Lullabies and Lies - By Mallory Kane Page 0,36
cell phone. He gave you a meeting place or a drop place for the money. And of course he told you not to go to the police or the FBI.”
“Please don’t,” she whispered. “Just leave me alone.”
“I can’t.” Griff’s intense violet gaze never wavered. “How did he get your cell phone number?”
She stiffened and tried to pull away. “I don’t know.”
Griff let go of her hands. He didn’t want to bruise her. He’d hurt her enough.
She stood and turned around, folding her arms and bowing her slender shoulders. She’d changed her clothes, but her wet hair still hung in waves down past her collar.
Her muffled, anguished sobs ripped at his soul. He’d told her the truth. He’d been at this a long time. He’d comforted parents, reassured families and had borne the brunt of their fearful, helpless anger. But Sunny Loveless was worming herself into his heart in a way no one else ever had.
Something about her touched a sore, raw place deep inside him. A place he’d thought had scabbed over when he was fourteen.
Without considering the consequences, he reached for her. He slid his arm around her shoulders, prepared to offer the same reassurance he’d given time and time again in the past to so many terrified family members.
But as soon as his arm encircled her, the tension in her body melted and she turned toward him, her head bowed.
He pulled her closer, until she laid her cheek against his neck.
Griff bent his head, burying his nose in her wet hair. For a moment he stood quietly, feeling less alone than he’d ever felt. He squeezed his eyes shut.
This was an illusion and he had to get back to reality. “Emily had your cell number somewhere on her, didn’t she? Was it sewn into her clothes? Engraved on one of her toys? Or maybe on a little bracelet?”
Sunny stiffened and pushed against his chest. Her silence confirmed his guess.
“I’m here to help you. I know how these people work.”
She stepped backward, out of his reach, and hugged herself tightly.
“I don’t want your help,” she choked out. “I don’t want the police’s help. Can’t you just leave me alone? Don’t you have to go away if I don’t want you?”
Chapter Six
If I don’t want you. The words hit Griff surprisingly hard.
“No.” He scowled, pushing away from her. “Kidnapping is a federal offense. It doesn’t matter whether you want me or not. I don’t have to go away. I can’t. I’m bound by law to do everything possible to recover your child.” He rubbed his chest. Her pain kept seeping past his defenses.
He cared about every case. He’d wept at the Senator’s son’s funeral. But he’d always managed to maintain a discreet distance from their deepest grief, so it wouldn’t cloud his judgment.
But not this time.
Sunny’s obstinacy and determination to protect her daughter ripped at his battle-scarred heart.
“Ms. Loveless, I know how frightened you are—” he started, his voice gruff.
She whirled, swinging her doubled fists at him. “No you don’t! You can’t possibly know. She said these people are dangerous. They’re capable of anything!”
“She?”
She shoved at him. “If you won’t help me, get out of my way!”
In self-defense, Griff reached for her again, pinning her flailing arms to her sides.
“Let go of me!”
She fought his restraint with surprising strength.
“Shh,” he whispered. “Shh. We’ll find her. We’ll save your baby. I swear.”
“No you won’t. You’ll go bumbling in with your guns and sirens and the woman will run. I have to go alone.”
“What woman, Sunny? Who is she? Where is she? Tell me. Let me help you.”
She shook her head, flinging droplets of water from her hair into his face and over his arms.
“I don’t know. All I know is—” She stopped dead still, then jerked away. “Let me go!”
He pulled her closer, his heart pounding at the feel of her supple body in his arms. The connection he’d felt between them the first moment he’d laid eyes on her warred with his sense of duty. He was bound by his badge to find her child, and he knew the best way to do that was to follow procedure, to use the FBI’s tried-and-true methods and sophisticated technology. They worked.
Not always. Senator Chapman’s ravaged face rose in his mind, and right behind it came the photo on his computer—the last picture he had of his baby sister.
Sunny quit struggling and went limp in his arms. She’d given up. He drew a deep, relieved breath. She was exhausted. She’d had next to