The Baby Bargain (15 page)

Lawrence pulled something out of his pocket.

Megan heard the buzz and screamed, “No! Don’t!” She couldn’t believe she was watching
her mentor jam a stun gun against the dog’s neck!

Max whimpered and hit the ground. She rushed forward.

Lawrence shoved the stun gun back in his pocket, then quickly uncapped one of the
syringes in his other hand and injected it into the dog.

Megan slammed into him. “You bastard!” Red rage fogged her brain. He hurt her dog.
He could hurt Cole next!

The syringes scattered as the two of them tumbled to the ground. She scrambled to
get free, but Lawrence rolled her to her back and pinned her down. “Shut up! Or I’ll
drug you too!”

He had her trapped before she could fight him. His eyes shined, and his pupils were
dilated. The veins stood out on his neck and forehead. His fingers around her arms
were viciously tight. His strength didn’t surprise her, as she’d seen him lift 120-pound
dogs. But she’d never thought he’d hurt her or Cole.

“Are you insane?”

He smiled coldly. “No. You’re mine. I all but raised you to be my wife and business
partner, and you have completely fucked up the plan. It’s time you had a reality check,
Megan.”

Her muscles went lax with utter shock. She actually felt her head spin as her brain
tried to grab onto what he was saying. “That’s sick.”

“What’s sick? Loving your son even if I’m not the father? I’d never hold that against
Cole. And it’s my job to protect that boy. I will not let his father kill him too.”

Chapter Seventeen

Adam went through the window and dropped into Cole’s room. Thank God he was still
asleep.

Logan dropped in after him. Ellie growled, low and frightened. She was spread over
Cole’s legs. He touched her head, feeling her tremble. Frightened to death, and yet
she tried to protect Cole. Leaning down, he said quietly, “Stay here with Cole, Ellie.”

Ellie licked his hand.

Adam leaned over Cole, who was waking slightly. “Hey, C-Man. Everything’s fine. Go
back to sleep.” The boy closed his eyes.

For a brief second, Adam felt a wave of powerful love. His son trusted him enough
to just close his eyes and go back to sleep. That’s what being a dad was, and he loved
it. Now he had to rescue the woman he cared about, too.

He rose from where he crouched by the bed. Griff and Hunter were circling outside
the house, checking the windows and doors. They’d come inside if Adam needed them.
He looked directly at Logan. “No one gets to Cole.”

The other man nodded once. “Go.”

Adam slipped out of the room and down the hallway. They’d received the alarm about
seven minutes ago. Fear had sprung up in him like a geyser, but he’d capped it. He
had to save his family.

He’d activated the speaker on the alarm system he’d installed, allowing him to hear
a good deal of what was happening. Now he’d deal with the animal that threatened his
Meg. His gut tightened. Lawrence had called him a killer. He knew. Anyone could find
out if they looked hard enough.

Didn’t matter. He had a job to do. Carefully, he looked around the corner into the
living room. Max was on the ground, but breathing. Close by, Lawrence straddled Meg,
his big hands clamping her arms to the wood floors. And Lawrence was talking.

“The news will breaking in the morning. The hometown hero—he killed his brother.”

Meg stared up at Lawrence, her eyes going wide with horror. “You’re lying!”

“You’re a fool, Megan. A damned fool. It was in San Diego. They were in the waves,
and the brother was caught in a riptide. He was pulled under. Adam did nothing. Nothing.
He just stood there and watched his brother die. Finally the kid was found, but it
was too late.”

Her face went so white, even her lips looked bloodless. “His brother? Adam had a brother?”

“Until he killed him.” Lawrence lowered his face. “He dumped Cole in that pond, too.”

Adam saw her face and knew then it was over. Anything she ever felt for him died.
She’d never let him near Cole again. He’d lost her. Lost his family.

“Now here’s what’s going to happen,” Lawrence said.

Careful of the syringes scattered on the floor, Adam moved with stealth, sliding up
behind Lawrence. He shoved his gun against his head. “Release her arms.” He didn’t
look at Meg’s face, just watched that Lawrence followed his directions.

The man let go of her and lifted his arms. “See, Megan?” He twisted suddenly, throwing
an elbow into Adam’s ribs.

Adam raised the gun to the ceiling instantly, not wanting to accidentally shoot Meg.
He took the hit and spun with it. As he came back around, he crouched low and launched
himself, shoving his forearm against Lawrence’s neck with measured force.

The impact threw Lawrence off Megan. The other man landed and clawed at his throat,
choking and coughing. Griff and Hunter burst into the house. Adam glanced at the man
struggling to breathe. “Search him. Police should be here in seconds.”

He kneeled down next to Megan. She sat up and stared at him with an expression that
he’d seen before. In his mother’s eyes.

“Where are you hurt?” he asked. “Do you need an ambulance?”

She just stared at him.

Adam sighed. “Meg, tell me where you’re hurt or you’re going to the hospital. I’m
not going to harm you. I’ve been in your house all this time and never hurt you or
Cole, right?”

“Cole!” She shoved past him, running toward the bedroom.

The sirens screamed the arrival of the police.

Adam turned to Griff. “Pick up the dog and take him into the back room. Megan will
want to examine him.”

The man frowned at him. “Shouldn’t you—”

“No,” he cut him off. Adam refused to feel right now. It was over. She knew the truth.
He’d read it in her face. “I’ll go inform the sheriff of the situation.”

He walked out and left his family behind.

…

It had been a long night. Megan gratefully took the cup of coffee from Nadine. “Thanks.”
She had to come into the sheriff’s station in the morning to give her official statement.
At least this time she was there as a witness and not under arrest.

The sheriff sat down behind her metal desk. “We arrested Trina last night. She gave
a full confession. She stole and copied your house key when you let her borrow your
car.”

“I had her use my car to transport a stray puppy to a foster home.” She shook her
head. “She did seem to be gone a long time, but I never thought she’d copy my house
key.”

“You didn’t think she’d steal Celtic Fire and put her in your office either.”

“Why?” There were so many questions. “I trusted her.” She’d trusted Lawrence too,
and look where that had gotten her.

Never mind Adam. He’d left when went to check on Cole. She hadn’t seen him since.
No, she told herself, don’t think about him. Not now. One thing at a time.

“Trina is young and gullible. Dr. Hamilton convinced her that you were doing bad things
to animals and they had to stop you. She’s in love with him. Well, she was. Nothing
like a pair of steel handcuffs closing around your wrists to burst the romantic fantasy.”

Sympathy warred with anger as she thought about her veterinary assistant. She was
young, and Lawrence was a well-known veterinarian who was liked and respected. He
belonged to the country club…he could turn a lot of women’s heads.

“Get that look off your face, Megan Young.”

She shot her gaze to Nadine. “What?”

“Sympathy is not what that girl needs. She needs a little kick in the ass to set her
on the right path.”

Megan sucked in a breath. “I hear you.”

“You had better. That girl was an accessory to framing you for a crime. You could
have lost everything you’ve worked for in this town, plus a lot of money in legal
fees. Possibly been put on probation. Remember that when you start thinking about
not pressing charges. Trina needs to learn to think, and to remember actions have
consequences.”

Megan forced a smile. “Now I remember why you were elected sheriff. Not even old school
friends get a break with you.”

Nadine smiled back. “My opinion about the charges against you didn’t matter. I had
a job to do.”

Megan waved it off. Nadine had been professional, and she had kept Megan calm throughout
the process. “I really thought it was Nathan McCray setting me up, but it was Lawrence.”

“Nathan believed you and his ex-wife had stolen Celtic Fire together.” Nadine smiled.
“You were both wrong.”

“So what happens to Lawrence?”

“He’s under arrest but still in the hospital. Adam hit him in the throat, causing
some swelling they had to control for him to breathe. He’s lawyered up. But after
what you got on your phone video, and the sound Adam picked up with the security system,
I think he’s going to take a plea and maybe get some help.”

Megan nodded, still unable to believe it. “You know, he asked me out a couple of times
when I worked for him, then dropped it. I had no idea he had focused on me like that.”

“From what Trina said, seeing you run off with Adam on the night of your mom’s fund-raising
gala sent him over the edge.”

Megan remembered the run across the golf course to the cabin. Actual pain stabbed
her chest. Adam. What was the real story with his brother? Why hadn’t he come to talk
to her? Tell her the truth of what happened? He’d promised he would talk to her when
this was over.

Fresh pain twisted through her. Adam had run away again. Just vanished. He didn’t
seem to be able to trust her. That was depressing, and it hurt. And that wasn’t the
only thing that saddened her. “Then there’s Trina. I don’t seem to be a good judge
of people.”

“Megan, go home. You’ve been through hell. You have to be sore from the struggle.
And I’d bet my badge you didn’t sleep last night.”

“I had to watch Max.” He’d been fine by about two a.m. She smiled, remembering Ellie
licking Max’s face. Logan had told her that they’d found Ellie draped over Cole, growling
and shaking horribly. Her timid little girl had been trying so hard to be brave and
protect Cole.

“Go home. You’ve signed your statement, we have everything we need.”

“Thanks, Nadine.”

Going out into the sunshine, she sucked in a breath of air.

Megan’s phone rang just as she got into her car. Her heart leaped with hope. Fishing
her cell out, she looked at the caller ID.

Not Adam.

“Hello?”

“It’s Sienna Walker, Adam’s assistant.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find Adam. Has he been in contact with you?”

“No. Not unless he went to my house while I was at the sheriff’s station.”

“I just got off the phone with your mother, and she says he’s not there. The guys
are looking for him. We’re all worried.”

“I haven’t seen him.” She stared out her windshield, trying to think. “Have they tried
his parents’ house? What about the hotel?”

“Not there or there. Megan, do you have any ideas? Where else would he go?”

The tournament was on Saturday. “The country club? Maybe he’s checking things out?”

“No one has seen him.”

“I don’t know where he could be.”

“Do you even care?” Sienna snapped.

Megan blinked. “Of course I do. He’s the one who walked out and didn’t come back!”
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“Do you know he’s arranged for half the proceeds from his parents’ house to go to
you once escrow closes? And he has the lawyers drawing up child support payments.”

“He sold the house?”

“And he was looking into moving the business. For you, Megan. He would do anything
for you and Cole.”

“Then why did he walk out?”

There was silence, then the other woman said, “None of us ever knew Adam had a brother.
But we all know Adam. He didn’t kill his brother. And he didn’t try to drown Cole.”

Megan felt the icy accusation right to her heart. “I didn’t say he did! I never thought
that!”

“Does he know that, Megan? Griff says you stared at him like he was a monster.”

“No!” The memories crashed over her and spilled out in words. “I was in shock. Adam
was just there with the gun. I was so scared when Lawrence tried to attack him.” The
scene flipped through her mind. “Adam moved so fast. He took Lawrence down in seconds.”

“He’s highly trained.”

“Then he asked where I was hurt, and I thought about Cole and I panicked.”

“That Adam had hurt him?”

“No! I never thought that! I just had to get to my baby.” It had made sense to her
at the time.

But to Adam… Oh God. “He thinks I believed Lawrence.” Megan started her car. “I have
to find him.”

“He’s at the cabin.”

She put the car in gear as the words sank in. “You knew where he was the whole time?”

“Yes. I just had to see if you cared enough to help him. He didn’t run from you, Megan,
he thought you didn’t want him there.”

“You’re—”

“His friend. If you’re good to him, I’ll be your friend too.”

“I don’t think I want you for an enemy.”

“You really don’t. I had to make sure you really cared before I sent you after him.
Otherwise, I’d send one of the guys.”

“I care,” she said softly. Another thought occurred to her. “Were you lying about
his brother too? Did you know about him?”

“No. No one knew. Adam never said a word.”

Because he couldn’t, Megan thought, remembering what he’d told her. Sadness for Adam
gripped her. “Gotta go.”

“Take care of him, Megan.”

“Count on it.”

…

Adam stood in the kitchenette, downing coffee. The box sat on the coffee table between
the couch and the fireplace. He could light a fire and burn it all. Or he could store
the box somewhere.

He gave himself today to decide. Today to wallow in his misery. Today to be pathetic.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, he was going to get back to work. Saturday was the Celebrity Golf
Tournament, and the celebs would begin arriving on Thursday. So, yeah, tomorrow he
would get back to work—after he talked to Megan. He was moving the security agency
here, and he wanted visitation with his son. He would look for a house as close to
Megan and Cole as he could find. He’d agree to only see Cole in her presence if she
wished, but he was seeing his son.

But that was tomorrow.

Today he needed to get his shit together. His men and Sienna, they were going to ask
questions. He had to find a way to answer them.

A loud knock at the door shattered his thoughts. He’d shut his phone off a few hours
ago, knowing damn well Sienna would track him once he went off the grid. He’d bet
she had succeeded. His assistant was too damned smart.

He ignored the pounding, walking barefoot to the bedroom. He couldn’t bear any questions
today. His throat tightened at the thought of trying to tell anyone about Brady.

“Adam, please, open the door.”

Shock rooted him to the floor. Not his guys, not even Sienna.

Megan.

He ran a hand through his hair. What was she doing here? How had she found him? Why?
He looked down. He was wearing sweatpants and nothing else.

“Adam, I’m not leaving until we talk.”

If it was anyone else…

But it was Megan. He stopped fighting the inevitable and went to the door. He pulled
it open, felt his chest clench at the sight of her. The sun poured down over her,
catching all the red and gold in her long hair. Her face was bare of makeup, and she
wore a tailored, button-down shirt. So beautiful.

“We need to talk.”