Читать книгу The Baby Assignment - Christy Barritt - Страница 13

Four

Two hours later, Macy, Tanner and Addie pulled up to a house in the middle of the Texas countryside. It may have only been an hour from Macy’s suburban Houston home, but it felt like a foreign land. And Macy felt like an uninvited guest who didn’t belong here.

Everything still felt hazy, like a dream. A nightmare, for that matter.

The FBI had arrived at the roadside scene. They’d questioned her. Tanner had come back from the woods without the shooter, who’d apparently gotten away. Agent Williams had been taken away in an ambulance. He was still breathing and, from what Macy gathered, they thought he would be okay.

Meanwhile, Addie had cried. Longing for her mom, maybe? Hungry? Tired? Scared?

Tanner got them all moved in to the safe house. There was already a crib set up there and numerous baby supplies. Two other agents stood guard, one at each door.

Once they were settled, Tanner had left again. Macy wasn’t sure where he’d gone, but she guessed that he had to debrief with other agents—maybe even a taskforce—about everything that had happened. Plus, his biceps had been bleeding, and he needed to have that checked out.

At the moment, Macy sat on a leather couch in the midsize, rustic cabin. From what she could gather, the place had three bedrooms upstairs and an all-encompassing great room downstairs. Wood planks comprised the walls, and mounted deer heads and stuffed bears were the accessories of choice.

Addie had drifted to sleep in her arms after a bottle, and Macy knew she should put the baby down, but she couldn’t. She needed to hold her and know she was okay. She wished she worked with babies this young. The instant bond she felt with Addie did something strange to her heart. It captured it, melted it and twisted it in knots, all at the same time.

This poor, poor baby. A child should never be in the middle of something like this. Whatever this was.

In the quiet, Macy tried to let everything sink in.

Was all of this really happening? It seemed surreal. Confusing. Overwhelming. Who were those men? Who was the baby? There was one thing she was certain of: that man would have killed her if Tanner hadn’t come when he did.

Macy shivered at the thought.

She glanced at her watch. She should be headed out to Bible study right now. She was supposed to lead a discussion on the women of the Old Testament. Ruth was tonight’s topic.

What would everyone think when she didn’t show up? Honestly, it didn’t really matter. All that mattered was keeping this sweet baby safe.

The agent standing near the door put his phone to his ear and muttered something Macy couldn’t understand. The next instant, tires crunched on gravel outside.

Her pulse sped. Was it Tanner? Or was it the bad guys? Had they been found?

She watched the door, her nerves feeling ragged.

She held her breath, only releasing it when the door opened and...Tanner stood there.

Just as had happened earlier, excitement buzzed up her spine. He was still so handsome and so sure of himself, from his dimples all the way down to those dusty cowboy boots. His outer attributes had only been part of the reason why she’d been so attracted to him.

Though he was as tough as nails on the outside, he also had a soft heart for those he cared about, and he would have bent over backward for her. And that had been part of their problem.

His eyes locked on her, and he sauntered across the room. He paused in front of her and knelt until they were eye to eye.

“I’m sorry, Macy.” He kept his voice low as he glanced at Addie.

She pulled her gaze up to meet Tanner’s. Looking at Addie was safer.

He still looked as strong and sure as ever, but worry had crept into his gaze. She also saw it in the tautness of his shoulders and in the grim lines at his forehead.

For a moment—and just a moment—Macy wished she could do something to relieve his worry. No words would do it, but the man needed someone to give him a hug or make him some coffee. But nurturer was no longer her role.

“Sorry for what?” She cleared her throat and tried to forget the image of wrapping her arms around him. Of feeling his strong, protective embrace.

“I didn’t mean to involve you further than coming to your office today to ask if you would help identify Addie or her mother. But now, whoever is behind this has already seen you and probably thinks you’re involved.”

Her throat constricted. “What’s that mean?”

Apology stretched through his gaze. “It means now you’re part of this, whether you wanted to be or not.”

“Are you serious?” Certainly he wasn’t. In her mind, the FBI would question her. She’d look through her files, sharing any pertinent information with them. And then she’d go home and return to her normal life.

“Unfortunately, I am. These guys know who you are, where you work. I’m afraid you’re also a target now.”

Macy leaned back into the couch cushion, the steady sound of Addie’s breathing and the warmth of the baby’s body soothing her a moment. “What is going on here? This is bigger than a custody dispute, which was my first assumption when you came to me.”

“We honestly have no idea at this point. Based on what happened at the therapy center today, we know without a doubt that the stakes are high.” He drew in a deep breath. “The choices you have at this point are: you stay in protective custody alone, or you stay in protective custody with Addie. I know what I hope you’ll do, but it’s your choice.”

Macy glanced down at the sweet sleeping baby, and her stomach lurched with protectiveness for the child.

Leave Addie? Macy couldn’t fathom doing that at this point. She and the baby had bonded quickly. But, on the other hand, this was her one chance to get away from Tanner and distance herself from him. But she had other questions first.

“Why me, Tanner? Why did Addie’s mom scribble my name on that piece of paper?”

He stood and lowered himself beside her on the couch, stretching his legs out. “We’re trying to figure that out.”

Macy tried not to get distracted by his closeness, by the warmth exuding from his body. “But you think I could be connected to this case somehow.”

He nodded slowly. “It’s a possibility.”

The thought of that made her head spin.

She made a quick decision. “Of course I’ll stay here and help. Addie needs as many advocates as she can get.” She shivered. “This all just seems so horrible.”

“I agree. We all do. We’re going to track down the person behind this. But, until then, it’s like you said—we have to watch out for the best interests of the child.”

“It’s good to have people who are worried about you,” she finally said. “Who will stand beside you no matter what.”

Tanner’s gaze studied hers another moment before he nodded, a flash of something painful in his gaze. “It does.”

She didn’t bother to expend the mental energy to figure out what he was thinking. Instead, she did what she did best. She planned. Thought everything through. Developed a plan of action. “I have no clothes except what I have on.”

“We’ll get you some. Toiletries, as well. Just make a list.”

She swallowed hard. “And we’ll stay here until this...this...blows over?”

She made it sound like a misunderstanding when it was so much more. And she knew that but didn’t know how to follow up on her words without making things even more awkward.

“That’s correct.”

His grim tone only drove home how serious this situation was. “I’m scared, Tanner.”

“I’m not going to let anyone get to you, Macy. I promise.”

She believed him. It may have been the most unwise decision Macy could have made, but deep inside she knew Tanner would die rather than let her be harmed.

She cleared her throat, unable to handle her thoughts. “I should call my assistant. She’ll need to cancel all my appointments—”

“Macy—”

She couldn’t stop now. All she had were her thoughts to contend with, all that she could truly control in this rapidly deteriorating situation. She wanted to believe she wasn’t totally helpless. “Of course, she won’t be able to get to the calendar until the office opens back up again.” The words caught in her throat.

The office would never be the same. Not after the violence that had taken place there today. A therapy center was supposed to be a place for peace and healing. All of that had been shattered, though.

“It will all get taken care of,” Tanner assured her. “If you do call her, you’ll have to use the phone we give you.”

She froze. “You think my cell is being tracked?”

“It’s a risk we can’t take.”

She took the phone Tanner handed her and nodded.

“You can’t tell anyone where we are, either,” Tanner said. “You understand that, right? One wrong move, and there will be more people hurt.”

Her blood chilled. No more trauma. No more people suffering at the hands of evil men.

Just then, Tanner’s phone rang. He put it to his ear and muttered something into the mouth piece. When he hung up, he turned to her.

Something else was wrong, Macy realized.

“Tanner?”

He pulled his gaze to meet hers. “My partner—the one who was at Third Day with me—just died. This is no longer about stopping people from getting hurt. It’s about stopping anyone else from dying.”

* * *

Tanner paced the safe house’s living room, trying to sort out his thoughts. Mourning the loss of his friend. Wondering how the man’s family was taking the news.

He’d call later and show his respects. He still couldn’t believe that Frank was gone, though. It only fueled his desire to get to the bottom of this. Addie needed protection. Frank and his family needed justice.

As nighttime fell and some of the shock wore off, the residents of the house had nibbled on some food that one of the agents had brought. It was just some fresh fruit and bagels, but it would do. No one seemed to be especially hungry right now.

Tanner continued to pace and mentally reviewed all the precautions that needed to be in place to ensure Macy and Addie’s well-being here at the safe house.

One agent was stationed at each door. And with Tanner there as well, it meant three men, for one baby—and one beautiful woman.

The years between them had only made Macy look more appealing. He hadn’t thought that was possible. To Tanner she’d always been knock-him-over gorgeous. Easily the most good-looking woman in the room—and one of the most humble as well.

Seeing her with Addie in her arms brought back images of what had once been his dreams of a future with Macy. Those dreams had died a quick and painful death.

He’d assumed their paths would never cross again, given he was in law enforcement and she’d moved to a new state and worked as a psychologist. Their ties had been severed.

Until now.

But sitting next to her on the couch, smelling the sweet aroma of her perfume, and seeing those flecks of emotions in her eyes had taken him back in time. Taken him back to when they’d been in love. When she’d offered hopeful grins and gentle touches and the promise of forever.

He shoved those thoughts aside.

The only thing he needed to think about was this assignment.

Saul had made it clear that this investigation was their first priority. Tanner wasn’t usually in the bodyguard business, but he’d do whatever necessary to see this through to completion.

This was just the most bizarre case he’d ever encountered. And it had him more on edge than almost any other investigation he’d worked before. What was going on with baby Addie? Was she a part of a baby smuggling ring?

If so, did smugglers really go so far as to send trained gunmen to kidnap babies? Did they really kill people just to sell a child on the black market? It seemed so unlikely.

Yet what other reason could there be for Addie to be such a commodity?

Macy had mentioned a custody dispute. The actions of the last day would be extreme, even in that scenario.

So what else did this leave?

“I’m sorry about your partner.” Macy’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“Thank you.”

She continued to observe him from her seat on the couch. “You’re nervous.”

He paused and realized that even though there was a crossword puzzle on her lap, her attention had been on him. She’d always been a watcher this way, perfectly content to stand back and observe life going on around her. It wasn’t that she didn’t play an active part. It was just that she liked trying to figure people out.

She could still read him, the same way Tanner could still read her. The fact made him more uncomfortable than he liked to admit. Could Macy see how much she’d hurt him? Could she sense that he hadn’t had a serious relationship since then, that his heart still hadn’t quite recovered?

You’re nervous, she’d said.

He stopped pacing and stood in front of her, unease still jostling inside him. “The stakes are high.”

“You didn’t get into this position with the FBI by not being great at what you do,” Macy said with a frown. “I know you can handle it. It’s what you’ve always lived for.”

Was there a touch of bitterness to her voice? Why? She was the one who’d left him without a good explanation. He didn’t feel like this was the time or place to address their past. Not when people’s lives were on the line.

“Macy, I thought those other agents could handle things today also, and look what happened. I don’t want to scare you, and maybe I’m speaking too honestly, but I’ve always been able to speak my mind with you.”

Something flickered through her intelligent brown eyes. “Please do. I prefer the truth.”

He took off his hat for just long enough to run a hand through his hair. “Something about all of this just doesn’t make sense to me.”

She readjusted her legs beneath her. “You can’t pinpoint what?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I can’t imagine someone’s motive for going through all this trouble, though.”

“Can you tell me again about what happened when the baby was dropped off at your office?”

“A woman came by in a cab,” Tanner started. “She acted panicked. She told us the baby’s name was Addie, and they were both in trouble. She didn’t want her baby to be harmed.”

“Didn’t you try to stop her from leaving?” Macy asked.

“Of course. But she left the baby with a guard outside the parking lot. He didn’t have time to do anything except hold the baby and call for help.”

Macy nodded thoughtfully. “Why didn’t you call Social Services? Isn’t that the norm in a case like this?”

“We decided to check everything out first. We didn’t want to put an innocent foster family in danger, in case there was any truth in this woman’s words.”

“I’m surprised the mom didn’t leave Addie with someone in her family.” She glanced at the baby sleeping in the portable crib in the corner.

“Families aren’t always safe places,” Tanner said. “Who knows what the mom’s history with her own family is?”

“That’s true. There are some wounds so deep that even time can’t heal them, not matter what we might want to believe.”

Was that statement pointed to him? Because she was the one who’d walked away. He tightened his jaw and pushed the thought aside. “You’re right. There are things that we’ll never move past.”

She owed him more than a goodbye letter, especially after everything they’d shared. But she’d left, leaving him with no answers. So he’d poured himself into his work.

Ever since Tanner was a child, he’d wanted to bring justice to bad guys and help those in need. Taking that away from him would be like taking water from a dehydrated man: he wouldn’t survive.

The memories brought a wave of melancholy. This was going to be a long assignment, being here with Macy. Filling his time reliving memories both good and bad. He ran a hand over his face.

Just then, Addie stirred in the corner crib, and Macy went to retrieve her. She picked up the baby and began talking in low tones.

Tanner’s gut clenched. She looked like such a natural. He and Macy should have been able to have this kind of life together. Sure, they’d been too young. But they could have made it work—if Macy hadn’t decided to walk out and altered their futures forever.