Hostage Midwife (14 page)

From the back of her van, Kelly took
her regular satchel, her purse and another backpack. Apparently, she was moving in with Daisy for the duration of labor.

“That’s a lot of equipment.” He picked up the backpack to help. “Are you delivering a baby or building a small city?”

“Architecture is your game,” she said. “I don’t build, I facilitate. But you’d be amazed by how much of this stuff actually comes in handy.”

She hopped down from the van and slid the door closed. Before she picked up her satchel, she went up on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the mouth. Her bodily warmth reached out for him. Her lips tasted fresh. That might have been her natural flavor but he was guessing that she’d just had a mint, which meant that she’d planned for this kiss.

She went flat-footed and stood, looking up at him.

“That was nice,” he said.

“Wait until I pay you back for the massage,” she said. “I don’t mean to brag, but I’m kind of an expert when it comes to relaxation techniques. I’ll start with your feet and work my way up.”

“You’re killing me.”

“And I have scented oils.”

He picked up her backpack and followed her to the front door. If they didn’t make love soon, he was going to
melt into a puddle of pure frustration.

Chapter Sixteen

Thursday, 10:30 a.m.

The morning sunlight beamed through the windshield. A warm day, it felt like spring. Though Kelly had been able to catch a couple of catnaps during Daisy’s nine-hour labor, she was exhausted as she drove her van to Nick’s condo. When she arrived, one of the professional security men gave her a key and carried her bags to the door. In addition
to being stern and imposing, the bodyguard was, as Nick had promised, wearing a shoulder holster.

Outside the door to the condo, he asked, “Should I come inside?”

“Is that what you usually do?”

He gave a curt military nod. “Standard operating procedure is to make sure the premises are secure.”

She opened the door wide. “Knock yourself out.”

He swept through the two-bedroom
condo quickly, poking into the closets and even looking under the beds. When he left, he said, “I’ll be in the hall. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call out.”

Alone in Nick’s condo, she stood in the hallway between the two bedrooms, weaving on her feet. She was going to collapse, that was for sure, but she couldn’t decide whether she should flop down on Nick’s king-size bed or go
to the guest bedroom. She peeked into his masculine room, decorated in a faded blue that reminded her of well-worn denim. The bed was made, but the pillow had a dent as though Nick had been lying on top of the covers, looking up at the ceiling. It seemed right to wait for him in here.

She stretched out on his bed with her head on his pillow. It smelled like him, and she snuggled into the
covers. She should have been here last night, lying beside him. They should have made love.

Her cell phone started ringing, and she groaned at the sound. If the caller happened to be another pregnant woman going into labor, Kelly would need an intravenous caffeine drip to stay awake.

“Hello?”

“Don’t hang up on me.”

“Ted?” She bolted upright on the bed and glared at the phone.
Was she already asleep and having a nightmare? “What do you want?”

“You need to be reasonable, Kelly. Your stupid accusations are hurting my career. Even if it was years ago, marital infidelity is one of those hot-button issues, and I can’t afford a scandal. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Are you blaming me for that blog?”

“Of course, it’s your fault. Who else would give a
damn about what happened in my first marriage?”

That was what she’d become to him—his first marriage, a blip in his otherwise meteoric rise to power. “Apparently, Ted, you care. You’re all worked up about it.”

“Just keep your mouth shut. Do you think you can do that?”

She started to defend herself, explaining that she couldn’t have informed the blogger about his extramarital affairs
because she hadn’t known about them. But there was no need to justify her actions. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Let’s not get into a he-said-she-said situation. It’s an embarrassment. I won’t have you bad-mouthing me to the media.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Ted.”

“What?”

“You’re the one who cheated. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s you, not me.”

He cleared his throat.
“This doesn’t sound like you. When we were married you were—”

“A doormat,” she said, finishing his sentence.

“Kelly, listen to me.”

“It’s your turn to listen,” she said. “I’ve changed. I have a life, a career I love and a million possibilities for the future. You mean nothing to me. Goodbye for the last time. I never want to speak to you again.”

She disconnected the call and
stretched out on the bed. That conversation counted as a triumph. She’d faced her demons from the past, looked them in the eye and seen that they weren’t so big and scary, after all. Finally, her first marriage was well and truly ended, unable to hurt her anymore.

Within minutes, she was sound asleep.

* * *

A
STRANGE
AWARENESS
invaded her dream state, like a curtain slowly rising
or a melody that gradually increased in volume, telling her it was time to wake up. But she was still tired, and the bed was so warm and cozy. She burrowed into the pillow.

There was a fluttering.
Am I being attacked by butterflies?
She tried to bat at the multicolored gossamer wings, but it was no use. She had to wake up.

When she opened her eyes, she was looking into Nick Spencer’s
handsome face. His cobalt-blue eyes peered through his thick black lashes. He lay beside her on the bed, watching her.

“When you’re starting to wake up,” he said, “you make noises.”

“I don’t snore, do I?”

“It’s like a kitten. And you wrinkle your nose. Cute, and a little weird.” He grinned. “I would have let you sleep, but it’s after four o’clock, and I thought you might want to
take a shower before the Lamaze class.”

She stretched and yawned. “Am I gross and dirty?”

“Why don’t we take off your clothes and find out?”

“On second thought, a shower sounds like a fine idea. And food?”

“You’ll be pleased to hear that I picked up some basic supplies before I came home.” He stroked her hair off her forehead. “Tell me about Daisy’s baby.”

“Gorgeous little
girl with peach-fuzz hair. Seven pounds, eight ounces. Perfectly healthy. The labor went on for nearly nine hours, but it wasn’t rough. Daisy and her husband could have handled the first seven hours by themselves, but they were nervous and wanted me there.”

“What do you do afterward?”

“I check the baby out and fill out the birth certificate, and then I usually wait until the mother is
comfortable with breast feeding.” Remembering, she smiled. “Daisy looked so happy with her newborn at her breast.”

“You love your work.”

“It’s the perfect job,” she said. “And what have you been up to today?”

“Go ahead and get cleaned up. I’ll fill you in on the way to class.”

Mindful of the time, Kelly hurried through her shower and washed her hair. She didn’t want to be late,
and she was eager to tell the other couples in the Lamaze class about Daisy’s baby and show them the photos on her cell phone. After a quick blow-dry and a dab of makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes, she slipped into a long-sleeved turquoise T-shirt and black yoga pants.

She bounded into the living room. “I’m ready.”

“You’re dressed for a workout. What kind of exercises am
I going to be doing with Lauren tonight?”

“Nothing too strenuous.” She had some concerns about Lauren. “When does her husband get back in town?”

“Tomorrow. Why?”

“When I saw her yesterday, she was carrying her baby lower and looked like she might go into labor at any time. I’m glad your brother will be back in time for the birth.”

“He never should have scheduled a trip to the
other side of the globe so close to Lauren’s due date. Jared doesn’t get it. He doesn’t yet understand what it means to be a father, how much his life is going to change.”

“He’ll figure it out soon enough.”

“No doubt. Then he can dedicate himself to being the best father of all time.”

She heard the bitterness in his voice. “You and Jared are kind of competitive.”

“Ever since
we were kids.” He led her into the kitchen and pointed to a rotisserie chicken and a container of slaw on the counter. “You’ve got fifteen minutes to eat.”

“A fine dining experience.”

She climbed onto a stool at the counter and dug in. A few bites of protein would pump up her energy. When he placed a glass of water beside her, she chugged half of it.

“How were the bodyguards?” he
asked.

“So discreet that they were almost invisible. I noticed their car at the curb, and that was the only hint that they were there. If they were patrolling around the house, they were totally silent. Are they former military?”

“I’m not sure. O’Shea makes the arrangements when we need security.” He rested his elbows on the counter and leaned toward her. “I missed you today.”

She was glad to hear it. “Tell me how you missed me.”

“I was spending a lot of time in offices, listening to endless lectures from Marian and Rod about spreadsheets and balances and business. After a while, their yakking turns into a meaningless drone. It would have been nice to look over and see you sitting there, nodding politely and pretending to pay attention.”

“You want to use me
as a diversion?” She tore into the chicken breast.

“And a sounding board. Things make more sense when I talk them over with you.”

Again, she was complimented. She really liked the way their relationship was growing. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

“Uncle Samuel’s will.”

* * *

W
HEN
THEY
WERE
IN
HIS
SUV headed to the Spencer Building, Nick launched into an encapsulated
version of the terms of the will. Arthur had been wrong about his inheritance. He and his sister weren’t left out; they both received substantial funds and properties that were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the stock in Spencer Enterprises was transferred in such a way that Nick and Jared had 45 percent of the shares and the rest went into a central trust.

“Why would your uncle
do that?” she asked.

“Most of the control stays with the family, but we have to take other interests into consideration.” Nick frowned. “I’m guessing that Rod Esterhauser had a lot to do with the arrangement. I think the guy is an ass, but my uncle trusted him and made him executor.”

“What about Julia?”

“Of course she already owns her house, free and clear. And she’ll receive a
significant monthly pension for the rest of her life.”

“If she’d married him, she would have gotten everything.”

“Don’t worry about Julia. She’s well taken care of.”

She sensed that there was more he hadn’t told her. “I don’t know much about business. Is Samuel’s will typical?”

“Pretty much, it is. He kept the family holdings intact and granted bequests to the people who were
important to him.”

“What’s bothering you?” she asked.

“I was hoping for something more, something that might be a motive for murder. Samuel revised his will two months ago. At that time, he would have had the loan from Radcliff, but his will doesn’t mention it.”

“And you haven’t been able to trace the funds.”

“Not at all. The only indication that Samuel got that money is the
documentation from Radcliff.”

In the gray of dusk, the silhouette of the Spencer Building rose before them. The lights on the roof shone like eternal flames, and she thought this structure made a fitting tribute to the imagination and creativity of Samuel Spencer. He had the vision to know this office park would be a success when others couldn’t see past the ends of their noses.

She
asked, “Did the will say anything about the gold mine?”

“Ownership of that property and the kilobars of gold are part of a family trust, which Samuel kept intact. But the gold mine is the best clue we have so far. I think we need to go there and poke around.”

“How far away is it? I don’t want to leave any of my clients in the lurch.”

“It’s an hour and a half drive, but I could arrange
for a private chopper.”

“I’d love a trip to the mountains.” She kept forgetting that Nick Spencer was a very rich man. He didn’t wear his wealth like a crown, but the cash was there when he wanted it. “The only other time I’ve been on a helicopter was a Flight for Life situation, bringing a pregnant woman with complications to a hospital. It wasn’t a good time.”

“How did it turn out?”

“After the ob-gyn performed an emergency C-section, the mom and baby were fine.”

Outside the Spencer Building, she noticed the reporter who had written the blog. She really ought to thank the guy. His intrusive behavior provided the final nudge that pushed her over the edge and set her free.

As she’d expected, the other four couples in the Lamaze class loved the photos she’d taken
of Daisy and listened avidly as she described the nine-hour labor.

“That’s not an unusual length of time,” Kelly said. “It sounds daunting, but you’re not in constant pain. The hard part comes at the end.”

“That’s when you’ve got to squeeze a watermelon through a straw,” Roxanne said.

“Let’s try to come up with a better image,” Kelly said. “In addition to the physical part of labor,
having a baby is one of the most emotional experiences you’ll ever have. Get comfortable. We’re going to do some visualization.”

As she led the class through a positive imagination exercise, Kelly went to her own happy place—Nick’s bedroom. To the class, she said, “Close your eyes and use all your senses. Think beyond what you see. What’s your favorite scent?”

“Clean laundry,” said one
woman.

“Fresh pie,” Lauren chimed in.

In Kelly’s imagination, she took a whiff of the toasty smell she associated with Nick. Licking her lips, she tasted his kiss. When she opened her eyes and peeked, she saw him watching her. His blue eyes were compelling. She could hardly wait for the class to be over so she could make her imaginings into reality.