by Char Webster
Maddy was playing with a tea set and a bunch of dolls. The little girl kept feeding Dawn pretend tea and cookies. It was really cute. It had been years since she had been around a child this age for an extended period of time.
Her son was playing with his baseball stuff in the backyard. He must have thrown the ball up and caught it hundreds of times. Dawn knew he was getting bored, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. They needed to stay hidden. She wouldn’t let anything happen to her son or this beautiful child.
Kevin came up onto the deck and flopped down on the chair next to her. “When can we go home?” he complained.
“Not yet, but soon. Why don’t you go swimming? They have a really nice pool with a diving board. That should be fun.”
He groaned. “I missed practice today. The coach could bench me.”
“I called him yesterday and explained we would be away unexpectedly. He’s not going to bench you.”
“Yes he will, and then I won’t get to start for several more games. Tomorrow is my turn to pitch. If I miss my turn in the rotation, then I won’t get to start pitching for another four games.”
“I don’t think the coach would do that.”
“He’s not going to penalize some other guy for me missing my turn.” Kevin continued. “Please, Mom. Please let me pitch tomorrow. Then we can come right back here and I won’t complain any more about missing practice. Please.”
Dawn’s heart went out to her son. He had gone through so much this year and the one thing he truly loved was baseball. How could she take that away from him? He was already upset that she had taken his phone away when they got here. She didn’t want him to let anyone know where they were. She had even turned her phone off and only checked it a few times for messages.
She sighed. “Okay. We go to the game and come right back. No after dinner with the team or celebrating with the guys. We come back here immediately after.”
Kevin jumped up and hugged his mom. “Thanks! Thanks, Mom. You’re the best! Love you!” He rushed into the yard to throw and catch some more.
~*~*~
Frank was getting worried. That Johnson woman hadn’t been back to her house either. He had watched it almost non-stop since he had picked up the other two kids. She hadn’t been home, and neither had her son.
He had to find her. It was his only lead to finding the third kid.
He knew her son had baseball this summer, but the kid didn’t show up to practice earlier. That worried him even more. He would go to the game tomorrow. Parents didn’t usually make their kids miss games when they paid quite a bit for them to be on the traveling team.
If Johnson didn’t show up there, he didn’t know what he was going to do. He wasn’t sure what had happened to the woman who was taking care of the kids. She had not returned to her house. He had found out that her name was Kate Sutton and that she was a guidance counselor. He checked her friends’ houses, and she wasn’t with any of them either.
~*~*~
“Get in here.” Brooks slammed down the phone and waited for Ray to come into his office. Exactly three minutes later, Ray waltzed into the room without knocking. He walked right up to the desk and arched a brow at Brooks. He knew he was being insolent, but he also knew that Brooks needed him, at least for now.
Brooks was staring him down. “Where the hell are they?” Brooks demanded.
“I’m working on it, but Frank hid them and so far we don’t know where. We’ve been looking everywhere even remotely associated with Frank.”
“And the third kid?”
“I’ve got someone watching Frank, and he doesn’t know where that kid is yet,” Ray told him.
“What the hell am I paying you for?” Brooks was getting uncontrollably furious at all of his employees. No one seemed capable of handling this situation.
“Frank doesn’t know where the woman who had the kids is located,” Ray said, and paused for effect.
“And you do?”
“Yes, and I’ll be having a chat with her tomorrow.”
“Bring her in if you have to.”
Brooks walked over to his liquor cabinet and poured another scotch. He was going to have to take care of Ray. He was getting too cocky, and that was never a good thing. How had everything gotten so out of control? Maybe he had gotten soft lately. Maybe he needed to show everyone exactly what happens when they cross him.
Ray walked out of the office and out of the main house. He was staying in the small cottage on the property that was usually used for a groundskeeper or some sort of servant, but presently it was not occupied. Brooks had gotten a little more paranoid lately and had made all of the servants stay in the main house’s servants’ quarters on the third floor.
He picked up his phone and called Tony.
“Hullo,” Tony answered with a slight slur.
“Are you drunk?” Ray demanded.
“Ummm, not completely.”
“Damn it, Tony. I told you to watch them.” Ray paused. He hated dealing with two-faced weasels like Tony. “Go home now and sleep it off. I’ll be there at 6:00 a.m.”
“’K,” Tony said and hung up.
Ray wanted to slam down his phone, but didn’t. He hated dealing with Tony because the guy was a major screw-up and Ray didn’t trust him. The only reason he was tolerating Tony now was his connection to all of this. He wanted to get this job done, and he needed Tony.
The guy didn’t even have a decent gift to help in all of this. Tony could sense the weather. What good was that? He should’ve been a TV weatherman but he was not attractive enough, so he made his living selling secrets. He started out working for the Division, but he quickly discovered that it didn’t pay well enough to cover his alcohol and drug consumption, so he branched out. A total waste, Ray thought.
~*~*~
Kate was mesmerized by the words on the pages. She felt like she was getting to know her birth mother and it was both exciting and tragic at the same time. She flipped another page and skimmed it. Finally, she was getting to something about her father.
I’m so mad at my mother right now I want to scream. Although, I kinda did already. Ok, I really did scream. I “acted like a bratty child” to quote my mother when I screamed at her that she just ruined my summer.
I was really looking forward to this last summer of high school with my friends. We just finished junior year and I was finally going to get a little bit of freedom but mom goes and ruins it all.
Julie invited me down to Long Beach Island with her family to work at her Dad’s sub shop this summer. It was all worked out last week and I was getting excited. Mom even bought me a new bikini. I couldn’t wait to get there and meet some hot guys at the beach. That was last week.
Today, she decided to ruin my whole summer and maybe even my life. No more Long Beach Island, no more hot guys, and no more spending the summer with Julie. No, now I have to stay home and play babysitter to some stupid geek from the west coast.
My mom’s best friend from California is coming here this week with her family. Mom thinks it would be nice for me to stick around and hang out with her son and introduce him to my friends so he fits in. Great.
The last time I saw the loser was like 7 years ago. He read comic books the whole time we were there for a visit. He didn’t even go outside or to the beach which was only a few blocks away from his house.
So what am I supposed to do, take him to the comic book store, yeah, he’ll fit right in with my friends. I cannot believe she’s making me stay here for the summer. It’s going to be the worst summer ever.
Kate smiled as she read that passage. Her mom sounded like a lot of the teens she counseled. She turned a few pages to an entry, which was dated three days after the one she had just read
WOW. Just WOW. Holy Hottie! Who knew the comic book geek turned out to be a completely gorgeous guy. Mom dragged me out to the porch to greet her friend when they pulled up. I was leaning against the house with my arms crossed and what was probably a serious
ly miserable look on my face when I almost fell over. I really lost my balance and almost fell. I didn’t even have time to be embarrassed because I was in shock. My mouth was probably hanging open. Great first impression, huh?
The skinny, nerdy kid with brown hair that fell in front of his face, and his nose in a comic book, turned out to be a 6-foot muscular hottie with short, dark-brown hair that fell just right over the greenest eyes I had ever seen. His surf shirt hugged his well-defined chest and his plaid shorts showed off long, lean, muscular legs. The kid who once wouldn’t go outside now sported a very deep tan and he also wore an amused smile as he checked me out.
I wished I had worn something cute instead of throwing my hair in a ponytail with no make-up and putting on a plain T-shirt and jean shorts. Way to go, right?
The worst part is Mom looked over with a smirk and said, “Still want to go to the beach?”
I didn’t have time to answer her then because he and his family had reached the porch.
He and I were just staring at each other when his older brother pushed past him, almost knocking him over and shook my hand. I barely paid attention to what he had said. I was too busy trying to figure out what to say to his brother. He must not have known what to say to me either because his mom went and ruined everything by saying, “Jim, don’t just stand there gawking at Amanda, say hello then get my bag out of the car.”
Jim got seriously red-faced and turned around to go back to the car. His brother laughed really loud and snorted. I gave him a very dirty look and hopped off the porch to help Jim. He was at the back of the car just looking into the trunk probably hiding from embarrassment when I walked up and said something completely lame. I said “Hey, you probably don’t remember but I’m Amanda.” Smooth, right? All the things I could have said and I go for lame. He looked right at me with a lopsided, unsure smile and said, “I could never forget you, Amanda.” I totally cheesed. I mean the biggest cheesiest smile ever.
Swoon. Just swoon. I wanted to melt right into the driveway. It’s going to be a GREAT summer.
Kate continued to read about the beginning of her parents’ relationship. It was sweet and funny and endearing to read about how much her parents seemed to love each other. Her eyes were getting tired, and she knew she had to get some sleep.
Kate peeked out into the family room and saw that Nick was passed out on the chair. She pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa and covered him with it. She hoped that he would be in a better mood the next day. She started to walk to her bedroom but turned back and put her hand through his hair and kissed his forehead.
She climbed into bed and thought about the feelings her mother had written about her father. Her mom wrote that she had gotten goosebumps all over thinking about him and that when he was near, her body would have a tingling feeling all over. That scared Kate a bit because those things happened to her when she thought about Nick and when he was near. Things ended tragically for her parents. She fell asleep wondering if it would end any differently for her.
The next morning, Kate woke up really early. She had too much on her mind to really get a good night’s sleep. She kept waking up and looking at the clock. Finally, she decided to get up and get a shower. Nick was still asleep when Kate finished dressing and doing her hair. She wore jeans and a tank top. She fished the pocket knife out of her jean shorts and transferred it to her jeans. She wanted something of her parents with her. It helped her to feel closer to them.
Kate went over and touched his check lightly, but he didn’t even stir. She decided to look for something to make for breakfast. Kate laughed when she opened the fridge to see condiments and a few beers. Nothing else. There wasn’t much in the cabinets either. Shaking her head, she went to the bedroom to put on her sneakers.
She remembered a bagel shop a block down from where they were. Bagels and coffee sounded heavenly right now. She scribbled a note that let Nick know where she had gone and slipped out the door.
It was a really nice morning in the city, and since it was still early, not too many people were around. She enjoyed the morning air as she walked into the bagel shop. The smell of fresh bagels and muffins made her stomach growl. She ordered a few with cream cheese and added a muffin. She wasn’t sure which Nick would want. Kate also added two large coffees. She took a big sip of hers and was instantly refreshed. Luckily, the shop had a box to carry everything.
She was just about to walk up the steps to Nick’s apartment when a car pulled up with a screech of its tires and an Asian guy jumped out and grabbed her. He put one hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream and one arm around her middle and over both of her arms so they were pinned to her sides. Kate dropped the box with the breakfast when he grabbed her. She started to kick wildly, but he must have been expecting it and avoided her kicks. There was nothing she could do when they shoved her into the car and sped off.
~*~*~
Nick woke up to screeching tires and a commotion outside. He looked around and groaned. There was a half empty bottle of Jack on the floor. He pushed his hair back and sighed. He shouldn’t have drunk so much. He had a headache, and his stomach felt like it would be protesting for the next month.
He got up and went to look for Kate. She wasn’t anywhere in the apartment. He was just about to get upset when he noticed her note about going for breakfast. He smiled to himself, thinking about his lack of food in the house. She must have noticed he hadn’t gone shopping.
Nick went to take a quick shower so that he could try to feel a little more human before Kate got back with their food. He hoped that she had gotten coffee, and lots of it—he would need it.
He stepped out of the shower, dried off quickly, and threw on jeans and a blue golf shirt. He rushed into the living room eager to see Kate, but she wasn’t back yet. He would give her a couple of more minutes before getting worried. Nick checked the clock on the wall twice before heading back to his room for some socks and shoes.
Damn, he thought, she should have returned by now. He needed to see what was taking her so long, but knowing Kate, she was helping someone with their feelings in the bagel shop. Nick smiled at the thought.
He walked outside, looked down at the spilled coffee and bagels on the sidewalk, and completely panicked. Nick ran to the bagel shop, but he knew she wouldn’t be there. He knew she was gone.
He ran inside and practically screamed, “Did you see a young woman about 5’5’’ with dark-brown hair and hazel eyes come in here a few minutes ago?”
“Hey, Nick, yeah, she got a couple of bagels, a muffin, and two cups of coffee. If I had known it was for you, I’d have told her which bagel you liked.”
Nick didn’t finish listening to the shop owner. He was running back down to his place. He looked into the bag and sure enough, it was what she had ordered. Kate was gone.
He looked up and down the street but no one was around. Kate was gone.
He needed to calm down and think. He couldn’t panic. Now Kate and the kids were both missing. Did the same people have her as the kids? Were they following them? Why did they want her? Did they know who she was? He didn’t think so, but maybe Robert had guessed and was behind this. Would he sell Kate to the highest payer?
He needed to see if his cameras had picked up anything from the street. He had installed a security system around the building and his apartment when he moved in, and he had upgraded it a few times since. Hopefully, he would get a lead from it.
Chapter Eighteen
Robert walked into Starbucks and looked around. He smiled and walked over to two guys sitting off to the side, each with large coffees.
“Hey, man! Long time,” said a tall guy with blonde hair and hazel eyes. He gripped Robert’s hand and pulled him in for a man-hug.
“Good to see you, Ryan,” Robert told him as he slapped his back. He then turned to the other guy who was about the same height as the first, but he had light-brown hair and green eyes. Robert and he went through the same handgrip and hug routine.
“Jay. How are you?” Robert inquired.
Jay, short for Jason, and Ryan were really good friends with Robert and Nick, growing up and working for the Association. The four of them caused all sorts of trouble, but also completed every job they had been given. Nick, Robert, Jason, and Ryan made a great team. After the situation with Sam, and Robert’s departure from the Association, they all had gone their separate ways. It was a long time since the four of them had been all together.
Neither of the guys in front of him continued to work for the Association, but they had not broken away from them, either. They just kept their distance. Nick was the only one who had stayed working for them. Even though that had hurt Robert, he understood to a point. Nick’s brother had always wanted him to work for the Association, and Nick never wanted to disappoint his brother who raised him.
“Dude, you better have a really good reason to bring us here at six in the morning. I don’t get up this early, especially on a weekend,” Ryan told him.
“I’m still not awake yet,” mumbled Jason.
“Let me get some coffee, and I’ll fill you in.” Robert walked over to order the biggest and strongest coffee he could get.
When the three of them were settled around a table, Robert began to fill them in about the children being kidnapped and Tony’s role, and who he suspected Kate really was. He also told them about Nick’s feelings for Kate.