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“If it was just me, I would take the risk and not even think about it,” I admitted. “I’m a grownup. I’d think it was worth the risk, hands down.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “But?”
“Michelle.” I licked my lips, trying to keep my voice even. “I have to put her first, and I am trying to figure out what would be best for her.”
“It’s too bad we can’t just ask her.”
I nodded. “We could eventually, though.” Hopefully. If she ever spoke again.
“Figuring out what to tell her and when would be tough,” he commented. “She’s very observant, and after last night, she’s going to know something odd is up with me.”
I winced. It was way too late to put that genie back in its bottle. But realizing that helped some. “I just…how do I know something like last night won’t happen to us again?”
“You don’t,” he admitted. “I wish I could promise you that there will never be problems. That there will never be rivals, never be dirty cops or even, potentially, another member of the organization going over the edge. I wish I could say that. But I can’t predict the future. All I can do is promise to do everything I can to protect you and Michelle, no matter what happens.”
“I believe you.” But was it enough? My hesitation turned into a longer silence as I struggled with what else to say. When I looked up at Gregor, he was looking over into the hallway.
There was Michelle, in her pajamas, hair mussed, blinking sleepily. She stared first at me and then at Gregor, brows drawn together.
Crap.“Hi, sweetie. Did we wake you up? I’m sorry.”
She shook her head and went for her sketchpad and crayons, then plopped herself between us, next to the cat. We watched as she drew at a furious pace, sometimes looking up at us, as if she was checking if we were watching.
“Does she get bit by the art bug like this a lot?” Gregor asked curiously.
I shook my head. She had always liked to draw and build, but this had an urgency to it that I wasn’t used to seeing. “Let’s give her a minute.”
She worked hard on whatever it was she was drawing, tip of her tongue caught between her lips and a determined look on her face. Finally, with a little sigh, she looked between us and held it up.
Three figures, one in a long, dark coat, one with sun-yellow hair, one in between the two and crayon blonde as well. They held hands and were smiling.
Gregor and I looked at the drawing, and then at each other. He smiled a little. “Well…I think she’s given her opinion on the matter after all.”
Michelle looked up at me firmly, her chin trembling just a little.
“Are you sure?” I asked her gently.
She gave me a tiny smile and nodded.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked back up at Gregor. “Okay,” I said. “Then let’s try this.”
Chapter 20
Gregor
It wasn’t easy on Alissa to announce that her daughter was home safe. I knew why, and I stood by her all through the process. For her, I would do no less.
In the end, the press was all over the story like kids on a pile of candy. A feel-good story that also involved a police scandal? Not one of the major channels, feeds, or papers could resist that. Which was how I ended up backstage at a morning show interview, watching my woman and my girl under the hot lights being questioned by a perfectly coiffed talking head who spoke to her like they were old friends.
“So, you went almost a year waiting for the police to find your daughter, and instead they just…closed the case?”
“Suspended it,” Alissa said quietly as she cuddled Michelle on her lap. They wore matching rose-pink dresses and looked cute as hell. “I have the letter here.” She picked it up from the table and handed it over. The interviewer handed it off to an assistant so an image of it could be shown on TV. “But yes. They were less than helpful.” She offered a pained smile.
“And where did Michelle turn out to be?”
“She was in the home of one of the cousins of the people who owned the daycare. They had handed her off to them. That was why there was no security camera footage of the supposed kidnapping. But the police refused to investigate the Ivanovseven though my lawyer said I had a good case against them for negligence.” Alissa’s fingers knotted together nervously.
“And why do you think that was?”
