Allie and Violet had confided at the Christmas party that they were indeed trying to start a family. They had chosen to go the anonymous donor route, as neither of them knew any men they were interested in asking for some swimmers. Nobody knew when they were going to start the procedure, though.They’d remained vague on that.
Allie looked up from where she’d been staring at the table, tears dripping down her blotchy cheeks and on to her pale blue sweater. “We were,” she said softly, her voice a strangled whisper. “And this would be cause for celebration if … ” Her words got hung up in her throat as more tears fell and her body trembled even harder.
“If … ?” Krista probed, hoping to God that what she thought wasn’t going to be Allie’s answer.
“If … ” Allie’s lip wobbled. “If Myles hadn’t raped me in the station gym three days after I’d been inseminated at the fertility clinic.”
Gasps echoed around their small table as Allie’s face fell into her hands and she sobbed.
Holy. Fuck.
Myles had raped Allie, too. Oh, God, and now she didn’t know if the baby she was carrying was his or her donor’s.
Both Wendy and Marlise looked how Krista felt— gutted. Totally and completely gutted. Muscles began to tick at the corner of Marlise’s jaw, while Wendy’s nostrils flared as she struggled to keep it together.
Rage was quickly replacing disbelief in all of them.
Because they could believe it.
This was Myles Slade they were talking about. The man had no soul. There was no line he would not cross to get what he wanted.
“You didn’t take a morning-after pill,” Wendy asked slowly. “Because that’s what I did after … ” she trailed off.
“Me, too,” Marlise whispered.
Allie shook her head, slowly lifting it. “I didn’t want to risk terminating the donor baby. We’ve been trying for a family for so long.”
How soon could they have the DNA test done? Krista wasn’t a biology wiz, so she had no clue. Maybe Brock would know. Would they have to wait until the baby was born to do the test? And then what? If it was Myles’s child, thenwhat?
Krista felt like she was going to be sick.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Allie murmured, covering her mouth with her hand and motioning for Krista to get up out of the booth pronto.
Krista did just that, and they all watched as Allie fled through the door marked “Ladies” as if she were being chased.
“Poor Allie,” Wendy whispered, her hazel eyes a mix of sympathy and anger.
“We should have done something sooner,” Marlise whispered. “I’m sorry, Allie.”
Krista’s gut churned. “Me too.”
Wendy nodded. “Me too.”
“We’ll get him,” Krista replied. “We have to. We can’t let him get away with it or do this to another officer.”
“Anotherwoman,” Marlise corrected. “Who knows if he’s done this to civilians, too? He was gearing up to get with Ingrid at the Christmas party.” Venom dripped from Marlise’s tone, and fury radiated off the tiny Asian woman in pulsing waves. She wasn’t a big person, but Marlise was all muscle and as tough as they came. Krista had witnessed firsthand just how tough her friend was as she watched Marlise take down officers twice her size during combat drills. She was also just as good at target practice, often tying with Krista when they’d go to the shooting range.
“Guys,” Wendy murmured, her hazel eyes fixed on something outside, “I think we’re being watched. Does Myles drive something besides his blue Blazer?”
Krista’s eyes followed where Wendy was looking, and she immediately rolled them. She recognized that big, black, beefy truck. Hell, she was driving one of those big, black, beefy trucks herself right now. It was one of the Hart boys. Their beacon. A vehicle in their fleet.
“It’s Rex … or Chase. Probably Rex though,” she said dryly. “Brock is having his brothers follow me to make sure I stay safe.”
“That’s sweet … in a violating-your-privacy kind of way,” Wendy said with a chuckle. “I mean, youarea cop. You can take care of yourself.”
“Yes,” Krista agreed, “but I’m also in adelicatestate, and the man takes zero risks when it comes to this baby.”
Marlise’s dark brown eyes softened. “I think it’s nice. And hopefully you won’t need a detail for long. We need to put our heads together and come up with a plan to take down Myles.”
