High Stakes Gamble

Chapter Forty

“Who are you?” The woman was totally cool. Her hand holding the gun didn’t shake. Her eyes holding his didn’t flinch. Neither did the hatred blazing from her eyes wane. She scared the living shit out of him.

Not wanting to alarm her, Kai casually put his hands in his pockets and took a relaxed stance. “I’m Lily’s father.” After he spoke the words, they hurtled back at him like a shock wave of pure elation. He’d never said it out loud before and somehow it made his claim seem more real. Holy smokes! I’m a father. And this little blue-eyed darlin’ is mine.

It was then he knew he could die. Because he’d do anything it took to keep his little angel safe. If it meant taking a bullet, well then he’d gladly leave this life for her.

Except for one thing, he had the world by the tail right now. The love of a gorgeous female was in his grasp. He had a daughter to teach how to become a gutsy woman like her mom. It was a chance at a life he could only dream of. Somehow he had to get through this drama so he could have his happy ever after.

While he took the moments to think of his options, she’d laid Lily on the floor and stepped back motioning with the gun for him to sit against the wall.

The hardness in her tone hadn’t faltered, if anything it had strengthened. “Baloney, you’re a cop.”

He slowly removed his glasses and watched the truth sink in. “I’m her father. And I live in LA. I came as soon as I heard she’d been taken.”

“How did you find me?” She narrowed her eyes and waited.

Okay no more wriggling around the truth. Being as smart a lady as she was, she wouldn’t appreciate it. “I’m a detective with the LAPD.”

“I knew it. Otherwise you’d never of had the wherewithal to search out all the different deliveries. I had to order supplies because I couldn’t take a chance yet on anyone recognizing Lily. But I worried that you’d track the baby stuff.”

He had to think fast. “There was a pattern.”

Jane nodded. “I know. She likes only certain foods and I wanted her to be happy.” For a second, she glanced at the baby on the floor playing with her toes and gurgling. Her expression softened wondrously.

A bit of the ice in Kai’s animosity melted. He couldn’t let this softening override his knowledge though. She was a land mine, one wrong step and detonation could occur.

“Give me your gun,” she ordered.

He did as she asked and watched as she backed to a small table and put it in a drawer.

“Now sit there, put your handcuffs on and don’t move.” She was all business once again.

He did as she said, and leaned back against the wall—calm and quiet.

“Give me the key.”

Yep, she was smart. He threw it over and she put it in her pocket.

Then she sat across from him and picked Lily up once more. Her own gun she kept in the well of her crossed legs.

“Now what?” Kai asked. She looked his way.

“I don’t want any fuss. My husband is a good man and hasn’t had anything to do with this. It was my choice. I don’t want him implicated.”

“He won’t be. At this point, it’s just between you and me. But I can’t promise for how long we can keep it quiet. You know Lily’s mom is a cop—”

The calm women from a moment ago disappeared to be replaced by insanity. “Don’t you talk to me about that cold-hearted bitch! And my baby’s name is Lucy.” In one instant, nice, easy-to-talk-to Jane had regressed from a reasonable person to nuttier than a pecan-covered ice cream treat.

“Come again?” He had no idea what this wild-eyed lunatic was talking about! Should he commiserate and pretend to be on her side? Tell her he lived in LA because he couldn’t stand being with Aurora. Maybe suck up to her by agreeing. Muscles tensed, he waited for her to elaborate.

“I watched her being a cop.” She spit the word out like it tasted bad. “In the doctor’s office, when some poor lady had her baby stolen, that cop strutted around like she was queen of the place, threw her baby at me to look after and threatened me to stay where I was and not to move. I held her…” For a second Jane’s eyes clouded over and she lifted her hand to her head. Then she looked down at Lily who let out a happy humming sound.

The baby’s waving arm struck her chin and as soon as Jane felt the touch, she lowered her face and it seemed as if Lily stroked her cheek. It darned near brought the tears to his eyes to see the tiny person connect with the heartbroken, spirit-sick Jane.

Wanting to keep her talking, he softly questioned. “Did the cop try and help the other mother?”

“Help her? I-I don’t know.” Jane blinked repeatedly. Her lip trembled until she bit down hard. “She left her baby with a stranger. A person like that doesn’t deserve to be a mother.”

He smiled gently. “Of all the women around, what made her trust you?”

“I-I don’t know.” Tears filled Jane’s eyes and she hugged Lily to her and began to hum softly.