His emotions flitted between wanting to punish the Walkers and wanting to get away from Mara. He wondered if Tony would take him in until he figured out who his real family was? He wondered the same about Craig Stuart. He was the only person in the whole mess related to Johnny by blood.
He went to Mara’s laptop and searched for Craig’s name. The results turned up his name, address, architectural firm, and Facebook account. This guy should safeguard his info better. He was about to click the link to Craig’s Facebook when he heard Mara’s key in the lock. He closed the browser and went back to the couch.
Mara came in with her arms full of grocery bags. “What were you doing? You look guilty.” She dumped the bags on the counter and glared at Johnny.
His face twisted into a sneer. “Nothing, just reading my homework. What’s your problem?”
“Lose the attitude. It won’t work with me, and I’m in no mood.”
“What’s for dinner?” He got up and started rummaging through the bags, hoping she would let it go. “Did you get my prescriptions?”
“I got some salad and chicken. You can’t just live on pizza.”
“You sound like Grace.” He fished a plastic salad container out and took it to the table. “I happen to like salad and chicken though.”
She put a rotisserie chicken on the table in front of him. “There you go. I couldn’t get your meds. Do you know which pharmacy Grace uses? Do you think you could log into the pharmacy app to order refills?”
“Sure, I do it all the time. I’m not sure if I remember the password, and since you got rid of my phone, we might have to recover it.”
“Which pharmacy?” He told her, and he made a note of the PIN she used to unlock her phone before she downloaded the app. “I’m too stressed to deal with it tonight, and you have enough doses to last until the day after tomorrow. Try to remember the password.”
He repeated her PIN in his head while he ate. He went upstairs as soon as he finished. Mara hardly noticed him leave. If becoming the sudden mother of a disabled teenager was getting to her after two days, there was no hope of her being able to handle it forever.
* * *
Johnny hung out in his room and forced himself to stay awake until Mara turned off her bedroom light. She’d gone to bed earlier than the night before, but he gave it an extra half hour to be safe before sneaking into her room. His crutches clicked on the wood floor, so he had to sneak along at a snail’s pace.
He held his breath as he opened her door an inch at a time, terrified that it would squeak in such an old house, but it didn’t make a sound. He was relieved when he got inside that the faint glow from the streetlamp outside her window made it, so he didn’t need his phone flashlight. The outline of her cellphone was easy to spot on the nightstand. He stretched his arm forward without budging another muscle and curled his fingers around the phone. He slid it a millimeter at a time to the edge. Once he had a good grip, he picked it up and slid it into his pocket. Mara hadn’t even stirred.
He risked getting out of there faster than he came in and made sure to close the door securely. He stopped in the bathroom doorway between their rooms to catch his breath. Once he stopped shaking, he went downstairs without clicking on the hall light. He sat at the table and opened Mara’s laptop to pull up the page with Craig’s information. It was two hours earlier in Albuquerque where Craig lived, so it wouldn’t be too late to call, but Johnny had another call to make first.
* * *
The full moon reflected off the glass patio table in the backyard. As Grace stared through the back door, ghosts of backyard family cookouts on long summer days shimmered across the lawn. It was a time when she’d learned to allow herself to accept happiness. She imagined Ryan lifting Johnny into a swing while Alec’s twins toddled in the grass. So many pleasant memories. Would there ever be more?
Ryan came up behind her. “I know you’re furious with me,” he said softly, “but can I sleep in our bed tonight?”
“Not furious. Frustrated,” she whispered. “I love you with my whole soul. I’m just angry and feeling betrayed. My emotions have taken on a mind of their own in the past two days. You may sleep with me if we can call it sleep.”
Ryan wrapped his arms around her waist, and she leaned into his warmth. “You were very far away just now.”
Grace closed her eyes. “Not far away, but long ago, remembering Johnny as a little boy. Such carefree times.”
“Carefree isn’t the word I would use to describe Johnny’s childhood. There was always a crisis around the next corner.”
“As hard as those times were, Johnny’s medical problems were expected. We knew how to face them. I would take all those times over this nightmare. I feel paralyzed.”
Ryan turned Grace to face him and cupped her chin in his hand. “This isn’t all on you. There’s a mass of experts around the country doing what they can to recover Johnny and capture Mara. Like you said, she’ll slip up. We’ll have them both.”
“My confidence is slipping. I was so hopeful after I remembered seeing her, but we have zero leads. Alec and I racked our brains for anything Mara may have said on that phone call twelve years ago that will lead us to her. We came up empty.”
“It’s after eleven. Let’s go to bed. Maybe the answers will come in your sleep.”
Grace’s phone buzzed and she jumped. Her hands shook as she took it from her robe pocket. The number was blocked, but she answered in case it was news of Johnny.
“Hello,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Who is this?”
“It’s Johnny,” the voice on the other end said.
“Johnny?” she gasped.
“Speaker,” Ryan said and waved to the two police officers guarding the front door.
As Grace clicked it to speaker, Johnny said, “Yes, remember me? Your pretend son?”
Grace’s legs gave out, she nearly dropped the phone. Ryan helped her to a dining room chair.
“Where are you? Are you safe? Are you hurt? We’ll come to you now.”
Officer Layton walked to the kitchen and made a call while Officer Perez motioned for Grace to hand him the phone. He opened the app the FBI had installed to record her calls before handing it back to her.
“I’m with my real mother, and I’m not going anywhere with you,” Johnny said, almost spitting the words. “Mara’s taking good care of me. She told me how she gave birth to me in New Mexico, but my biological father was going to take me away from her. She escaped with me to Richmond, but Rick made her leave me at the hospital after I got hurt during the hurricane. You had my whole life to tell me the truth. Too late.”
“That’s a lie. We can prove it. Don’t listen to Mara,” Ryan said. “Tell us where you are. We’ll rescue you and explain everything. Are you still in Richmond?”
“Shut up, Ryan. I said it’s too late. I’ll never trust anything you say. I’m going to live with Mara. She’s my new family. My real family. Call off the FBI. I don’t need them to find me.”
“I’ll never stop looking for you until the day I die,” Grace sobbed. “Mara’s an insane and dangerous criminal. Don’t trust her. She’s not your mother. She kidnapped you.”
The line went quiet for five seconds. Grace prayed that she was getting through to him, but he said, “I have to go. This is the last time you’ll ever hear from me. Forget me and call off the feds. I’m staying where I am.”
The officer signaled for Grace to keep him talking.
“Johnny, this is us. We love you more than life itself. Haven’t we taken good care of you and loved you? We’ve given you a happy life with everything you wanted. I saved your life when you were a baby. Mara’s the one who kidnapped and abandoned you. She doesn’t care about you.”
“You’re the liar. I hope you get what you deserve.”
The line went dead. “Johnny,” Grace whispered. Nothing but silence answered. “Johnny,” she cried. “Don’t go!” Officer Perez tenderly took the phone from her hand. She stared
at him uncomprehending before doubling over as waves of nausea washed over her. “Call back. Get Johnny back,” she told Officer Perez between gasps.
“Working on it,” he said and tapped the screen. The call went to a message saying the voicemail hadn’t been set up. He tried again and got the same answer.
“Can you trace the call?” Ryan asked.
“Possibly. My partner notified Special Agent Reid. He’s on his way and will be able to answer your questions.”
Grace groaned and dropped to her knees. Ryan squatted next to her and rubbed her back. “Johnny’s alive. He’s alive and safe.”
“Safe with Mara? That lunatic? Who knows what she’s capable of?”
“Did you hear how strong he sounded? He had the strength to get mad at us. He said Mara’s taking good care of him. This is great news, Grace. Johnny’s alive!”
The basement door opened, and Alec came in rubbing her eyes. “Did they find Johnny?”
“No, he called,” Officer Perez said, and played the recording for her.
“Oh my God, he’s alive. Our boy is alive. When are we going after him?” she asked as Agent Reid came in with Scott Michaels.
“Thank you for getting here so fast,” Ryan said.
“We were still at the office,” Scott said. “Get us up to speed.”
Officer Perez played the recording one more time.
“Copy that and get it sent to the techs to be analyzed,” Agent Reid said.
“Was the call long enough to trace?” Alec asked.
“Calls don’t need to be a certain length to trace. That’s a myth. All we need is to learn where the call originated,” Scott said. “I have a standing warrant to request phone records from your carrier. Agent Shepherd is contacting them now. It shouldn’t take long to find out where the call was initiated. Pinpointing the general location will take longer. It’ll be much quicker if the origination was local, but we doubt that’s the case. I wager Mara’s halfway across the country with Johnny by now if they’re still in the States.”
Grace stood and faced him. “They’re close. Mara would be foolish to take Johnny too far from his doctors and pharmacy, at least at first. She’ll need his medical and prescription records. That might help you catch her.”
“That might be true, but she’s had a long time to plan this,” Ryan said. “Can’t she just falsify the records when they get where they’re going?
“It’s possible, but she’d make things harder on herself,” Scott said. “Let’s hope you’re right, Grace, but keep in mind, she’s not rational. We might be able to use that to our advantage.”
The agents and officers went into the kitchen, leaving the three of them alone. Alec hugged Grace. “Things will move fast now,” she said. “Johnny will be home by morning.”
“From your mouth to God’s ear,” Grace said. “Should we wake Steph?”
“Let her sleep. If you’re right, Alec, Johnny may be here to greet her in the morning,” Ryan said.
“I’ll text Adam in case he’s awake worrying, but I won’t call. He’s got his hands full with Rosie and her broken arm.”
Grace went to the living room and sank onto the couch. After the shock of Johnny’s call, her stomach was reeling, and every muscle ached. Johnny had to be home by morning. She wouldn’t survive the trauma for another day.
* * *
Johnny shoved Mara’s phone in the pocket of his sweatpants when he heard her bedroom door creak. She stomped down the stairs and stopped inches from where he sat.
“Who were you talking to? Answer me. No games.” When he hesitated, she grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and pulled his face closer to hers. “Tell me,” she hissed.
“I called Grace,” he said.
She gripped him tighter. “How?”
His body started to shake. He hated to show weakness and did his best to hide it from Mara, but she was too close not to notice. It wounded his pride to be afraid of this little woman. If he had the use of his legs, she wouldn’t have dared threaten him. He pulled her phone out and handed it to her.
“You snuck into my room and stole my phone?”
“Borrowed.” The word came out as a squeak, so he cleared his throat. “I was going to put it back after I called Grace and Ryan to rub their face in it. You should have heard them begging me to tell them where we are, but I didn’t.”
Mara loosened her grip in slow motion, but Johnny sensed her rage building. He reached for his crutches, but she kicked them out of reach.
“You idiot. I told you they can track our phones.”
Johnny smiled nervously. “I made sure to keep the call short.”
“How long you were on doesn’t matter. They could trace it the instant the call connected. You don’t know anything. This isn’t a game.”
She ripped the back off her phone and took out the sim card. Johnny watched in shock as she tossed the card into the sink and turned on the garbage disposal. She let it run for a full minute. She took the rest of the phone to the garage without a word, and Johnny heard hammering a few seconds later. When the pounding stopped, Mara came in carrying the shattered bits of her phone in a zippered baggie.
“We have to leave. Go pack your things,” she ordered and ran up the stairs.
Johnny lowered himself to the floor and dragged his body the five feet to his crutches. It took all his strength to get to his feet, and even longer to climb the stairs. Mara was ready to go by the time he made it to his room. He picked up his backpack, but she yanked it from his hands.
“Let me do it, or we’ll be here for a week.”
She tossed his shoes at him and started stuffing his few belongings into the backpack. Johnny kept his eyes lowered while he put on his shoes and tied the laces. He hated to admit it, but she was right to be mad at him. He’d made thoughtless mistakes and screwed up her plans. Because of him, Mara was being forced to abandon her home.
“Where are we going?” he asked as he followed her down the stairs.
“I haven’t had time to figure that out thanks to you. How could you be so stupid? Haven’t you ever played a video game or watched a crime show?”
“I’m sorry, Mara. I was angry and wanted to get back at Grace. I didn’t think.”
“No kidding. I’m warning you, no more stunts like that.” They reached the front door and she motioned for him to stop. “Wait here while I make sure no one will see you getting into the car.”
She left the front door open while she carried their bags to the car. After checking the street, she waved for him to join her. It was the first time Johnny had been out of the house in more than two days. The chilly night air felt good on his skin. He wished he had time to enjoy it but climbed into the car as quickly as he could. It wasn’t fast enough for Mara who barked at him to hurry until his seatbelt was hooked.
Johnny watched the house fade in the side mirror as Mara sped down the street. Even though he’d been a prisoner there, he’d just started getting used to the old house and was sad to leave. Who knew where his crazy new mom would take him next?
* * *
Agent Reid instructed the driver of the SWAT unit to park a block from the address they’d gleaned from the phone records. Their initial drive-by assessment had yielded little information. The house was dark and there was no sign of activity. Reid asked to see the live drone footage on the laptop in Agent Cameron’s hands. She shook her head as she handed it to him. Nothing there either. After commanding twenty similar raids, Reid’s gut told him they were too late. He radioed instructions to his team waiting in their assault gear.
“We don’t know what awaits us inside the house. Mara may be armed, but my hope is she’s fast asleep, blissfully unaware we’re coming. Elliott, take your group and set up along the north street. Prince, your team covers the back. Enter through the gate off the alley. The rest of us will take the front. Cameron will monitor the drone feed to make sure no one goes out a window or other egress. Pull up in front of the house,” he said to the driver
before going back on his radio. “Let’s get our target and bring Johnny home, alive and well.”
The driver pulled up to the curb in front of the narrow two-story corner house. Reid’s team silently spilled out of the van and was in place within seconds. When Reid gave the signal, his team rushed the front door. It was unlocked and ajar. They moved in just as Prince came in from the back with his team. They swarmed the house and found no one. What they did find was evidence that Johnny had been there.
“Damn it. Missed them but not by much. The house is warm even though the front door was cracked. Get forensics in here,” Reid said before calling SAC Michaels to give him the news. “We’re on her heels, sir. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Get back here while we wait for the forensics report. We’ll see what other leads we can dig up,” Michaels said.
“Yes, sir,” Reid said and hung up. “Elliott and Prince wait here to work with forensics. I’ll send a driver for you later.”
The agents nodded, and Reid rounded up the rest of his team. He was determined it would be the last time Mara slipped through his grasp.
* * *
Johnny woke up wanting his life back.
After leaving Mara’s house the night before, they’d driven around greater Richmond for two hours before ending up at the drab motel on the rundown edge of the city. Johnny had tried to stay awake to memorize the routes Mara took, but riding in the dark car at three in the morning had lulled him to sleep. Next thing he knew, Mara was shaking him awake after she checked in. Once inside the room, he’d fallen onto the hard, squeaky bed without even bothering to take off his shoes. He was out in two minutes.
It was still dark when he woke, but he wasn’t sure if that was from the blackout curtains or the hour. He instinctively reached for his phone and swore when he realized it was gone. He looked across the small room to see if Mara had heard him, but her bed was empty. A sliver of light glowed under the bathroom door. Johnny wondered if Mara had slept at all. He felt like he’d only been out for an hour or so, not that it mattered. He could nap all day if he wanted. He had nothing else to do.
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