Linda Castillo - A Baby Before Dawn

His .

Holy Moses. The supposition slammed into him like a Mack truck traveling at a high rate of speed. The scar above his eye, courtesy of shrapnel in Afghanistan, throbbed again.

“You’re lying,” he heard himself say.

That she didn’t deny it drove home the cold hard truth of it. He felt as if he’d just been punched between the eyes with a set of brass knuckles. “I deserved to know the truth.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “You did.”

“Then why—”

She gestured angrily toward the dangers behind them. “Look at what you’ve brought into my life. Men with guns. That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. This baby, my baby, deserves to be safe. I put her well-being above the truth. Above you. For that, I’m sorry. But your knowing changes nothing.”

“The hell it doesn’t.”

“You have no say in the matter.”

Chase wanted to talk about this. A thousand emotions churned inside him in a kaleidoscope of shock and regret and newfound optimism. But there was no time to voice any of them. They had to get out of this alley and to a safe place. “We can’t discuss this here.”

He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she repeated.

For the first time, Chase’s temper kicked in. He was tired of being blamed for all that was bad and wrong in the world. Even more tired of being kept in the dark and denied the things that mattered most. So what if he had a dangerous job? Someone had to keep the bad guys away. “If you care so much about that baby, you’ll be reasonable.”

“Don’t you dare try to manipulate me using this baby,” she hissed. “There’s nothing reasonable about any of what’s happened.”

“Maybe not. But you know I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“How can you say that? It’s because of you that we’re in danger to begin with.”

The words stung, but he didn’t let himself react. There was no time for emotion or blame or the rehashing of ancient history. “I’m the only reason you’re alive right now. Like it or not, I’m your best hope of making it through the night.”

LILY COULD BARELY HEAR him over the hard thrum of her heart. She hadn’t wanted Chase to know about the baby, but she’d never been a good liar, especially when it came to him. There was no denying the timing of it. She and Chase had been together seven-and- a-half months ago. She knew lying was wrong. But for the first time in her life, she hadn’t cared. Since the instant she’d found out she was pregnant, the baby had come first. She’d done what she had to do and accepted the consequences of her actions.

She just hadn’t expected it to be so damn hard.

“These people want you, Chase, not me,” she said. “Wouldn’t it be safer if you walked away from us and left us alone?”

His jaw tightened. “They know they can get to me through you. If I cut you loose now, they’ll be on you like wolves on a lamb.” Stepping close, he set his hand against her cheek. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to let that happen.”

“Chase—”

“If I walk away, I may as well put the gun to your head and pull the trigger myself,” he cut in. “You’re a target now. I’m sorry it went down like this. I wish I could change things, but I can’t. Until I figure out who these bastards are, you need me to stay alive.”

Anger burst through the gnarly layers of fear. “That’s exactly why I didn’t—” She cut the words off abruptly, shocked that she’d nearly said them aloud.

But he finished for her. “Tell me about the baby?”

Lily couldn’t answer. Staring into his striking topaz eyes, she felt the old feelings begin to churn. A cauldron of anger and attraction and something deeper she would not acknowledge. But those feelings were tempered with the certainty that wherever Chase went, danger followed. With a child to think of, Lily could not let herself be drawn into the maelstrom of his life.

Shouting from a newspaper kiosk across the street saved her from having to answer. Chase glanced over his shoulder, his head cocked, his body going stone still.

“My God,” he said.

“What is it?”

“Vice President Davis has been kidnapped.”

“Is that what this blackout is all about?” she asked, shocked by the news. “Someone was after the vice president?”

“He was at the black-tie ball where I picked up the guy who ambushed me.”

“Do you think those gunmen back there are somehow involved in the kidnapping?”

“I’m going to find out.” He reached for his cell phone, hit a button with his thumb and cursed.

“What is it?” Lily asked.

“Battery’s dead.”

She might have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so dire. “What about Irma? Can you recharge the battery using the cigarette lighter?”

His eyes softened at her mention of the limo. “Too far away. I wrecked her not far from the Hancock Tower.”

She looked around the narrow, crowded streets of Chinatown, feeling uncomfortably exposed. “What do we do now?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “We need to get off the street and stay out of sight until I can figure out what’s going on.”

“You think they followed us?”

“Even if they didn’t, it’s only a matter of time until they start looking in this area.”

A chill swept over her at the thought of some unseen gunman hunting them down like animals. Already she loved her child more than her own life. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Chase was right. She needed him to stay alive.

Lily started when he took her hand. Her initial reaction was to pull away: she couldn’t risk getting too close to him. Chase Vickers was her one and only weakness, the one man in the world who could make her lose her head and forget about doing the right thing. With the baby to worry about, she couldn’t risk letting down her guard.

But she allowed him to lead her through a narrow courtyard, past a smattering of quaint shops, most of which were closed. A few of the die-hard shopkeepers who’d kept their stores open stood outside on the sidewalk, chatting in Chinese.

Lily and Chase reached a main thoroughfare. Cars jammed the intersection, engines rumbling, horns blaring. The smell of exhaust filled the still night air. Abruptly, Chase stopped. The next thing Lily knew he had grasped both her arms and ushered her quickly toward a narrow courtyard.

“What is it?” she whispered.

He pushed her against the brick of an old building and placed himself between her and the street. “We’ve got company.”

A deep chill passed through her body. She could almost feel the pistol sights leveled on her heart. Unnerved, Lily leaned against the brick and tried to catch her breath.

“Where?” she asked, resisting the urge to duck.

“Southwest corner. By the newsstand.”

She followed his gaze. Sure enough, the gunmen she’d encountered in the cafeteria stood at the corner, talking into a cell phone and gesturing angrily. She wished she could hear what he was saying because she was almost certain it had to do with Chase and her.

“What do we do now?” she whispered.

“I need to get my hands on a phone.”

Spinning, he urged her into a run. They sprinted through the courtyard, past a rusty fire escape and the darkened windows of a seafood shop where selections and prices were written in Chinese.

They ran for what seemed like forever. But Lily didn’t think about the discomfort or fatigue. All she could think about were the armed gunmen who obviously meant her harm. She’d always known something like this would happen. How could Chase do this to her and the baby? How could he place them in danger like this?