Wed to a SEAL (Hot SEALs) (Volume 8) (6 page)

“Relax. Rocky, you can stay here with her until we figure this thing out.”

He raised his eyes to Darci at her kind offer. “Really? That’d be okay?”

“Of course. Just don’t expect me to take care of her. I don’t know anything about babies either.”

Rocky shifted his gaze to Thom, hoping his helpless expression would sway the man. “Will you stay with me?”

“I guess. If that’s all right.” Thom glanced at Darci and Rick.
 

“Sure.” Rick nodded. “We’ll figure something out. Wouldn’t be the first time you crashed on my sofa.”

“I can sleep at Chris’s place and Rocky and Thom can have my room. You two and Rick, on babysitting duty.” Darci shook her head. “Kind of sorry I won’t be here to see it.”

“Me too.” Sierra smiled.

“You’re not staying here with us?” Rick’s eyes widened.

“I have a suite at the Ritz, so no.” Sierra looked every bit the diva as Rick pouted and Rocky’s head spun.

He and Thom and the baby, bunking together in Darci’s room in Rick’s house. The situation got weirder by the moment.

“Maybe this Isabel will be back soon and no one will have to stay,” Ali offered.

Jon returned to the dining room and dumped an overstuffed bag onto the table. In his other hand he held a plastic bag that was leaking water onto the carpet.

“Judging by the amount of stuff she packed for the kid she’s not planning to be back today.” He turned toward the kitchen, catching the dripping liquid from the bag in his hand. “There are four bottles in here. Thom, how long before we run out of stuff to feed her?”

Thom’s eyes widened. “It’s been a long time since my kids were that age. And to be honest, I was away for a lot of that time. Probably why I’m divorced today but still, I’m sorry but I’m not really sure.”

“We’ll search on the internet about what she’s supposed to be eating and then go out and buy what we need when we run out.” Darci was already opening a laptop she’d grabbed from somewhere.

Rocky was in a daze of shock but clarity was starting to take over again. There was something productive he could do, and it entailed more than researching feeding a baby.

He stood. “I know she left this baby for me, but if somebody could just watch her for a little bit, maybe I can figure out what the hell is going on.”

“How do you intend to do that?” Rick asked.

“I know what she looks like. What car she drives. Hopefully I can track down Isabel or at least question her coworkers. She works at the strip club. I can ask around there. Hell, maybe she’s there working now.”

Jon nodded. “That’s a good plan. One of us should go with you. In case there’s trouble.”

“I’ll go.” Rick stepped forward.
 

At the same time, Thom said, “I’m coming.”

“Oh no. All of you men are not leaving us here to babysit.” Ali cocked a brow as the men tried to flee.

“Yeah, especially since this website says a three-month old could need to eat every two to three hours. That’s just crazy. We’re going to run out of those bottles fast. Then we’ll have to buy formula, I guess.” Darci turned her panicked focus to the only one among them with baby experience. “Thom, you can’t go. I have no idea what I’m doing with a baby.”

“I agree. He needs to stay.” Sierra nodded.

“Besides, if there really is some sort of danger frightening enough that it compelled this woman to leave her baby on the doorstep of strangers just to keep her safe, don’t you think we might need some protection here?” Darci crossed her arms while cocking a brow.

Jon drew in a breath. “They’re right. Two go and two stay. Rocky obviously needs to go since he’s the only one who knows what this woman looks like. Who do you want with you, Rocky?”

Rocky lifted his chin toward Jon. “You carrying?”

Jon tipped his head. “Always.”
 

“Then you’re with me.” Confident in his decision, Rocky ignored Rick and Thom’s twin scowls at being left behind with the females.

Rocky wasn’t being unfair. He did have a reason for his choice. It made sense. This was Rick’s house. If the shit hit the fan, he’d know how to best defend it. No doubt there was a gun safe in the house and he needed to be here to open it. And Thom was the only one among them blessed with children of his own, so he should be there too and make sure they didn’t feed the kid the wrong stuff.

Rocky paused at the front door and glanced back. “We’ll be back as soon as we can. I’ll call when we know anything. And call us if Isabel shows up.”

“We can only hope.” Rick snorted.

“Good luck,” Ali called after them.

Rocky had a feeling they were going to need it.

They were outside and heading for Rocky’s truck when Jon paused for a second before continuing his stride across the lawn. “Don’t look but I think our momma hasn’t gone too far.”

“What?” Rocky forced himself to glance at Jon and not at his surroundings.

“I caught movement across the street when I came outside for the diaper bag and now I just saw it again. Same spot. I’m willing to bet she’s hanging around to make sure the baby is all right.”

“So what do we do? Flush her out?” Rocky asked, his heart pounding as hard as if they were on a mission in hostile territory rather than trying to catch a young mother in the suburbs of Virginia.

“You and I are gonna get in your truck. We’ll draw her attention while Thom and Rick sneak out the back.”

“And grab her.” Rocky drew in a breath at the thought.

She was going to be scared to death, but he didn’t see how they had any other choice. They needed answers. More than that he needed to not be responsible for an infant. The Naval Special Warfare department didn’t give SEALs time off for babysitting strangers’ kids . . . not that he’d ever had occasion to ask.

He sighed. “All right.”

Rocky clicked to unlock the truck as Jon pulled out his cell phone to fill Rick and Thom in on the situation.

CHAPTER 5

Isabel watched from behind a shrub on the corner as the two men came out of the house she’d followed Rocky to.

She recognized Rocky, the man she’d trusted on gut instinct alone to shelter her daughter. Next to him walked the guy who’d come outside before to grab the diaper bag and milk. She’d had to duck back fast before he saw her.

Good thing she’d hidden. He’d looked all around the house and up and down the street before going back inside with the bags.

She should have left immediately after ringing the doorbell, but she couldn’t bring herself to.

Her baby was in that house, and as Rocky opened the door of his truck and climbed inside, along with the other dark-haired man, it was obvious he was leaving Lola behind.

It would be all right. The people inside had to be Rocky’s friends. If he trusted them with the baby she had to trust them too.

Even so, she’d stay around for a little while anyway. At least to make sure they’d done as she’d asked and didn’t call the police.

Meanwhile there were a million things she should be doing. Emptying her apartment of anything that hinted at Lola’s existence was prime among them.

She had no doubt Tito wouldn’t think twice about breaking into her place if he found the apartment empty. And the moment he saw the baby things, he’d figure out why she’d left Miami—left him—so suddenly all those months ago.

Torn, she considered the options. Stay and watch to make sure the baby was all right. Or go and cover her trail and insure Lola would remain okay. Protecting her secret won out. It was time to go.

If the police were coming, Rocky would have stayed to talk to them. After all, his name had been on the note.

She had to believe the people in that house would care for her child until she could come back to get her.

When would that be?

That all depended on Tito. She needed a plan, but sanitizing the house came first.

Her car was parked nearby, on the side street of the corner where she now hid, out of view of the house.

She spun toward it, only to come face to face with two men who’d somehow managed to sneak up on her. Only putting the brakes on her momentum saved her from crashing directly into them.

“Um, sorry. Didn’t hear you there. Excuse me. I need to go.”

The bigger one, a blonde with a muscled torso like a brick wall, crossed his arms and lifted a brow. “And where’s that?”

Her eyes widened. “To meet my boyfriend. He’s uh waiting for me.”

“Oh, is he now?”

Self preservation kicked in and she took a step back.

The other guy stepped forward. He was no less fit but a little less large. “Rick. Stop. You’re upsetting her.”

“Am I? Well, Thom, I was a little upset myself finding a baby on my stoop.”

His words were like a punch to her gut. “You have Lola?”

Rick’s eyes widened. “Yeah, we have Lola. What do you think? You left her at my door.”

Thom scowled at Rick before he turned toward her. “Isabel. We’re friends of Rocky’s. Lola is fine. She’s at the house with Rick’s sister and our friends. We only want to talk.”

She shook her head. “I can’t talk. I have to go.”

As she moved to leave in spite of the two men, a now familiar looking truck skidded to a stop, blocking her car in.

Fleeing was obviously going to be impossible. She couldn’t drive away and if she ran, she had no doubt they’d catch her. She knew the type. These guys probably ran ten miles and lifted weights in the gym before most people got out of bed in the morning.

As Rocky got out of the truck with the other guy, she was surrounded and way outnumbered.

She sagged with a full body sigh. “Fine. I’ll talk to you but is there any way we can do it at my apartment?”

“Why?” The question came from Rocky in a soft tone that accompanied the hand he laid on her arm.

Near tears, she didn’t have any lies left. “Because if my ex gets there first and goes inside, there’s a good chance he’s going to come after me. And when he finds me, he’ll probably kill me and then take the baby.”

Her statement elicited a visual exchange between the four men.

Rocky drew in a breath that expanded his chest. She tried not to notice the swell but it was impossible, they stood so close. “Me and Jon will go with Isabel to her place. You two stay here.”

“Yeah. I want enough protection for the baby and the women in case she was followed. You need a weapon?” Rick asked Rocky.

The question had her glancing at Rocky and waiting for the answer.

“I’m good. Got it locked in the truck.”

She didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared that her escort had a weapon.

Tito and his crew were all usually armed to the teeth, with guns she suspected weren’t exactly legal. That should have been her first clue he wasn’t the ideal guy for her first serious boyfriend.

But bringing armed men to her apartment where she expected Tito could show up at any moment was asking for trouble.

A shootout between these men and her ex was the last thing she wanted. But the thought of facing Tito alone was no better.

Rocky glanced at her. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Okay. You can follow me to my apartment.”

“You can ride with us.” Rocky pressed a hand against her lower back.

Even through her shirt, she felt the heat. The strength. It gave her comfort even if he was in effect steering her away from her own car and toward his truck.

She was depending too much on a man who was a stranger to her. Trusting him to do what was best to protect her even though there was nothing concrete behind that trust. But here in a foreign country so many miles from everyone and everything she’d grown up knowing, she had no one else she could count on.

She’d trusted Tito once upon a time as well. That had been the worst decision of her life.

Glancing at these men around her, Rocky in particular, she was very aware of her track record with trusting the wrong men.

Was she repeating her mistake? Times four?

No, somehow she didn’t think so. These men seemed different. The cool precision with which they reacted to her fears over Tito and formed a plan spoke to practiced, calculated action, probably gained through military training if Rocky’s US NAVY bumper sticker was any indication.