4
Holt glared after the departing man, wishing he had sufficient justification to use the many lethal skills at his disposal. Pressed tight to his side, hand fisted in his t-shirt, Cayla trembled, but she didn’t say a word. Even if every cell of his body hadn’t recognized Raynor as a threat, that would’ve done it. Allowing the man to walk away was taking all his considerable control. But he’d be no good to her behind bars for what he considered justifiable homicide.
At the sound of a car door slamming, Cayla jerked away.
Holt opened his mouth to say—well, he didn’t have any idea what—about the husband thing, but she was racing for the back of the house. He trailed her down the short hall, finding her in the little office, snatching up her purse. Her eyes were wild and desperate.
“Maddie! I have to get to Maddie.”
She was way too rattled to drive. “Cayla, you need to wait.”
Hysteria edged her voice, raising it an octave. “I’m not going to wait! That monster is walking free. I have to get to my daughter!”
Stepping into the office to block her path, he took her gently by the arms. “Cayla, honey, that asshole could be hanging around nearby somewhere just waiting for you to lead him right to her.”
What little color had come back into her cheeks leeched away again, and Holt cursed himself. “He doesn’t know where she is. Not yet. We have some time. You need to take a few minutes to calm down. If she sees you this upset, it’ll freak her out. Now, where is she? School?”
“No. No, it was a teacher workday. She’s at the library with my mother.”
Thank Christ. Raynor wouldn’t have had any way of knowing that, so even if he went by the school, she wouldn’t be there. “Okay, you’re gonna call your mom, talk to Maddie to reassure yourself she’s okay. I’m sending one of the guys over to be with them. Let’s confirm where they are. All right?”
After a long moment, she nodded and collapsed back against the desk. She sucked in several breaths before dialing. “Mama? Are you and Maddie still at the library?” The instant sag of her shoulders was answer enough. “I need to talk to her for a minute. No, it’s not okay. I’ll explain, but I need to talk to her first.”
He started to step out to call the guys, but she reached out and snagged his hand. He curled his fingers tight around hers, offering her whatever strength he could while he sent a text with his request to the group chat with his partners.
Need one of you to head to the library ASAP for guard duty on Maddie and Cayla’s mom. Will explain later.
“Hi, baby. Are you having fun at the library with Mimi?” She’d schooled her voice to something approximating normal, but there was still a tremor beneath.
At Maddie’s happily chattered reply, Cayla closed her eyes.
“That’s good to hear. Mr. Popper’s Penguins is one of my favorites, too. Of course, we can start it at bedtime.”
Holt’s phone dinged with the reply from Brax. En route.
“I miss you, too. Can you put Mimi back on? Uh-huh. I love you too, baby. So much.” Her grip on his hand was so tight. “Hey, Mama.”
He was close enough now to hear Donna’s reply.
“Cayla, what is going on?”
“I don’t—” Cayla cut herself off, as if the situation were so bad, she didn’t even know where to start. Tears slid down her cheeks, and rage ignited in Holt’s veins.
The son of a bitch had made her cry. He’d pay for that.
Tugging Cayla into a full hug, he took the phone from her hand. “Donna, this is Holt Steele. I need you to stay calm and keep your granddaughter close. Arthur Raynor is out of prison and is here in Eden’s Ridge.”
“Oh my God. How?”
“I don’t know, but I can assure you, I’m finding out. My business partner, Brax Whitmore, is on his way to the library to keep watch over both of you. You need to make arrangements to get off work early, if possible, and head on home. Brax will stay with you. I’m here with Cayla, so she’s not by herself. We’re going to figure out the next steps and let you know.”
“Okay. Maddie, baby, come here. Holt, we’ll talk soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Holt hung up and laid her phone on the desk so he could wrap Cayla closer. She was shaking again, hard enough her teeth chattered.
“H… how can this happen?”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it. But I need you to tell me everything that happened. Everything he said. Can you do that?”
Her voice was muffled as she told the story against his chest.
“He said he’d had good luck with his last appeal. That all his convictions were overturned, and he was a free man. I don’t understand. They said they had all the evidence they needed. How could it be overturned when he’s already been serving his sentence?”
It was a damned good question. “I’ve got a guy who can dig into it. But let’s talk about the more immediate issue. Will he come after Maddie, or is he all talk?”
Cayla lifted her head, and the look in her eyes shredded his gut. “Oh, he’ll come after her. Not out of any kind of love or desire to have a relationship with his child, but because he’ll believe she belongs to him. The same way he thinks I still do.”
“You’re divorced.”
“That doesn’t matter to a man like him. He views me as his property. And I have no idea what he’s going to do with what you threw out. What were you thinking, claiming to be my husband?” Baffled consternation knit her brows together.
He hadn’t been thinking. Not really. He’d already been walking over when he’d gotten her voice text. From that point, the only thing in his head was getting to Cayla, protecting her in whatever way he could. And when he’d walked in and seen her there, face sheet white, his immediate instinct had been to shield what was his. But he hadn’t had a chance to process what the hell that meant, and he didn’t think Cayla would appreciate that just now.
“That it might intimidate him. It seemed like a good idea in the heat of the moment.”
She pulled away, swiping at her face. “Yeah, well, you basically just waved a red flag at a very smart and calculating bull. He’s not going to just let this go because I allegedly belong to someone else. He’ll never acknowledge that claim. I was his first, and as far as he’s concerned, I’m his always. I only felt safe because he was behind bars and was supposed to stay there for a good long while. Now I… I don’t know what to do.”
Her shoulders shook as the tears fell harder.
Holt curled his hands into fists, desperate to do something. “He’s not going to get to either of you. I swear it.”
“How can you promise that?”
His brain spun, considering and rejecting scenarios. If Raynor sued for some kind of custody of Maddie, being caught out in a lie would hardly be in Cayla’s favor. And even if he didn’t, would they even be safe in their own home? The man she’d described wouldn’t let a piece of paper like a restraining order stop him—if they could even get one. They needed protection on site. Both of them. And there was one obvious solution.
“Marry me.”
* * *