Finding Her Son(48)

Emily eased toward the SUV. “Please don’t move, ma’am. Keep your hands visible.”

“No sudden movements, Emily,” Mitch said softly.

She stilled next to the rental, and he took a deep breath. “What’s this all about?”

“Detective Dane Tanner asked me to find you. He needs to talk to you. Immediately.”

“What the hell for? And how did you know where we were?”

“Rental car GPS. Um…the detective instructed me if you resisted, I should bring you in for questioning. In handcuffs.” The young officer pulled out his notebook. “You’re still conducting surveillance on a—Emily Wentworth?”

Oh, God. Surveillance. The word echoed around in Emily’s head. Her knees shook. No. It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. She had to steady herself on the hot metal of the SUV. Not Mitch. Please, not Mitch.

His head whipped around toward her, and she could tell by the guilty expression on his face. It was true. He’d used her. He hadn’t believed in her. Ever. He’d just been doing his job.

Everything that had happened between them.... She’d—oh, God. She’d given herself to him. She’d let him inside her heart. She’d thought she might even…love him.

What a fool. “You bastard,” she said.

The cop wiped his brow. “I screwed up, didn’t I?”

Mitch blew out a long hiss of air. “No, kid. I did.” He pulled out his phone, walked away from them and placed the call.

Emily watched him, the man she’d thought she knew. When he returned, she glared at him. “Are you planning to arrest me?”

“Of course not. I—”

“Save it, Mitch. Just get me out of here so I can catch a flight home.”

“Noah can fly—”

“I don’t need your help. Or your family’s.” She crossed her arms and planted herself solidly. “Don’t try to talk your way out of this, Officer Bradford. You had plenty of time to tell me. In bed and out.”

The young cop’s jaw had dropped, but he listened unabashedly, and she didn’t care.

“I know you’re upset, Emily,” Mitch said, his voice lowering to a whisper. “I don’t blame you, but I did what I had to do—”

“To put me in jail.”

Mitch thrust his hand through his hair. “Can you just listen for a minute? I did it all to protect you. It didn’t take long to understand you were in trouble. I knew if you found out—”

“Oh, so it was inconvenient to tell me the truth. I told you what Eric did, and still you said nothing.” She faced him, anger pouring from her, all the while disillusionment sucking the life from her soul. “You couldn’t have hurt me more. How can I trust you again? With the truth? With my fears? With my heart? With my son?”

He paled, but she wasn’t in the mood to sympathize. She hoped and prayed someday he would feel the pain that shot through her heart.

“I can only tell you that everything I did was for you. And for Joshua,” he said quietly.

“How can I believe that? Your job was to prove I killed Eric, wasn’t it? I’ve probably given you enough circumstantial evidence to tie a bow around a conviction. You can become the big hero. Get back your job with SWAT.” Her entire being froze from the inside, despite the hot, muggy weather. “I want you out of my life. I don’t want you or any other Denver police officer anywhere near me. Got it? I’ll find Joshua on my own.”

“You can’t do this alone. You’re still at risk. That’s why Tanner called. They found a woman’s body in the foothills of the Rockies. Not too far from your house.”

Emily’s heart skipped a beat. “Kayla?”

“No. An older woman.”

The words shattered the last fragment of hope in Emily’s chest. “Marie?”

He nodded. “Marie Dumond. She had a cell phone, and yours was the last number she dialed.”




AFTER RECOGNIZING SHE couldn’t afford to get back to Denver any other way, Emily succumbed to Noah’s cajoling and agreed to fly home with the Bradford brothers. She couldn’t think as Noah escorted her onto his CJ4 jet. She’d fully expected to have Joshua on the way up these steps. Now her arms were empty, and so was her heart. The one lead she’d counted on—Marie—was silenced forever. Her gullibility and stupidity were clear for everyone to see.

She’d believed Mitch had her back when they’d arrived in Florida even though she’d wondered about him in the beginning. Just like she’d suspected Eric. Why had she refused to listen to her instincts instead of believing what her mind wanted to be true?

She ducked into the cabin and sat near the rear, as far away from the cockpit as possible.

Mitch followed. He’d handled the steps well. Not that she cared, of course. Not her problem anymore.

He hesitated beside her seat, as if wanting to say something.

“This seat’s taken.” She placed her purse down and gave him the best glare she could.

“Fine. I’ll sit up front with Noah.”

Mitch snaked into the copilot’s seat, and Emily let out a relieved sigh. Noah made the last checks around the plane and locked them in. He knelt beside Emily. “Mitch didn’t want to lie to you.”