by V. Vaughn
“We’ll come back one day when this is all behind us.” He kissed her lips, and held her tight against his body. The warmth of his skin comforted her, the scent of him made her feel safe.
“I want to believe you.” She buried her face in his chest.
“I’ll never lie to you,” Will promised. “I believe with all my heart that we will resolve this. Even if I have to pay her.”
Jen sobbed against his chest. “I hate the thought of Sally-Ann winning.”
“She’s already lost. Money can’t buy what we have.”
Will was right and as they waited for their food to arrive, Jen let herself trust in this man who had swept her off her feet and turned her world around.
8
Will
Morning came as it always did. Will watched the first rays dust the land with its pale glow as he held a restless Jen in his arms. He hadn’t slept much, Jen had woken from a bad dream in the early hours, leaving him with a feeling of frustration. He wanted to make this all go away, to put things right.
“What time is it?” Jen asked, rubbing her eyes.
“A little after seven.” Will kissed her cheek and then got out of bed. “We should go and grab breakfast and then get going. I want to check out the cabin before we bust in there.”
“Are we going to bust in there?” Jen asked as she pulled on her clothes.
“Something like that.” Will had given it some thought in the long hours until sunrise. “We need a reason to be here. One that if we can’t prove Sally-Ann was trying to blackmail you, would not make us look irrational.”
“I could say Kelvin told me he wasn’t going to make it back and he asked us to bring the boys home.” Jen shrugged. “It’s that or telling them someone is ill. Which I don’t like doing. Tempting fate is never a good idea.”
Will nodded. “It might work.” He packed his things back into his suitcase. “We can decide when we have more of an idea of what’s going on.”
Jen shoved her phone into her pocket. “Shall I try to call Jack or Cody again? I wish they’d answer.”
Will shook his head. Each time Jen tried to call, she got more upset. “Sally-Ann must have taken their phones. Do you have her number?”
Jen nodded. “There was no answer from her phone either.”
Jen had tried to call the boys several times last night. No answer. The phones just rang and rang. Which unnerved Will. If Sally-Ann didn’t intend to reveal her plan to Cody and Jack, how had she stopped them from answering their phones? If they simply had dead batteries, they would go to voicemail.
“There’s no point guessing, let’s eat and get out there.” They went down to the hotel lobby, once more braving the elevator. Will ran to the car and put the luggage in the trunk, and then they entered the dining room, finding it almost empty.
A quick, delicious breakfast of warm croissants and wonderful, aromatic coffee, and they were back on the road, heading for the cabin. Neither of them spoke aside from short exchanges about directions. They were more than aware of how serious this might become if it wasn’t handled properly.
“We’re half a mile away,” Will told Jen as he parked the car in a small clearing just off the road. Tall trees surrounded them, filtering the weak sunlight and casting the forest in a subdued green glow. “I’m going on foot. You stay here.”
“What?” Jen asked.
He should have told her sooner, but he didn’t want to spend the journey going around in circles over this. “I’m going to go into the forest and shift. I’ll use my lion’s enhanced senses to find any clues.”
Jen got out of the car. “I’m coming, too.”
“No, you stay here.” Will held his hands up, trying to usher her back toward the car as she set off through the trees.
“I’m going to follow. You can’t stop me.” She looked incredibly fierce, and his lion roared with pride.
Did you really think she’d stay in the car? his lion asked.
Nope, but I hoped she might, Will answered.
Get after her! His lion was more than ready to fulfill his role in retrieving the two boys he saw as his adopted cubs.
Will locked the car and jogged after Jen. “Wait up.”
“Why, so you can try to make me stay behind?” she asked crossly.
“No, because the cabin is over there.” He pointed in a roughly forty-five-degree angle from where she was heading.
Jen put her hands on her hips. “Right. Lead the way.”
Will strode off through the trees, looking for a place where the undergrowth was thick enough to hide him while he shifted into his lion. Not that thick undergrowth was going to help much if anyone saw his lion. One sighting and there would be police marksmen out here looking to put a bullet in his head.
His usual lion haunts were the thick forests of his country estate. And if he was feeling really adventurous he’d travel to one of his many second homes. His favorite for going lion was a luxurious hut on a nature reserve in Africa, where real lions roamed outside the door. Although poachers were becoming more of an issue out there, and the once vast savannah was being slowly eaten up by mankind.
“Here.” He stopped beside a thick band of trees and turned to Jen. “I’m going to shift.”
“Okay, once you do, I’ll follow you. Let me know if there’s anyone out here.” She looked so matter-of-fact, as if a man turning into a lion was an everyday occurrence.
He nodded, resisting the temptation to hug her. “I’ll try.” Conversations between his lion and his mate were not exactly easy, but they had developed a simple sign language. “If there’s no one around, I’ll shake my head. If I sense someone, I’ll nod.”
“Make it obvious.” She watched as he stood a few feet away from her. Usually, they walked together, a lion and his mate, when they knew they would never be seen. Out here they were in unknown territory, exposed to anyone who might be looking. The GPS had indicated there were cabins in the forest, but they were mainly close to the road. Will’s plan was to come at the cabin, where Sally-Ann and the boys were staying, from the rear, keeping to the forest and avoiding being seen from anyone driving along the forest road to another cabin.
He focused his mind on his lion and let the animal loose, the air shimmered as if a small electrical storm had manifested. His human form disappeared, to be replaced by a huge lion, who was ecstatic to see his mate.
“Hello there, boy,” Jen greeted him, her hands plunging into his thick mane, while she planted a kiss on top of his head. “Good to see you.”
His lion rubbed his head along Jen’s thigh and purred, a deep rumbling in his throat, that reverberated through his body. Purring was a thing his lion was still getting used to. Until they met Jen, their mate, his lion had never behaved quite so—cat-like. However, the first time he shifted for Jen to see his feline side, Will had been overtaken by the desire to purr like a playful kitten. At first embarrassed, his lion now reveled in the experience. He saw it as a symbol of his undying love and devotion to Jen.
And her cubs.
His lion pulled away. Time for action.
On giant paws, he walked carefully through the forest, avoiding leaving any footprints. Jen walked behind, if he made even a toe mark, she would plant her foot firmly down and cover it. They worked well as a team, and Will’s human side cursed himself for even suggesting Jen stay behind at the car. They belonged together. How often had he told her that?
“What do you sense?” Jen asked softly.
Will’s lion paused, his head in the air as he inhaled deeply. Nothing. His senses told him there were no other people around for miles. Which meant Sally-Ann and the children were not at the cabin any more.
His senses had never failed him, but this time Will wished they were playing a trick on him. That this one time he’d made a mistake. He couldn’t tell Jen the news. Not unless he shifted back to his human form, this message was too complex for sign language. And even if he did tell her, they would still have to go to the cabin and c
heck for clues.
A sudden cold dread threaded through his veins. What if the boys had been harmed? Worse, what if Sally-Ann had… His lion swept those thoughts aside. There was no scent of the boys, dead or alive. If he had to guess, they had never been here, at least not long enough for any residue of their scent to remain.
The cabin came into view and he stopped, once again sniffing the air and checking for any signs of activity. None.
He looked up at Jen. It was time to shift back and tell her the news.
With a crackle of static, his lion, with one last brush against her legs, disappeared, and Will reappeared in his place. Jen hugged him and immediately asked, “What if someone saw you?”
“If by someone you mean, Sally-Ann…I don’t think she is here.” He watched her face drop, and then contort in disbelief. “Or the boys.”
“But the phone. I thought the call was traced here?”
“It was. They may have passed through.” Will sighed. “It means she’s smarter than we gave her credit for.”
“So we wait for her to call again. We track the phone again,” Jen said resolutely and strode forward. “We should take a look around.”
As she walked, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and lifted it up in the air, hunting for a signal. When she got one, she pressed dial. “Maybe they were sleeping and they’ll answer now.”
She put the phone to her ear and listened to the dialing tone. As she did, Jacks’ ringtone filled the forest. “Shit,” Will cursed and ran forward. There, by the side of the wooden cabin, was Jack’s phone. Right beside Cody’s.
“She guessed we’d trace them.” Jen slammed the palm of her hand against the outside of the cabin. “Now what do we do?”
Will circled around the cabin, there was no sign anyone had stayed here overnight. Frustrated, he walked along the short driveway to the road and looked up and down. “They could be anywhere. Or nowhere around here. If Sally-Ann had any sense she’d put some miles between them and here.”
“That works in our favor where the police are concerned, surely? We now have evidence she lied.” Jen looked at her phone once more. “I’m calling Kelvin. It’s time he shared anything that might help us find them.”
Will walked back to her. “Do you want me to talk to him?” he asked as her hand shook so much she misdialed the first time.
“No. I can do it.” She took hold of his hand, gripping it tightly, and he willed his strength into her body, as if it would sustain her. “Kelvin. Where are you?”
“At home. I was in the office all night trying to dig myself out of a hole. If you have something to say, get it over with, Jen.” He sounded in a bad mood, would that make him uncooperative? If so, Will might just have to call Thaddeus and ask him to pay Kelvin a visit—in dragon form.
If only, his lion sighed.
“It’s about the boys. Have you spoken to them today?” Jen asked.
“Today? It’s not even nine. They’re probably still in bed.” Sounds of Kelvin making coffee came down the line.
“Have you tried?” Jen asked again. “What about last night?”
“Of course I tried. No answer, I assumed they were tired out, or having too much fun. I know you don’t like Sally-Ann, but the kids do love her.” Kelvin’s insistence sounded false, but Jen let it go.
“Would you try Jack’s phone now?” Jen asked.
“I’ll have to end this call.” Kelvin’s exasperation sounded in his voice.
“Just do it.” Jen hung up and they went to where the boy’s phones lay on the ground. As soon as Jack’s phone rang, she picked it up. “Hello, Kelvin.”
“What’s going on?” Kelvin asked. “Where’s Jack? What’s happened to Sally-Ann?”
“All good questions,” Jen hissed down the phone. “Your damn girlfriend has run off with the boys and wants a cool million as payment for their safe return.”
Something smashed on the other end of the phone and Kelvin cursed. “You’re making it up.”
“No, Sally-Ann called me last night and demanded money. She then left Jack and Cody’s phones at the cabin. You know, the cabin they were supposed to be staying in. Well, they’re not here.” Jen’s breathing was ragged but she held it together. “So where are they, Kelvin?”
“I don’t know what you mean. I paid for the cabin myself. I have a receipt.”
“They aren’t here. So think where else they might have gone. Sally-Ann has a car. Is there a place nearby she talked about?” Jen looked at Will, her face stricken.
“No,” Kelvin insisted. “We planned this. Planned the days out to keep the boys occupied.”
“Ask Kelvin to contact the owners of the cabin. They must have arranged to meet them here or collect a key from somewhere. That might give us a new place to start looking.” Will nodded for Jen to pass it on, but Kelvin had already heard.
“I’ll do it now. There must be a simple explanation,” Kelvin insisted.
“You can think that, Kelvin. But have you also thought how convenient it is that you got called back to work?” Jen decided it was time to twist the knife and make sure her ex-husband came to his senses.
“Convenient. Inconvenient, you mean,” Kelvin said and then silence.
“Did Sally-Ann have access to your data?” Jen pushed him in a direction he wouldn’t want to go. She almost sympathized with him. It was tough when your world crashed down around you.
“Yes.” His voice choked as he realized he’d been played. “She did it to get me away from the kids?”
“Looks like it,” Jen said. “Make those calls. And if you hear anything, you tell us.”
“What about the police?” Kelvin asked.
“Out of the question until we have the boys back,” Jen told him firmly.
“She wouldn’t hurt them. She wouldn’t.” Kelvin sounded certain.
“I hope you’re right.” Jen ended the call and then stood staring at the phone. Jack’s screensaver was a picture of him and Cody next to a snowman they’d built. “It was bigger than them.”
“We’ll get them back, Jen. We will.” Will hugged her tight as she fought back tears.
She took a deep breath. “If we’re done here, let’s get back to town and make some inquiries. Someone might have seen something.”
They walked back along the road, neither of them willing to give up. There had to be a way to find them. Someone must have seen something.
Will would take the world apart piece by piece to find Jack and Cody. And if he did pay Sally-Ann, she would never enjoy the money, because he would hunt her down. One day, he would find her.
9
Jen
“Shall we go back to the hotel?” Jen asked as they reached the outskirts of the small French town, whose name she could not pronounce. The French language had never interested her, but then she never expected to be chasing around the country trying to find her kids.
“No, let’s keep mobile for now.” He glanced across at her. “We can stop at a café and do some research. Hopefully Kelvin will call back with some names of people we can talk to.”
Will parked the car and went to the trunk, while Jen got out and looked around at the small selections of stores along what seemed to be the main road through town. There was a grocery store, a hiking store, a post office and a clothing store, plus what looked like a pet store that also sold farm animal feeds.
“Your iPad?” Jen asked as he tucked the tablet under his arm and reached for her hand.
“Yes, the café has internet.” He pointed to a sign. “I thought we could research the area, try to find out who owns the cabins.”
“Good idea.” They entered the café and Jen sat down at a table in the corner by the window, while Will walked to the counter and placed their order. She rubbed her hand over her eyes, which were sore from the unspilled tears she kept in check. If she let that dam burst, there was no saying if it would ever stop.
“The mademoiselle behind the counter believes most of the cabins are ind
ividually owned but let through the season by a local company who has a website and takes all the bookings. They also handle the online transactions and take a percentage of the fee as payment.”
“Do they handle the housekeeping service and keys?” Jen asked, grateful when her coffee arrived. Will had ordered pastries, too, which melted in her mouth as she took a bite.
“Yes, they do,” Will told her as he sipped his coffee and logged onto the iPad. “Let’s see what we can find out.”
As he spoke, her phone rang and she dug it out of her pocket, expecting it to be Will. “No caller ID,” Jen said quickly, turning the screen toward Will.
“Give me a sec.” He tapped the screen of his iPad and said, “Put it on speakerphone, I’ll record the conversation, in case it’s Sally-Ann.”
Jen nodded, sure it was Sally-Ann. Then she cleared her head and focused, ready to listen for any clue as to where they were. “Hello?”
“Mom?” Cody’s voice came across the phone.
“Cody. How are you, honey?” Jen’s voice cracked with emotion.
“Good. We didn’t stay at the cabin. Sally-Ann said she had something much better to show us and that she’d tell Dad so he would know where to find us.”
Jen asked. “Can you tell me where you are?”
“No.” Cody laughed. “The road signs are in French. I can’t read them. But this cabin is much nicer, and the river is so close we can hear it from the porch.” He sounded excited, so Sally-Ann had kept her word and not told them they were being held for ransom.
“And has she told your dad where you are?” Jen pressed gently.
“Sally-Ann called him last night.” Before Jen had a chance to get more information, Cody said, “She wants to talk to you, Mom.”
“Okay. Put her on. Remember, I love you. And look after your brother.” Jen didn’t want to push for any more details. No doubt Sally-Ann was monitoring the call and Jen couldn’t bear to put the boys in danger.