Lachlan's blood ran cold as the pieces clicked into place. Titus hadn't been looking for some object or information—he'd discovered Paloma was his granddaughter, Britt's child. The cartel leader had been searching for his legacy, his bloodline.
And that knowledge had died with him.
But Alejandro would continue the hunt without understanding Titus’s reasons, making him infinitely more dangerous.
Hunter confirmed Lachlan’s worst fears.
“And he’s not above using a child to get what he wants.”
Chapter 33
“Nothing in the world compares to walking in and seeing this,” Lachlan said, voice hoarse with emotion. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “She asleep already?”
“Crashed almost immediately after we ate dinner. She finished a whole goat taco. Didn’t pick over it or refuse to eat the lettuce and tomato,” Britt said, feeling like she was rambling. “I was so proud of her.” She hugged her arms tighter around Paloma, rocking her back and forth.
“That’s only because you made it. Don’t get used to it,” he chuckled, walking over to them. “Once she knows you’re not going anywhere, she’ll start giving you hell about what she eats like she does me.” He leaned down to place a kiss on Paloma’s head.
“I wasn’t sure if you wake her up to take a bath before bed or just let her sleep and bathe in the morning,” she said, finding comfort in focusing on the mundane routines and not the imminent threats hanging over their lives. A ruthless gang was targeting her little girl because they thought her father had something they wanted—something they couldn't even identify but were convinced was crucial to maintaining the cartel's strength in the criminal world.
Britt had been livid when Lachlan returned to the SUV, ready to pack up their lives and flee the country with Paloma. Disappear from the world just to keep their daughter safe. The instinct to protect her had been all-consuming, blinding her to the more pragmatic approach necessary to outmaneuver their enemies.
It wasn’t a new fear.
And Lachlan had confirmed this truth.
It was the reason they’d moved to Dove Island. To protect their child from the gang and the dangers that lingered around anyone important to Titus Freeman. She’d been afraid that her father’s rivals would use her child to hurt him like they’d tried to use her. Tried to kill her as she celebrated an engagement she never wanted on her father’s yacht.
“I never wake her if she falls asleep early. It’s such a rare occurrence,” Lachlan kneeled beside the couch. “I’ll take her and put her in bed, then we can catch up on my discussion with the guys.”
“I don’t want her to wake up. I’m fine holding her,” Britt insisted.
“Trust me. Our little hen sleeps like a hibernating bear. I could toss her in the air and catch her, and she still wouldn’t wake up.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I might have done it once or twice to check. I wasn’t wrong.” He smiled and reached for Paloma. Britt reluctantly released the little girl and watched as Lachlan effortlessly carried her away to her room. Pushing up from the couch, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of whisky. Pouring a shot in two tumblers, she returned to the living room just as Lachlan emerged from the hallway.
He regarded her with a nostalgic smile as he grabbed a glass.
“What?” Britt tugged at a strand of her hair. “Is this something I did before?”
“Yeah, after you transitioned Paloma from breastfeeding to formula.”
Britt blanched. “I breastfed?” She glanced down at her boobs, not able to imagine a little life suckling there as a flash of Lachlan invaded her mind. His mouth latched onto her nipple, sucking and licking, driving her wild with desire. She inhaled a sharp breath as heat pooled between her thighs. Now was not the time to get turned on by the handsome Scot.
“You hated every second of it, but did it faithfully for the first year of her life as the doctor recommended. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for our baby,” Lachlan said, then took a sip of the liquor. “You do know that she’s ours. Mine and … yours.”
Britt held his gaze. “Now more than ever. When we get the DNA test results back, I’ll have the proof of what we both know is true.”
“Good.” Lachlan looked relieved. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. His lips lingered against hers delicately and with such tenderness that it made her heart ache. She loved him so much that it was becoming impossible to ignore. To resist claiming what she knew was hers. But she was determined to wait until she had the official results. She needed them, even if Lachlan didn’t.
“So,” Britt said, with a sigh, leading Lachlan back to the couch. He sat down, and she sat next to him, leaning against his body. “What’s the new plan now that we’re fighting two threats—The Visitor and Alejandro Cerundolo?”
“Same as the old plan.”
Her eyes narrowed as she tried to decipher what he could mean.
“The meeting with Hunter gave us more proof of what we know is true. The picture of the man we showed you back at thecompound was of Alejandro Cerundolo. He’s the man behind your kidnapping. The one who hired The Visitor to brainwash you,” Lachlan said, dropping a theory she’d never expected.
