Finding Her Son

by Robin Perini

  “Please. Tell me,” Emily begged. “Who has my son?”

  Her eyes had taken on the desperate look Mitch had seen before. She struggled against the doctor, and he cursed. The blade nicked her neck, drawing blood. She gasped. Her eyes turned glassy. Mitch recognized the signs. Flashback. She pulled and jerked within her captor’s arms, unseeing, screaming.

  “Get away from me. No! I can’t see your face. Don’t kill me. Don’t take my baby!” Tears streamed down Emily’s face. Her agonized cries broke Mitch’s heart.

  “Are you crazy?” the doctor yelled. “Don’t move or I’ll slit your throat open.” Suddenly Emily stilled, almost deadly serene. He took another step back, dragging her with him. Mitch couldn’t tell if she was in shock or had come out of it. The situation could explode any second.

  “I want immunity and witness protection.”

  “Doc, just let her go and we’ll discuss it.” Mitch lowered his voice to a calm, easy tone.

  “I don’t have time to talk. I can’t let you take me in. I won’t last a day in jail. They’ll get to me. They can get to anyone.”

  “I believe you. But you have to show good faith. I need to let my bosses know you’re a reasonable man. And that you’re telling the truth. Give me something. A name. Proof.”

  “You’re not listening.” The doctor backed closer to the window, Emily plastered against him as a shield. “I’ll jump. I’ll take her with me.”

  “No!” Suddenly, Emily wrenched away, but to Mitch’s horror, the doctor held on. Instead of falling into the center of the room, she stumbled closer to the window. The doctor shoved her hard at the opening.

  Mitch dove toward her, slamming down on his bad knee but knocking her out of the way. The doctor tripped over their falling bodies, and his momentum carried him over the edge. Mitch twisted and grabbed the man’s coat, ignoring the searing pains shooting through his leg with blinding intensity. He couldn’t pass out. Hell, a full breath would be nice.

  Emily gripped the material to help Mitch hang on to the doctor as he dangled from the window.

  “Save me,” he screamed. “Don’t let me fall.”

  Mitch struggled to adjust his hold on the coat and, grimacing, got on his knees. “Give me a name,” he said, reaching one hand down.

  “Frankie,” the doctor panted. “Please, help me up.”

  Mitch braced himself, and he and Emily tugged the man up by the coat until their hands almost touched the doctor’s. Suddenly, with a loud tearing sound, the white garment gave way. The fabric split. Frantically, Mitch clutched for the man’s hand, or another part of the coat, but it was no use. The doctor fell to the ground, screaming, until his head slammed against the hard cement below and there was silence.

  Mitch leaned through the open window and stared at white, sightless eyes staring back at him.

  Emily hugged Mitch from behind. “We did everything we could,” she said softly.

  “It wasn’t enough.” He turned into her arms and held her closer.

  Shouts from below penetrated their momentary quiet.

  “Mitch, you guys okay?” Decker called through the microphone.

  “Fine. We’re coming down,” he said.

  “Do you think Frankie is the man with the tattoo?” Emily asked.

  “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.” Mitch turned, and his leg collapsed under him, spasms firing up his knee and leg. He clenched his jaw to keep from turning the air a colorful shade of blue, then pulled himself up into a seated position.

  She knelt beside him. “What happened?”

  He gave her a small smile. “Nothing. Knee popped. Just give me a minute. I’ll be fine.”

  He was lying through his gritted teeth, and Emily could see right through him. He had a feeling that this injury might very well nail the coffin shut for returning to SWAT. Strangely, the prospect didn’t devastate him as much as he’d thought it would. The injury was worth it, because Emily was safe.

  He hugged her tight. She’d come too close to dying. “Don’t worry about me, Emily. I’m okay. There’s a lot of cleanup ahead. An adoption agency to bring down and a lot of babies to find, but right now, we need to locate Frankie and hope he’s the man with the tattoo.”

  FRANK MANGINO ANSWERED the summons, his nerves close to breaking. He’d been on edge for a full year, but the past week had been hell. He stepped into his uncle’s office, and his stomach clenched when he noticed the man to his uncle’s right side. Great, just great.

  “Uncle Sal. Mr. Wentworth.”

  His boss didn’t smile in greeting. “I had an interesting call from a friend at the police department, Frank. There’s an inquiry about a suspect with a rather unique tattoo on his wrist.”

  Frank’s hand involuntarily covered the colorful devil inked there.

  “Let me see it,” his uncle snapped. “Now.”

  Frank walked forward and pushed up his sleeve. The red and green devil identified him with a gang he’d joined when he’d been a stupid kid.

  “I told you to have it removed,” his uncle said.

  “It reminds me,” Frank said, “of family.”

  “And why the pink ribbon?”

  Frank looked at his uncle in disbelief. “For Francesca. Or don’t you remember her?”

  “Your sister’s cancer and her inability to have children was a tragedy, but a mark like that identifies you. Especially after the stunt you pulled on Emily Wentworth. Blowing up her vehicle. I recognized the signature the second I saw it on the news.”

  Frank shifted his eyes away from his uncle. “She wouldn’t give up. She was starting to remember the night of the accident.”

  “Another failure on your part. You were supposed to kill them all. That was our agreement with Mr. Wentworth. Now the cops are looking for that tattoo because you were fool enough to go to that doctor for a birth certificate. You let down the family. I can’t allow it to go unpunished.”

  William Wentworth stalked up to him. “What did you do with my brother’s son? The kid’s not dead, either, is he?”

  Frank backed away, his gaze darting to the exit. Could he make it?

  William grabbed Frank by the throat. “Don’t try it.” William’s grip tightened. “I know the answer to my question. I did a little research and found the truth too fast, Frankie. Your sister from Oklahoma adopted a baby boy last year. Amazing when she tried to go through legal channels for so long and failed. She was a bad risk. Cancer took her ability to have children, and her capacity to adopt.”

  William shoved Frank away and he eased toward the door. Just a few steps more.

  “I don’t think so, Frankie.” His uncle lifted a gun.

  Frank stared down the barrel. “Uncle Sal?”

  “Sorry, kid. You made one too many mistakes. Loyalty only goes so far.”

  The gun went off, and a white-hot burn exploded in his chest. Clutching his shirt, now wet with blood, he slid to the floor, reaching out to try to break his fall.

  Sal turned to William. “I’ll get the boys to clean this up.”

  “Fifteen years ago you made a deal with my father when he agreed to launder your money through the company. You were supposed to protect us. You failed.”

  “I know, but it can be fixed,” Sal said. “I’ll take care of everything.”

  “You and Frankie had your chance, you idiot.” William Wentworth spat on Frank. “I’ll have to stop Emily myself, or we’re screwed.”

  Sal stood up, his gaze narrowed. “Don’t go high-and-mighty on me, William. Your brother’s the one who started this mess when he called that detective. No loyalty in your family, is there?”

  “It was her fault,” William muttered. “Goody Two-shoes. Eric turned his back on all of us. For her.”

  Frank felt blood gurgle up through his lips as William walked over to him. He slipped on gloves, reached down and removed Frank’s weapon from his waistband.

  “Sorry, Sal. I have loose ends to tie up.” William turned and fired.

/>   Sal slumped over his desk, then tried to raise his own gun. But William grabbed it from his hand. “You’re both expendable.”

  The light left Sal’s eyes as blood pooled around him.

  William placed the gun he’d shot Sal with in Frank’s hand and fired another round. Frank groaned.

  “Still alive? Good.” He took Sal’s gun and pointed it at Frank’s head. “No one lies to me and gets away with it. But in this case, Frankie, I’ll end your life quick since I can use Joshua to salvage this mess. Thanks to you, when Emily Wentworth dies along with her son’s kidnappers—Francesca and her husband—I’ll become the hero who saved my nephew.”

  “No!” Frank hadn’t meant for anything to happen to his sister.

  A flash of smoke from the gun’s barrel was the last thing he saw. I’m sorry, Francesca. So sorry.

  EMILY DIDN’T KNOW HOW long it had taken Mitch to wrap up the scene. As she walked into the police department beside him, her entire body sore, her heart aching with loss, her mind rebelled against her mistake. She’d been certain that the doctor knew where Joshua was. Now she knew it had been a dead end. Except for one name.

  “We’re close,” Mitch said. “I can feel it.”

  “I was wrong about the adoption ring.”

  “Not really. The man with the tattoo went there. We have a name. We’ll find him.”

  Emily couldn’t get over the determination in Mitch’s voice. Her mind whirled. He’d lied to her from the moment they’d met, and yet he still fought for her. Could those actions erase his dishonesty? Was truth more than what Mitch had said? Was truth really in his every action? “You never give up, do you?”

  “Not in my nature.” Mitch gave her a slight shrug.

  “So, how do we find Frankie?” she asked.

  “Ghost’s tat is a gang tattoo. We search the database for the gang members we’ve arrested. With any luck, we’ll find him.”

  Mitch gave her a small smile and clasped her hand in his. He brought her palm to his lips. Emily shivered at the warmth of his touch, and her heart calmed. They would find Joshua. Together. There was still hope. Mitch had given that to her.

  She stared at his strong jaw, and her heart swelled. She’d only known him a few days, but as she stared at their entwined fingers, she couldn’t imagine her life without him next to her. Without one of his jokes, or looking into the mischievous glint in his eyes and wondering what he’d planned next. At times she’d wondered if it was just adrenaline that made her heart race whenever he came near, but it was so much more. She couldn’t picture finding Joshua without Mitch at her side, without them as a family afterward. She could see a future with him.

  Oh, my God. Emily stopped.

  Did she love him?

  He looked over at her. “What? Did you remember something?”

  She turned and laid her hand on his cheek. “You’re an amazing man.”

  He furrowed his brow. “We haven’t found him yet, Emily.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Mitch, Emily.” Dane Tanner crossed the floor and greeted them. “I have someone I think you’ll want to talk to. She’s in the conference room.”

  Emily sighed. This wasn’t the time.

  They followed Detective Tanner. Mitch opened the door for Emily, and she stilled. Victoria Wentworth sat at the table, hands folded, trying to look calm, but Emily could see the redness in her eyes and the trembling in her fingertips. This was not a Victoria she knew.

  The woman rose from her seat, unsteady, almost swaying, but proud as ever. She flashed a withering glance at Tanner. “I said I’d talk to Officer Bradford. I’m here because of Eric, but she has no business in this room. If she stays, I’m leaving.”

  With that, Victoria turned away. Tanner let out a slow breath.

  Emily stared at Victoria’s rigid posture. The possibilities she’d nurtured when Eric was alive had been foolish. “It could have been so different between us, Mrs. Wentworth, if you’d let it. We both lost Eric.”

  “You stole my son from me,” Victoria said coldly.

  “You shoved him away,” Emily whispered. “He always loved you. Wanted you in our lives. Wanted you to come to know Joshua. That will be your loss.” Without another glance, Emily pushed out of the conference room.

  Mitch followed her, resting his hand on her back. “You okay?”

  Emily gave him a regretful smile. “I expected too much. Why is that?”

  He kissed her cheek. “Because you believe the best in everyone else, no matter what they do to you. It’s one of the things I really admire about you.”

  Emily stared up at him. She gripped his hands in hers. “Go in there. Victoria’s not here for me. If she deigned to come down to the police station, it’s for a reason. I’ll be waiting.”

  Mitch leaned into her. “See if you can find a place to hole up for a while.” He kissed her forehead, then her eyes and finally gave her a soft, tender kiss on her lips. “You need to rest. With Vance arrested, the station should be safe now. I’ll be as quick as I can. Then we’ll identify Frankie.”

  He disappeared behind the conference-room door, leaving Emily alone in the foyer of the police station. She sighed and started toward the waiting area.

  “Emily—” Her brother-in-law stepped just inside the building. “Thank God, I found you. I’ve been looking everywhere.”

  He seemed excited and flushed, appearing nothing like the calm businessman she was used to seeing.

  “William, what’s wrong? I know your mother—”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s Joshua. I think I’ve found Joshua!”

  Emily’s knees buckled. Her heart raced. “It can’t be,” she breathed.

  William led her toward the exit. “You were right all along, Emily.” He looked down at the floor, his embarrassment obvious. “I should have supported your search no matter what. I never should have listened to Mother and Father. There were things happening in the company that I didn’t understand then. Things with my father…”

  She grabbed his wool coat. “Where is my son, William? Where’s Joshua?”

  “We have to handle this carefully. I don’t have proof yet. I’m checking into things, but there’s a baby I need you to see who I think is Joshua. He looks just like Eric’s pictures at the same age. Will you come with me?”

  “Of course.” She pushed through the door. “But what makes you think this is Joshua?”

  William hurried toward his car, his cheeks flushed. “I found out a man who works for me is involved with some shady dealings—adoption rings, murder. I should’ve known when I saw the gang tattoo—”

  “Wait a minute. He had a tattoo? Describe it.”

  William pursed his lips for a moment. “Ugly thing. A red and green devil, but with a pink ribbon around it. Not the sort of thing we should have at the office,” he said distractedly.

  Emily swayed. “That’s the tattoo I remembered from the night of the accident. Of the man who took Joshua. His name is Frankie.”

  “Frank Mangino,” William said, lips pursed. “I think Eric found out he was stealing from us and threatened to fire him. Frank retaliated by trying to kill all of you and stealing the baby for his sister who couldn’t have kids. I didn’t know Eric was trying to deal with this alone, Emily,” William said earnestly. “I swear I didn’t know.”

  Could that have been why Eric had become so distant? He’d discovered a man embezzling from the company? She leaned against William as he escorted her to the car. The cold whipped her cheeks. She glanced back to the police station. Was this why Victoria hadn’t wanted Emily in the room?

  “May I borrow your phone? I need to text Mitch and let him know where I’m going,” she said, her voice faint. “He can meet us.”

  “Sure,” William said, his smile eager. “But I’ve got a ton of passwords. Can’t be too careful these days. Give me his number and I’ll program it.” He opened the door of his BMW for her.

  Emily slipped into William’s vehicle and wai
ted impatiently as William slid in beside her and set up Mitch’s number. Her hands shook as she took the phone and tapped out the message.

  She tried to hit Send. A password request popped up. She passed the phone to him, and he gave her a small smile. “Sorry.” William typed in a few keys. “Okay, done.”

  Emily wriggled against the plush leather seats. She couldn’t believe it. If what William said was true, she was going to see her son again. William seemed so convinced. She wished Mitch were here, but she couldn’t wait to see his face when he saw her with Joshua in her arms. Everything would be okay. “William, thank you for what you’ve done.”

  “Father and the adoptive family should be arriving at the Wentworth corporate airport about the time we get there.” William smiled gently and patted her hand. “Let’s go find Joshua.”

  MITCH LEANED BACK AGAINST the wall and stared in exasperation at Victoria. “No more games. Who in the family business could authorize that type of money transfer, Mrs. Wentworth? Could you? Your name is listed on a lot of corporate accounts and checks. Why?”

  Victoria rubbed her temple. “I received my MBA before I married Thomas. I was the Chief Financial Officer when we first started out.” She looked up at Mitch. “When the company went through a rough patch about fifteen years ago, my husband pushed me out of my position, but I’m still a partner.”

  Mitch picked up the records Victoria had provided and poked at one of the highlighted numbers. “You do realize you’ve given us enough information to arrest your husband and son.” Mitch studied the woman whose elegant persona had started to crumble. Shadows rimmed her eyes. Her makeup looked caked on, not the perfect mask he’d noticed the last time they’d met. “Why are you really here?”

  The woman sitting in front of him lifted a devastated gaze. “Eric.” She shook her head slowly. “I was certain Emily had killed him. She had the account. I was going to prove it, but I discovered Eric had money stashed away that no one knew about. He opened the account in her name, just before his death. He probably didn’t have time to tell anyone before—” She dabbed her eyes. “Then I found the ledgers.” She placed her finger next to one of the numbers. “Do you see that mark? That’s Eric’s mark. He knew about the money transfers.”