Baby Protector Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Baby Paranormal Romance (Who's the Daddy? Book 4) (8 page)

His phone beeped again and he looked at it quickly, this time not showing it to Chrissie, who was heading for the stairs. She was already moving fast; she did not need to know—
They are coming… Don’t be there when they arrive. The mole has surfaced. And he has big teeth.

They had found a small, roadside, all-night diner to stop at. The kind lady behind the counter had warmed a bottle for Sam, and Chrissie had fed him, while forcing herself to eat some waffles. Joel had no problem polishing off a large breakfast, and two large cups of coffee.

“One of us needs to stay awake,” he’d said as an excuse.

When they returned to the car, it was obvious he intended to be the one. He helped her put Sam into his seat, and then insisted she climbed in the backseat next to him and tried to sleep. He pushed the driver’s seat as far back as it would go, and somehow squeezed himself behind the wheel, then headed back onto the road and drove through the remains of the night and into the morning.

The next time Chrissie opened her eyes, it was light and they were driving along a back road that was in need of repair. Lifting her head, which throbbed, while her neck ached from her awkward sleeping position, she was greeted by a gurgle and leg-kicking from Sam.

“Hey there, fella.” She stroked his cheek and smiled, knowing it was all worth it if they could keep this little boy safe. Every child deserved happiness, and security. Chrissie could not imagine Sam being brought up to be a drug dealer or petty thief. She would do anything, fight anyone, to stop that happening. Whoever was responsible for Angela’s death, the outcome would most probably be the same, Sam being brought up by Krieg.

“We’re nearly there. Maybe it would be good to keep down, just in case we are seen,” Joel said.

“Really? We’re in the middle of nowhere.” She lowered her head, much to Sam’s delight, and he tugged on her hair and giggled some more. Angling her head, she looked up at the mountains around them. “Where exactly in
nowhere
are we?”

“We’re going to stay with some friends of Liam. If they’ll take us in, I’m sure.”

“Wait, we’ve driven through the night, and you don’t even know if we will be welcome?” Her head throbbed harder, and she felt sick, both with hunger and nerves. They were friendless out here, wherever here was.

“They’ll take us in,” he said confidently.

As he turned off the road, and headed up a track to a large house surrounded by trees, she thought how peaceful it looked, and hoped whoever lived here wouldn’t resent a couple of fugitives landing on their doorstep.

Fugitives
. That was what they were. Joel had been dragged into something that was not his concern. She caught his eyes as he looked at her in the rearview mirror. She was wrong, it did concern him, not because he insisted he would do anything for her, but in the way they were both working to keep an innocent child safe.

Someone bad out there wanted him, and Joel had signed up to the police force to help innocent people, just as she had become a social worker to help vulnerable people. Sam, at only six months old, was about as vulnerable as you could get.

The door of the house opened before Joel had turned off the engine, and a man came out, big, broad and wary. “Can I help you?” he called, stopping about twenty feet away.

“Stay here,” Joel said to Chrissie, and got out, leaving the keys in the ignition. “If anything goes wrong, just run.”

“I am not…”

The look he gave her silenced her. “Please.”

“Sure.” They both knew she wouldn’t be running anywhere, but he didn’t argue with her.

Joel walked over to the other man. “You Beau?”

“And if I am?” he asked, hands clenched at his sides, his head tilted back a little as if he was scenting the air.
What kind of backwater place was this?

“I’m Joel. Friend of Liam’s.”

“Joel! Liam’s partner. I remember you from the wedding. How are they getting on?” Beau seemed happy to see Joel; that had to be good.

“Late honeymoon.” Joel had reached Beau now, and she had to strain to hear what was being said, Sam was making it particularly difficult by cooing and then squealing.

“How can I help you?” Beau said, his eyes sliding past Joel to the car. “You have someone with you. You in trouble?”

“Yes.” Joel nodded. “Someone is trying to kidnap the baby we have. We were looking after him at a safe-house, and last night we got attacked. I knocked the guy out, but when he woke up he tried to set up the woman I’m with.

“She your mate?” Beau asked. There was that word again, maybe it was some dialect spoken in the mountains by big men who liked to have a more animalistic nature.

“Yes.”

“You had better come in and tell me all about it, before she has to lean out any further to listen to what we’re saying. My wife, Elise, is in the house, she’ll need to listen too.”

“Thank you,” Joel said.

“I haven’t said I’ll help you, I just said I would listen to what you have to say.” His voice was good natured, and despite his words, Chrissie had a feeling they had come to the right place.

“OK, young man. Let’s get out, and get you changed. I am so sorry about that wet diaper.” Chrissie undid the harness and picked Sam up, cradling him in her arms as she got out of the car, went to the trunk and took out the baby bag.

“Want me to carry that?” Joel asked.

“No, I have it. If you could grab my purse, that would be wonderful.” She watched him pick up her purse, and retrieve one of his packs, then he waited for her to walk beside him toward the front door of the house, through which Beau had gone.

“We can trust him, we have to. So I’m going to tell him everything,” Joel said.

“And he’ll help?” she asked.

“He’s our best shot, he used to be a PI, still is now and again. His sister got murdered by some psychopath, so he’ll have an emotional attachment to the case.”

“I hope so. I need a shower and some food. Then I need to work out exactly who is behind this. No word from Landy?”

“No. I don’t want to make contact. Not until we have an idea of what’s going on. I think it’s time we ran some background checks of our own. Beau should have a computer we can use.”

“And whose name is at the top of your list? Not mine, I hope.”

He was quiet as they reached the door, and paused. “I’ve been thinking it through. If it isn’t Krieg, and I can’t see why he would set you up…” He looked at her, his eyes filled with sympathy. “Then I think it’s your boss.”

“Mr. Anderson?” she asked in a high voice.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“I still don’t see what he would gain from this?” Chrissie asked.

“That’s what we have to work out. Who would gain the most? Krieg would gain a child, but what would Anderson get?”

“Money,” Beau said, coming back to see what was taking them so long.

“You don’t even know him,” Chrissie said defensively.

“I know people. And money may not be the root of all evil, but it is often the root of all crime.” Beau ushered them in. “Eat, drink some coffee, and then we’ll get to the bottom of your problem.”

Chrissie liked his confidence, but she couldn’t feel the same way. They were going down the wrong track thinking it was Mr. Anderson. The guy might call her Princess, but he always had other people’s best interest at heart. She mused over this as they followed Beau through their lovely light and airy house, and into a kitchen that was warm, and smelt of coffee and warm bread, fresh from the oven.

“This is Elise,” Beau said, introducing a pretty, curvy woman, who was cutting the bread and spreading the slices with butter, while a toddler circled around the table with an airplane in his hand. “Elise is my wife, and this is Connor, and soon you can meet the newest addition to the family, Tamsin, who is having her morning nap.”

“Lucky Tamsin,” Elise said, smiling. “She’s not a good sleeper, too restless, like her father.”

“What? I like to be up early. I’m not sure you can blame me if our daughter inherited that trait. At least she got her mom’s good looks,” Beau teased.

“And her brains,” Elise said. “She’ll be outwitting Beau by the time she can walk.”

“There’s a difference, she doesn’t outwit me, I let her think she does.”

“She wraps you around her little finger,” Elise said happily. “Anyway, sit down, and let’s get you some food. You can tell us everything.”

“I’m Joel. Liam’s partner. And this is Chrissie.”

“Good to meet you Joel, Liam told us what you did for him.”

Joel blushed and looked awkward. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“I think it was the best idea.” Elise came over and hugged him. “No one deserves to be that lonely.”

Chrissie longed to know what they were talking about, but didn’t want to pry. Maybe Joel would tell her later.

“Hey, come on, Chrissie. Don’t look so down. Beau might be able to be outwitted by a baby, but he’s the best PI in town.”

“And not just because I’m the only PI in town,” he said, smiling at Elise. “Sit. Eat.”

“I’ll help you clear up,” Chrissie offered, getting up from her seat. They had eaten, made small talk, and then slowly, Beau had gathered the information about the case. Joel was pleased he hadn’t been too prying, especially about Chrissie’s parents. But then as a PI, he expected Beau to go away and dig a lot deeper, in the same way a police officer would.

“Joel, can I see the message?” Beau asked. “We could head out into my office and I can get on the computer and see what I can find about your Mr. Anderson, and Krieg. But I think your hunch might be right.”

Chrissie opened her mouth to say something, but she turned away instead, and took the plates to the sink. As they had gone over everything, he had sensed her bristling about his theory on her boss. But the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed he was behind it all. The motive, however, eluded him. Maybe if he found that, it would all make sense.

If it was Anderson, it would destroy her faith in a man she obviously admired. However, that wasn’t the worst part, it would also mean a man she admired was trying to frame her. For being a
princess
. Beau was right, the motive here had to be money.

“Here,” he passed Beau the phone. “Scroll down, there’s two.”

“You are sure they are from Landy?” Beau asked, frowning as he read them.

“I can’t be one hundred percent sure. The L points to him, and I’d spoken with him earlier.”

“That means he suspects someone is working against you and Chrissie,” Beau answered, and passed the cell back to Joel. “Have you tried calling him?”

“Didn’t want to risk it. Just in case it isn’t him.”

“Let’s see what happens if I talk to him,” Beau said, lifting up the phone.

“What? I don’t want anyone to learn we are here,” Joel said, worried they would be discovered and be forced to move on. Chrissie needed to rest, and Sam needed to be able to move around; he had spent far too long in the baby carrier over the last couple of days.

“Why would they think that? I’ve phoned to speak to Liam before, and you are Liam’s partner. Let me see if I can get put through to Landy, since you work in the same office. It’s worth the risk for inside information.”

“I don’t like it.”

“If they make a connection, there’s an empty cabin up on the mountain you can hole up in for a few days. Yes?”

“OK.”

“One last thing. Does anyone in your office know about your
other
side?” Beau asked.

“No one you’ll get to speak to,” he said. “And Chrissie doesn’t know either.”

“That is one thing you may have to rectify before too long. There may be a chance you have to go all bear before this is over. You don’t want her to run from you if that happens.”

“I know. She’s been through enough, though. I don’t want to pile more on her, like,
by the way you’re on the run with a freak
.”

Beau chuckled. “She’s tough. She’ll get her head around it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?”

“Just make the damn call,” Joel said, not wanting to think of breaking the news to Chrissie that she was on the run with a man who could change into a bear.

“Hi, can I speak to Liam please.” A pause. “He’s still on his honeymoon. Damn, I forget. Is there someone else I can speak to? I think Liam mentioned a Detective Landy.” Another pause. “Thank you. My name? Beau Branson.”

Beau looked at Joel, and gave him a thumbs-up. This next part of the conversation was going to be tough, Joel only hoped Beau didn’t come straight out and ask Landy what was going on.

“Hey. Detective Landy.” He paused. “I think I met you at the wedding. Yes, you were with Joel, Liam’s partner. Yes, it was a good day. Listen, I’m having trouble getting hold of Joel. He has the key to Liam’s house while he’s away, and I am coming into town and wanted to stay there for a couple of days. Do you know where I might be able to get hold of him? Or did he have to get out of there, because
they are coming
?”

A longer pause. Joel felt sick to his stomach. He had given Landy enough to go on, enough for him to know exactly where Beau was, if he had written that text.

“And who exactly is
they
?” Beau asked. A long silence. “I understand, thanks for your time.”

Then he hung up.

“What happened?” Joel asked.

“He said he will call you tonight, when he can, on the phone he texted you on. Well, that’s what I got from his cryptic message. Life is so much easier when you can just say what you mean.”

“All phone calls are recorded. He had to be careful.” Joel sat down heavily. “I really need to get some fresh air. Clear my head.”

“There is a whole mountain out there to romp on. Why don’t you take Chrissie with you? Sam is safe here with us. Tamsin will be awake soon; they can sit and stare at each other for an hour or two, while you and that mate of yours do the same.”

“I do not stare,” Joel said.

“Listen, don’t waste a moment with her. You should have learned that from Joel. He kept Louisa hidden from you and your department. And she kept him hidden from us. Now learn, because you might not get a second chance like he did.”