Billionaire’s Missing Baby Read online

  “But why does that mean we have to go anywhere?” she wanted to know. “If your brother is about to learn about his baby, won’t he come looking for her?”

  “Yes, he will. And that’s exactly why you and the baby need to go someplace else and lay low for a while.”

  Maggie stared at James. He looked frantic, like he hadn't slept. His hair was askew, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

  He shook his head wildly. “You don’t know the kinds of things my father will do, and if he gets sicker because of all this he’ll consider it to be all Adam’s fault. He might even send someone looking for the baby, and for you, and… Well, let’s just say it won’t be the happy family reunion you’re hoping for, Maggie. This is just some very bad timing right now.”

  “But, I mean, can we even get the baby a passport?” she asked reasonably.

  James looked at her as if she’d grown another head, and when he spoke, his voice dripped with derision. “Maggie, I’m talking travel across state lines, here. You don’t need a passport. For God’s sake, don’t be such an idiot!”

  “Well, how am I supposed to know?” she said defensively. “I’m from another country.”

  He shook his head as she stepped back, startled by the force of his rancor. “I’m sorry,” he said in a soothing tone. “I’m just tired. I’ve been up all night thinking about this. You need to take her—” Again, he pointed at the baby, rather than touch her. “And get the hell out of here. Head for Reno, book a hotel, just go.”

  “And what happens then?”

  “Just… you know. Stick to the plan.” He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it even more messy and unkempt. “Wait for me to send word.”

  Maggie rocked back and forth on her tiptoes, the way she had when she was a little girl and something made her nervous. She was definitely more than nervous now. “We’ve almost run through what you’ve given us. We’re going to need more. I’m sorry,” she told him, flinching from under his gaze.

  “For God’s sake Maggie, it’s only been three weeks since this baby was born! Are you just as bad at math as you are at geography?”

  “Babies are expensive,” she retorted. She wouldn’t budge on this point. This was his niece, and his scheme. Annie needed things, and he’d promised to provide them. He groaned and rubbed at his face as if he were trying to wipe the exhaustion out of it.

  “Fine, whatever, I’ll make a stop. For now, just take these tickets and go. You’ll have the money in a few days.”

  She frowned at him, turning her back to scoop Annie up so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “Okay. I guess we’ll go to Reno.”

  He handed her an envelope. “There are tickets here for both of you. You’re on a 2:00 pm flight, so you know. Pack whatever and go.”

  “Don’t you want to stay and have coffee or something? We could talk? You could take some interest in your niece for a change."

  “I’m too exhausted to make this a social call,” James growled, much more curt and unpleasant than she was used to from him. “Just do it.”

  Maggie did what he’d asked. She was now sitting in an airport with the baby in her carrier, wailing for all the world to hear. A few people looked over at her in sympathy, but most rolled their eyes.

  She sighed, picking up the normally happy baby and patting her on the back vigorously. Between the frantic packing and the undoubtedly nervous tension surrounding the trip, Annie had been fussing off and on for hours now and there was no real end in sight. They still had a long drive in a stuffy car to get through to end up in some nondescript hotel room James had set them up in for the time being.

  As Annie continued to wail, Maggie sighed sympathetically, trying to push the eyes of the judgmental strangers out of her mind as she rocked the fussy baby in her carrier.

  “Me too, little one. But your uncle knows what he’s doing.” By now, she was just praying it was true.

  ***

  It had been three weeks. Three weeks, and the far-too-expensive P.I. hadn’t found much. Adam had tried over and over to explain to his father that the whole thing was some scheme James had concocted, but damned if his brother hadn’t done his homework. There was a paper trail leading to Theresa a mile long, starting with embarrassingly filthy love letters that the real Theresa would probably never write. There was also all the information from the surrogacy, including her health problems, along with a written contract, supposedly signed by Adam himself, promising Theresa a certain sum of money if she agreed not to go to the press with their story. There was even a letter, this one allegedly from Theresa, telling him it wasn’t nearly enough money.

  Every time he thought he had the proof he needed to show his father what was really going on, something new would pop up. Some piece of data or some scrap of paperwork that had been somehow overlooked until then, yet miraculously appeared just in time to refute his newest claims.

  Adam set the P.I. and tech guys to figuring out where all the leaks were coming from, but so far no one had turned up anything. When his phone rang long past business hours, Adam knew it could only mean one thing.

  “Chris, what’s up?” he asked eagerly, hoping for a new development.

  Chris MacMillan boasted the highest solve rate in California, and after Adam had him vetted thoroughly, he’d agreed to pay the very overpriced retainer fee.

  “So you want the good news, or the bad news?” Chris never said hello if he could help it. He didn’t talk like an old-time P.I., either, but like a Wall Street financier, for whom time was money.

  “Give me something good, please.” Adam had unknowingly crossed his fingers over the phone so that the tips of his fingers went white. He unclenched. “What do you have?”

  “Well, here’s the thing,” Chris began. “We found the malware your brother’s using to alter documents and dump them at random onto your father’s computer system.”

  “Great!”

  “Yeah, it’s actually a pretty sophisticated set up, and it turns out there are only a couple of hackers who can pull that off. The other thing the guy set up, though, looks like a bank account, and a… I think he called it a sinkhole? I don’t know. It’s to drain money out of your father’s systems and into another account.”

  Adam felt the beginnings of a tension headache, and unclenched his jaw reflexively.

  “That’s the good news,” Chris added, sensing Adam’s duress.

  “Is it?”

  “Yeah. Because the bad news is that the server that’s storing all that stuff is probably somewhere inside your father's house, and I doubt your brother is just going to hand it over, you know?”

  Adam winced, pinching the bridge of his nose. His brother had likely connected the server to his laptop and taken it with him, and his study was locked up tight as a drum. Adam’s mind whirred as he made plans to access it. He was hardly his father’s favorite person right now, but he thought maybe, if he worded the lies right, he might just be able to pull it off.

  “Thanks, Chris. I’ll call you back once I’ve found it.”

  “You got it.” There was a click. Chris never said goodbye, either.

  Feeling more than a little manic, Adam paced the floor. If it were James trying to break into his office, which he would not put past his little brother, what would he say? His eyes fell on the silver framed photo on his bookshelf. His mother, in happier times. She had James’ mischievous smile and Adam’s classic good looks. The lamp’s glare gave her eyes a certain life-like quality.

  He remembered more of her than James did, but most of the memories had faded. She had, he remembered, James’ ability to make people believe in what she was saying. She’d never have done anything like this, of course, but he remembered how she’d once bumped them to the front of the line at Magic Mountain by convincing someone that Adam, who had always been a bit scrawny as a kid, was dying of a very rare disease. He grinned to himself.

  “Go big or go home, right, mom?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “
How did you get this phone number?” Maggie asked nervously as she heard Theresa’s voice coming through the phone. “Did the agency give it to you?”

  “No, Maggie, that’s not it,” Theresa answered. “I’ve found out that you and James were never a couple who wanted a child. That the whole surrogacy was nothing but a lie. Please, if you have any decency, will you just tell me how my baby is doing? I need to know that she’s all right.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maggie insisted. “James told me not to talk to anybody about this. Now, I have to go. And, yes, the baby is fine. Goodbye!”

  The phone rang several more times throughout the day until it was James calling instead of a number she didn’t recognize. She leapt onto the thing thankfully, ready to have all the questions Theresa’s call had brought up answered at last.

  “You have to tell me what’s really going on,” she snapped at him right away. “I thought you said the girl knew the whole surrogacy thing was a sham? That she went along with it so nobody would find out? But she doesn’t sound like she knew about it at all.”

  “You talked to Theresa? Today? On this phone?” James questioned with some urgency. “Maggie, you stupid, stupid girl. Listen to me carefully. Proceed with today’s plan. Move to the new location and check in with the new name, but whatever you do, don’t bring that phone with you. I want you to smash it just as soon as we finish our call. I want it completely obliterated, understand? Now that you’ve answered once, they’re going to try to track you with the thing.”

  “They can do that?” she gasped, alarmed.

  “Hell yes they can,” he told her. “Your money and your new phone will be waiting at the new place. Just smash the phone and leave now. Once you do that, you should be safe.”

  “O-okay!” she nervously stammered in agreement.

  She ended the call, then dropped the phone to the floor like it was a venomous snake that was trying to bite her. Her heart thundered in her chest as she tried stomping on the thing, but it didn’t break. Biting her lip ruefully, she glanced at the window. Twenty floors should be high enough, right?

  She ran over and threw the phone out the window, watching as it landed in the bushes at the side of the entrance. There was no resounding ‘thwack’ of shattering plastic.

  “Oh, that’s just great!” she screamed. It woke the baby, but she needed to feed her and get both of them dressed anyway. Then she needed to hurry down, find that phone, and figure out how to destroy the thing.

  ***

  “Did it work?” Theresa asked hopefully.

  “Not exactly,” Chris replied with a sigh. “You were on just long enough for me to determine she’s not in California anymore. So, did you hear any sounds in the background that might have been the baby?”

  “I didn’t hear my daughter, no,” she answered.

  Adam braced himself for another tirade from her, but Theresa didn’t bring up the investigator’s words again to his face. However, the tension between them assured him that they were both remembering the conversation they’d had the first day.

  Chris had glanced at her sideways as he said, “Well, a lot of surrogates tend to get second thoughts in these situations. Your desire to get your child back is not overly surprising.”

  It had taken Chris over a week to gain Theresa’s cooperation at all. Adam still wasn’t sure if the man had fully gained her trust. Probably not, but at least it gave him an idea what not to say to her himself.

  After Adam had discovered James at the little house by the ocean, his brother had been quick to disappear, going completely off the grid. They had run to Maggie’s home that same day, but she had already fled as well.

  Chris’ call about the server was quickly followed by another one asking both of them to come into his office, which meant Adam’s plans to search Maggie’s house—a risky move given how illegal it would be—would have to wait until after they were done here.

  Trying to locate Maggie with her cell phone was a good idea, and so was having Theresa make the initial attempt at contact. Now Chris was busily playing with his location software as he gave Theresa the third degree.

  “Well, what did she say to you, then?”

  “Nothing significant,” Theresa sighed. “Except that James told her not to discuss anything, and that the baby was fine.”

  “That confirms she has the baby, doesn’t it?” Adam wanted to know.

  “Not exactly,” Chris shot back. “But it does confirm that she knows where the baby is… if she was telling the truth.”

  “You’re a really cynical guy, aren’t you?” Theresa scoffed.

  “Sometimes,” he agreed, casting her a pointed stare.

  “Look, this whole thing’s a bust right now and I really need to get back to work,” she said in frustration. “Marie told me that Sarah’s gone up to Canada again to see her son. Lucky girl.”

  “Do you want me to take you?” Adam asked gently.

  “If by that you mean you’re sure I plan on crying the whole way there otherwise, then no,” she grumbled.

  Adam chuckled and gave a few of her braids, which currently were not pulled back from her face, a playful little tug. “It’ll be all right, you know,” he told her, looking meaningfully into her eyes.

  “Sure,” she replied absently, looking toward the door.

  Not ready to let her go, he rose to his feet and circled to face her. Hands resting on her shoulders, he bent down a bit so his head was slightly lower than her own, then cast her a winning smile. He didn’t let go until she smiled back at him.

  “There it is,” he teased. “You try to have a good day, okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said, and bent slightly to briefly touch her forehead to his. “You, too.”

  Adam watched until she was gone, then found himself staring at the door that had closed behind her.

  “When are you going to just tell her how you feel, Costanza?” Chris scoffed, then quickly changed the subject. “Hey, I think I’ve narrowed down the state, at least. Nevada.”

  “That’s good,” Adam replied. “Well, that server isn’t going to find itself.”

  “True,” Chris agreed. “I’ll work on this end. You go see if you can come up with anything over there.”

  “Will do,” Adam agreed.

  ***

  Adam had expected the drilling to wake his father up much earlier than it did. That, he supposed, was the product of a drugged sleep. Still, he jumped a little when his father finally descended the little ramp that led into the hallway, nurses in tow. He straightened his back and drilled some more.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “Adam what the hell are you doing? That is your brother’s study. He deserves his privacy!”

  “Sorry, Dad, but I just heard from the P.I. tracking James down that he might be dying.”

  “What? Dying?”

  “Yeah, he’s in a bit of trouble,” Adam said smoothly. “South America, I think? Anyway, they want us to fax his medical records to make sure the body they found isn’t his, but James password-protects everything. So, yeah, there’s only one alternative,” he explained, nodding at the drill in his hand.

  His father made a gratifyingly disgruntled sound. Before turning around, Adam schooled his face into the no-nonsense expression his father had helped him perfect years ago.

  “Can I continue? Or should we just leave it to chance? It might not be him, after all.”

  He watched his father’s face. The old man pursed his lips, looking for the holes in the argument, and finally shook his head.

  “If he’s not dead,” he said, “make sure he knows I’m going to kill him. I’m an old man, Adam, I can’t handle these kinds of things.” His shuffling and grumbling continued as he turned away. “It’s dangerous to my health. Honestly, that boy—”

  “Don’t worry, Dad,” Adam promised tightly. “I’ll get it all straightened out.”

  He turned back to the door, and a moment later, the door knob popped open.

&n
bsp; Adam’s own home office was eclectic; a mix of his father’s uber-masculine classic style and his own more modern tastes. With haphazard stacks of books, and little knickknacks from various trips he'd decided to take, the place had taken on a life of its own.

  James’ office, by contrast, was ultra-modern, which should have seemed out of place with the mahogany furniture and paneled walls, but somehow the latest gadgets and expensive crystal decanter sets only looked even more pretentious because of it. It was all Adam could do not to roll his eyes.

  James was the quintessential mix of old and new money. The computer sat in the middle of the room on a fancy glass desk. Adam clicked the button to turn on the screen, half expecting that his brother had set a booby trap that might explode on him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Chris.

  “You in?” Chris asked. This time, Adam allowed himself a quirk of lips and a roll of his eyes.

  “Yes, MacDuff, I’m in. Get one of your hackers on the phone.”

  He wasn’t holding out much hope, if he were being honest. It took two and a half hours, a lot of coffee, and a whole bunch of weird programming language that sounded like science fiction, along with the help of a mousey-sounding woman named Janet who insisted a server as big as the one they were looking for could not be housed in a laptop, but somewhere around 2:00 am they managed to get something.

  Suddenly, a file labelled ‘Prodigal Son’ appeared where there had been nothing but letters and numbers before.

  “Janet, I think we’ve got it!” Adam burst, letting out a whoop of excitement.

  She let out a tittering laugh.

  “Hello, little brother,” Adam said under his breath as he clicked on the file. His eyes widened. “Hey, Janet?” he asked as he ran through the files again and again. “Can you do something for me?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next afternoon found Theresa had at work, as usual. It almost felt normal again, with all the patients, noise, and gossiping. Of course, with Sarah gone again and Theresa still freshly back from her maternity leave, a lot of that gossip still seemed to center around her. The explanation that she'd given everyone for the tabloid story seemed much easier to sell since Adam had brought her to work more than once and also told them all a similar story.