Page 12 of Brick
Meeting Natalie had been perfection.If love at first sight existed, he’d sure had his piece of that pie that cold night in Fargo.Now there wasn’t a chance he could walk away and pretend as if he’d never met the woman.That one-night stand might have changed the rest of his life.
On paper, he’d done everything right.He’d been careful.Used protection.A sharp memory struck him.The condom had gushed apart when he took it off.That had never happened before, but he’d assumed he’d just peeled it off too quickly.Now he realized it could have broken.
Not only that, but they’d made love again afterward.
Regret ravaged him.
I should’ve given her my number.Should’ve let her know she was safe with me...should’ve done anything but fall asleep when I did.
He pinched the corners of his eyes.She was running.Probably scared.The news said she was wanted on suspicion of manslaughter.There was no way that was right.No way someone so soft and gentle, so shy and sweet—
Buzz,buzz
His phone vibrated in his hand, and he glanced at the screen.Ghost.Apprehension pressed against his esophagus.“Hello?”
“How’d I know you’d still be pining?I mean, awake.”
“Fuck off, Ghost,” he said, his patience snapping.“You got info for me or not?”
“Yeah, yeah.Hold your panties.”Brick heard the tapping of a keyboard.“Natalie Shaw, from Detroit, Michigan.Thirty years old.Five foot four, one hundred and fifteen pounds—”
“Tell me you’ve got more than was released on the fucking APB.”
Ghost grunted.“I’ve got information on the kid if you want it.”
“Go.”He exhaled to calm himself.If Ghost didn’t have concrete intel by now, the chances of finding Natalie were nil.But biting off his friend’s head wouldn’t make him work any harder.
“Gave birth to a baby boy two and a half years ago.Seven pounds, seven ounces.Name on the birth certificate is—One sec.”
Brick held his breath.It wasn’t as if learning the boy’s name would somehow confirm his parentage.Still, his heart lodged in his throat.He was desperate to learn something about the child who could be his—and the woman who’d slipped through his fingers.
“Bray Slater Shaw.”
He inhaled long and hard.“Slater?You sure?”
“I’m not an idiot.I can read.Congratulations, it’s a boy.”Ghost’s voice rang with a hint of amusement and not an ounce of compassion.
“Jesus.”He covered his jaw with his hand, needing to anchor his head before it popped off.“This doesn’t mean the kid’s mine.”Part of him needed to rationalize.To come to grips with the possibility that he wasn’t a father.
That he hadn’t missed the first two years of his son’s life.Hadn’t known him.Hadn’t held him as a newborn, heard his first words, or watched his first steps.
And she’d had the fucking gall to use his last name as the kid’s middle.Intense anger rushed through him.“I need to find her.”
“Figured you’d say that,” Ghost murmured dryly.“I’m still trying to find out what these allegations are about.Using facial recognition, I spotted her in Detroit.”
He massaged his temple.Why would she stay in Detroit if they were looking—
A thought shook him.“Was the kid with her?”
“No.That’s the weird thing.I’ve got a positive ID on her as of a couple hours ago, but the child wasn’t with her.”
Ghost’s words echoed through him.Brick leapt to his feet and stalked inside to yank open his laptop.“That’s why she hasn’t left Detroit.She can’t leave her son.”
“Maybe someone’s watching the kid, or—”
“Or someone else has him.”The latter was a worst-case scenario, but he couldn’t stop his mind from exploring all possibilities.“I’m booking a flight to Detroit now.If you can find out where she’s staying before I land, I’ll talk to Rami about promoting you.”
Ghost guffawed.“I’m happy with the minimal work I do, thanks.”
