Noni gasped. Wait a minute. “Hey—”
“No,” Symington said smoothly. “No talking. I have the hearing tomorrow covered. This is just a threat, and quite frankly, it’s beneath you, Agent Reese.”
Color clashed across Reese’s hard face. “If your client is impeding a federal investigation, she has much bigger worries than finding the right diaper.”
Symington scratched his beard. “She’s obviously cooperating with you.” He shoved the second folder toward Reese. “Here is the will from the deceased mother as well as the signed form relinquishing parental rights from the father listed on the birth certificate. Oh. That’s there as well. Just for your records.” He turned and groaned as he stood. “Let’s go, Miss Yuka. We have to prepare for tomorrow morning’s hearing.”
Noni flattened her hands on the table and stood. The FBI was letting her go? “Okay,” she whispered.
Reese also stood. “Malloy? You’re in deep shit. Tell me what’s going on here.”
Malloy blinked, suddenly wide-eyed. “Agent Reese, I used proper channels to create an op last night that saved a baby and shut down a dangerous drug-running gang. I think I’ll survive this one.”
“We’ll see,” the agent said grimly. “For now, I’ll go through these documents and no doubt have more questions for you, Miss Yuka. At least then I’ll know what exactly to ask you, and I expect you to answer for yourself. I take it you’re staying in town for now?”
Malloy nodded, using his crutches to stand. “Yes.”
Noni swallowed. Okay. She had to get out of there. The room swirled around her, and she shoved down the dizziness. To focus, she looked down and took several deep breaths. Her gaze caught on Symington’s boots.
Boots beneath a suit?
Wait a minute. She turned and held out her hand. “Thank you for your help.”
Her attorney looked at her hand and then took it, shaking gently.
The very clear ridges of a blood brother scar rubbed against her palm. Heat fired through her. She looked closer. Holy crap.
Was that Denver?
Chapter
23
Denver finished scouting the small apartment the cops apparently used as a safe house. It was on the third floor, so anybody wanting to infiltrate would have to climb. Or scale down.
Malloy directed his attention to a couple of uniformed cops. “Take position outside.”
Noni sat in an overstuffed green chair in the small living area with a sleeping baby in her arms, her gaze wide on Denver.
He turned toward Malloy as the other cops shut the door when they left. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a moment with my client.”
Malloy looked at him, glanced toward Noni, looked back, and burst out in laughter. “If nothing else, you assholes never fail to bring the fun.” He wiped his eyes and dropped onto a clean-looking sofa, setting his crutches to the side. “I know that Heath has the law degree, but…my guess it’s Denver.”
Well, hell. Denver exhaled loudly. “How did you know?”
“This ain’t my first rodeo with you guys,” Malloy said, losing his smile. “You just committed fraud with the FBI. How good are your documents?”
“The best,” Denver said. Should he grab Noni and run now? “Krill actually exists, and we have connections to it.” In fact, it was one of the businesses owned by the Gray brothers from Montana. But Malloy didn’t need that much information. “Since we’re speaking freely, you and Tina need to take a vacation as you mend from the bullet wounds.”
Malloy’s jaw firmed. “Tina is in danger?”
Denver unbuttoned the large suit coat. “I don’t know. But you’re both on Madison and Cobb’s radar, so you need to go under. Just until we take them down.”
Malloy grabbed his nearest crutch. “You know I’m a cop, right? If these assholes are breaking the law, then I’ll take them down. You have to understand that.”
Denver sighed. “They’re not exactly breaking the law yet, at least not that we can prove. Also, Madison has connections. Good ones.”
“I don’t care. We’re doing this the right way,” Malloy countered.
Denver struggled to remove the body suit. “You’re in enough trouble.”
“I’ll be fine. At the end of the day, we brought down a gang,” Malloy said evenly.
Denver groaned as he dropped the suit. “God, this is heavy.”
“Serves you right,” Malloy grumbled.
“Okay. We’ll work with you. First let’s take care of Noni and the baby.” Denver gingerly pulled off the fake beard. He’d need it again tomorrow. “Then we’ll formulate a plan.” He had absolutely no problem lying to the cop. That was something he should probably be concerned about. Later. “We’ll work together, Malloy.”
Malloy’s expression didn’t change. So much for trust. “Who’s the makeup artist, anyway? My guess is Heath.”
“Ryker,” Denver said, easing the wig off his head. “The guy has a knack for it.”
Malloy’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at the face. “Apparently Aunt Franny and Aunt Verna are downstairs.” He sighed. “I’ll have them sent up.”
Denver barely kept from grimacing. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get out of the rest of this getup. Then we need to talk about the hearing tomorrow.” He nodded at Malloy. “We’ll need full protection not only en route but there.” His gut told him Dr. Madison was about done with biding her time. She’d make a move on him soon and wouldn’t care who got caught in the crosshairs. The fact that she’d been waiting at all made him want to throw up. That couldn’t be good.
Malloy nodded. “Oh, you’ll get it.”
Denver grabbed his bag, brushed a hand across Noni’s hair, and then loped into one of the two bedrooms, shutting the door. He quickly divested himself of the rest of the outfit, showered in record time, and drew on ripped jeans and an old T-shirt before booting up his laptop. After going through security measures, his screen lit up, and Ryker’s face came into view.
“We clear?” Denver asked.
Concern glowed hot and bright in Ryker’s eyes. “We have a problem.”
Of course they had a problem. They always had a problem. Movement could be seen behind Ryker, and as Denver focused, he could see Heath rapidly packing in the background. “What’s up?” Denver asked, looking for his gun in the pack.
Ryker typed in some keys. “Couple of things. First, we traced Sheriff Cobb’s movements the other week when he drove to see Malloy. He came through Idaho.”
Denver’s breath heated, and the urge to hunt flowed through his veins. “Do we have a starting point?”
“Not yet, but I have searches running.” Ryker glanced behind him. “Second, sensors and alarms are going off on the South Dakota property.”
Denver stilled. The world silenced. “Where Anya and Zara are?” Oh God. His brothers came to help him, leaving their hearts behind. “How bad?”
Ryker held up a hand. “Not sure. I’ve checked everything, and I can’t find proof of human tampering or anybody in the vicinity. Anya and Zara are fine…and armed to the gills. Plus, there’s a hell of a storm going through. But…”
Denver paused. But nothing was ever quite what it seemed. “You have to get home, Ry. Now.”
Ryker nodded, his gaze torn. “I know. Heath is going now, and I’m going to cover you at the hearing and then we’ll jump on a helicopter.”
Denver shook his head. “No. You need to go now. Heath might be heading right into a trap. He’ll need backup before I will. I have Malloy, and he’s solid. His people are solid.”
Ryker opened his mouth to argue. “I’m not leaving you, brother.”
“I’m safe. Malloy is good backup.” Denver cut him off. “The baby has an ear infection and can’t fly, so we’ll drive and meet you in Montana. You have to get out of South Dakota right now in case Madison has found you.” The woman still had excellent resources, and they were fooling themselves if they thought they were safe while she was alive. “What about call
ing in reinforcements from Montana?”
Ryker sighed. “I don’t know. If we’ve been compromised, which seems likely, then I can’t lead Madison to Montana and the Gray brothers. I just can’t.” He bit his lip. “If this is a trap, Heath and I can handle it. If not, then we’ll call them in.”
This sucked. Denver scrubbed both hands down his face.
Ryker leaned in. “Listen. After the op last night, there’s no way Madison and Cobb don’t know where you are. They know. They’re waiting to make a move.”
Yeah, but they could also be making a move in South Dakota at the safe house. “I know,” Denver said. “But we have to go to this hearing to clear Noni with the baby.” They could manipulate and circumvent the law left and right, but at some point they needed real documents. A true history. And a situation in which the FBI wasn’t hunting down their asses.
Cobb had made it difficult with the law enforcement community, but his BOLO was only from North Carolina. So far, no other agencies had really taken up the hunt. It had to stay that way. If the FBI got involved, Denver and his brothers were screwed. “Go home, Ry. I promise I’ve got things covered here.” He started calculating a good plan in his head. It’d piss off more people than he wanted to, but he really had no choice.
Female voices sounded from the other room, and he moved farther away from the door.
Ryker’s sigh was full of frustration. “I can’t leave you.”
“Zara needs you more than I do. I’m trained. She’s not,” Denver said simply. “Trust me.”
Ryker’s eyes darkened. “I do.” He lifted his head as the sounds in the other room got stronger. “What’s all that?”
“Aunts Franny and Verna are here,” Denver whispered, trying not to blanch.
Ryker snorted. “Don’t they hate you?”
“Yeah. Thanks for the reminder,” Denver said dryly, his heart rate speeding up. He set the laptop on a rickety dresser with no knickknacks on it. Not even a television. “Call when you get home, Ry.”
Ryker’s bluish green eyes sizzled. “Keep yourself safe, brother. We’re too close to the end of this thing to get hurt now.”
The closer they got, the more danger came for them. Denver took a moment. “Thank you,” he said simply. For making them a family. For being his brother. For everything.
“You too,” Ryker said, his voice dropping. “We’ll make it through this.”
Maybe. Maybe not. “I know. For now, I need a favor. Will you call and arrange something for me with the Montana contingent?”
Ryker sighed. “Tell me you’re not going to do what I think you’re going to do.”
“I am. Will you help?” Denver held his breath.
Ryker waited a beat. “Of course. Always.”
* * *
The shower started in the other room as Noni stood and rushed to her aunts.
Franny had long black hair liberally sprinkled with gray, and her dark eyes were a match for Noni’s. She held out her arms and hugged both Noni and the baby close. “I’m so proud of you. Everything you did to find this babe.” She leaned back and cupped Noni’s face. “You’re such a smart girl, Non.”
“My turn.” Verna grasped Noni and pulled her in for a hug. While Franny smelled like huckleberries, Verna always smelled like vanilla cookies. Somehow. She had a short gray bob that went perfectly with her sassy blue eyes. She cut a look to the side. “Who’s the cop?”
Malloy cleared his throat. “I’m a friend.”
Verna looked more directly at him. “Humph.”
Noni smiled as her world finally righted itself. The baby slept soundly in her arms after her first dose of medication.
Verna took Talia with a soft smile, cooing as she went over to sit down. “Isn’t she just perfect?”
Noni nodded, feeling not so alone. “She is, but she has an ear infection.”
Verna took off the pretty white socks and counted each toe. “She’s okay. Healthy.” Looking up, tears glistened in Verna’s eyes. “Thank God.”
Emotion swamped Noni’s chest. “I know,” she whispered.
“We’ll make sure she’s never scared again,” Verna said, setting the socks back into place.
Aunt Franny slid an arm around Noni, giving support and comfort, just like she had Noni’s entire life. “So. Where’s dickhead?”
Malloy barked out a laugh. “Are you ladies hungry? I can order out for some food.”
“Yes,” Verna said, her gaze still on the baby in her arms. “But Franny is watching her cholesterol.”
Franny rolled her eyes. “She is driving me crazy with that,” she stage-whispered to Noni while pulling her over to sit on the sofa. “A pizza would be great, er…”
“Detective Malloy,” Noni supplied, settling against her aunt’s side. “He’s a good guy.”
“Why is he on crutches?” Verna asked, rocking the baby back and forth.
Malloy used said crutches to stand. “I got shot.” Without waiting for an answer, he headed for the door. “I’ll go check the troops and order pizza. Loaded?”
“Yes,” Franny answered before Verna could.
“Okay.” Malloy moved outside on the crutches and then shut the door.
Franny shifted against Noni. “My turn, Vern.”
Verna stood and very gently set the baby in Franny’s arms. “Isn’t she pretty?”
“Yes,” Franny whispered. “And she checked out? Everything good?”
Noni had already reassured her several times. “Yes. The doctors were very thorough. Except for the ear infection, she’s perfectly fine.” Thank God. “Richie and his Kingdom Boys pals have been arrested.” Well, the ones who weren’t shot dead. “So it’s over.” But it wasn’t. Not until Denver got free of Madison and Cobb. “We might need to take a little vacation for a while, though.”
Franny lifted her head and narrowed her gaze. “Why?”
“Because I’ve put your daughter in danger,” Denver said evenly from the bedroom doorway. “Maybe you two as well.”
Noni jumped as all gazes swung toward him. He’d showered all the makeup off, and his dark hair curled wetly around his ears. In a dark T-shirt and faded jeans, he was the epitome of danger. His blue eyes studied them all, softening when his gaze landed on the sleeping baby. “I’ll get you to safety while I take care of the threat.”
At least he didn’t try to ease them into the truth. Noni cleared her throat. She tried to smooth over his rough edges and calm her aunts. “There’s a dangerous faction from Denver’s past that now knows about us.”
“So?” Franny asked just as the baby started to fuss. She raised Talia to her shoulder and patted her lower back, her movements natural and gentle. “What about us?”
“They might use you to get to me,” Denver said, leaning against the doorjamb, his tone gentle. “I want to reassure you I won’t let that happen.”
Verna scoffed. “Listen, dickhead. We don’t need your help.”
Noni grimaced. Apparently her aunts weren’t ready to forgive Denver.
Denver’s lips twitched. “Actually, you do. I’m sorry I hurt Noni when I left. I’ve regretted it every second since.”
Noni straightened. He regretted leaving? Or he regretted hurting her? Those were two very different things. “What are you saying?” Her voice rose.
“Oh, for pete’s sake,” Verna groused, her full lips pursing. “You’ve slept with him again.”
Noni’s mouth dropped open.
Franny turned her way. “You didn’t. I mean, after everything, you did not.” She turned a stink eye on Denver. “You’re cute and all. The muscles are nice. But I just don’t see it.”
Heat flamed into Noni’s face. “Auntie,” she murmured.
Denver blushed.
The man was blushing? Actually blushing? Noni could only stare.
He eyed the door with what looked like longing. Then, drawing himself up, he moved into the room to take a seat on the only remaining chair. “Ladies, I understand you’re angry, and y
ou have every right, but we have to think about Talia and the hearing tomorrow.”
Verna glanced at Franny.
Franny lowered her chin. “All right. Talk.” Her voice had softened, as had her eyes.
Denver detailed the court proceeding, how they all three might need to testify, and explained what documents he’d hand to the judge.
About halfway through his explanation, Franny stood without warning and moved to hand him the baby. “Your turn.”
The panic crossing Denver’s face filled Noni with a glee she probably shouldn’t have felt. Yet she couldn’t help it.
Denver gingerly reached out and cuddled the baby, looking down at her with unease. She looked right back up as if fascinated. “I don’t want to break her.”
“Then don’t,” Franny said simply, returning to her seat on the sofa.
Denver held himself stiffly, the baby watching him. She reached up a chubby hand and slapped his chin. His eyes widened, but he didn’t even twitch. She smacked him again. He laughed, the sound free and quiet, but he didn’t move as if still afraid to jostle her. “She’s got a good right cross.”
Okay. It was absolutely adorable. Noni’s ovaries actually swelled inside her. She cleared her throat and settled back against the cushion. He was trying so hard to be gentle with his huge body and hands. How could anybody not see the sweetness that lived in Denver?
“I guess he’s not that bad,” Franny said grudgingly.
Talia giggled, apparently in agreement.
Quieting his voice, Denver continued playing out what would happen the next day, his body naturally relaxing and starting to rock the baby. When Talia started to fuss, he instinctively stood and rocked her more, not pausing in his explanations. His big hand, so gentle, covered her entire back in absolute protection.
Yep. Noni watched him with the baby, her heart turning to goo. Game over. She wanted that with him. Long-term.
Franny watched her with sharp eyes. “Just so you know, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight, Denver.”
Noni’s face heated.
Denver coughed. “I understand.” He glanced toward the bedroom doors. “It’ll give me a better protection point. Guard dog sleeps by the door.”