Undeniably Yours (2 page)

“Thanks for bringing that up.” The scent of smoke still lingered in my nostrils. It had been only two days since the fiery showdown.

The tiniest of smiles quirked the corner of his mouth. “How’s Sean?”

“Lucky. A concussion. Lots of stitches. He’s been ordered to bed rest for the week.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t around,” he said darkly.

We’d been through a lot, Aiden and I. There had been more sad endings than happy with the cases we investigated. And there had been many times he’d protected me from the evil that seemed to permeate our line of work. It
had
been unusual not having him around.

“It’s okay,” I said. “You taught me well, and I found help in the strangest places.” I explained about the Diviner Whiners, the group of misfit psychics I belonged to. The name had been coined by reporter Preston Bailey, who’d once been my nemesis but was now a friend…and would soon be family. She was engaged to my brother and expecting their baby. So far, the pregnancy had been extremely dangerous. She and the baby had almost died, but both were holding steady now.

“I missed a lot,” he said.

“You were busy.” I fluffed a ruffle on Ava’s shirt.

“I’m glad you and Sean are both okay.”

“Thanks,” I said quickly, not wanting to talk about my recent brush with death thanks to a demented arsonist. The wounds, the ones below the surface, were still too fresh. After all, it had only been a couple of days since the terror had ended. “Yeah, well, I’m getting used to playing with fire. You, however, are going to get burned badly if you don’t talk to Em. If she finds out about Ava from someone else…”

“Lucy,” he warned.

He didn’t scare me. “Aiden.”

“I need some time to focus on finding Kira for a few days.”

“You’re being a stubborn ass.”

Pain flashed in his eyes, making him wince. “Ouch.”

“Sorry, but you are. Either you love Em enough to tell her about this right now, or you shouldn’t be engaged to her. It’s really that simple.”

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. “I’ll tell her.”

“Good. Now, what do you know about Kira’s disappearance?”

“Not much, honestly. The night she dropped Ava off, I expected her to come back in a few hours. When she didn’t I figured she meant she’d be back the next day. No show. I made a few calls. In the last couple days, I’ve done a little digging, using up some old favors. Kira isn’t at home, hasn’t been to work, and as of Saturday morning no one had officially filed a missing persons report.”

“Why don’t you do it?”

His jaw clenched. “Ava.”

Realization dawned, and I wrapped the girl’s hand around my fingers. “You’re scared.”

“Kira was worried about Ava’s safety the night she dropped her off. I need to be careful. I don’t want to put Ava in any more danger than she may already be in.”

I closed my arms around the girl, hugging her even closer to my body. Who on earth could hurt such a sweet little thing? But I didn’t really have to ask the question. I knew all about the monsters that roamed around, looking like perfectly normal people on the surface, but who hid their evil with phony smiles and false pretenses.

“It’s been too long,” he said. “Kira should have returned by now. It’s time I turned my full attention to figuring out what’s going on. And, as I said, I’d like your help.”

I didn’t hesitate. “You have it.” I’d have to postpone a reading I scheduled later today, but other than that, I was free.

Aiden was right—Kira should have resurfaced by now.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

In missing persons cases, the first forty-eight hours were critical for recovery. We were already past that by ten hours.

As I glanced down at Ava, I hoped that time hadn’t already run out for Kira.

“I
have two leads to start with.” Finishing off the rest of his drink, Aiden set the tumbler on the coffee table. He drew his right ankle up to rest on his left knee, leaned back against the plump cushion, and dragged a hand down his face as though that could erase the tension etched around his eyes, his mouth.

It couldn’t.

Ava wiggled in my arms, and I slowly lowered her to the ground. With one hand she held on to the coffee table, and with the other she reached stubby, eager fingers toward Thoreau, who was more than happy to play.

“
Scow
!” she squealed, her voice high and filled with utter delight.

I loved the natural happiness and curiosity of babies. True innocence. And I absolutely hated with every fiber of my being the people who stole that purity from them.

“What’s she saying?” I asked. Amused, I wondered if she thought Thoreau was a cow.

“I don’t know.” He fought off a yawn, barely winning the battle. “She only talks a little bit. Basic words like mama, juice, up, down. But she’s always jabbering, stringing syllables together. The only time she really cries is at bedtime. Missing Kira, I imagine, and missing normal routines.”

“It’s been quite an upheaval for her.” I didn’t say it, but he had been a stranger to this little girl. She had to be completely confused.

“I know, Lucy. I know.”

Birdsong floated through the open windows as I struggled to recall all I knew about Kira. I could easily picture what she looked like with her chin-length auburn hair that she always styled in loose curls, her inquisitive no-nonsense hazel eyes, her high cheekbones, and full lips slicked with nothing but sheer gloss. Mid-thirties, medium height, nice teeth, and a go-get-’em attitude. But other than appearances, I didn’t know much. “What are your leads?”

“One is Kira’s producer at Channel 3, and the other is a neighbor she was reportedly close with, Morgan Creighton.” He kept a watchful gaze on Ava as she tentatively investigated her new surroundings. Her steps were wobbly but taken with wild abandon.

I stretched my aching leg, adjusted my robe, and tried to figure out what direction to take with this case. “Do you know if Kira was currently working on a story?”

“No idea,” he answered, “but it’s a good place to start. She was serious about her job and not exactly known for fluff pieces.”

Kira Fitzpatrick was one of the best investigative reporters around. Having burned more than one bridge, it was possible she was hiding from one of her many enemies. It was easier to hide one person than two, which might explain dropping Ava with Aiden.

“I need to report her missing,” Aiden said softly. “It’s the only way I can truly get this case rolling. I’ll be able to get the subpoenas I need to access her bank accounts, her phone records.”

It would be nice to know if she’d withdrawn any large amounts of money recently, or used her credit or debit cards. Phone records would be invaluable, not only to pinpoint whom she’d last spoken to, but to also build a timeline. Both were excellent places to start and would tell us a lot, including possible locations to search.

“But I have to keep Ava safe. Kira was extremely worried for Ava’s safety. I can’t help but conclude that Ava is at risk from whatever—or whomever—had Kira agitated.”

I watched the little girl wander over to the bassinet Dovie had dropped off a week ago, another one of her strong-armed hints for Sean and me to procreate as soon as humanly possible. Ebbie and Grendel had taken a liking to the bed and were going to be sorely upset when Dovie repossessed it to give to Preston and my brother Cutter.

The sea breeze tussled Ava’s hair, making the short fine strands stand on end as she continued to explore. “What do you plan on doing with Ava while we investigate?” She couldn’t possibly go with us.

Clasping his hands, he leaned forward. “I don’t know what to do. I thought about taking her up to my parents’ house in Maine, but I don’t know who’s aware that I’m her father. If someone is desperate to get to her, they might come looking for me, and as an extension…my family. I need a safe house. Somewhere no one would think to look. And I need someone to watch her who I trust. Someone who’s good with kids.” Looking hopeful, he added, “I was thinking Dovie. She has a condo in New York City, doesn’t she? She could take Ava down there…”

She did. And Dovie would probably jump at the chance, but there were two big problems with that. One was Em and the fact that she’d kill him for not picking her. The other was that Dovie was already out of town. “She’s gone. Last night, she spirited Preston and Cutter down to her house on Martha’s Vineyard for a couple of weeks while Preston recuperates.” Dovie had taken away Preston’s phone and disconnected the Internet at the summer cottage. “No distractions or worries.”

At first, Preston hadn’t wanted to go. She didn’t know how to unplug, and certainly wasn’t used to not operating at full speed. But all it had taken was some gentle prodding by Cutter, and the full effect of his puppy-dog eyes, and she was packing her bags.

She’d taken some time off from her job as a columnist at the
Mad Blotter
, and fortunately, she wasn’t taking summer classes as she worked to earn a degree in journalism. Knowing Preston, though, she was probably itching to get back to writing. She had enough material on the recent arsonist case to fill several stories.

I was glad they were out of town. If Preston knew about Ava and Kira… She wouldn’t be able to keep out of the investigation. That was the last thing she needed right now. She needed to focus on healing.

I had to make sure she didn’t find out. Dovie, too, because she couldn’t keep this secret—it was too big. I was going to have to call Cutter and enlist him in my efforts.

Aiden shook his head in dismay.

I shifted on my seat, drawing my good leg up beneath me. “What about Em? She fits all your criteria. And she has the added perk of being a pediatrician.” Well, a former pediatrician. Taking care of sick children all day had taken an emotional toll on her, so after much deliberation she left her job to go back to school to get her teaching degree. “And, she’s still living with Dovie, who has plenty of room for a little one to run around. She even has a nursery done up in anticipation of all the great-grandchildren I’m supposed to produce.”

He closed his eyes for a long second. When he reopened them, I saw nothing but anguish. “I…I can’t,” he whispered.

“Why not?” I was honestly surprised. Em seemed the perfect solution.

“Dovie’s house is too close. I can’t put Em in danger. It’s too risky.”

Ah. I should have connected those dots. Aiden was nothing if not protective of those he cared for.

Trying to come up with a solution, I rocked as I watched Ava stomp toward the fluttering curtain sheers. She had a stiff gait, and was top heavy, but she was a speedy little thing. Much faster than I was these days thanks to my broken foot. My gaze settled on my orthopedic boot, and a solution to Aiden’s problem popped into my head. It wasn’t that long ago that I’d needed a safe house of my own…and had received a little help from an unlikely source. “What if Dovie’s house became a safe house?”

“It’s not possible,” he said.

“Oh, but it is.” I smiled. “I know people.”

Humor flashed across his features before being chased off by his anxiety. “Who do you know?”

“Rent-a-ninjas.”

“Rent-a-what?”

“You don’t have to use that disgusted tone. They’re not really ninjas, but are a group of highly-trained protection experts who are basically invisible when they’re on duty. They spent a good chunk of time here last week while that arsonist was on the loose, so they already know the lay of the land.”

One of his eyebrows lifted in skepticism. “Did you find them in the Yellow Pages?”

“No,” I said, insulted again. “They came to me through Jeremy Cross.”

Aiden stared at his empty tumbler with undisguised longing. “Who?”

Ava giggled as Thoreau ran circles around her legs. “
Scow
!
Woof
,
woof
!”

I couldn’t help but smile at her. “Jeremy is part of the Diviner Whiners,” I explained to Aiden as I watched Ava plop to the floor to play with Thoreau. “Kind of. It’s a long story.” Jeremy, a former FBI profiler, was an animal communicator with a devastating history of dealing with psychos. He was a man of many secrets, few words, and much angst.

He was also a perfect match for my other best friend, Marisol. They’d had a coffee date yesterday, and I wondered how it had gone—she hadn’t called with an update yet. Although her first impression of him hadn’t been favorable, auras didn’t lie. If both could let down their walls, I knew they would be happy together.

It was a big if.

Be that as it may, Jeremy was a security expert. In fact, Sean and I both owed him our lives—a debt I wasn’t sure I could ever repay. Standing, I tightened the sash on my robe and reached for my crutches. “No one is going to make it on this property who doesn’t belong here.” I slowly made my way to the kitchen, where earlier I’d abandoned my coffee when he rang the doorbell. “It’s the perfect solution.”

“I don’t know, Lucy. I don’t know these guys. How am I supposed to trust them with…my daughter?”

The anxiety in his voice nearly broke my heart. He was being torn apart by what he knew he had to do, and what his heart was telling him.

“I do know them,” I said, trying to reassure him. I stuck my mug in the microwave. “I trusted them with my life, with Sean’s, with Dovie’s, with Em’s… They didn’t let me down. They won’t let you down.”

He held my gaze. “Highly-trained security experts, you say?”

“Yes.”

“They carry weapons?”

“An arsenal.”

“All right,” he finally said, though he didn’t sound happy about it. “Can you make the arrangements?”

He hated turning control over to someone else, but there really wasn’t another option. We needed help. The microwave dinged. “Absolutely.”

Ava laughed as the curtains billowed into her face. Joyous little shrieks that filled my heart with happiness. Then suddenly, I found myself blinking back tears.

The thought of losing my own mother—not only losing, but not knowing what happened to her—made my chest tighten so much it hurt to breathe. As flighty as my mother might be, she was…my heart.