Motive: Secret Baby

Camille didn’t know what to do. Should she hide?

Nicholas held her gaze another moment. “Is there anything else I should know?” he asked.

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but she shook her head.

He turned his attention to the door and opened it. “It’s late,” he said to the chief.

Swanson removed his hat and shook himself to send the water flying from his overcoat before stepping across the threshold. “This couldn’t wait.” His gaze landed on Camille and he blinked, clearly startled. “Miss Wells,” he said with a dip of his head.

“Chief.” She couldn’t keep the antagonism out of that one word. How could this man, a man who had known her for most of her life, believe she’d hurt or abandoned her child?

Nicholas closed the door and folded his arms over his broad chest. “What couldn’t wait?”

The chief turned his hat in his hands as if he didn’t look forward to passing along whatever he’d come here to say. “Someone has leaked your identity.”

The news sent a tremor of fear through Camille. Though Nicholas looked unfazed, she was certain he had to be worried as well.

“How did that happen?” he demanded. “Only you, Lagios and the village’s legal counsel knew.”

The chief pressed his lips together and moved his head solemnly from side to side before admitting, “I can only assume someone overheard a telephone conversation between me and Andrei.” He blew out a burdened breath. “I hate to think that any of my deputies would have done such a thing, but there’s just no other explanation. We both know that most folks around here, my staff included, aren’t going to feel any sympathy for you.”

Camille’s shoulders sagged with the weight of what this meant. The citizens of Raven’s Cliff would not be happy that they had again been misled by one of their own. Between her father’s betrayal, Fisher’s and Gibson’s, the whole village was overwhelmed. One more infraction might just send any number of normally good citizens over the edge. Battle-fatigued already from a serial killer, a mad scientist and a terrorist group, anything could happen.

“I received a dozen calls in the past two hours,” Swanson explained. He looked from Nicholas to Camille and back. “They’re already talking about the curse.”

The curse. Dear Lord. Camille closed her eyes and caught herself as she swayed again. This was too much. Nicholas needed to be focused on helping her find her child. He didn’t need this insanity right now.

“I appreciate your warning me,” Nicholas said, his tone resigned. “I don’t care what the people of Raven’s Cliff think of me. You know what I came here to do. I’ve waited far too long as it is.”

Judging by the chief’s grave expression, there was more bad news. “It’s not going to be that simple, Nicholas.”

Nicholas flinched at the familiarity. “What do you mean?”

“Some of them have put two and two together. They’ve reasoned that you’ve been here for the better part of the past five years. So have their troubles. That makes those who usually lend no credibility to the curse think twice.” He fumbled with his hat a bit more. “They want you gone. Now. Tonight.”

“No.” Camille didn’t realize she’d said the word aloud until both the chief and Nicholas turned to her. Her face flushed. “He…” She might as well say it. “He can’t leave.”

“Miss Wells,” the chief said patiently, “unless he’s broken a law I have no cause to run him out of town, so don’t mistake what I’m here to do.”

“What are you here to do?” Nicholas asked pointedly, drawing the chief’s attention back to him.

“I’m here to warn you. It’s a damned shame that some folks have to act this way, but it’s only human I suppose. The fact of the matter is, I can’t guarantee your safety, considering.”

Considering. Fury bolted through Camille. “That’s ridiculous.” She took a step in the chief’s direction. “When I was in the hospital, I had around-the-clock security. If you can do it for me, you can do it for Nicholas. Post a deputy outside.” She thrust her hand toward the front of the cottage. “I would think you would’ve already taken that measure.”

The chief shrugged. “I’ll do all I can, Miss Wells. But the people of Raven’s Cliff are pretty worked up. They’ve been through a lot. Some folks aren’t thinking rationally.”

“I appreciate your efforts,” Nicholas said. “But I can handle this myself.”

“I don’t—” Whatever the chief would have said was interrupted by his cell phone. He pulled the phone from his belt. “Swanson.”

Camille’s burst of adrenaline abandoned her, leaving her weak and feeling defeated. What did they do now? Finding her child had to be priority. If anyone got in the way—

The chief’s call ended and he tucked the phone back into his belt, dragging her attention to him once more. “Looks like we’re about to find out just how ugly this is going to get.”

The air in Camille’s lungs evacuated.

“There’s a riled-up mob headed this way. My deputies are trying to dissuade them, but they’re not cooperating.”

Before Nicholas or Camille could respond, the sound of angry shouts erupted outside.

The chief rushed to the window and looked out, then turned back to Nicholas. “They’re here.”

Chapter Three

Nicholas stepped back from the window. At least a dozen villagers had climbed out of the four vehicles parked haphazardly in front of his cottage. The darkness shrouded their faces and whatever weapons they carried. Two police cruisers, blue lights throbbing, had screeched to a halt in the narrow street. Judging by the angry shouts, cooperation wasn’t part of the plan.

“Nicholas, you and Camille stay inside and let me and my men handle this,” Swanson ordered.

Since Camille had apparently walked through the rain to get here, there was no vehicle outside to give away her presence. The last thing Nicholas wanted was for her to be dragged into what was likely to happen.

He pushed aside the news she had announced. Now was not the time to contemplate the unexpected emotions the revelation had evoked. There was an immediate decision to be made.

This could turn into a violent confrontation. Nicholas had no desire for any of the villagers, whatever their intent, to be hurt or arrested. This, all of this, was his fault.

He turned to the chief. “Obviously they have questions for me. Hiding won’t change how they feel. I need to give them the answers they seek.” He couldn’t change the fact that more than likely all of Raven’s Cliff now knew his identity. It was time to face the consequences of his secretive presence.

“Mr. Sterling,” Chief Swanson argued, his tone firming into one of judicial formality, “I’m certain that’s not a good idea. You just stay in here and I’ll get these folks settled down. You go out there and there’s no telling what might happen.”

“He’s right.” Camille moved closer, her expression worried. “Don’t go out there, Nicholas.”

Nicholas didn’t miss the frustrated look the chief sent in her direction. Did this man actually believe that Camille would be capable of abandoning, giving away or somehow hurting her own child? Impossible.

“Stay with the chief,” Nicholas instructed Camille.

“Sterling,” the chief protested as Nicholas reached for his overcoat, “whatever score you believe you have to settle with those folks would best be settled when emotions aren’t running quite so high.” As if to punctuate his statement, Raven’s Cliff’s official representative of the law stepped in front of the door.

Chief Swanson had no idea of the score, as he called it, Nicholas had to settle. “Unless you’re going to arrest me,” he said bluntly, “step aside and allow me to do what I must.”

“You can’t go out there,” Camille urged. “They’ve been through a lot, Nicholas,” she added gently, “we all have. Let them get used to the idea that you’re alive before jumping into a confrontation.”

Her tawny curls were still damp. Strands clung to her soft, pale cheeks. It would be easy to take her advice, but he’d taken the easy way out for far too long as it was. It was past time to do this right.

“Keep her in here,” he said to the chief. “I don’t think her parents would be too happy if you allowed her to get caught up in this.”

Nicholas pushed past the chief and walked out the door before further arguments could be raised. He knew what he had to do, and there was no putting it off. The truth was out now. As Camille said, the people of Raven’s Cliff had been through tremendous challenges.

He wasn’t going to drag this one out any longer than necessary. Careful to keep his right profile turned to the crowd, he moved a fair distance from the dim glow sifting through the rotting drapes of the cottage windows.