“We’re at a tactical disadvantage.” The SUV driver had the element of surprise. They could walk right past the person on the street and not recognize them.
Considering how busy the sidewalks in Austin usually were, MLK was a ghost town. This fact wouldn’t make it easy to go unnoticed. Circling the block too many times could draw unwanted attention, so he parked instead.
Blaize exhaled. “Are you ready for this?”
SO FAR, CARYS HADbeen attacked twice while sitting inside two different vehicles. It almost felt safer to walk outside. “We’ll see in a few minutes, won’t we?”
Blaize exited the driver’s seat and came around to open her door. “Have I told you lately how brave you are?”
Those words stirred up more of those butterflies.
“There’s a fine line between bravery and…”
“You’re on the right side of the line, believe me,” he said.
“Well, then, I’d like to ask for another kiss before we—”
“Done.” Blaize leaned in.
Carys closed her eyes and pressed a kiss against his lips. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt when his tongue dipped inside her mouth. She could kiss this man all day.
He broke apart first and then rested his forehead against hers, as they both took a moment to catch their breath.
“That’s a lot better,” she said, wishing they could go back to the hotel and just be with each other even if it wouldn’t last. For once, Carys wanted to throw caution to the wind and do the thing her body craved…and right now that was Blaize. Every cell in her body craved his touch.
She’d read something about near-death experiences heightening desire. Biology wanted you to procreate as quickly as possible with the next available partner.
Were her already intense feelings toward Blaize on steroids because of this effect? Or was it something simpler than that? Was it down to two souls who recognized each other? Who fit? Who didn’t need overanalyzing to know they matched?
Could she trust it?
Could she compete with a ghost?
Shoving those thoughts aside, she reached for his hand. He immediately linked their fingers. Calm washed over her.
Without another word, they headed down the sidewalk and toward the house. She’d seen it online, walked these streetsvirtually, and done everything she could to prepare herself for what might happen—an ambush.
At least it was daylight and they were out in the open. While there might not have been many pedestrians, there were plenty of cars. That should help in the event of an emergency. She’d been trained to yell the wordfireinstead ofhelp. Apparently people couldn’t help themselves when it came to checking out a fire. They came to see if they were in danger or any of their property. Yellinghelpdidn’t have the same response.
She made a mental note to use the word that would draw the most attention in the event of an emergency.
“What do you say we walk past once, check our phones, and then double back like GPS misled us or was recalibrating?” he asked.
“Sounds like a good plan.” Speaking of which, they didn’t have one beyond getting here and checking out the house.
With every step, her pulse kicked up another notch. Her heart hammered her rib cage from the inside out. They passed the home with the yellow siding and the menacing metal bars on the front windows. No one was getting in or out that way. What were the inhabitants supposed to do if there actually was a fire?
They passed the house once, and then Blaize pulled out his cell. He stopped. Checked the screen. Looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a shrug. Then turned back and let go of her hand long enough to point to the yellow house.
His acting deserved an award.
“Nice job,” she said low and under her breath. The crash had set them back on time. They’d lost hours they needed in order to find out who Stephanie/Sharon really was and who might be after her. To find Rue’s father in order to determine if he was fit to take the baby. Or, better yet, locate a next of kin who was capable of loving and caring for Rue in the manner she deserved. That would be like hitting the genetic lottery.
If someone like that existed, would Stephanie/Sharon have made arrangements? Would someone have stepped forward by now? A trusted friend? The officer who’d brought Rue to Carys had said the babysitter hadn’t mentioned any known family members or friends. She’d been sitting for Rue for a short time and didn’t know Stephanie very well. When she’d asked for a second emergency contact, Stephanie had said she would get back to the babysitter and then never did.
Since the cop had nothing to go on, Carys had put all her hopes on the birth-certificate angle. This was the first time she’d run into a person named on a legal document who turned out not to be the actual parent. This territory was uncharted.
Plus, she’d bent rules before, but blatantly breaking them? She was about to trespass on some random person’s property in an area that looked like she would have better luck scoring drugs than getting the information they needed. Monday loomed.
