Page 8 of Chasing a Kidnapper

“That’s all for one night?” West’s incredulous tone grated on her nerves.

“Yes. I would rather have too much food than not enough.” She wasn’t sure why she was explaining herself to him. “I’d like to find a hotel with a kitchenette.”

“You can stay with me if you’d like.”

His offer came out of left field. She spun to face him, wondering if he was joking. “No thanks. I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”

“Look, you said you need a kitchen.” He waved a hand at the box of supplies, the diaper bag and the portable crib. “I get you have a son to feed, and it looks like you have a lot of other stuff here, too. It’s probably better if you stay in my guest room. At least until we know more about this guy.”

“That could take days,” she protested. Having access to a kitchen would be nice, but truthfully, she wasn’t sure she wanted to stay with West. Things had been awkward between them since the shoot-out on the highway and during the ride home.

Maybe she’d once had a secret crush on him, but that was when she’d first started at the precinct as a rookie cop. West hadn’t seemed to know she existed. Then she’d met and married Bryan, only to end up divorced less than five months after their wedding. Which only made her feel like a fool for falling for a guy like him.

Yeah, there was no way she was traipsing down that path again. Especially since she had Gabriel to consider. Her son would not suffer from her mistakes.

“Look, it’s late. Better for you and Gabriel to stay at my place for what’s left of the night.” West had obviously caught the look of doubt playing across her features. “You’d have to check out of the local hotel by ten or eleven in the morning, which wouldn’t give you much time to take care of things.” His piercing blue eyes were surprisingly earnest. “Not to mention, you’ve had a rough night.”

His sweet empathy knocked her off balance. She hadn’t expected that from him. Suddenly she was too tired to argue. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Great.” He looked relieved. “I’ll carry that box and the portable crib. Let’s hit the road.”

She hesitated, debating whether to wake Gabriel by putting him in his winter coat. She decided against it, knowing a blanket would keep him warm enough. She looped the strap of the diaper bag over her shoulder, then used both hands to lift Gabriel’s car seat, nearly staggering under the weight.

Again, West noticed. “Set him down. Let me store this other stuff in the back seat first, then I’ll come back for him.” He used his key fob to start the SUV, then hauled the box of food and portable crib outside.

She thought of Peanut waiting in the car and was glad the April temps weren’t too cold. She knew the K-9 SUVs were well equipped to keep the dogs safe, including temperature control features, but she would feel bad if the poor thing had gotten chilled.

West returned a few minutes later. He reached for the car seat, surprise widening his eyes when he lifted it off the table. “It’s heavier than I expected.”

“Tell me about it.” She kept the diaper bag and followed him out the front door. She took a moment to lock the door behind her—why, she wasn’t sure. The perp had picked the lock and could easily do so again.

Who had done this? It didn’t make any sense, and the headache she’d been trying to ignore grew worse the more she thought about it. She turned to follow West to the SUV when she caught the same scent of cigarette smoke.

“West! Do you smell cigarettes?” She slowly moved in a circle, her gaze sweeping the area. At first she didn’t see anything.

Then a dark shadow moved along the far side of her house.

“The intruder!” she shouted. Dropping the diaper bag, she took off after him.

“Trish, stop!” West’s voice held a note of urgency. She turned to see Peanut sniffing the air, then dropping into her sitting position. “Get in the SUV, hurry!”

She hesitated, turning toward him. She hated the idea of this guy getting away, but if Peanut had picked up the scent of a gun, she couldn’t risk her son being caught in the crossfire.

She returned to the vehicle and buckled Gabriel’s car seat in the back, using her body to protect him. Seconds later, they were on the road, putting badly needed distance between her son and the house where she’d once felt safe.

But not anymore.

Her nerves were on edge. She scanned their surroundings as West drove to his place. She doubted she’d get any sleep.

Not when her precious son was in danger from an unknown threat.

One she needed to identify and eliminate as soon as possible.

THREE

West mentally kicked himself for his impulsive offer to have Trisha and Gabriel stay at his place. It was watching her pack the food together, as if she and the baby were going on vacation for two weeks rather than a couple of days. That and he wasn’t sure how many of the hotels in the area had kitchenettes. Besides, after seeing the intruder lurking near her home, he didn’t think it would be wise to have Trisha stay alone with her son.

He’d have to get over it. This little arrangement wouldn’t last for long. He’d asked the officers who’d responded to the break-in to keep an eye on her place. Hopefully this guy would come back to finish what he’d started so they could arrest him.

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