Lullabies and Lies (17 page)

His cell phone rang.

“This better be good, Hiram.” Janie’s hoarse voice scraped his raw nerves. “I told you not to call me.”

Hiram couldn’t help but grin. She was going to regret talking to him like that. He made a point of sounding
apologetic. “I didn’t mean to bother you, Janie, but I thought you’d like to know that the last I saw of Sunny Loveless and her FBI agent, they were in his car, headed up Interstate 95.”

“What! Why didn’t you—” Janie cut off in the middle of her tirade.

Hiram knew what she was about to say.
Why didn’t you call me?
But he had. She had three missed calls on her cell phone. She couldn’t blame him.

“Yeah, and now my car’s broke down. I’m about seventy miles east of Philly. I’m going to need you to wire me some money so I can get her fixed.”

“Screw you and your car. Bess must have figured out whose baby she had. She must have called her. Damn that old hag. I’ve got to get there before they do.”

She cut the connection.

Hiram looked at his cell phone, thinking about Janie’s words. A sick lump of fear lodged in his chest. Janie wouldn’t hurt a baby—would she?

His mind made the next logical leap. How much trouble would he be in if he turned her in? Surely the police and the FBI would appreciate knowing exactly who had kidnapped the Loveless woman’s baby girl, not to mention the dozens of other children Janie and Ed had brokered over the years.

They might be willing to pay for the information. With his information, they could solve dozens of crimes. That ought to be worth something.

THE HARSH JANGLE of a phone woke Sunny. For an instant, she was disoriented. Someone stirred next to
her, and the memory of Griff’s strong hot body enveloping hers slid through her with a thrill.

He groaned under his breath and sat up as the phone rang again, louder.

Opening her eyes to a squint, she saw the sleek curve of his naked back, lean broad shoulders and dark hair that was tousled and curling at the nape of his neck.

“Yeah?” his gravelly voice reverberated through the thin mattress of the double bed. “Hey, Natasha, whatcha got?”

Emily.
Shame sucker punched Sunny. She was naked, in bed with the FBI Agent who was helping her find her daughter.

Dear God, what kind of mother was she?
She’d indulged herself while Emily was lost, possibly in danger.

For the first time in the entire six months she’d been Emily’s mother, her first thought upon waking was not of the child she’d sworn to love and protect. Her heart gaped with aching emptiness.

I’m so sorry, Emily Rose.

Griff stood and pushed his fingers through his hair. He bowed his head and scratched the back of his neck, yawning.

“Yeah, we’re up.” He sent her a sheepish grin that lit his face and made his oddly colored eyes sparkle.

Sunny sat up, pulling the sheet with her. She couldn’t breathe. Had they found Emily?

“Bergen Street in Oak Grove, seventeen miles west of Philadelphia. Okay, got it.” He reached over and picked up Sunny’s cell phone off the bedside table, flipped it open and deftly pressed keys. “Yeah, here it is. That’s the same number.”

“They’ve found her?” Sunny touched him on the forearm.

Griff laid his hand over hers as he spoke into the phone. “No. Absolutely not! I don’t care what CAC says. They asked me to be in charge of this case. They can’t—” He cut himself off, then took a swift breath. “Let me talk to Decker.”

Where were her pajamas? Her face burned with humiliation. She’d never done anything like this in her life. She found them and slipped them on, while her mind raced.

What was going on? CAC was Crimes Against Children. She knew that from her investigative work. It was a special division of the FBI devoted to missing children.

She remembered someone saying that Griff was with a different division of the FBI, but Griff had assured her that he was an expert in missing child cases. So she hadn’t questioned why CAC wasn’t involved. She’d been too distraught about Emily.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him.

He lifted his head and looked at her from under his lashes. Her hand covered her skimpy, revealing tank top.

“I’m going to be a few minutes here,” he said, his gaze flickering toward her hand. “Why don’t you go get dressed? We’ve got the address of the woman who called you.”

“Oh—” Sunny’s heart stopped, then thudded against her chest. Her throat spasmed. Joy and relief washed over her and brought tears to her eyes. She
would
get to see Emily today. Hold her, kiss her, smell her sweet baby hair.

She looked at Griff through tear-blurred eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She loved Griffin Stone at that moment. He’d kept his promise. He’d found her baby. With one hand over her mouth, she laid her other hand against his face.

Griff winced at the tender feel of Sunny’s hand on his cheek and the hope and joy shimmering in her eyes.

It terrified him and sent a spear of guilt lancing through his chest. He’d taken advantage of her last night, and today he felt like a heel. But as bad as he felt, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The little pajama thing she wore made her look fragile and feminine, although she’d felt anything but fragile last night.

Griff swallowed hard and tried to banish the memories of her firm, supple body under his, meeting his need with a need of her own that had surprised him.

Right now, he had to deal with the head of CAC, who was angry that Griff had run off with the baby’s mother on what he considered a wild-goose chase—and a dangerous one at that. So he needed her out of his sight. He couldn’t afford to be distracted. Besides, he didn’t want her to hear his conversation with Decker.

He tried to smile reassuringly at Sunny, and the answering smile she sent him lit up the room like a cake full of birthday candles. A spear of dread pierced his heart.

He’d done what he’d sworn he’d never do. He’d gotten his heart involved. He’d promised her he would find her baby, knowing he had no right to get her hopes up.

How many promises was he going to make, before he found one he could keep?

“Go on,” he said gently.

As she stepped through the connecting door, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so beautiful, so brave. So trusting.

“Griff?” A strong, steady voice sounded in his ear.

“Mitch.”

“Everything okay?”

Typically, Decker didn’t offer recriminations. He merely listened to the facts and gave his input. Griff knew it was up to him to give Decker the information he needed.

“It appears the woman who has the child is not the kidnapper. Ms. Loveless was contacted and told to come to Philadelphia, then contact the woman for further instructions on how to get her baby back.”

“I see.” There was a world of concern behind those two words. Griff knew Decker was assessing his ability to handle the case, given his uncharacteristic actions.

“Evidence that she’s not the kidnapper?”

“Nothing, sir, except Sun—Ms. Loveless’s report of what the woman said.”

“How confident are you?”

Griff thought about all the tidbits of information, not much of which added up. Then he thought about Sunny’s determination.

With or without him, Sunny would have made this trip.

“Sir, I felt it was my duty to protect Ms. Loveless.”

Decker didn’t speak.

Griff was reminded of rumors he’d heard about Decker and his wife. About how the honorable, unflappable Special Agent in Charge had acted out of character a couple of years ago in order to protect the woman who was now his wife from a murderer.

“Mitch, this feels right. Let me follow through with it. Hell, this will probably be the last favor I ever ask of you. You saw my letter of resignation? I left it on your desk.”

“Regretfully, I did. I was hoping you’d change your mind.”

Bowing his head, Griff rubbed his chest. “No. That won’t happen. Coming back to Nashville cemented my decision. This will be my last case for the FBI. I can’t do this anymore.”

“Find that little girl, Griff, but call for backup. The local field agent is standing by, as is local law enforcement. I’ll deal with CAC.”

Griff took down the names and numbers of the locals.

Detecting a movement out of the corner of his eye, Griff turned. Sunny stood at the adjoining door to their rooms. Her shocked expression told him she’d heard every word.

She’d just discovered that her precious daughter’s life was in the hands of an FBI agent who wanted out.

Griff thanked Decker and disconnected. Without looking at Sunny, he reached for his T-shirt and pulled it over his head. “Ready to go?”

“You’re quitting the FBI?” Her voice accused him. “What about Emily?”

“We don’t have much time.” Chalk up one more reason he needed to get out. He was becoming way too emotionally involved with this case.
With Sunny,
a small voice in his head whispered.

“I don’t understand. A few days ago you told me it was
just a job and you were good at it
.”

He reached for his shirt, using the process of buttoning it to avoid looking at her.

She took a step toward him. “So if it’s just a job, why can’t you do it anymore?”

He glanced up. He knew what she was feeling. In her mind, she’d just been abandoned by the one person who had sworn to take her shattered world and make it right again.

He still remembered the day he and his father had been told that there were no leads in his sister’s disappearance and how bereft he’d felt as the tall, stoic agent had walked away.

He straightened, meeting her gaze. “I’m not quitting today.”

Chapter Eight

Janie drove like hell toward Oak Grove, seething. She didn’t know how much time she had to get to Bess, but she sure as hell wasn’t wasting any of it.

She’d thrown some lie at Ed about her mother being sick. He’d have to make his appearance at church today without her. She had to get her hands on that baby before Sunny Loveless got there. The kid was her ace in the hole. She had an alternate babysitter lined up in New York City, a woman she’d used a couple of times in the past.

All she had to do was get the kid, drop it off in New York, then get back to New Rochelle before tomorrow morning, when Eddie and she were scheduled to meet with their lawyer and Ed’s campaign manager. They had to work on a plan to deflect the bad publicity caused by the landlord’s death.

Ashes flew from her cigarette as she slapped the steering wheel with her palm. This was all Hiram’s fault. He’d been such an idiot through all this—calling her about insignificant things, unable to make a decision for himself. She’d gotten sick of his whining.

How in hell was she supposed to know that
this
time, his phone call was vitally important?

She turned into the street behind Bess’s house, and parked in the backyard, as she always did, breathing a sigh of relief that the only other vehicle was Bess’s old pickup.

Taking the .22 that Ed had given her years ago from her glove compartment and slipping it into her purse, Janie walked around to the front door. As she passed the child’s sandbox, she flicked her cigarette into it. Finally, a use for a kid’s plaything.

When Bess opened the door, the old woman didn’t even look surprised to see her.

That shocked her. Her head began to pound. Had Loveless already been here and gone?

Janie didn’t waste any time on pleasantries. “I’m here for the kid.” She pushed past Bess and into the living room. “Where is she?”

“Janie, I’ve done your bidding for years, against my better judgment. When you showed up here fifteen years ago, with that precious child—”

Janie whirled. “Oh spare me, you old hag!” She took out a cigarette.

Bess frowned. “I’ve asked you not to smoke in the house.”

“Screw you.” She pointed with the unlit cigarette. “Get the kid, now. I’ve got to get out of here.”

Bess folded her arms. “I don’t have her.”

“You—” The fear that ate at her gut turned into panic. “What have you done?” The cigarette broke in her fingers. “Has Sunny Loveless been here?”

“Who?”

“Don’t mess with me! You know who she is. You called her, didn’t you?
Didn’t you!
”

“Yes, I called Ms. Loveless.”

“What the hell were you thinking? You’re in this as deep as I am.”

“Not as deep, Janie, and not anymore.”

Janie muttered curses as she stalked through the small house, scanning every room with a growing sense of dread. Bess didn’t follow.

Back in the living room, Bess still stood in the same position, her arms folded, a serene expression on her face. “I told you, I don’t have her.”

Rage burned in Janie’s ears and a sizzling pain penetrated her left temple like a hot skewer. Her fists clenched.

“And I asked you a question.” She advanced on Bess and grabbed her arm. “Did Loveless already take it?”

A disgusted look darkened Bess’s face, and a still certainty surrounded her. “I won’t tell you anything else. Get out of my house.”

Janie pushed Bess. “Where is she?” She doubled her fist and raised it, but Bess stood her ground, unflinching.

“There’s nothing you can do. This stops here and now. You’ve ruined lives, Janie Gross, and God forgive me, I helped you.” Bess shook her head. “When you were little, you were so quiet, but I always knew there was something about you. Your poor mother couldn’t handle you.”

“You leave that witch out of this! You don’t know anything.”

“I know you were only five years old when they took you away from her. I know what a heartbroken little girl you were the first time I saw you. I tried to be a mother
to you, but there was something that never connected inside you. Something that keeps you from understanding other people’s pain. I think you lost that when you lost your mother. Or maybe you never had it.”

Janie pulled the gun out of her pocket, her eyes hazed over with memories and visions from the past. “Shut up! Shut up or I’ll shoot you now!” Her head hammered with pain. “I hate that woman. She’s all alone now, a dried-up alcoholic who loved the bottle more than her own child. She can die for all I care.”