Free Christmas Conspiracy by Robin Perini Page B

where they are,” he lied. “Please. I’ll take care of them.”
    The phone went quiet and a woman’s sobs sounded in the background. Deke gripped the phone, terror icing his veins. No, it couldn’t be his wife....
    “Deke?”
    Oh, God. “Maria?”
    “Please, Deke. Help me.”
    Maria screamed, the sound horrifying.
    “I said I’ll kill them,” he yelled. “Leave her alone!”
    “Yes, you will kill them,” his boss spat into the phone. “I won’t tolerate another failure from you.”
    A loud thud sounded through the phone. His wife howled in agony.
    Maria!
    “I think you are beginning to understand me.”
    “What did you do?”
    “Let’s just say that I’ll keep her wedding ring finger on ice for you. Fail me again, Powell, and that’s all you’ll ever have of her.”
    * * *
    K AT AWOKE TO RAYS OF WINTRY dawn shining on her face through the slats in the window. Two sets of giggles erupted and she flipped to her side to face the children. Their blue and hazel eyes were alight with laughter as they peered over the edge of the mattress.
    “Big bed,” Lanie said, her hazel eyes blinking. “Up, Mommy.”
    Kat picked up Lanie and Hayden and they crawled all over Logan’s huge king. He hadn’t come back last night. She’d finally dozed off waiting for him, but the other side of the bed remained made. Someone had covered her with a blanket, though.
    Hayden threw himself on top of her and giggled. She hid her concerns, and spent a precious moment wrestling and laughing with her kids.
    They huddled against her until finally Hayden sat up. “Hungry.”
    “Me, too,” Lanie said. She crawled to the edge of the bed and looked down. Her nose wrinkled up and she frowned. “Too high.”
    Logan swooped into the room and scooped Lanie into his arms. “Hey, I heard someone wants to eat? I make a mean bowl of cereal. Want some, short stuff?”
    “Daddy,” she chortled and grabbed his nose.
    Hayden bounced on the bed and reached his hands to the ceiling. “Daddy.”
    Kat pushed her hair out of her face. She had to look like a mess. Her clothes had wrinkled from the night, and she could sleep for another week. Logan didn’t look much better with his fatigue-laden expression.
    “You haven’t been to bed, have you?” she said, hugging her arms around her legs, drinking in the sight of him.
    “No, but believe me, I thought about it a lot.”
    She blushed, looking from his heated gaze. Strange. She felt almost comfortable. As if this happened all the time and heaven knew that wasn’t the case. Letting herself care too much wasn’t smart.
    Logan settled one kid in either arm. “Want some breakfast?”
    “Love some,” she answered honestly.
    “Okay, meet you in the kitchen. I’ll take the kids with me so you can catch a break.”
    “If you give me a minute, I’ll head down with you.”
    “Hurry up, Mommy!”
    True to her word, a minute later she followed him down the stairs. He cradled their children in secure arms. She’d always been strong, but she struggled carrying just one of the kids these days. They were growing up so fast.
    A pang of discomfort hit her. He’d missed all that.
    Could she make it up to him? And if she did, would she leave herself vulnerable to the inevitable heartbreak that would follow when things didn’t work out?
    She slid her hand over the banister, the fine wood smooth, shiny and polished beneath her palm. At the bottom of the stairs, she looked around the empty family room. A huge television was mounted on one wall, and a large stone fireplace filled another. The dark brown leather sectional must have cost the earth. She winced at the thought of what her two-and-a-half-year-olds could do to that piece of furniture. Especially Hayden. If left alone, her miniature tornado could demolish anything in the time it took to turn around.
    This house wasn’t a baby house. It was all man. Not stuffy. Sturdy and elegant in a masculine way. The expensive furnishings and the detailed