"What's gotten into you, Kate?" Tom asked, still on his knees next to the vent shaft.
Her gaze locked onto his, and she smiled. "You know my name. Wonders."
"I've never known you to go crawling into holes. Why the sudden willingness to risk your life? What's really going on?" Then it hit him. "You're being blackmailed."
"Can't you just understand I have to... that I must do this?" Kate tilted her chin, gaze piercing him.
In that moment, Tom got it, with Kate's brown eyes digging into him, searching him for something that he hadn't given her in a long time. Something she hadn't asked for in a long time. An emotional response. Sympathy. She was practically begging for it, trying to reason with him without coming out and stating the obvious. Something was deeply troubling her.
He touched her arm. "I can, and will help you, but you have to tell me what's going on?"
She opened her mouth to speak but froze. After a moment of silence, she rose, walked a few feet away, and with her back turned, said, "They have our daughter."
Tom drew in a sharp breath. Felt his stomach ball into a knot and his equilibrium waver. He knew there were moments in life that changed a person. He'd had a few of them over the years. Moments where he knew that no matter what came next, he'd never be the same. This was one of those moments. Kate could never un-speak those words. He could never un-hear those words. His mind reeled with those words. He thought he was going to be sick.
"They have our what?" A trembling wave of uncertainty washed over him.
"I was pregnant. That's why I left, the real reason."
Tom bolted to his feet. "What are you saying?"
"You told me repeatedly that children were not for you. You always had that look in your eye, that never settle down look. That wild eye look. Lust for adventure... that's why I left. I knew you would never want to give up your life."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Didn't know why he wasn't furious. He should be as mad as a hornet, but he wasn't. He just shook on wobbly legs. The only reason he could give for his reaction to the news was that she was right. The last thing he wanted then, and for sure wasn't ready for now, was a kid.
All he could say was, "I have a daughter?"
"Savannah. That's her name. She's four years old, and they've got her."
YOU ARE READING
GOLD RIVER (Book 1)
AdventureA retired treasure hunter with gold in his veins. A museum curator's daughter held for ransom. A jungle trail with danger at every turn. Determined to walk away from his old path, Tom Logan chooses a quiet existence on a Texas ranch. But everything...
