Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3 / Military Romance) (32 page)

“Tired, but Jax has been my rock.” Emily took one of the scones out of the bag and immediately sunk her teeth into the pastry. She chewed slowly while savoring the taste before continuing. “It helps that Derrick is an absolute angel. He hardly ever cries and pretty much sleeps in between feedings. The nurses keep telling me how lucky I am.”

“You are,” Lauren answered, patting Derrick softly on his diaper. “My sister’s children were colicky. Both of them.”

Elle sat on the other chair, sitting closer to the edge. She still held on to the bear, but she didn’t mind. These two women continued to talk and it was apparent their friendship ran deep. The fact that they would extend their circle to her was heartwarming and the more time that passed, the more comfortable Elle started to feel.

“Elle, is that for Derrick?” Emily asked, licking on one of her fingers.

“Yes.” Elle held the bear toward Emily, setting the stuffed animal beside her on the bed. “I wasn’t sure what you needed, but Lauren mentioned that Derrick’s room is blue.”

“It’s perfect! Thank you so much.” Emily used her non-sticky hand and caressed the fur. “I want to hear everything that I’ve missed. And by that, I mean you and Kevin.”

“I’m not sure where to begin.” Elle shifted her stance on the chair, delaying her need to answer by unzipping her jacket. “It’s all so new and I don’t want to jinx it. You look wonderful, by the way.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Emily took another bite and then licked the corner of her mouth to get a crumb. “There’s a mirror in the bathroom, and if the bags under my eyes are any indication I’ll be needing Lauren to take me to that spa she goes to for a facial. And Jax? I’ll be lucky if we have sex within the next year. He’s been treating me with kid gloves.”

“Oh, he’s just worried about you,” Lauren replied, still patting Derrick who was now staring up at her. He had his father’s coloring although with his mother’s brown hair. He was absolutely beautiful. “Once you get your check up and the doctor tells Jax that you’re healthy, things will go back to normal.”

“Really? We’re talking about the man who feels the need to carry me to the bathroom if I so much as have to pee?” Emily rolled her eyes and quickly took another bite of her scone. “Even the nurses are ready to kick him out.”

“Jax is worried that he’ll lose you.” Elle said the words softly, knowing that if the roles had been reversed, Emily would have been just as protective. It was the way of it and something that Elle had witnessed over the last year. They loved each other. “It was a really close call, Emily. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so scared as watching Jax waiting to find out if you made it through the surgery.”

Emily’s blue eyes softened as she wiped her mouth with a tissue she’d gotten from her tray and then leaned back against her bed. The adoration that she displayed even talking about her husband was obvious. With the scenes that Elle and Kevin had been having, an idea formed that had her smiling.

“You know, if you’re worried that he’ll treat you with kid gloves the rest of your life, I might have an idea to change that.” Elle even had Lauren’s attention with that statement. “I know it will be a couple of months, but when the doctor gives you the all clear, I’ll make sure that the club is clear while Lauren babysits Derrick. You can orchestrate any scene you want.”

“You know that’s called topping from the bottom,” Emily responded, a twinkle in her eye. She loved the idea and Elle liked that she was contributing to this recent friendship. “I will take you up on that offer. I like your spunk, Elle. And from what I hear, so does Kevin. Okay, I want the scoop. Start talking.”

“He’s….” Elle was still having a hard time believing the turn her life had taken. She wasn’t sure she could even put into words how Kevin made her feel or what he meant to her. What she did know was that every day was a gift and she was enjoying every second they spent together. Her clamp on the fear that sprung up every now and then was well in control. It only surfaced when she thought about the night that got her into prostituting herself to begin with. “I’m happy.”

“I’m so glad to hear that, Elle. You deserve to be happy.”

Elle’s phone rang, the abrupt high tone causing Derrick to whimper and Lauren to pat a little faster. Elle quickly twisted so that she had access to her coat pocket and pulled out her cell. Reformation’s number appeared on the screen. She hadn’t been back to the center since Rachel had fessed up that Hash had been keeping an eye on her for Bee. Kevin’s note this morning indicated he wanted her continue to keep her distance for a while.

“Hello?”

“Elle? Thank God,” Cam said, his voice sounding as if he’d run a mile. “Eric just got back from an appointment. Your new man thinks he had something to do with the murders. You have to fix this!”

Elle was well aware of Cam’s penchant for overdramatizing things, but no matter how this boiled down, it sounded as if things were as bad as he was saying. Eric? He wasn’t her favorite person, but she couldn’t see him as a killer. She had to give him credit for bringing in the money in order to keep Reformation running year to year. He worked hard and the girls who wanted to turn their lives around prospered from it. She wasn’t sure why Kevin would think Eric was involved, but it wasn’t him.

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Elle disconnected the call and then immediately searched for the taxi service listed in her phone that she used when she was too far away from her destination. Once her ride was scheduled, she stood and made a face of apology. “I’m so sorry, but something’s come up that I have to take care of.”

“Elle, you didn’t need to call a taxi,” Lauren said, standing and then leaning down to hand Derrick to his mother. “I can take you wherever you need to go. It’s probably better we stick together anyway now that Ryland has made contact again.”

“Ryland?” Elle looked between the two women. There was obviously something she didn’t know, but it was going to have to wait. She’d listen to the full version of the story some other time. Maybe they would provide a short synopsis. She was needed at Reformation. “If you can explain in five minutes, then go for it. Otherwise, you’ll have to catch me up some other time.”

“You know that man that the agency took down right before Jax and I got married?” Emily asked, repositioning Derrick. She adjusted him so that he was against her shoulder, with one of her hands securely around his head. Waiting for Elle to nod, Emily continued. “Well, he escaped from a federal prison and no one can locate him. He sent Taryn flowers to the office, almost as if he was goading us. Ryland’s made it his mission to know everything about me, the team, and their family and friends. Ethan was sent out to look for him. This man is really dangerous, Elle.”

Elle knew she had a look on confusion on her face, but couldn’t help it. Why would Kevin have kept this from her? Yes, it was his work, but she had a right to know if it affected her. She knew that Emily had some sort of past that wouldn’t leave her alone, but Elle had never felt that she had the right to ask questions. But if what the girls were telling her was true and Kevin was in trouble and by extension her, he damn well should have told her.

“I’ll call and cancel the taxi,” Elle informed them, coming to a decision. One that she knew Kevin wouldn’t like, but that was just too damn bad. “Lauren, you can tell me the entire story on the way to Reformation.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Y
ou did what?” Kevin needed to have a conversation with Crest regarding his life insurance. Elle was driving him straight to his death. “If Cam Bennett told you what I suspected of his brother, why the hell would you go to Reformation?”

“Because Cam called me,” Elle replied, placing her hands on her hips. She was getting ready to go downstairs to open the club when Connor had called him, letting Kevin know where Lauren and Elle had been all afternoon. “He was worried about Eric and I don’t blame him. Eric is not a murderer, Kevin. And why wouldn’t you have told me you suspected him to begin with?”

“I was going to tell you tonight. I didn’t know you were going to drag your ass and Lauren’s to the center on the day that I questioned Bennett.” Kevin rubbed his chest to relieve the tightening that had been there since he found out what Elle had done. He should have contacted her the minute he left Bennett standing in that building. It had taken the rest of the day to get things communicated with his contacts on the street to set up around the clock watch on his target and he’d spent the last hour reviewing new evidence with Taryn at the office. “We talked about you being careful, Elle. What happened to that agreement?”

“Maybe the same thing that happened to it when you kept information from me regarding Ryland,” Elle exclaimed, reaching for her suit jacket and shoving the sole button through the hole. “I mean, an assassin who murdered numerous people to try and kill Emily because of information she had? He sounds dangerous, and if he’s targeting you then I have a right to know. Isn’t that what you told me? That this is about
us
. Together. Remember those words?”

Kevin took a deep breath and counted to ten, knowing she had a point but not wanting to admit it at the moment. The information she obviously knew about Ryland wasn’t public knowledge nor would it ever be. Kevin had known that he had to forewarn Elle regarding the cold-blooded killer, but if she kept putting herself in danger, it wouldn’t matter because she’d already be dead.

“You’re right, Elle. I should have told about Ryland sooner, but Ethan’s out of the country working on a lead now and this case is heating up. We have more pressing issues with the fact that you continuously put yourself in danger. Eric Bennett may have killed those girls and I need you to stay away from him until I’ve wrapped up this case. That includes his brother and the center.”

“Eric didn’t do it,” Elle protested, reaching for her access card and sliding it into her pocket. “Cam and I mapped out the dates of the rapes and murders. Eric was out of town for two of them, at meetings trying to gain more donations.”

“I never said I suspected him of raping or murdering those girls, Elle.” Kevin knew that Bennett wasn’t stupid and would assume that’s where he was leading with his questioning, but it made him livid that they would bring Elle into this. “Don’t get me wrong. I do think he’s our suspect. But I specifically questioned him regarding the murder of a homeless man.”

“That’s not what Cam said,” Elle said hesitantly, finally slowing down enough to really look at him. Kevin needed for her to tell him everything that happened before she went downstairs to work. “He’s under the assumption that Eric feels you suspect him of the rapes and murders.”

“If Bennett feels like that, than there’s a damn good reason. He did it.” Kevin waited until he had her full attention. “Was Eric Bennett at the center when you and Lauren went there today?”

“No. It was Cam, who seemed heartbroken.” Elle picked up the travel mug that she’d filled with coffee earlier. She stopped long enough that he could see the flash of pain cross her face. She needed to understand that there were certain things that she couldn’t be privy to. “Kevin, I honestly don’t think it’s Eric. The cops don’t either, or they would have already brought him in for questioning. And before you ask, I’m not going to stop volunteering at the center and giving the girls advice that I’ve had to learn the hard way. Girls that Eric have given a new start, by the way.”

“You are so fucking stubborn,” Kevin muttered, not knowing what else he could say to get through to her how dangerous this situation was. “Answer me this. What if I’m right and he’s the killer? You’re putting yourself at risk every time you go there. He’s not going to politely ask to rape and murder you, Elle. He’s going to just do it.”

Elle opened her mouth as if to tell him something but then changed her mind. Unease travelled up Kevin’s spine but before he could ask her what she was going to say, she brushed past him and picked up a pencil and clipboard that had been sitting on the table. She looked the utmost professional with her hair twisted at the nape of her neck, her business suit molded perfectly to her body, and her coffee and paperwork. She looked as if she was entering a courtroom.