Page 106 of Forged in Steele

Bristol gently lifted the baby from her carrier and turned her over to check for the birthmark to confirm her identity though Bristol really had no doubts. “Looks to me like the picture the Pratts’ took.”

“Me too,” Jared said, sounding choked up.

Bristol cradled the sleeping newborn and smiled up at him. “Tonight is the time to take Luna home to her family and let everyone who had a part in finding her relish in the successful outcome.”

22

“We have Luna,” Bristol said into Jared’s phone perched between her ear and shoulder as she settled Luna’s seat into the car. “She’s fine.”

Mrs. Pratt cried out. “My baby. You really found my baby.”

“Yes.” Bristol secured the seat in the base Jared had moved from Reya’s car. “And we’ll be able to reunite her with you within the hour.”

“Hurry,” Mrs. Pratt begged. “Oh, please hurry.”

Bristol ended the call and gave the phone back to Jared, purposely keeping her gaze away from Glenn Bates where he lay on the driveway. Reed had looked at the deceased man’s wallet to discover his ID, and he did indeed work for the same company as Mrs. Pratt.

“Thanks for letting me be the one to call the Pratts,” Bristol said.

“Of course.” He stroked a hand over her hair.

She ignored it the best she could. She couldn’t give in to her emotions now, or she would fall apart, and she had a baby to deliver to her parents. “I’ll sit in the back with Luna in case she needs a bottle again on the drive.”

She climbed in, and Jared closed her door.

Bristol buckled up and took the baby’s soft little hand in hers. She had to keep touching the infant. Feel the warmth on her skin. The life flowing through her veins. And offer prayers of thanks. Copious prayers of thanks.

Jared got the car moving down the drive, and he waved at Reed who would go with a local deputy to drive Reya back to Portland for booking.

Jared flipped on his lights to get them through traffic faster so Luna could be checked out by a doctor. Bristol wanted to talk to Jared about her declaration of love and his responding claim, but she wouldn’t. Not until after Luna was safely in her parents’ arms. Jared must have felt the same way as they didn’t speak on the drive at all.

She settled for holding Luna’s hand and breathing in and out. Letting the subduing adrenaline out with each breath. Hoping it would stop her hands from trembling too. She’d never been taken at gunpoint before. Hoped to never be taken again. Leaving law enforcement should help.

Outside the hospital, Jared turned off the lights, parked, and got out. He removed the car seat, and she ran around to his side.

He handed the seat to her. “You saved Luna. You should be the one to give her back to her parents.”

“It was a team effort.” Bristol took the baby and marched for the door. She didn’t want to waste a second longer before reuniting the family and having Luna’s blood sugar checked.

“But you kept at it, and your gut took you to the right place,” Jared said. “Plus, your extensive knowledge of weapons allowed us to subdue Reya.”

The door swished open. “You would’ve gotten there too.”

“But I wouldn’t have known about the indicator like you did. And the outcome could’ve been far different.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have let you go to the cabin alone.” She allowed herself to smile for the first time since being taken. Her heart was filled to brimming with love for this baby and relief and gratefulness.

They hurried across the lobby to the elevator. Jared summoned the car and held the door for Bristol. They boarded, and theswishof the doors felt final somehow in their success. Tears wetted Bristol’s eyes, and she swallowed them down. She didn’t want to arrive all weepy-eyed in front of the Pratts.

But try as she might, the tears kept coming. By the time she reached the Pratts’ room, where Adair stood waiting outside, she was nearly sobbing and had to swipe at the tears to not embarrass herself.

“I updated the Pratts on the situation, leaving out Glenn Bates. That’s best revealed when we question Mrs. Pratt in the morning after she and her husband have a night with their baby.” Adair held out his hand and shook Jared’s and Bristol’s hands. “We’ll debrief you both after you settle Luna with her parents.”

Bristol pushed the door open. Mr. Pratt ran to her, and she handed Luna over to him. Jared followed behind and pressed a hand on Bristol’s lower back. She concentrated on the warmth of his touch to stem her tears. Agent Byrd remained to the side where she’d been through this whole ordeal. A doctor and nurse both wearing pink scrubs stood by the window. They were likely the ones who would check out Luna’s vitals.

“Thank you, oh, thank you,” Mrs. Pratt said as her husband extracted Luna from the seat and placed her in his wife’s arms. “Oh, my precious, precious little girl. You really are fine.”

“She ate just before we left, and she gulped down the formula,” Bristol said. “I think the woman who had Luna, took good care of her.”

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