His Secret Christmas Baby. Rita Herron

She clutched his hand. “Please, Derrick. We have to act fast.” She caught her lip with her teeth on another sob. He wanted to console her again, but time was of the essence.

      She leaned back against the sofa looking stricken as he hurried to meet the ambulance. The paramedics jumped from the vehicle, and walked toward him.

      “We got a 9–1-1 call.”

      His training kicked in. “Yes. Brianna Honeycutt was attacked by an intruder during a baby kidnapping. The perpetrator knocked her unconscious before he escaped. She’s awake now, but probably has a concussion. And she may be going into shock.”

      The medic in the lead nodded. “And you are, sir?”

      He produced the ID that Gage had given him. “Guardian Angel Investigations. Before that, I was with the Raleigh P.D., Special Victims Unit.”

      The medic nodded. “We’ll check her out and prepare to transport her to the hospital for tests and observation.”

      “Thanks. I’ll call the local authorities to report the kidnapping.” He breathed in the early morning cold air, needing to clear his head as he punched in the sheriff’s number. On instinct, he’d immediately programmed into his phone the pertinent numbers he’d need in the area. He’d done his homework, too, and knew that Beau Cramer had taken over as sheriff after Charlie Driscill had resigned. He didn’t know the full story there, but he would find out. Driscill’s resignation had something to do with Gage and his wife Leah, but he hadn’t pushed yet. But if it pertained to a case, he would.

      Friends with Gage or not.

      “Sheriff Cramer.”

      “Sheriff, this is Derrick McKinney of Guardian Angel Investigations. I’m with Brianna Honeycutt at her house. You need to get out here. She was attacked, and the baby she adopted was kidnapped.”

      “I’ll be right there.”

      “Thanks.” Derrick phoned GAI to inform Levi he had a case, then snapped his phone shut, and went back inside to check on Brianna. Hopefully, they hadn’t wasted too much time while she was unconscious.

      Every second, every minute counted.

      And every one that passed meant their chances of finding the baby decreased exponentially.

      B RIANNA DIDN ’ T WANT MEDICAL treatment now. She wanted to scream and shout and cry.

      She wanted to find her baby.

      Pain robbed her breath. She might not have given birth to Ryan, but he was hers.

      Only what if Derrick was the father…?

      And if he wasn’t? What if the birth father found out about Ryan and decided to take him from her? What if he’d been the man in the house?

      But why sneak into her house in the middle of the night? Why not come forward and claim his son? DNA tests could have been done….

      Unless there was something about him, maybe a criminal record that would keep a judge from giving him custody? Or if he wanted to get rid of the child.

      That horrible possibility sent nausea rolling through her again.

      Damn Natalie. Her friend should have told her the truth about the baby’s father. And if she was in danger, she should have confided the reason.

      “Miss Honeycutt.” The medics introduced themselves as Adam and Joe. “We need to check you over.”

      “I’m okay,” Brianna said. “I just need to find my baby.”

      “One step at a time, ma’am,” Adam said. “Let us check your vitals and transport you to the hospital for tests.”

      “I don’t want to go the hospital.” Hysteria bubbled in her chest. “My son is missing. I have to find him.”

      The medic gave her a sympathetic look but coaxed her to lie back down on the sofa. The other one brought an ice pack for her cheek. “I understand, ma’am. But you’re injured, and we need to do our jobs. Mr. McKinney has called the sheriff.”

      Fear overwhelmed her. “But my baby could be anywhere by now….”

      The medics exchanged looks, then Adam strapped on a blood pressure cuff while Joe listened to her heart. Frustration knifed through her, but she finally conceded and let them do their jobs.

      Another siren wailed in the distance, and Derrick jogged outside to meet the sheriff. By the time they came inside, the medics were insisting that Brianna go to the hospital.

      She gave Derrick a determined look. “I’ll sign a release. I refuse to go the hospital.”

      Derrick’s dark gaze met hers while Sheriff Cramer folded his arms. Cramer was shorter than Derrick, and stockier. The last time she’d seen him had been at Natalie’s funeral where he’d seemed quiet and withdrawn.

      “Brianna, are you all right?”

      “No,” she responded. “Someone kidnapped Ryan.”

      “We want to take her for tests,” the medic explained. “She probably has a concussion and may have some cracked ribs.”

      “No. The only thing they’ll do for a concussion is to tell me to rest,” Brianna said. “I’m not going to the hospital.”

      “Brianna,” Derrick urged.

      She threw up a warning hand, cutting him off. “What I need,” she declared firmly, “is to find Ryan. Now let’s stop wasting time and do it.”

      The medics exchanged frustrated looks, but Derrick finally nodded. “I’ll bring her in later if I think she needs it. You guys can go now.”

      She signed the release form and sighed in relief as they left. Her head and ribs were the least of her problems. The pain in her heart was robbing her breath.

      Sheriff Cramer sat down in the club chair beside the couch. “Tell me what happened.”

      Brianna repeated the story, this time on autopilot.

      “We’ll find the baby,” he assured her. “I’ve already issued an Amber Alert. Can you describe your attacker?”

      She shook her head. “Not really. He was medium height, beefy, wore dark clothes and a ski mask.”

      “Did he say anything?”

      She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Let go, you bitch.”

      “That’s it?”

      “Yes.”

      “Did you see what kind of car he was driving?”

      “No,” she whispered. “He broke in while I was asleep. I chased him down the steps but he knocked me out. I never made it outside.” She drew in a deep breath. “Why would someone take Ryan? I don’t have any money.”

      “How about the baby’s father?” Cramer asked.

      Brianna’s gaze shot to Derrick. “I’m not sure who he is.”

      “But he could have come after the baby.”

      She shrugged. “It’s possible.”

      “The baby might be mine,” Derrick said, his jaw tight. “I want to run a DNA test.”

      Cramer’s brows shot up in surprise. “You might be the baby’s father?”

      Derrick gave a clipped nod. “You need a crime unit out here to check for forensics. Maybe this guy left a stray hair or fiber or a print.”

      “He wore gloves,” Brianna said, despair weighing on her.

      “I’ll get GAI to set up a trace on the phones,” Derrick commented. “In case the kidnapper calls wanting a ransom.”

      Beau stood. “This is my town, McKinney. I’ll run the