Baby Protector Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Baby Paranormal Romance (Who's the Daddy? Book 4) (11 page)

“He will.” Joel turned and kissed her head. “It will be OK.”

“I’m surprised we’re not on the news, you know, for kidnapping a child.”

“That’s been puzzling me too. But hopefully…” His cell rang, cutting his sentence short. “Landy.”

“Joel. I need to keep this brief.”

“What’s going on?” Joel asked.

“The shit hit the fan. But I need you to listen and do what I say. There’s a safe-house, I’ll text you the address when the call’s ended. You need to go there. According to our records it’s where you have been since being since told to evacuate last night. Do you understand?”

“Not really,” Joel said.

“We are close to flushing out the mole. We have a clear idea of who it is. Although motive seems to be eluding us.”

“Money,” Joel said, using Beau’s word. “He’s about to lose his job.”

“What?” Landy said. “Are we talking about the same person?”

“
Paragon of society?
”

“The one and only. It seems the Chief had his suspicions when the first house was found and Angela murdered. When our paragon had insisted on checking out the second house, he was almost certain, but couldn’t play his hand until he knew for sure.”

“No one else knew?” Joel asked. “Only me, Chrissie, the Chief and the Paragon.”

“Yes, as a precaution, the Chief had three safe-houses cleaned and stocked. The Paragon insisted on seeing the house and setting up the crib, he didn’t know he was a suspect. The Chief asked for his phone records. They showed he had made numerous calls to the same number both in the days leading up to Angela’s murder, and then leading up to the attack on you and Chrissie.”

“And since?” Joel asked.

“He doesn’t have his phone. He reported it stolen, but it’s been found and is being returned to him tomorrow. So you need to get yourselves back here, because my guess is Chrissie will be getting a phone call from him as soon as he gets it back.”

“That’s why he never called her, because he lost his phone?” Joel asked. “There are other records.”

“Corrupt. I don’t know how it happened. But the guy is seriously thinking someone is on to him. He’s getting desperate, and now we want to bait a trap.”

“Sam?”

“Don’t worry. It will be very carefully orchestrated. He won’t be in any danger,” Landy said. “The Chief is taking this one very personally. Anderson is going down.”

“And the guy who slit Angela’s throat. I mean you are getting the organ grinder, but we need to get the monkey too?”

“On it. Listen, you have to get your tails moving. You mess this up and you’ll be on a one-way ticket back to Drugsville. I have never seen the Chief so riled. I think he would strangle Anderson with his bare hands right now, and enjoy doing the time. There is nothing worse than someone who is in a place of trust betraying those he is supposed to be looking out for.”

“We’ll be in the car in twenty minutes. Can I text you when we get there?” Joel asked.

“Text away. Although we’ll know, there are eyes on the safe-house this time.” Landy’s voice turned serious. “Drive safe, and look after yourselves. There is nothing more dangerous than a cornered man. Chief thinks he has this, but the guy who killed Angela is the wild card we cannot predict.”

“I’ll be careful.” The call ended and he turned to face a pale Chrissie. “You heard most of it?”

She had been leaning on his shoulder; he had felt her breath quicken and her body tense as she rested against him. “Enough to know that bastard was behind it.” She covered her mouth and looked at Sam. “Sorry, Sam, that was a naughty word.”

“But justified,” Joel said. He put his arm around her and held her close. “We’re nearly at the end of this.”

“Which means Sam will go to Krieg,” she stated sadly.

“The guy is still a criminal. He might not get custody.”

“Then he’ll go into foster care. What if he never ends up with a mommy and daddy of his own? If the truth of what happened is in his file, what if no-one wants him?”

“I know someone who wants him. And they are sitting right here.”

“Us?” she asked, shocked.

“Why not?”

“I don’t even know you,” she said, pulling back from him.

“We are mates. You saw my bear, and you know you are the only woman for me.”

“But…” She looked at Sam, and back to Joel. “I never imagined being a wife and mother, never. It wasn’t something I ever wanted.”

“And now?” He stroked her face, and then kissed her lips lightly.

“You have broken me, Joel McMillan.”

“No, Chrissie, I think I put you back together.” Then he kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that would have to sustain him until this was over. But he could wait, and then he was going to ask for some time off so he could make love to her over and over.

“One thing I am going to insist on, once this is over, is that you get a bigger car.”

Chrissie stifled a giggle as he peeled himself out of the passenger seat and then straightened up slowly. Despite the danger they were currently in, on the journey back to the city, she had felt lighter than she had for a while. Joel had opened up a part of her that had been sealed off for a long time.

In those first few months after her dad stopped being her rock, her protector, her six-year-old self had convinced herself that it was now her role in the family. Her mom was so busy getting the best care for her dad, that Chrissie had become the one who looked after Kelly, made sure she had a bedtime story, even if she had to make it up because she couldn’t read all the words yet.

At school, it was Chrissie who made sure Kelly had her lunch, handed her homework in, and fought her battles in the schoolyard. Chrissie had grown up being the sensible one, the one who wasn’t allowed to show weakness, and who wasn’t allowed to think of her own future, when there were three other futures to take care of.

By the age of thirteen, she was cooking most of the meals, while her mom continued researching a way to bring back the man she loved. The help they had always had, a cook, gardener and cleaner were long gone, the money saved on wages diverted into the care fund for her father.

“I think it’s cozy,” she said sweetly.

“I’ll have to teach you the meaning of the word cozy later,” he said, going to the back door and taking Sam out. “Come on, my friend, let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

“What about the key?” Chrissie asked. “Don’t we have to go and get it?”

“Nope,” Joel said, walking up the path to the front door. “Here, you hold Sam, and I will get it.” He walked over to a plant pot and lifted it up. Under it was a key.”

“And you told me off for leaving my GPS in the car. I mean, that is the first place anyone will look.” Chrissie shifted Sam on to her other hip, waiting for Joel to open the door.

“This house is surrounded by police. Anyone even sniffing around here would be arrested.”

Joel unlocked the door, and they went in; they hadn’t made it to the kitchen before his phone sounded.
Welcome home. L

“I take it back,” she said, restraining her urge to go and look out of the windows to see if she could spot the officers watching the house. “This does creep me out, though.”

“Hey, we could go upstairs and make love with the curtains open.” He kissed her cheek, but she shoved him away.

“You are joking?” she asked.

He pulled her close. “Most definitely, I am not sharing you with anyone. Ever. Not even a peek at those luscious breasts of yours.”

“Language,” she said, covering Sam’s ears. “Sam’s first words are going to be bad words.”

“Sorry.” He kissed her all the same, and then sighed. “I’m going to make some coffee, and then we can settle in and wait for things to kick off. Now that we are back, Landy said they will let Anderson have his phone, and we wait to see if he contacts us.”

“What if he gives up? What if Anderson realizes how bad this is and goes straight for the rest of his life?” Chrissie asked.

“We have to hope that he doesn’t. Either that or we have to find the guy who killed Angela. They have his DNA, they just have to find him and make the match.” He was putting the coffee pot on, while she warmed a bottle for Sam.

“So many ifs. What if we can’t adopt Sam because of this?” She had set her heart on having the little boy in her life and watching him grow up. Joel had opened her heart and now it needed to be filled with love, which she could shower on the small, wriggling child in her arms.

“Don’t add any more ifs to the list. I don’t think the Chief is going to be willing to let this go. One way or another, he is going to pin it on Anderson. We have time, we just need patience.”

“I know.” She blew the air out of her lungs, and then took a deep breath. “OK, diaper change, and then we can settle down to this nice, warm bottle of milk. Do you like the sound of that, Sam?”

She took him into the sitting room, taking in the sparse furnishings, which almost matched the last house. Beige sofa, two chairs, hardwood floors, easy to clean, and a couple of pictures on the wall of bland country scenes. A fireplace, swept clean and little used, was the only thing with the potential to add cheer to the room.

“We won’t be here for long,” she told Sam. “Then you can come and live with me. And Joel. Which will be weird, because I am used to living on my own. But we’ll muddle through. Yes, we will.” She smiled and shook her head at Sam, who reached up to touch her hair, smiling.

She was so preoccupied with his gorgeous smile that it didn’t register her phone was ringing. It was Mr. Anderson.

“Damn it. Joel,” she called, and he was there, next to her inhumanly fast. “What do I do?”

“One moment.” He dug out his phone and texted Landy. “They’ll record it.”

“How?” she hissed as if Mr. Anderson might be able to hear her talking before she had answered the call.

“The tech guys have had his phone.” He nodded. “Now.”

She answered the phone. “Hello, Mr. Anderson?” She knew she sounded breathless. “Sorry, I left my phone in my bedroom. It’s good to hear from you. I was worried when you didn’t phone.”

“It was stolen. I didn’t have your number. How are you, Chrissie? How is Sam?” He sounded off, his voice strained.

“We’re OK now. You heard about the attack the other night?” she asked.

“I did. That was why I was so worried. I wanted to come and see you, but the police wouldn’t let me have the address. And my phone was stolen. For some reason the number we have on record didn’t match yours.”

“Oh. I see.” What was she supposed to say? She shrugged at Joel, who motioned for her to keep him talking. “I think they are being super-careful.”

“So they suspect me?” he asked suddenly.

“Not specifically, I’m sure.” She winced at her words, they sounded stilted, as if she thought he was guilty. Pulling on all her years of experience, she said, “Mr. Anderson, the police are doing their job. You understand how important that is.”

“I do.” His phone beeped, telling him he was receiving another call. A moment’s pause, and then he said, “I have to take this. I’ll call you back.”

The call ended, and she slumped forward. “Do you think he believed me?”

“Yes. But I think he’s under so much stress, he’s about to break.”

“Break? How?” She thought of Mr. Anderson and all the good he had done, and could not equate him with the man who had destroyed Angela’s life. Not for money.

“I’m not sure. But I am going to check all the windows and doors, and make sure Landy has us fastened down tight.”

He got up and went to move away, when Chrissie’s phone rang once more. “It’s Anderson.”

“I think we’re about to hear his end game.” He texted Landy, and then gave her a thumbs-up.

“Hello, Mr. Anderson, I didn’t expect you to call back so soon.”

“I want to see Sam, to make sure he is all right.” His voice was quiet.

“I can’t tell you the address,” Chrissie said.

“No. I understand that, and I can’t come there anyway, can I? Not when the police are waiting.”

Silence. She mouthed,
he knows
, to Joel, who nodded, not looking surprised.

“They are protecting Sam. Just like you and I are protecting him,” she said.

“Haven’t I always been honest with you, Chrissie?” he asked.

He called her Chrissie. The last time he had called her that was when he interviewed her for the job. This was bad. “I thought so.”

“Well, I’ll be honest now.”

“Go on,” she said softly.

“I got myself into trouble. It was Angela’s fault, really. She told me Krieg had a bounty on them. A big bounty, because he wanted her back so badly. Or at least the baby back. I believed her, and I thought, why not. After all, I have worked all my life to help others, and they were going to take it away from me. All those years…”

“I know, and it sucks. But was it worth Angela dying? Is it worth Sam’s life being ruined?”

“It’s too late, all of it is out of my hands. You see, I hired someone… All he was supposed to do was take Sam, and bring him to me. He said he knew Krieg, and he could set up a deal. But he slit her throat…” Mr. Anderson sobbed into the phone.

“You didn’t ask him to kill her?”

“No. I wouldn’t.”

“Then why not go to the authorities, why not end this?”

“I tried, but he told me if I did, I would find my wife with a red smile too. And she’s been through so much. But I can’t afford the drugs on the pension I’m going to get… What am I supposed to do?”

“Mr. Anderson. Let’s finish it now. I’ll come get you and take you to the police station. They’ll keep Mrs. Anderson safe, I promise.”

“You can’t. You have to take Sam to the police officer’s home.”

“Why?” Fingers of cold dread stroked her spine, and she wanted to hang up, and not hear another word, because Chrissie knew it was about to get worse.

“He has a girl called Beth. He says if you aren’t there in half an hour, he’ll start cutting her. He wants his money, he wants to sell the baby to Krieg, and he’ll do what it takes to make that happen.”

She struggled to keep from being sick. This couldn’t be happening, they had planned for everything based on Anderson coming for the baby.

Looking up at Joel, she saw his face deathly pale, and then he snapped to attention and was on his feet, his fingers hitting the keypad on his phone as he dialed Landy’s number.