Unbreakable Bond & The Missing Twin: Unbreakable Bond / The Missing Twin

Hood was a first-class bastard, his wife a major bitch.

But that didn’t necessarily mean they were lying, just that they’d been young, selfish, immature and relieved to be free of an unwanted child.

He tried to put himself in their places, but empathy wasn’t his style, not for spoiled rich kids whose priorities were majorly skewed.

And not when they were so callous toward an innocent baby.

Especially Hood, who’d shared the child’s blood.

Slade surveyed Nash’s house as he pulled in front of the circular drive. Pristine gardens, sculpted bushes, ornately carved molding and granite lion statues adorned the front of the mansion, a massive white antebellum reproduction set in the midst of ancient oaks and a pond complete with ducks, as well as a massive outdoor patio obviously designed for entertaining.

“Your father must be doing quite well.”

“I suppose,” Nina said in an oddly distant voice.

“You don’t know?”

“He’s in banking, finance, stocks. He did well in the past, but I haven’t kept up with him in a few years.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t see each other regularly?”

A sad look flickered in her eyes. “No. As a matter of fact, we haven’t talked in…months.”

Slade’s opinion of the man slipped another notch. “Then he’s going to be surprised to see us,” he said.

Nina opened her car door and climbed out before he could reach it, but the shudder that coursed up her body confirmed that she dreaded this confrontation.

After the ordeal with Hood, he understood her anxiety.

He’d been rough on her in the car, as well. But dammit, he didn’t want to be made a fool of or go on a wild chase.

Instincts urged him to pursue the case anyway, to find out the truth for Nina once and for all.

Then he could walk away with a clear conscience.

* * *

NINA WILLED HERSELF to be strong as they walked up the immaculate drive to the steps to her father’s house. This place had never been her home.

Her home was the bungalow in Sanctuary where she’d hoped to raise her little girl.

Slade punched the doorbell, and she breathed deeply, desperately relying on the relaxation exercises she’d learned in therapy. But her palms were sweating, her heart racing, painful memories assaulting her like a knife digging into her heart.

Just like the knife in the doll’s chest…

The door opened, and Miss Mosey, the housekeeper her father had kept for the past twelve years, looked shocked as she spotted Nina.

“Miss Nash, we…had no idea you were coming.”

“I know, Miss Mosey,” Nina said softly. “Is Father here?”

The woman’s brows pinched together. Nina had once had affection for the older woman, and thought she might be an ally when she’d discovered her pregnancy, but her father’s money had obviously meant more to her than Nina’s feelings.

“I’m afraid he just left for the office. He had a luncheon at two and wanted to tie up some things there first.”

“Thanks,” Nina said. “We’ll stop there then.” She started to turn to leave, then paused and touched the woman’s hand. One of her therapists had suggested that forgiveness would help her heal. “It’s good to see you again. I hope you’re doing well.”

Tears suddenly glittered in the woman’s eyes, and she surprised Nina by pulling her into a hug. “I hope you are, too, dear. You and your father should make peace. He misses you so much.”

Nina’s pulse stuttered, and she hugged the woman back then turned to leave, unable to speak.

By rote, she recited directions to her father’s office, contemplating Miss Mosey’s comment as Slade crossed traffic into town. Did her father really miss her? If so, why hadn’t he tried to contact her?

Slade turned onto Glenwood Avenue, then located Nash’s office, a two-story brick building in the heart of the downtown area. He parked in the adjacent parking lot, and they walked to the entrance in silence. Her father hated to be interrupted during business, and Nina considered turning around, but Slade took her arm as if he sensed her anxiety and they went inside the building.

A pretty red-haired receptionist wearing a short, black pencil skirt greeted them from the counter where she was pouring coffee. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m Nina Nash. I’m here to see my father.”

“Oh, you’re Mr. Nash’s daughter,” the young woman said with a startled look. “I’m Rochelle. It’s nice to meet you. I’ll tell him you’re here.”

Nina wondered faintly if her father was sleeping with the young woman but dismissed the thought. She didn’t really care about his personal life. He’d dated dozens of women since her mother’s death, but never committed to anyone.

Nina watched Rochelle disappear up the steps with the coffee, her long legs stretching beneath the skirt. A minute later, she returned with a wary smile. “He says to go on up.”

Slade placed his hand on the small of her back as she climbed the steps, but her stomach fluttered with nerves. Her father’s diplomas, photos of business acquaintances and newspaper clippings about his deals lined the walls.

The door stood ajar, and Nina squared her shoulders, determined not to crumble in front of her father no matter how he reacted to her visit.

* * *

SLADE IMMEDIATELY SIZED up Mr. Nash from the edge of his office doorway. A compulsive, anal workaholic. His office was neat and orderly, dominated by a walnut desk and credenza with a stocked bar at one end. Dark leather furniture created a seating arrangement around a fireplace near the bar. Books on finance and business filled a bookshelf on the opposite wall. And Nash was dressed in a three-piece suit that probably cost more than Slade’s monthly salary.

The man was lean and tall with light brown hair, an angular face and hands that had probably never touched dirt in his life. He looked cool and focused.

Except for the slight hint of emotion that flickered in his eyes the moment he saw Nina.

“Daddy?” Nina said softly.

“Nina.” He hesitated, his voice cracking slightly. “This is a surprise.”

“I know,” she said, then glanced quickly at him. “Can we come in?”

“Of course.” Nash gestured toward the seating area, and Slade followed Nina over to the love seat, where she sat down.

“Mr. Nash, my name is Slade Blackburn. I’m with Guardian Angel Investigations.”

“I know who you are.” Disdain edged Nash’s voice, then he turned toward Nina and sympathy softened his expression. “Dr. Emery phoned to tell me you hired another private investigator, Nina.”

Nina clasped her trembling hands in her lap. “Yes. I assume you read the papers and know that GAI discovered that the hospital fire and explosion weren’t accidental.”

Nash gestured to the bar in offering, but Slade shook his head, declining his silent offer of a drink. Still, Nash removed a bottle of water from a small stainless-steel refrigerator and pushed it into Nina’s hands. “Yes, I heard the news. But I don’t see what that has to do with you.”

Nina stiffened but accepted the water bottle and set it on the table. “They uncovered new evidence, proving people were wrong about how the fire started. That means they might be able to find new evidence about Peyton.”

“God, Nina.” Nash scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “You have your teaching degree, a job now. I thought you were finally moving on.”

“I’ve tried,” Nina said. “But if there’s a chance that the police missed something, I have to at least look into it.”

Nash angled his head toward Slade. “I don’t know how much my daughter shared with you, Mr. Blackburn, but she can’t go through this again. The baby didn’t survive, end of story. You’re wasting your time and giving her false hope if you continue.”

Slade chewed the inside of his cheek. “I’ve reviewed the details of the case, Mr. Nash. Considering the fact that the baby’s body was never recovered, and the chaos that night, there is a possibility that someone could have kidnapped the baby.” Slade removed the bagged doll and knife.

“And just last night someone left this for Nina. Doesn’t it seem coincidental to you that someone would leave this on her porch only hours after she reopened the investigation?”

“Oh, hell.” Nash gave Nina a worried look, and paced back to his desk. Frowning, he opened a drawer, removed a folder and walked back toward them. Then he shoved the file toward Slade.

“This is the report from the psychiatrist who treated Nina after she lost Peyton. Take a look at it and tell me if you really think there’s a case here, or if Nina is just unable to accept the truth.”

“Dad, you can’t show him my medical records.” Nina looked appalled. “They’re private.”

Nina’s father stroked her shoulder. “I just don’t want to see you put yourself through this kind of pain again.” His voice dropped a decibel. “And I certainly don’t want you to have another breakdown, Nina. I want to see you happy and building a new life.”

Slade’s hands tightened around the folder at the sincerity in Nash’s voice. For a moment he debated looking at the file, but he’d vowed to find out the truth, and he’d told Nina she had to be completely honest with him.

So he flipped open the folder and skimmed the report. It corroborated Hood’s story. According to the psychiatrist’s notes, Nina had been in denial, depressed and delusional. The episode with the doll and the knife through its heart symbolized her guilt and grief over not saving her child, and the anguish in her own heart.

Slade’s stomach knotted. Had he been a fool to believe her? Was Hood right—had he fallen for her big, anguished eyes because he wanted to be her hero?

A hero for someone because he’d failed time after time after time…

* * *

“I AM NOT DELUSIONAL,” Nina said emphatically. “Yes, I was grieving, sad, even depressed but not delusional.”

“Are you taking antidepressants again?” her father asked.

“No,” Nina said. “I didn’t want to take them years ago, and I don’t intend to ever again.” She jutted up her chin, forcing conviction into her voice. “I’m perfectly rational, and I did not stab that doll and put it on my porch. I heard a noise in the night, then got up and saw a shadow outside.” Her voice grew stronger. “Don’t you care that someone is tormenting me, Dad?”

“This is the way it all started.” Her father gave Slade a disgruntled look, then lowered himself into the chair opposite her and pulled her hands into his. “Please go see the therapist again, Nina.”

She cast a sideways look at Slade, but his dark eyes probed hers as if she were a bug he was trying to dissect.

Anger fueled her temper. She could handle whatever she discovered about her daughter, but she didn’t know if she could tolerate the pitying or condescending looks again. “I should have known that you wouldn’t help me, that you wouldn’t believe me. You don’t want anything to mess up your perfect world, do you, Dad?” She jerked her hands away and stood. “You didn’t want a pregnant daughter, or an illegitimate child, and you certainly wouldn’t have wanted a preemie who might have been handicapped.”

“That’s enough, Nina.” Her father’s eyes glittered with rage. “I love you. Everything I’ve ever done has been with your best interests in mind.”

Nina gripped her shoulder bag, and faced her father. “If you wanted what was best for me, you’d believe me. You would have helped me search for my baby instead of abandoning me and making me feel like I was crazy.”

Grief swelled inside her at the realization that she and her father would never get along. Never be close.

She had disappointed him.

But he had disappointed her, too.

He was the one person she’d thought would have had faith in her. But he hadn’t trusted in her when she’d needed him most.

She spun around and walked out of the office, knowing she’d never be back.

* * *

REBECCA DANGLED HER FEET below the swing, pumping her legs hard to make the swing move back and forth. She was too short to touch the ground, and her legs were weak so it took a bunch of tries, but finally the swing moved.

She didn’t care if the kids laughed at her.

She would learn to pump herself even if they teased her until school was out. When her mommy came to get her, she was going to show her everything she’d learned.

A black car drove by the fence near the parking lot, and someone rolled down the window. The sun nearly blinded her, and she scrunched her nose, her glasses slipping down.

But someone in the car pushed a camera out the window and began to snap pictures.

Her stomach spasmed. Why were strangers watching the school? She’d heard other foster kids talk about the news and how kids went missing every day.

That men stole them and did mean things to them, and the kids never came back.

She jumped from the swing to go tell the teacher, but she stumbled again and her knee hit the ground. A big boy with a ball cap on laughed, and she frowned at him as she tried to get up.

Then the flash of the camera blinded her once more. When she finally could see again, the boy had run off and she was alone on the playground.

Alone except for the man in the car watching her… Was he one of the bad men the other fosters talked about?

CHAPTER SEVEN

QUESTIONS AND DOUBTS assailed Slade as they left Raleigh and headed back toward Sanctuary. Nash had seemed sincere in his concern for Nina.

But his condescending attitude had irritated the hell out of him.

Even though Nina had put on a brave face, hurt had laced her voice when she’d stood up to her father.

If anyone should have believed her, her own father should have. So why hadn’t he?

Nina might be slightly obsessed over finding the truth about her daughter, but she didn’t seem irrational or delusional. She also didn’t appear to be taking drugs as her father had suggested.

And dammit, he understood her single-minded focus and the reason she’d asked questions. Obsession had driven him to keep looking for his sister until he’d located her. And although he hadn’t liked the outcome, at least he had closure. And his sister had received a decent burial.

Nina deserved to have closure, too.

Considering the fact that Nina was the only one who’d wanted the child, that left plenty of suspects. All who had means, motive and opportunity.

Her father. William Hood. Hood’s mother.

Any one of them could have paid someone to kidnap the baby.

But they couldn’t have predicted that the fire would break out the night Nina had delivered. Still, Nina’s father and Hood might have come to the hospital when the baby was born, and jumped on the opportunity.

He frowned and maneuvered around traffic. And Hood’s wife, Mitzi, topped his suspect list. Mitzi was upset about Nina’s pregnancy. What if she’d been afraid William would change his mind after the baby was born and decide he wanted Nina and his daughter in his life?

Would she have been desperate enough to steal the baby?

Hood’s mother was an even bigger question mark in his mind. She’d tried to bribe Nina to have an abortion. Had she kidnapped the baby so she wouldn’t have to live with the stigma of an illegitimate child in the family? Or maybe she’d been worried that Nina might demand money. The baby would have had legal rights to the Hood fortune….

* * *

NINA STARED AT THE passing scenery, desperately trying to wrestle control over her ping-ponging emotions. She would not behave like the delusional psychotic her father and William had described.

“Nina?

She braced herself for Slade to announce he was dropping the case. “What?”

Slade slanted her a sideways look as he changed lanes. “Did your father come to the hospital when the baby was born?”

Fresh pain squeezed her heart. “The doctor called him. He was on his way when I went in to have the C-section.”

“Did he see the baby?”

Emotions threatened to choke her as she remembered the harrowing birth. “No.” She rubbed her temple in thought. “He didn’t arrive until later, after the fire had broken out.”

Slade twisted his mouth sideways. “What about Hood or any of his family members? Did they come to the hospital?”

She heaved a breath. “It may sound crazy after the way William treated me, but I did call him when I went into labor. I thought he had a right to know that his daughter was about to be born, that he might change his mind when he saw her.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “But he didn’t?”

“No. He ordered me to sign the papers and give her away, and not to ever bother him again.”

“Cold son of a bitch,” Slade muttered.

His comment eased some of the tension knotting her shoulders. “I remember thinking that myself. How could anyone be so unfeeling about their own child?”

A heartbeat of silence passed between them. “I don’t know either,” he said in a gruff voice. “But that apathy gives him motive.”

“Does that mean that you’re not dropping the investigation?”

The air vibrated with uncertainty and questions. “No, I’m not dropping it,” he said. “I may not find the answers you want, but I am a man of my word, and I will get you answers.”

* * *

SLADE REQUIRED VERY little sleep, but food was a different story. He pulled into the diner in town for a late lunch before heading to the hospital. He wanted to question the nurse on duty the night Nina had given birth.

It was way past the lunch hour, and the diner was nearly deserted, so they slid into a booth in the back. Slade ordered the deluxe burger and fries, and Nina a bowl of homemade soup. But she barely touched it.

“Have you had contact with William over the years?” he asked as he bit into his burger.

She sipped her tea. “Not really. I heard things through the gossip vine in town. About his graduation from law school, when he took over his Dad’s practice. And I saw a write-up in the paper about his country-club wedding. Apparently it made the society page.”

Climbing the social ladder seemed to be a high priority to the Hoods. But at what cost?

“You were in love with William?”

She shook her head and leaned her head on her hand, looking exhausted.

“No. I was young, Slade. Trying to fit in. Shy. And I was trying to impress my father.”

“You went out with William to impress your father?”

A sarcastic laugh escaped her. “I realize that sounds ridiculous. But I was seventeen with no mother. More than anything I wanted my father to be proud. And the Hoods were the type of prestigious family he wanted me to end up with.” She offered a self-deprecating smile. “So I was flattered when he asked me to prom. Then later…”

“Later what?”

“Later, I saw how selfish and conceited he was, and I didn’t even like him, much less love him.”

Slade ordered himself to resist the temptation to cover her hand with his, to soothe her distress.

But he lost the battle and did just as his heart commanded. Her hand felt small and cold and in need of a big one to cling to, and something twitched inside him urging him to be that someone. That everyone else in her life had let her down.

You might, too, a voice inside his head taunted.

Her fingers curled beneath the weight of his hand as if grasping on, and panic set in. He couldn’t make promises to a vulnerable woman like her.

Not when he knew he’d walk away in the end.

He was too damn broken to be any good to anyone long-term.

She deserved someone better. A savior who’d stick around.

So he pulled his hand away and finished his burger in silence, determined to tie up the case so he didn’t have to be tortured by her big, sad eyes, and by things he could never have or give her.

His cell phone buzzed as he was paying the bill, and he checked the number, saw it was GAI and connected the call. “Blackburn speaking.”

“Slade, it’s Amanda Peterson from GAI.”

“Yeah?”

“Gage managed to get a copy of all the forensics reports from the hospital fire, including copies of the bodies found after the fire.”

Slade’s gut tightened. “And?”

“It was a mess,” she said. “I can see why forensics and the cops had trouble sorting out the truth. Bodies were dismembered, literally blown apart. The chemicals ate away skin, bone and tissue, making identities impossible. The small town just didn’t have the manpower at the time to handle such a large investigation, and the feds that came in wrote it off as a tragic accident and told families they had to accept the loss.”

Slade saw Nina watching and adopted a poker face. “So what can you tell me?”

“They did take photographs of the bones and recorded the unidentified ones. Unfortunately hospital records were also destroyed that night, so any records of Peyton Nash, including her footprints and handprints, were lost in the fire.”

“Damn.”

A moment of silence, then Amanda continued. “But there were a couple of infant bones in the mix. I’m trying to see if they belong to Peyton now, but getting the results may take time.”

“How about patient files of other births, infants in the hospital for other procedures, tests or treatments that night?”

“Gage already put Benjamin Camp on it.”

Slade’s admiration for McDermont rose. “Thanks. I’ll fish around at the hospital. Keep me posted.”

She agreed and he snapped his phone closed. Nina was watching with anticipation.

“What?”

“I told you I wouldn’t mince words,” Slade begun. Her face paled slightly. “All right.”

“The forensics expert at GAI is studying copies of the forensics reports. I’m sorry to say, but there were infant bones in the mix.”

Her breath hitched out. “Did they identify them?”

“No, they’re working on that now. But I want to question Dr. Emery again. According to him, there weren’t any babies other than Peyton lost that night.”

Tears glittered in her eyes before she blinked them away. “Then he lied,” she said with a strength to her voice that surprised him.

“Gage is going to request copies of hospital records from that night, but most were destroyed in the fire.”

“Didn’t they have some kind of back-up system?” Nina asked.

“Our computer guy is working on that angle.” Slade reached for the bill. “Let’s go talk to the nurse on duty that night and find out what she remembers.”

* * *

THE IMPLICATIONS THAT there had been an infant’s bones in the fire made Nina’s stomach protest, and for a moment she’d thought she might lose the lunch she’d barely touched.

But she swallowed hard to stem the nausea. At least Slade hadn’t given up. She’d asked for answers and she was grateful he was being honest with her, not treating her as if she were a crazy woman who might flip out if he didn’t walk on eggshells around her.

The wind ruffled her hair as they entered the hospital and rode the elevator to the maternity floor. Nurses bustled up and down the halls, orderlies were picking up food trays, a woman in a robe strolled toward the nursery and voices echoed from the closest room nearby just as an older couple, probably grandparents, rushed down the hallway carrying flowers and a blue stuffed teddy bear.

Nina’s experience had been so different, yet she had to smile at the thought of the happy couple and grandparents celebrating a new life.

“Excuse me,” Slade said to a curly-haired nurse wearing pink scrubs at the nurses’ station. “Is Carrie Poole here?”

The woman nodded. “She’s in the NICU.”

“Can you ask her if she can speak with us?” Slade asked.

The woman glanced at Nina with a frown. “Regarding what?”

Nina cleared her throat. “I just want to ask her a couple of questions. She took care of my baby when I was here a long time ago.”

“You’re Nina Nash, aren’t you?” the woman asked.

Nina stiffened. “Yes.”

“Dr. Emery said you hired a private investigator and were asking questions.” A wariness tinged her eyes. “I wasn’t here back then, but I’ve heard how horrible it was. I can’t imagine…”