“You can’t.” She shook her head. His urge to help her was sweet . . . but misguided. “I started this. I have to finish it. Lobato Loco will only talk to me. No one else knows the facts like I do. Or has cultivated the contacts. But I can’t keep Seth in the middle of this danger. After the bomb destroyed my Toyota—I’m so glad I hadn’t strapped Seth in his car seat before I started the car with my key fob—I realized that—”
“The prick bombed your car?” Now Tyler sounded beyond furious. He’d gone deadly, with his jaw clenched damn tight. Delaney wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him so enraged. “They meant to kill both you and our son?”
“Me more than Seth. Focus. All the admittedly circumstantial evidence I’d collected against Carlson was in that car, and now it’s gone. He means business. So I need you to protect Seth. It kills me to ask this of you.” She pressed her lips together, her eyes watering as she stroked her son’s arm, then gripped his little hand. “So please, don’t make this harder. I don’t want to leave him, but I’d rather he be alive with you than dead with me. No one knows you’re his father, and no one will think to look for him here. I have to go back to California and fix this mess. While I do, please keep our son safe.”
Chapter Two
CLENCHING his jaw, Tyler stared at Delaney. Clearly, the woman had lost her mind if she thought for an instant that he was going to stay behind and babysit while she threw herself headlong into danger. The bad shit was his department; she’d never faced it, and he’d be damned if he let her do it alone.
But he also knew Delaney. If he argued, she’d only dig in her heels. Tyler weighed his words carefully. “I’ll be very glad for any time you give me to get to know Seth.”
She released the pent-up breath she’d been holding and closed her eyes. “Thank you.”
“But before I agree to anything, we’re going to do a little bargaining, angel.”
He intentionally sent her his most dazzling smile, the one that had been melting hearts and panties since he was thirteen.
Delaney knew him too well. Her eyes narrowed. “What do you want? Spit it out.”
If anything, his smile widened. “Who says I’m going to ask for much?”
She snorted. “Oh my God . . . Do you forget how many times I’ve seen that expression? You’re going to ask for the moon, then act like it’s nothing. Then you’ll ask for the stars, and smooth talk me until I either (a) think it was my idea or (b) thank you for the suggestion—or both. Not this time, buster. I’m not listening. This is one request I know you won’t refuse me. Regardless of what happened between us in the past, I know you don’t want to see your son die.”
“Absolutely true. But I’m also not willing to let you walk out the door again without some assurances that, from here on out, I have some parental rights.” Which was true, but not his primary concern at the moment.
Surprised crossed her face. “You want visitation?”
At the very least, but they’d do details later. “Something like that. But I also want you to think about what you’re doing. What happens to Seth’s emotional stability if his mama leaves him with a stranger, then comes back in a pine box?”
She closed her eyes. “I’ll have to figure out how to not die, I guess. I’d walk away from this, if I could. But Carlson is going to come after me no matter what. He’s not going to leave a loose end like me hanging.”
No, he wouldn’t.
“I can’t take Seth with me. Carlson won’t care if he becomes collateral damage. My baby is too young . . .” She sobbed, sniffed, then tried to find her fortitude to press on. “I’m his mother, and I’m choosing life and safety for him.”
Over her own. Damn. Tyler respected the hell out of her for this, but he also wanted to throttle her. He stroked his chin absently, hashing out a plan. It wasn’t perfect and it forced him to prioritize objectives, but he could roll with it. If he achieved his primary goal—keeping Delaney safe and eliminating Carlson—then the rest of his wants might take care of themselves.
“Del, you need someone to watch your back while you clear up this mess.”
“I need someone to watch Seth’s back more.”
For some reason, he found it incredibly sexy that Delaney was such a devoted mother. He wasn’t equating her mothering skills with his desire to f**k her . . . Rather, it was seeing her fierce side, her determination, that started his blood pumping south of his belt buckle again.
“Understood. We’ll work it out.” He’d have to move carefully or his plan would backfire. “You look exhausted. Sit down. When did you last eat? Sleep?”
“It’s not relevant.” Delaney shook her head, sinking into the recliner beside her. “Are you going to help me or not?”
“We’ll get there. Before now, how hard did you try to find me?”
She heaved an exhausted sigh. “We’re going to play this game, huh? Okay, if you want me to be honest, not very hard.” She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “As soon as Eric found out I was pregnant, we separated for good. I was dealing with a lot—a new place to live, morning sickness, being served divorce papers . . . you being gone.”
“You told me to leave.” And goddamn it, if she hadn’t meant that, he was going to string himself up for listening.
“I did. Eric couldn’t handle what happened between us. I thought giving us all some time and space would help.”
Her request had damn near destroyed Tyler, but he had lived with it because he’d thought it would help Del and Eric. He’d thought he was giving her what she needed. But clearly not.
Still, in the long run, Del was better off without her ex-husband.