Page 16 of Ransom for His Secret Son

“You think Dr. Langley helped Tarrant steal Grace’s and his embryo?” he asked.

Remi crossed her arms again, leaning her weight into the desk behind her. “I’ve got my suspicions. Langley had access—medical records, stored embryos, the whole deal. And he’s slippery. He left the Sanderson clinic to set up a private practice not long after Grace’s murder.”

Brody’s expression hardened, the muscles in his jaw ticking. “But you couldn’t prove anything.”

“No,” she admitted, the frustration still fresh. “I tried. I couldn’t get anything solid to stick. But he’s dirty, Brody. I can feel it.”

Brody didn’t respond right away. He stared at the board, the names glaring back at him like a challenge. Then he grabbed his phone from the desk.

“Who are you calling?” she asked.

He didn’t look up. “The station. I’ll get the contact numbers for Christina Turner and Dr. Langley, so I can set up meetings with both of them.”

His thumb hovered over the contact button, tension radiating off him like heat. But before he could make the call, his phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the thick silence.

Brody frowned, glancing at the screen. His jaw clenched. “It’s Dr. Patel.”

Remi straightened, her chest tightening. She didn’t breathe as Brody answered.

“This is Sheriff Walker.” His voice was flat, controlled, like he’d locked every emotion behind a wall.

A pause.

Remi watched his face, searching for any sign of what the doctor was saying. His expression didn’t change at first, just that same hard, unmovable mask he wore when things got bad.

Then his lips parted slightly, and for the briefest second, something flickered in his eyes.

Shock.

Pain.

Relief.

All of those things.

“Yeah,” he rasped, his voice suddenly quieter. “Thanks.”

He ended the call, his hand dropping to his side. Remi didn’t have to ask. She already knew.

“The baby,” Brody said quietly, his voice rougher than before. “He’s mine.” The words hung there, heavy and final.

Remi swallowed hard, her chest tight. There was nothing she could say that wouldn’t feel small against such a big truth.

Brody turned back to the board, staring at the names, but she could tell he wasn’t really seeing them. Not right now.

Because everything had just changed.

And the fight to bring his other son home had just become a battle that she and Brody couldn’t afford to lose.

Chapter Five

The words echoed in his head long after the call ended.

The baby is yours.

Brody stood there, his phone still in his hand, but the screen had gone dark. His fingers felt numb, like the weight of that simple sentence had drained the strength right out of him.

His son.