“What makes you think that Simone is here?” Cass asks as Den cuts his lights and parallel parks his car far enough away from my father’s bookstore that Simone won’t see us.

“Soundproofing panels,” I say, craning to see if any lights are on in the upstairs apartment above my father’s store.

“Huh? Do you know what she’s talking about?” Cass asks.

“No.” Den taps my shoulder to get my attention. “What is your plan, Talia?”

“Both the bombing and my aunt’s cases had the same brand of tape with an unusual material stuck to it: recycled cotton textile,” I say, shifting my gaze to him. “Which is used for insulation. At first I wondered if the stalker worked in a textile factory or for a builder. After discovering Simone is the culprit, I remembered my father telling me about the musician who used to live above his store. He mentioned that the guy recorded his music in his apartment.”

“And he would’ve needed soundproofing material to keep the noise down.” Cass shakes her head, her expression amazed. “You remember the craziest stuff from all those reports you read. I never would’ve put that together.”

I glance back toward the building once more as a light briefly turns on, then flicks off. I look at Den. “Someone’s there. Have you heard from Elijah yet?”

“No, but I agree with him,” he says, his expression unhappy. “We should alert Sebastian where we are.”

“Hand Cass your phone. The moment she hears from Elijah that Nathan has been caught, she’ll text Sebastian this address.”

Den frowns, but does as I ask. Cass takes it, then jerks her gaze to me. “Wait, you don’t think I’m staying in the car, do you?”

“That’s exactly what you’re going to do. Keep your head low so you’re not seen, but we need someone down here to make sure Simone doesn’t try to sneak away. If you see anything, text me. Otherwise, keep an eye on Den’s phone and do as I ask. Please, Cass. Don’t argue.”

Even in the darkness her eyes reflect her worry. “How are you feeling?”

Tired as hell, but I force an alert look on my face. “I’m fine.” Sliding my gaze to Den, I say, “The plan is to knock on the door. I honestly think she wants me to find her.”

“Okay, I’m no expert on hidden messages, but nowhere in those texts from Simone did it say, ‘Come find me at your father’s store,’ Talia.”

“True, Cass. But they alluded to something more. Maybe it has to do with Nathan. I don’t know, but I think she wants to tell me.”

“Which means if you’re right, then you’re possibly walking into a trap. I won’t allow that.”

Den’s golden gaze is the harshest I’ve ever seen in his interactions with me. I can tell he’s angry and in my heart I know it’s because he cares. I hate that I have to ignore it, but this isn’t about me. “If Simone has my child in that apartment, I’ll crawl through a snake pit to get her back.” Opening the car door, I step out and look back at him. “I hope you’ll be there to back me up.”

He gets out and quietly shuts his door, then comes around to meet me on the sidewalk. “Always. Let’s go.”

My father mentioned that the entrance to the apartment was on the back side of the building, so Den and I quietly make our way there. I shouldn’t be surprised that he knows how to pick the main door’s lock, but I certainly appreciate his talent as we enter the lower level entryway of the building.

As we take the stairway up to the only apartment upstairs, I hold my breath with each stair we take, praying that none of them creak.

A fine sheen of sweat mists my skin under my coat by the time we make it up the stairs, then turn down the hallway that leads to the apartment.

Halfway down the hall, Den pulls his gun out, but I quickly shake my head and point to his holster, whispering for him to put it away. “I don’t know what she’ll do if she sees a gun. I’m not taking a chance that she might flip out and hurt Jocelyn.”

Den’s jaw works, but he re-holsters his gun, keeping his jacket tucked behind it for easy access.

When we reach the front door, Simone’s voice comes through a speaker on the door, which apparently also holds a camera.

“It’s rude to stand outside and lurk. Come in you two.”

A low light is on in the living room as Den and I step inside. My gaze instantly moves past Simone standing in front of the couch, a laptop on the coffee table in front of her and a phone in her hand. I look for Jocelyn and when she’s not readily in my line of sight, the worry that had been building in my chest shifts to full-on panic. “Where’s Jocelyn? What have you done with my baby?”

I take a step forward, but Den grabs my arm and holds me in place, then taps his ear. Finally I hear the tiny mews of my child. She must’ve heard my voice, because she starts to whimper.

Holding her hand up, Simone walks behind the sofa and grabs a baby carrier by the handle. Setting the carrier down so I can see my child squirming and acting generally unhappy, she looks at me. “You know…I had begun to wonder if you were as smart as Nathan seemed to think you were. That sap turned out to be exactly what I needed to make all this work. All I had to do was push all his Talia buttons and…well, let’s just say that wearing a red wig in bed was a small price to pay to get exactly what I wanted.”

She looks up at me as she releases the handle and puts her hands together in a silent clap, a mocking smirk lifting the corners of her mouth. “But since you’re here, I have to say…you surprised me. I’m not quite sure how you found me, so high marks for that.” As the baby begins to fuss again, she uses her foot to rock the carrier, then turns an expectant expression toward me. “Why do you think I took your baby, Talia? Well, other than the fact that I’ll do a much better job raising her than you ever could.”

I shake my head, afraid to say anything that might set her off while her foot is near my child’s head.

“Come on,” she says, tucking a hank of her blond hair behind her ear. Her gaze straying briefly to Den, she uses her foot to pull the carrier in closer to her, and tilts her face at a different angle. “Don’t I look a bit familiar to you?”

Her comment drags my full attention from my newborn. I frown as I study Simone’s cheekbones, nose, and brown eyes. “I don’t know why you look familiar, but you do. How do you know me?”

She laughs at my question, her amusement so loud that it sets the baby off on a bout of whimpers. Sobering, her expression hardens. “I look familiar to you because I’m Amelia’s mother. You killed my baby and in return I’ve taken yours.”

My stomach drops and my throat goes dry, a low gasp escaping my lips.

“And the light bulb goes off in her pretty red head,” Simone snorts.

Jocelyn is working herself up to a wail and the pitiful sound hits my chest so hard, it feels like a rolling pin moving from my throat to the tips of my breasts. The tingling is so strange, it makes me a bit lightheaded. I narrow my gaze on Simone. “I loved Amelia like a little sister. You killed your child the moment you walked out on her.”

Simone bristles. “I was messed up. A druggie. I had to get clean.”

“While you were getting ‘clean,’ Walt went knee-deep into the drug dealing business.” A flicker of guilt crosses her face, and I fold my arms, anger overriding my lightheadedness. “That’s right, Simone…drugs are what killed Amelia. Walt started using the drugs he sold and one day he backhanded his own child because he was coming down from a high and her high-pitched squeals of happiness bothered him. Her little head hit a table and she never woke up.”

As Simone’s face drains of color, I nod. “Not that I have to tell you the rest, but Walt got what he deserved for his crime.”

“He died in a fire. That’s what the newspaper said.”

“They found him after the fire was put out. That part is true.”

“Dead is dead. At least he paid for his sins.” She tilts her head, her expression hardening. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to discover your child died in the newspaper?” She doesn’t give me a chance to answer. Instead, she curls her upper lip in contempt. “It took time to find you and your aunt, since you left no forwarding address, but I persevered. I saw how happy you were, as if my child had never existed in your life. Vengeance has been the balm that kept me focused ever since. I just needed the perfect opportunity to implement my plan. Cue Paulo.”

Her gaze narrows to pleased slits. “Imagine my surprise to discover someone else was trying to hurt you. I couldn’t have him screwing up my revenge, so I hijacked his bomb for my own use. It would’ve been the perfect crime, with Paulo taking the blame. Then that bitch, Isabel, took your limo instead.”

As she talks, the baby’s cries turn more strident and sharp. My shirt starts to grow wet underneath my coat jacket and I suddenly realize that rolling pin sensation earlier was my milk coming in. I’ve never wanted to strangle a person so much in my life. I have to raise my voice to be heard over Jocelyn’s cries, my tone sharp. “Did you give my baby the sugar water you were supposed to?”

“I was a bit busy leaving the hospital,” Simone sneers, folding her arms. “I tossed that damn bottle in the trash on my way out. Formula is what she needed.”

“You what?” The simmering anger inside me whips to a full-blown explosion of fury and before I can think twice, I pull Den’s gun and turn it on Simone. “Take the baby to the hospital right now, Den.”

Simone bends to grab the carrier, but I quickly cock the gun. “Back off!”

She instantly straightens, but stays planted close to my child.

“All you really care about is me, Simone. Jocelyn is innocent and could die if her blood sugar level isn’t taken care of. Move away and let Den take her.”

Simone’s gaze narrows, but instead of moving, she puts her shoe on top of the handle and slowly rocks the carrier, which only seems to upset the baby more. “It’s true…you’re who I really want. I took care of your aunt first. Enjoyed every moment of beating the shit out of that old bat. After all, she was the adult in charge of my child.”

“Walt was the parent, Simone. Give my baby to Den,” I snap.

“Vanessa got what she deserved.” She jerks her chin upright. “I’m glad she’s dead.”

My gaze slits on her. “You tried your best, but she’s going to be fine. My aunt’s a survivor.”

“Much to my annoyance that massive heart attack didn’t kill her.” She grunts. “Damn, that woman seems to have nine lives.”

My heart dips, and when I shoot a look at Den, I see the truth in his eyes. “Aunt Vanessa had a heart attack?”

Simone’s laugh is short and tense. The baby’s cries are starting to get to her. “Did I spill a secret?”

“She’s in recovery, Talia,” Den says. “She survived. Your health during the baby’s delivery took priority.”

Frustrated that everyone kept me in the dark about my aunt’s condition, I look at Simone. “Den’s taking the baby now. I’ll stay.”

An odd smile curves her lips before she takes a step back from the wailing baby. “You’re right. She’s innocent in all this. He can take her. Hurting you was my ultimate goal. Your aunt is dead. I assure you of that. Does that make your heart hurt the way it did mine when I found out about Amelia?”

Den quickly closes the eighteen-foot gap between us, his massive size blocking Simone from my line of sight as he lifts the carrier. As he stares hard at Simone and I see his left hand curl into a fist, for a panicked moment I worry he’s going to go after her while holding the baby, but then he returns to my side by the door and looks at me. “Let’s go.”

I shake my head and his expression hardens. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Jocelyn is your priority.” I glance at the gun in my hand. “I’m covered. Get her to the hospital as fast as humanly possible and have Cass call the police on your way there.”

Den gives me an unhappy look, but then walks out. As the door closes behind him, a heavy weight of worry lifts from my chest. He’ll make sure my baby gets what she needs. Once I shift my gaze back to Simone, she’s holding her phone, her head tilted at a contemplative angle.

“You know, the ICU was surprisingly easy to get into when your aunt was first wheeled in there. Of course, she’s in a lot of pain considering what all her body has gone through recently. That IV of painkiller has become her very best friend.”

Tapping on her phone’s screen, her expression turns strangely serene. “The next time your aunt hits that button to relieve her pain, a lethal dose will finish her off. So you see, I wasn’t lying. Your aunt is dead. But don’t worry, I rigged it so it’ll look like you were responsible …” A wide smile, full of giddy malice, spreads across her face. “Which is ironic justice considering you’re not a killer, at least not an intentional one.” She looks me up and down with pure disdain. “A passive killer, most definitely…with my Amelia.”

Oh God, Aunt Vanessa! My heart racing and my body aching all over, my voice shakes from the tension rising inside me. “I’m so thankful Amelia never had your influence in her life.” Adrenaline keeps me going as my hand tightens around the weapon. “Your narcissism would’ve ruined that sweet child.”

“Thanks to you she has no life,” she snaps, then lifts her chin toward the gun. “You don’t have it in you, so why don’t you run along and try to save your pitiful excuse for an aunt, who apparently had no problem fucking up your life. I’m not really sure why you’d want to save hers. But, it’s your choice…me or Vanessa.” She glances down at her phone. “How long do you think it’ll take for the police to arrive? Tick-tock…if only you could predict when Vanessa will wake up and need another hit of the good stuff. Who knows, you might already be too late.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Holding the gun with one hand, I pull my phone from my coat pocket and hit the button to dial Den’s number, but nothing happens.

Simone lets out a low laugh, her eyes full of delight. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m jamming your phone.”