Page 20 of Threatened

I’m sorry, sis. So, so sorry.

Kylie pulled on clean jeans and a T-shirt, then sat down on the bed to put on her socks and sneakers. Well, today that stopped. No more being a victim. Staring today, she’d take responsibility for herself and her actions. She’d find a place of her own. Contact the police and see if they’d located her missing computer. If they did, great. If not, she’d get a new one and start fresh. Luckily, she saved her contacts in the cloud so she could transfer them over from her phone.

Speaking of her phone…

The thing was vibrating like crazy on the nightstand, and her hopes soared. Maybe it was the police. Maybe they’d found her computer—or the diaper bag with her wallet. Maybe things were looking up after all. Except as she unlocked the device and stared down at the missed calls listed on her screen, they were all from the same number. Huh. The police station maybe. She searchedthrough the clothes she’d stuffed into her bag the night before for the card Detective Carlisle had given her, but nope. Didn’t match that number.

Weird. But maybe it was another officer in the department. The other cops at Gage’s house last night had mentioned they’d have a team of investigators working on the case. Perhaps it was one of them. She hit redial and waited, listening to make sure Gage hadn’t come back in. He had enough on his hands with the twins and getting the repairs made at his house today. He didn’t need to be worrying about her too. She could take care of herself. She’d been doing it a long time now. Once she got some things straightened out, she’d be fine.

“I wondered when you’d call back,” an unfamiliar male voice said through the phone line and her heart stumbled. No hello. No warmth in the tone at all. “I’ve got your computer.”

Crap. Crap, crap, crap.

Her first instinct was to call Gage in here and let him know what was going on, but she couldn’t do that. This was her mess to clean up and she refused to bring any more danger to his doorstep. The best thing to do would be to try and get as much information from the thief as possible then relay it to the cops. Let them handle it.

“Who is this?” she demanded.

The man on the other end of the call chuckled as if she’d said something funny or stupid. Probably both to him. Why would he give her a name?

“I want my laptop back,” she said, praying her voice sounded steady even as her knees shook. “Today.”

“Not yet. I want something from you first.”

Money? Had to be. She’d read the news stories about those Internet hackers who took possession of people’s files and didn’t give them back unless they paid a ransom. Stealing the laptop itself must be a new variation on that. She didn’t have a huge amount in savings, but enough to keep her comfortable for a while. “How much?”

This time the laugh was sinister. “You couldn’t pay me enough. We need to discuss some things. Meet me at the diner on Park Grenada. Call me when you’re there.”

Discuss things?Okay. Not some file ransom scheme then. Her mind raced and the panic inside her rose to a boiling point. What the hell was happening? She’d seen enough true crime shows to know the last thing you should do was allow the criminals to isolate you or move you to another location, but damn. Her whole life was on that laptop. And it wasn’t like he was asking her to meet him in an alley or something. This would be at a public restaurant, hopefully with lots of people around. She’d be safe. As soon as she got her stuff back, she’d call the cops and tell them everything. “Okay. I’ll be there.”

The line went dead. She blinked at the wall across from her, pulse pounding loud in her ears. Through the bedroom door, she could hear the squeaks of the babies and Gage’s silly voice as he played with them, and her chest squeezed with fear and tenderness.

Last night had been amazing, even if it had been a mistake. Gage had been so loving and giving that it had brought tears to her eyes.

Now, she’d just agreed to meet whoever had broken into his house the night before. Alone.

It was insane. It was wrong. But it was necessary just the same because she didn’t want to cause any more disruption in Gage and the twins’ lives than she already had.

Squaring her shoulders, Kylie shoved her phone in her back pocket, grabbed a jacket and headed out into the brightly lit main room of their suite. Gage was sitting on the sofa, a baby in each arm and a bottle in each hand, looking like her every dream come to life. This was what she wanted for herself, had always wanted—a man to love and children of her own. This moment was as close as she was ever going to get to that. She wanted to savor it, enjoy it, but she didn’t have time. And it was pointless to prolong the pain she felt.

“Morning. I need to run over to the drug store across the way. Do you need anything? Baby supplies? Snacks?” The lies tasted bitter on her tongue, but she said them anyway because she had no choice. She forced a smile she didn’t quite feel and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek before smooching both of the babies. She drew in their scents, knowing that they’d never be hers.

“No, we’re good,” he said, standing. He was studying her, and she tried so hard to look normal. “Everything okay?”

“Fine.” The concern in his eyes had her turning around to face the sink so he wouldn’t see the fear in hers. She wasn’t an actress, not even a second-rate one. If she wasn’t careful, he was going to see right through her façade.

She’d taken plenty of self-defense courses in her day. A woman didn’t work internationally without knowing how to take care ofherself. She could get herself out of a tight scrape if needed, but the way Gage threatened her heart could be the death of her yet. Then he came up behind her and leaned in to kiss the side of her neck and she damned near melted into a puddle of goo at his feet.

“You sure?” he whispered near her ear, making her shiver. “Last night was incredible.”

Kylie hung her head and squeezed her eyes shut. He was correct. Last night had been mind-blowing, but today harsh reality had returned. A reality she needed to face on her own. “Yes. I’m good. It’s all good.” She turned fast and collided with his bare, warm chest. She looked up into his curious gaze and couldn’t stop herself from kissing him long and deep. By the time she pulled away, they were both breathless and the twins were getting restless in his arms. “I won’t be long, I promise.”

“Sure you don’t want me to give you a ride? If you wait a minute, I’ll get dressed and?—”

“No, it’s fine. The fresh air will do me good. See you soon.”

She took off out the door before he could say another word, leaving him staring after her. It was barely nine a.m. according to the clock in the hall and a Saturday, so the hotel’s lobby was packed with people taking advantage of the free continental breakfast bar. She managed to weave her way through the throng and slip out the automated front doors without a problem, being sure to pass right beneath the security camera mounted above the exit in case the police needed to track her time of departure later.

The drug store was across the parking lot and down the street about a quarter-mile from the hotel. The twenty-four-hour dinerwas just on the other side of it. The sun was out, but this early the air was still a bit chilled. Kylie hunkered down inside her jacket and walked fast toward her destination, checking her phone a couple of times along the way to make sure her mystery thief hadn’t called back.

---