Aiden jumped to his feet, quickly rushing after Shelby. Only to stop short when she slammed the bathroom door in his face. He winced when he heard her retching. Feeling helpless, he stood there, wishing for a way to make this easier for her.
He knew she’d assumed the baby was Emmitt’s. His mind had gone there, too, despite the fact that they had no proof. It could be that Jane Fordham had been with someone else. For Shelby’s sake, he silently prayed that wasn’t the case.
When there was nothing but silence on the other side of the door, he called, “Shelby? Are you okay? May I come in?”
No answer.
He hesitated, unwilling to breach her privacy. Yet he wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. That he was there for her no matter what.
Another long moment passed before he heard water running in the sink. Finally, the door opened. She didn’t meet his gaze, but said, “I’m fine.”
“I don’t see how you can be fine,” he murmured. Gently pushing the door open a bit farther, he drew her into his arms. “Don’t torture yourself over this. We don’t know anything for certain.”
“I know.” To his relief, she leaned against him. He drew her closer still, running his hand down her back. “It’s just the possibility hadn’t occurred to me until Heath mentioned she had a baby.”
“Which may or may not be related to what is going on here.” Heart aching, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Thinking the worst isn’t going to help. We need to deal with facts, not fiction.”
“But what if Eva has a brother or sister out there?” Her voice was filled with anguish. “I should reach out to the child’s mother. It wouldn’t be fair to keep the siblings isolated from each other. They should meet and spend time together.”
“Okay, hold on a minute.” He loved the way she wanted to bring the kids together, but this entire line of thinking was a huge leap. “Our priority is to figure out who and why someone is trying to kill you. It’s highly possible we’re on the wrong track here, that Emmitt wasn’t involved with this woman at all. Don’t go too far off track. Let’s stay focused on the immediate threat.”
She nodded, her face still buried against his chest. “I know you’re right. That it’s not even likely that Emmitt had a child with some other woman . . . but then again, I didn’t even know about his affair.”
Aiden wished Emmitt was still alive so he could punch the guy for putting her through this. “Even that hasn’t been proven yet. Try to put your faith in God that this will work out according to His plan.”
She let out a harsh laugh. “Really? His plan? Why would God allow me to marry a man who would betray me like this?”
“I don’t know. But God always has a reason.” He couldn’t think of a way to reassure her this would all work out. They were still operating in the dark as far as having viable suspects was concerned. “There’s a Bible verse our pastor uses frequently, from 1 Chronicles 16:11 that says, ‘Seek the Lord and his strength, seek him continually.’ This always helps me when I’m in stressful situations. And know that I’m here for you, Shelby. Lean on me. There’s no reason for you to struggle through this alone.”
“That’s a nice verse. And truly, Aiden, you’ve been wonderful.” She let out a jagged sigh, then slowly lifted her head to look up at him. “I’m sorry to fall apart like that.”
“Don’t apologize for being upset.” He searched her damp gaze. “You’ve been through so much, Shelby. More than most women face in a lifetime.”
“Yeah, but there are others who have it worse too.” She shook her head. “I’m a teacher, some of my students come from broken homes or have parents battling cancer. There’s no point in comparing one person’s situation to another’s. This is my reality, and I’ll have to find a way to deal with it moving forward.”
“Just remember you’re not alone.” He almost promised to be there for her even after this was over, but he hadn’t made any decisions about his future yet. Not to mention, his siblings all lived in the Milwaukee area.
Yet even as he considered that, he knew it wasn’t enough to keep him from Shelby. Oshkosh wasn’t that far, just an hour away. Close enough to get together during the holidays.
Wait a minute, was he really planning a future with Shelby and Eva? Talk about a stretch. He wasn’t sure she’d want to see him again once they were safe.
“Thank you.” Shelby brushed a chaste kiss against his cheek. “I would be lost without you.” A sad smile creased her features. “I guess we should get back to the kitchen.”
“Yeah.” He wasn’t ready to face the others, but of course, they needed to keep working, searching for a link between the gunman Tim Tobin and whoever may have hired him. He slipped his arm around her waist. “Ready?”
She nodded. Brady, Marc, Kyleigh, and Heath glanced over when they walked in. To his credit, Heath didn’t ask about Shelby but went right into work mode. “The good news is that we’ve been able to rule out two women.”
“Great. Nothing yet on a connection between Parsons and Tobin?”
Heath grimaced. “Only that Tobin was a soldier under Parsons’s command. But that alone doesn’t mean much. He had lots of soldiers under his care.” Heath hesitated, then added, “Including Jane Fordham.”
“Parsons obviously knew about Fordham’s pregnancy,” Brady surmised. “Or at least, he’d processed her medical leave paperwork.”
“I imagine many people knew about it,” Shelby said, commenting for the first time since the announcement of Fordham’s having a child. “Speaking from experience, it’s hard to hide morning sickness. Unless she happened to be one of the few who didn’t suffer from that affliction.”
“You make a good point,” Marc said. “Kari was really sick during both of her pregnancies.”
“Devon was too. Let’s keep searching,” Brady suggested, catching Aiden’s gaze. His brother could read his intense desire to change the subject. “We are still a long way from having anything concrete to go on.”
“It may be time to meet directly with Bill Parsons.” Aiden tried not to sound as impatient as he felt.
“He’s a senior officer and not obligated to talk to us,” Heath pointed out.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t interview him.” He glanced at Shelby, who still looked pale. “Maybe he’ll let something slip.”
“Not if he’s involved,” Brady said. “And at this point, he’s the most likely suspect to have tracked Heath Strauss to the farmhouse.” Brady’s phone rang, startling the group. “Hold on, this is our boss.” He rose and moved into the other room. “Donovan? What’s up?”
There was a hushed silence as Brady spoke to the special agent in charge. Then he returned to the kitchen. “Tim Tobin is still in surgery. At this point, it looks as if he’ll make it.”
“That’s a relief,” Reed said.
“Any idea how long it will be until we can talk to him?” Aiden asked. “We’d be much further along if he could tell us who hired him.”
“Not yet, but Donovan has asked the local police to have an officer stationed outside his room.” Brady shrugged. “Hopefully once he wakes up, he’ll tell us what we want to know.”
Aiden knew that could easily take another twenty-four hours. “I’m glad there’s a cop sitting on him.”
“Me too.” Brady shrugged. “In the meantime, we keep digging.
“I thought Donovan was getting us a list of soldiers who were discharged dishonorably by Shelby’s father?” Being under fire had caused him to lose track of the threads they still had left to investigate.
“I forgot about that. I’ll check with Donovan.” Brady turned away to make the call.
“I feel like we’re getting nowhere fast,” Shelby said with a sigh.
“Well, I just crossed another woman off the list,” Heath announced. “But here’s another possibility, Suzanne Potter.”
“What about her?” Aiden asked.
“She has a post about how the army takes advantage of women, believing male counterparts over the women.” Heath grimaced. “I’m checking her personnel record now.”
Thrilled with the possibility of another lead, Aiden leaned closer to read the screen. Then he sighed. “I don’t see anything in her file.”
“Yeah, it’s clean.” Heath looked disappointed too. “I’ll keep her on the list of possible suspects, though, just in case.”
“I’m disappointed there are so many women who aren’t happy being in the service,” Kyleigh said with a frown. “I’d think we’d be further along on the path to equal rights by now.”
“I hear you.” Heath glanced at her. “Like every other profession, it’s the small handful of morons who ruin it for the rest.”
“You’ve got that right,” Aiden agreed. “I have not had much trouble with my team. And I would hope if there was something going on, it would be reported up the chain of command.”
“Some women feel like that only hurts their chances of getting ahead,” Kyleigh said. “I’ve been grateful to have awesome superiors. But I also don’t complain about every little thing that gets said either. I ignore some of the crap, unless it’s really bad.”
Aiden knew she was insinuating that the handful of female soldiers he’d worked with may be doing the same thing.
“Okay, Donovan has the list,” Brady announced. He worked his phone. “I’m sending that to you, Heath. We need to start crossmatching those names with our possible suspects.”
“Got it,” Heath said, then glanced up. “No surprise that Tim Tobin is on the list.”
“My father discharged him?” Shelby asked in surprise. “Maybe that’s the answer. Tim was angry and upset with my father, so he’s taking his anger out on me.”
“Maybe,” Aiden said. He wanted more than anything for the danger to be over. “We won’t know for sure until we can talk to him.”
Shelby nodded. “I get that, but looking for a woman Emmitt had an affair with could be nothing but a distraction.”
Aiden glanced at Heath, who shrugged. His gut was telling him that this was more personal than a dishonorable discharge.
But then again, they hadn’t stumbled across anything resembling a smoking gun yet either.
“Mommy?” Eva’s voice called out from the bedroom.
Shelby stood and hurried down the hall. “I’m here, Eva. It’s okay.” Her voice faded as she entered the bedroom.
There was a brief silence as they looked at each other.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s that simple.” Brady’s voice was low so it wouldn’t carry down the hall.
“Me either,” Marc added.
“I wish it was, but I doubt it,” Aiden said.
Heath and Kyleigh nodded. “So we keep working,” Kyleigh said.
“Yeah.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. Somehow, he had a bad feeling that Tim Tobin would be replaced by someone else.
They needed to figure out who was pulling the strings before they were found again.
Eva rubbed her eyes with her fists, then peered up at Shelby as if perturbed. “I don’t wanna nap.”
“That’s fine.” She hid a smile at how her daughter didn’t seem to realize she’d already taken one. “Let’s go to the bathroom, then you can play.”
“Okay.” Eva scrambled off the bed. Shelby tried not to imagine another little girl or boy who had also lost their father. Her stomach clenched as her previous nausea returned, so she did her best to push that thought out of her mind.
The possibility of Emmitt having fathered another child was a problem for a different day. Making herself sick wasn’t going to help. She needed to stay strong for Eva’s sake.
Being held by Aiden had helped her feel better. She’d appreciated the Bible verse he’d told her and knew it was time to lean on prayer.
There had to be a reason for this turmoil. Maybe it was even God’s intent for her to know about Emmitt’s infidelity. In some ways, it eased the guilt she had over not missing him as much as she’d thought she should.
Back in those early days, she blamed it on the fact that he was often deployed for long periods of time. That she’d gotten used to functioning on her own, without him.
But maybe it was more than that. Deep down, she’d caught herself wondering if they were well suited. Each time he’d come home from a deployment, it seemed as if they’d needed to get to know each other again. Almost like they were strangers. And now she knew they were. She’d never have married Emmitt if she’d suspected he was the type to cheat.
Whatever. There was no reason to dwell on feelings she may or may not have had for Emmitt. He was gone. As Aiden had mentioned, Eva’s safety was her primary concern.
Too bad she was losing all hope they’d ever figure out who was behind these attempts to kill her.
She took a moment to wash up in the bathroom after helping Eva. When they emerged, Aiden was there, hovering in the doorway.
“Hi.” He looked so incredibly handsome standing there. “Just wanted to check on you.”
“We’re fine.” She must have looked really bad earlier to warrant this level of concern. She managed a smile. “Eva wants to play.”
“Sound good.” Aiden grinned. “Me and my sisters used to make a fort in the living room.”
“A fort?” Eva looked at him curiously. “What’s that?”
“I’ll show you.” Aiden held out his hand, and Eva skipped over to take it. Her heart did a little flip in her chest at how Aiden made a point of connecting with her daughter.
He’d be an amazing father.
Aiden took the sofa cushions off and draped a blanket over them. Eva crawled underneath with her farm animals and her dolly.
Satisfied Eva would be preoccupied for a while, she followed Aiden back into the kitchen. On the counter, she noticed there was a container of cold fries. They tasted horrible, but she nibbled on them anyway.
Aiden must have noticed because he reached into the bag to pull out a spare burger. He tossed it in the microwave, then handed it to her.
“Thank you.” She was touched at how in tune he was to her needs.
“Okay, here’s something.” Heath looked up from the screen. “I found another young woman who passed away last year.”
The piece of burger lodged in her throat. She swallowed hard. “Another suicide?”
“I’m still looking. Her name was Kimberly Mason.” Heath held her gaze for a moment as if asking if that name rang a bell.
She was about to say no but paused. “There was a Kim who came to Emmitt’s funeral. I can’t remember her last name.”
“Here’s a picture.” Heath turned the computer screen toward her. Kim was pretty, but not in a stunningly beautiful way.
“There were a lot of soldiers there, and most were in uniform.” She slowly shook her head. “I can’t say for sure. I only remember the name Kim because Emmitt wanted to name Eva Kimmy.”
“How did you come up with Eva?” Aiden asked. He seemed genuinely interested. “Did you flip a coin?”
“No.” She shrugged. “I liked Eva better, and since Emmitt wasn’t there throughout the labor and delivery, I told him I had already named our baby Eva and that was that. He was smart enough not to argue.”
“Good for you,” Kyleigh said. “I love the name Eva. It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks.” She turned back to Heath. “Is there a way to find out more about how Kimberly died?”
“I’ve put in a request to see the ME’s report.” Heath sighed. “Hopefully, they’ll get back to me.”
A phone rang, and she noticed Brady jumped to his feet. “Donovan? Please tell me you have something.”
Humbling to realize how hard they were all working on her behalf. Brady wasn’t on the phone for long. He returned less than a minute later. “Bill Parsons is on his way to the FBI office building to meet with Donovan, and he’s demanding to meet with you, Aiden, too. ASAP.”
Aiden jumped up. “That works for me. How soon can we go?”
Brady grinned. “I told Donovan you and Shelby would jump at the chance to be there. He agreed to have both of you come in.”
“What about Eva?” Shelby glanced at Aiden, then back to Brady. “Will your boss be okay if she comes with us?”
“Of course. That’s not a problem.” Brady turned to Marc. “I was hoping you would stay here with Heath Strauss.”
“You don’t trust me?” Heath asked.
“Yes, but you have our satellite computer, and we had to sign off in blood that we’d return it in one piece,” Brady joked. “Seriously, after the way Mitchell was shot and killed, it’s better if you’re not here alone. Marc can stay and keep watch.”
“What about us?” Kyleigh asked, gesturing to Reed. “What can we do?”
“I’m hoping you’ll escort us to the FBI office building.” Brady’s smile faded. “From this point on, we don’t go anywhere without backup.”
“I agree,” Aiden said somberly. He stood and added, “Let’s hit the road. Maybe we can beat Parsons there.”
Eva, of course, wasn’t thrilled at taking yet another car ride, but Shelby managed to wrestle the little girl into her coat, hat, and mittens. She then made sure to take Eva’s dolly and farm animals along for the ride.
“Brady, why don’t you take a vehicle and leave first?” Aiden suggested as they prepared to go outside. “Kyleigh and Reed can follow behind. The caravan approach has been working so far. I’d rather not mess with success.”
“No problem.” Brady opened the door, then stepped across the threshold. He took a moment to scan the area, then gestured for them to move forward. “It’s clear.”
Accustomed to the routine by now, Shelby picked up Eva and followed him. Aiden stayed right behind her as they reached the SUVs parked in the driveway. He continued hovering the entire time it took to buckle the three-year-old in the car. Then he opened her door for her before sliding in behind the wheel.
“How long will it take to get to the FBI office?” she asked, glancing at Aiden.
“Fifteen to twenty minutes.” He shrugged. “The roads are nicely cleared now, and the sun is out, so weather shouldn’t be a factor.”
“Yeah.” She didn’t mention how big the city seemed compared to where her small suburban home was located. On snowy days, she could walk to school if the district hadn’t canceled classes.
“Isn’t today Saturday?” She frowned. “I’m surprised Brady’s boss would schedule a meeting with Sergeant Major Bill Parsons over the weekend.”
“These are not normal circumstances.” Aiden grimaced. “Especially not with these escalated attacks. Personally, I’m glad the FBI is taking this seriously.”
She nodded, offering a crooked smile. “It’s not looking good for me to be in the classroom on Monday.”
“Not unless Parsons gives us a clue as to what’s going on.” He took her hand in his. “Hopefully, this will be over soon. But if your principal needs advance notice to find a substitute teacher, you should probably let them know now that you won’t be there.”
“I don’t have his number memorized.” She frowned. “I can get the secretary’s number off the website when we get back to the safe house.”
“Sounds good.” Aiden frowned. “Looks like the road is closed.”
Since she wasn’t familiar with the city, she didn’t have anything to add.
Aiden turned, following Brady as he took the detour. They drove in silence for several minutes. Aiden let out a low groan when Brady crossed a railroad track seconds before the red lights came on and two gates lowered to block traffic from both sides of the road.
“Rotten timing.” Aiden scowled at the cargo train that began rolling past. “I hope this isn’t a long one.”
“They always are when in a hurry,” she teased.
“At least Kyleigh and Reed are behind us.” He glanced at the rearview mirror. “Brady will likely pull off and wait too.”
She wasn’t worried. The train was noisy, and Eva began counting the cars as they went past. Unfortunately, she kept getting them out of order.
“Two, five, one, ten,” Eva used her cow to point to the window. “I can’t count that many.”
“It’s okay.” The words were barely out of her mouth when she heard a crack of thunder.
“Down! Get down!” Aiden pushed her head down and twisted in his seat.
Not thunder—gunfire! The SUV tilted to the driver’s side as another loud crack could be heard over the rumbling of the train.
Had one of their tires been hit? Eva! What if the next bullet pierced the rear window and killed her daughter?
She pushed Aiden’s hand away and unlatched her seatbelt. She began to crawl through the opening between the front seats when suddenly she saw a flash of movement.
“Stay here,” Aiden shouted.
Seconds later Kyleigh and Reed were there, each opening a door on the passenger side of the car. Kyleigh unbuckled Eva, picking up the little girl and cradling her close, while Reed helped her out of the car.
“This way,” Reed shouted.
Aiden came around to join them. As always, he positioned himself so that he was behind her. She followed Reed and Kyleigh toward a driveway. She belatedly realized there was a parking lot leading to an apartment complex not far from the train tracks. Without hesitation, the four of them raced that way, seeking shelter behind the three-story brick building.
“Brady! We’re under fire,” Aiden shouted as they ran. “We need you here ASAP!”
Her thoughts whirled as Reed led the way inside the lobby of the apartment building. It wasn’t large, but to the right there was a common area that appeared to be open and not in use.
“Go inside,” Reed directed curtly. “I’ll stay here with Aiden.”
Shelby nodded, following Kyleigh and Eva into the room. Kyleigh went to the farthest corner, pulled a chair around, and used it as a shield.
“Sit here with Eva on your lap.” Kyleigh gently pushed the little girl into her arms. “I’ll stand guard here; the guys will watch the door.”
She nodded, cuddling her daughter close. But the mantra that ran through her mind was that Sergeant Major Bill Parsons had to have set this up.
There was no one else who’d known they were on their way to the FBI building.