She nodded and moved back into the living room to sit beside her daughter. Grady had to pull his gaze away to focus on the computer. Griff and Agent Braun were looking at Nelson Derringer, so he switched gears to dig into Joe O’Neil. With the DOB Griff had provided, he was able to home in on the guy.
The former Savion security guard was a forty-two-year-old man who did not have military or law enforcement background. Grady found a divorce on file, which was interesting. The timing of the divorce made him think the guy had resorted to theft to deal with his legal bills. Not a smart move since his arrest had only added to his money troubles.
Had O’Neil turned to kidnapping? Anything was possible, but he didn’t think the guy would be able to set up somewhere in a nearby building to shoot at him through the penthouse apartment window.
But O’Neil could have been the guy on the road who’d tried to ram into his car. Especially since Joe O’Neil likely knew Nelson Derringer as Lauren’s husband.
“Lauren?” He glanced at her over his shoulder. He winced when she opened her eyes, as if she may have been asleep. “Did you and Nelson live in the penthouse together?”
“Yes.” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Then understanding what he was thinking dawned on her features. “I’m sure Nelson and Joe knew each other, at least on sight.” She wrinkled her nose. “Nelson wasn’t much for befriending the hired help. He saw them as beneath him. I’m not sure Nelson would have even known Joe’s first name.”
He nodded. “Okay, that helps.”
For the next half hour, he dug through Joe O’Neil’s social media without finding anything remotely useful. His thoughts kept going back to Lauren’s ex-husband and his upcoming release from jail. When the dryer was finished, he unloaded it and quickly handed Lauren and Lucy their clothing.
As he changed, he tried to imagine what Nelson would do when he got out of jail. And silently admitted he didn’t like the idea of being too far away from Lauren to support her when that happened.
Dangerous thoughts. He was there to protect her from a kidnapper, nothing more. Once this case was over, he’d go back to his home in Cody, Wyoming, until Rex Grayson assigned him to something else.
His path and Lauren’s would never cross again.
* * *
Deeply shakenby the thought of Nelson getting out of prison early, Lauren couldn’t concentrate. She had not anticipated that. She’d gone along in her life thinking she had two years before she had to worry about Nelson.
Lucy was still too young and impressionable. What if Nelson filed a petition to see his daughter? Sure, she could fight him in court, but if he claimed to be a reformed man, determined to be a loving father, she wasn’t sure she’d win. Some judges were compelled to allow biological parents to see their child. And it wasn’t as if Nelson had ever been abusive toward her. He was just a jerk, plain and simple.
Her chest squeezed painfully at the thought of handing her daughter over to a virtual stranger. What if Nelson had changed for the worse? What if he did something to hurt their daughter?
“Mom? Is something wrong? Why are you crying?” Lucy’s question pierced her thoughts.
She quickly swiped at her eyes. “Nothing is wrong, sweetie. I’m just tired. How do you like your show?”
“It’s good.” Lucy leaned against her as if sensing her mother’s sadness. “Grady will keep us safe.”
“Yes, he will.” She forced herself to sound upbeat and reassuring. The last thing Lucy needed was to live in fear. And her daughter was right about the fact that they were safe here at the cabin with Grady.
“What time can we eat dinner?” Lucy asked. “We’re having Captain Jack’s, right?”
“Yes. We’ll eat soon, okay?” She wrapped her arm around Lucy, hugging her close. She’d figure out how to handle Nelson later. As Grady pointed out, there were other factors that could prevent Nelson from being released. A part of her wanted to pray that Nelson would get into a fight or do something else bad enough that they’d cancel his release. Yet somehow, she didn’t think God would appreciate that approach.
Better that she pray for Nelson to find peace and to move on with his life, leaving her and Lucy alone.
Pushing up from the sofa, she headed into the kitchen. The frozen pizza wouldn’t take that long to cook, so she would wait until five thirty to throw it in the oven. She dropped into the chair beside Grady. “Will you help me with something?”
“Of course.” Grady instantly turned away from the computer to face her. “What do you need?”
She flushed. “I need you to help me pray. I don’t want Nelson to be harmed in any way, but I can’t stand the thought of his fighting for joint custody of Lucy.” She glanced over to make sure her daughter couldn’t hear. “She doesn’t even know him. He’s a complete stranger to her. I can’t just let him have her every other weekend or whatever arrangement the judge allows. I just can’t.”
“Lauren, don’t torture yourself like this.” Grady took both of her hands in his. “Nelson isn’t even out of jail yet.”
“I know that.” She bit back a flash of anger. “But hiding my head in the sand isn’t going to help either. He’s getting out sooner or later. I need to be prepared.”
“Okay, you’re right. Let’s pray.” He bowed his head, continuing to hold both of her hands in his. She drew in a deep calming breath and let it out slowly. It took Grady a moment before he cleared his throat and began. “Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to please protect Lauren and Lucy from danger. We also humbly ask that You lead Nelson down a path to a more fulfilling life. Please show him that the best way to move on is to avoid disrupting his daughter’s life in a negative way. We ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen.”
“Amen.” She tightened her grip on Grady’s hands. “That was perfect. Thank you.”
“Anytime.” He searched her gaze for a moment. “I believe in the power of prayer. I hope you continue to lean on your faith to get through this.”
