Family Under Fire Page 5

  “When you thought Kennedy was about to wake up, your expression reminded me of that time I started choking on my soda.”

  “Hey, that was scary. You nearly passed out.” He threw himself down on the sofa, hands linked behind his head, long legs crossed at the ankles.

  “It was your fault,” she reminded him. “You made me laugh in midswallow.”

  “Yeah. But I wasn’t expecting the whole wheezing, throat-clutching, eyes-watering response.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “You frightened the life out of me.”

  “That’s how you looked at Kennedy. She’s a baby, Everett, not a time bomb. She will poop, spit up, drool, put disgusting things in her mouth and likely wake up several times a night.”

  “You make it sound like such fun.” He sat up straighter. “I need to talk to you about something other than Kennedy’s bodily functions.”

  “Ah.” She sat down next to him. “Is this about why you disappeared today?”

  Now it was here, she realized how much she had been dreading this moment. It wasn’t that she believed caring for Kennedy had suddenly catapulted her into a fairy tale. Her early life had convinced her there were no such things as magic wands, golden coaches and glass slippers. And if Prince Charming existed? Well, he’d chosen a life in the FBI, and she was the anxiety-filled princess who couldn’t deal with that.

  No, she was realistic enough to know that bringing up a baby would be hard. But she’d have liked more than a few hours to adjust to the idea before things got weird.

  He nodded. “A delivery came. It was a Christmas gift for Kennedy.”

  She frowned, her brain trying to make sense of what he was saying. “How could anyone have known where she was?”

  “Exactly.”

  Her first instinct was to rush into the bedroom, wrap Kennedy in a blanket and dash out into the night with her. But where could she take her that would be safer than right here with Everett? He was experienced at protecting people who were at risk. For the first time ever, she saw his job as a blessing instead of a curse.

  “Is she in danger?”

  “I couldn’t find out who sent it.” He reached across the space between them and covered her hand with his. “I won’t let anything hurt her—or you, Lyss.”

  The old term of endearment slipped so naturally from his lips she wasn’t sure he even noticed it. From her perspective, it was soothing. And, goodness, she would take all the comfort she could get right now.

  “Do you know have any idea who could have sent it?”

  “I don’t have enough information to start speculating.” She sensed he was holding something back. Did he have a suspect in mind? Was there even anything to be suspicious of at this point? She figured he would give her any information she needed to keep Kennedy safe.

  “It could have been innocent,” he said.

  “You don’t think that.” She turned her head to look at him. His expression was grim.

  “No, I don’t.” He heaved a sigh. “When Sean and Delilah died, Georgia made it clear she thought they had been murdered. She also said she wanted to take care of Kennedy.”

  “Oh.” She looked down at her hands. “But you said she was in jail because she broke her bail conditions. How could she send the gift if she’s behind bars?”

  “I don’t know. But it makes me want to know more about the way Sean and Delilah died.”

  Chapter 4

  Everett had always been a light sleeper. He had trouble drifting into slumber and struggled to get back to sleep if he woke in the night. Things had gotten worse over the last few years, and he’d tried every tip and gadget that came his way. Recently, he’d found a combination of an eye mask, headphones and white noise playing on his phone worked best. It was awkward going to bed wired up, but at least he felt human in the mornings.

  Even with his support system in place, he lay awake for several hours after his conversation with Alyssa. There were so many thoughts competing for his attention, it would be surprising if he ever slept again.

  The first, and most important thing, was that he’d become a dad. It was not the way he’d always pictured it would happen, but he was determined to make the best of it. For Sean, for Kennedy and for this new little family. It was exciting, scary and intense. And he still couldn’t quite believe it was happening. He couldn’t help wondering how Kennedy would fit into his life. Was it really possible to love someone else’s child? He had made a commitment to care for Sean’s daughter and protect her, but would he ever care for her the way he would if she had been his own? It wasn’t important. If the love didn’t come, he would make sure Kennedy never knew.

  He just wished he didn’t have to get to know her alongside the mystery surrounding her parents’ deaths. His thoughts turned to the call from Casey telling him Sean had killed himself. Even though it had been four years since they’d spoken, Everett’s first reaction had been guilt. Should he have known? Could he have done something to prevent it?

  Next came disbelief. Not Sean. Not his energetic, arrogant, laugh-in-the-face-of-danger ex-friend. And that was what stayed with him. Maybe everyone felt that way, but Sean had always believed he was invincible. He’d never had a moment’s self-doubt in his life. But Sean’s open disapproval of Georgia’s relationship with Casey had ended up with his brother heartbroken at the altar.

  You hadn’t seen him in four years. A man can change a lot in that time.

  Except...Everett had seen him. He’d headed the FBI team who had chased down the cattle rustlers. After not speaking to him in years, Sean’s first words had been a quiet, mocking whisper when Everett had read him his rights.

  “I’m going to enjoy making you look dumb in court, Colton.” The familiar gleam in his old friend’s eye said it all. Sean hadn’t changed a bit. Even though it was malicious, he saw this as an extension of the duct-tape and peanut-butter games. Sean played to win, and he was looking forward to a new challenge.

  Of course, Everett accepted that no one ever knew for sure what was going on inside another person’s life, or head. But when his focus shifted from Pierce Tostig’s murder to the Dodds’ deaths, his concerns became professional as well as personal. The suicide note was just part of the problem. There were too many other things that didn’t add up.

  Even if he allowed himself to picture Sean committing suicide, he could not accept that the man he had once called his friend would have killed his wife. With a new baby to care for, it was likely she’d have faced a reduced charge and might even have escaped a custodial sentence.

  Sean and Delilah were two of a kind, each drawn to the other’s reckless streak. They had a six-month-old baby whom they both clearly loved. Their criminal activities hadn’t halted when Kennedy came along but they had gone to the trouble of enlisting a neighbor to help with the babysitting. Even if he’d thought of taking Delilah’s life, would Sean really have taken the drastic step of depriving Kennedy of both parents? Yes, she had an aunt, but would Sean have considered Georgia a suitable person to care for his child? Everett doubted it. It came back to that same question. If his mind had been disturbed, who knew what his reasoning might be?

  The night they died, there were signs at their house of a disturbance. It appeared that the couple had been eating at the kitchen table when chairs were overturned and plates tipped onto the floor. There were marks suggesting someone had been dragged along the gravel drive between the house and the garage.

  Had Sean forced Delilah out the door and into the car against her will? That suggested an impulsiveness at odds with a written suicide note. As did driving his vehicle full-speed at a wall. Death wasn’t guaranteed, and Sean was nothing if not precise. If he had wanted to die, he had a safe full of guns that would have been a safer bet.

  Thank goodness Kennedy had been staying with Georgia that night...

  It was the first time in his life Everett had been thankful for
Georgia Dodd, the woman who had almost been his sister-in-law. When they were kids, Sean’s little sister had been trouble. As an adult, she had embraced rather than outgrown the label. When she’d gotten engaged to his twin, Everett had done his best to put aside his misgivings. Dumping Casey at the altar had sealed his dislike for her. Sean might have urged her to do it, but Georgia had a mind of her own. The decision to walk had been hers.

  She was Kennedy’s only surviving close relative. She was behind bars and, if she was found guilty, that was where she would stay. It was one more thing he would have to deal with now his life had taken this new, unforeseen turn. In one day.

  But the most painful twist the last twenty-four hours had thrown at him was bringing Alyssa back into his life. And he didn’t know how to deal with that.

  When they broke up, he’d learned the hard way that heartache really did hurt as much as people said. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d picked up his cell phone and gazed at her number on the screen, rehearsing what he was going to say. But he’d known there were no words to make it right. The damage had been done before they met.

  For Alyssa, it had happened way back when a random drunk stabbed her dad. Casey would say that, in Everett’s case, it had been more recent, dating back to his brief stint in the world of corporate law. Did that make it harder to deal with?

  I’ll leave the amateur psychoanalysis to my brother.

  Friends told him the pain of a breakup got better with time. It didn’t. He just found ways to push aside the ache of missing her. Instead of staring at her picture like a man dying of thirst would stare at an out-of-reach bottle of water, he threw himself into his work, went for long runs, worked out and took aimless drives with his music turned up loud to tune out the memories.

  He’d even tried dating again. If possible, that had made him miss her more. After a few attempts, he’d given up. It was unfair to the other women, who didn’t know they would never be enough for him because they weren’t Alyssa.

  Four years had passed, and he still thought about her every day. She was imprinted on his heart. Now she was in the next room...

  A sound penetrated his sleep defenses. It was a series of squawks followed by a child’s distressed sobbing. Everett was on his feet, with wires trailing, and ran into the master bedroom.

  “What’s going on? Is she okay?”

  Alyssa was out of bed and pacing the floor with Kennedy in her arms. The dim glow from the night-light next to the bed shone on the baby’s tearstained, red cheeks.

  “I’ve tried everything I can think of to settle her,” Alyssa said. “She started whimpering a little, so I gave her some formula. Her diaper is clean and dry, so that’s not the problem. Her body temperature is fine. She likes being rocked, so I tried that. I think she may be cutting a tooth and her gums are sore.”

  “What can we do about that?” Under Alyssa’s interested gaze, he removed his sleep aids as he spoke. She’d never seen him wired up. The sleep problems had gotten worse since the breakup.

  “We can give her an infant pain reliever, but I didn’t see any in the boxes I unpacked.”

  “There’s a twenty-four-hour drugstore a couple of blocks away. I’ll head over there.”

  “See if they have any teething toys for her to chew on.” Alyssa held up a reddened thumb. “I’m running out of fingers for her to bite.”

  Going back to his own room, he threw a jacket over the sweatpants and T-shirt he’d worn to bed and pulled on his socks and boots. He grabbed his car keys and cell phone, then headed out into the cool night air.

  Cactus Creek was not a party town, and, since it was after midnight, most businesses on Main Street had closed their doors several hours earlier. It was unusual to see anyone around at this time of night, so as he started down the steps, Everett’s attention was caught by a vehicle parked directly opposite from his apartment.

  The single occupant hunkered down in the driver’s seat, woolen beanie hat pulled down low and scarf wrapped around the lower part of the face. Everett had worked enough stakeouts to know what he was looking at. It was amateurish, but unmistakable. There was only one place in plain view. Everett’s apartment was at the top of the steps. The guy was watching his front door.

  Going down the stairs two at a time, he approached the vehicle at a run, cell phone in hand as he snapped a picture of the license plate. Catching sight of him, and anticipating his intention, the driver gunned the engine into life, turning on the main beams at the same time. Caught in the glare of the lights, Everett threw up an arm to shield his eyes.

  As the car’s tires squealed, he had a split second in which to process what was happening. Instead of heading out of the parking lot, the driver had hit the gas and was speeding straight toward him. Diving to one side, Everett managed to roll into the space under the steps just as the car bounced off the curb where he had been standing.

  Like cluster bombs exploding inside his skull, his brain fired off a series of instructions. This guy had signaled his intentions, and they weren’t good. A stakeout was bad enough. Taking the opportunity to try to kill a federal agent took the situation to a whole other level.

  Everett was currently pinned in position. If he moved from his place of security, he risked being mowed down. If he stayed where he was, Alyssa and Kennedy could be in danger.

  Hunkering down in the darkness, he was preparing to call Casey when the car engine started revving up again. Risking a quick glance out at the parking lot, he was in time to see the vehicle make a 180-degree turn before it bumped across a flower bed and screeched out onto the road.

  Uncurling his long legs from their cramped position, Everett exited his hiding place. As he headed toward his car, he made a mental to-do list.

  Get Kennedy her teething meds, send Casey the picture he’d taken of that vehicle...and add some agility training exercises to his workout regime.

  * * *

  Why was Everett taking so long? As soon as the thought hit, Alyssa groaned out loud. It was starting again. She had been in his company for less than twenty-four hours and already the old anxieties were resurfacing.

  This time, she had to find a way around her fears. Not because they were together. But because of this new commitment. For Kennedy’s sake, she couldn’t freak out every time he was gone. She couldn’t live on a knife edge forever, and she wasn’t prepared to pass on her insecurities to a helpless little girl.

  “There must be a way. Other people do this.” She drew Kennedy closer, and the baby hitched her breath in a tired sob as she tucked her head into Alyssa’s neck. “How about I try to get you to take a sip of cold water while we’re waiting?”

  Although more water dribbled onto Kennedy’s chin than into her mouth, the cool liquid soothed her. By the time Everett returned, her tears had subsided and she was almost asleep with her head on Alyssa’s shoulder.

  “Are you limping?” As soon as the words left her lips, Alyssa wished them unsaid. So much for her vow—made minutes earlier—to overcome her worry. Instead of toughening up, she was coming across as whiny and needy.

  Everett appeared not to notice. “How about we settle this little one, then I’ll tell you all about it?”

  If the fact that there was an “it” didn’t escape her attention, neither did the reassuring smile in his eyes. He was here and, for now, that was enough to make her feel safe and warm.

  It wasn’t enough last time...

  She shrugged away the thought. Everything had changed when Kennedy came along. Maybe she should get that made into a lapel pin?

  The painkiller syrup came with a small, needle-free syringe. Having filled it to the required dose, Alyssa tilted Kennedy’s head and put the syringe into her mouth, aiming for the back corner.

  Everett watched the maneuver with concern. “Won’t she choke when that goes down her throat?”

  “If I pointed it direc
tly down her throat she might gag. But I’m going to release it slowly into the back of her mouth.” Alyssa pressed the stopper gently as she spoke. “It’s no good putting into the front of her mouth. She’d simply push the medicine back out with her tongue.”

  As she released the medicine, Kennedy regarded her with wide, hurt eyes. Clearly, the little girl was questioning the reason behind this breach of baby etiquette. Once she had taken all the painkiller, Alyssa removed the syringe and, as she had anticipated, Kennedy started to cry. Holding the baby close, she rocked her back and forth while crooning an old lullaby her own mom used to sing.

  After a few minutes of tearful protest, Kennedy’s eyelids began to droop and she was soon asleep.

  “Poor little girl.” Alyssa pressed a kiss onto one soft cheek. She looked up, meeting Everett’s gaze with a smile. “Let’s hope she gets a good night’s sleep now.”

  He followed her as she carried the baby to the bedroom and placed her in the crib. She pulled the quilt over Kennedy and Everett leaned closer.

  “It’s hard to believe she’s only been with us a few hours.” There was a husky note in his voice that could have been tiredness. Alyssa turned her head to look at him. In that moment, his expression was an open book. He wasn’t tired.

  Kennedy’s dad had been part of his life, and that emotional connection had never been fully severed, despite the pain Sean had caused him. Love stretched over time and space as if those dimensions didn’t exist. Could he get past the hurt and form a genuine bond with Kennedy for the child’s own sake? If it didn’t happen naturally, Alyssa saw a new role for herself as the person who would need to intervene.

  She pointed to the door. As she entered the living area, she switched on a lamp. The room felt cool and she wrapped her arms around herself. “You said you’d tell me why you are limping.”

  He hesitated, and she knew he was trying to figure out the least painful way to explain things to her. Suddenly, instead of being afraid, she was annoyed. She was unhappy at herself for needing to be handled with care.