Page 18 of Ransom for His Secret Son

Brody shot her a sideways glance but didn’t interrupt.

“I’d hit a wall with every lead I could find—Tarrant’s old friends, acquaintances, hotels, former addresses, you name it. Struck out every time. No one knew where he was, and the people who did clearly weren’t talking.” She paused, her jaw tightening slightly. “Then I found out Tarrant had a thing for expensive hair and bath products. High-end stuff you can’t just pick up at a drugstore. I’m talking exclusive brands, only sold online or in luxury salons.”

Brody’s brow furrowed. “And that helped you how?”

“I hired a hacker,” she said simply. “I had him track where those products were being shipped. Figured even a guy on the run has habits he can’t break.”

Brody had to groan. The badge meant something to him. He’d never bent the law to suit his needs. Never. But he couldn’t fault Remi for what she’d done. She had saved a baby. And if it came down to it, he might have done the same thing.

Hell, he might do much worse to save his child.

“That led me to a vacation cabin,” Remi continued a moment later. “Tarrant wasn’t there, but I went through his things, and I found a rental agreement for another cabin. He’d rented it under a different alias from the one where he was staying.” She shook her head, like the memory still irritated her. “That’s where I found the baby with the nanny.”

Brody’s jaw clenched. “You didn’t bring in the cops when you discovered the address of the first cabin?” he had to ask.

“No. Because I’d gotten that address through illegal means, through the hacking. And I had no idea if Tarrant would even be there. If the door had been locked, I would have called them. I wouldn’t have broken in, but the door was slightly open as if someone had left in a hurry.”

Her tone wasn’t defensive. Just the opposite.

And he knew why.

If Remi had called in the cops then and there, they might have caught Tarrant before he got to Grace and killed her.

“An open door,” Brody muttered. “Shoddy security, considering Tarrant was a fugitive.”

“I agree,” she was quick to say. “And trust me, I’ve given that a lot of thought. I think Tarrant got an alert that I was coming for him. The cabin was in a gated area, so I had to stop by the security booth and show ID. I lied and said I’d come to check out the neighborhood so I could decide if I wanted to rent there. But I believe the guard on duty called Tarrant and warned him that a PI had just shown up.”

“I’m guessing that you and the cops looked into that,” he said.

“We all did. The guard disappeared. Vanished just like Tarrant. So Tarrant either killed him or paid him well enough for him to drop off the face of the earth.”

Brody was going with option one. Tarrant had killed his wife in cold blood, so he likely wouldn’t have hesitated to do the same to the guard, even if the man had helped him.

While he took the turn to the interstate, Brody gave all of that some thought and then shifted his attention to the woman they’d soon be visiting. “You said that Christina has been raising Grace and Tarrant’s baby.”

“Yes, a little girl,” Remi confirmed. “She didn’t hesitate to step up. Claimed her like she was her own. Legally, financially, emotionally—she’s got the resources to keep her niece safe.”

Brody was glad about that because with Tarrant still out there, the baby might not be safe. “Pull up whatever background you’ve got on Christina Turner,” he instructed.

Remi nodded, taking out her phone. The screen glowed softly in the dark interior as she scrolled through files.

“Christina Turner,” she started after a few swipes through the files. “Forty years old. Inherited a fortune from her grandparents, but she didn’t just sit on it. Built it up with a real estate empire, plus businesses in art and antiques. But she’s not your typical heiress.”

Brody glanced over at her, one eyebrow raised. “No?”

“She competes in Ironman competitions. Triathlons. Grueling stuff. Swimming, biking, running. The woman thrives on control, discipline, and probably pain.” Remi shifted slightly in her seat. “And here’s the kicker. Christina dated Tarrant before he got involved with her sister.”

Brody’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. They were together for a while, but from what I gather, it ended ugly. Tarrant moved on to Grace not long after.”

Brody let that sink in, the pieces shifting again, the picture becoming clearer. “So she hates the man who killed her sister but used to sleep with him. And now she’s raising his child.”

“Yes,” she muttered, shaking her head. “That’s the very definition of a complicated relationship.”

Brody’s gaze locked on the stretch of road ahead. Complicated relationships. Yeah, he knew a thing or two about that.

His jaw clenched as his thoughts drifted to where he didn’t want them to go. To Remi.