Confiscated Conception

A week. The timing was perfect. The pieces were starting to come together—with one horrible, inevitable conclusion. Esterman’s plan was real. Not some hoax meant to scare her into cooperating.

There was indeed a child.

Somewhere.

And he was in terrible danger.

Chapter Four

He listened while Mason Tanner fleshed out the news he’d just delivered, but Jared seriously doubted the fleshing out would make it any more palatable.

Basically, it sucked.

“Your captain wasn’t pleased when I told her I didn’t know where you were,” Tanner continued. “I guess she figured we’d be in touch, and that I’d try to talk some sense into you. Well, consider yourself talked to, because I’m on your side all the way. I don’t think you have a choice about what you’re doing right now.”

“Thanks,” Jared mumbled. But he didn’t need anyone, including his friend, to reiterate the fact that his options were slim and none. He was painfully aware of it.

“So Captain Thornton basically thinks I’ve kidnapped Rachel?” Jared asked Tanner.

That garnered Rachel’s attention. Jared saw her fingers still on the keyboard, and she looked up from the screen. Her left eyebrow arched questioningly. She probably wanted to know how he felt about that.

In other words, a rhetorical question.

Jared decided it was a good time to stare out the window and finish his conversation.

“Have they made it official?” Jared asked, lowering his voice. “Is there an APB or anything else I should be aware of?”

“No. Not as of an hour ago, anyway—but the cops are quietly looking for you. The chief of police apparently isn’t too eager to put out an APB on one of the department’s most decorated officers. Face it, Jared, you’re the Dudley Do-Right poster child for SAPD.”

Jared shook his head and silently cursed Tanner’s sarcasm. “And they think their poster child has gone skydiving off the deep end but that I’ll soon come to my senses?”

“Something like that. A temporary insanity kind of thing brought on by the upcoming divorce and the ordeal that Rachel’s been through.”

The affirmation had his throat tightening. Hell. He’d known all along that it could come to this. His reputation would basically be trashed. Perhaps along with his career. A career he’d spent twelve long years building.

Esterman couldn’t have planned it any better. In one swoop, the man had hit both him and Rachel where it hurt the most.

The baby and the badge.

Jared didn’t even want to guess what else Esterman had in store for them. Round one sure wasn’t going that well.

“What about the meeting with Merkens?” Jared asked, forcing his attention back to the matter at hand. He couldn’t dwell on things he couldn’t fix, and at the moment his reputation at headquarters was well out of the repairable mode. He had to solve this case before he could even start damage control. “Is that a go?”

“Sure, but you know there’s no way I can guarantee that either the location or Merkens will be safe. Too many variables and too much open space.”

“I know. I didn’t pick the location, and I wasn’t asking for miracles. I just don’t want to be ambushed by Esterman’s men before I step out of the car.”

“I’ll do my best. My advice—watch your back. And your front.”

Oh, he would do that. But Jared wasn’t certain that’d be enough.

Jared ended the call and slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket. “Good news,” he told Rachel. Best to try to sound optimistic even if there wasn’t squat to be optimistic about. “They delayed the trial to give the prosecution a chance to find you.”

She didn’t say anything for several moments. “The cops are after you?”

It really wasn’t a good time for her to ask that. And maybe it was his imagination, or else the massive amount of baggage between them, but Jared heard the old disapproval in her tone. Not that he needed more, but it fueled his frustration and put him on the defensive.

“I still have my badge,” he said quickly. “I’m still a cop.”

She made a sound that could have meant anything, or nothing. Unfortunately, it felt like something.

“Look, I know you don’t approve of what I do, Rachel, but if you don’t mind, I’d rather skip the cold shoulder and lecture this afternoon. I’ve already got enough to deal with here without rehashing the past.”

She issued a dismissive glance and calmly turned her attention back to the computer screen. “Thanks for that reminder, Jared.” He couldn’t help but notice that she pressed the keys a little harder than required. “I was starting to have a few lustful thoughts about you, but I’m sure that’ll fix the problem.”

Jared had already geared up to move on to the next subject—the meeting with Merkens—but then her comment sank in.

“Lustful thoughts?” he repeated.

Rachel nodded. “You know, as in those thoughts dealing with lust?”

Nope. He hadn’t misunderstood her. It was a very succinct and sarcastic answer. Now, the question was—how should he respond? Should he respond?

Rachel helped him along with his decision. Well, in a roundabout sort of way. She didn’t even blink. But she did hike up her chin and pull the ice-princess act that he pretty much hated. And she knew it, too. He could tell by the almost smug glint in her eye.

“Believe me, that wasn’t the clarification I was looking for,” he insisted. “What I meant was…” Jared stopped and rethought the question that had been about to fly out of his mouth. There was a fine line between a request for information and an idiotic remark. Best to go for the direct approach. “What the hell are you saying, anyway?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have Alzheimer’s, Jared. I know how good we once were in bed.”

So did he. And for some reason those memories had gotten a lot more vivid since he’d seen her at the safe house.