Page 88 of Paternal Instincts
While he called Edwards and Jordyn, I packed the hospital bag and car seat into the Equinox, directing Quaid to ride with me since I wasn’t sure his head was enough in the game to drive on his own. Besides, we needed to stick together today. I did not want us separated when the call came for us to head to the hospital.
I took us to Madison’s office while Quaid called Ruiz and his dad, informing them that Bryn was in labor. Ruiz, he explained, was already on his way to the office and promised to be there for Jordyn when the need arose.
“Should we call your parents and Amelia?” he asked when he hung up.
“Not yet. I value my sanity. My mother will get squirrelly, and I won’t be able to fend her off. We can update the family once we’re heading to the hospital.”
“Okay.” Quaid’s knee jittered as I drove. “Jordyn is meeting us at the courthouse. She’ll take the warrant to the Davises and get Nixon’s cheek swab. If Flynn stayed the night, she’ll get his, too. She’ll hunt down Jude afterward. We’re to go directly to Benedict’s and see if we can figure out the secret behind the money. Swab him while we’re at it.”
“If he’s unwilling to share about the deposits, I say we drop off his test at the lab, head to the Walsh residence, and chat with Imogen’s mother. Didn’t you suspect she might know something about that money?”
“Yes.” Quaid checked his phone, bounced a knee, and gnawed a thumbnail before adding, “Edwards shared that Diane called headquarters yesterday and called us a bunch of incompetent idiots, asking why no one was doing anything about her missing daughter.”
I huffed a humorless laugh. “Her daughter isn’t missing. She took off under highly suspicious circumstances that surround her son’s abduction, and that places her in the role of suspect.”
“That’s what Edwards told her. She didn’t like that.”
“Fuck her. You caught yourself a bizarre case, hot stuff.”
“I know. Nothing is ever simple.”
Madison had signed all the warrants, including the orders to gather DNA samples from Flynn and Ronald. She’d penned a note and clipped it to the completed forms. It read,You’re taking advantage of my kindness, Doyle. I should have revoked two of these, but I didn’t. Remember that.
“Crap.” I chuckled, handing the forms to Quaid. “Any more favors, and I’m going to owe her a date.”
“Ha ha.” He scanned the warrants, ignored the note, and handed the pertinent ones to Jordyn, who had arrived before us.
“Edwards said Ruiz is stepping in when you have to leave.” Jordyn eyed her partner with a scrutinous eye. “Is he familiar enough with MPU regulations?”
“Yes. He’ll give you one hundred and ten percent,” Quaid promised.
“Good. He’s meeting me at the Davises’, said he wants to get familiar with the people involved in the case.”
“If you want to keep Ruiz in line,” I said, “threaten to report all bad behavior to Quaid. The man would bend over for him in a heartbeat.”
Quaid’s sneer reached level ten. “He would not.”
“Yeah, maybe not, but only because the mere thought of having his back door breached squigs him out.”
“You’re a pain in my ass,” he muttered, still glaring.
“Often. Good thing the idea of having your back door breached turns you on.” I wiggled my brows.
Jordyn smacked my shoulder. “Stop being gross.”
As though noting Quaid’s clothing choice and unkempt hair for the first time, a quirk appeared in the corner of Jordyn’s lips as she scanned my deliciously disordered husband. Considering she was usually as surly and snarly as Quaid, it was interesting when amusement snuck through her steel barricade.
“What?” Quaid frowned, narrowing his eyes at his partner’s scrutiny.
“You, um…” She studied the band shirt. “Nothing. You didn’t strike me as a Motörhead fan.”
Quaid audibly ground his teeth.
“It was a frantic morning,” I explained, licking my fingers and doing all I could to tame Quaid’s cowlick.
He dodged and swatted me away, scowling deeper. “What are you doing?”
“I want you to think back on the morning and tell me if you remember getting ready for work.”
