Innocent Hostage by Vonnie Hughes Read Free Book Online

tensed as taut as a bowstring.
Twenty minutes later, they still hadn’t found whatever it was they were looking for.
“I’m gonna be late,” Kit wept.
“Miss Rowland will understand, Kit. Don’t worry.”
Kit being late for preschool was the least of their worries. What the hell was this about? If Kit hadn’t been here, he’d have had that rat Moffat in a headlock. Cops had rights just the same as ordinary citizens and this guy had no search warrant and no manners. He needed to be taught a lesson. His 2IC and the uniformed cop kept casting anxious glances over their shoulders as they searched. They were uncomfortable with the proceedings.
“Okay. You’ll have to come with us,” Moffat said.
“What? What about my son?” Panicked, Breck glared at the detective.
Moffat shrugged. “Surely you’ve got someone who can look after him.”
The detective constable looked a little more sympathetic. Breck figured he had kids of his own. “Is there someone you can call to come get him?” he asked.
Jace. Had to phone Jace. With Kit watching anxiously, he dialed Jace and Abe’s number. No answer. Oh, shit.
Kit tugged at his sleeve. “Miss Rowland. Phone Miss Rowland. She could collect me. She won’t mind.”
Breck chewed his lip. “She has to teach, son. She can’t just up and leave school at the drop of a hat.”
“Yes she can. There’s Mrs. Lennox and Miss Martin there too.”
Oh. He hadn’t given any thought to the fact that the princess had assistants. Of course she did. Would she help him out? Probably not. But she’d help Kit out. He dialed.
“Be there in ten minutes,” she said crisply after he’d explained the situation. And she was as good as her word. “What’s all this about?” she demanded of Moffat, the second she put her foot in the door. “What do you think you’re doing, terrorizing Kit? This boy has been through a traumatic experience recently. What did you say your name was?”
Breck stood back. The fairy princess had spine to spare. Good on her. He had to be careful what he said at this stage, not knowing what was going on. But as a disinterested member of the public, Ingrid could say what she liked. She looked at the bedroom closet where the cops had tossed clothes aside and pulled out every drawer in the big chest of drawers. “I take it your housework isn’t usually this slack?” she said, raising her eyebrows at Breck.
“You take it right,” he answered.
“What the hell are you looking for?” she snapped at Moffat.
Moffat opened his mouth and closed it again like a goldfish. Before he could say a word, she was off again. “Must be mighty small if you expect to find it in Breck Marchant’s drawers.” Then she realized what she’d said and blushed an unbecoming scarlet.
Moffat didn’t even get it because he was so startled at her outburst. But the uniformed cop smirked and looked down at his boots.
“I’ll take Kit to school with me now,” she promised Breck. “Do you want legal representation or is that something you cops sort out among yourselves?” The way she said ‘you cops’ reminded Breck of the day she’d bailed him up while Kit was a hostage. She sure hated cops. But he was grateful she’d come to his aid.
“Oh, I don’t think it will come to that,” Moffat rushed to tell her. “We just want to ask him some questions about…about Tania Kerr.”
“Can I help? I’ve known her for some years.”
Everyone stared at her.
“You have?” Breck asked.
“Mmm. We did our graduate diploma of preschool teaching together.”
And that had been one of the reasons Breck had thought it prudent to leave the parenting up to Tania. Not only was she a natural, she was qualified.
“But Tania never qualified.” Ingrid added.
Breck raised his eyebrows. “What? I didn’t know that.”
“I think you’ll find there’s a lot you don’t know about Tania.”
The men raised their eyebrows. Ouch. The fairy princess didn’t like Tania one little bit. Breck wondered what