able to hide his fear that this precious little boy might be his son.
And now Kelly was suspicious.
At best, Kelly and he had a tenuous relationship. Neither trusted the other. This revelation was likely to cause her distrust to skyrocket. With reason. She was probably out there right now wondering if he was going to take the child she’d raised as her own.
Nick was wondering the same thing.
What the hell was he going to do?
It would have been so easy to blame Meredith for not telling him the truth and for somehow arranging for the babies to be switched. But he couldn’t do that. Because deep inside, Nick knew if she’d lied, then her lie hadn’t been one of deception but protection. If Eric had learned that Meredith had given birth to Nick’s heir, then the baby would have been assassinated.
Of course, Eric hadn’t known about the baby. Neither had Nick. If he had, he would have done everything humanly possible to stop his brother, so that Eric couldn’t get to the child. But Meredith hadn’t told him so that he could help her. Instead, she’d taken care of the situation herself.
His son was alive because of Meredith’s lie. Because she’d had the courage to give her child to another woman so his DNA wouldn’t be linked to the Lattimer line. But that lie had also involved Kelly and her son in all of this.
Nick groaned again, wished he had something to punch and whirled around to check on Kelly.
His heart slammed to the floor.
With Joseph gripped in her arms, Kelly was frantically running for the door. She wasn’t alone. There was a man in a ski mask chasing them.
Not one man, Nick quickly corrected.
But two.
He saw the second one race out from the side yard.
Nick did some racing, too. He reached in the back waist of his pants and pulled out a snub-nosed .38. He jerked open the door and headed out. He had to get there in time. He couldn’t watch Kelly and Joseph gunned down before his eyes.
“Help me,” Kelly shouted.
Nick did his best to do just that. He jumped off the porch, landing hard on the ground, and he quickly maneuvered himself between Kelly and the men.
“Get inside,” Nick ordered her.
She didn’t argue. He heard her barrel up the steps, but Nick kept his focus on the two men. The one who’d come from the side yard lifted his gun and took aim at Kelly.
Nick took aim, too. At the man. He was ready to kill if necessary, but the other man didn’t fire. He must have realized that he was about to be shot because he turned and started to run. So did his comrade.
So did Nick.
He raced toward the men, hoping to capture just one of them so he could beat some answers out of them. And the men were definitely fools if they’d decided to take him on.
Nick tackled the man, and they both went crashing to the ground. He was ready to slug the guy, but the sound stopped Nick cold.
Someone fired a shot.
Nick glanced up and spotted the other man. He’d taken aim not at Nick but at the house. Where Kelly and Joseph were still standing.
The anger raged through Nick, and he brought up his weapon so he could return fire. But it was too late. The man ducked behind some trees. Worse, Nick saw the movement out of the corner of his eye a split second before he felt his captive’s elbow slam into his jaw.
“Move and they die,” someone yelled. It was the man at the back of the yard.
Nick glanced at the house and saw Kelly and Joseph still on the porch. She was struggling to get the back door open.
Since the elbow shot had thrown off Nick’s aim and position and since he couldn’t risk Kelly and Joseph being shot, Nick froze. His captive didn’t. The man sprang to his feet and started to run toward his comrade.
Both men disappeared into the woods.
Nick wanted to run after them. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave Kelly and Joseph alone.
He hurried to the porch, and Kelly got the door open just as he joined her. Nick rushed her and the baby inside, locked the door and took out his
And now Kelly was suspicious.
At best, Kelly and he had a tenuous relationship. Neither trusted the other. This revelation was likely to cause her distrust to skyrocket. With reason. She was probably out there right now wondering if he was going to take the child she’d raised as her own.
Nick was wondering the same thing.
What the hell was he going to do?
It would have been so easy to blame Meredith for not telling him the truth and for somehow arranging for the babies to be switched. But he couldn’t do that. Because deep inside, Nick knew if she’d lied, then her lie hadn’t been one of deception but protection. If Eric had learned that Meredith had given birth to Nick’s heir, then the baby would have been assassinated.
Of course, Eric hadn’t known about the baby. Neither had Nick. If he had, he would have done everything humanly possible to stop his brother, so that Eric couldn’t get to the child. But Meredith hadn’t told him so that he could help her. Instead, she’d taken care of the situation herself.
His son was alive because of Meredith’s lie. Because she’d had the courage to give her child to another woman so his DNA wouldn’t be linked to the Lattimer line. But that lie had also involved Kelly and her son in all of this.
Nick groaned again, wished he had something to punch and whirled around to check on Kelly.
His heart slammed to the floor.
With Joseph gripped in her arms, Kelly was frantically running for the door. She wasn’t alone. There was a man in a ski mask chasing them.
Not one man, Nick quickly corrected.
But two.
He saw the second one race out from the side yard.
Nick did some racing, too. He reached in the back waist of his pants and pulled out a snub-nosed .38. He jerked open the door and headed out. He had to get there in time. He couldn’t watch Kelly and Joseph gunned down before his eyes.
“Help me,” Kelly shouted.
Nick did his best to do just that. He jumped off the porch, landing hard on the ground, and he quickly maneuvered himself between Kelly and the men.
“Get inside,” Nick ordered her.
She didn’t argue. He heard her barrel up the steps, but Nick kept his focus on the two men. The one who’d come from the side yard lifted his gun and took aim at Kelly.
Nick took aim, too. At the man. He was ready to kill if necessary, but the other man didn’t fire. He must have realized that he was about to be shot because he turned and started to run. So did his comrade.
So did Nick.
He raced toward the men, hoping to capture just one of them so he could beat some answers out of them. And the men were definitely fools if they’d decided to take him on.
Nick tackled the man, and they both went crashing to the ground. He was ready to slug the guy, but the sound stopped Nick cold.
Someone fired a shot.
Nick glanced up and spotted the other man. He’d taken aim not at Nick but at the house. Where Kelly and Joseph were still standing.
The anger raged through Nick, and he brought up his weapon so he could return fire. But it was too late. The man ducked behind some trees. Worse, Nick saw the movement out of the corner of his eye a split second before he felt his captive’s elbow slam into his jaw.
“Move and they die,” someone yelled. It was the man at the back of the yard.
Nick glanced at the house and saw Kelly and Joseph still on the porch. She was struggling to get the back door open.
Since the elbow shot had thrown off Nick’s aim and position and since he couldn’t risk Kelly and Joseph being shot, Nick froze. His captive didn’t. The man sprang to his feet and started to run toward his comrade.
Both men disappeared into the woods.
Nick wanted to run after them. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave Kelly and Joseph alone.
He hurried to the porch, and Kelly got the door open just as he joined her. Nick rushed her and the baby inside, locked the door and took out his
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