Lullabies and Lies - By Mallory Kane Page 0,20
She felt like a rabbit caught in headlights—paralyzed with fear. Yet she had to make a decision. She didn’t know which way to turn for safety.
As if she’d spoken aloud, he answered her. “My expertise is in child abductions. So trust me, I do know. I’ve had cases like this before.”
“Not like this one.” She pulled her hand from under his. His touch was too reassuring, too tempting. It made her want to trust him.
Her throat closed up and it took her a moment to speak. “Have you ever had a case with a baby this small? Emily is only six months old.”
He nodded. “Often when—”
She interrupted him. “Did you get the baby back?”
“Ms. Loveless—”
“Did you?”
A shadow crossed his face, and Sunny’s heart sank. She’d almost let him convince her that he could make everything right.
But this wasn’t a fairy tale and Griffin Stone was no knight in shining armor. He was just a human being with human failings. One more obstacle between her and the most important thing in her life—her child, Emily.
“Children are most often taken by a relative,” he said. “Most are returned to their family safe and sound. I’ve handled eleven child abductions with the FBI. Five were children younger than one year. Four of those were taken by a family member. All four were eventually recovered. The fifth infant was taken by a stranger.”
He raised his gaze to hers, his incredible eyes hooded and dark.
Sunny’s shoulders ached with tension. “And—?”
He shook his head. The faint lines around his mouth deepened. “That was three years ago. We never found him. He’s still listed as missing.”
Through numb lips, Sunny said, “This is not a family member abduction.”
He didn’t speak.
“And it’s not some deranged woman who wants a baby for herself.”
His face softened, although his eyes didn’t. “I know.”
Her heart lurched painfully. Hearing him confirm her fears frightened her even more. If the kidnapper wasn’t a family member or a stranger, then what did that mean for Emily’s safety?
“I keep thinking if I hadn’t adopted Emily, she’d be safe now. She’d be with a stable, loving, protective family.” She took a shaky breath. “Or if I’d only waited to go to the store. I didn’t have to have milk—”
“You can go insane thinking about all the if onlies.” His voice was rough with some emotion. “Don’t keep piling more guilt onto yourself. You’ll collapse. And that won’t do your daughter any good. Give me the notes. Let me help you.”
Her shoulders ached, her head pounded. She looked up at him, searching his eyes for a peek into his soul.
He sat there without moving, allowing her in for an instant. And in that instant she’d caught a glimpse of a sadness so profound it hurt her heart.
She moistened her lips and asked quietly, “Why do you do it?”
The sadness expanded, drew her in, until she felt consumed by it. On some deep visceral level he understood her pain.
Then he blinked and just like that, he withdrew.
“It’s a job,” he said dismissively. “I’m good at it.”
Sunny shook her head, still holding his gaze. “That can’t be why.”
He looked down at his cup. “That’s the best explanation I have. Now, are you going to make me get a search warrant for those notes?”
She tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. “What about the other children?”
He frowned up at her.
“The other six cases you handled.”
His eyes flickered, looked past her for an instant before returning to her face. “Those children were older. I thought you were interested in infants.”
“I’m interested in your record.”
He straightened, almost imperceptibly, as if he were bracing himself. “Four were recovered safe and sound. The other two—”
Suddenly, the memory of a recent news story surfaced in Sunny’s mind. She blinked. “Oh, my God, you were the agent on the case of that Senator’s son, weren’t you?”
He didn’t answer, but she saw the self-recrimination in his suddenly stoic features, in the slight wavering of his gaze.
Details of the case came back to her in a rush. “Didn’t the boy’s father pay the ransom? He didn’t go to the police.” Fear sheared her breath. The Senator had thought he could handle the kidnappers himself.
“What happened?” she asked anxiously. “Why did the boy end up dead?”
Griff shook his head. “We were too late. The kidnappers fled as soon as they got their money. They never revealed the boy’s final location. By the time we found him, he had died of exposure.”
“So, you’re saying that if the Senator had called