Drake Byrd stretched as he strode from the Veritas Center’s parking garage to the elevator for the residence tower where he and his brothers lived, letting the blustery night air wake him. He’d just come off eight hours of boring surveillance, and he wanted a pepperoni pizza and a night of watching sports. Any sports. And, after the silence on his latest work shift, some human companionship.
His brother Erik had just ended his shift too. He would definitely provide a break from the silence, probably blabbering on and on. But Drake had been feeling kind of lonely lately. Why? He had no idea. And he would never admit it to anyone. Was hard enough to admit to himself.
Feelings. Right. Like he was going to spend time analyzing them. He probably just needed a long weekend hang gliding. Yeah. He would ask for time off. Aiden and Brendan were just finishing up the last night of surveillance on the tedious divorce investigation they’d all worked for two weeks, and Drake deserved a break from the boredom. He could ski the slopes or hang glide for a day and not be tired, but sitting around? Man. That exhausted him.
In the elevator on the sixth floor garage entrance, he punched the number two, and his stomach grumbled. Erik was on his way to pick up their pizza. Drake’s mouth was already watering, and he could almost smell the tangy sauce from their favorite pizza place just down the road. A mom-and-pop place with authentic Chicago-style pizza.
The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and the doors split open. His sister’s husband, Reed, stepped partway in and blocked the door. “Man, am I glad to see you. My sister’s on the phone”—he lifted his cell—“and she needs to talk to one of you guys.”
Well, dang. Drake was all for helping Malone out, but the pizza was coming, and he was starving.
“Can’t she leave a message on the office phone?” he asked, perhaps sounding cranky, but he got that way when he was hungry. And he was hun-gry!
“It’s an emergency. A woman in immediate danger.”
That changed things. Big time.
“Let me talk to her.” Drake took Reed’s phone and lifted it to his ear. “Malone, it’s Drake Byrd.”
“Good. Glad I caught you. I have a social worker, Natalie Dunn, who was babysitting a man’s children at his house and had to flee with the children. She believes he’s a killer.”
“Say what? Killed who?” Drake stared at Reed as if he could give more information. He shrugged.
“I can’t waste time on the story now,” Malone said. “You need to get going. They’re vulnerable.”
Drake didn’t like being in the dark, but he disliked having a woman and children in danger far more. “What do you need me to do?”
“I’ve sent them to the usual rendezvous spot.” She shared the address, but he didn’t need it. He and his brothers had transported women and children from this location to local shelters.
“Which shelter do you want us to take her to?”
“That’s the thing. She can’t go to a shelter, not with kids who aren’t her own. So I need a safe place for them. Somewhere off-grid until this is properly investigated, and he can’t hurt her or the kids.”
“Has he tried?”
“No, but seems like he’s grooming the oldest girl for something unsavory.”
Drake didn’t want to let this father near the kids. “I’ll take them to—”
“No. Don’t tell me. And don’t call me from the secure location. Just in case.”
“You think he could connect her to you and come after you?”
“He’s a police officer and works in internet crimes so he has tech skills and more resources at his disposal than a civilian. Plus he recently came into some family money so he has plenty to spend on it.”
Drake’s gut clenched. He hated hearing that a law enforcement officer sworn to protect others might be a killer. “This guy being a cop changes things big-time.”
“It could,” Malone admitted reluctantly. “But we were careful. I use burner phones for my clients in danger. Natalie called on one of those numbers. So I should be fine.”
Sounded like she knew how to take precautions. Reed, an FBI agent, had probably schooled her on the very subject.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll go get them.”
“I’ll be calling a detective I can trust to get officers out to the house to preserve the evidence, but then it will take time to get a warrant to search the basement. Since the father is a police officer, I’d feel better if you also had someone watch him. He was injured in a car accident, and his car is out of commission, but there’s a minivan in his garage. He’s in a cab, on the way home from the hospital now.”
“We’ll have someone there as soon as possible. What’s his name and address?”
“Kirk Gentry.” She added the address.
He dug a pen from his pocket and wrote the information on his palm. “I’ll need you to update me on the detective’s progress. I don’t want to use phones as there’s no such thing as an untraceable phone. But I can access email via a secure network so go ahead and communicate updates that way.” He shared the secure company email address. “And if you find yourself in any danger, or even a hint of danger, you contact me. Don’t hesitate. Just do it.”
“I—”
“Give me the phone,” Reed demanded.
Drake would normally finish his call, but with the thunderous look on Reed’s face, Drake handed it over. He didn’t want to get between this guy and his sister any more than he would want anyone to interfere with him and Sierra. Plus, Reed was totally capable of holding his own, and Drake didn’t want to peeve him off.
“What’s this about you being in danger?” Reed demanded.
Drake couldn’t hear Malone’s answer, but she was a headstrong, independent woman, and he had to figure she was arguing with her brother.
“That’s it, then.” Reed widened his stance. “You’re staying with us until this is over.” He paused and gnawed on his cheek. “This isn’t up for discussion, Malone. If you’re not here within an hour, I’ll come get you.” Reed shoved his phone into his pocket.
“I take it she agreed,” Drake said.
“Reluctantly.” He gritted his teeth. “We’ll see if she follows through.”
“Would you really go drag her over here?”
“What would you do if there was any hint of danger to Sierra? Especially from a potential killer?”
“Exactly what you’re doing.” Drake firmed his stance. “Let me know if you need our help with Malone.”
“You do your thing, and I’ll take care of my sister.”
Figuring Malone was still going to give Reed a run for his money, Drake nodded and headed for the stairway. Not only would it be faster than the elevator to go up one floor to their office where he would gather needed supplies, but the exercise would wake him up too. He texted Erik to meet him at the office and took the stairs two at a time to the sixth floor, where he crossed the skybridge to their office tower.
He used his fingerprints to unlock the door. Once inside, he dialed his brother Clay, who also should’ve just gotten off shift.
“Yo,” Clay answered.
“I need you to get eyes on a suspect.” Drake relayed Kirk Gentry’s details, including his address and that he was a police officer, as he headed to their gear closet. “How soon can you get over there?”
“Just finishing up here, so I’d say I could be there in ten minutes or so.”
“Book it and get there in less.” Drake tossed his and Erik’s Kevlar vests onto a table.
“Can do.”
“And, bro. When this guy finds his children are missing, he could get the whole police force looking for them. Means you best—”
“Lie low so they don’t think I’m involved in their disappearance. Yeah. I got this. I’ll text you when I have the guy in sight.”
The call went dead.
Perfect. His brothers readily took on an assignment like this without question. Sure, they’d ask them later, but in the moment, they knew when to act and did so. Their parents were the same way, though their mom usually didn’t even need to be asked. She somehow sensed when one of them needed her and was already waiting by the time they got to her.
Erik stepped through the door as Drake grabbed extra ammo for his sidearm and a rifle with the corresponding ammo. Probably overkill, but he never knew what he’d run into on this assignment.
“Pizza will have to be to-go.” Drake slipped into his vest and shared the details with his younger brother. “Gearing up now, and then we’ll head out.”
Erik grabbed his vest. “Just you and me?”
“Clay’s on his way to get eyes on Gentry, and Aiden and Brendan are still winding down our current surveillance. Besides, we can handle a transport.”
“We’re talking a potential murderer here and a police officer who knows how to evade capture.”
Drake grabbed the rifle and met his brother’s gaze. “Then let’s pray this social worker took off before he got home, and he has no idea where she went with his children.”
Natalie’s hands were still shaking, and she couldn’t quit checking her rearview mirror. She’d gotten on the road before Kirk stepped through the door, but she’d passed a cab with a backseat passenger heading into the subdivision.
Could it have been Kirk? Did he know his children were gone?
So what? Even if it had been him, it would take time to pay the cabbie. Discover they weren’t there. Jump in his minivan. By the time he accomplished all of that, she would be long gone. And Malone could have a police officer there by now too, though Natalie figured it might take longer as she would want to get someone on scene who wouldn’t put the police brotherhood ahead of doing their job the right way.
Even if she didn’t think Kirk was coming after her, she looked in the mirror. Plus, she wanted to check on the children.
Thankfully, Willow was the only one who’d woken up. Natalie had tucked two-year-old Sadie and four-year-old Logan into seats she’d checked out from her department for her earlier pickup, and they snoozed away. And when Natalie had gotten on the highway and headed into the city, Willow dropped off in her booster seat, George clutched in her arms. Until that point, she was full of questions, but Natalie told her she had an errand to run.
A lie, but what could Natalie say? I’m abducting you from your serial-killer father.
Man, oh, man. She could imagine it—the day the children learned about him. Only Willow would really understand now, but they would live their lives with this horror as part of it. And without parents.
Natalie looked in the mirror again at the three precious children in the back seat. Asleep. Innocent. Smelling of baby shampoo and sweet dreams.
A defensive instinct raced through Natalie. She was going to do everything she could to protect those children right now, even giving of her life if needed. In the future, she was going to make sure they found good homes and got the counseling they needed. No matter what she had to do, these children would not only survive, they would thrive.
Drake polished off the pizza slices he’d grabbed on the way out of the office and opened the windows in the company SUV. Wouldn’t do to pick up a client and have the smell of pepperoni oozing from the leather upholstery. But he’d had to eat something or he might’ve gotten testy with this social worker. That would be even worse.
His vehicle’s infotainment center alerted him to a text from Clay, and he told it to read the text.
Eyes on suspect. At home. Pacing his office.
Good. Right where they wanted him to be. Not in the basement destroying evidence and not coming for his kids.
Drake replied, Keep me updated.
He turned onto the street in the warehouse district, streetlights so sparse the area was cloaked in darkness, and thought ahead to the rendezvous. He’d worked with plenty of social workers in his prior job with the U.S. Marshals and could just imagine the woman waiting for him. Middle-aged. Ill-fitting pant suit. Serviceable shoes. Harried and exhausted.
Okay, so he was stereotyping, but based on his past experiences, he had a good chance of being right on target. One thing this particular social worker had going for her before they even met was her willingness to break the rules to protect these children. He suspected if it turned out that this father wasn’t a killer, this little stunt was going to cost her job.
He spotted her car ahead, sitting under one of the few streetlights. A large family kind of car, just the kind his social worker stereotype would drive. Except it was a sporty red color that glinted in the light. Didn’t fit his preconceived notions, so maybe she wasn’t quite what he expected.
He parked behind the vehicle and put on his red armband. Erik drove up in his pickup. He would remain in his vehicle and act as cover.
Drake checked the clip on his gun, left the headlights shining on the car, and got out, leaving the SUV running for a potential fast getaway should Clay report Gentry was on the move.
Hand on his sidearm, a flashlight in the other, Drake approached the driver’s side door, a sharp May wind making it feel colder than the fifty degree temps. The same hint of unease that made him cautious when he’d served as a deputy crawled up his back now. This woman was supposedly on the up-and-up, but he could never be too careful on the job.
Ever.
Not if he wanted to stay alive. Taking risks was reserved for off-duty time.
He was about to knock on the window when it whirred down. He shined his light inside and did a double take. The matronly social worker he expected was a gorgeous blond with flawless skin and brown eyes that held a world-weary fatigue.
“Ms. Dunn?” he asked, sure he’d gotten the wrong car.
“You have the red armband,” she said. “Means Malone sent you, right?”
He nodded and took a second to stop all the crazy thoughts and questions just looking at this woman was raising. He shined the light into the back seat, revealing three young children strapped into safety seats.
Yeah, he had the right person, all right, and his boring night had just gotten very interesting.
“Shouldn’t we get going?” she asked. “Kirk could be right behind me.”
“He’s at home. The police haven’t arrived yet, but my brother Clay has eyes on Gentry.”
“Good. Good. I…” She let out a long breath and sagged in her seat. “Good for us, I mean. But I don’t like the fact that the police haven’t gotten there yet. Hopefully Malone isn’t running into any problems.”
“She’s going to update me via email when she knows anything, but I’m not surprised that I haven’t heard from her. With Gentry being a police officer, this isn’t like any other investigation. Malone has to get the right officer out there who’s willing to forget the police officers’ code if needed.” From Drake’s past experience in law-enforcement, he knew she would have a hard time finding such a person. “We should get the kids moved to my vehicle.”
“What about my car?”
“We’ll arrange to have it taken to a safe location.”
“And where are we going?”
“Let’s get on the road, and then we’ll talk about it. I’m assuming Malone told you to disable your phone or destroy it.”
Natalie nodded. “I smashed it then threw it out the window on the highway.”
“Then let’s move.” He stepped back, hoping she wouldn’t insist on knowing the destination. His rustic hunting cabin probably wouldn’t be tops on her list of places to visit.
She closed her window and opened her door. Long shapely legs capped with a short black skirt slid out, and he had to work hard not to stare at them. Or at the sky-high heels with a shiny black finish she was wearing. They were open in the front, her toes peeking out. They might be stylish and professional, but the wrong kind of shoe if she needed to run. And not at all friendly with his wooded property.
It was his job to keep her out of any situations where she had to run. Traversing his property? That would be up to her.
He glanced back at Erik to make sure he was still there and had their backs. His truck sat at the curb, his lights beaming into the night. Gentry couldn’t be nearby. Clay was watching the guy at his house, but the man could’ve somehow tracked Natalie and sent someone else to deal with her. Not likely, but possible, and Drake worked on possibilities.
“Which one are you?” She straightened the short suit jacket that covered a silky pale pink blouse. “Of the brothers, I mean.”
Well, shoot. An introduction would’ve been the logical thing, but he let the surprise of a beautiful woman get to him. Something he would call out his brothers on, and here he was gawking at her. “I’m Drake. My brother Erik’s in the truck.”
She opened the back door and bent in. He kept his focus on the roof of the vehicle and not on how well her skirt fit. She backed out holding a small female child sporting a thick head of curly red hair and dressed in pink footie pajamas. Natalie held the little girl out to him.
He flashed up a hand. “I don’t know anything about kids.”
“Which means you probably know far less about installing car seats.”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Take Sadie, and I’ll move the seat.”
“I—”
“She’s asleep, for goodness’ sake. She won’t hurt you.” She lifted the child to him.
He clasped the toddler under the arms and held her out, feeling like a fool for letting the child dangle in the air. That wouldn’t do for long. He hefted her into his arms, and she snuggled close to his chin and settled in next to his neck. She smelled like honey and something else sweet that he couldn’t identify, and her hair was soft and feathery against his skin. He’d never been charged with protecting a child this young before and didn’t know what to expect. He sure wouldn’t have guessed his heart would melt as some primal need to keep this child safe raged inside his body.
Natalie pulled out a car seat and lugged it to his SUV her heels clicking on the asphalt. She hefted it up and struggled to get it to his vehicle. He should be the one carrying the heavy seat, not letting a woman do it. His mother would have a fit if she saw this. She’d instilled manners of bygone days in them, and he and his brothers always held doors and chairs for women unless they protested. Natalie had protested. Made this fine, right?
No. No, it wasn’t fine with him. He marched over to the SUV. “I’ll do the next seat.”
She glanced back, a cute grin on her face. “A two-year-old too much for you, huh? I mean, she’s really giving you a run for your money there with the way she’s sound asleep on your shoulder.” She chuckled, and the sound of her voice lightened the mood.
But he didn’t know how to respond to her comment and felt his face flush. Good thing it was dark. He wasn’t coming across as the professional he’d hoped to portray.
She took Sadie, lifting the child as if she’d had many years of practice. Maybe she was a mother. He glanced at her ring finger. No ring or dent where one had been. Didn’t mean anything.
She put Sadie in the seat. He couldn’t see what she was doing, but she had to be buckling straps as he heard clicks like a seatbelt might make. He had to admit he wouldn’t know what to do, and the children’s safety came first. Still, he could carry the next seat to his vehicle and let her install it.
They returned to her car, and she lifted a larger boy out of the backseat.
“Logan,” she said. “He’s four.”
Drake didn’t know if the child or the safety seat weighed more, but after a few tries, he figured out how to release the vehicle strap.
He took it to his SUV and located the latch system, which he knew existed because Clay had used them on the investigation when he’d met his fiancée. Drake got the seat connected and beamed with pride at the major accomplishment.
“All yours,” he said, embarrassed by the ridiculous satisfaction in his tone.
She cocked her head and looked at him. Her hair fell back, revealing the angular bent to her square jaw and the streetlight emphasized her high cheekbones. “Then I’ll just get Logan in the seat, wake Willow up, and we’re good to go.”
She settled the boy inside then Drake followed her back to the car. She gently woke Willow and led the sleepy young girl out of the car as the child clutched a well-worn monkey.
Willow rubbed her eyes and peered up at Drake. “Who is he?”
“A friend named Drake who’s going to drive us the rest of the way in his car.”
“Did yours break?”
“Something like that.”
Willow eyed him suspiciously, but Natalie steered her toward the SUV. Drake got the booster seat disconnected and carried it to his vehicle.
“Just let me grab my purse, and the children’s backpacks, and I’ll be right back.” Natalie took off for her car, those heels breaking the silence with each step and leaving him alone with the kids.
Willow continued to eye him suspiciously as she climbed into the seat.
“How old are you?” he asked.
“Eight.” Willow looked up at him. “How old are you?”
He worked hard not to laugh at her earnest question and buckled her seatbelt. “I just turned thirty.”
“That’s old. Not as old as my dad, but still old.”
“It is indeed.”
“He was in a car accident tonight. That’s why we’re with Natalie. She’s our social worker. She checks on us since Mom went missing. I like her. Natalie, I mean. I like my mom too. I just wish she didn’t have to leave.” Willow let out a long breath and drew in another one as if she planned to launch into another speech, but Natalie joined them, and Willow’s attention shifted.
“Ready to go.” Natalie opened the front door before Drake could do it for her.
He closed the back door and ran around to the driver’s side. He nodded at Erik and climbed in. Resting his hand on the wheel, he glanced back at Willow. Her eyes were narrowed, confusion clear on her face.
Drake couldn’t blame her. She’d been hauled out of bed by her social worker and didn’t know her destination.
And what about her mother taking off? Malone hadn’t mentioned that. Something Drake needed to know more about. He might not possess much information about Natalie or the kids, but learning everything he could about them was priority number two. Right behind their safety. If he was going to provide the level of protection they all deserved, he had to know every detail. Every single one, even if she didn’t want to share them.