Chapter Eleven

 

 

Henry Flanders felt years older, and so young it hurt. Older because that night two days before had been beyond rough. He’d thought he would lose them both, and a black void had opened in front of him.

But then he looked down at the tiny girl in his arms, her chest against his, and he felt like the whole world was new. He’d shed his shirt because Nell had told him their daughter needed to be skin to skin. She’d told him a whole lot of things when she’d woken up and gotten to see their daughter for the first time. He was planning on doing anything she asked of him because that night had been…the worst and best night of his life.

Yesterday had been okay. Nell was still in pain from the emergency C-section, but she was determined to do everything she could to get back on her feet. Holly had come up to the clinic three times a day to take Nell for a walk. Holly had been through it and promised Nell that moving might be painful, but it would save her so much more discomfort down the line.

So he’d watched his wife gingerly move around, trying to recover.

God, if only he’d been able to take that pain. He’d never felt as helpless as he had in that moment when Caleb had told him Poppy’s heart rate had dropped.

The door came open and Caleb strode through, his clipboard in hand. He glanced over at the machines that monitored Nell’s vitals. “Has she been sleeping all right?”

“Yes, but she’s ready to get out of here and go home.” He’d already talked to her midwife, who’d promised to come out as soon as the roads cleared. Until then, Caleb could easily make it to their place. He wanted to give her something…anything.

“She can go home this afternoon. Everything looks good. Little Poppy there is perfectly healthy, and Nell’s moving along nicely. She’s going to want to get off the meds before she’s ready,” Caleb started.

“No, I’m not.” Nell yawned and winced. “I’m going to do everything you tell me to, Doc. This sucks, and I don’t think that turmeric tea is going to take away the pain. But it will help with inflammation.”

“You’re being surprisingly reasonable,” Caleb said.

“Well, I am stapled together,” she admitted. “I’ve thought a lot about the fact that what happened to me wasn’t natural.”

“It was perfectly natural,” Caleb said with a frown. “Was I supposed to let you…”

She forced herself up with a wince. “No. That’s what I’m saying. Without that surgery I would have died, so I will follow the traditional medicine world in this case. I can’t take care of her properly if I’m in pain. The drugs don’t make me loopy.”

“When they do, you’ll know it’s time to get off them,” Caleb said. “About two weeks should do it, but until then, it’s best to stay ahead of the pain.”

“I’ll make sure she gets everything she needs.” And he knew what she would want. He eased out of the chair as Poppy started moving. It was like she knew her mom was awake and she could get where she wanted to be. “You want to hold her?”

That brought a smile to his wife’s face. “Yes. I want to see if she’ll latch.”

“Naomi’s on her way in. She’s the expert.” Caleb moved to the door. “Like all things with this whole parenting thing, be patient. You’ll find your way. Henry, you should go back to your cabin and get things ready for your girls. You haven’t even had a shower in days.”

He hadn’t been willing to leave them. He’d slept on a cot beside her bed. It wasn’t like this was a big hospital where they had a nursery. Naomi and Caleb had taken long shifts, and Tyler Davis had come in to cover when they needed a break. They’d had plenty of help, but this was his family and he wouldn’t leave them for his own comfort.

Without a bit of self-consciousness, Nell shrugged the top part of her gown down and put their daughter to her breast. “You aren’t going to be able to make fun of Michael Novack anymore, Henry.”

Was he really stinky? That wouldn’t do. But he didn’t like the idea of leaving her here alone with Caleb, who was a great doctor but probably would get involved with something else and only check on her and not hover over her like she deserved.

The door opened again and all of his excuses fled. Holly and Laura walked in, carrying some flowers. They would absolutely hover over her. Her best friends would take care of her.

“Hey,” Laura said, beaming. “How’s our girl?”

He would be happy to share her with her sisters. That’s what Holly and Laura were, and it was so good his daughter would have this marvelous family to rely on.

“I’m achy, and lactation hurts way more than getting my nipples pierced did.” Nell’s eyes went down to the baby in her arms. She’d had to take out the rings he loved so much and wouldn’t put them back in until Poppy was done with nursing. “But I kind of don’t care because of how beautiful she is.”

Before Laura and Holly could take over, Henry slipped in and gave his wife a kiss. “I’ll be back before three. I’ll stop by the Trading Post and grab some food I can make for you. I want you to rest and love on our daughter for the next two weeks.”

“You’re going to spoil us both,” she said with a dreamy smile on her face.

“You bet I am.” It was all he wanted to do.

“I should warn you that I saw Gemma this morning. Jesse tried to fix the plumbing and now their bathroom is flooded,” Holly said.

He sighed. “I’ll go by after I hit the cabin. But I’ll be back for you two.” He kissed his daughter’s forehead. “Love you.”

He reached for his shirt, pulling it over his head and smoothing it down. Maybe he did need that shower. He’d barely left the room since Poppy had been born. He grabbed his wallet and his dead cell and left the room even as Nell, Laura, and Holly started talking and laughing.

She was in good hands.

He blinked in the light of day and bit back a yawn. The snowstorm that hit the night Poppy was born had passed and the roads had been plowed. It was a gorgeous winter day. He felt like he’d been slammed with a sledgehammer.

Nothing a couple of hours of sleep couldn’t fix. Yeah, he wasn’t sure when he would be able to do that.

“Yep, you look about right.” Nate was striding down the sidewalk, a bag from Stella’s in his hand. “Get ready. You are not going to sleep much the next couple of weeks.”

He felt a smile cross his face. It was good to know all of this was normal. “I can handle that. And thanks so much for the diapers.”

Callie had brought them a present of a dozen organic cotton diapers in various colors. He was going to have to learn how to clean those suckers.

“You’re welcome. You should know that Callie had a bunch of the women around town over to make some meals for you. And Cade. They’ll drop it all by as soon as Nell gets sprung from Caleb’s tender care.”

Cade was an excellent cook, and he’d been trying out some vegan recipes recently. “That’s wonderful. We appreciate it so much. I would love to be able to focus on Nell and Poppy. And Caleb was…well, go easy on him. He wasn’t expecting to have to do an emergency C-section and he’s still calming down. He did not like being in a place where he could lose a mom or baby. And he’s got Holly to think about now.”

“I’ll see if I can buy him a beer. You let us know if you need anything.” Nate tipped his Stetson and walked on toward the station house.

Henry took a deep breath of crisp air. Snow covered the ground, making the whole world white and bright. The sun shone down and he felt like he’d finally made it.

His wife knew who he was, and the spy had gotten the heroine, too. While she’d slept he’d finished her book and the message had been clear. She loved all of him. She forgave him.

He got into their Jeep and plugged in his dead phone. He hadn’t even thought about using it. He’d spent all his time fascinated with the two women who would hold his heart forever.

After the storm of Poppy’s birth, the last few days had been peaceful. Poppy slept a lot, and so did her mom. He loved to sit in the rocking chair Holly had brought up and hold his infant.

Tonight he would place her in the cradle he’d made with his own two hands. They would keep her in their bedroom while she was nursing. He was going to redo the guest room as Poppy’s room.

How odd it was to think of her spending her whole childhood here in Bliss. He’d moved so many times. So had Nell. The world had seemed a transient thing until he’d come here.

He was pulling onto his drive when the phone finally had enough charge and started pinging. A lot. He put the Jeep in park and glanced down at the screen. Had something gone wrong? He should have kept it charged.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he realized it was texts. A whole bunch of texts and missed calls. From Seth. Damn, he hadn’t called Seth. He should have, but the days had flown by.

Henry, I’ve got some weird pings on you. There’s a pattern coming up, and I don’t like it.

He was probably being paranoid. Everything had been quiet. He moved to the second text.

I don’t know where you are, but I need you to call me. I’ve managed to find one of the members of the cartel who got away. I think he believes that you know where the money and drugs that went missing around the time of your death are, and he wants it back. There’s a bounty on the Dark Web. At least I think they might be talking about you. Call me soon or I’ll call Nate Wright.

That had been thirty minutes ago.

He reached for the ignition. He would go straight back to the clinic.

“I wouldn’t turn that engine over if I was you, Bishop.”

Henry moved slightly and could see there was a man standing beside the Jeep, a revolver in his hand. He checked his other side and found yet another man there, a rifle in his hand. From his rearview mirror he caught sight of two more behind him.

They weren’t playing around.

He could shove the door and take out the one to his left while he brought up his weapon, and shoot the one on his right before he could get that rifle up. He would have to move quickly to evade the two behind him, but he thought he could manage it.

If he had a gun. But Henry Flanders didn’t carry.

Henry Flanders was about to take a whole lot of pain.

“Get out of the Jeep,” the largest of the men said.

He might have a chance to run. He knew the woods far better than they would. They likely weren’t acclimated to the elevation. Yes, he could run down river and make his way back into town.

“Leave the phone.”

The damn phone had gone dark, and it was still plugged in. He calculated the odds of being able to get the phone and get away and finally eased out of the Jeep, holding his hands up.

He would bet his life these were mercenaries and not from the cartel. They would need him alive to collect the bounty. Of course he really was betting his life, but he had to take the chance.

God, it was so much worse when a man had the world to lose. He couldn’t be John Bishop, couldn’t flip that switch on and turn down Henry Flanders’s horror at the thought of not seeing his wife again, not watching his baby girl grow. Because John Bishop loved them both, too. He’d finally managed to be complete, and it could be the very reason he died.

He eased out of the Jeep.

“You sure that’s the guy?” One of the men behind him sounded unsure. “He doesn’t look like some dangerous spy. I want the money, but you know it’ll go poorly if we offer the cartel the wrong guy.”

Oh, he was about to show them.

That was when he felt something hit his thigh.

“Yeah, that’s Bishop. I got the picture from a contact who’s still in the CIA. Says he tangled with this guy a few months back,” the boss said. “He told me not to fuck with him.”

And he hadn’t. The world was starting to go fuzzy because he’d taken a damn tranq dart to the thigh. He wouldn’t be able to run. In a few seconds, he wouldn’t even be able to think.

“He also told us we need to get in and out pretty fast or these guys in town will be all over us.”

Henry hit his knees because his legs didn’t work anymore. He tried to make them move, but he was so weak.

“Grab his feet. Let’s get him out of here before someone comes along,” a deep voice said. “We need to contact the cartel and get our money and disappear as fast as we can.”

The world started to go dark and he thanked the universe that at least he would pay for his sins alone. At least they wouldn’t touch his girls.

His wife and daughter. They would be safe.

It was all that mattered.

 

* * * *

 

Three o’clock came and went and Henry didn’t show up.

By three thirty, Nell had called, and when he didn’t pick up she knew something had gone terribly wrong. He’d said he would be back by three. He might have been ten minutes late or so, but not this long without calling her.

It was silly now to think she’d been worried he would leave without a trace. Henry would never leave her side. Not unless something bad had happened.

“I can go to your cabin and check,” Laura offered. “I would send Cam, but he and Nate are working an accident over the pass, and they’re not answering anything but emergency calls. Apparently it was bad. They called out three departments to help. But that accident happened before Henry left.”

“He probably fell asleep,” Holly offered. “He looked tired when he left. Newborns can wreck your sleep schedule. He probably thought he could take a nap and then his body was like nope, you are sleeping, mister.”

Nell shook her head. “No. He didn’t. He wouldn’t. Something’s happened.”

She knew it deep in her soul.

“Someone pass me my phone. I turned it off so it wouldn’t disturb Poppy,” Nell said.

“Of course, but he’s fine,” Holly insisted as she grabbed the phone.

Laura was walking with Poppy in her arms, soothing the baby with motion. “Are you nervous about this? I think Henry’s fine, but I don’t want you to worry. I can call Rafe. He’s at city hall, but he can go out to the cabin if we honestly think something’s happened. Sierra’s with Hope and Beth this afternoon. We’ve started a play group, but it’s really so we can take afternoons off.”

A sense of panic was crowding out everything else. Where was he? Had he fallen or had an accident? He wouldn’t have gone over the pass so he wasn’t involved in that accident, but the roads could be hard to navigate this time of year.

“Yes, please send him.” She would far rather inconvenience Rafe than not help her husband if he needed it. If she was embarrassed that she panicked at the end of this, she would count that as a win.

Laura handed Poppy to Holly, grabbed her cell, and walked out into the hallway.

She was panicking for nothing. That’s what she told herself, but some deeper instinct was at play. Something that told her this was not nothing.

This was what she’d feared since the moment she’d found out about Henry’s past.

The phone came on and she saw Seth had called. A couple of times.

And knew she was right.

 

 

Hours later she still sat in the clinic’s small room and wondered where her husband was. Afternoon had turned to evening and she prayed the calls she’d made earlier would come to fruition.

“Hey, Nate’s on his way in.” Michael strode through the door. “He’s already been out to the cabin and ran it as a crime scene.”

The minute she’d told Holly there was a bounty on Henry, Holly had called Michael Novack. It had been less than half an hour later that her former bodyguard had put himself back on active duty. He’d spent hours standing outside her door vetting anyone who came into the clinic.

“I’m glad he’s working on it, but I already called someone.” She’d known exactly what Henry would want her to do. This was beyond what Nate had done in the past. She knew he would try his hardest, but she felt better with her choice.

“I’ll go grab our order from Stella’s.” Holly got up from her seat. Laura had been running around town trying to help out their overworked sheriff’s department, but Holly had stayed right by her side.

“I can’t…” She took Poppy into her arms. She had to eat. She fed their baby, and her fear couldn’t take priority. “Thank you.”

Holly nodded. “And I’m calling Stef. I think you should move in there for a while.”

She wanted to argue, but it made sense. Talbot Manor had good security, and she would have help. There was so much she still couldn’t do for herself.

“Tell him I’m going to need a room close to hers,” Michael said. “And I’m going to want to look at his security.”

“Wait, Jen and baby Logan are there.” She hadn’t thought about the fact that she could be putting the Talbots at risk.

Holly frowned her way. “Do not let Stef or Jen hear you say that. They won’t let you go anywhere else. I would take you to our place, but we don’t have the same security. What Stef does have is enough rooms for me to stay with you, too. Michael can protect your body and I’ll hold your hand.” Before Nell could protest, Holly was shaking her head. “Don’t argue with me. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. This is going to be fine. If what Seth told you is true, they won’t have killed him.”

No. They were going to sell him to someone who would kill him.

How far away was he? Was he hurt? Was he praying she made the right moves to find him?

Holly pushed through the door, and it wasn’t more than a moment or two before Nate walked in. His uniform was wrinkled and there were spots of blood marring the khakis, but that was from the accident earlier in the day.

He pulled his hat off as he approached her. “Nell, I need you to understand that I’m on this. I’m not going to stop until I find Henry. I’m going to call in some law enforcement from around the area so Cam and I can work on this. He’s got contacts.”

She forced back a groan as she shifted. This would have been so much easier if she hadn’t been split down the middle and stapled back up. She patted Poppy’s back as she looked up at the sheriff. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, and normally I would put this all into your hands, but I don’t think you can solve this. If we don’t find Henry in twenty-four hours, we have to suspect that he’ll be taken out of the country. You can’t work there.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Nate vowed.

She heard someone moving out in the hall and breathed a sigh of relief. He’d told her he would be here quickly, and it looked like he’d kept that promise. She was going to have to buy a whole lot of carbon footprint offsets, but for once she was grateful for private planes. “You won’t have to because I called in some favors.”

“I don’t think he’ll call it a favor,” Michael pointed out. “I think he’ll call it a family responsibility.”

There was a quick knock and then a big man with sandy blond hair was walking through accompanied by another man with golden-brown hair. Ian Taggart was dressed casually and had a duffel bag over his shoulder.

Tennessee Smith carried one as well. She’d never met the man, but Taggart had told her he was in Dallas and wouldn’t be left behind. Introductions were quickly made and Nate offered the former CIA agents use of the station house as a base of operations.

“Thank you, Sheriff Wright,” Ian replied. “We’ve already got a line on the group that has Henry. I’ve got a couple of hackers, one who has some ties to people on the Deep Web, and we’ve identified a group of mercenaries who do work for some shady people. They’re based in Colorado Springs, and we caught them on a few of the traffic cameras between here and there. We’re working on real estate in the area where they could keep him until they move him out.”

“It’s harder here than in a city,” Ten Smith explained. “But you need to understand that even if they move him, they won’t kill him. From what we’ve uncovered, a couple of lower-level members of the Jalisco cartel believe the rumors that Henry knows where a fortune in drugs and cash is stored.”

“He doesn’t.” Ian set his bag down. “From what I’ve managed to piece together, one of the partners used Henry’s faked death to steal a shit ton of money and blame it on him. Henry’s got no clue and that dude is now dead, so we’re working with people who have no idea what’s going on.”

None of this made her feel any better. She held on to her daughter. “If Henry doesn’t know anything, he doesn’t have anything to barter with.”

“Ah, but I actually consider it good news.” Tag moved in front of her. “Henry is going to figure out what’s going on. He knows how to play this game better than anyone.”

“He’s been here before,” Ten added. “He’s tough. He’ll play for time and we will find him, and then we’re getting rid of the problem for good.”

“By putting them all in jail?” Nell asked.

Ten’s face went still. “Uh…”

Ian nodded, an oddly angelic expression coming over his face. “Yep. Jail for all of them. We’ll make sure of it.”

Nell felt tears slip from her eyes. “I know you’re going to have to kill them. It makes me sad. The whole thing makes me sad and scared, and I hope they don’t have families that will miss them.”

Taggart sat on the end of the bed, his expression more serious than she’d seen before. “They won’t stop. I’m sorry. I wish I could make this world better. There is a time for you to work and a time to call me in. That’s what Henry understands. You think I live for this, and deep down maybe I do, but I admire what you do, too. You do the work to make the world a better place, to make sure my kids have clean water and a government that gives a shit about them. I do what I do to make it safer for you and that sweet girl you have there.”

He navigated the dark stuff so she could work in the light. It was what Henry had done for so very long. “Thank you, Ian. And you, too, Mr. Smith.”

“Kay is on her way,” Ten assured her. “She’s on a plane, and I’ll head back to Alamosa to pick her up. Mr. Novack, I’ve read your record. You’re solid. Do you need backup? We can have a couple of guards up here tomorrow morning.”

Michael shook his head. “No. I’m going to move her to the Talbot Manor this evening, and I want to keep a low profile. She’s high value now.”

Nell frowned. “I was high value before, too. I don’t like my value being predicated on my ability to force my husband to talk. That seems demeaning.”

Taggart snorted. “I can’t wait for you to meet Kay. She’s going to love you.” He sobered. “Nell, you have the hardest job of all.”

The room seemed to close in on her because she knew what he was going to say. “I have to wait. I have to be patient.”

Taggart nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry, but I need you to know that I will do everything in my power to bring your husband home to you. I’ve been assured the Agency won’t stop me from doing what I need to do, but they also won’t actively help me. As far as they’re concerned, John Bishop died and Henry Flanders is on his own.”

But he wasn’t. Henry had a family. John had a family.

And they would bring him home.

 

 

It was late in the night when Michael drove her to the Talbot Manor. She sat in the back of his SUV, Poppy tucked safely in the car seat she and Henry had selected after weeks of research.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to go home as a family, and Henry had promised he had a surprise for her. They were supposed to spend their first night in their cabin together as a family.

“We’re back to the same protocols we had before.” Michael put the SUV in park. “You go nowhere without me. I mean it. You want to go for a walk around the grounds, I’m with you. This is more serious than it was before.”

“I won’t fight you. I can’t even run.” She’d never felt more vulnerable. She was recovering from a surgery and she had a baby to protect, and she didn’t have Henry by her side.

“You won’t have to. I promise I won’t let anyone close,” Michael vowed. He sat there for a few seconds as though trying to decide what to say. Or whether to say it. “Spending those weeks with you…they made me realize I have to move forward. I don’t know how it’s going to go, but I’m looking for a better place, and I’ve been told by my boss that I can work out here. I’m coming off my leave and starting my life again. I’m thinking of asking Lucy if she wants to go out with me.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“I’m telling you because you should know how much you affect people.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m afraid I annoy a lot of them.”

“Only the ones who don’t see why you do the things you do,” Michael explained. “Why you do all those kooky protests and all that letter writing. You care about things other people don’t. Or you care about them enough to do something. I just want you to know that I admire you. You let go of the hurt, and I want to do the same. I like Lucy.”

At least one good thing had come from all of this. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“And that damn Ty better understand that he doesn’t own her.” Michael opened the door and slid out. He opened hers, his face frowning in the moonlight. “I’ll put that kid in his place if I have to.”

“And if his place is on the other side of Lucy?” She felt compelled to make the argument. After all, it was Bliss.

Michael froze for a second. “Not happening. Not. Happening. Come on. Let’s get you inside. I’ll carry the baby. And take my hand. It’s still icy out here.”

“No need. I’ve got her.” Laura was outside the SUV, wrapped in a parka.

That was when Nell noticed there were a lot of cars in Stef’s big circular drive. “What’s going on? Am I disturbing a party?”

Laura reached a hand out. “No, silly. We’re here for you. You don’t need to be alone. It’s me and Holly on duty tonight. We’re going to stay in case you need anything. We’ll be here every night. The day shift is going to alternate between Rachel and Callie one day, and Hope and Beth other days. But Holly and I will be here every night until Henry’s home.”

She might feel vulnerable but she wasn’t alone.

She took Laura’s hand and eased out of the car, every movement painful but less than it had been the day before.

“But tonight pretty much everyone’s here,” Laura said. “We thought we would get you through the first night. We’re going to have a sharing circle and everything.”

Tears had started to fall again. “You hate that.”

“But you love it,” Laura replied. “Do you honestly believe that if we all send out our energy, that if we sit and think about him, he’ll feel it?”

Nell nodded, far too moved to speak.

“Then he will feel us tonight. He’ll feel our love and our hope and our strength. He’ll know we’re with him.” Laura had some tears of her own. “And Cam found something when he searched your cabin. It was out in the shop.”

Laura led her up the stairs while Michael carried the sleeping baby behind them.

“What was it?” Nell asked.

“I think Henry was planning on giving it to you today,” Laura explained. She opened the door and led her inside the warm house. To her left was the front parlor, and it was easy to see that most of Bliss was out here tonight. “I don’t think he would mind us bringing it to you. It was obvious he meant for Poppy to have it tonight.”

Nell stopped and stared at the beautiful cradle. This was what he’d spent hours in his shop working on. He’d been lovingly making a bed for their baby.

Poppy would sleep surrounded by her father’s love.

“I love it. Thank you for bringing it here,” she said.

And then she was surrounded by them. The town closed ranks around her and she wasn’t alone.