"That's my boy. Night, Ty."

"Night, Dad." He hugged his father's neck, kissed his cheek and then sank into the pillows. Jim tucked him in nice and snug, ran a hand through his hair, kissed his forehead.

Then he got to his feet and returned to the dining room, where Kara was wiping off the spotless table as if she hadn't just performed a full-blown miracle. He went to her, put his hands on her shoulders. She straightened and turned to face him.

For a long moment he just searched her face, her still-damp eyes.

"I...hope I didn't overstep," she said. "I wasn't trying to interfere, I just-"

He pressed a finger to her lips. "You're an angel," he said. "I don't even know how to begin to thank you."

"There's no need."

"No need? You just did the impossible, Kara."

"It was nothing."

"It was everything."

She shrugged and lowered her eyes. He touched her chin, drew her gaze back to his again and lowered his head until his lips met hers, captured and held them. She didn't pull away. Instead she twined her arms around his neck and held on, and he deepened the kiss-but he was careful. Not too much, too soon, he warned himself.

When he lifted his head away, her eyes were glistening again. She whispered, "If that was just gratitude, Jimmy, I-"

He silenced her doubts by kissing her again. And this time his body got involved, first when his hands moved to her hips to urge her closer and then his arms when they tightened to keep her body pressed tight to his own. He was aroused and he considered that a bonus. This was going to work. This insane plot of his was actually going to work. He was going to make it work. When he moved his hips, she arched against him, and when he slid his mouth over her jaw and down to her neck, the frantic pulse there told him she was as turned on as he was.

But then her hands flattened to his chest and she pushed gently, blinking up at him with eyes that were slightly glazed. He could see passion and confusion and fear all roiling there in those green depths. And she whispered, "I don't...this is happening too fast for me."

He nodded and drew a deep, calming breath. "It's hitting me like a ton of bricks, too," he told her. And it was-the very fact that his plan seemed to be falling into place without a hitch. That he'd not only found the perfect mother for his son, but that marrying her wasn't even going to be the sacrifice he'd expected it to be-that he honest to God wanted this woman. And she wanted him, too. It was too good to be true.

God, don't let it be too good to be true.

"I don't know where this is going, Jimmy."

"Where do you want it to go?" he asked her.

She closed her eyes. "It's too soon. I can't-"

"Don't tell me you don't believe in love at first sight." He smiled a little. "Okay, first sight in ten years."

Her eyes opened wider. "L-love? You can't...you don't even-"

His cell phone rang. He swore and let go of her just long enough to pick it up and glance at the screen. His first thought was that Colby was finally phoning home, but it was the chief's number on the screen. Dammit, he'd missed his eight-o'clock check-in.

A little chill whispered up his spine. "I'm sorry, Kara. I have to take this."

She nodded. He answered the call. Kara turned and headed for the door.

"Hold on," he said to the phone. "Kara, wait-"

She looked back at him, shook her head. "I need to go, Jimmy. I need...I need to think. This is all...it's too much. But I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

He nodded, hoping to God he hadn't blown it. "We'll pick you up. Ten o'clock, okay?"

"Good night," she whispered. Then she took off as if she were being pursued by demons.

Jim sighed and tried to focus on the phone call. "I'm back. Everything's fine. Sorry I didn't call but-"

"Everything's not fine, Corona. Vinnie's dropped out of sight. Left a decoy in his penthouse apartment, so we can't be sure how long he's been gone. And Angela's missing, too."

"Hell. I don't like this."

"Neither do I, Corona. Have you heard from Benton yet?"

"Not a word. It's not like him not to call."

The chief drew a breath. "Vinnie Stefano has never been violent."

"That we know of," Jim put in.

"Listen, I still don't think this is a reason to panic. Is Angela likely to figure out where you are?"

"She knows I grew up here, but frankly her brain is so fried I'd be shocked if she could remember." God, he didn't want to blow this thing with Kara Brand now, especially if this was all just bull. "I could kick C.B.'s ass for not calling in."

"He will. Wait for him. Meanwhile, I'm going to contact the local cop shop, Corona. That town have a police department?"

"Shares one with Tucker Lake. I think the headquarters is actually over there-used to be, anyway. There's a county sheriff's office over in Ridgewater."

"All right. I'll let them know. And maybe have them keep an eye out for Colby's SUV just in case."

He didn't like the way his stomach clenched up when the chief said that.

"Go about your routine, Jim. There's probably nothing to any of this. Just keep your guard up, okay?"

"Okay, Chief. Talk to you in the morning."

Chapter 6.

"You don't have a thing to worry about, you know," Vinnie told the cop.

He was standing behind the car with the trunk open, talking to the man inside. It must have been some cold in there. Vinnie had found a motel fifteen miles from Big Falls, Oklahoma, and that was where they'd spent the night. The cop had spent the night in the trunk of Vinnie's car. Cruel, sure. But Vinnie couldn't very well have left him in the back seat, in plain sight.

But Vinnie said he was going to let him go soon.

She was glad. It must have been cold in that trunk all night, and the poor guy was going to be lucky if his hands ever went back to normal, with the circulation cut off for so long. They were white now, his hands. Pale as fish bellies.

"Vin, why don't you loosen up his hands a little?" she asked.

Vinnie jerked his head up. It was dark outside, the parking lot devoid of any other movement. This was not a city, it was a motel situated in between a cluster of small towns. No one was around, and only a handful of cars were even in the parking lot.

"I thought I told you to stay in the room," he snapped.

She shrugged. "I wanted to see if he was okay."

He narrowed his eyes on her. "Hell, you know I wouldn't hurt anyone." He glanced at the cop, shaking his head. "Will you listen to this one? Where do they get it, huh?" He moved closer to Ang, put a hand on her shoulder. "I called a friend-an employee. Told him to go get the cop's SUV and bring it on down here. He should be here any minute."

She blinked. "You can trust this friend? 'Cause, Vinnie, kidnapping a cop-you know? Not to mention you ain't even supposed to be out of Chicago."

"I trust the men who work for me, Ang. If I couldn't, I'd have been out of business long ago. But it's sweet, how you worry." He pushed her hair behind her ear.

She smiled, warming at his touch, at his soft words. "So...what are you gonna do? Just let him go? I mean, what was the point?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry your pretty head."

"Come on, Vinnie, don't treat me like I don't matter. I'm not stupid. I know you can't just let him go."

Just then headlights came beaming in on them. She squinted, shielded her eyes. Then she saw the red SUV pulling into the motel lot.

It pulled right up behind Vinnie's car and a man got out. She'd seen him before once or twice, around Vinnie, but never in the office. He was a big guy, powerful build, crooked nose, and he was always wearing sunglasses. Even now, though it was still dark outside. And cold as hell. She could see her breath.

The guy got out, took a quick look around and then in one swift and easy motion lifted the cop from the trunk and dropped him on the backseat of the SUV.

They were not going to loosen his hands. She thought it was kind of cruel.

"Watch him a second, Angie," Vinnie said, nodding at the backseat. "I gotta have a word with my friend, here."

She nodded, then got into the backseat beside the cop, her butt very close to his head. She looked down at his face. "Vinnie's not gonna hurt you. He promised."

The cop held her eyes, shook his head side to side. She felt bad, real bad. She sent a glance outside at the men, but they were totally involved in conversation. So she picked at an edge of the tape around his mouth and tugged it off in one swift yank.

The man didn't cry out, even though she thought the damn tape probably tore off several layers of tissue from his lips. "Man, you must be so uncomfortable."

"My...hands," he croaked.

"I really shouldn't." Then she shrugged. "Hell, they're gonna let you go anyway." Then she tugged a little blade from her jeans pocket and sliced the tape from his wrists. "You gotta fake it, though, or I'll be in big trouble."

He nodded, tried to speak, but his voice was just a croak.

She spotted a water bottle in the front seat and grabbed it, held it to his lips. He drank deeply. She put it back exactly where she'd found it.

"He's gonna kill me you know."

"He won't. He wouldn't, he's not like that."

"He's exactly like that, Ang."

She blinked and stared down at him.

"Don't help him find Jim and Tyler. Don't do it, Angie. He'll hurt them, too."

"You talk too much." She reached out and smoothed the duct tape over his mouth again. Then she reattached the two dangling pieces from his wrists, though she didn't make them as tight as before. "He's not gonna hurt anyone. He was falsely accused-framed and set up. You'll see."

Vinnie returned to the SUV, opened the door and scanned the cop with his eyes. "Everything okay?"

"Fine, Vinnie. Am I done here?"

"Yeah. You go on inside now."

She slid out of the SUV to the ground, and Vinnie closed the door. Then the guy in the sunglasses walked around and got in the driver's side and drove away with the cop in the back.

She sighed. "You sure he'll be okay, Vin?"

"He'll be fine. My friend there is gonna stash him someplace safe until after my trial, just in case he decides to testify against me after all. Someplace where he can lock him in so he won't need to be all trussed up like that. He'll be fed and warm and perfectly fine."

She studied him and pursed her lips.

"What? What's wrong?" He closed his trunk, took her arm and led her back into the motel.

"Well...is that what you're planning to do with Jim? Kidnap him and keep him locked up for the next three weeks so he can't testify?"

He shrugged. "I don't think anything that drastic is going to be necessary."

"I don't think anything that drastic is even possible," she muttered.

He lifted his brows. "You don't think I can handle your ex?"

"You don't know him. He's...tough. And stubborn."

Vinnie shrugged. "No matter. I think we're going to be able to reason with him, Angie. I think once he hears what I have to say, he'll agree to do whatever I ask him to."

She looked at him, searching his face.

He shrugged. "You're hurtin', aren't you, hon? You need to do a line, maybe two."

She closed her eyes. "God, yes."

"Okay. Anything you want, hon. Let's go inside."

Kara had a towel on her head when she answered the knock on the front door the next morning. Then she stood there blinking at the arrangement of yellow roses that greeted her.

The roses lowered, revealing Jimmy Corona's smile. "Morning, Kara," he said.