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Lou had heard on the radio about the dead woman they’d found. He knew who’d done it. It sickened him to know that his baby girl was going to be seeing what Glen had done. Would have to deal with it.
Murdered women stayed in a man’s soul. It had to be worse for a sweet girl like his baby. Maybe it would give her nightmares. Make her turn to alcohol like it had Lou before. Maybe...
But she had people to watch her. To care about her.
Bert Dillon, for one. Bert was experienced. He’d know what to do for Bailey, if she needed him. Bert would be there.
That rubbed. It should be Lou there. It shouldn’t be Bert.
How did Lou know that Bert wasn’t taking his anger at Lou out on Bailey? Bert had to hate Lou for what Lou had been a part of.
Yet Bailey was welcomed in Bert’s home?
He could not understand it.
Unless it was because of Bert’s son. Lou had watched him with Bailey when he had a chance. The boy loved Bailey. It was in how he looked at her.
She’d be happy with Bert’s son. Safe.
That mattered.
And she’d have that sweet little baby boy to love. Bailey was made to love, to have a family.
To not be so alone.
Lou settled in the seat of his old van. He’d left the hotel he’d been staying in when Glen had sent him those photos. His van was his only other option. Unless he hit Charlie’s place again.
But that made him itchy. The two of them together were more likely to get caught, then being apart.
He could make do with his van again. At least it was his and not the damned prison.
No worse than being in a concrete box for years. At least here he had a window. He was stupid to park there across from the sheriff’s office, but...
Bailey was still inside. He’d followed her there the night before. After the accident. By the grace of God, Lou had missed being in that damned wreck by two minutes. He’d turned around before the first ambulance had even arrived and hidden with his lights off until Bailey and that damned Addy had driven by hours later.
His poor baby. To have seen something like that.
It sickened him.
Addy should have left her back at the precinct and taken one of those boys of his out there instead.
As long as his daughter was in there, and as long as Glen was out there hunting blond women, Lou was going to be where he could see her.
Movement at the window of the sheriff’s office had Lou ducking, then peering over the dash carefully. Right into the sheriff’s office.
With the lights on inside, he could see the sheriff clearly.
He supposed Addy was a decent sheriff.
He’d been the one to find Bailey.
Lou wouldn’t forget how his baby girl had looked almost dead in the guy’s arms. Nor would he forget the expression on the sheriff’s face in that photo.
He saw the sheriff in the light now. Young, strong, well-liked. A leader among men, he’d heard the man called. And the guy had held himself well tonight out there on the street like that. Lou would give him that.
Sheriff Addy turned, and he had someone in his arms.
Lou straightened, his breath catching.
He’d recognize his baby girl’s gold hair anywhere. No one in that place had hair as long as Bailey’s, not even the dispatchers or the two clerks.
What in the hell was Addy doing with Bailey in his damned arms?
She didn’t look like she was moving.
Lou cursed and opened the glove box. He had a pair of old binoculars somewhere. It took him a moment, but he could finally see.
Bailey was asleep. And that man was touching her. Looking at her like he wanted her.
Bailey was too good for a man like the sheriff. Lou didn’t want her with a damned cop. All the cops he’d ever known except one or two had been corrupt, power-hungry assholes. Arrogant sonsofbitches who got off on the power.
Hell, Lou used to be that way himself.
No cop was going to ever be good enough for his baby.
He wanted her with Bert’s son. A nice, benign librarian. It would make up for so many of Lou’s sins, and she would have a ready-made family to love her.
Not this sheriff. Not him.
Lou watched the window for hours. But no one appeared in front of it again.