“What I need to do,” she mouthed back.
Oh, yes. There it was. The inevitable tension. When Callie had called her and asked her to come to the Vaughn estate, Danielle hadn’t known that Colin would be there. But if she had, it still wouldn’t have stopped her. She wanted to help this child, even if she had to go through the emotional roadblock that Colin would create.
Besides, she needed to talk to Colin.
At least Danielle thought she did. She was in her element talking to Luke, but her soon-to-be ex was a different story. Communication had never been their strong suit. Ironic, considering their jobs both hinged on excellent verbal interaction.
“Yeah?” Boyd snapped when he came back on the line.
“I need a favor,” Danielle calmly explained. “This is something that’ll help all of us, you especially. A three-year-old child gets bored easily, and if Luke’s bored, he’ll keep thinking about what’s going on. He’ll keep whining.” She nearly choked on the word. It wasn’t whining when a child was being held hostage. It was a natural human reaction.
“So how do I keep him from not being bored?” Boyd wanted to know.
“Let Luke play his video games. No matter where you are in the house, the system shouldn’t be that hard for you to set up. In fact, he’ll probably be able to help you with that because Luke’s very smart.” She needed to remind this monster that he was dealing with a precious life. “While you’re at it, give him some books, crayons—”
“And that’ll keep him quiet?”
Danielle decided to push a little. “Well, the only sure way to keep him quiet is to release him so he can be with his family.”
“You’re wasting your breath, Doc.”
Fine. That was Colin’s area anyway. She’d leave that to him. “Just please give Luke the activities to do. And make sure he’s eating right. Not too many sweets, or it might make him hyper or irritable. Do you have a good supply of food at the estate? If not, we can have some brought in—”
“I’ll give the kid his video games. That’s all you need to be concerned with.”
“How do you know me?” Danielle asked before he could end the call. “Have we met before?”
Boyd laughed. Not from humor, though. It seemed as if he was taunting her. And then he hung up.
Colin reached over, turned off the recorder and made some notes. “I think he has a visual on the van. Maybe some hidden camera that the owner didn’t know about.” He seemed to be talking to himself. “If he saw us get inside here, he could have used a laptop to do a computer search.”
Yes, but that wouldn’t explain how he knew her name so he could do such a search. And that only added to all the other questions and concerns.
Danielle tried to control her reaction. She tried to tamp down her breathing and her racing heart. But she failed. Her breath shattered, and she got up, despite the sudden dizzy spell. She had to get out of there. She couldn’t come unglued, not in front of Colin.
“Are you…okay?” Colin asked.
“Fine,” she lied.
Danielle knew she couldn’t go far in case Boyd called right back, but she maneuvered herself around Colin. No easy task in the converted van. She had to squeeze herself between him and the table while she was hunkered down so her head wouldn’t hit the ceiling.
It put them face-to-face.
So close, she took in his scent. The clean smell of the rain. His musky aftershave. The wet leather of his black jacket and Lucchese boots. Unfortunately, even with the slight scowl he was sporting, Colin was as hot as ever. He had a face that women noticed, with those classic good looks, midnight-black hair and sizzling blue eyes.
Well, she noticed anyway.
Always had. For better or worse. Colin Forester knew how to make her body beg. But at thirty-eight she was old enough to know that she needed more than great sex. She needed a husband. A family. And while Colin was a pro at his job and in the bedroom, they hadn’t seen eye to eye in other facets of their lives.
And that was the very reason Danielle quickly moved away from him.
That scent, those eyes, could pull her back in, and she couldn’t go there. He obviously didn’t want to do that, either.
The rain had turned to a light mist so Danielle didn’t bother getting an umbrella. Besides, she was already damp from the earlier trek from her car to the van. She stepped onto the soggy ground, the mud squeezing over her heels—again. She’d made the mistake of dressing for work in a skirt suit, but this obviously wasn’t a normal work situation.
That was true on many levels.
Luke’s parents came rushing toward the van. Her friend, Callie, was right behind them, trying to stop them, but it was a losing battle.
“Stay back,” Colin warned. “We think Boyd might have a visual on the van.”
That stopped the parents, and Colin got out so he could go over to them.
“You talked to Luke?” Griffin Vaughn asked her. She felt the concern in both Griffin and his wife, and the worry was etched on their rain-soaked faces. They wanted their boy back.
“I did. Your son is okay. He’s a very brave little boy, and he’s holding up well.” Because Danielle had to catch her breath, she tipped her head to Colin. “Special Agent Forester will give you the details of the conversation.”
Danielle stepped away, leaving them with Colin. She needed just a minute. But she didn’t get it. Callie stepped right in front of her.
“Okay. What’s wrong?” Callie demanded.
Since Callie and she were nearly the same height, it was impossible to avoid eye contact. Her old friend might be a forensic scientist who preferred to deal with facts and evidence, but Callie was no dummy in the emotional arena. Plus, Danielle doubted she was being very secretive. Talk about wearing her heart on her sleeve.
“It’s always emotional when a child’s involved,” Danielle said, figuring Callie would see that it was a ploy to change the subject. “And it doesn’t help that I’m in the van with Colin. Before the last call, I was about to get out and ask you to scrounge me up another vehicle.”
Callie caught on to her arm and moved her to the end of the van. “Never met a shrink who could dodge the truth. Must have something to do with all that empathy and connection to other people.” She shook her head.
“Look, I didn’t know the FBI was sending in Colin, and if this is too much for you, then I’ll get someone else.”
“I’ve already established a rapport with Luke. And maybe with Boyd, too. It’d be a setback to replace me at this point.”
Callie took in a weary breath. “Colin, then—”
“No.” God. Danielle hated that she had to say this, but she had no choice.
