Forsaken (The Found Book 2) (8 page)

“Aren’t you a smart little girl?” Kali cooed, and Nell smiled at her.

“It kind of scares me. I think our two are going to end up keeping us on our toes,” Noah said, with a slight frown.

“Oh, I think you can count on it. Can I get you anything, while I’m getting Nell her bottle?”

“I’d love a ginger ale if you have it.”

“What about you, Noah?”

“Make it two.” Annie went to the kitchen and got the drinks and bottle. After she passed them out and made sure Kali was comfortable with Nell resting against her, she settled into the armchair across from the couch.

“So why didn’t Seth check in with his office? Why weren’t they able to give his parents any information about his whereabouts?”

“He has a leak in his department. So he’s going over his boss’s head.”

“Couldn’t they have gotten in contact with Seth’s parents?”

“Annie, I’m sorry, they had to make this look believable.” She looked at the couple in front of her, and saw their compassion.

“At least we’d all seen the photos of the wedding. We knew he was alive. We had that comfort. Even more, there was never any doubt he was on the side of the angels. But it looked like he might have found a new life,” Annie’s voice broke.

Kali leaned forward, and Nell went with her. “It was never that,” Noah assured her. “He is being watched every day. His bedroom is bugged, his car is bugged. He can’t leave the house without someone following him. This isn’t just the drug lord he was originally sent to infiltrate. The Benitez Shipping family he married into is tied to Labado’s operation, and they are spying on Seth, so since he’s been on this assignment he hasn’t been able to take a breath without being watched.”

“This can’t be real.” Annie tried to comprehend such a life, but couldn’t.

“These people are beyond paranoid. It’s likely they are also spying on their own blood relatives.”

“I thought Seth stopped some of the shipments, how was he able to do it?”

“We don’t know, but it had to have been him. There is no one else in place, he’s made a tremendous difference. From everything Brice told us, things are coming to a head.” Annie gripped the arm of the chair.

“That doesn’t mean he gets to leave, it means he’s in greater danger, right?” Nell dropped her bottle, and when Kali tried to give it back to her, she pushed it away. Annie went and picked her up. Nell picked up on the stress of the conversation and wanted her mommy.

“Annie, it’s definitely going to get worse before it gets better. Brice, Sierra and Nate are down there for the long haul.”

“Why is it going to get worse?”

“Two competing operations are trying to use the shipping company owned by Seth’s father-in-law to ship drugs. It’s beginning to escalate, and it could end up being an all-out drug war.”

“Then there is the new business Labado has started. Seth and our team will be working to shut it down before they can come home,” Kali said quietly as she gently rubbed her stomach. Annie waited to hear about the new business. When Kali didn’t say anything further, Noah spoke.

“Labado is selling women. This isn’t prostitution, he is finding girls, sometimes kidnapping them, sometimes coercing or tricking them into believing they will be models or actresses. Bottom line is these young women end up being sold to the highest bidder, and Labado is reaping the rewards. This is the new way Labado found to make money since his drug and arms business has taken such a hit with the successful DEA raids.”

Kali was trembling, and Noah hugged her close. Annie understood, she felt just as desolate. Nell must have felt her anguish, because she burrowed deeper into her arms.

“I have you, baby. Mommy has you,” Annie murmured. She kissed her daughter’s forehead and out of the corner of her eye she could see Noah’s big hand covering Kali’s as they both smoothed over her tummy. It was times like this she desperately missed Seth. But was he even the man she once knew? How had the last two years changed him? Was she just holding onto a dream?

She rocked her daughter, focusing on what was real, what was right in her world. “How can he even stand it?”

“You just do. I might not have worked undercover like Seth, but I’ve been in my share of wars. I’ve seen and done things that haunt me to this day, but they needed to be done. Seth is in the same situation. He has no choice but to get things done.” Kali turned her hand over and gripped her husband’s, and he smiled at her.

Annie took in his words, they made sense. Nell was the best thing that had ever happened in her life, but finding out she was pregnant when Seth was gone had been a very difficult time. She stroked her hand over her daughter’s silky black hair.

“So what do they intend to do so Seth can come home? What about his wife?”

“His wife is involved in this up to her pretty little neck, at least the arms and drugs, we don’t know about the human trafficking. Seth didn’t explain to Brice why he married her in the first place, but she is definitely going to prison when this is all over.” How could Seth be married to a criminal? Someone involved in distributing drugs and guns? Annie watched as Kali once again started to rise.

“Don’t get up Kali, I’m fine. This is just a lot to take in. What can I do to help?”

“You did the most important thing, to get Seth to connect with Brice, Nate and Sierra. Sierra thinks in two or three days she will have disabled the listening devices in Seth’s office to the point they will be able to communicate freely with him. In the meantime, if he needs help, or needs to get in touch with us, he’ll have to contact you through dream walking.”

The heat crawled up Annie’s neck and suffused her face. Neither Noah nor Kali gave any indication they noticed, but since they could feel her emotions, they didn’t even need the blush to know what she was feeling.

The door to the apartment opened. “Annie, we’re back,” Shilah called out.

Annie was relieved to have the awkward moment behind her.

“Noah. Kali. How wonderful you’re here. You can stay for lunch. Riley and I bought enough for an army, or at least a woman pregnant with twins.”

Kali laughed as Shilah plucked a bag of Oreos from one of the grocery bags Riley was carrying to the kitchen and handed it to Kali.

“I’ll bring a glass of milk,” Shilah said, as she kissed Kali’s cheek. Annie smiled at her grandmother’s antics. For the millionth time she wondered how she had been so blessed to have this wonderful woman in her life.

Looking a little bit guilty and a lot hungry, Kali handed the bag to Noah. “Open please.” She turned to Annie. “I’d open it, but sure as hell, I’d end up with half the cookies on the floor.”

“It’s true, we like to call it the Kali factor, especially when there is packaging involved,” Noah said, as he ripped open a side of the package and handed Kalie three cookies. Shilah arrived with the milk, and Noah took it. Kali immediately started dipping and eating, sighing in bliss.

“Noah, you can explain why you stopped by over lunch, unfortunately Riley has to leave.” Annie looked up and saw Riley heading for the door. She handed Nell over to Shilah, and went to him.

“Why do you have to leave?”

“With Sierra gone, I’m in charge of communications here,” he said quietly. Annie looked at the young man and saw something was wrong.

“Can you come back for dinner?”

“I think it’s best if I don’t.”

Annie looked at the young man who had been such a good friend and an integral part of her life since she arrived seven months ago.

“I don’t understand.”

“I talked to Nate, and he explained about Seth. It sounds like he really didn’t abandon you like we thought. It sounds like his marriage is a sham. I have to go.” Riley was barely holding it together, she could see it now. She thought if he was really interested in her he would have given some sort of indication, made a move, but he never did. Seeing his hurt, she could realized she was wrong.

“Okay, maybe we can see each other tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow would be better.” She reached for his arm, and then thought better of it.

After he left, she went back to the others in the room. All of them were talking to one another pretending they hadn’t watched the scene between her and Riley.

“So what’s for lunch?” Annie asked.

****

That night she tossed and turned, she couldn’t sleep if her life depended on it, even though the night before she probably had two hours of sleep maximum. Last night the lovemaking had been so poignant, knowing it was real, or at least Seth was actually coming to her, and wasn’t a figment of her imagination. The moment she had told him they had a daughter together, the moment of shock, wonder and joy on his face would be one she’d never forget.

Nell whimpered, normally it would have gone unnoticed during the night, but she was awake and hyperaware. Putting on her robe she went down the hall. Annie expected Nell to be sitting or standing in her crib which was normal when she made any kind of noise, but not this time. Her daughter was sleeping, butt high in the air, cheek resting on the mattress pad, huge smile on her face. She made another one of those small cries, and Annie recognized it. She was saying dada.

Holy Cannoli, Seth was dream walking in Nell’s dreams. Her little girl was smiling and gurgling. Annie sat in the rocker and watched her, fascinated. After a bit Nell’s breathing evened out and she seemed to be sleeping contentedly. One of Annie’s favorite pastimes was to watch over her as she slept. She was beautiful. At long last she began to feel tired.

“
You’re beautiful.”

“Hmmm?”

“You’re so beautiful. You make my heart ache.”

“Were you talking to Nell?” She stroked her hand down his cheek and he held it and kissed her palm.

“It was just nonsense. I was getting to know her, and babbling with her. Getting her to smile.”

“She understands a lot.”

“Really? I thought I was imagining it. You know, hoping for more than was really there. I don’t know anything about babies.” Seth moved, and Annie realized she was sitting on his lap in the rocking chair.

“I think they’re easy. At least it is with Nell. You just have to love her.” Seth moved again, and Annie found herself even more ensconced in his arms, her head was under his chin. She felt safe and surrounded.

“Can you tell me about her? About both of you? What it’s been like while I’ve been gone. Tell me about all I’ve missed. It’s too much, how can you forgive me? You must hate me.” She pressed closer to Seth.

“I could never hate you. I love you.”

“That was before, when we were together and I was only going to be gone a couple of months. That was when you loved me, but then I never came back.”

“You’re right, you didn’t. Instead you gave me the greatest gift of my life. You gave me Nell.”

Seth stroked his hand down her arm. “She’s wonderful. I don’t get it. She’s, she’s…well you’re her world. She showed me so many images of you. She kept showing me this same picture of you wrapped in a pink blanket, were you sick? You didn’t look sick, you looked happy and peaceful. It was one of her favorite memories.”

“I’d wrap the blanket around us when I was nursing her. Oh my God, you were actually in her mind.”

“Actually, I was in her dreams. So whatever was flitting around, I could see. Almost everything revolved around you.”

“But she was smiling, she was saying dadaa in her sleep.”

“Really? She recognized me?” He sounded amazed, so hopeful. She told him the story of the picture.

“Oh sweetheart, I never wanted to make you sad. I was so selfish the way I took from you. I should never have come to you.”

“Seth, you couldn’t help it, you were dreaming.” Annie laid a kiss against his neck, and moved upward, to the angle of his jaw before ending at his lips. She didn’t have to coax him much before his hand reached into the curls of her hair and cradled her head, angling her perfectly to join their mouths. She sighed at the taste of him, the slide of his smooth lips surrounded by the rough stubble of his beard.

Annie expected a marauder, and was met with a seducer, as he traced her upper lip with his tongue, teasing her to allow him entry. When she did, the kiss spiraled, but his hands stayed in the proper places, aware their daughter was in the room, even though this was but a dream.

“A dream?” Annie found herself lying on her bed, no idea where her robe disappeared to, and Seth, a naked god, looming above her.

“Since this is a dream we can be where we want. I would take us back to the bed and breakfast in Albuquerque, but you want to listen for Nell. You wouldn’t believe me if I said you could hear her, so we’re in your room.”

“Is your hair really this long?” She tangled her hands in the straight black hair flowing past his razor sharp cheekbones.

“It depends, do you like it?” His teeth gleamed white as he smiled down at her.

“It shouldn’t matter, but I think it’s hot.” Her telltale blush heating her skin as it crept up her neck. Seth’s grin got wider.

“I think it’s cute you still blush. Look at you, you’re the mother of our child, and you still look like you’re barely out of high school.” Annie hit his shoulder.

“Still a hot button, I see.”

“How would you feel if people asked you if she was your baby sister, instead of your daughter?” Granted it hadn’t happened for a while, but only because she hardly ever left the damned apartment.

“It’s good they are so concerned with your safety. I like these people. There’s a man Nell kept showing me. He seemed kind of young, blue eyes and short blond hair. She really likes him, he swings her around and she thinks it’s a lot of fun, but it seemed kind of dangerous to me.”

“Riley Jones. He and Noah came to Shiprock and found Shilah and me. They brought us here.” Seth watched her with black eyes that saw far too much.