Thunder Horse Heritage

“None?”

“No. And unlike the NIGC rep, who was shot, the woman was stabbed. She might have known the killer. We checked in at her apartment, and the neighbors said she had a baby, which is strange.”

“How so?” Tuck asked.

“The babysitter who lives next door said Julia picked the kid up around the same time as the murder. The murderer could have killed her close to her apartment, but no one’s seen the baby since. We have an Amber Alert out. I hope the killer doesn’t have her.” Josh sighed. “It’s tragic when the innocent become collateral damage.”

Tuck knew exactly where the baby was, but he clamped his lips shut, not ready to reveal any more than he had to. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, the babysitter mentioned a sister who came to visit. There’s a suitcase and clothing, but we haven’t located the sister, and there wasn’t any identification in her belongings. Maybe she’s taken off with the baby, running scared. We’ve initiated a background check to see if we can locate the sister.”

“Let me know what you find.”

Josh snorted. “Man, you’re supposed to be off. I’m sorry I dragged you all the way down here.”

“Yeah, but I knew the victim. Now I’ve got a stake in this.”

“We meeting for breakfast in the morning?” Josh asked.

“Sorry, Josh. I think I’ll sleep in. That little bit of jet lag is kicking in. But call me if you learn anything else or if Rick wants to leave early.” Tuck’s gaze met Julia’s. The dark smudges beneath her eyes and the tears trembling on her lashes made his chest ache. When he clicked the off key, he stood for a long moment, his world having made a one-eighty.

“You didn’t tell him I was here. Does that mean you’re going to help us?” She hugged Lily closer. “Because if you aren’t, I’m out of here.”

“Fort Yates won’t be safe once the killer figures out there’s another witness. You better hope he didn’t find your sister’s phone.”

Either way, Tuck knew that Julia would be in danger by morning, if she wasn’t already. Once the forensics team did their job, it wouldn’t be long before they discovered the dead woman was really Jillian Anderson. Whoever had killed her would put two and two together after it came out that Jillian had a twin named Julia, alerting the killer to the possibility that the woman who witnessed his crime and the woman who came after him were two separate people. And God forbid he’d found Jillian’s phone. It would show that her last communication was to send Julia the video with evidence of the murder. He’d be after Julia, and Lily would no longer be safe if she stayed with her mother.

She drew in a deep breath and looked down at the baby sleeping in her arms. “I have to get Lily out of Fort Yates.”

“First thing in the morning. Right now, you look dead on your feet.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he could have bitten his tongue.

The ready tears spilled from her eyes, running down her wan cheeks. “I’m sorry. I just can’t seem to stop crying.”

“Understandable. You just lost your sister.” The thought of losing one of his brothers hit Tuck so hard that before he could think straight, he pulled Julia and his baby into his arms and held them. The fear of what might happen to them outweighed the fear of losing his heart all over again.

Yeah, his life had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

JULIA LAY AWAKE in the king-size bed of the hotel suite, Lily sleeping quietly beside her.

Through the crack in the bedroom door, she watched Tuck moving around. The coolly efficient FBI agent was worlds away from the funny, attentive, passionate man she’d met and married a year before.

Her life had come full circle—not just bringing her back to Tuck, but also landing her last adult relative in the morgue. The career path that had frightened her all her life, that had taken away her father, broken her mother’s heart and driven her away from Tuck all those months ago, was now the reason why she’d turned to Tuck for protection. She trusted him to keep her and Lily safe. But what would happen when all of this was over? He knew about Lily now, and if the look on his face when he held the baby was any indication, he wouldn’t let Julia just walk away with his child again.

She really didn’t know anything about Tuck, his family, where he grew up, what his parents were like. He’d mentioned his mother, but did he have siblings? Were they anything like him? Would they want to know Lily? They hadn’t had time in their whirlwind courtship to find out all the important details.

What if Tuck wasn’t a fit father for Lily? Julia would take Lily and raise her all by herself if that’s what it took.

But what if he was every inch the good man he seemed to be? If he was capable of being a good father, then she had no right to keep him from his daughter. Yet could she let him become part of their lives without developing feelings for him? Feelings that would place her right in her mother’s shoes, spending all her life worrying over him all the time?

In the outer room, Tuck unbuttoned the blue chambray shirt he wore and let it slide down over his back.

Julia’s breath caught in her chest.

Tall, broad shoulders, swarthy skin, hair hanging down almost to his shoulders, he could have been in a commercial promoting the Lakota Indians of the Dakotas, or an extra in a Wild West movie.

No wonder she’d fallen in bed with him. What single woman wouldn’t want to? It was hardly surprising she’d been too caught up in the moment to think of taking necessary precautions. She looked down at the sleeping bundle nestled at her side. She couldn’t regret, even for a moment, anything that brought her daughter into her life. But still, she knew she could have handled the situation much better.

During her pregnancy, she’d struggled with the truth, knowing she should tell Tuck about the pregnancy. Julia knew it really boiled down to Tuck’s work with the FBI. She’d been determined to raise Lily on her own, proving she didn’t need a man, especially one who was in such a dangerous line of work.

Guilt lodged like a twisted sock in her belly. She should have told him. He had every right to see his daughter. He could have been there for her when Lily had been born. Maybe things would have worked out for them. Tuck might be luckier than her father and sister. He might live to see his own grandchildren brought into this world.

Sure, and pigs can fly.

Pain washed over her anew. What more proof did she need? Her FBI agent father had died in the line of duty. Her sister worked for the FBI, and now she was dead. More tears welled in Julia’s eyes.

Tuck sat on the sofa and pulled his cowboy boots off. Then he stood and unbuttoned his jeans.

Julia should have turned away and allowed him his privacy, but she couldn’t. Her tears continued to slide down her cheeks, even as her gaze was drawn to the agent like a moth to a flame.

He loosened the button, his fingers grasping the zipper, then he paused. As if he thought better of it, his hands dropped to his sides and he glanced toward the bedroom.

Julia squeezed her eyes shut, feigning sleep.

The soft shuffle of bare feet on carpet let her know he’d entered the bedroom.

Carefully, Julia peeked through her lashes.

Tuck Thunder Horse leaned over the bed, staring down at the baby beside her. He reached out and brushed a finger over her cheek, his dark eyes fathomless, his square jaw rigid.

He bent and brushed a kiss across Lily’s forehead. His gaze shifted to Julia, his expression unreadable. As quietly as he’d entered the room, he moved on to the bathroom.

Julia’s gaze followed his retreating figure, an uncomfortable twinge of jealousy making her wish she’d been the one to receive the kiss, recalling how nice his lips felt on hers so long ago.

She shook her head, forcing her thoughts to clear. She couldn’t let herself fall into her attraction for Tuck again. This situation was temporary, just until the danger was resolved.

Her damp cheeks reminded her of what was glaringly important in this scenario. Her sister was dead, and she and Lily might be next.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.