with his own.
“Mr. Bremerton,” the kidnapper said. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to have everything taken from you?”
Not quite, but Harry had suffered loss in his life. It seemed like he wasn’t done suffering.
“I know, yes,” Harry said.
“What have you lost, you arrogant, entitled prince?”
That’s when Harry realized nothing he said would appease this man.
“I want to help you,” Harry said.
“How generous. Isn’t he generous? I’ll bet he’s a good father. Are you a good father?”
“I’d like to think so.”
“Do you think Mia misses you?”
The image of her sweet face tore at Harry’s insides.
“Does the little girl cry for her papa?” the man said, closer now, as if he was trying to get inside Harry’s head.
“Papa, where’s my papa?” He mimicked a child’s voice.
“What do you want?” Harry ground out.
Then Harry had a horrible thought: What if they hurt Susan to punish him for his sharp tone? Harry held her close.
“I was taught never to lay a hand on a woman,” the man said. “I was beaten when I slapped my sister.”
Too bad the guy’s parents didn’t teach him it wasn’t right to kidnap and torment strangers.
Footsteps tapped against the floor as the man crossed the room.
“No one takes what is mine. You will spend the rest of your life suffering for your mistake.”
* * *
A few hours later, Whit struggled to put on his clothes at the hospital. It wasn’t easy with one semifunctional arm and the other still throbbing from a gunshot wound. He could have used Carly’s help right about now, yet he’d sent her away, into the lion’s den, to be questioned by police.
Carly, the nanny with a criminal record. A juvenile record. Would her past show a pattern of behavior, or had she made a stupid kid’s mistake? He’d seen plenty of those in his years on the force, and he’d also seen plenty of crimes that indicated a consistent pattern of behavior.
He managed to get his jeans on and dug into the bag for his shirt. He hesitated as he remembered Carly’s fierceness while protecting baby Mia. That was not rehearsed or fake. Love shone in her eyes when she looked at the child, when she hugged and kissed Mia. Whit might be aloof; however, he knew what love looked like.
You couldn’t help but read every emotion that crossed Carly’s face. She wore it all out there, like a book with words in extra-large print. Unless you were consumed by procedure and protocol, blinded by suspicion, which Whit normally would be if he were on the job.
Today he was a brother and an uncle. He’d let the cops do their job and he’d do his: protect his niece.
Harry, where are you? Detective Harper said they weren’t at the mansion when police arrived, which meant they’d been kidnapped.
Whit decided to call his brother in the hopes he’d escaped somehow and needed help. His call went into voice mail.
“Hey, it’s Brody. I hope you’re okay, man. We’re all worried about you. Your daughter’s safe. She’s in my custody until you return. The nanny is helping to make sure Mia’s okay, because...well, we both know I’m not the best caregiver in the world. Anyway, call me.”
He slipped the phone into his denim jacket, ignoring the now brown bloodstain where he’d been shot.
“Hey, where are you going?” a nurse asked, stepping into his room.
“Hospitals aren’t my thing.”
“Let’s at least sling that arm.” The nurse helped adjust the sling around his shoulder. “What’s the hurry?”
“I’ve got a baby girl to take care of.”
“She’s fine. Her aunt Judy is here.”
Whit froze. “Who?”
“Aunt Judy, from Boulder?”
“She doesn’t have an aunt Judy.”
“Where’s Mia?” Whit asked the nurse.
“First floor, Pediatrics.”
He rushed out of the room to the stairs and headed down two flights to the main floor. There was no one named Judy in his entire extended family. Then again, maybe he was overreacting and Judy was from his sister-in-law’s side. How could anyone know about today’s break-in at the house and the disappearance of his half brother and his wife? Whit hadn’t had a chance to contact family.
The stitches burned as he descended the stairs a little too aggressively, his thoughts consumed by needing to get to his niece before she disappeared. Okay, so maybe a small part of him believed what the detective was selling, that Carly was a part of this, that she’d gotten herself involved in a kidnapping-for-ransom scheme. Nursing school had to be expensive, right?
If Harry had offered a generous nanny salary, why would she risk being caught in a criminal act, especially with her background? Once a criminal always a criminal.
Deep in his gut that conclusion felt wrong, inconsistent with the protective and nurturing young woman he’d met today.
He followed signs to Pediatrics, shoved open the door and spotted a nurse. “Mia Bremerton?” he demanded.
The nurse caught sight of the bloodstain on his jacket and hesitated.
“She’s about this big.” He motioned with his hands, because he wasn’t sure of her age. “Blond hair? Her aunt supposedly came for her.”
“Oh, they just left.”
“Just, as in seconds, minutes, what?”
“Maybe a minute ago?”
He spun around and headed toward the main entrance. Would a kidnapper use that entrance to flee? Sure, if she was pretending to be a member of the family she could casually stroll out the front door.
“Sir, is there a problem?” a security officer questioned.
“Someone kidnapped my niece.”
The officer jogged up beside him and they went outside. Whit scanned the parking lot across the street.
The sound of a baby crying raised the hair on the back of his neck. He
