“Damn it, I’m wounded, not incapacitated. Don’t you remember how it feels not to be able to get into the action? Don’t do this to me. If we’re back at my house, at least we have the familiarity of the terrain on our side and you gain the advantage of having an extra warrior. Me.”
She stared him down and she could see that he would agree, but only because she’d given him no choice.
“Okay,” Rick said. “You can have a role—within reason. But one sign of wavering on your feet and I’m tossing your butt in bed.”
Her heart throbbed even more than her wounded foot—and that was pretty damn bad. What kind of future would she have with this man if he always insisted on pushing her aside? Would he be able to open up to his daughter? And what if the day came when the adoption issue arose…
Ohmigod, she was thinking marriage and he wasn’t even able to allow her anything more than a begrudging role because she’d left him no choice. Still something about this man called to her. His inner strength, a depth of character that Peter hadn’t come close to possessing. It had nothing to do with muscles and everything to do with Rick’s great big heart. He simply couldn’t hide behind that gruff exterior.
None of which she could afford to think about now. They had plans to make, her lover and her friends who were putting their lives on the line for her. They needed to come up with a strategy to trap her stalker before he could make his move. And after they made their plan?
They would wait.
Rick had been prepared for the bastard to strike fast, but he hadn’t expected the guy would make his move on the first night Nola got out of the hospital. Her home phone rang with an “unknown number.” His gut told him right away it wasn’t a telemarketer.
Their guy was on the move.
He nodded for her to pick up while he made quick calls on the cell phone to their buddies out in the woods to alert them.
“Hello,” Nola answered, then shook her head at him to signify…it wasn’t their guy after all? Damn. “Yes, this is Nola Seabrook. Rick’s right here.”
She passed him the phone and before it even reached his ear he could hear Lindsay’s hysterical voice sobbing on the other end. Holy crap. He forced the knot in his throat down with a heavy swallow.
“Lindsay, what’s wrong?”
“Lauren,” she gasped between sobs, “didn’t get off the plane. They said she never got on in Atlanta. That means she’s been missing for over six hours with the layover, Rick. Oh my God, where is our baby?”
The bottom dropped out of his gut, his whole world sinking, sliding out from under him faster than the ground had given way beneath his feet the day his legs had gone to hell.
He knew. Nola’s stalker had made his move after all. He had outthought them in a way they should have foreseen. Rick never should have let Lauren fly alone. Damn it. Why hadn’t the attendants stayed with her as they were supposed to? He’d paid the extra fee to have her watched over and hand escorted to her next flight.
All a moot point now.
“We’ll find her,” he insisted to Lindsay, even as he feared all sorts of nightmares.
Nola’s eyes met his while he continued to talk, her hand closing over his with comfort.
“She could be anywhere.” Lindsay’s thoughts echoed his own, the first time they’d agreed on anything in years.
“I realize that. But is there anything else you can tell me?”
“No,” she wailed. “The police are investigating. The cops here will be contacting the authorities there and I didn’t want you to be surprised by that visit.”
“Thank you.” And please, Lord, they still wouldn’t have a visit from cops with far worse news. He refused to accept that could happen.
Nola swayed on her feet. Rick reached for her but she collapsed into a chair. Already he could see the guilt building to irrational proportions in her eyes.
“Lindsay, is Ben with you?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. Hang tough and I’ll let you know if we hear anything.”
“Us, too.”
They disconnected. He met Nola’s gaze and held, injecting as much steadiness as he could under the circumstances. “It’s not your fault.”
“We don’t have time to waste discussing this. Let’s get the search moving.”