Twisted Innocence (Moonlighters Series Book 3) Read Online Free

him, then?”
    “No, I haven’t heard from him. He’s apparently missing and wanted for murder. Thanks for introducing us, by the way.”
    “Holly, I didn’t know he was into anything illegal—and maybe he’s not. He’s just a person of interest, right? And besides, I wasn’t fixing you up with him. I just introduced you.”
    “What made you think he had anything to do with my pregnancy?”
    “The timing,” he said. “When I saw you pregnant and you told me the due date, I sorta counted back, and it seemed like it was around that time.”
    “So?”
    “So, I know you. You’re not the type to just . . . Even that night I was surprised. When I heard you’d had the baby, I decided to tell him. I figured if he was the dad, he needed to know.”
    The thought made her sick. “What did he say?”
    “Nothing. I left a message, but he never called back. If he’s hiding out and evading a murder charge, the baby might be the last thing on his mind.”
    Her head was beginning to throb. “How did you even know I had her?”
    “I heard it from Mattie at the Dock.”
    The Dock had been one of her favorite bars, back when she was the party queen. “Yeah, she came to see me in the hospital.”
    “She showed me a picture. Cute baby. Looks just like you, except for the pink hair.”
    Holly couldn’t help the pride welling up in her heart.
    “So the cops talked to you?” Rio asked.
    “Yeah, they did, because of you. When’s the last time you talked to Creed?”
    “It’s been a few months.”
    “Did you tell anyone else about this?”
    “No, nobody. I swear, Holly. I wasn’t even sure, so I only told him.”
    “This isn’t just gossip, Rio. It’s my baby’s life. She deserves better, and I don’t want some stranger suing me for visitation rights.”
    She knew how ridiculous this sounded. If he were such a stranger, why had she gotten so intimate? The irony didn’t escape her.
    “I meant well, Holly. He was a good guy when I knew him in high school. I don’t know what happened.”
    “Next time mind your own stinking business.” Her words got caught in her throat. “Whatever. Thanks for the info.”
    She hung up and drew in a deep, ragged breath and dabbedat her eyes. Now what? She rejected her first instinct to call one of her sisters or her brother.
    She went to the window, peered out. Her street looked quiet. It had started to rain, so the road was empty of playing children and neighbors walking their dogs. She checked her locks, then armed her security system, the one that Juliet had insisted she have installed. Even if Creed didn’t come, she could always count on the meth heads showing up for an encore.
    She got her gun out of her purse and made sure it was loaded.
    Maybe the murder investigation had distracted Creed completely. Maybe a new daughter was the furthest thing from Creed Kershaw’s mind, wherever he was. But she couldn’t depend on that. And the dopers . . . they’d probably thrown away anything that couldn’t help them buy drugs right away. Still, her address had been in her purse. She prayed they wouldn’t use it.
    Anger spiraled through her chest. She couldn’t just sit here waiting. She had to do something. She didn’t know where to find her muggers, but she might be able to help track Creed down.
    She’d gotten pretty good at finding missing persons and tracking those who hid from creditors and ex-wives. Creed’s knowledge of Lily was a frightening thing, something she’d never expected. Making sure he was arrested for whatever he’d done was one way to ensure that he put no claims on her daughter’s life.
    Then again, hunting him could be dangerous.
    The police would find him eventually. But if she left it up to them, she might be looking over her shoulder for days, even weeks. No, she had to be proactive. Somehow she had to move this along and make sure Creed didn’t pop up when she least expected it.

CHAPTER 5
    M ichael Hogan grabbed a wad of trash and stuffed it