Page 20 of Juan

The tremble in her hands moved up her arms and through her body, her knees knocking against each other. Then, like a shock of lightning traveling through metal, panic took hold and she leaped up.

Or tried to.

“I need to get to my baby,” she choked out, Spencer’s arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her. Nothing in her body wanted to cooperate.

“We will do everything we can,” Spencer replied, ushering her out of the bathroom.

She spun in his arms and gripped his shirt. That he hadn’t fully agreed with her sent another shock of terror through her. “You don’t believe me. You don’t believe that’s my baby,” she demanded. She needed him on her side. No, not true. Now that she knew her baby lived, that Anthony had lied to her, she’d tear the world down with her own two hands to get her back.

His hands came up and framed her face. “I believe you, Amber. Now breathe.”

Her gaze jerked over his face. Was he telling the truth or just what he thought she needed to hear?

His thumb brushed her cheek. “You passed out earlier. When you were lying on the couch, I had another look at the photos. I pointed out then that that little girl is the spitting image of you. I didn’t know what it meant, because I didn’t know you’d ever been pregnant. I thought maybe she was a niece or something. But now that I know…now that you’ve told me…”

Sincerity. He’d never lied to her before. And somewhere inside her, some part of her that felt more steady, more grounded, whispered he wouldn’t. Not ever about something like this.

She gave a jerky nod.

“We will find out what is going on, and we will do everything we can to make this right,” he said, pulling her into his embrace.

His steady heartbeat against her chest and the warmth of his body wrapping around her eased the shock. Eased the desolation, the anger, the fear, the guilt, and all the other emotions swirling inside her. Desperation still gripped her like a vise, but she had an ally. Together, they’d figure it out.

She took a deep breath, then another, before pulling back. Looking into his keen green eyes, she nodded again, this time steadier.

“I don’t know how those two women have her or why, but I want my baby. I want my daughter.” The thought flickered across her mind that maybe she was seeing what she wanted to see. That the little girl who looked just like her wasn’t the baby she lost over a year ago, but it drifted away like ash. Between where Clara lived, Adrian’s inquiries to the network about her, and the notes, specifically the one stating “She didn’t die,” the little girl had to be her baby. She might not know how the story clicked into place, but it did.

“Then let’s make a plan,” Mantis said from behind her. She looked over her shoulder. Not only were Mantis and Hawkeye standing shoulder to shoulder, but Dulcie and Lovell had joined them.

“You heard?” she asked. She hadn’t given much thought to the open bathroom door when she’d told Spencer what had happened to her. It didn’t matter, though; they needed to know.

All four men nodded.

“I’ve already called Leo,” Lovell said. “HICC will get eyes on the place, and they are doing deep dives into both Clara Beverly and Adrian Mills.”

She turned and Spencer’s arms dropped away, but he reached for her hand.

“I can’t sit around and wait for that,” she said, the recklessness crawling through her body, leaking into her voice.

“You’re not going to sit around,” Spencer said, leading her into the lodge room. When he pulled out a chair at one of the tables, she shot him a look. A glimmer of amusement touched his eyes, but it disappeared as he handed her his phone. “You’re going to call that number.”

“Why can’t we just go out there?” she demanded.

“Because we don’t know anything about the two women who have your daughter.”

She let the words sink in, then flinched. He was right. The little girl in the picture looked happy and healthy, but they didn’t know for certain. They didn’t know what Clara Beverly and Adrian Mills intended or what they’d do if people suddenly showed up on the property. Yes, they’d been trying to reach her, but to what end?

“Okay,” she said on an exhale. “I call, then what?”

Mantis took a seat opposite her as Spencer’s hand came to rest on her shoulder. “Then we wait,” Mantis said. “Based on what Leo found, it sounds as if they keep the phone off most of the time, likely to keep from being tracked. But when they turn it on, they’ll get your message and the number they can reach you at.”

“By then, we’ll have dossiers on both women from HICC,” Lovell stepped in.

“We’ll know what we’re dealing with,” Dulcie said.

“And we can make a plan to reunite you with your daughter,” Hawkeye added.

The thought of waiting swirled in her stomach like a vat of acid, but she breathed through the initial reaction. And kept breathing until the picture in her mind cleared enough for her to see the benefits. Waiting would be hell, but if it ensured her daughter was safe, she’d manage.