The Bodyguard's Baby

“They’re waiting for us inside,” Nick said, drawing her back to the present.

Laura swallowed but it didn’t help. She brushed the moisture from her cheeks with the back of her hands and took a deep, fortifying breath. She might as well get this over with. No point in dragging it out.

“I’m ready,” she managed.

“Good.”

Nick smiled then and Laura’s heart fluttered beneath her breast. It was the first time today she had seen him smile, and just like she remembered, it was breathtaking. Robby would have a heart-stopping smile like that, too.

“This way, Mr. Foster.”

Startled, Laura turned toward the unfamiliar male voice. The order came from a man in a black suit. A member of her brother’s security staff, Laura realized upon closer inspection. She noted the wire that extended from his starched white collar to the small earpiece he wore. The lack of inflection in his tone as well as his deadpan gaze confirmed Laura’s assumption.

Nick took Laura by the arm and ushered her forward as he followed the security guy. No one spoke as they moved across the verandah and toward the French doors at the back of the house. Laura instinctively absorbed every detail of the house’s exterior. Her brother had spared no expense on exterior lighting. Of course that could be a hindrance if she somehow managed to escape. The darkness proved an ally at times. Not that her chance of escaping was likely. Laura eyed the man in black’s tall frame with diminishing hope. Still, she needed to pay attention to the details. As long as she was still breathing, there was hope. Focus, Laura, she commanded her foggy brain.

A wide balcony spanned the rear of the house, supported by massive, ornate white columns. Three sets of French doors lined the first as well as the second floor. At least there were several avenues of escape, Laura noted, allowing that small measure of hope to seed inside her hollow heart. Maybe, just maybe, she would live long enough to at least attempt a getaway.

They crossed a very deserted, very elegant dining room and entered an enormous kitchen. Gleaming cabinetry and stainless steel monopolized the decorating scheme. The delicious scents of exquisite entrées and baked goods hung in the warm, moist air. Laura remembered then that she hadn’t eaten today, but her stomach felt queasy rather than empty. Besides, she had no desire to share her last meal with her brother, or to eat it in his house. She would starve first.

Several pots with lids steamed on the stovetop. Security had apparently temporarily vacated the staff upon hearing of her arrival. As soon as the all clear signal was given the kitchen would quickly refill with the staff required to pull off this late night gala.

James Ed always rode the side of caution. And he never passed up an occasion to celebrate, to show off his many assets.

Laura’s stomach knotted with the knowledge that her own brother hated her this much—or maybe it had nothing to do with her. Maybe it was simply the money.

Maybe…

Maybe Robby was here. A new kind of expectation shot through Laura. James Ed could have brought Robby here to use him as leverage to get what he wanted.

Nick firmed his grip on her right arm as if somehow sensing that her emotions had shifted. She had to get away from him. He read her entirely too well. Escape scenarios flashed through her mind as they mounted the service stairs. Laura’s heart pounded harder with each step she took. She felt hot and cold at the same time. She rubbed the clammy palm of her free hand against her hip, then squeezed her eyes shut for just a second against the dizziness that threatened. She could do this. Laura would do whatever it took to find her son and escape. James Ed would not win.

“Governor Proctor asked that you wait in here.”

Nick thanked the man, then led Laura into what appeared to be James Ed’s private study. Flames crackled in the fire-place, the warmth suffusing with the rich, dark paneling of the room. A wide mahogany desk with accompanying leather-tufted chair occupied one side of the room. Behind the desk, shelves filled with law books lined the wall from floor to ceiling. Leather wing chairs were stationed strategically before the massive desk. An ornate sideboard displayed fine crystal and exquisite decanters of expensive liquors. No one could accuse James Ed of lacking good taste, it was loyalty that escaped him.

Anxiety tightened Laura’s chest, making it difficult to breathe. She had to concentrate. If she somehow freed herself from Nick’s grasp and found Robby, could she make it off the grounds without being caught? Nick narrowed his gaze at her as if he had again read her thoughts. The man was entirely too perceptive.

“Take it easy, Laura, your brother will take good care of you,” he said almost gently.

Laura shook her head, a pitiful outward display of her inner turmoil. “You just don’t get it.” She moistened her painfully dry lips and manufactured Nick a weak smile, hoping her words would penetrate that thick skull of his. “It would have been simpler if you’d just killed me yourself.”

Laura knew she would not soon forget the expression that stole across Nick’s features at that moment. The combination of emotions that danced across his face were as clear as writing on the wall. He cared for her, but he was confused. He trusted James Ed, just like everyone else, and he didn’t quite trust Laura. Because she had hurt him badly. Left him to die—he thought. But she hadn’t. And now he would never know what really happened, and, what was worse, he would never know his son.

“Laura, I’m sure—”

“Laura?”

A bone-deep chill settled over Laura at the sound of James Ed’s distinctive voice. Nick turned immediately to greet the Governor. James Ed, tall, still thin and handsome, hadn’t changed much, except for the sprinkling of gray at his sandy temples, and that was likely store-bought to give him a more distinguished appearance. Laura couldn’t read the strange mixture of emotions on his face as he approached her. Fear sent her stumbling back several steps when he came too close, but his huge desk halted her.

“Laura, sweet Jesus, I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I thought…I thought—dear God, you really are alive.”

Feeling as trapped as a deer in the headlights of oncoming traffic, Laura froze when her brother threw his arms around her and hugged her tight. He murmured over and over how glad he was to see her. Resisting the urge to retch, Laura closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle. At this point, deep in her heart, she knew it would take nothing short of a miracle to escape and find her child.

James Ed’s uncharacteristic actions dumbfounded Laura, adding confusion to the anxiety already tearing at her heart. He had never been the touchy-feely type. Then realization hit her. It was a show for Nick’s benefit. James Ed wanted Nick to believe that he truly was thankful to have his baby sister home. When her brother drew back, tears clung to his salon-tanned face, further evidence of his feigned sincerity. The man was a master at misrepresentation and deceit. A true politician, heart and soul.

Laura slumped against the desk when he finally released her. She felt boneless with an exhaustion that went too deep. Nick had no way of knowing that he had just delivered her like the sacrificial lamb for slaughter. It was his job, she reminded herself. Nick worked for James Ed. She had known he would do this if he ever found her, just as she had known he would take her son away if he discovered his existence. And suddenly Laura understood what she had wanted to deny all day. It was over, and she had lost.

Robby was lost.

Laura’s eyes closed against the pain that accompanied that thought, and the memory of her baby’s smile haunted her soul.

“Nick, thank you so much for bringing her back to us. I don’t know how to repay you.”

Nick accepted the hand James Ed offered. “I was only doing what I was assigned to do two years ago.” Nick wondered why it suddenly felt all wrong.

“You’re a man of your word.” James Ed gave Nick’s hand another hearty shake. “I like that. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Nick studied the Governor’s sincere expression. He considered himself a good judge of character, and Laura’s fears just didn’t ring true when Nick looked her brother square in the eye. He read no deceit or hatred in the man’s gaze. But his gut reaction told him that Laura truly believed in the threat.

“There is one thing,” Nick began, hesitant to offend the man, but certain he couldn’t leave without clearing the air.

“Laura!” Sandra, James Ed’s wife, flew across the room and pulled Laura into her arms. “Honey, I am so glad to have you back home. You don’t know how your brother and I have prayed that somehow you really were alive and would come back to us.”

Nick couldn’t reconcile what Laura had described with the reunion happening right in front of him, and still something didn’t feel right about the whole situation. Something elemental that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“You were saying, Nick,” James Ed prompted, the relieved smile on his face further evidence that Laura had to be wrong.

Nick studied the Governor for another long moment before he began once more. He knew that what he was about to say would definitely put a damper on this seemingly happy event. A few feet away he could hear Sandra fussing over a near catatonic Laura. What the hell, Nick had always been a straightforward kind of guy. Why stop now?

“Laura is convinced that you’re the one behind the threat to her life, two years ago and now,” Nick stated flatly.

You could have heard the proverbial pin drop for the next ten seconds. The look of profound disbelief on James Ed’s face morphed into horror right before Nick’s eyes. Nick would have staked his life on the man’s innocence right then and there. James Ed couldn’t possibly be guilty of what Laura had accused him. Slowly, James Ed turned to face his sister, whose defeated, lifeless expression had not changed.

“Laura, you can’t really believe that. My God, I’m your brother.”

“Honey, James Ed has been beside himself since the day you disappeared. How could you think that he had anything to do with trying to harm you?” Sandra stroked Laura’s long, blond hair as a mother would a beloved daughter. But Laura made no response. In spite of everything she had done, Nick ached to give Laura that kind of comfort himself—to see if she would respond to him as she had that one night.

Suddenly, Laura straightened, dodging Sandra’s touch and pushing away from the desk that had likely kept her vertical. She took several shaky steps until she was face-to-face with her brother. She stared up at him. Nick tensed, remembering the hefty mug she had used to bash him upside the head. Luckily for James Ed there was nothing in her reach at the moment.

“If you really mean what you say, big brother, then do me one favor,” Laura challenged, her voice strangely emotionless, but much stronger than Nick would have believed her capable at the moment.

Nick readied himself to tackle her if she started swinging at James Ed. The lump on the side of his head undeniable proof that Laura could be a wildcat when the urge struck her.

“Laura.” She flinched when James Ed took her by the shoulders, but she didn’t back off. “I will do anything within my power for you. Anything,” he repeated passionately. “Just name it, honey.”

“Give me back my son,” she demanded, her voice cracking with the emotion she could no longer conceal. Laura’s whole body trembled then, her upright position in serious jeopardy.

Nick moved to her side, pulled her from a stunned James Ed’s grasp and into his own arms. “Shh, Laura, it’s okay,” he murmured against her soft hair as he held her tight. Her sobs would be contained no longer, she shook with the force of them.

“Nick, I don’t know what she’s talking about.” James Ed threw up his hands, his exasperation clear.

“What on earth can she mean?” Sandra reiterated as she hurried to her husband’s side. She looked every bit as confused and genuinely concerned as James Ed.

“Please make him tell you, Nick, please,” Laura begged, her fists clenched in the lapels of his jacket. “I don’t care what he does to me, but don’t let him hurt my baby.” The look of pure fear and absolute pain on her sweet face wrenched his gut.

Confusion reigned. For the first time in his entire life, Nick didn’t know what to do. As much as he knew he shouldn’t, he wanted desperately to believe Laura. To take her away from here and keep her safe from any and all harm.

“Tell me, please,” James Ed urged. “What is this about a child?”

In abbreviated form, Nick recited the events that had taken place in Bay Break, all the while holding Laura close, giving her the only comfort he could. “Laura insists that she has a son,” he concluded. “I didn’t find any evidence to corroborate her story, but—” he shrugged “—she stands by it.”

Laura pounded her fists against his chest, demanding Nick’s full attention. “I do have a son! His name is Robby and he’s—”

“Laura,” James Ed broke in, his tone calm and soothing despite the unnerving story Nick had just related to him.

Laura whirled in Nick’s arms, but he held her back when she would have flung herself at James Ed. “You stole my son! Don’t try to tell me you didn’t!”

“Laura, please!” Sandra scolded gently. “You aren’t making sense. What child?”

Laura turned to her. “Sandra, make him tell me!”

Nick tightened his hold on Laura, his protective instincts kicking into high gear. He still felt connected to her; he couldn’t pretend that he didn’t. “So you don’t have her son?” he asked the Governor pointedly.

James Ed closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Several long seconds passed before he released a heavy breath, opened his eyes, and then spoke, “It’s worse than I thought.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Laura challenged, her voice strained.

James Ed settled a sympathetic gaze on his sister. “Laura, there can’t possibly be any baby.” He held up his hands to stay her protests, a look of pained defeat revealing itself on his face. “Just hear me out.”

Laura sagged against Nick then, the fight going out of her. Nick wasn’t sure how much more she would be able to stand before collapsing completely.

“Laura,” James Ed began hesitantly. “Until the day before yesterday, when you escaped, you had spent the last eighteen months in a mental institution in New Orleans.”

Nick felt Laura’s gasp of disbelief. “That’s a lie,” she cried.

James Ed massaged his right temple as if an ache had begun there. “Apparently when you ran away two years ago, you wound up in New Orleans. You were found in an alley a few months later and hospitalized.” He paused to stare at the floor. “The diagnosis was trauma-induced amnesia, and schizophrenia. The doctor says you haven’t responded well to the drug therapy, but there’s still hope.”

Laura shook her head. “That’s a lie. I’ve never been to New Orleans.”

“Laura, honey, please listen to your brother,” Sandra coaxed.

“You had no ID, no money. They assumed you were homeless and really didn’t attempt to find out where you’d come from. And that’s where you’ve been ever since. If you hadn’t escaped, we might never have known you were even alive.” His gaze softened with sadness. “You were considered a threat to yourself…as well as others.” A beat of sickening silence passed. “Detective Ingle spotted you yesterday.” James Ed looked to Nick then. “Ray told me you would be bringing Laura home. He received a copy of the New Orleans APB on the Jane Doe escapee just a few hours ago. It didn’t take long to put two and two together. We’ve already contacted the hospital. The treating physician there faxed me a copy of his report.”

Laura turned back to face Nick. “He’s lying, Nick. You have to believe me!”

Nick searched her eyes, trying to look past the panic and fear for the truth. “Laura, why would he lie?” All the cards were stacked against her, James Ed had no motivation that Nick could see for wanting to harm her. And Laura had no proof of any of her accusations, or that she had a child.

“Honey, I would never lie to you.” James Ed moved closer. “I am so sorry that this has happened. If we had known how sick you were two years ago, maybe we could have prevented this total breakdown—”

“Why are you doing this?” Laura cried. “I’m not crazy. I just want my son back!”

“I think it’s time to call Dr. Beckman in,” Sandra suggested quietly.

“Who?” Laura demanded. Her body shook so badly now that Nick’s arms were all that kept her upright. Nick’s own concern mounted swiftly.

“Wait,” James Ed told Sandra, then turned to Laura. He studied her for a time before continuing. “All right, Laura, tell us where you’ve been if not in New Orleans.”

“Darling, don’t put yourself and Laura through this now,” Sandra pleaded softly.

James Ed shook his head. “I want to hear Laura’s side. I won’t be guilty of failing to listen again.” He gave Sandra a pointed look. “I want to know where she believes she has been.”

“You know where I’ve been,” Laura snapped. “You’ve had someone tracking me like an animal.”

“Please, Laura, you can’t believe that.” James Ed reached for her, but she shunned his touch.

“Stay away from me!”

“Surely we can sort all this out in the morning after Laura’s had a good night’s rest,” Sandra offered quickly. “We’re all upset. Let’s not make things worse by pushing Laura when she’s obviously exhausted.” Sandra placed a comforting hand on James Ed’s arm. “And we do have guests arriving shortly, unless you’d like me to cancel….”

“You’re right, of course, dear,” James Ed relented with a heavy sigh. “Laura needs to rest. Canceling dinner is probably wise, too. I should have realized that earlier. We’ve all had a shock.”

“I’ll get the doctor.” Sandra hurried toward the door.

Laura stiffened. “I don’t need a doctor.”

“Honey, this is for your own good,” James Ed assured her. “We’ve had Dr. Beckman, a close friend, standing by since we found out…what happened. He has spoken with the doctor in New Orleans and understands the specifics of your case. He’ll give you something to calm you down, and we can work all this out in the morning.”

“No!” Laura struggled in Nick’s arms. “Don’t do this, James Ed, please!”

Nick didn’t like the way this was going. Before he could protest, Sandra rushed back into the room followed by a short, older man carrying a small black case.

“Nick, please don’t let them do this to me.”

Nick looked from Laura to the doctor who had just taken a hypodermic needle from his bag. Nick’s uncertain gaze shifted to the Governor. “I don’t know about this, James Ed,” Nick said slowly.

“It’s okay, Nick, he’s only going to give her a sedative,” James Ed explained tiredly. “It’s for her own good. Considering the state she’s in she might hurt herself.”

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