The phone blaring into my subconscious wakes me from the first real sleep I’ve had in two weeks. I glance at the clock and note it’s five in the morning. Fuck.

I grapple for the phone on the nightstand. Kathleen wakes and sits up, her eyes sleepy and her hair a mass of tangles from the many times I ran my fingers through it while I made love to her. She gingerly drags the blanket over her naked breasts, and I have to blink back the desire that instantly hits me. Christ, this woman will be the end of me.

“Hello,” I answer, staring at her sexiness.

“We got your girl.” Eli’s voice is a harsh slash through the fog of sleep and indecent thoughts about my woman, bringing me completely awake.

“Thank God. Babe, they’ve got her,” I say instantly to Kathleen, whose hand flies up to her mouth. Her eyes water, but the tears don’t fall.

A voice in my ear breaks through the happy moment.

“Carson. Carson. Man, fucking listen up,” Eli commands.

“What?” I cringe and press the phone closer to my ear.

“We’ve got a problem, man. Misty gave us the slip.”

I shake my head and run my hand through my hair, tugging at the roots. The prickle of pain clears my head further. “You just said you have her.”

“No. I said we’ve got your girl. Your daughter.”

Instantly my fear eases and relief soothes over the rest.

“You’ve got to come to Vegas and get her. Dice and I need to go after Misty.”

I toss back the covers and shoot from the bed and into the closet like a rocket. “How did you get Cora and not Misty?”

“She left her.”

Those three words send a knife to my gut. “She left my fucking daughter alone?” I roar into the phone.

Eli doesn’t say anything.

“That fucking cunt! How could she? My God. Fuck!” I yell some more. “Where is she now? You have her?” I pace the floor of my closet, fire and ice heating and freezing my veins at the same time.

She left her alone.

“Yeah, man. I’ve got her.”

“No, where is she right this second?” I clench my teeth, imagining my daughter left alone in a ramshackle apartment with no one there to take care of her. The vision rips through my chest and cuts into my heart.

“Right this second, Eli!” I’m losing control with every disgusting thing I can imagine that could possibly happen to my girl.

“In my arms. Not letting her go until I place her in your arms.” Eli’s voice is solid, and I focus all my attention on it like a lifeline.

My knees go weak with gratitude, and I brace my fist against the wall in the closet to hold myself up. Kathleen rests her hand on my back, a show of silent support.

“Christ! I’m getting dressed. I can be at the jetport in thirty minutes. Chase already has a plane at the ready. I’ll call him to get the pilot. I can be there in…fuck. Two hours at the earliest. Please don’t leave her,” I plead.

“Not gonna leave my niece, man,” he rumbles into the phone.

Besides his wife, Maria, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard Elijah Redding lay claim to one of the girls or their children. Even though he’s been at every function—unless he’s out on a hunt—and participated in what the girls call “family dinners,” I’ve never, not once, heard him throw down in this manner.

I swallow hard. “Eli, I owe you.”

“You never owe family. Get here fast. Dice is on Misty’s trail, but I need to be out there.”

“What happened? How did she escape?”

“Fucking bitch went out the bathroom window. We were quiet, man. Didn’t think she noticed us following her, but she must have. Dice took the back door of the rundown house she was renting, and I took the front. We broke in at the same time. I went straight to the room where I knew Cora was sleeping, and he went to Misty’s bedroom. During that time she slipped out the bathroom window, and she was smoke, man. Just fucking gone. Not sure how she pulled it off, but I look forward to finding out.”

“Jesus. I’m just glad you got Cora. I’m on my way.”

“Good. Out,” Eli says and hangs up.

I toss the cell phone on the shelf, pull out a pair of underwear and jeans, and put them on. I tell Kathleen everything. She agrees to stay home, knowing it is safer for her to be here than travel to Sin City and be anywhere near where Misty is hiding. Eli has Cora now, so who knows what the crazy lunatic is planning. I can’t believe she’d left our daughter behind when two unknown men had broken in. I thought she loved her more than that.

I finish getting dressed, grab my keys, call Chase to set up the pilot, and kiss my woman. I am off. I cannot wait a minute longer to hold my daughter. Kathleen had prepared a diaper bag with diapers, snacks, and clothes. She’d thought of everything. Even though Misty had cleared the house of the essentials, Kathleen had been steadily replacing everything. I think it kept her mind off the fact that Cora was gone. True to her word though, she always believed Elijah would bring her back. Thank fucking Christ for Kathleen. I know I am going to need her more than ever now that we’d be bringing home my daughter.

---

“Dah Dah!” Cora cries out, reaching for me the second her blue eyes meet mine. Her toothy smile is plastered on her face, and her eyes are alight with excitement.

I pull my girl against my chest and nuzzle her neck, her soft curls tickling my nose and chin. “Baby girl. My God, I’ve missed you.” Her baby-powder-and-lotion scent hits my nose, and I inhale it deep within my body and soul. A piece of my heart opens and fills with such joy, I’m not sure I can contain the sissy-assed response overwhelming me. I power through and blink away tears as intense emotion crawls up my throat. Instead, I just hug her harder and swallow it down. I’ll give in to it later once I’ve had a chance to process everything.

Cora smacks me on the cheeks, and I pull back to take her in.

“Dah Dah,” she says and lays a sloppy, openmouthed kiss right on my lips. I do not give a flying fuck. I kiss her back over and over until she giggles. Once I have my fill, she starts pointing behind me. “Eeeee.” She’s pointing her chubby finger at Eli.

“That’s right, baby. He’s Uncle E.”

The huge man smirks while putting on his shoulder holster, adding his weapons, and covering it all with a worn leather jacket.

“Get her home. Tell Maria I’ll call her when I can, yeah?”

I nod. “Yeah. I’ll call her from the plane. Eli, I…”

“Not a word. I know what this means. And one day, there will come a time when I call in a favor in return. Cool?”

It has to be said, Eli is the epitome of cool. It makes sense why Maria hero-worships the guy. He is one. And I finally got to experience a dose of it myself. Now Maria and I have something in common. Forever. Eli saved my daughter and is going after her crazy mother so we can put her behind bars. Yeah, he’s a goddamned hero.

“We’re cool,” I finally say, getting my emotions under control and putting out my hand.

Eli shakes it hard, using his other arm to grip my shoulder and give a squeeze of what could only be considered camaraderie. Then he lifts a large hand, places it on my daughter’s head, and ruffles her blond curls. The word “Spicy” is tatted in blue ink running from the top of his wrist and ending in a loop of the “Y” at his index finger.

“Spicy?”

He glances down at his tattoo and grins. “Maria’s the spiciest thing I’ve ever tasted. Need a reminder of my wife when I’m out on the job. Something easy to see so I always know what kind of fire I’ve got to come home to.”

I nod, realizing how deep this man’s emotions run. He may be a wall of muscle, with tatted-up arms and a scary growl—so different from his twin brother Tommy, who we lost three years ago—but he loves with intensity. Maria got herself the right man.

“Bye, munchkin. Uncle E’s got work to do. Good times, girl,” he says and then turns and heads out the door.

“Eeeeeeeee,” Cora cries out and waves her hand.

He turns, grins at my girl, and winks. “Get her home.”

“Will do. Be safe.”

“Always am, man. Got something important to come home to.” He grins and lifts two fingers in a quick wave.

“Yes, yes, you do,” I mumble, holding my girl close. “Let’s get you home, baby girl.”

---

Once I get Cora settled on the plane and asleep on the couch next to me, I pull out my phone, planning to call Kathleen. But my phone rings in my hand from an unknown number.

Before I can say hello, someone is rattling off in my ear. “Dude, do you have your daughter?” says a voice sounding like a young teen’s.

“Who the fuck is this?” I use a scary tone I don’t even recognize, but between my daughter being kidnapped and her mother out on the run, I’ve lost all patience.

“Dude, it’s Scooter. I’m one of Eli’s hunters.” He says this like I should know who he is.

Scooter. I let the name roll around in my head a few times before it registers. Hunter, my ass. He’s Eli’s tech guy. Never enters the field, just stays behind on his computer, hacking away and drinking endless amounts of Mountain Dew and Red Bull, if I remember correctly.

“Yeah, I remember. And yes, I’ve got Cora.”

“Wicked cool. But dude, I’ve got some shit news for you. I tried to call Eli to tell him first, because that’s the way shit rolls around here, but he’s not answering. I tracked him, and he’s on the highway heading north. Means he’s on the trail to meet up with Dice, who’s a solid three hours ahead of him.”

“All of this is very interesting information, but you said you had bad news?” I attempt to bring Scooter back around to the point of his call.

“Aw, yeah. Sorry to tell you, but your baby’s mama is psychotic.” He drops this little nugget as if he’s just told me it’s a breezy fifty degrees in the bay and to wear a pullover because of the chill.

“Tell me something we don’t know, Scooter.” I let all the air out of my lungs, my patience tried. I need to lie down with my daughter on my chest and just be still, listening to her heartbeat, not shooting the shit with some tech wizard.

“No, man. You don’t get it. She’s clinically insane. As in escaped from a mental institution.”

A mental institution? “You’re kidding.”

I can hear the phone volume change, and then Scooter sounds louder but farther away, like he’s in a tunnel. He’s probably put me on speaker.

“Says here she was diagnosed at age fourteen with a brain tumor. The tumor was benign and stopped growing a year after she was diagnosed, but it presses on the part of her brain that deals with being able to discern reality. Apparently, the tumor ate through her paracingulate sulcus, a part of the brain that controls judgment. Fucked-up shit,” he whispers.

I hear him tapping away and try to remain patient while I wait for him to continue.

“Shit, dude. Says before she was diagnosed, she tried to kill her boyfriend, who she believed was cheating on her. The boyfriend’s father caught her with a knife in her hand, standing over her boyfriend’s bed after she’d broken into their house. The dad happened to hear music playing in the kid’s room and was going to turn it off before he settled in for the night. Took her down, and she was arrested. She was assessed by a pediatric psychologist and underwent more testing. That’s when they found the tumor.”

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, and Scooter continues to level me with more bad news.

“Says here the boy’s family didn’t press charges, which they should’ve, because fuck!” He continues tapping on the keys. “Fucking fuck.”

My worry ramps up a hundred notches. “Scooter. Focus. What?”

“Shit, dude, she went on to marry a man named Jared Duncan right out of high school. And a year into the relationship, she sliced him up something horrible. Slaughtered him in his sleep. They found her rocking herself in the bathtub, covered in blood. Chick had some type of psychotic break. She was arrested, found unfit to stand trial due to insanity. Then they locked her away in a high-security mental hospital, where she didn’t speak. Meaning, she didn’t utter a word for over a year. Eventually, she started talking at some point during her five-year stay there before she escaped three years ago.”

I breathe through the fear and swallow down the vomit pooling in the back of my throat. She’s so much more screwed up than I thought. “Does it say how she escaped?”

A flurry of clatters come through the line as I wait.

“Duuuuuuude. She killed two guards. One with a toothbrush that’d been filed into a sharp point. She stabbed it up through the guy’s nose right into his brain. Whoa, brutal. She offed the other one with the first guard’s gun. Scary bitch. Gives me the willies.” He makes a burr noise, like he’s cold.

“How did she fly under the radar?”

“Shit happened in Wyoming. In California, anyone can stay off the radar. I’ve got no employment for her under any of her legal names. Looks like she probably worked under the table until your father hired her. Looks like he didn’t do a background check on her and listed her as Misty Duncan with a false Social Security number. That’s why we couldn’t find any real information on her. Bitch stole someone’s number.”

I grind my teeth. “Fucking hell.”

“Dude, I gotta go. I’ve got to reach Eli or Dice. Give them a heads up on how crazy this chick is. Glad Eli got your daughter. Later.”

“Later,” I reply, but the line is already dead.

I sit back and pull my sleeping daughter up and over my chest so her legs are straddling my waist. She doesn’t so much as stir as I make her comfortable against my chest, where I can feel her heartbeat and hold her close. “No one is getting to you ever again, baby. It’s going to be me, you, Kathleen, and your sister or brother from here on out. I’ll not allow that woman anywhere near you.”

With my daughter safely on my chest, grounding me, I call Kathleen and tell her what Scooter said. Once complete, I call Maria and give her a heads up about Eli and thank her. She assures me it’s all Eli’s idea, not hers, and he’s doing what he needs to do for his family.

Family.

There is a lot of that going around. For the first time in a long time, while I hold my daughter close and think about the woman I’m going to marry and have another child with, and all the extended members, including Kathleen’s soul sisters and their men, I’m finally content. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, and nothing can take that away from me.

Nothing.

---

A week goes by with absolutely no sight of Misty. Eli and his man Dice have scoured Nevada and have people looking in Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. Eventually, I tell Eli he needs to get home to his wife. He can’t keep looking for Misty when she’s got a shitload of cash and some type of unmarked vehicle. We all need to move on but stay vigilant. With her history, we’re hoping she disappears.

“I don’t know, man. Not feeling calling off the hunt.”

“Eli, you have no leads. You said it yourself, she’s smoke.”

He makes an animalistic sound and picks up Cora, who’s steadily tapping him on the leg and reaching her arms in an up motion. “Munchkin,” he says to her while placing her on the counter in front of him. He puts something into his leather jacket pocket and then pulls out a little pink box. Seeing this huge, rough-looking guy pull out a pink anything from his jacket is shocking, never mind the fact that he leans forward with it and shows it to Cora. Eli flicks open the lid with one finger and up pops a ballerina spinning in a circle to music. “Auntie Ria bought this for you. See, she’s a dancer like her.”

“Pwitty.” Cora looks in complete awe at the ballerina spinning.

Eli smiles, all white teeth and happiness. He’s a lot less scary when he’s smiling.

Cora kicks her legs and tucks the box near her chest. “Dow dow.” She wants down.

Eli chuckles, picks her up, and puts her to the ground. He surprises me again when he holds her in front of him while he’s crouched down at her eye level. He runs his hand through her golden hair and kisses her forehead. She leans forward and gives him a slobbery cheek kiss. He doesn’t even flinch. Guy is cool as fuck.

Once she’s free, she toddles out of the room with her new treasure, screaming, “Kiiiittttyyy,” calling for Kathleen.

I shake my head and smile. “Thanks, man.”

He harrumphs. “Thank Maria. She’s the one who picks out that shit.”

“So, when are you going to uh…build your family?”

Eli grins wickedly. “I try every night.”

I laugh hard and lean over the counter. “Okay, let me rephrase. When’s the wife going to allow you to knock her up?”

His shoulders slump. “Been asking that for a year. Says she’s scared she’ll lose her clients. Me, I could give a fuck. We’re not getting any younger, and I want to see a little girl with those eyes and that dark head of hair.”

I nod. “You know Kathleen is pregnant. Gillian’s pregnant. Use that to your advantage.”

A light shimmers in Eli’s eyes. “Fuckin’ A. Need to have a chat with my wife. I’ll keep you posted, yeah?” Eli says, walking toward the door.

“Sounds good. Thanks, man.”

With a lift of the hand, he gives his standard two-fingered salute. “Later.”

Kat enters the room as the door shuts. “Eli left.” She frowns.

“Yeah, Sweetcheeks.” I grin. “Think he’s going home to nail Maria.”

She giggles, puts her arms around my waist, and lifts her chin toward my face. “Honey, they’re always banging.”

I grin. “This time, I think he’s going to talk her into falling in line with her friends.” I lay a hand over her belly. It’s still flat, since she’s only just over three months, but it’s hardened in a way I know my baby is right there under my hand. Fucking bliss.

Her eyes grow round, obviously taking in what I just said. “Eli wants kids?”

“Yep. And I think he wants them bad. He’s good with Cora.” I kiss her neck, running my nose up the column and saturating my senses with sunshine and coconut.

She purses her lips. “He’s good with Gigi’s twins too. They love hanging out with Uncle E.”

I nod and continue to bathe myself in her essence until a little bundle of wild pounds against my legs. “Ice keem,” Cora says, slapping Kat’s and my legs.

Kathleen giggles. “I made the mistake of saying I wanted ice cream and thinking maybe we could go get some.”

I look down at Kathleen and Cora, both in their pajamas and already settled down for the night, and glance at the clock. “Babe, it’s eight o’clock. We need to get her to bed.”

Her shoulders fall and she frowns. “But I really wanted ice cream.” Then she rubs her stomach where our baby lies. I can see what manipulation the next six months is going to bring. I look from her hand to her face. She pouts, and I roll my eyes.

“Fine. You two stay here. Snuggle up on the couch, and I’ll go out and get the ice cream.”

Kathleen kisses me fast and hard and then leans over and grabs Cora’s hand to lead her to the couch. She’s gotten a lot stronger over the past three months, but she’s still not comfortable lifting Cora from the ground just yet. She can easily pull her out of her crib with one arm, but normally she leads Cora to the couch and lets her crawl into her lap. I know she’s working hard every day continuing her physical therapy. Even working on it at home with hand presses and small weights.

Yesterday, when she was in our bedroom sitting on the edge of the bed, I saw her lift a seven-pound barbell with her injured hand. I didn’t say anything, but I witnessed the smile on her face when she gripped the bar and held it up to her chest. She’d closed her eyes and smiled the sweetest, most satisfying one I’ve seen in a long time. It was pride, and I fell in love with her all over again.

Whistling, I grab my keys off the hook on the wall, hit the garage opener, and get into my car.