Page 45 of The Forbidden Sitter
I felt the heat in my cheeks as I blushed. “Oh, you sweet talker.” I turned away, heading to the bathroom to bathe hisson.
The sound of the blankets whooshing let me know Gannon was getting out of bed. Then his hands were on either side of my waist, and his bare chest was against my back. His lips were on my neck, and I heard him taking a big sniff. “Um, you smell like me. I kind of likethat.”
“Do you now?” I had to giggle as his whiskered cheek brushed mine as he kissed mycheek.
Braiden chided his father for kissing my cheek and placed his hand on his daddy’s face, pushing him away. Then he kissed the same place his father had, marking me as hisown.
I laughed and put him down to undress him as Gannon went to brush histeeth.
As I pulled off the little boy’s clothes and picked him up, putting him into the bathtub that I’d filled with warm water and his favorite bath bubbles, I thought about how domestic thiswas.
Daddy brushing his teeth, Momma bathing the child. So damndomestic.
But I wasn’t Braiden’s mother. No, his mother was a horriblecreature.
The child wasn’t any trouble at all. He was loving, funny, a joy to be around. How could she just have thrown himaway?
Or had she actually been throwing him away atall…
It occurred to me that the first shots hadn’t gone into Braiden’s room. They had gone into mine. Now, why would someone threaten the boy but take a shot atme?
“Gannon, has anyone talked to Braiden’s mother about this?” I looked back to find him staring back at me through themirror.
“Hmm. No. I mean, I didn’t give the police any information on her. Why? Do you think she might have something to do with this? And why would she? She only wanted to get rid of what she called a burden. Why make this threat?” He shook his head. “I can’t see her beinginvolved.”
“I have this little nagging thing in the back of my mind that says to tell your investigators to check the woman out, Gannon.” I turned back to Braiden, and my heart hurt even more for thekid.
It was bad enough what she’d already done to both Braiden and Gannon. Could she have a plan that was even worse than what she’d alreadydone?
Chapter28
Gannon
We camedown for breakfast only to find Samson had cleared out my staff and there was no breakfast. Only he and Josh stood in my kitchen, talkingquietly.
I cleared my throat, making them stop talking and turn their attention us. “And my chef and her staff are whereexactly?”
Samson picked up a brown paper bag off the countertop and headed our way. “We’ve turned everyone around at the gate. I think it’s best not to have too many people around here until we catch this guy.” He placed the bag on the table as I put Braiden in his highchair. “I stopped while I was out and got you guys some bagels and lox. You like that. I’ve seen you eat it a ton oftimes.”
“Yeah, that’s great. Thanks, Samson.” Brooke pulled the things out of the bag and looked at me as she put the packaged food on the table. “I can make us something. Don’tworry.”
She hurried to the kitchen and looked at the coffee machine. I knew it was way out of her league. “Don’t worry aboutthat.”
With a shake of her head, she looked around until she found something in the drawer underneath it. “The instructions are right there. I’ll figure this all out. Don’t worry. Just help Braiden eat a bit of that until I get his oatmeal and fresh fruit please.” She busied herself with preparing Braiden’s nutritious meal as she made sure he always ate things that were good for him. Bagels and lox were not going to cut it for his morning meal. Not by Brooke’sstandards.
I waved my bodyguards over while she moved about in the big gourmet kitchen with state of the art appliances. I’d written down Cassandra Harrington’s address and phone number on a piece of paper. Taking it out of the pocket of my blue jeans, I pushed it across the table to Samson. “That’s someone I want you to checkout.”
I looked around Samson to make sure Brooke wasn’t listening to me and found she was so wrapped up in what she was doing that she wasn’t paying any attention to us at all. “That’s the boy’s mother. I doubt she has anything to do with this, but I think she should be checked out all thesame.”
Samson nodded. “Yeah, that would be best. Leave no stone unturned.” He hitched a thumb back at Brooke. “You know it’s best for her not to leave,right?”
“Of course.” I nodded, and felt tremendous guilt about that fact. All the rest of the staff had been allowed to stay away from the danger, but not her. And all because she and I had fallen in love. It wasn’t fair to her, and I knewthat.
My cell rang, and I looked at it, finding Brad’s name there. “Shit!”
Then Josh’s walkie-talkie went off. One of the outside guards said, “We have a Brad Moore here. He’s demanding he be letinside.”
I swiped the phone to answer Brad’s call. “I’ll talk tohim.”
