Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

“Grayson, there’s a woman coming up your walk wearing a lime green suit and four-inch heels with legs up to her shoulders.” When my eyes finally got up to your breasts, I was distracted by the basket of muffins in your hand.’
    Her laugh was full and throaty. ‘So if I bake for you, you’ll be blind to all my flaws.’
    And there it was. What she wanted. Someone to love her, ‘flaws’ and all. He could relate to that. ‘If you bake for me, I’ll be your slave. As for your “flaws”, we’ll add that word to our vocabulary list for later.’
    ‘When we discuss wants and needs. And greed,’ she murmured.
    ‘The lady learns fast.’ He pointed to a restaurant sign up ahead. ‘I had breakfast a million years ago. Let’s get some food.’
    ‘I might actually be able to eat, but let’s use the drive through, okay? I want to get to Ford as fast as we can.’
    Joseph hadn’t intended to stop long enough to allow her to become a target. Because even though Ford had been found, Doug was still out there.

Chapter Seventeen
    Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday, December 4, 9.55 A.M.
    M itch pulled into his garage, tired but pleased. Ford was ‘found’ and Daphne was on her way to her boy. Wilson Beckett was on a mission to find the rich kid who’d seen his face, a mission that would send him running straight into Daphne.
    Daphne would remember things he’d done. She’d remember the room in the back half of Beckett’s basement, with its bed and nightstand, its sink and toilet. Leading the police back to that place would be agony for her. And when the truth came out, she’d be ruined, personally and professionally.
    Everyone she loved would be ashamed.
    She’d be cut off from everyone and she’d limp home and try to pick up the pieces. But then it’ll be my turn . And she’ll finally know who’s ruined her life . And who’s ended it .
    He hadn’t yet heard from his brother, but it was only a matter of time before Mutt and his dad discovered that the rifles found by the cops the day before were Antonov’s. Mutt’s father had made a lot of money discreetly distributing the Russian’s goods – some drugs but mostly guns.
    He got out of the van and moved the bookshelf covering the entrance to the old bomb shelter. He needed to be sure Kimberly was still alive. Because he still needed her when it came time to lure Ford back.
    Because Ford would lure Daphne. And then it’ll be Daphne’s turn for payback .
    I’m fine if somebody else kills Mutt’s daddy . But Daphne is mine .
    Claysville, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, December 4, 2.40 P.M.
    Daphne had not only been able to eat, she’d slept a little, too.
    Ford . He’s alive . Those were her first thoughts as she opened her eyes. Thank you, God, so very much . To say that she was relieved . . . the word was far too mild.
    His ordeal was a long way from over. This she knew. There would be emotional hurdles to scale. His sense of personal safety and control had been irrevocably altered. He’d been betrayed by the girl he’d trusted. And whoever had taken him was still out there.
    But he was alive and in that reality she let herself steep, finally able to breathe again as joy bubbled up like champagne, filling her lungs from the inside out. She felt energized. Invigorated. As close to giddy as she’d come in a very long time.
    Most of that was because her son was alive. But she’d be a fool and a liar not to acknowledge the role played by the man behind the wheel.
    Because she could breathe again, she did, filling her head with his scent. She rolled her head sideways to look at him, saying nothing yet. She just wanted to look a little bit. He drove with one hand, his forefinger tapping the wheel as seemed to be his preferred position.
    Which made her wonder if he did have a preferred position. Heat that had nothing to do with the SUV’s climate control rushed to her cheeks as she contemplated the thought for a moment. Somehow she couldn’t see Joseph being content with anything as vanilla as missionary, which was the sum total of her limited experience.
    He was a massive man, but he moved with a grace that sent her imagination in all kinds of lovely directions. And he wanted her. It made her draw a deep breath as her pulse thrummed low and for a moment she wasn’t thinking about her inexperience or her scars. She was thinking about how he’d feel next to her, on top of her. Inside her.
    Daphne’s eyes slid down his body, happy to observe him