Colton 911: Family Under Fire

“Hoyles’? Toy department?”

“Yeah. This time of year, they’re one of our best customers.” Joe held out a pad and pen. “If you’ll just sign here…?”

“Not until I know what I’m signing for.” Everett held out his hands for the brightly packaged box. There was a gift tag attached and he turned it over to read the message:

Happy holidays, sweet girl. I’m coming for you.

A cold, bony finger of fear jabbed at his spine. He’d recently returned to Cactus Creek and had been working on a murder investigation when he’d gotten news of the Dodds’ deaths. The suicide story had never felt right to him. He knew Sean. The guy was an adventurer, always looking for the next opportunity. He’d seen his arrest as the next challenge. And he had genuinely loved Delilah. Even if he’d taken his own life, Everett couldn’t picture him killing his wife. Add in the fact that the suicide note wasn’t in either Sean’s or Delilah’s handwriting and things got even more suspicious.

This message heightened Everett’s distrust. Even attached to a holiday package, it felt wrong, even threatening. Who was coming for Kennedy? And what was in that box? It could be anything. Explosives? Acid? Poison?

“You said you just got this from the store? Was it already wrapped when you collected it?”

“Hey, I just—”

Everett reached into his pocket and withdrew his badge. “I need you to wait here.”

The authority in his voice was enough to secure obedience. As Everett stepped back inside the apartment and closed the door behind him, Joe Meyer and his suspicious delivery were pushed to the back of his mind. How was he supposed to explain this to Alyssa?

Four years ago, his job had been the reason she’d walked away from him. Now, within hours of being reunited, she would be forced to face the reality of what he did all over again. And this time they weren’t even involved.

Except…we are. Not the way they had been in the past, but if being the new mom and dad to a six-month-old baby girl wasn’t involved, he sure as hell didn’t know what was.

For some reason, Sean had left Kennedy in their care. Everett might not be able to understand his former friend’s motive, and he might not know anything about being a dad, but he knew what was expected of him. He would protect his new family. No matter what.

Alyssa stepped out of the bedroom. “This little lady is sleepy. I think we should set her crib up first. Oh.” She regarded him steadily, her gaze going to the closed front door and his empty hands. “Is something wrong?”

She had always been able to read him like a book. Which was why there was no point in trying to hide anything from her.

“You trust me, don’t you?”

“You know I do.” That, at least, had never been in question.

“I don’t have time to explain right now, but I have to go out. I want you to stay inside with the door locked until I get back.”

“But—” Although she didn’t question what he was saying, her brow furrowed. Her hand moved to the back of the baby’s head, cradling the little girl closer. “I really need to get Kennedy settled. If I can’t open the door, how will I get to her stuff when it arrives?”

Resisting the urge to curse, Everett drew his cell phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and opened the address book. His brother’s number was at the top of his favorites list. And, unless he was out on an emergency call, his twin could always be relied on to answer.

“Are you busy?”

“I have this thing called a job.” From the background noise, it sounded like Casey was in his office at the Sur County Sheriff’s Department. “It takes up most of my time.”

“How fast can you be at my apartment?”

Everett had no frame of reference. Maybe it was the same with all brothers. Possibly it was more intense for them because they were twins. All he knew for sure was that whenever he needed help, Casey was there for him.

“I’m on my way.”

Everett breathed a sigh of relief. The sheriff’s office was close by and it would take Casey less than ten minutes to get there. He ended the call, aware of Alyssa’s steady scrutiny. She was the strongest person he knew, except for one blind spot. She was terrified that anyone close to her would be snatched away violently.

Given what had happened in her early life, he figured it was natural. Throughout their relationship, he’d tried hard to help her overcome her fears. In the end, her intense vulnerability, together with his own emotional detachment, had defeated them both.

“I do trust you, but if there’s something going on…”

“I just need to check a few things out.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s probably nothing.”

She rolled her eyes. “Everett, I know you. Remember?”

“How could I forget?” The words were out before he could stop them, carrying a world of meaning in their wake.

Timing, Colton. It never was your thing.

For a moment they gazed at each other, then an unmistakable, and very stinky, aroma filled the air.

“Oh, my goodness.” Alyssa wrinkled her nose. “Where did you put the pink-elephant bag with the spare diapers?”

Everett started to laugh. “It’s on the table.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door. “I need to go. Casey is on his way. I’ll explain everything when I get back.”

“Promise me—” Her lower lip trembled.

It was like stepping back in time four years.

“I’ll be careful.”

Alyssa was left with a dilemma. It seemed like explaining their startling new situation to Everett’s twin should be something they did together. Answering the door to Casey with a sleepy baby in her arms meant he inevitably gave her a look that was both startled and questioning.

“This is Sean and Delilah Dodd’s daughter, Kennedy. Following their deaths, Everett and I have accepted joint custody of her.”

Casey’s frown betrayed his shock, and he remained silent for a moment or two.

Although she knew and liked Everett’s brother, they’d never had a chance to get really close. His deputy-sheriff job kept him in Cactus Creek and, during the time that she and Everett had been dating, their lives had been in Phoenix. The two had made an effort to meet up, and family occasions with their parents had been important to them, but their busy jobs had often gotten in the way.

Casey stepped into the apartment and Alyssa locked the door behind him.

He looked around in confusion. “Where is Everett?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh, I get it.” The twins were fraternal, but when they smiled, the similarities between them were remarkable. “This is like the time he bet me he could beat me in a race to a bar. We both set off, then this hot girl in denim shorts distracted me by asking for my help to find her dog. It was over a year later I found out she was one of his college classmates and they split the winnings. Is he hiding in the bedroom?”

“Seriously. He said he had to go out and that you would stay with me until he got back. You now know as much as I do.”

The smile disappeared as he looked around. Before either of them could say anything else, the security buzzer made Alyssa jump. If she and Kennedy were to stay here, that thing would have to go.

“I’m expecting a delivery.” She hesitated, not wishing to sound overdramatic. “But Everett told me to keep the door locked.”

He went to the window and twitched back the drapes. “There’s a flatbed truck parked outside. It’s piled high with boxes.”