“That sounds good, but Wyatt’s not the only one who’s hungry. I missed lunch, so let’s get some food before we see any shows or go to the museum.”
“I’m on board for that.”
Nash swung Wyatt into the truck and snapped him in place. “You ready to learn about another Wyatt?”
After sharing some pizza at a noisy restaurant, they spent the rest of the afternoon watching a show in a re-created saloon that involved some of the more colorful historical figures from Tombstone and the OK Corral gunfight. A few times, the loud pops from the guns would set Wyatt off, and Nash would rush outside with him to allow Emily to see a show he’d watched plenty of times.
During the last break, Wyatt had made it clear he preferred being outside, so Nash bounced him in his arms as he walked back and forth across the wooden sidewalks.
As the show let out, Emily poked her head outside the saloon and then waved when she saw them.
She practically skipped toward them. “I loved that. So fun. I had someone take my picture with two of the gunslingers in the show.”
Wyatt giggled and clapped his hands, and Emily clapped her hands back. “You missed a great show, Wyatt.”
Nash poured the baby into her arms and she hugged Wyatt close, burying her face in his hair. “He probably needs a nap. Do you want to go back to the room?”
“Yeah, I want to check my messages. I got a couple of calls from a fellow agent but no voice mails.”
They drove back to the Airbnb and nodded to their hostess on the way to their room. Wyatt was half-asleep in Emily’s arms by the time she got his bottle ready.
While she sat in a chair by the window, Nash called Valdez and left a message. “Hey, I saw you called a couple of times. I was busy. Hit me up again.”
“Shh.” Emily held her finger to her lips. “He’s out already.”
She spread out his blanket on the bottom of the crib and settled Wyatt on top of it.
Nash’s phone buzzed in his hand. “Maybe he’s got some news about Jaycee.”
“Valdez, you must have something important to tell me.”
“I do.” The young agent coughed. “You know that body at the border I was going out to investigate today?”
“Yeah?” Nash’s heart began to gallop in his chest.
“I hate to break it to you, man, but it’s someone you know.”
Nash’s throat closed up and he couldn’t even squeeze out another word. His gaze traveled to Emily, hovering over Wyatt in the crib.
“You there?”
This time Nash managed a grunt.
“It’s Jaycee Lemoin. She’s dead.”
Chapter Ten
The color drained from Nash’s tanned face and his body stiffened.
“What’s wrong?” Emily pushed away from the crib and sat on the foot of the bed, clasping her hands.
Nash ran a hand over his mouth. “Murdered?”
Emily bounced up. “Murdered? Who? Marcus Lanier? God, not your friend and his girlfriend!”
Nash shook his head at her. “Okay, thanks for calling, Valdez. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
He ended the call and sat still on the bed, cupping the phone between his hands, his eyes closed.
“Nash?” Emily scooted closer to him on the bed and rested her hand on his thigh. “What happened? Who was murdered?”
Without opening his eyes, he said, “Jaycee.”
Emily cried out and covered her mouth. Tears sprang to her eyes and spilled over her lids, creating hot trails down her cheeks until they met the edge of her hand.
A lump formed in her throat and she sobbed, covering her face with both hands. Her shoulders shook.
Wyatt’s mother—dead. He’d never know her. Never remember her. Maybe Jaycee hadn’t been the most careful mother, but she loved her boy. Even Emily could see that, although she herself had never felt that love before. Jaycee had loved him enough to leave him with a trusted friend when she felt his life—and hers—was in danger.
Nash rested his hand on her shoulder. “They killed her.”
She dropped her hands and reached for him. His sister’s friend, the childhood nuisance, murdered.
He wrapped his arms around her and nestled his head in the crook of her neck. He grated out in a rough voice, “I should’ve done something. I should’ve protected her.”
She stroked the back of his head, his thick hair springy beneath her fingers. “You couldn’t know. You didn’t know until I told you she was in trouble.”
“I should’ve guessed. Why else would she drop her baby off on my porch? I should’ve seen that as a desperate move.” He drilled his fist into the mattress.
“You tried, Nash. You tried to reach her, but she didn’t return your calls. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.” She pulled away from him and smacked her hand twice against her chest. “I was hounding her just as surely as those two men were. I should’ve demanded that Lanier take action right away.”
Nash, his eyes bright with unshed tears, grabbed both of her hands with his. “Why’d they do it, Emily? Why’d they kill her? If they wanted to get to Brett, they should’ve taken her hostage to give him an ultimatum.”
“Maybe Brett didn’t care?” She squeezed his hands. “Maybe they had her, gave Brett the option of coming in or losing Jaycee, and he chose his life over hers.”
“And the baby? And Wyatt?” His gaze tracked over her shoulder to the crib. “My God, he’s just lost his mother and who the hell knows who his father is? Some selfish junkie or a possible drug cartel financier? What the hell kind of choice is that?”
Emily flattened her hand against her belly. “Now that they don’t have Jaycee, they’ll be coming for Wyatt even harder. Maybe that’s why they accosted me last night. They’d already killed Jaycee and knew they needed Wyatt. H-how long has she been dead?”
“I didn’t ask.” Nash wiped his hand across his brow. “I didn’t ask much of anything.”
“You were in shock.” She cupped his face with both of her hands. “I’m so sorry, and I’m sorry
