Page 69 of Her Honorable Hero

14

She slow-walked into the house.

“Speed it up.”

“I can’t. I’m in heels. Livvie’s squirming too much.”

She went down the short hall to the living room and dropped her purse and the diaper bag then made a turn to the left.

“Uh-uh, I see a desk over there in the corner.”

“I have to change her, otherwise we’re never going to get a moment of peace.”

Heinrich kicked at the diaper bag. “So change her.”

“I’m going to her bedroom and getting her changed, washed and into a change of clothes. She’s soaked through. Deal with it. You want me to think of something, then I need a moment to actually to do just that!”

She needed ten moments to think, and she needed to stall for time. Griffin would come through, she knew he would. Somehow, some way, her husband would be here.

Stall, Miranda, Stall.

“Fine, let’s go to the kid’s room.”

Miranda went down the hall with Livvie crying and snuffling into her neck. She was so tired that she couldn’t even keep up a good tantrum.

“It’s okay, Love. It’s all going to be okay,” she whispered softly so only her daughter could hear. She stroked the silky strands of black hair on her hot head. Maybe she could get Livvie into her crib and close the door and wrestle the gun away from Heinrich. Anything to stop the asshole from harming her child. What did it matter if she died, as long as Livvie were alive?

What was she thinking? She was damn well going to live and raise her daughter!

“Smore?” Livvie said drowsily against her neck.

“In a minute, Love. In a minute.” She forced her voice to be upbeat. “First we’re going to get you cleaned up and sweet smelling, how does that sound? What would you like to wear? Pink?”

“Pik?” She rolled her head and pushed up so she could look up at her mom. She gave a wobbly smile. “Pik, Mama.”

It was a new word for Livvie. She loved pink.

“Hurry up. I don’t have time for this shit.”

Livvie whimpered.

Miranda responded in a singsong voice. “If you stop being an asshole, I might be able to clean, feed and get my daughter to sleep. Then I can see about getting my assistant to send the files to my home e-mail. So how about it Daddy, think you can keep your shit together?” All the time she nuzzled Livvie as she stepped through the nursery door to the far wall where the changing table was. But it wasn’t working, Livvie started to squirm and squeak her displeasure, once again sensing Miranda’s mood.

Miranda almost dropped Livvie onto the table when the gun was jabbed into her back.

That was going to leave a bruise.

“Bitch, you know your mother had a smart mouth too. I didn’t like it. So shut up. Shut your kid up, and get me what I need. I don’t like kids, and I’m not above hurting yours to keep you in line.”

At Heinrich’s staccato delivery, Livvie stopped making any sounds, it was like her little girl knew that there was trouble and she needed to keep quiet. She was her father’s daughter.

“Okay. I just need three minutes, then I’ll get to the office desk,” she said quietly.

* * *

“We’re in.”Dex thrust his phone at Griff. The app worked the same way.

“So did Miranda turn on camera’s for the entire house?” he asked as he looked at his living room.