The Return of Connor Mansfield. Beth Cornelison

Jones!” Connor snarled. “This was never part of the plan. What are you doing?”

      We need to contain this. An ominous shiver spun through her. Who were these men, and what was Connor involved in? What was she now involved in?

      * * *

      Connor scowled at Marshal Jones as Raleigh pulled out of the parking garage onto the city street. Forcing Darby into a car against her will was not the best way to start an already difficult conversation. She was understandably confused, terrified.

      “You’re safe, Darby,” he said and stroked a hand down her back, trying to calm her. She jerked away from his touch and sent him a dirty look. In her eyes he saw hurt, confusion, fear...but mostly fury. His return from the dead had her royally pissed.

      Connor sighed, his heart heavy. Had he really thought that she’d simply fall into his arms and all would be forgiven and forgotten? That she’d still love him after so many years? That the lie of his faked death and subsequent hurt he’d caused could be swept aside merely by returning from the grave?

      Using the rearview mirror, Marshal Raleigh glanced to the backseat at Jones. “What’s the plan? Where am I going? Back to the hotel?”

      Darby lunged toward the front seat, grabbing at Raleigh’s arm. “Take me to St. Mary’s Hospital! My daughter is there. We were about to take her home!”

      Jones pulled Darby off Raleigh. “Not yet. We have to talk.”

      She wrenched away from Jones with a frown, then wiggled off Connor’s lap. She squeezed onto the seat between him and the car door, pushing him closer to Jones. When Raleigh stopped for a red light, Darby scrabbled with the door handle, trying to escape. Without success.

      “Childproof safety locks,” Jones said evenly. “They’re not just for parents anymore.”

      Raleigh chuckled, but Darby shot Jones a look that said she didn’t appreciate his dry humor. Then her gaze shifted back to Connor, and he felt the same kick of yearning and awe he’d known every time her green eyes had met his in the past. Except now her gaze was suspicious and hostile.

      “Connor, who are these people? What’s going on? H-how are you still alive?”

      He gave her a humorless laugh. “Wow. I missed you, too, honey. Thanks for the warm welcome home.”

      A fresh wave of anger hardened her face briefly before tears filled her eyes and grief slackened her features. “You jerk. Of course I missed you. I died inside when I thought I’d lost you!”

      Compunction punched him in the gut. “I’m sorry, Darby. I just—”

      “Sorry?” she shrieked and landed an inert fist on his arm. “We buried you! Your parents had to pick out a headstone for their son. Your brothers carried your casket. I saw them wheel a body bag out of the charred cabin. But it was all a lie!” A tear broke free from her eyelashes, and when he reached up to wipe it from her cheek, she knocked his hand away.

      “Honey, I know my leaving hurt you and my family. I’m sorry. I am! Leaving all of you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done! If I’d had any other way—”

      “You did! You could have not pretended to die, not devastated us, not lied to us—”

      “I did it to protect you. All of you. I loved you, Darby. I didn’t want to hurt you, but the Gales wanted—”

      “You abandoned me. You don’t abandon someone you love.” Her voice cracked, and she turned toward the window, biting her bottom lip.

      Connor mumbled a curse and rubbed his face.

      After pulling the car into an alley with a tall privacy fence on one side and a department store loading dock on the other, Raleigh cut the engine. He caught Connor’s attention via the rearview mirror. “I know you two have a lot of personal stuff to air out, but can we stick a pin in it for now? The more immediate problem is coming to an understanding with Ms. Kent and assuring her silence.”

      Darby’s chin snapped up, her eyes widening. “That sounds like a threat. What do you mean assure my silence? Connor, what kind of thugs are you involved with?”

      “Not thugs, ma’am,” Jones said, pulling out his badge. “Deputy U.S. Marshals. Sam Orlean is under our protection as part of WitSec, the Witness Security Program.”

      “U.S. Marshals?” Darby ignored Jones’s badge and scowled at him. “Since when is it okay for federal agents to kidnap law-abiding citizens?”

      * * *

      Darby’s stomach swirled sourly, and she held her breath, wondering where she’d found the nerve to so openly challenge these men. The bulges under their jackets were almost assuredly guns. How far would these men go to assure her silence?

      The man named Jones looked surprised. “You haven’t been kidnapped. You’re free to go whenever you like.”

      Darby scoffed. “Childproof locks ring a bell?”

      Jones smiled and sent Connor a side glance. “Feisty.”

      “Just one of her many attributes,” he replied.

      “Marshal Raleigh,” Jones said, still smiling, “would you be so kind as to unlock Ms. Kent’s door for her?”

      “Roger that.” Raleigh pushed a button on the driver’s door, and the rear door locks clicked off.

      Darby blinked, startled by the turn of events. Was she really free to go, or would they shoot her in the back if she tried to leave? She glanced from the door to Jones, narrowing her eyes as she decided whether Jones was pulling a trick. She tested the door release, and it popped open. Then she paused. Connor.

      She jerked her gaze back to Connor, the man she’d once loved and conceived a child with, and her heart staggered. This wasn’t about a standoff between her and two U.S. Marshals. The important issue was Connor. Who was alive. In Witness Security. And who’d contacted Dr. Reed.

      He could well be a tissue match for Savannah’s bone marrow transplant. Connor.

      She exhaled a ragged breath, shifting her gaze from one man to another. And closed the car door. “I... All right. You have my attention.”

      Chapter 3

      Connor divided a look between Jones and Raleigh. “Do you want to do the honors?”

      Jones waved a hand in deferral. “Go ahead. We’ll jump in as needed.”

      Darby sighed impatiently. “Someone talk.”

      Turning on the seat to better face her, Connor scooped Darby’s hand in his. For a moment, he thought she might yank it back, but she hesitated, eyeing him with a combination of suspicion and concern. “Do you remember right before I...left—”

      Her eyebrow rose as if taking issue with his euphemism. You abandoned me.

      Connor’s chest wrenched. Knowing how hard Darby had taken his disappearance—no, his faked death—poured acid guilt on his conscience. He’d known she’d be heartbroken. They’d been in love, planning to marry. But he truly hadn’t realized how bitter, how hurt she’d be.

      He puffed out a breath and plunged on. “You remember that I testified in the federal trial against William Gale, right?”

      She nodded, holding his gaze.

      “Well, what I didn’t tell you at the time was that the Gales have ties to organized crime. In fact, they head up a branch of organized crime that operates in Lagniappe.”

      She sat straighter, her eyes widening and her face paling. “Organized crime? But—”

      “I didn’t know about their criminal connections when I went to work for them. And I didn’t learn about the criminal activity for a long time. They’re quite good at hiding their illegal sidelines.”

      Darby