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“Open it,” she said.
He peeled up the flap and pulled out a Polaroid photo, laying it flat on the table. The image that stared up at him was graphic enough to make his heart stutter. “Damn.”
“Oh, god,” Kelsey said and sucked in a breath when she saw the image that the photograph had captured. It showed the kidnapped woman dumped on the shoulder of a road. She had duct tape over her mouth and her eyes were closed. A bruise was visible on the side of her face. “Is she alive?” Kelsey’s voice was a whisper as she collapsed into a chair, her arms clutched around Eddy.
In all honesty, he couldn’t tell. He thought about lying and telling her that the woman would definitely be fine, but she wouldn’t appreciate him sugarcoating anything. His attention was drawn to the message, crudely written underneath the image.
Missed you.
If Cole had had any doubts about the intended victim, they were gone. The picture was meant to unnerve Kelsey and maybe panic him into a mistake. He wouldn’t let it.
“Take deep breaths,” he said, rubbing a hand over her quivering shoulders. He wanted to hold her, but he still wasn’t sure how she’d react if he tried. “I need to call the San Diego police and let them know about this.”
Cole made the call, requesting to speak to the sergeant whose name he’d noted back at the office building. It only took a minute to get put through and explain his connection to the case. He texted a quick snapshot of the picture to a number the sergeant gave him and promised to be available later to answer more questions. He expected there to be plenty, but all the various departments would have to get their ducks in a row first, with the Coronado police verifying that a report had been filed about the threat to Kelsey and the MP confirming that there was an ongoing investigation into her father.
“Let me take Eddy upstairs and put him in his crib,” he said after he hung up. The baby was asleep against Kelsey, who had listened intently to his conversation with the police. “He’ll be safe.”
Slowly, she loosened her grip on Eddy and let Cole carry him upstairs, where he eased the baby into the crib. Eddy didn’t wake up, but Cole stood by his crib for a moment anyway, staring down at his son and making a silent promise that he would keep him out of harm’s way.
When he went downstairs, Kelsey was waiting for him in the living room. Her face was anxious, and she rubbed her hands together in front of her.
“I feel so guilty,” she said. “That innocent woman suffered because of me. If I’d stayed home like you wanted me to, this might not have happened.”
Cole took her hands in his, trying to calm her. “It wasn’t your fault. Even if you hadn’t gone in, I honestly think the same thing would have happened. They were on the hunt for someone who looked like you, and they went where they expected you to be. That wouldn’t have changed even if you’d never left the house. Put blame where it belongs, on whoever is behind all this.” He’d be happy to kick someone’s ass if he just knew who. He wanted to take action and resolve this, but Kelsey needed his support, not his frustration.
“It’s all so awful. I hope she wasn’t hurt badly. I hope the police find her and she can go home to her family tonight.” Kelsey was trembling all over, so he silenced his doubts and finally pulled her against him to comfort her. She was a strong woman, but she needed some of his strength to get through this. He was happy to give it to her.
She snugged her body tighter against his and he fought to control his reaction to her nearness. He hadn’t held her like this in so long. Despite everything they were dealing with, he managed to lose himself in the sensation of her body pressed against his. It was enough to make him lose his head a little—so when she looked up at him, her eyes big and pleading, he didn’t fight his instincts. The kiss started with just a brush of the lips, a nip on the corner of her mouth. Soon, her eyelids fluttered closed against her cheeks as the kiss deepened. His tongue swept into her mouth and tangled with hers. She moaned, her fingers kneading the skin at the back of his neck.
He lifted her and her legs went around his waist, but the kiss didn’t end. They’d been here before with the passion sweeping them along, but this was different. So much emotion and adrenaline from the day had become part of the kiss, driving it deeper. He moved to the couch and sat, shifting her to straddle his lap. His hands slipped under the edge of her blouse, touching the soft, warm skin on her back and sides. He wanted her closer. He wanted her skin bared and pressed against his. Only then could he put this nightmare of a day behind him. If she was willing. God, he wanted her to be willing.
A sharp cry from Eddy broke their kiss. Their eyes met before Kelsey dropped her head against Cole’s shoulder and took in a shuddery breath. Her body that had been liquid against him only moments before, stiffened and withdrew.
“I’ll get the baby,” she said and was off Cole’s lap and gone before he could say anything.
He was still panting and rock hard. A few more minutes like what they’d shared, and he’d have laid her down on the couch and made love to her. He scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to tell himself that it was for the best that they’d been interrupted. Their situation was complicated enough without adding sex back into the mix. But he couldn’t deny the obvious. He wanted her.
ELEVEN
That evening, Kelsey poured herself a glass of wine. She rarely drank, but she desperately needed something to help her unwind. After the episode on the couch, she’d steered clear of Cole. They needed to talk about what happened and what almost happened, but she wasn’t ready yet. She kept Eddy to herself for the afternoon. As she played with him, she felt mom guilt that she hadn’t given him as much of her time in the past week as she usually did. Cole had taken up the slack, and her baby hadn’t been neglected, but she didn’t want her bond with Eddy to weaken, even a fraction.
“Can I get you a glass?” she asked when Cole walked into the kitchen. He was just shoving his phone in his pocket.
“That’d be nice,” he said, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve been talking to the San Diego police.”
“News?” She hoped it was the good kind. She desperately wanted an update on the kidnapped woman. During Eddy’s nap, she’d worked and kept tabs on the decryption program with her door open, doing a little eavesdropping on the calls Cole had made.
“She’s safe,” he said, and Kelsey felt a wave of relief. “Officers apparently recognized the background in the image and were able to locate her. She was taken to a hospital with a concussion and contusions, but she’ll make a full recovery.”
“Physically.” The mental recovery from being kidnapped had to be extreme, but at least she was alive and getting the care she needed.
“Yeah.” He accepted the glass of wine she handed him. “How’s Eddy?”
“Sound asleep,” she said. “The outing must have tired him out. I gave him a bath and put him to bed early.”
“Will he get up more in the night?” Cole asked.
“We’ll see.” It wasn’t something she could predict, but she felt that he would sleep for the time being, giving her the chance to talk with Cole about what had almost happened between them. “About earlier today—” A series of beeps came from her laptop that she’d carried downstairs with her. Looking over at it, her breath caught in her throat. “It’s done.”
