Taken: A Kept Novella (5 page)

“That we know of, at least.”

Anna pressed her lips together, her gaze on the table.

So they needed some stranger to come through. “Have you contacted the Petersons?” Jordan asked. “To see if they’d get tested?”

Cam lifted his chin. “Absolutely not—”

Anna’s voice was quiet. “Yes.”

Cam’s mouth fell open, and Jordan knew that everything in Anna’s and Sophie’s—and Cam’s—world had just shifted.

Cam stared at his sister, unable to form thoughts, aware only of how fast his heart pounded.

How dangerously, dangerously fast.

He swallowed. “Anna, you didn’t.”

Her eyes were damp. “Cameron, I had to. Right now they’re her best chance.”

He moaned and covered his face with his hands. How could she have done that? She might have just thrown her whole future away.

What about him? Didn’t this put him in trouble too? How could she have done it without asking first? Or giving him a heads-up? Something?

Across the table, Jordan spoke. “I don’t understand. Why is this bad?”

He’d forgotten Jordan was even there. What would she think of Anna’s fears and suspicions? How scared would Jordan be to get close to him? He couldn’t stand it if she pulled away, not after he’d gotten a taste of losing her Saturday night.

He blew out a deep, slow breath. “While we don’t think they’ve found Anna, we do know that they’ve contacted her in-laws at least once since Sophie was born.” Cam shot Anna a glance.

She wouldn’t look at him.

Of course not. Maybe his reaction had made her realize what a stupid, stupid move she’d made. Anger colored his voice. “Did they both get tested?”

“Just Joelle. She isn’t even going to tell her husband. Not unless we have to.”

He sighed. That was a massive relief, but still… She should have asked him first. They could have waited a little longer. Maybe. “You want me to tell Jordan the rest?”

She nodded. Her voice was low. “I’ll check on the kids.”

Jordan watched her go, then faced him, questions clear on her face.

“Anna’s not her real name.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Her name is Hannah. And she was really freaked out by what happened to that nurse. The message she got from her wasn’t just an I-want-to-talk-to-you message. She said she had some information Anna needed to know before she made a decision about the abortion. Like she knew something that Anna didn’t.” How well he remembered Anna’s frantic phone call, how hysterical she’d been that something would happen to her too. Or to her kids.

A shiver skittered over Jordan’s shoulders. “What do you think she knew?”

“No idea, but Anna was scared out of her mind after the woman died. On top of that Anna worried they had a way of forcibly taking her to an abortion, a court order or something. Then our parents—” The betrayal had been intense. Even now, half a decade later, he sometimes still couldn’t believe it. He cleared his throat and whacked his thumb against the table’s edge.

“Your parents what?”

He looked toward the living room, everything in him wanting to break down and let the emotions escape. His voice came out weaker than he’d expected. “This is still so hard.”

Her fingertips grazed the back of his hand.

Without thinking he linked his fingers with hers—clung to them—and met her gaze.

Concern marred her forehead, giving her those same worry lines Dillan sometimes wore.

Although a lot less often since he’d gotten together with his girlfriend. Fiancée.

What would it be like to know Jordan was always on his side? Would that make all of this easier to bear? He forced a smile. “If you marry me, you’ll never have to deal with in-laws.”

Breath whooshed from her. “Your parents were killed too?”

Not hardly. “They disowned us. Both of us.”

Jordan’s eyebrows rose. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to speak, but nothing came out.

He completely understood that response. “My parents are pretty big in the pro-choice movement. They speak up for it, financially support it, do whatever they can to promote it. And now here’s their daughter caught up in a situation that’s starting to get media coverage. They said it was bad publicity for their careers, for them and their beliefs.” He could hear the anger in his voice, but what was the point in hiding it? In pretending he was over it?

Would he
ever
get over it?

“They wanted her to get an abortion—demanded she do what the Petersons asked. And when she said no, they cut her off. Here’s their only daughter on the run, trying to take care of a child who has no say in any of this, and they completely abandon her. She was a military wife, for—” He clamped down on his tongue, old habits trying to resurface. “Yes, she received Tony’s benefits after his death, but she needed help. Financial help. Which they could have given her again and again and again. And they refused.”

Jordan squeezed his hand.

He shook his head, his grip on her fingers tightening. “They just threw her away. Told me not to help her either. And when I said no, my dad fired me from the family business—effective immediately, no severance, no reference, nothing—and told me not to contact them.”

“Cam.” She sounded breathless. Shocked. “I am so sorry.”

Well, he wasn’t sorry. He let go of her hand and rubbed his jaw until it hurt. He was angry. Still livid over it. What kind of people—

He blew out a deep breath. Every time he thought he’d dealt with the anger and forgiven them, it rose up from deep within, choking him in its intensity. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I shouldn’t get so angry.”

“How can you not? I can’t imagine parents who would put anything above their own kids.”

Yet that was his world. And it had marred him, scarred him. Probably more than he wanted to admit.

He shifted in his chair, took a deep breath, and pushed the anger away. For now. “Anna was sure that the Petersons were going to keep coming after her, so she legally changed her name. Dropped the
h
s in her first name and changed her last name to Jones so she’d be harder to find. She’s done everything she can to limit her trail—used Tony’s death benefits for a little house up near the state line and has been working at small-town hair salons, when she could be working in any high-end salon downtown.”

“Why is she living here, then?”

“Because she’s had to quit working since Sophie’s leukemia got so bad. And Sophie’s hospital is much closer to my house. It just made sense for them to move in here so she can take care of Sophie
and
Logan and Avery. Now that school’s out, they pretty much spend their days at the hospital with Sophie.”

“Wow. What a mom.”

The best. “She’s given up so much to protect one little girl. I don’t think there’s anyone I admire more than her.”

“Totally understandable.”

Cam held her gaze. Her eyes were warm and brown, caring, understanding. There was no horror in them, no body language that said she was about to hightail it out of there. Instead, she was leaning towards him, her hand still nearby as if an unspoken signal that she was there for him to hold onto if he wanted.

And how he wanted to hold onto her. To have someone steady and calm and reliable. Someone who loved him with a love that would never change.

The thoughts overwhelmed him, and again he couldn’t do anything but watch her. All of his feelings for her had to be there for her to see.

In the kitchen, Anna’s cell phone rang.

Cam listen as she answered it but couldn’t make out her words. Maybe it was the hospital. Or Sophie’s doctor. He tried not to think about what that could mean. “Jordan, there’s more you need to know.”

She sagged, her tone joking. “Please stop. I don’t think I can take it.”

He chuckled. “It’s not so bad. I think.” But he fiddled with his knife before speaking. “I help Anna get by.”

“In what way?”

“I mean… Money’s always been tight for her. She doesn’t make a lot, and she’s a single mom with three kids. I’ve been helping her out financially from the beginning.”

Jordan nodded, as if it only made sense.

“She’s been renting her house out since they moved here, but that’s the only income she has right now. So I’m providing for them. I just thought you should know that, in case things with us…” He held out his hand, letting it convey the words he wasn’t brave enough to voice.

“Are things pretty tight for you?”

“I’m okay. I make a pretty nice living right now, and even though my parents cut me off, I’d already received a good bit of money from them. Money they couldn’t take back.”

Her eyebrows rose, and humor danced across her lips. “Were you a trust fund baby or something?”

She had no idea the money he and Anna had come from, the fame in the horse-racing and breeding circles. “Kind of. I’ve used that to help Anna and the kids. There’s not much left, but I’m committed to helping her as long as she needs it. She won’t go without—not while I’m around.”

She snagged his hand again. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”

She was so beautiful. So perfect. He swallowed and forced a smile. “Good.”

In the kitchen, Anna’s voice rose a bit.

Cam pulled his gaze from Jordan’s and listened. Who was she talking to?

Jordan glanced toward the kitchen, then back at him. “Is everything okay?”

“I hope so.”

“Is there anything you guys can do to resolve this? So she doesn’t have to worry about the Petersons?”

How many times had he and his sister talked about that? “I’d like her to be more proactive, but she’s pretty confident the law puts her in the wrong. She left a state where the child already belonged to someone else. Now another state says no, she’s the mother. She’s afraid that if the law got involved, she’d lose custody while it’s sorted out. And she won’t let that happen. Sophie’s her daughter.”

His precious niece, even if there was no blood relation.

In the kitchen, Anna’s voice grew louder.

Cam pushed his chair back. “Why don’t we go outside until she’s done?”

In the front yard, the early June evening couldn’t get more beautiful. The breeze was balmy and soothed as it swept over him. The sky was still light and bright, and kids played at the end of the cul-de-sac. In the yard next door, his neighbor Candace talked with another woman, while the newly-married couple two doors down jogged past.

He seated himself on the top step of his stairs, and Jordan joined him, her shoulder brushing his arm.

She tucked her knees in close and wrapped her arms around them while she scanned the neighborhood.

What would it be like to have her living here? To have this be
her
home too? “So.” He balanced his arms across his knees. “What are you thinking about after all this?”

She didn’t respond right away, instead pursing her lips and tilting her head as she studied the house across the street.

It was a lot to take in, and she probably hadn’t even begun to think through all the ramifications. He probably hadn’t either.

“I guess I wonder why you kept this such a secret. Why haven’t you told anyone? Like Dillan? Someone?”

“Anna didn’t want me to. She felt that the fewer people who knew, the better the odds were that they’d be safe.”

“Now that I know, does that change anything? Will you tell anyone else?”

“Well…” He rubbed his hands together. “If we keep dating, I guess your family would need to know. Eventually.”

“If we
keep
dating?” Jordan bumped his shoulder, that smile of hers creating one of his own. “You’re being kind of presumptuous here, Winters. Are we dating?”

He felt himself flush a little and shoved down fears of her walking away. Jordan wasn’t like that. “After tonight it doesn’t make sense for me to hide how I feel.” He prayed he looked calm. “I really want to date you, Jordan. I don’t need you to make a commitment or anything if you’re not ready, but I know… I know I don’t want to date anyone but you.”

She bit her lip, but a grin escaped anyway.

She was so bad at concealing her feelings. He couldn’t contain his laugh. “You’re happy about that?”

“Yes. Definitely. Have you talked to Dillan about us? Or Garrett?”

Definitely
was his new favorite word. “I haven’t. But I will. Right away, if you want.”

“Do any of the other girls you’ve dated know about Anna?”

He’d been stupid to waste time on other women. “Not one.”

“None of them?”

“None of them. Anna’s the one who told me it was time to tell you. Seriously, Jordan, she’s heard a lot about you. For a while now.”

“I’m flattered.”

She did look happy about it. Cam lost himself in her gaze. Why hadn’t he taken her out to the backyard where they could have had some privacy? Where he could maybe have kissed her—

“Cam?” someone called.

Candace, his neighbor, crossed their adjoining driveways, her conversation with the other neighbor over.

“Hey, Candace.” He flashed the older woman a smile. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Just fine. Who’s your friend?”

“This is Jordan, my…” His what? He leaned in to her. “How do I introduce you? Are we official?”

She scrunched her shoulders together, her grin contagious. “Let’s be official.”

He linked his hand with hers. “Candace, this is my girlfriend, Jordan. Jordan, my neighbor, Candace.”

“Well, well, well. Cam Winters with a girl.” Candace winked at Jordan. “We were all beginning to think he’d be a confirmed bachelor.”

Jordan dramatically flipped her hair over her shoulder. “He was just waiting for me.”

“Well, I wish you two the best. I’m sorry to interrupt, but were you home when that man went through the neighborhood?”

“What man?”

“There was a guy who came by around noon. Janet said he knocked on her door too. His niece had gotten lost in the neighborhood, and he and her dad were looking for her. I guess she’s got Down Syndrome, just like your niece.”

Jordan sucked in a breath, reminding Cam to take one himself. Every good feeling was as gone as if it had never been. “What’d you tell him?”

“I told him I hadn’t, except for little Sophie of course. How’s she doing these days?”