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“So you did see him.”
“I’ve really got to get going, Mr. Russo. Thank you.”
“Okay. Good luck with that new baby,” he said as he rang off.
Savvy quickly placed a call to DeWitt, but his phone went straight to voice mail. She hung up and called right back, in case he’d just missed the call, but again she heard his voice telling the caller to leave a message, and she did, identifying herself and leaving him her number. She suspected Lang had left his callback number, too. When DeWitt heard the messages, he’d wonder what had put a fire under the TCSD.
She drove north with controlled concentration, feeling time ticking by, as if she had a clock inside her head. She was tired, too, and her breasts felt like heavy bricks. She would have called Hale, too, but she was driving without Bluetooth, and frankly, she just wanted to get there.
Hale waited for his grandfather as Declan worked his way out of Hale’s SUV and through Hale’s garage, leaning heavily on his cane. Hale hit the button to lower the garage door as a whipping wind sent a rush of rain their way. Already the driving rain had melted half the snow. A few more hours, and the snow would be a memory on the coast, though what that meant for the mountains was another story.
“I got it. I got it.” Declan waved him inside as Hale held the door for him. Ignoring him, Hale stayed where he was as Declan navigated the few steps to the kitchen.
Victoria Phelan was standing just inside, and baby Declan was in full squall behind her in his car seat, which was sitting on the counter. “I tried giving him a bottle, but he’s not taking it. I don’t know what to do.”
Declan gave her the once-over as he found one of the kitchen table chairs, his eyes taking in her thin T-shirt, which hugged her breasts, and her skinny jeans. She’d taken off her shoes and socks, and her bare toenails were painted black, the black on both big toes painted with a gold peace sign.
The look on his grandfather’s face as his gaze took in the design made Hale want to laugh out loud. But baby Declan’s wailing cries took his attention, and he went to the baby and gathered him up. He kept crying, but it wasn’t quite as loud as before as Hale, rocking him gently, walked him into the living room. “Do you have a bottle ready?” he called to the nanny as he kept moving.
“Umm . . . yeah,” she called back. “He did take some formula earlier,” she yelled a bit defensively.
At that moment a wash of headlights lit the room, and Hale looked up to see Savvy’s rental SUV pull into the driveway. His relief was mixed with pleasure, and when Victoria came with the bottle, he handed over the baby and headed for the door. He walked outside into the pouring rain as Savannah stepped from her car, her face half covered by the large hood of her raincoat.
Hurrying to meet her, he simply wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. “Thank God,” he said. “The baby needs you. Or maybe I need you. . . . I’m just so glad you’re here.”
Savannah looked up, the golden living room light shining on her blue eyes, making them glow. It struck him how beautiful she was, and for a moment they just stared at each other. Everything slowed down for Hale, and he felt his blood moving heavy in his veins. Heightened emotions over these past days. Strange events. Incredible highs. Devastating lows. For one crazy second he stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders, gazing down at her with a kind of wild desire that was reflected in her expressive eyes. Dangerous . . .
And then the wind blew her hood back, and her dark auburn hair flew in front of her face, and Hale dropped his hold on her and grabbed her hand instead, tugging her toward the front door. Once inside, he slammed it shut behind them, but not before another heavy slap of rain followed them in.
“Wow,” he said, running his hands through his own wet hair. Declan’s cries greeted them both.
Savvy asked, “What’s going on?”
“He’s hungry. Doesn’t seem to be taking to the formula that well.”
She moved past him into the other room, shedding her coat as she went, folding it over her arm. Hale took the coat from her and felt moved by the way she beelined for Victoria, reaching for the baby. For a moment Victoria looked like she might resist, and Hale told her, “Savannah gave birth to Declan,” so Victoria turned the baby over, albeit reluctantly. Hopeless, Hale thought. He was going to have to do something about replacing her, despite her one-year contract.
“Is there somewhere I can feed him?” Savannah looked to Hale, who led the way into the master bedroom. The lamps were on, and the room was bathed in soft light. Hale could see the vacuum cleaner tracks in the carpet and could smell the faintly citrus scent from the cluster of candles sitting on a silver tray on the dresser.
“Magda cleaned today,” Hale said as Savvy sat down on the cream-colored occasional chair in the corner. “There’s a rocker in the nursery,” he added, remembering it.
“This is fine.”
She sounded weary, and he nodded and left her in the room, closing the door softly be
hind them. He thought about his earlier reaction to her and decided he might need a drink.
His wipers rhythmically slapped at the driving rain as he drove south from the St. Cloud house. He’d seen them. He’d seen her. He’d been waiting for her up around a bend, with binoculars on the drive that led to the house. He’d been lying in wait for the old man, aware that his grandson had brought him to the house, and then because he was lucky, she’d shown up, the lovely, ripe detective with her swollen breasts and earthiness that dug right into his loins.
Seeing her, his dick had jumped right up, so while he’d stroked himself, he’d sent her another message, sweet and irresistible. Lover. Soon. We’ll be together soon. He’d waited for her to respond, but something had gone wrong. He’d opened his eyes to see what it was, and she’d been looking up at goddamn Hale St. Cloud like he was some kind of fucking god! That wasn’t the way it worked. That wasn’t right. Had she been feeling this all along, this transference to the wrong man?
Charlie’s blood boiled with frustration and rage. He watched them enter the house together, and he knew they were all over each other. He could feel it.
He’d netted her, and somehow she’d slipped away!
No!
A car drove by him, and he had to put his truck in gear and ease back onto the road and drive past the house. He couldn’t be remembered. Had to stay under the radar.
