She's Positive

The hopeful little voice cut her to the bone. She wanted to get him out of there. But she couldn’t. Creating a distraction and keeping the situation calm was the only thing she could do right now. “Here’s the hint, Luke. When you cross the river, don’t go in a straight line. Do you know what that means, not to go in a straight line?”

“Sure, I do. I’m smart, and I can do it. This time, I bet I get away from those hippos.”

“I’ll bet you do, too. You’ll get to the other side, and you’ll be one step closer to finding the baby giraffe.” She took a moment and thought out her next move. “Luke, why don’t you put Mr. Perkins back on the phone?”

That earned her a raised eyebrow from Colin. “What are you doing?” he mouthed.

“What I need to do,” she mouthed back.

Oh, yes. There it was. The inevitable tension. When Callie had called her and asked her to come to the Vaughn estate, Danielle hadn’t known that Colin would be there. But if she had, it still wouldn’t have stopped her. She wanted to help this child, even if she had to go through the emotional roadblock that Colin would create.

Besides, she needed to talk to Colin.

At least Danielle thought she did. She was in her element talking to Luke, but her soon-to-be ex was a different story. Communication had never been their strong suit. Ironic, considering their jobs both hinged on excellent verbal interaction.

“Yeah?” Boyd snapped when he came back on the line.

“I need a favor,” Danielle calmly explained. “This is something that’ll help all of us, you especially. A three-year-old child gets bored easily, and if Luke’s bored, he’ll keep thinking about what’s going on. He’ll keep whining.” She nearly choked on the word. It wasn’t whining when a child was being held hostage. It was a natural human reaction.

“So how do I keep him from not being bored?” Boyd wanted to know.

“Let Luke play his video games. No matter where you are in the house, the system shouldn’t be that hard for you to set up. In fact, he’ll probably be able to help you with that because Luke’s very smart.” She needed to remind this monster that he was dealing with a precious life. “While you’re at it, give him some books, crayons—”

“And that’ll keep him quiet?”

Danielle decided to push a little. “Well, the only sure way to keep him quiet is to release him so he can be with his family.”

“You’re wasting your breath, Doc.”

Fine. That was Colin’s area anyway. She’d leave that to him. “Just please give Luke the activities to do. And make sure he’s eating right. Not too many sweets, or it might make him hyper or irritable. Do you have a good supply of food at the estate? If not, we can have some brought in—”

“I’ll give the kid his video games. That’s all you need to be concerned with.”

“How do you know me?” Danielle asked before he could end the call. “Have we met before?”

Boyd laughed. Not from humor, though. It seemed as if he was taunting her. And then he hung up.

Colin reached over, turned off the recorder and made some notes. “I think he has a visual on the van. Maybe some hidden camera that the owner didn’t know about.” He seemed to be talking to himself. “If he saw us get inside here, he could have used a laptop to do a computer search.”

Yes, but that wouldn’t explain how he knew her name so he could do such a search. And that only added to all the other questions and concerns.

Danielle tried to control her reaction. She tried to tamp down her breathing and her racing heart. But she failed. Her breath shattered, and she got up, despite the sudden dizzy spell. She had to get out of there. She couldn’t come unglued, not in front of Colin.

“Are you…okay?” Colin asked.

“Fine,” she lied.

Danielle knew she couldn’t go far in case Boyd called right back, but she maneuvered herself around Colin. No easy task in the converted van. She had to squeeze herself between him and the table while she was hunkered down so her head wouldn’t hit the ceiling.

It put them face-to-face.

So close, she took in his scent. The clean smell of the rain. His musky aftershave. The wet leather of his black jacket and Lucchese boots. Unfortunately, even with the slight scowl he was sporting, Colin was as hot as ever. He had a face that women noticed, with those classic good looks, midnight-black hair and sizzling blue eyes.

Well, she noticed anyway.

Always had. For better or worse. Colin Forester knew how to make her body beg. But at thirty-eight she was old enough to know that she needed more than great sex. She needed a husband. A family. And while Colin was a pro at his job and in the bedroom, they hadn’t seen eye to eye in other facets of their lives.

And that was the very reason Danielle quickly moved away from him.

That scent, those eyes, could pull her back in, and she couldn’t go there. He obviously didn’t want to do that, either.

The rain had turned to a light mist so Danielle didn’t bother getting an umbrella. Besides, she was already damp from the earlier trek from her car to the van. She stepped onto the soggy ground, the mud squeezing over her heels—again. She’d made the mistake of dressing for work in a skirt suit, but this obviously wasn’t a normal work situation.

That was true on many levels.

Luke’s parents came rushing toward the van. Her friend, Callie, was right behind them, trying to stop them, but it was a losing battle.

“Stay back,” Colin warned. “We think Boyd might have a visual on the van.”

That stopped the parents, and Colin got out so he could go over to them.

“You talked to Luke?” Griffin Vaughn asked her. She felt the concern in both Griffin and his wife, and the worry was etched on their rain-soaked faces. They wanted their boy back.

“I did. Your son is okay. He’s a very brave little boy, and he’s holding up well.” Because Danielle had to catch her breath, she tipped her head to Colin. “Special Agent Forester will give you the details of the conversation.”

Danielle stepped away, leaving them with Colin. She needed just a minute. But she didn’t get it. Callie stepped right in front of her.

“Okay. What’s wrong?” Callie demanded.

Since Callie and she were nearly the same height, it was impossible to avoid eye contact. Her old friend might be a forensic scientist who preferred to deal with facts and evidence, but Callie was no dummy in the emotional arena. Plus, Danielle doubted she was being very secretive. Talk about wearing her heart on her sleeve.

“It’s always emotional when a child’s involved,” Danielle said, figuring Callie would see that it was a ploy to change the subject. “And it doesn’t help that I’m in the van with Colin. Before the last call, I was about to get out and ask you to scrounge me up another vehicle.”

Callie caught on to her arm and moved her to the end of the van. “Never met a shrink who could dodge the truth. Must have something to do with all that empathy and connection to other people.” She shook her head.

“Look, I didn’t know the FBI was sending in Colin, and if this is too much for you, then I’ll get someone else.”

“I’ve already established a rapport with Luke. And maybe with Boyd, too. It’d be a setback to replace me at this point.”

Callie took in a weary breath. “Colin, then—”

“No.” God. Danielle hated that she had to say this, but she had no choice. “Colin’s the best, and Luke needs the best right now.”

“I don’t doubt that Colin and you are both good at what you do. But I can’t have you two at each other’s throats. That won’t help Luke. That won’t help any of us.”

The dizziness hit her again, and Danielle had to grope behind her to catch on to the van. “Trust me, Colin won’t let anything personal get in the way of doing this job. Especially not anything personal that has to do with me.”

But she was talking to the wind because Callie was just staring at her. “What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”

“No,” Danielle answered as quickly as she could.

Callie just kept staring. “You’re not doing fertility treatments again, are you?” She didn’t wait for Danielle to deny it. “Because I figured after all this time, you’d given up on having a child.”

“I did give up.” Danielle hadn’t meant for that to sound like the start of a confession, but it was. “Callie, I’m pregnant.”

The words rushed out of her before Danielle could stop them. Mercy. She needed to tell someone this secret.

“Pregnant?” Callie’s mouth dropped open.

She looked at Danielle’s stomach. There was a slight baby bump there, probably not even noticeable to anyone else, but even so it was concealed behind the sapphire-blue business jacket. However, she couldn’t conceal her swollen fingers. She was retaining water like crazy, and just the day before her fingers had reached the point where she’d had to use soap and then oil to remove her wedding and engagement rings. Of course, with her divorce looming, the rings would have had to come off anyway.

That didn’t explain why she was wearing them on a chain around her neck.

“The doctor said it’s a miracle baby,” Danielle told Callie. “That there was only a one in a million shot I’d ever conceive.” But she had. And she was carrying that miracle inside her. “I’m nearly four months along,” she added. And held her breath. Because Callie could and would do the math.

It didn’t take her friend long. “Colin and you split three months ago. It’s his child.” And there was no doubt in her tone or expression.

Danielle didn’t even try to lie. “Yes.”

Callie grabbed on to her shoulder as if she were about to whoop for joy, but the joy went south in a hurry. “You haven’t told him.”

“No. I meant to. I mean, I tried. I phoned him right after I found out, but he was away on assignment. Days later, when he finally got around to calling me back, the divorce papers had just arrived, and he was in the worst of moods.”

“Oh, damn.” Callie groaned. She glanced around, probably to make sure their conversation was still as private as it could be, considering their location. Callie moved her even farther behind the van. “How do you think Colin will take the news?”

That was the million dollar question. There were times when he’d seemed indifferent during the fertility treatments. Times when he’d asked her flat out to stop. Coupled with his long hours and intense assignments, Danielle wondered if he had truly ever wanted a child.

“I don’t know how Colin will feel,” Danielle admitted. And she certainly didn’t know how he’d feel about her being his baby’s mother. He was finished with her. He hadn’t made one attempt to stop the divorce. So, he might see the baby as some kind of trap that would keep him connected to her.

Danielle didn’t want this baby to ever feel that kind of resentment. Like she had. Before her parents’ divorce, how many times had she heard her father say that her mother had trapped him into marriage? She wanted better for her child, even if that meant having only one parent.

Callie touched her arm, rubbed lightly. “Look, I’m your friend, Danielle, but I have to think of Luke first. He has to be the priority here.”

“I understand.” Danielle had already had this argument with herself and knew what she had to do. “Now isn’t the time to tell Colin I’m carrying his baby. Best to wait, until all of this is resolved.” And even then she wasn’t sure she’d go through with it. Maybe it was better if Colin never knew.

Callie nodded. “You can do that? You can work with Colin and keep this secret to yourself?”

“What secret?” someone asked.

Danielle was glad that Callie caught on to her or she might have fallen on her face. Because the someone was Colin, and she didn’t know how he’d gotten so close without Callie or her noticing, but he’d managed it. He was only a few feet away.

Close enough to have heard everything.

“What secret?” he repeated, putting his hands on his hips.

“Just girl talk,” Callie volunteered.

Colin looked at Callie. Then, at Danielle. He wasn’t buying it, and that would make this assignment even more uncomfortable. Colin was like a bulldog with a bone when he thought he was on to something.

Callie excused herself and headed toward one of the vehicles. Danielle sprang into action, too.

“Did you calm down Luke’s parents?” Danielle asked, forcing herself to move. She should return to the van. To the job. She had to be more like Colin now and concentrate only on what had to be done.

But Colin caught on to her when she tried to walk past him. The eye contact came, and he examined her face with those intense blue eyes. “What secret?”

Best to try to keep it light. “It wouldn’t be a secret now if I told you, would it?”

He still didn’t let go of her, and it seemed as if he changed his mind a dozen times about saying anything. “Are you seeing someone else?”

“God, no.” She saw the surprise go through his eyes, and she wanted to smack herself. The denial had come much too adamantly and quickly. She should have let him think that he was right, and he wouldn’t have pressed about the secret.

But she didn’t want to hurt him.

Or maybe that was wishful thinking on her part—that Colin would be hurt or jealous if she had another man in her life. It wasn’t logical, but even though their marriage was over, the thought of him with another woman would hurt her to the core. That was something she’d have to work out eventually, because if he hadn’t already, Colin would find someone else. Someone not obsessed with having a baby. Someone more sympathetic to the ever-increasing dangerous assignments that he volunteered to do.

She glanced at his left hand.

No wedding ring. He’d already removed it, and he didn’t have the same swollen-finger excuse that she did. Colin had removed the ring because for him this divorce was a done deal. No more negotiations. Just the cleanup.

So that there wouldn’t be any more questions, Danielle eased out of his grip and headed toward the Vaughns, who were about thirty feet from the van. Griffin, the father, was trying to talk Tom into calling Boyd again so he could speak to him. Which wouldn’t be a good idea. It was best to keep Boyd calm, and a conversation with a terrified, angry father definitely wouldn’t help.

“Boyd has agreed to set up some video games for Luke,” Danielle told them. They stared at her and hung on to each word. “As I build a rapport with Boyd, I’ll try to make the conversations longer with Luke, while Colin works for your son’s release.”

“But I have to talk to Boyd. I’ll pay whatever he’s asking.”

“Right now, he’s not asking for money.”

“Then offer it,” Griffin insisted. “And I want to talk to Luke. I have to hear my son.”

Even though her child wasn’t born yet, Danielle understood that. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Both Colin and Tom looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. And maybe she had. Unless Griffin could totally keep the fear out of his voice, the call might upset Luke. It might make things worse. But Danielle couldn’t stop herself from seeing this as a parent. If their situations were reversed, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

She would do anything to talk to her child.

Tom led the couple away, back toward the fence. Danielle climbed into the van. Colin was right behind her and dropped down on the seat next to her. Not by choice. It was the only place for him to sit so he’d be right next to the phone.

“You shouldn’t have given the father that kind of hope,” Colin grumbled.

“Hope is about all he has right now. And us. Colin, we have to get this little boy back to his parents.”

“Us?” he repeated. “Does that mean you’re staying?”

“I’m staying.” But the real question was, could she get through this without having a total meltdown? She was already a hormonal mess.

Danielle tried to change the subject again. “Any word on how Boyd knew I was here?”

He stared at her so long she didn’t think he would drop the subject. Finally, though, he did. “Tom thinks he might have some kind of equipment that allows him to tap into the on-site communications system. Or the van might be in his line of sight after all. Griffin Vaughn insists this is a blind spot, but that doesn’t mean Boyd couldn’t have found a way around it.”

“Either of those possibilities is better than having a mole among us.”

Colin lifted his shoulder. “We can’t rule that out yet.”

The relief was obviously short-lived. “You really think someone out here could be a traitor and feeding Boyd information?”

Another shrug. “Boyd works for a powerful criminal, Nicky Wayne. Wayne has a lot of money, and money can corrupt people. Even people who wear a badge.”

She looked around and prayed he was wrong. They had enough on their plates without worrying if someone was aiding and abetting the enemy. “So, what do we do—move the van farther back?”

“Too late for that. If Boyd’s manipulated the security camera, then he knows we’re here.”

Yes. That included Tom and Callie, too, since they had stood close to the van.

“Plus, I want to stay in the immediate area so that when the eavesdropping equipment arrives we’ll have a chance of hearing what’s going on inside,” Colin added.

It was a good plan. One that would likely cause extreme stress. She didn’t know if she could hold her tongue if she heard Boyd yelling at the already frightened child.

“So, how’d you know about that video game?” Colin asked.

It took a moment to switch gears. “Part of the job. I use games sometimes in therapy, to help a child relax. If we can get Luke to concentrate on the game, he’ll be less likely to get on Boyd’s nerves. A calmer Boyd is what we all want, right?”

Colin looked at her. Full eye contact. She felt the muscles tense in his right arm, which was pressed against her left one. “Right,” he grumbled.

But he wasn’t talking about Boyd. They were back to the secret.

Danielle braced herself for more questions and was in such a high state of anticipation that she jumped when the ringing sound shot through the van. Because she was so close to Colin and therefore close to the phone, she saw it was the same number as before. Boyd’s number.

Round two was about to start.

Colin flicked on the recorder and answered the call on speaker. “Boyd, it’s me, Colin.”

“Yeah, I know who it is, Colin.” It sounded as if he were mocking the friendliness that Colin was trying to establish.

Still, Colin stayed calm. “What can I do for you, Boyd?”

“You can tell me what the hell you think you’re doing.”

“What do you mean?” Colin still sounded calm, but she felt him tense again.

“I said no badges and no parents near the fence or the gate. You didn’t listen. You didn’t obey. Now, somebody’s gonna pay for that.”

“Boyd, just calm down. I’ll get them out of here.”

“Not just the parents,” Boyd barked. “Everybody but the doc and you.”

That sent a chill through Danielle.

“I want you two nearby, just in case I need some, uh, what do you call it? Yeah, leverage,” Boyd joked. “That’s what you two can be—my leverage in case your friends are stupid enough to try to storm the place.”

Colin glanced at her. “Are you asking Dr. Connolly and me to trade places with Luke?”

“No. I’m thinking I got the best leverage of all with the kid. You and the doc will be my backup of sorts.”

Colin was shaking his head before Boyd even finished. “I’m a federal agent. You can’t get better leverage than that. Dr. Connolly doesn’t need to stay.”

“Yeah. She does. Grab your binoculars, Colin, and have a good look at the west side of the house. Not the house itself. I’m in the garden.”

Oh, God. Outside. Not where they’d expected a hostage taker to be. The usual pattern was for the perp to remain concealed.

“That’s where I am right now,” Boyd continued. “Watching you. Oh, and save your bullets because the kid is right here with me, and you wouldn’t want the little fellow to get hurt, now would you?”

Danielle heard Luke then. He was asking for his father again. Mercy. This could turn very ugly fast.

Colin did look through the binoculars and cursed under his breath. “He’s watching us,” he scribbled on the notepad. “And he has a rifle.”

“Tell them to leave,” Boyd insisted. “And no tricks, no dragging their feet. They got five minutes to clear out.”

“Evacuate now!” Colin called out to Tom. “The situation’s escalated. Boyd’s not in the house. He went onto the grounds, and he can see us.”

Tom cursed. So did Colin under his breath. And the place turned to chaos. Everyone began to scramble toward their vehicles. Except Tom. He raced to the van, took the notepad and wrote, “We’ll go to the other side of the mountain, out of his sight but not too far.”

However, it would be far enough so that Colin and she wouldn’t have immediate backup.

“I don’t want Dr. Connolly here,” Colin said. It took her a moment to realize he was talking to Boyd again. “I want her to leave with the others.”

“No way, Colin. I’m calling the shots.”

“I know you are, but it’ll be easier if you only have Luke and me to watch—”

“Oh, the doc won’t give me any trouble, and since she’s your wife and all, I’m thinking she’ll be able to keep you in line. Because, after all, you being the do-gooder Boy Scout kind of man that you are, you’ll do anything to keep the little woman safe, won’t you?”

The muscles in Colin’s jaw turned to iron. “Boyd—”

“Enough of this!” Boyd yelled. “I’m opening the front gate. Now, here’s what I want you to do. No guns. No equipment or bags of any kind, except for the cell phone you’re using right now. Leave your wallet and the doc’s purse in the van. Both of you put your hands in the air and start walking toward the estate.”

Colin and she glanced at each other, both trying to figure out how to handle this. But their time for decision making was cut very short.

“Just come, Doctor,” Luke said. His voice was shaky, and he sounded scared again. “Mr. Perkins wants you to come really, really bad.”

“You want me inside the estate?” Colin asked. He fished out his wallet and personal cell phone and dropped them onto the table.

“No. See the guesthouse just inside the fence?”

Danielle had already noticed the small building that had a similar facade to the estate itself. But the guesthouse wasn’t the problem. It was getting there. Colin and she would be out in the open.

“You can wait here,” Colin told her. He climbed behind the seat and took off his shoulder holster. What he didn’t do was remove the backup pistol that Danielle knew he always carried in an ankle holster. “I’ll talk to Boyd. I’ll make him see there’s no reason for you to be on scene.”

But there was a reason. A huge one. Even if Colin figured out a way to keep Boyd calm and get him to back off his demand that she be there, it would mean she wouldn’t be around for Luke. He needed her, and she wasn’t going to abandon him.

“Please come now,” she heard Luke say. His voice filled the van and seemingly the entire mountain. He hadn’t shouted, but he might as well have because his words slammed through her. “Please.”

“I’m coming,” she let him know. “Just think about your video game. About those hippos. Think about saving the baby giraffe.” Danielle got out of the van and lifted her hands into the air.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Colin mumbled in a gruff whisper.

“We’re doing the only thing we can do. We’re saving a child,” she reminded him.

And she started for the guesthouse. Still cursing, Colin hurried to maneuver himself in front of her.

Danielle could feel Boyd’s rifle trained right on them.

Chapter Three

This nightmare had just taken a bad turn.

Colin knew letting Boyd dictate the situation was a mistake. He had to figure out a way to stop this from spiraling out of control.