Page 54 of Falling Stars (Wild at Heart #2)

BAYLEE

Sitting in my office, I can barely answer any questions because I’m shivering so hard.

The sheriff places one of my towels around my shoulders. “It’s the adrenaline. The reason you’re shaking.”

“Please lo-look at the camera footage again. Maybe we mi-missed something.”

He jots down more notes in his dumb notepad. “We already checked the two cameras.”

“Two? I have three cameras.” I ask myself again, how the hell did someone sneak in behind me, grab Leo, and take off?

And I didn’t notice anything? “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have left him to take out the trash.

I should’ve waited until morning when Vera could’ve watched him.

” Oh, God, I shouldn’t have cancelled that security company.

I just felt so guilty about the money Maverick was spending on me. I sob into my hand.

The sheriff pats my back. “It’s not a crime to leave your baby secured in his car seat while you take out the trash.”

“He’s all alone. He’s probably scared.” I can barely breathe.

“Darlin’, you’re gonna hyperventilate if you don’t calm down. ”

“Calm down? You want me to calm down? Why are you still here? Why aren’t you scouring the state for my baby?”

The back door flings open with a bang and the Walkers storm in. Paige rushes to me, and I close my eyes and cry into my hands.

“What happened?” she asks.

Right after I called the sheriff, I called Paige and told her Leo was missing. I try to explain the details, but I can barely talk.

Suddenly, two strong arms wrap around me and lift me into the air.

“Let go of me.” Did Beau or Jace pick me up? I flail my arms.

“I’m here, baby. Calm down.”

My eyes fly open. “Maverick?” I can barely see him through the tears.

“I got you. We’re gonna find Leo. Everything will be okay.”

How did he get here so fast? “How did you know I needed you?” I hiccup.

He brushes my hair out of my eyes. “I came home because I needed you .”

I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck. “I cancelled the security company. This—this is my fault. I just couldn’t handle?—”

“Shh, baby. I know. As soon as I heard that, I booked a ticket home.”

“Tha-thank you for coming.” I don’t know what this means, if he’s here for good or just a few days or for more rehab, but I don’t care. He’s here now for my son when I need him most, and that’s all that matters.

I’m not sure he understands what I’m saying because I’m a wet, sobbing mess, but he runs his hand down my back and barks orders at the sheriff. “Have you looked at all the camera footage? Written a list of suspects? Called Leo’s father?”

Maverick sits and pulls me in his lap. I realize it was he and Paige who came tonight. She squeezes my arm. “Rhett’s with the kids, but if we need him…”

Nodding, I grab her hand. “Thanks for coming.” Then I turn back to the sheriff. “The third camera. Can you pull up that footage?”

The sheriff calls out to his deputy, who leans over my security system in the corner. “I can only pull up the footage from the first two cameras. Not the third.”

If I fucked up the installation, and we can’t find Leo, I’ll never forgive myself.

Wracking my brain, I try to remember anything of consequence. “Someone left me a box of shit wrapped as a present last week.”

Reynolds frowns at me. “Do you mean actual manure?”

“It looked like dog crap, but I didn’t keep it around to inquire. It had a photo.” A fresh wave of tears hits me. In between hiccups I try to describe what this person did to that picture.

“Why didn’t you call it in?”

“I should have, but I was overwhelmed and just wanted to get rid of it.”

Maverick tightens his arm around my waist. “I’m so sorry you’re going through this, baby.”

The sheriff scratches his whiskers. “I know we’ve discussed this before, but is there anyone you can think of who has it out for you, Baylee?”

A few people spring to mind. “Maverick’s ex, Kira, hates me.

” But does she hate me enough to snatch my son?

Then I think about that fake apology Nicole gave me at the rodeo.

“Mav’s other ex, Nicole Ashbury, definitely wants him back.

” And given how much of the harassment centered around the salon, it makes me wonder about my competition.

“And the Darling Divas probably aren’t my biggest fans. ”

Mav frowns. “We should add Kira to the list, but do you really think Nicole would snatch Leo? She might be bitchy, but is she crazy?”

“She was trying to stir up shit between us the day before you left.”

He turns my face and wipes the tears drying on my cheeks. “I’m sorry, peach.”

Thinking back to the rodeo, I remember how angry Kira was. “Kira was at the rodeo too. She gave me the finger.”

Sheriff jots that down. “Kira was the blonde I escorted out of your condo earlier this month, correct?” After Mav nods, Reynolds turns to me. “What about your employees, Baylee? Do you have anyone who fixates on the baby or spends more time with him?”

“I mean, Vera helps me with him all the time, but she’d never do anything like this. Rory helps out too, but they’re both amazing.”

His brows disappear under the brim of his hat. “Sometimes it’s the quiet ones.”

No way would either of them snatch Leo. But before I can say anything, he taps his pen. “What about Leo’s father? I looked into him before when your salon was vandalized, but the kid has a clean record.”

“I don’t think Sean would do this. He and I are getting along better. I called and left him a message that Leo was missing. He hasn’t called me back, though.”

After I give the sheriff Sean’s information, he pulls out his walkie-talkie and talks into it. “This is Sheriff Reynolds. I need a cruiser to bring in Kira Stafford and Sean Cooper to the station.” Then he turns to me. “Where do things stand with custody of Leo?”

“Sean and I are figuring things out as we go, but things aren’t contentious anymore. In fact, he offered to let me move in with him a few days ago, but I declined.”

The sheriff looks back and forth between me and Maverick and then writes more notes. “How did Leo’s father handle the rejection?”

“It wasn’t a rejection. He wasn’t inviting me to live with him like a girlfriend. He just wanted to be closer to Leo and thought this would be helpful.”

Maverick motions to the whiteboard. “Can we write a list of everything this asshole has done to you? I’m wondering if a timeline could help us narrow down who it might be.”

Paige wipes my board. “Maybe we can figure out what’s triggering this person.”

The sheriff flips over to a new page in his notepad. “That might be helpful.”

It’s better than sitting here feeling helpless. I get out the calendar app on my phone to remember. “My tires got slashed a few days after Maverick got drafted. Then my plate-glass window got smashed last summer.”

After she jots those two incidents on the whiteboard, Paige glances at Mav. “The window happened right after your going-away party.”

He frowns. “Do you think I’m triggering this person somehow?”

“I didn’t go to that party,” I note as I scroll through my calendar.

Paige grabs her phone and pulls up Maverick’s Instagram.

“But two days after, he posted a photo of the two of you when you were kids.” She hands me her phone.

On the screen are two filthy kids who were rolling around in the mud, but we’re smiling like fools.

It’s one of my mom’s favorite pics. I’m pretty sure I was already in love with him then.

“It’s probably a coincidence. Nobody knew Maverick was back when my house got vandalized.” I pause and think back. “Actually, Caroline Green recognized your order. Not that I think she pulled up her support hose and nabbed my baby, but she’s certainly a gossip.”

Paige nods. “What about when someone threw trash all over the salon? By then, people had seen the two of you out and about, right?”

I sigh. “It was the day after Mav had his Top Gun moment at the Saloon.”

Sheriff taps his notepad. “Certainly seems like your relationship with Maverick might be what’s bothering this person. Can we go back to when your tires were slashed? Wasn’t half the town at the ranch for the draft, Maverick?”

“Yes, sir. Tons of people. But I’m not sure why Baylee would catch anyone’s attention.”

Paige’s eyes widen. “She was sitting next to you when New York called your name. You hugged her first. It was televised.” She glances at me. “I bet this person is jealous.”

“But he kissed Kira a minute later. I agree she might be behind this, but why would she be jealous enough to slash my tires when she got the VIP treatment?” Mav winces, but I don’t care about his past anymore. I just want my baby back.

Paige jots down that Kira attended the draft party. “It still could’ve bothered her.”

I frown. “And the poop gift? Why bother? Maverick had already left that morning. We had… we had broken up.” Even now, I have trouble saying the words.

“Maybe this person didn’t know that.”

The sheriff pauses writing. “Baylee, was there anything else?”

“I’ve gotten hang-up calls from an unknown caller and a note that said ‘stupid bitch’ on my car a few weeks back. ”

Mav turns me a little on his lap. “Baby, you never told me about that. When did you get a note?”

“A few days after my house was vandalized. I should’ve said something, but I hated letting this person get a rise out of me, and I figured if I ignored it, they might stop.

Plus, the wind blew that note out of my hand, and I wasn’t going to run out into the dark parking lot to find it.

At the time, I didn’t think one more piece of evidence would matter. ”

He pulls me close and kisses my forehead. “I’m sorry this person has been such a dick to you.”

Reynolds gets my phone information and says he’ll look into the calls but that tracing an unknown number is tough. The walkie-talkie starts making noise, and he clicks the button. “Do you have any news?”

“We’ve issued the Amber alert, but Sean Cooper’s house is dark, and there’s no car parked in the driveway. And there’s a ‘For Rent’ sign in the front yard.”

What the hell? “Are you sure you have the right address?”

The sheriff confirms his deputy is at the address Sean gave me. He clicks his walkie-talkie again. “Let’s put out an APB for him.”

I stand and cross my arms, pulling the towel across my shoulders tighter. “Do you really think Sean stole Leo?”

His bushy brows pull together. “Baylee, in my experience, it’s usually the ex who kidnaps the baby.”

Kidnapped . Someone finally said it.

I bolt across the room and grab the trash, where I throw up.

If someone hurt my sweet son, I’ll never forgive myself.