Then he noticed that Joe was carrying a large, gift-wrapped box topped with a giant bow.

  “That’s it?” Everett peered around him. “I was expecting more.”

  “I just get a list of jobs each day, then I go where they send me. This time it was to pick this up from Hoyles’ toy department and bring it here.”

  Everett had always considered himself to be reasonably intelligent. His excellent grades throughout school and college meant others had shared that opinion. Prior to joining the FBI, he’d even been headhunted into a high-flying career in corporate law. He had certainly never thought of himself as slow-witted. Even so, he was having trouble processing what was going on.

  “Hoyles’? Toy department?”

  “Yeah. This time of year, they’re one of our best customers.” Joe held out a pad and pen. “If you’ll just sign here...?”

  “Not until I know what I’m signing for.” Everett held out his hands for the brightly packaged box. There was a gift tag attached and he turned it over to read the message:

  Happy holidays, sweet girl. I’m coming for you.

  A cold, bony finger of fear jabbed at his spine. He’d recently returned to Cactus Creek and had been working on a murder investigation when he’d gotten news of the Dodds’ deaths. The suicide story had never felt right to him. He knew Sean. The guy was an adventurer, always looking for the next opportunity. He’d seen his arrest as the next challenge. And he had genuinely loved Delilah. Even if he’d taken his own life, Everett couldn’t picture him killing his wife. Add in the fact that the suicide note wasn’t in either Sean’s or Delilah’s handwriting and things got even more suspicious.

  This message heightened Everett’s distrust. Even attached to a holiday package, it felt wrong, even threatening. Who was coming for Kennedy? And what was in that box? It could be anything. Explosives? Acid? Poison?

  “You said you just got this from the store? Was it already wrapped when you collected it?”

  “Hey, I just—”

  Everett reached into his pocket and withdrew his badge. “I need you to wait here.”

  The authority in his voice was enough to secure obedience. As Everett stepped back inside the apartment and closed the door behind him, Joe Meyer and his suspicious delivery were pushed to the back of his mind. How was he supposed to explain this to Alyssa?

  Four years ago, his job had been the reason she’d walked away from him. Now, within hours of being reunited, she would be forced to face the reality of what he did all over again. And this time they weren’t even involved.

  Except...we are. Not the way they had been in the past, but if being the new mom and dad to a six-month-old baby girl wasn’t involved, he sure as hell didn’t know what was.

  For some reason, Sean had left Kennedy in their care. Everett might not be able to understand his former friend’s motive, and he might not know anything about being a dad, but he knew what was expected of him. He would protect his new family. No matter what.

  Alyssa stepped out of the bedroom. “This little lady is sleepy. I think we should set her crib up first. Oh.” She regarded him steadily, her gaze going to the closed front door and his empty hands. “Is something wrong?”

  She had always been able to read him like a book. Which was why there was no point in trying to hide anything from her.

  “You trust me, don’t you?”

  “You know I do.” That, at least, had never been in question
.

  “I don’t have time to explain right now, but I have to go out. I want you to stay inside with the door locked until I get back.”

  “But—” Although she didn’t question what he was saying, her brow furrowed. Her hand moved to the back of the baby’s head, cradling the little girl closer. “I really need to get Kennedy settled. If I can’t open the door, how will I get to her stuff when it arrives?”

  Resisting the urge to curse, Everett drew his cell phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and opened the address book. His brother’s number was at the top of his favorites list. And, unless he was out on an emergency call, his twin could always be relied on to answer.

  “Are you busy?”

  “I have this thing called a job.” From the background noise, it sounded like Casey was in his office at the Sur County Sheriff’s Department. “It takes up most of my time.”

  “How fast can you be at my apartment?”

  Everett had no frame of reference. Maybe it was the same with all brothers. Possibly it was more intense for them because they were twins. All he knew for sure was that whenever he needed help, Casey was there for him.

  “I’m on my way.”

  Everett breathed a sigh of relief. The sheriff’s office was close by and it would take Casey less than ten minutes to get there. He ended the call, aware of Alyssa’s steady scrutiny. She was the strongest person he knew, except for one blind spot. She was terrified that anyone close to her would be snatched away violently.

  Given what had happened in her early life, he figured it was natural. Throughout their relationship, he’d tried hard to help her overcome her fears. In the end, her intense vulnerability, together with his own emotional detachment, had defeated them both.

  “I do trust you, but if there’s something going on...”

  “I just need to check a few things out.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s probably nothing.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Everett, I know you. Remember?”