“I need to talk to her, Devlin.”
“No.” He squatted down in front of his daughter. “Go inside with Mommy, okay?”
Her gaze darted over his shoulder to the detective, and fear was in her eyes. “Okay.” She took off running for the house.
After she and Kendall were inside, he faced Rossi. “If she was willing to talk to you, I’d have no problem with that. But she’s afraid of you because you’re a man, and all she’ll do is cry if I make her sit down with you. That’s why Kendall and I went ahead and questioned her. To get you the answers you need. What’s on that recording is all she can tell us.”
“I can have one of my female detectives talk to her.”
“Again, no. She’s been through enough. Yesterday, she was close to a meltdown. Like children are inclined to do, she’s already bouncing back. If you try to send her back to that nightmare, the progress she’s made will be lost. I won’t allow my daughter to be more traumatized than she already is.” It was amazing how easily he was claiming Livie as his.
“I don’t like it.”
“Don’t care. Have you talked to those boys that saw Livie’s kidnapper yet?”
“Yes. They don’t know any more than what they told you yesterday. And before you ask, the camera you told me about isn’t a working one. It’s just for show.”
“Damn, I was hoping you might get a license plate number. I do have something for you. There was a note pinned to Livie’s shirt. We didn’t touch it, so maybe there are prints on it.” Not that he thought they’d get that lucky.
The man looked tired, and no doubt like most detectives, he was overworked. Now that Livie was back home and safe, she was no longer a high priority on Rossi’s list. Cooper got that, but the man who took her was still out there, and if you believed his note, he wasn’t going away. Cooper believed him. The reason he was taking Kendall and Livie to a safer place.
“You should know that I’m taking them back to Myrtle Beach with me for a while.”
“Not acceptable. Kendall did good on getting her to answer the questions, but I still need to talk to Olivia.”
“Is Livie under arrest?”
“That’s a ridiculous question.”
“Yes or no?”
“Of course not.”
“Then she’s free to go to Myrtle Beach. We’re leaving in the morning.” He took a card out of his wallet, handing it to the detective. “Those are the numbers you can reach me at any time of the day or night. If The Phoenix Three can assist you in any way, all you have to do is ask.”
The girls weren’t in sight when he brought Rossi in to give him the note. He was sure the police would do what they could to find the man who’d kidnapped Livie, but The Phoenix Three had the time and resources the police didn’t. He and his brothers would do their own investigating.
Chapter 11
Kendall had thought Livie would have a meltdown when they told her that she’d be leaving home, where she felt safe. When they’d said they were going to Myrtle Beach, all she’d heard was the wordbeach. The only thing she wanted to know was could she take her glove, ball and bat. The icing on the cake had been when Cooper had told her he had a dog she could play with.
The plane that had brought Cooper to Decatur had flown them to Myrtle Beach, and Livie, never having flown before, thought the whole thing was grand fun. Cooper’s truck was at the airport, and he’d loaded them up, and now, they were minutes from his house.
Was she doing the right thing letting him talk her into coming home with him? She barely knew him. Yes, she liked him. A lot. But was it smart just taking off like this with him? When she’d told Rebecca her plans after asking for a leave for a few weeks, her boss had agreed it was a good idea to remove herself from the unknown danger. Rebecca also said she’d find a replacement for the adult reading class, thus removing any objections Kendall could think of for not going.
What if she and Livie got on Cooper’s nerves? He had been great with Livie so far, but he wasn’t used to a rambunctious four-year-old. And what about this chemistry that still existed between them? She wasn’t looking for a relationship, and with a daughter, she didn’t do flings… Well, she might make anexception where Cooper was concerned. Before him, she hadn’t done one-night stands either.
If something did happen between them, she wouldn’t have to worry about Livie getting attached to a man who would disappear from her life. Cooper said he planned to be a part of Livie’s life, and Kendall believed he meant that, so even if she and Cooper didn’t have a future, he’d always be here for his daughter.
“Some deep thinking going on over there,” Cooper said. “Anything bothering you?”
You are. Why do you have to be so hot?She glanced behind her to see Livie was asleep. “I’m a little worried that Livie’s going to get on your nerves. She has a lot of energy and wants to be entertained all the time.”
He turned into an apartment complex and came to a stop in a numbered parking space. He turned the key, shutting down the engine, then shifted to face her. “That’s not something you need to worry about. That little girl already owns my heart, Kendall. She’s a joy to be around, and I plan to spend every minute I can with her. Come on. Let’s get her inside, and I’ll come back for your suitcases.”
Instead of taking Livie out of the car seat, he carried her in it so that she didn’t wake up. They took the elevator to the second floor of a three-floor building.
“It’s not much,” Cooper said as he held the car seat with one arm and unlocked the door with his free hand. “I’m renting until I decide where I want to buy. I’m thinking a house with a yard for Ruby.” He grinned. “And now a yard I can put a baseball field in for Livie when she visits.”