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The strange woman looked at me as well. I saw that her eyes were a rich, brown shade, like chocolate in the sunlight. Sparkling. Bright. Full of fire.
Aimed at me.
My body coiled.
I pushed the attraction I felt deep down and strode forward. “What happened to Reid?”
“Boss, I can explain.” Rasheed held out his hand. “It’s a long story.”
“Boss?” The woman lifted her head to stare me straight on. Almond-shaped eyes narrowed and then widened. For the first time since I’d approached, she seemed unsure of herself.
Fingers threading together, she muttered, “Wait, who are you?”
I ignored her question and slammed Rasheed aside. Moving almost frantically, I sprinted into the office.
What the hell happened to my son?
Almost died?
No, it couldn’t be.
Nightmarish thoughts paraded through my head.
If I lost Reid…
If anything happened to him…
My head whipped around until I saw Reid bouncing happily in his playpen, looking fresh-faced and happy.
Green eyes lit up when he saw me. “Dada!”
A wave of relief and love slammed into my soul. I bounded forward and, in three steps, I had him in my arms. Close to my chest. Mouth to his temple, his cheek.
“Son.”
He squealed happily and wrapped his little hands around my neck. Immediately, the darkness in my soul was banished. The blood on my hands was purified by the innocence of his touch.
I buried my nose in his stomach and blew my lips, smiling widely when he laughed as he usually did.
“Boss.” Clothing rustled against nervous hands. I spun and found Rasheed moving hesitantly into the room, his eyes darting all over the place.
The woman was right behind him, her head poking unceremoniously out to the side as if she was using Rasheed’s body to protect her. They both shuffled forward like two children who’d smashed their mother’s favorite vase.
I understood Rasheed’s reaction, but what was she so afraid of?
Me?
I pressed a palm against Reid’s back and nodded at Rasheed. “What happened?”
“I left him in the room for five minutes. I swear, I thought he was sleeping soundly. I came back in and his crib was empty.”
“He must have crawled outside,” I murmured. Reid was an active child but, so far, his playpen and crib had been able to contain him. I needed to put in extra measures to prevent him from escaping again.
But… how had he managed to open the front door?
“It was open,” Rasheed said, as if reading my thoughts. “We were receiving inventory and the delivery guys wanted access so they could move freely.” Rasheed bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Boss.”
I strode forward and squeezed his shoulder. “It wasn’t intentional.”
