One Night Stand Ch. 09

How had she of all people forgotten that? Too many dinners in the 'right' restaurants, too many shopping trips to the Galleria to buy the 'right' clothes, spending more money on a single outfit than Mama used to make in months, and too many hours in the gym when she used to keep in shape by running around town after her sisters and Jack. She had gotten soft. She had forgotten that you passed the same people going down as you had stepped on rising up. And for the first time, she questioned it all.

"Answer my question, Ryan. Isn't Mercy in just as much danger in the hands of your former employer as she would be with Kerr?"

He shook his head, "No one would be in as much danger as with that man. Honestly, I'm still trying to get to the bottom of it all. Most of what Mercy told your Mama did not make any sense."

His fingers gripped her chin, and their eyes met over the top of their baby's head, "But the one thing that reassures me is that your sister is with someone I know. Caleb Williams is one of few people I would trust at this point, sweetheart."

"Why? How do you know that he is not the leak?"

"I have known Caleb Williams since I joined the agency. We went through training together at Quantico. He's former Houston PD. Though he's young, he made quite a name for himself in narcotics. Honestly, sweetheart, like I told your Mama, I have met very few men with a stronger moral compass than that man. He's a hell of a lot more of the good guy than I am. And yes, I'd trust him with her life."

He brushed his finger over their daughter's cheek, and Chloe turned to look at him. Laura knew from reading all those pregnancy and baby books that it was much too soon for her daughter to smile, but she swore that was what Chloe did at her daddy.

"I guess I can't argue with that one. But how did he get messed up with the whole Kerr and Mercy thing? And why did Kerr go after my sister?"

He sighed heavily and leaned against the pillow. For the first time, Laura noticed the dark smudges beneath those striking blue eyes. Had this man slept at all since he arrived at her house and delivered their baby yesterday? If so, it could not be more than an hour or so nap, here and there.

He had been the one handling it all. Making plans with Mama, coordinating everything with Jack, and honestly, doing more of the caring for Chloe than she did, except for feeding, of course. And caring for her, too.

It was not something that Laura was used to. She loved her Mama, and she understood how hard the woman had worked to keep them all together, with a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. Hell, it would not surprise her one bit if Mama had sometimes gone hungry herself to feed them. But the truth was that as the eldest, there had never been any time for Mama to care for or baby her. Not that she could remember, of course.

So, the way that Ryan had carried her, fed her, and pampered her was a new experience. She blushed; hell, he'd even washed her. Those damned tears rose to her eyes again as she reached out and caressed his face. It was rough; obviously, shaving was not his top priority at the moment. Her heart almost stopped when he closed those eyes and turned his head into her touch, kissing the palm of her hand.

"So, what do we do now, counselor?" She wished she could answer that one herself. But at the moment, she was so torn that she had no idea if she was coming or going, as Mama said.

He opened those striking eyes, and his was as cloudy with tears as she knew hers were. That should have scared the shit out of her, but somehow it reassured her. To know that this man felt her burdens, not merely with his brilliant brain, but his heart too, meant more to her than she would have ever imagined.

Laura did not know what love was, not love between a man and a woman. Sure, she knew well the love that her mother had for her daughters. Maybe that was why Laura had not stopped to consider her decision to have a baby on her own. But Mama had never had time for a man. Laura could not remember her going on a single date or even just having casual sex. Not in her whole life? At least not since Mercy was born, that she was sure of.

As for her relationship with Stewart Childress, she was not even sure how that happened. Convenience? They worked together and saw one another every day. They moved in the same social circles. Was it just that it? As their friends paired off into couples and families, had everyone just assumed they were a couple too?

She certainly hoped part of her motivation had not been Stewart's close friendship with Stephen. She hated to think that she was that shallow, or worse yet, that she had 'slept her way to the top.' But one thing she did know, she had never 'loved' Stewart. And she was reasonably sure the man had never loved her either.

That one night in London was as close to anything that resembled the love and romance in the books her baby sister wrote, as she had ever come. Was she falling for this man? Hell, had she fallen for him in the pub that night? Now was not the time to think about it.

"Rex, Jack, Grandfather, and I talked a bit after I spoke with your Mama. I should tell you that when Jack was looking for news about your sister, he discovered that McBride is dead."

"What?" Laura felt panic rising inside her. If Gerald McBride was dead, then that meant someone truly was cleaning up loose ends. Was she next?

The look on Ryan's face worried her even more. The way that he bit the inside of his cheek and would not look her in the eye told her there was more to the story, "Out with it, counselor. What aren't you telling me?"

"McBride's rental was found in a ditch just outside Sebida."

"Sebida? Are you sure? Fuck!" Chloe quit sucking and started to scream. That was precisely how Laura felt at the moment, too. But unlike her daughter, she knew she could not give in to those urges.

He sat up and took their daughter as he passed her a glass of juice, "Drink this while I change her. Then you can switch sides."

Damn, she would not want to be on the other side of the table from this man. The way that he took charge hung like a cloak of authority from those broad shoulders. She found herself obeying his orders without even thinking.

By the time she had finished the juice, he had brought their daughter back and held out his arm. Laura used it to roll over, embarrassed that she had forgotten to put her breast away after feeding the baby.

It was a strange juxtaposition. The normality of a young couple working together to care for their new baby. Two people, lovers, who barely knew one another, adversaries even. Forced by circumstances beyond their control. Fighting for their lives.

It was more than overwhelming. Hell, she might enjoy reading a Jon Frisham novel now and then, but she had never been under the illusion that practicing law was anything other than mundane and boring. She had assuredly never thought she would end up in the starring role in that kind of crap. But here they were.

"Do they know why he was in Sebida?" She forced the words out as she used his arm to turn over, this time putting away her breast before revealing the other for Chloe, and his eyes.

He shook his head as he helped her get the baby settled and properly latched on. "No. It could just be a coincidence. His wife and daughter were not in the vehicle with him. So, they are missing, and the Attorney General has issued an APB for them too. As material witnesses. Same as you, sweetheart."

"Do you think that he was coming to see me?"

"You could answer that one better than me. Why would he? Did he even know where you were?"

She shook her head as she watched her daughter nurse, the noose tightening around her neck and heart. "I don't know. Of course, the address would be in my personnel file for tax forms and insurance stuff."

"As for anything else, I just don't know. As I said, I don't know how or who copied me into that email and those files that came from Stewart. It could have been Gerald. Or Stephen? Maybe even Stewart? I just don't know. It was a blind cc. That should have alerted me to something."

"But then I came in and tore your world apart. Of course, some email and encrypted files from your former employer weren't your top priority."

He held out his finger, and Chloe grasped it again. "Especially when you found out about this one." He smiled at his daughter, and Laura was almost sure all those books had to be wrong.

"So, we're back to my earlier question, Ryan. What do we do now?"

"It's almost three a.m. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. We know that Elena and Bradley got out of town before any of this kicked off. We know your Mama is safe with Jack's friend. And I honestly believe that Mercy will be alright with Caleb. I don't believe there is much that we can do right this minute. Grandfather thinks we should try to contact everyone in the morning. Maybe work out a plan together?"

As much as she wanted to argue, she knew that what he said made sense. Good sense. She was too tired right now to think straight. Certainly, a couple more hours of sleep could not hurt anything, right? Maybe in the morning she would be thinking clearer, find a pair of her big girl panties or knickers as they had called them in London, perhaps even find a backbone to stand up to this man.

Except as much as she wanted to condemn him for being chauvinistic or misogynistic or domineering, she knew that would not be fair. This man had not taken her choices from her. He had stood by her side, offered his advice and options, and done everything humanly possible to take care of not only his child but her and her family. He had certainly earned a bit of a break and some sleep.

Even then, the moment she moved, trying to put Chloe in the basket that now sat next to the bed, he was alert. He took the baby from her and settled their daughter with another of those tender kisses to the top of her little head. When he finished, Laura noticed him biting the inside of his cheek once more. She smiled, so the man was not as wholly self-confident and in control as he looked. "Aren't you coming to bed, counselor?"

He turned and smiled at her with a nod as he stripped his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his jeans. Ryan walked to the other side of the bed in nothing but a pair of too-fucking-tight boxer briefs that hung to him so tightly she could only think about how good his cock looked.

Fuck, what was wrong with her. She had just given birth, his amazing cock...and fingers...and oh, that tongue...should be the last thing she was thinking about. Instead of filling her dreams as she fell asleep with her head resting on his chest as it gently rose and fell. Those strong arms, were they called pythons or guns, wrapped about her felt so right. But tomorrow would be soon enough to think about any of that.

And they certainly had lots to think about. Tomorrow.