Unbreakable Bond & The Missing Twin: Unbreakable Bond / The Missing Twin

“I named her Peyton,” she said, then gave him the date and time of her birth. The realization that she’d counted the birthdays since made compassion twitch at his veneer.

“You said she was in the NICU?”

“Yes, she was premature,” Nina said. “A seven-month baby. She had trouble breathing at first, and weighed a little over four pounds.”

His gaze shot to hers. “Any other problems?”

“She was only a day old. The doctors planned to run more tests… They thought she might have had vision problems…”

Slade swallowed. If someone had kidnapped this preemie, and she had had health issues, she might not have survived afterward. He needed to check old police reports to see if any premature infants had been abandoned around that time.

Or if any infants’ bodies had been found.

Damn. The thought made his own stomach roil. He couldn’t imagine the torture this woman had suffered. The fear, the horror stories of other abandoned babies she’d heard about on the news, the not knowing or thinking that each time an infant’s body had been discovered that it might be hers…

Forcing his mind back to his job, he glanced at her ring finger, but it was bare. No tan line where a wedding ring might have been either.

“Who was the baby’s father, and is he still in the picture?”

She glanced down at her hands. “His name was William Hood. He was nineteen, and I was eighteen at the time. And no, he’s not in the picture.”

“Tell me what happened between you.”

Her gaze flew to his, anxiety lining her face. “Is it really necessary for me to go into this?”

Slade leaned forward, his arms on the desk, his expression neutral. “I know this is difficult, but you came to me for help, Nina. If you want me to investigate, I need to know everything about that time in your life.” He swallowed. “And I mean everything. So don’t hold back or lie to me or I’m off the case.”

Anger glittered in her eyes, but she gave a nod. “All right.”

“How did William react to the pregnancy?”

“Not well. He had a scholarship to Duke, and didn’t want his life interrupted.”

“But your life was,” he said calmly.

A tiny smile slowly softened her eyes. “Yes. Even though I was young and the pregnancy was a surprise, I really wanted the baby. I felt connected to her immediately.” Her hand automatically went to her stomach, and an image of a young, naive girl flashed in his head.

One who would have made a wonderful mother.

Slade tried to ignore the feelings that realization stirred.

“So, what did William do? Did he refuse to accept responsibility?”

Nina’s mouth thinned again. “Pretty much. He and his parents tried to convince me to have an abortion.” A shudder rippled through her. “His mother even offered me a bribe to leave town and get rid of the baby.”

Slade studied her for a moment. “Did any of them threaten you?”

Nina frowned as if thinking back. “Not in so many words, although Mrs. Hood warned me that I’d be sorry if I ruined her son’s life. William’s father had died the year before, and she wanted William to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer.”

Slade tamped back his anger. “What did you say to her?”

“I let them all off the hook,” Nina said calmly. “I told them I didn’t want their money, that I didn’t need or want William and that they could all go to hell.”

Admiration stirred in Slade’s chest. “Have you heard from him lately?” Slade asked.

“No. I did hear that he got married to a former girlfriend, a debutante named Mitzi. I’m sure his mother was thrilled.”

“What about your family?”

Anguish flickered in her eyes momentarily before she blinked away the emotion. “I lost my mother when I was little. My father was upset with me about the pregnancy. He also tried to convince me to abort the baby, then insisted if I kept her, that I should give her up for adoption.” She uncapped the water bottle and took a long sip, then set it down and looked at him again. “He thought I was too young and irresponsible to raise a child. And when the doctors declared that Peyton died in that hospital fire, he assured me it was for the best.”

Slade gritted his teeth. Was her father simply protective, or a bastard with an insensitive heart?

“He didn’t believe that your daughter might still be alive?”

She made a sound of disgust. “No, he actually seemed relieved. He thought I was crazy and insisted I go into therapy.”

“Because he loved you,” Slade said.

Another sound of disgust. “That’s what he said. That I was better off that my little girl died.” She turned an anguished look his way. “How could anybody say that? That it was God’s way of giving me a second chance at a normal life?” Her voice quivered again. “All I wanted was my baby back.”

“Maybe he was trying to help,” Slade suggested.

She shook her head. “No, he was embarrassed that I had an illegitimate child, worried about what it would do to his precious reputation.” She looked down at her hands where she’d twined them in her lap. “He didn’t give a damn about Peyton.”

He let her words sink in. So her father was relieved to have the child out of the way. He already disliked the man. “And you did go to college?”

She nodded. “Not at first, but eventually I pulled myself together and earned a teaching degree. Now I teach second grade at Sanctuary Elementary.” Her eyes softened again as if being around the children helped alleviate her suffering.

Slade considered her mental condition and hated the doubts assailing him. Needing to know the truth was one thing. Obsession to the point of stalking, another animal instead. “You stayed in Sanctuary because you thought your daughter might be here, didn’t you?” Slade asked. “You looked for her in every child in school and in town.”

But she didn’t hide her motives or defend herself. She nodded instead, tears blurring her eyes. “I know that sounds pathetic, but I just felt close to her here.”

Just as his mother had refused to move from their home after his sister had disappeared. She’d claimed that she had to be at the house in case his sister returned. Eventually, though, her obsession had driven her over the edge….

“No,” Slade said evenly. “I understand.”

Her eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “You do?”

Unable to resist, he reached out and covered her hands with his own. “My sister disappeared from our house when I was fifteen. For days and months afterward, I looked for her in every teenager I spotted.”

“You found her?” Nina asked.

God, he didn’t want to answer that. Didn’t want to shatter any ounce of hope she had. But the truth could be brutal sometimes.

“Yes,” he finally answered. “But we didn’t have a happy ending, Nina. She was in the morgue.”

Nina inhaled a sharp breath. “I’m sorry,” she said, then squeezed his fingers. “What happened?”