Solid Muscle (Unseen Enemy Book 5) (8 page)

Cordelia bit her lip. “Is that what you do?”

“Yes.” He set his large hands flat on the counter. “I put it all away and deal with it when I can.” He didn’t mention the fact that his closet was full of unopened boxes, boxes that he had no intention of
ever
opening. If he did, surely the house would collapse around him.

She nodded. “OK. I’ll – I’ll try.”

“I know you will.”

“Hunter?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you worried about tomorrow?”

He hesitated, trying to decide how much to share with her. “A bit. People like this are unpredictable and untrustworthy, and they can do odd things.”

“Like?”

“Like separate us for questioning, check our stories that way.”

She blinked in horror. “Really?”

“Yes. They can also take the money and then disappear, or ask for more and change conditions mid-flow.” He shrugged. “But we stay cool, OK? We stay on point and we never offer more information than they ask for. Just like we practiced.”

She swallowed hard. “OK.”

“Hey.” He came over to her now, gently took her shoulders in his hands. “You’re going to do great, Cordelia.”

“You think so?”

“I
know
so.” He started to stroke her hair, not able to stop himself from wanting to comfort her a bit. “You’re the best at whatever the hell it is that Jack has taught you, so you’ll know what they’re
really
asking from us. You’ll know what they’re thinking and feeling just as well as they do – maybe even
better
than they do. You’ll see so much in their faces and bodies and you can
use
that. Don’t be afraid to use it, Cordelia. It’s an asset and a weapon and you wield it, baby, no fucking apologies. You turn it back on them and you help me get those kids home.” His thick fingers moved to her delicate cheekbone, stroked it tenderly. “You with me?”

She nodded, her throat tight at his blinding belief in her. “I’m with you.”

“That’s my girl.” He lowered his lips to her forehead, gave her a soft kiss. She closed her eyes and inhaled him, his strength and solidity. “You hang on and we’ll get through this. Together.”

Chapter Nine

The next day at six minutes before noon, Sully pulled up to the office building. He parked right in front –
in case we need a fast getaway
– and turned off the engine. He looked over at Cordelia.

“You doing alright?”

She met his eyes and stayed silent. She looked scared to death and for the hundredth time, he was reminded that she was, for all intents and purposes, an untrained civilian who was walking in to a major criminal activity. God only knows what was waiting for them in that building.

“Listen.” He spoke quietly but with intensity. “It’s OK to be nervous and frightened and it’s
totally
OK to show that.”

“It is?” she choked out.

“It is. Millie Baker is a law-abiding woman, right? She does charity work and she loves cooking for her friends and family. She’s educated and happily married – and she’s been trying to have a baby for twelve years.”

Cordelia nodded.

“For
years
, she’s watched her girlfriends get pregnant and have babies; she’s watched her neighbors with their kids. She’s seen children born in her family, year after year. Her sister-in-law and her cousins have had healthy, beautiful babies, and she’s been happy and devastated at the same time. She’s become pregnant eight times with Garrett’s baby – and she’s lost all eight.”

She was watching him closely now, really listening.

“By this point, she’s
desperate
. She wants this more than she wants her next breath. She’s willing to do
anything
– including going against every single ethical code or belief she may have ever held – to get a baby. And now? Inside that building? There’s a person who says that if we just hand over this briefcase of money, Millie
gets
her baby.”

Hunter took a deep breath.

“How’s she going to feel, knowing that? Well, she’s nervous about doing something that she knows good and well is illegal even if she truly thinks she’s saving an abused child. She’s scared that it’s a police trap or a scam. She’s angry that it’s come to this, after all her years of playing by the rules. She’s happy that she may get a baby, at long last. She’s confused and she’s conflicted and so there’s no need – no need at
all
– for you to be calm and collected. Alright?”

“Yes.”

“The more human and emotional you are right now, the more believable you are as a desperate, determined woman, so don’t feel any pressure to be a detached operative. You’re a
mother
, Cordelia, so you know what Millie Baker wants so badly. You
get
it, so use that knowledge. But don’t get in to this so deep that you lose your ability to observe non-verbal cues… OK?”

“OK.”

“As for the detached, emotionless person in the room? That’s me. I’m an analyst and a very rich man and I negotiate and take risks for a living. I understand the power of money and I have no trouble at all exchanging it for what I deem to have value. And making Millie happy is
all
that I want to do now, it’s
all
I value – so for Garrett, this is a simple transaction. He can be cold and collected so
you
don’t have to be. You hearing me?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He undid his seatbelt and leaned over to her. He lightly brushed her lips, a lingering kiss that could be seen as a supportive husband’s promise by anyone watching from the building, then he started to pull back. But Cordelia needed more and before she could stop herself, she grasped the back of his jacket. She pulled him to her again, burrowing in to his chest.

Right away, his arms went around her. He held her tight and close, his hands clenched in her hair, his forehead pressed to hers. He shut his eyes, just inhaled her sweet scent and held on. She was soft and she was scared and she needed this right now – he was
damned
if he wasn’t going to be there for her.

Cordelia felt her heartbeat slow down as Hunter cradled her, murmuring that it was all going to be OK. His back muscles were hard and huge under her fingers, and she longed to take off his jacket and dress shirt. The primal need to be close to him was overwhelming her, and she knew that it was her fear that was now in control. She was seeking comfort and safety and Hunter’s strong body was offering both; no wonder she was clinging to him like all the bones in her body had melted.

Hating to do it but needing to, she took one final deep breath and moved away. His arms released her slowly, almost reluctantly, and she looked up at him, showed him both her fear and determination. Trusted him with what she was showing him.

Everything that she
was
was there in her eyes and in this moment, she was pure
Cordelia
: she was that amazing and intoxicating essence of incredible strength and sweet vulnerability. He knew that if he got a taste, even just once, he’d be addicted forever.

“OK?” he asked quietly, his hands still tangled in her hair.

“I am.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes.”

He helped her out of the SUV, didn’t let go of her hand. They crossed the small courtyard and entered the lobby. There was no security guard but Sully did see some cameras and the red lights were on. The question was if anyone was actually watching and if so, who they were.

They waited for the elevator, still holding hands. Cordelia was looking better now, more grounded and centered, and Sully felt a bit of tension leave his body. He wasn’t about to relax completely and he wouldn’t stop worrying, but she was pulling it together. He was willing to bet that she’d surprise him upstairs.

They exited the elevator, scanned the office numbers until they saw Room 518. They approached slowly and Sully gave her hand one more squeeze. She glanced up at him and he smiled.

“Here we go, Millie. We’re going to take the first step to getting our baby now.”

She returned his smile and it was brilliant, so bright and happy that he was stunned. For just a few seconds, he really
believed
that he was looking at a woman who was getting her most deeply-longed-for wish fulfilled at last.

“I can’t wait, Garrett,” she breathed. “I’m so ready for this.”

“I know, hon.”

Sully knocked on the door and it opened right away. A woman was standing there, and they both stared at her in utter shock. She was not
at
all
what they’d been expecting.

She looked to be about seventy and she was wearing a long skirt and a cardigan and sensible shoes. Her silver hair was pulled back in a bun, she had glasses hanging from a gold chain around her neck and she looked for all the world like the perfect grandmother. Cordelia glanced in to the room, fully expecting to see this woman’s discarded knitting somewhere.

“Hello!” the woman twinkled at them, her voice reedy. “The Bakers?”

Still stunned, they nodded.

“Come in, please.”

They did, recovering slowly from the shock of having this sweet old lady answer the door. She ushered them over to the table, which was set with a teapot and a plate of cookies, all of which kicked the surreal factor up a few more notches.

The office was obviously one of those spaces that could be rented by the hour, day, week, or month. Cordelia knew they were popular now with people needing some isolation and quiet to work on short-term projects; she supposed they also worked perfectly as anonymous and secretive meeting places.

“So!” the woman said, beaming at them. “You’re here to help one of those wonderful children.”

“Yes,” Sully said, still trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. “Yes, we are.”

“I’m so delighted for you,” she said and Cordelia knew that she meant it. “They need loving homes and you need a child to love. Don’t you?”

“Yes,” Sully said again.

“Perfect! Nothing makes me happier than helping to create families.” She smiled. “I was happily married for fifty years, you know, and I had six children and now I have ten grandchildren. I know how important family is. It’s such a shame when traditional adoption agencies are so slow and short-sighted, isn’t it? The only people who suffer in the end are the children.”

Cordelia gazed at her, studied her face and eyes carefully, looking for even the smallest signs of insincerity or duplicity. But there was nothing –
not one damn thing
– to indicate that the woman was anything but truthful. She
loved
what she was doing.

Cordelia decided to push things a bit. “We were told that these children were rescued from bad situations… it’s such a blessing to be able to give them a good home.”

“Oh, yes.” The woman’s eyes and mouth were angry now. “Yes, those poor babies have been abused and hurt… how can anyone do that to a child?”

“I don’t know,” Cordelia said quietly.

“That’s why it’s so admirable of you to take them in to your homes and your hearts.” The woman smiled again, regaining her good humor. “Children should just be
loved
, shouldn’t they?”

“Yes.”

Cordelia felt despair crash in to her chest as the woman poured a cup of tea and slid it over to her. Numb, Cordelia took it, still reeling with the certainty that this woman truly, deeply
believed
that these children were orphans or abuse survivors. She had no idea whatsoever that these children had parents who were frantic to find them, that they were actually kidnap victims.

Clearly, she’d been told that lie to protect the other actors involved, but also to make her a convincing and reassuring first human contact. She’d been duped, thoroughly and totally, and now Cordelia wondered if she’d been taken advantage of because of her age.

Will she go to jail for her part in this? My God… she’ll die in there.

“So, I’m sorry to be rude, but I do need to ask if you’ve brought the money.” The sweet old lady really did look apologetic.

“Right here.” Sully set the briefcase on the table.

“Oh, wonderful! Please open it, slide it over.”

Sully complied and she quickly checked the money, smiled sunnily when she saw that it was the demanded half-a-million dollars. She clicked it closed and sat back a bit.

“Well, now that
that
awkwardness is over, let me tell you what happens next.”

“Alright,” Sully said. “That would be great.”

“So, I’m afraid now the hard part begins,” she said. “Because now you have to wait.”

“How long?” Cordelia asked, and decided to throw out the name of the woman at the adoption agency. “Tiffany said it would happen quickly once we paid the money.”

The woman was genuinely puzzled. “I don’t know who Tiffany is, dear, but she was right. It usually takes about five days to actually meet the sweet children.”

“And we can choose any one we want?” Cordelia asked, her hands clasped together tightly. “We can look until we find ours?”

The woman laughed and it was a beautiful sound. “Oh, yes. You’ll be taken around the temporary homes until you find the child that makes your hearts sing.”

“How many places are there to visit?” Sully asked.

“Three.”

Cordelia felt her heart stop.
Three
places where they had stolen kids?

“And can we visit them all in one day?” Sully asked, as if he wasn’t the slightest bit perturbed at the news that there were so many kidnapped children hidden away somewhere in Kansas.

“Oh, indeed. No problem.”

“Good,” Cordelia breathed. She was sure that
that
was going to be an awful, horrible day but on the other hand, she had no desire to drag the visits on over a week or two. She wanted to physically get in to the places where the children were being kept, see them all, choose a kid to start the process and get the hell out. Get back to Sean and hold him like she’d never let him go.

“And you never know!” the woman said. “You may well see your child within seconds of setting foot in the first home. Love at first sight is real, I can assure you, and it can happen with children too.”

Exhausted, upset, Cordelia just nodded. Sully saw that she was seconds away from tears and he rushed to conclude the meeting.

“So will you be calling us?” he asked.

“Oh, no, dear.
This
is all I do… you’ll hear from someone else.”

“Do you know their name?”

“I’m sorry, no. I don’t know anybody’s name, except for the man who calls me to come and meet you.”

Fuck,
Sully thought. Clearly, everybody got just enough information to handle a small part of the bigger operation… nobody was told more than they needed to be told. It kept everyone higher up safe, kept everyone else in the dark and made them useless if they were caught and questioned.

“OK,” he said aloud. “We’ll wait.”

“It’ll be difficult, I know,” the woman said with great sympathy. “But it’ll all be worth it, when you’re holding your sweet baby in your arms.”

Cordelia nodded, got to her feet. She extended her hand. “Thank you so much.”

“Oh, no, dear… thank
you
! You’re going to change a tiny soul’s life for the better. That’s a miracle and you’re wonderful people to do it.”

Neither Sully nor Cordelia could look at the faith and kindness on that sweet old face for one second longer. They managed to murmur a few more words, get out the door, get to the SUV. The drive back to the house was silent. They both had a lot to think about.

**

Sully tapped on Cordelia’s bedroom door, feeling a bit hesitant. She’d gone straight there after they’d gotten back from the meeting and he’d left her alone for an hour now. He figured she needed a bit of recovery time. Hell,
he’d
been shaken up by that meeting too and he’d been in plenty such situations before.

If the woman had been a man, or a young, aggressive, harsh woman? He’d have accepted the other person in the meeting without even batting an eyelid. But the quintessential Sweet Granny taking the cash had been disconcerting – and even more so because it was crystal clear that she had
no
idea what she was really involved in.