Читать книгу The Sharpshooter's Secret Son - Mallory Kane - Страница 7

If her mouth didn’t hurt so much, she’d smile at Deke’s words, Mindy thought. The normal, safe life you like so much.

She’d give anything for normal and safe right now.

But as usual when Deke was around, normal and safe had left the building.

His words were on target. She’d loved him most of her life, and loving Deke wasn’t exactly a recipe for normal. Certainly not for safe.

Loving Deke was a recipe for disaster. Not that her heart cared. Nor her body. He’d always been the sexiest thing on the planet. From his sun-streaked brown hair to his startling sea-blue eyes. From the hard line of his jaw to his broad, leanly muscled shoulders. Even his battered shearling jacket couldn’t hide the power and grace of his six-feet-plus body.

A wave of nausea reminded her that this was no time to be ogling her ex-husband. She swallowed against the queasiness that was fast overtaking her. It had plagued her ever since the moment yesterday morning when she’d rapped on the apartment door. Even before the door opened, she knew she’d made a mistake.

Deke had warned her often enough not to wander around strange places by herself. But the message had been so simple, so innocent sounding.

Hi. Mindy Cunningham? I just received a delivery from Babies First that belongs to you. It’s from an Irene or Irina Castle. I’d bring it to you, but I’m on bed rest for the last month of my pregnancy. Can you pick it up?

When she got to the address, the person who opened the door wasn’t a pregnant woman. Wasn’t even a woman. It was a man. Something about him—the expression on his face or the gleam in his eyes—confirmed that she’d screwed up.

Before she could react, he’d grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, slamming the door behind her. Then he’d shoved her up against a wall and stuck something into the back of her neck.

He’d drugged her

She was terrified that whatever he’d given her might hurt the baby. It was her worst fear—that something might happen to her little Sprout.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Sprout kicked. She rubbed her tummy and smiled sadly.

Until she’d acquired this tiny passenger that depended on her for his very life, she’d have said her worst fear was that she’d never be able to get over the man sitting next to her.

Deke Cunningham, air force veteran, sharpshooter, alcoholic, adventurer and ex-husband.

Once their divorce was final, her plan had been to never see him again. But the best-laid plans…

Just over eight months ago, he’d come to her mother’s funeral. One of about three times in his life she’d seen him in a suit. He’d been handsome as a GQ model, and more gentle, sweet and protective than he’d ever been before.

For that one night, he was the man she’d always known he could be.

At the end of the evening he was still there, at her house. Just to make sure she was okay, he’d said.

When he got up to leave, somehow she’d asked him to stay. They’d somehow ended up in the bed, and she’d somehow ended up pregnant.

So much for getting over him.

“Mindy, you’re not okay. They hurt you, didn’t they?”

His voice was controlled—barely, but that was all about him that was. His intensity and anger washed over her like scalding hot water. Anger, not at her, but on her behalf.

“No, I’m not injured. Just tired and hurting.”

He’d never understood why she hadn’t wanted him to be angry for her. He’d never realized that his anger—even when it wasn’t directed at her—still scared her.

And that was why, although he needed to know what he was up against—deserved to—she couldn’t tell him. Not until she absolutely had to.

Like the coward she was, she planned to put off that revelation as long as she possibly could, because scalding water didn’t begin to describe what Deke would throw at her when he found out she was pregnant—with his child.

“Deke, we’ve got to get out of here. The guy told me he’d be watching me. He’ll be back anytime.”

“Yeah, we do. Can you move? Turn around. Let me see your hands.”

Could she move? Hah. Not too well, she wanted to answer. Like an overloaded supply plane, she was carrying heavy on the front end.

She twisted until her back was to him, working to suppress the grunts and groans that went with everything she did these days.

By the time he said “That’s good,” she was breathing hard.

“Min, are you sure you’re okay?”

She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. “It’s the drug,” she said as evenly as she could. “It’s making me light-headed. And I’m hungry.”

He chuckled. “No surprise there.”

Mindy bit her lip against the poignant memories that bombarded her. The sweet teasing, the tickling matches, the kisses. Dear heavens, she’d missed him. It didn’t matter how many times her head reminded her heart that they were as compatible as jet fuel and an ignition source.

He twisted on the wooden crate until he was facing her back. Then he bent double to look at the ropes binding her hands.

He uttered a short burst of colorful curses. “Damn it, I can’t see anything.”

“Can you bite them like you did the gag?”

He sniffed in disdain. “My teeth aren’t that good. Stay still.”

Mindy waited. It soon became obvious that Deke was scooting around until his back was to hers. Then he shifted closer and twisted some more, until they were pressed together like bookends.

She felt his hands on hers, big, warm, protective, as they explored the ropes.

He let go a string of colorful curses. “…Those sons of bitches,” he finished.

Mindy’s pulse skittered. “What is it Deke? What’s wrong?”

“Nobody’s this stupid. Everything about this, from the moment you called, has been too easy,” he muttered. “Too pat.”

“Too easy? How is this easy?”

“They used your phone. Didn’t even bother to keep the call short. Like they were telegraphing their location. And now, these knots are just strong enough to be frustrating. If he’d wanted to, he could have used knots I’d never be able to untie.”

“That makes sense,” she rasped. “I tried to warn you that it was a trap to lure you here.”

“Trust me. I’d already figured that out.”

Deke’s hands moved over hers, touching and manipulating as he worked to loosen the knots.

“Ow!”

“Sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. My thumb got a little twisted.”

“I’m almost done.”

She listened to his labored breathing as he worked. “Deke, why do they want you? You know who they are, don’t you?”

She winced as the knots began to loosen and the circulation increased in her fingers. “This is connected to a case, isn’t it?”

He shook his head. She had her back to him and she knew he’d done it. Was it a movement of the air, a rustle of his clothing? Or was it the connection they’d always shared? Even when they couldn’t share their dreams or their heartbreaks.

“I’m not on a case right now. I’m trying to stick close to the ranch. Irina’s not doing well. She’s stopped searching for Rook.”

“What? Oh, Deke. I can’t believe she’d ever—Did she find out something?”

“Ran out of money.” He pushed air out between his clenched teeth, a sure sign he was frustrated about something.

“She stopped because of money?”

“She either had to stop the search or fire at least two specialists and cut back on voluntary cases.”

His fingers strained against hers as he picked at one of the knots. His breath hitched and he grunted quietly.

Mindy knew what he was feeling. His arms were tied behind his back, just like hers were, and she couldn’t even imagine the pain in his wrists from working against the stiff ropes. She wanted to say something, to at least acknowledge the pain he was going through. But Deke Cunningham would never admit pain. Not pain. Not hurt. Not heartache.

“But Rook’s her husband. I can’t believe she’d quit for any reason. I’d never—” she stopped, biting her tongue—literally. Never give up was what she’d been about to say.

But she had. She’d given up on them.

“Well, she did.” Deke’s curt answer told her that he hadn’t missed what she’d almost said. His breath hissed out between his teeth again. A sure sign that he was hurting.

Not knowing what else to say, she kept talking about Irina Castle. Maybe if he got irritated enough with her, it would distract him from the pain in his wrists.

“She must be devastated. It would be bad enough to give up if she knew it was useless. But not to know, and to have to stop because of money. When did she make that decision?”

He didn’t respond, just kept working silently.

He didn’t want to tell her. Dear Lord, she knew him so well. “When, Deke?”

At that moment she felt the ropes give, releasing the strain on her shoulders, arms and wrists. Pain shot through her muscles as they relaxed. She bit her lip and tried to suppress a groan.

“Easy,” Deke muttered. “Don’t move too fast. You’ll regret it, trust me.”

It was one of the cryptic remarks that reminded her how little she knew about this man she’d loved as long as she could remember. She slowly flexed her arms and shoulders, clamping her jaw against the pain, as her brain filed that tidbit of information away with the others she’d collected over the years.

He knew how it felt to be tied up for hours—or days.

He twisted around. “Turn around this way. I need you to get my knife,” he said. “It’s in my left boot, if they didn’t strip-search me while I was out. They took my gun. Thank God I ditched my cell phone.”

She twisted awkwardly around until her shoulder bumped his. “They didn’t search you after they brought you down here. They didn’t have time. One of them got a phone call, but he obviously didn’t want to talk in front of me, so they left.” She looked down, but the tiny window didn’t provide enough light for her to see that close to the ground. Still, she knew she couldn’t bend over far enough to reach his boot.

“Good. See if you can grab my knife.”

“No,” she said flatly. “I can’t.”

“Come on, Min. It’s sticking down in the side of my left boot. You remember where I keep it.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

She bit her lip. She’d put off the big reveal as long as she could.

“Are you injured? Too stiff? What?”

She almost cried. He assumed she was hurting. And she let him think that. Dear heavens, she’d never realized what a coward she was.

“These knots are so slippery, I’ll bet I can loosen them.” He kicked his feet back and forth, working the ropes. “There.” He inched around.

Mindy could see his head and shoulders in the dim light. She’d already felt the comforting softness and smelled the old-leather smell of his jacket. So it was no surprise that even with the darkness leaching the color out of everything, she could see the way it bunched across his constrained shoulders. She could even see the shadow of his too-long hair on the sheepskin collar.

He straightened his leg and barely missed brushing her tummy with the side of his boot. She flexed her cramped fingers and rubbed the indentations on her wrists. Then quickly, she wrapped her right arm around his calf and got her hands behind the boot heel and tugged.

“Pull your foot backward against my hands.”

“You got it, sugar.”

Her heart twisted until she wanted to cry out. “And don’t call me sugar,” she hissed.

He pulled backward, inadvertently pushing his heel into her tummy. “Hey—” he said.

Mindy cringed. “What?” she snapped.

“Have you gained weight?”

“Deke, this is serious.”

He didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds. “I know it is.”

Tugging harder, she finally got a purchase on the boot heel and jerked it off his foot. His knife fell into her lap as something clattered against the crate and onto the floor.

“There,” she said, breathing hard as she pushed his foot off her lap and picked up the knife. She pressed the button that sprung the blade. It snicked into place.

Deke jumped at the sound. “Hey, careful. It’s sharp.”

“I remember that, too.” She slid the knife blade between his wrists. The blade sliced through the thick rope as if it were warm butter.

Deke carefully relaxed his shoulders and moved his arms. He grunted a couple of times.

She knew what he was going through. He hadn’t been tied up as long as she had, but she figured the kidnappers hadn’t been as careful with him as they had with her. His hands had to be on fire as the blood rushed back to them.

She handed him the knife, her heart pounding. When he leaned over to cut the ropes binding her feet, would he see why he’d gotten the impression she’d gained weight?

She held her breath while he cut the ropes. “I had a cigarette lighter in my boot with the knife. I think I heard it fall.”

Mindy felt around with her foot until she touched a small cylinder. “Here it is.” She kicked it toward him.

He grabbed it and sat up, grunting. “Whoa! I can understand why you didn’t want to bend over. I’m still kind of woozy.” He reached a hand out to the wall beside him and stood. His shadow loomed over her “Can you stand up? We need to get out of here.”

Mindy crouched there, her shoulders hunched. Right now, he couldn’t see anything. But as soon as she stood—

Dear God, please help me. When Deke sees me, I’m going to need all the courage you can spare.

He was about to find out that she was pregnant. She had no idea what he’d do.

She did remember what he’d said he’d do.

Years ago, when they were seventeen, she’d had a scare. She was late, and the pregnancy test had read positive. When she’d told Deke, his reaction had been immediate. Shock and abject terror had darkened his features.

You’re pregnant? No. No way. You gotta do something. There’s enough screwed-up Cunninghams in the world already.

She’d been stunned and frightened. But she’d understood. If she’d had the baby, Deke would be gone. But the issue was moot, because a few days later she’d started her period. They’d never spoken about it again.

Now here she was, six weeks away from bringing a Cunningham into the world. And six seconds away from Deke finding out.

“Stand up.” He held out his hand. “You’ll be woozy, but I won’t let you fall.”

Mindy sucked in a deep breath and took his hand. Struggling, bracing herself against the wall, and with a lot of grunting and groaning, she managed to push herself upright.

When their gazes met, his expression softened and his fingers tightened on her hand. “Hey, Min. It’s been a long time.” His mouth quirked.

She swallowed hard. “Long time,” she replied, with a nervous nod.

“I’m so sorry they hurt you,” he whispered. He leaned in closer, a gentle smile on his face.

Then he stopped—dead still. His gaze flickered downward.

Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t move. All she could do was stand there.

She knew what he saw. A dark wool peacoat, navy blue pants and low-heeled boots. Pretty standard wear for this weather.

But the peacoat stuck out to there, and he’d just bumped into her tummy.

Her hands moved to cradle the baby. She couldn’t stop them. It was an innate reaction, a protective instinct. Shielding her baby from what was to come.

Trembling with trepidation, she braced herself.

Deke stood frozen, his face lit by the fading beam of light from the tiny window. As wan and dim as the light was, she still saw the color drain from his face. His blue eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

Mindy cradled her belly tighter.

“Min—?” His voice broke.

She bit her lip as her heart broke.

He shook his head as if to clear it—or to deny the truth before his eyes.

Then it hit—the storm of Deke’s anger. His brows lowered until his eyes were dark and hooded. “Mindy, what the hell have you done?”

She tried to hold her own against Deke’s fiery gaze, but she couldn’t. She had to look away.

“Deke, that kidnapper is coming back anytime. It’s been hours since he checked on me.”

“I’ll deal with him when he gets here.” His voice was tight with what? Confusion? Shock? Fury? She couldn’t sort out all the emotions. For the first time since she’d known him she wasn’t sure what was behind his clipped words.

“How did you—?”

The baby kicked, probably feeling her distress. She rubbed the spot and he calmed down. “How? The usual way.”

“So who’s the lucky guy?”

And there it was. Deke Cunningham’s patented defense system. More efficient than any antimissile missile the government had ever dreamed up. It was as effective and high-tech as the Starship Enterprise’s shields, and as quick to rise to protect his heart.

Although she understood why he did it, his words still hurt. She braced herself. “You are.”