Bran didn’t reply, his full attention on Liam.
“Doesn’t add up.” I pried a thin wallet from his back pocket, twisting away to avoid getting more blood on my hands. “Why negotiate a settlement if you’re going to kill the mother? And why keep the baby alive?”
“Black market?’ Jess offered. “Maybe sell the wee one for a few dollars.” She held up her hands. “We’re in a whole new world of stupid and I can’t begin to guess what’s going on here.”
Liam burbled and curled his tiny finger around Bran’s pinky. The baby let out what I assumed to be a happy shout before settling down in his half brother’s arms.
Bran didn’t say anything.
“Keith Shaw.” I held up the driver’s license. “Lives on the other side of town.” I pawed through the well-worn leather. “A handful of fifties and hundreds. Guess he was saving up for that rainy day.” A small business card fell out. “And his probation officer. This guy was doing time for something.”
“Good place to recruit someone,” Jess said. “Take a special sort to kill a mother and take a newborn.”
I went through the rest of the wallet. “Brand-new and squeaky clean. No photographs, nothing to connect him to anything.”
“So what was he doing here?” Jess mused. “You pop the mother and take the baby, bring him here for...” She twisted from side to side, waving her arms to encompass the tiny hotel room. “What?”
I looked down at Shaw’s body. “Not much now. My guess is he was waiting for instructions from his employer on where to take Liam next.”
“Or for his employer to show and pick up the baby,” Jess offered.
I shook my head. “If it were me I wouldn’t do that. One of two things was going to happen—either Shaw collects his cash and goes on his merry way or Shaw gets killed after he turns over the baby.” I stared at the dead man. “You wouldn’t want to kill him here for the same reason we’re fucked.”
“Disposal of the body,” Jess said, almost sounding apologetic.
I took a light sniff. “Even in a place like this they’re going to search out the stink at some point. And we can’t do a Weekend at Bernie’s and wheel him out through the lobby. So his boss wouldn’t kill him here.”
“Have him go elsewhere with the baby for an exchange.” Jess finished my scenario. “After that Shaw either gets taken out by Hanover or he goes on the run.” She pressed her lips together tight before continuing. “Or he has another killer do it. Domino theory to keep as far from the initial crime as possible.” She eyed Bran. “Spend a little extra cash to buy more blood.”
“Maybe it’s not my father,” Bran shot back. “Maybe my father pissed off the wrong guy and the bastard killed Molly and grabbed Liam for an extortion plot.”
“Maybe it is your father,” Jess replied.
I held up my hand, stopping the argument. “We’re not going to find out unless you’ve got a resurrection spell in your pocket, Jess.”
“I’m calling it as I see it,” she said.
“I hear you. I’m trying to keep an open mind.” I bent my head just enough to show my appreciation. “Thank you for the help. I don’t know if I’d have been able to shoot him.”
“You would have,” Jess responded, quicker than I’d have liked. “When it comes to children you do what you have to do.”
“So now what?” Bran stood up, cradling the baby in his arms.
“We do this.” I walked over and plucked the sleepy child from him. Bran gave a concerned hum when I moved away. A few steps put me in front of Jess.
“Here.” I handed Liam over, careful to support the head as I placed the tiny bundle in her arms.
She let out a gasp as she instinctively shifted to provide more support for the baby. It was one of the few times I’d seen her surprised and I enjoyed it.
“What?” Jess curled her body around the baby as any mother would—she’d raised two of her own and I had no doubt about her nurturing skills.
Mine, well... I tended to kill African violets.
“Take him someplace safe. Keep him there until we call,” I said.
Jess frowned. “To the farm?”
“There’s no place safer, no one we can trust right now.” I pointed at the body sitting in the chair. “We can’t leave him in this filth. If I call Attersley and tell him we found Liam he’s going to wonder how we tracked Shaw. That’s going to open a whole new can of trouble and put me behind bars and out of the game. And we sure as hell can’t take Liam home and care for him while working this out.”
I kept talking, the words tumbling out in a nervous rush.
“He needs to be someplace safe and I can’t worry about him. We don’t have time to hire a sitter and I wouldn’t trust anyone right now to keep him from harm.” I played my trump card. “Except you.”
She looked down at Liam. He responded by smacking his lips and making cute baby noises.
“Jess...” I tried not to grumble. “I need this favor.”
The knowing smirk made me want to slit my throat. The last thing I needed was to be in more debt to Jess—she’d have no problem calling it in.
“Pass me the diaper bag. There, behind the chair.” She wrinkled her nose. “Bastard didn’t even have the courtesy to change him after kidnapping him. Little one needs a bath and a whole new wardrobe.” She took the brightly colored bag from Bran and flipped it over one shoulder with practiced ease. “You two keep working on this. I’ll grab a cab outside.”
I frowned. “Where are you parked? Do you even own a baby seat?” I had visions of Liam riding in her lap on the drive to the farm and the police pulling her over. The last thing I needed was trying to explain to Attersley how we kidnapped Liam a second time with an AMBER Alert blaring strong.
She gave me a cautious smile. “You do what you do and I’ll do what I do best. Plenty of family here in town who can give us shelter—no need to drag him all the way up north.” Jess paused, just long enough to scare me. “Be careful, Rebecca. This isn’t your usual hunting ground. These are people who don’t care about anything except what they want and how to take it.”
She paused for a moment, looking down at the baby before returning her attention to us. Jess sucked on her bottom lip for a second before speaking. “Sanctuary is yours if you want it, Rebecca. For all of you.”
I took a step back, absorbing the news. Sanctuary meant Bran and I could disappear into any of the Prides, vanish off the grid and take Liam with us. It wasn’t offered lightly and Jess would have to justify it to the Grand Council along with dealing with the consequences of helping us disappear into a new life.
It was an option offered only under the most dangerous of circumstances when total anonymity was needed, a chance to start over with a new life. It was offered to few Felis, a handful within my lifetime.
And to no human, as far as I knew.
Stunned, I couldn’t do anything but nod. “Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“You do that.” She cooed to Liam, who blew bubbles back at her. “Call me when you need the wee one back.” Jess strode toward the door. “He is a cutie. Takes after his brother.”
Bran shook his head as Jess left. “I have no idea what that woman is thinking from one moment to the next.”
“That makes two of us.” I tried not to think of all the debts I was accruing with Jess and the Pride.
“He’s so small.” He looked at his hands. “Hard to believe I was that little once.”
“You were.” I chuckled, despite the situation. “Don’t tell me your mother hasn’t told you the story about how she was forty-eight hours in labor without any drugs.”
He cocked his head to one side. “How did you know?”
“It’s what most mothers say. Can’t tell you how many women have ranted to me about how ungrateful their husbands and kids are about all the trouble they went through to give birth.” I stopped as a horrible option came clear in my mind. “Could your mother be involved in this?”