Undercover Daddy

“Stay put,” Luke warned her.

Luke barreled out the door, probably to give back up to the backup. Elaina didn’t mind. She wanted those two men arrested and away from Christopher and her.

She couldn’t hear what Luke said to them, but both men lifted their hands into the air. Luke kept his gun trained on them while Luke’s partner, a tall brown-haired man, rushed to handcuff the two men. The agent also searched them. Both men had not just one weapon but two each.

Luke and the agent didn’t waste any time. They ushered the men into the backseat of the agent’s SUV. Elaina sat there, her face glued to the sidelight window, and she watched as Luke said something else to them. The men didn’t respond. A few moments later, the agent drove away with the men.

Elaina got to her feet, though the adrenaline made her jittery. Later, when all of this sank in, she was certain she’d be furious at those imbeciles for putting her through this.

Luke came through the door, and he tucked his gun back into his shoulder holster. “Agent Kaplan is taking them to the local jail. As soon as they’re processed, I’ll go there and assist with the interview.”

“So, they didn’t admit to any guilt when you arrested them?”

He shook his head and blew out a weary breath. “No. But unless they have permits to carry concealed weapons, we can hold them on that for a while.”

For a while didn’t sound nearly long enough.

“Why would those men have killed your wife?” Elaina asked. She shoved the umbrella back into the basket and made sure that Theresa was still in the nursery. She didn’t want the woman overhearing any of this. “You think they did it to get Christopher from her so they could hand him over to the lawyers running the adoption ring?”

Luke adjusted his leather jacket so the weapon wouldn’t be visible. “That’s one theory.”

She snapped toward him. “There’s more than one?”

He nodded. Raked his fingers over his eyebrow. “Right before I went on the deep cover-up last year, I arrested a man named George Devereux. He was slime, into too many different crimes to name. Devereux vowed revenge because I arrested him. I haven’t been able to prove it, but it’s possible that Devereux murdered Taylor shortly after she gave birth. It’s also possible that he or one of his henchmen sold or gave Christopher to the adoption ring.”

Elaina felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. It took several seconds to regain her breath and some semblance of composure. It took her slightly longer than that to manage to think his theory through. On the one hand, it would make her feel marginally better to put the blame on Luke. But on the other hand, she didn’t want a heavy-duty criminal like Devereux to be involved in this.

“So then, why would Devereux’s men come after me?” she demanded to know. “I certainly can’t link him to Christopher’s adoption or to Taylor’s death.”

“Maybe Devereux didn’t want to stop with Taylor.” Luke paused and met her gaze. “Maybe he’s had time to stew while sitting in prison and wants to continue his revenge.”

“Oh, God.” Elaina dropped back a step. “You mean Christopher?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed.

Elaina groaned and felt the sickening knot form in her stomach. “So, either George Devereux or Kevin might have spawned this?”

“There’s only one way to find out which one. Those two men will provide the answers.”

Yes. The men. With all the talk about Devereux and revenge, she’d nearly forgotten that they might be very close to learning what this was really about. In fact, if the men confessed to trying to kill her, then they’d be off the streets for a long, long time. Their confession and incarceration could give her the safety she’d been praying for and the freedom to resume a normal life.

For all the good it’d do her now.

Luke Buchanan’s arrival had changed everything, and Elaina didn’t think they would agree on what she considered a normal life. Heck, he could still try to have her arrested for the illegal adoption.

Elaina felt sick. That feeling didn’t go away when she heard Theresa call out. “I hope those protestors are gone. Christopher’s up from his nap. Is it okay if I bring him out there?”

She was on the verge of saying no, but the word stuck in her throat. Luke, however, seemed to have no trouble responding. Obviously following the sound of Theresa’s voice, he headed straight for Christopher.

Elaina rushed after him. It was like a train wreck about to happen.

Luke paused in the doorway of the nursery, and since he took up nearly the entire space, Elaina had to stand on her tiptoes to see what had stopped the agent in his tracks.

Christopher was there. He wore the denim overalls and long-sleeved knit blue shirt that she’d dressed him in that morning. He was standing, holding on to the arm of the rocking chair where Theresa was seated.

“The protestors are gone?” Theresa asked.

“They’re gone,” Luke assured her, but his attention was focused solely Christopher.

Luke stepped toward the baby. Elaina’s instincts screamed to stop him. But she couldn’t. She could only stand there and watch as Luke reached down and gently lifted her son into his arms.

Chapter Five

Luke forgot to breathe.

In fact, he forgot everything when he picked up his son. He’d never thought anything could feel like this. It was magic. Pure magic. And the weight of the world slipped off Luke’s shoulders.

Well, in one way it did.

In another, he knew instantly that he would do whatever it took to protect—and claim—his son.

Christopher whimpered a little and tossed a questioning glance at Elaina before turning those suspicious gray eyes back on Luke. Eyes that were a perfect replica of Luke’s own.

The genetics didn’t stop there. Luke had seen baby pictures of himself, and Christopher was a little DNA copy, right down to his chocolate-brown hair.

His son’s bottom lip quivered, and judging from his expression he was about to cry.

“It’s okay,” Theresa said, her voice soothing. “It’s Da Da. Remember, we talk about Da Da. Well, Da Da’s come home to be with you.”

Even more skepticism came into Christopher’s eyes, but he tested out the syllables he’d heard his sitter say. “Da Da.”

Behind him, Luke heard Elaina’s breath shatter, and he looked back to see the tears streaming down her cheeks. Theresa was crying, too, but Luke was almost positive that the sitter’s tears were of the happy variety.

He couldn’t say the same for Elaina.

Those were real tears of pain and anguish. Luke understood them. Though he hadn’t cried, he’d felt those same raw emotions from the moment that he learned he had a son. It’d ripped his heart into pieces. Now, just holding his baby, just hearing him say those precious sounds, made all the pain and anguish melt away.

“I’ll give the three of you some privacy,” Theresa insisted. She stood and left the room, closing the door behind her.

His son smelled like baby powder and cookies. Luke brushed a kiss on Christopher’s forehead, and because he suddenly wasn’t feeling too steady on his feet, he sat down in the rocker. Elaina sat, as well. Groaning softly, she sank down onto the floor and buried her face in her hands.

That seemed to be Christopher’s cue to get moving. The little boy squirmed to get out of his arms, and though Luke hated to let go of him, his son was insistent. Fearing that he might drop him, Luke finally deposited him onto the floor. He held on to him until Christopher plopped into a sitting position and then immediately crawled toward Elaina.

The only mother his son had ever known.

Christopher used her knees to pull himself up to a rather precarious standing position. He slapped at her hands until she lowered them. Despite her tear- stained face, the little boy smiled at her. It wasn’t an ordinary smile, either. It was a smile of joy and love.

Seeing that love aimed at Elaina put a fist around Luke’s heart. On the one hand, he despised the woman who’d perhaps robbed him of months with his son. On the other hand, she was the center of his baby’s world.