Unbreakable Bond (6 page)

Slade gritted his teeth. Nina looked shaken, fragile and exhausted, like a delicate flower that had been crushed in the wind.

But dammit, she also looked beautiful in that pale blue cotton blouse and that flowing black shirt. He itched to pull her into his arms and comfort her but gripped his hands by his sides to keep from touching her.

Someone, whoever had put that doll on her porch, had meant to torment her.

Or maybe the doll had been left as a warning. If she kept asking questions, the same thing would happen to her…

Hopefully Amanda could lift some prints. If not, she might be able to track down where the doll and knife were bought and the buyer.

Slade gritted his teeth. The fact that she'd received it the day after she'd hired him was significant.

Dammit, he didn't like the fact that someone was watching her. Someone who obviously didn't want her asking questions. That fact alone roused his suspicions and gave credence to her case.

The first suspect who came to mind was the doctor. But surely the man was too smart to pull such a stunt. He'd have to know that he would be the first person Slade would question.

“Other than Dr. Emery, who else knows that you hired me?” Slade asked.

Nina ran a hand over her forehead. “William.”

His gaze shot to hers. “Peyton's father?”

She nodded and folded her arms across her chest. “He phoned last night.”

Slade growled, “How did he find out?”

“Dr. Emery called him.”

“Son of a bitch.”

Nina's gaze jerked to his, and he forced himself to tamp his anger. “What did he say?”

“He was upset,” Nina said. “William doesn't want anyone messing up his life by dredging up his past. Especially me.”

Slade frowned. “I don't give a damn what he wants. He's going to talk to me. And I'll get the truth out of him one way or another.”

 

N
INA'S HEART WARMED
. For the first time in eight years, she actually felt as if someone believed her.

That someone else might care that her daughter had gone missing, when her father and Peyton's own father had accepted her disappearance as if it had been a blessing in disguise.

“Do you want me to call William and tell him we're coming?” Nina asked.

“No, I want the element of surprise on our side when I confront him.”

Our
side? A warmth spread through Nina at the thought of this man defending her. For so long, she felt as if she'd been waging an uphill battle all alone.

The sun glinted through the clouds, the traffic thick as they left the mountain roads and turned onto the highway toward Winston-Salem. The interstate buzzed with early-morning traffic and commuters.

“Did you grow up in Sanctuary?” Slade asked.

“No, in Raleigh. I attended a private school. That's where I met William. His father lived there before opening a practice in Winston-Salem.”

“So how did you end up in Sanctuary?”

Nina sighed. “When I got pregnant, my father rented a small house in town. He wanted to hide me away from the people he knew in Raleigh, especially his business colleagues. I stayed in the house until after Peyton was born, then Daddy wanted me to come back and live with him, but I…couldn't.”

Slade's thick, dark brows furrowed. “Let me get this straight. He moved you to a different town and left you alone when you were pregnant and just a teenager?”

Nina shrugged at the censure in his voice. “It was better that way. We weren't exactly getting along back then.” She stroked the sides of her arms with her hands, shaking off the memories. “What about you? Where are you from?”

Slade's jaw tightened. “All around. My dad was in the military. He died in combat.”

Nina wanted to soothe the anguish she heard beneath his calm veneer but sensed he wouldn't welcome her touch, so she held herself back. “I'm sorry, Slade. How old were you?”

He maneuvered around an eighteen-wheeler. “Thirteen.”

“I'm sure that was difficult on everyone.”

He made a grunting sound. “Yeah. Two years later my sister disappeared, and my mother totally lost it.”

Just as she had when Peyton first went missing.

But she hadn't abandoned a second child who needed her. “And they left you to fend for yourself,” Nina said softly.

Slade stiffened. “I was the man of the family,” he said. “I was supposed to take care of them and I failed.”

“Slade…”

“Drop it, Nina.” His expression warned her not to push. “Where does William live?”

“Downtown. He bought a half-million-dollar condo directly across the street from his law office.”

“He must be doing well.”

“Yes. Losing Peyton wasn't even a blip on the radar for him,” she said, fighting bitterness.

He found a parking spot, parked and they climbed out and walked over to the condo complex. People clogged the sidewalk, walking to work; the coffee shop was overflowing with early-morning patrons and horns and traffic noises filled the air.

They stepped into the entryway of the high-rise building, then stopped at the front desk to speak to security. “We're here to see William Hood.”

A middle-aged dark-haired woman greeted them. “Is Mr. Hood expecting you?”

“No,” Slade said. “But it's important.”

Nina cleared her throat. “Just tell him that Nina Nash needs to see him.”

The woman buzzed his condo, announced their arrival then spoke quietly into the headset. A second later, she turned back to them with a frown. “I'm sorry, but he says he doesn't want to see you.”

Slade slapped his hand on the counter. “Tell him he can talk to us now or we'll be waiting at his office.”

The woman's brows rose, then she spoke into the headset again. This time curiosity lined her face when she glanced back up. “He's in the penthouse.”

Slade harrumphed. “Of course.”

The woman frowned again as they made their way to the elevator. Nina's stomach thrashed as the elevator carried them up, her ears popping as they climbed to the twenty-ninth floor. The doors finally swished open, and she swayed slightly. Silently Slade took her elbow and guided her to the door, then punched the doorbell.

A snarling William opened the door dressed in a three-piece suit, his sandy-blond hair combed back from his forehead and set with gel, his blue eyes like ice chips. Looking at him compared to Slade made her wonder why she'd been stupid enough to give him her virginity.

“Nina, what in the hell do you think you're doing?” William barked. “Didn't you understand my warning last night?”

“Warning?” Slade asked in a lethal tone.

Nina shifted. “William threatened to tell my coworkers at school that I'm crazy.”

“Is that so?” Slade glared at William. “Well, I'm working for Nina now, Hood, and I don't like bullies.”

A vein throbbed in William's forehead. “And I don't like smarmy P.I.'s nosing into my business.”

A nasty grin slid onto Slade's face. “You don't, huh? Well, you'd better get used to it, because I'm just getting started.” He shouldered his way past William into the foyer of the condo. “And no one, especially some skinny-assed lawyer, is going to stop me.”

 

S
LADE GROUND HIS TEETH
in an attempt to rein in his temper. He couldn't tolerate any man who'd abandon his own child, and this man had rejected his before his baby had even been born.

To think that Hood would use his money, status and weight to intimidate Nina infuriated him.

If it were his own child and he were in Nina's situation, he'd move hell and high water to find out the truth, just as she was.

“Mister—”

“Blackburn,” Slade cut in.

“Either leave or I'm going to call security.”

“William, please,” Nina interjected. “All we want is a few minutes.”

William gave her a seething look. “There's nothing to talk about, Nina. We've been over this a thousand times.”

“You never wanted to have a child, did you?” Slade asked.

William glared at him but drew a breath, adopting a professional mask that Slade was sure he used in court. Probably to free any low-life slimeball who paid his salary.

And judging from the condo and the pricey modern furnishings, he either had a lot of clients or his fees were enormous.

Hood checked his Rolex. “Excuse me now, I have work to do.”

Slade caught his arm. “First you're going to answer some questions.”

Hood jerked free of Slade, his suit jacket crinkling as he squared his shoulders. Finally he gave a labored sigh. “Five minutes.”

The temptation to hit the bastard was so strong, Slade rolled his hands into fists. “What makes you so sure that your baby died in the fire in Sanctuary?”

A cold look settled in Hood's eyes. “If you'd seen that explosion, the chaos, the debris…you'd know there's no way that anyone left inside survived.” He paused. “And Nina and the sheriff certainly questioned everyone at the hospital.”

“Maybe not,” Slade said. “You're a lawyer. Kidnappings happen in hospitals all the time. Can you honestly say that it wasn't possible for someone to have carried your baby outside and disappeared with her?”

For the briefest of moments, Slade saw Hood's mind working, saw the hesitation in his eyes, a moment where he actually considered the possibility. But it quickly disappeared, and the uncaring façade returned, his skepticism firmly tucked in place.

“Even if it were possible, it didn't happen,” Hood said. “According to the police, every other baby was accounted for. The unit exploded before the rescue workers could save Nina's child.”

“She was your child, too,” Slade pointed out.

Beside him, he felt Nina's wave of pain as if it had washed through him. But she didn't react. In fact, he admired the way she maintained her composure.

“Nina and I came to an agreement before the child was born,” Hood said sharply.

Slade gave a sarcastic laugh. “You came to an agreement? You mean you acted like a spoiled, selfish prick and declared that you didn't want the child.”

“I was only nineteen,” Hood said defensively. “I had plans.”

Nina folded her arms. “So did I. But that didn't mean that I could walk away from our baby.”

“That's right, Nina. You're such a damn saint,” Hood bit out. “You can't even let the child go when everyone has told you she's dead.”

A brunette with wavy hair and catlike eyes appeared with a frown, her silk pantsuit flowing freely. “What's going on, honey?”

Hood jerked his head toward her. “Mitzi, we have company,” Hood said. “Nina and her new detective, Mr. Blackburn.”

“God, Nina,” the woman muttered. “Don't tell me you're nagging William again.”

Hood wrapped his arm around Mitzi's shoulders. “Sorry, sweetheart, but she's still as crazy as ever.”

“We were discussing the night of the fire in Sanctuary,” Slade cut in. “You seem certain of the facts, Hood, but I spoke with Dr. Emery, the ob-gyn, and I think the case is worth investigating.”

Slade removed the bagged doll from inside his jacket and held it up. “In fact, last night someone left this on Nina's doorstep.”

Mitzi made a shocked sound, then clung to William's arm as if she feared Slade had stabbed the doll himself just for effect.

Slade directed his comment to Hood. “Where were you last night?”

Mitzi answered before Hood could respond. “He was with me. All night,” she said with a suggestive smile.

Hood made a clicking sound with his teeth. “Blackburn, you poor, dumb sucker. Obviously Nina forgot to mention a few details about her past.”

“William, don't,” Nina said in a choked whisper.

“Don't what, Nina?” Hood scowled at her. “Tell him the truth, that you've pulled this same stunt before?”

Slade shot Hood an angry look, but something about the guilt in Nina's eyes warned him to tread slowly. He was here to investigate, find out the truth, whether or not Nina liked it.

Whether or not he did.

“What are you talking about?” Slade asked.

William's expression turned pitying. “Nina has a habit of suckering people in with her sweet smile and big, sad eyes. But she's unstable. She has been for a long time.”

“If you're referring to the fact that she had a break down after her baby went missing, then yes. I am aware of that.”

Hood arched a brow. “So she explained the details of her psychosis?”

Guilt and worry slashed her face. “William, don't—”

The look Nina exchanged with Hood made apprehension knot Slade's belly. He'd insisted Nina be honest with him, but apparently she hadn't shared everything.

“After Nina lost the baby, she did things like this. She bought a rag doll like this one, then claimed that someone stuck a knife in its heart and left it on her doorstep.”

Slade stood ramrod still, forcing himself not to react.

Hood continued, “She also said that she packed up the baby things and stored them in the attic, but then insisted she came home one night and found them scattered across her bedroom.”

“I didn't scatter those baby things around,” Nina argued. “They were packed away in my closet.”

“That's not what the psychiatrist reported,” William said, then turned back to Slade. “Nina also swore that someone put a CD of lullabies in her car and that sometimes she'd wake up at night and one would be playing but that she hadn't started it.”

Nina started to speak, but Hood was on a roll and sneered down at her. “Oh, and did she tell you about the voices? She swears she hears her little girl singing to her at night. A
Mary Poppins
song, right, Nina?”

“Stop it!” Nina turned and ran from the condo, her sob echoing in the air behind her.