“Stacey-Ann.” Ellie stirred awake, her daughter’s name on her lips.
“Ellie?” Carson had helplessly watched her wake up like this for two weeks.
It was killing him faster, than not knowing where his daughter was. He was a father and a husband. His main duty in life was to his family, to protect and keep them safe, but he felt like a spectator. He was a bloody FBI agent for crying out loud! How was it possible he could help others, but when it came to his family he failed time and time again? What good was he if he couldn’t even keep his family safe? And now, they were cursed to spend every waking hour in the bureau and passing the night on the couch in his office, waiting for a lead to his daughter.
Ellie opened her eyes and stared at him, “Where is she?”
“Ellsa still has her.”
Ellie cringed away from him, fresh tears spilling out of her swollen eyes. “How could she do this to me, how could she?”
Carson lifted her up and laid under her, before he held her against his chest, hugging her tight. “She’s evil and she wants to hurt us.”
“But why?”
“She hates us. She hates that we love each other and that we are happy.”
She pushed herself up to look at him. “I understand that, but she couldn’t be the one who kidnapped Stacey-Ann. She doesn’t like children.”
Carson put his hand on her cheek. He loved her naivety and how hard she tried to see the good in everyone. “Who else could it be?”
Ellie’s face creased as she cried, “I should have just let her walk. The moment she stood up, I knew I had to come home. I didn’t want you to miss it. And now she might never…”
Carson placed a finger over her lips. Shaking his head, “Don’t say that. She’ll be fine.”
“She had her first birthday all alone and scared, without us to protect her, or tell her how much we love her! I want my daughter back Dale!”
Carson bit down on his emotions. This was his fault, he was supposed to protect her and now she’s in the hands of a crazy woman. He placed his hand over his unborn son, “Please calm down, for the baby’s sake.”
Audrey pushed open his office door. “It wasn’t Ellsa who took Stacey-Ann.” She held up two pictures for Ellie, “Do you recognize them?”
“He’s the bodyguard, but I don’t know who that woman is. Is she the one who took my baby?”
Audrey nodded. “They were lucky our cameras were down, it gave them a head start. We got these from the surveillance videos across the street, the paper work finally came through. And another thing, Ellsa is here screaming the house down.”
Ellie nodded, pushing herself off Dale, “I knew she couldn’t hurt me like this. I’ll go talk to her.”
“Just because she’s not the one in the picture, doesn’t mean she wasn’t behind it,” Carson warned. Ellie looked at him for a moment before she left. A part of her was sure Ellsa didn’t do it. But a part of her wasn’t, Dale was making some sense.
When she got to the case room, Ellsa was cuffed on the chair yelling her lungs out. She stopped when she saw Ellie, “What the hell is going on here?”
“Did you take my daughter?”
“No and you should have told me this days ago! But I know who did, my bodyguard and his stupid girlfriend!” She pulled at the cuffs, “Someone, get these things off me now!”
“Why? They match your outfit,” Gwen jeered.
Carson sat on the desk next to her. “How do we know you aren’t involved in the kidnapping?”
“One, she is my niece and the only kid I like. And I’ll probably like the next one, but there is no guarantee. And two, why would I want to extort myself?”
“What?”
“Half an hour ago they called, asking for two million dollars, of which I don’t have!”
Ellie moved closer to her, “What do you mean they want money?”
“The bodyguard must have seen the cabin and thought we were rich. If he only knew it was borrowed.”
Ellie swayed on her feet. She felt like she was going to collapse again. Things just seemed to be getting worse by the hour.
Carson jumped forward and held on to her. She looked so pale and fragile it made him frantic and scared, “I should take you to the hospital.”
She rubbed her fingers over her eyes to clear the dark spots, “No, I’m fine. What are we going to do?”
Ellsa tugged at the cuffs again, “That’s what I came here to ask, when the red head pounced on me.”
“I’m going to go off topic for a minute,” Richard began, “Ellsa, why did you make the rest of us think Ellie and Stacey-Ann were dead.”
She smiled, looking at Carson, “I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
“So you punished me for rejecting you by keeping my family hidden!”
She shrugged her shoulder. “That, and the fact that I don’t trust any of you. Case and point, it has been two weeks and you still haven’t found my niece.”
Richard nodded, “Understandable. So did that cop really try to run you over or did you help him into that poll?”
Ellsa chuckled, “Unbelievable. You guys will keep protecting him even in his death. I want my phone call.”
“Not yet.”
Ellie reached into Carson’s pocket and pulled out a phone. “Here, call Daniel.”
“Ellie!” Carson exclaimed.
“The only reason Ellsa was in front of that car, was because she pushed me out of the way. That man had every intention of running us both over!”
That cop was always a sore subject when it came to her. Any reference to him, set her blood boiling.
“How well do you know Carson?” Doran threw in, hoping to delay the call. With Daniel there, they wouldn’t get anything out of her.
“Ellie introduced us.”
Ellie looked at her surprised, “You set us up on a blind date. You gave me his name. We talked about him before our second date, remember?”
Ellsa held the phone up to her ear, “I forgot to tell you. I called my friend and she sent me his information. Your blind date was a rich, white Deland Carson. He doesn’t like his first name- with good reason- so he goes by Dale. How could I have known there would be another one at the restaurant? Anyway it worked out well for you, so what’s the biggy?”
“So what happened to this other Dale- Deland Carson?”
Ellsa’s lips rose in half a smile, “Let’s just say I got to know him very well. I can give you his phone number if you like?”
Audrey held up her iPad, “No need, I found him.”
“Isn’t he hot?” And then her smile was gone and her face was pulled in surprise. She held out the phone to Carson, “I think you should take this.” Her voice was cracked as she spoke.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Ellie asked, dread settling over her. She couldn’t take any more bad news.
Carson held the phone to his ear, prepared for the worst. “Hello?”
“Hi. This is detective Simon. Mr. Daniel Baker was stabbed in his home.”
Carson gently eased Ellie in a chair and walked out of the room. The rest of the team, except for Audrey who stayed behind to watch Ellie followed. He put his phone on loud speaker so that they could all listen. “How bad is it?”
“The last time I saw him, he was alive. It’s been a week already since the incident. Do you mind telling me who I’m speaking to?”
“Dale Carson, from the FBI BSU unit.”
“Are you the guys looking for that serial killer who shreds her victims’ hearts?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, you should count yourselves lucky. Daniel Baker is your first living victim- that is if he wakes up.”
Carson hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. He ran his hands exhaustedly over his face. This was going to destroy Ellie. “Ellie can’t know about this.”
“She shouldn’t, if she’s to carry that baby to full term. Any more stress and both their lives will be in danger,” Kevin chipped in.
“Who made you a doctor?” Gwen jeered.
“The medical degree hanging on my mother’s living room wall qualifies me to diagnose.”
Gwen rolled her eyes, then turned to Richard, “What now?”
“Gwen, Doran and I will go to the hospital and watch Daniel in case the suspect goes back to finish the job. Paloma, Kevin and Carson will stay and find out more about the bodyguard and his girlfriend.”
The team broke and Carson went to Ellie. She was leaning against the table holding her head up with one hand while the other rubbed the right side of her round belly. She looked very uncomfortable, her face creasing in pain every few seconds. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “What’s wrong with Daniel?”
“He had an accident, nothing serious.”
She nodded towards the trio walking to the elevator, “So where are they going to?”
“They are going to check out the bodyguard’s apartment.”
“And what are you guys doing?” She flinched. The sharp pain was getting stronger.
Carson saw the pained look. He placed his hand on her tightly clenched fist on the side of her huge belly. “We are tracking down the girlfriend. Are you sure you are okay?”
“I’m not in labor if that’s what you are asking. Go work.”
Ellsa coughed. “Could someone please take these off me?”
Carson stared at her, wondering how two people who shared a womb could come to be so completely different. He was glad he nabbed the better of the two. He uncuffed her, “This doesn’t mean you can leave. Stay here with your sister while we work.”
She rubbed her wrist, “Sure.”
Carson kissed Ellie on the forehead. She felt feverish against his lips. “Are you sure you feel fine?”
She nodded, “Don’t worry about me. Go find our daughter.”
Reluctantly he pulled away, “Call me if you need anything.”