“I’m on my way.” Derrick disconnected.
Alyssa dropped into a chair. “So with Frank dead, we’re back to square one. We have nothing concrete on Nolan and we don’t have much hope of stopping him.”
“Hey,” Cole said. “Don’t give up. We often have setbacks in cases. Granted, this is a big one, but we’ll overcome it.”
She thought for a moment then nodded. “You’re right. God is in control and He’ll see us through this.”
For once of late, Cole actually believed God had a hand in all this. Or at least he wanted to believe it. With so little to go on, it was going to take everything he had to bring Saunders to justice.
* * *
Alyssa got up from the table and moved away for a wider view of Cole and Derrick. She’d done her best to keep up with the brothers’ rapid-fire conversation. But as they’d tossed out thoughts of how Nolan might have learned of Frank’s deception and how to proceed, her neck started to ache from swinging back and forth between them.
Feeling unsettled again, she needed to do something normal. She looked around for something, anything that fit her regular routine. Her children’s homework folders sat at the end of the table. She should have signed off on their homework and returned the folders to the teacher this morning. They’d receive a demerit for every day she didn’t bring them back, and they didn’t deserve to suffer because of what was going on.
She took a seat at the end of the table and pulled out Riley’s papers.
“We’ll just have to hope Carter can get the autopsy done in a timely manner,” she heard Cole say.
She tuned him out and sifted through the pages, smiling over Riley’s good grades. A bright red paper caught her attention. Not remembering any homework on bright paper, she pulled it free. The page was filled with letters cut from magazines and resembled the threat that accompanied the rock.
This is your last warning, Alyssa. Stop investigating or the people around you will get hurt.
“Oh no, he means the twins.” She dropped the paper. It floated down the table and landed near Cole. “I should’ve found this yesterday. What if he hurts them?”
Cole looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
She pointed at the warning. He picked it up and shared it with Derrick.
“Where was this?” Cole asked.
“In Riley’s homework folder.” She glanced at the clock. “Dani should be here by now. We have to call her and make sure the kids are fine.”
“I’ll do it.” Derrick dug out his phone and lifted it to his ear while Alyssa held her breath. “She’s not answering.”
Alyssa shot to her feet. “Do something, Cole. Please, do something.”
“Don’t panic,” he said, his tone comforting. “Dani’s phone could be dead.”
“Are you kidding?” Derrick came to the end of the table. “You and I might forget to charge our phones, but Dani would never let her phone die.”
Cole glared at his bother. “Maybe she doesn’t have good reception. You know how bad it can be around here.”
“We have to go to the school.”
“Let’s give it a few more minutes and try again,” Cole suggested.
“No!” Alyssa shouted. “I have to make sure they’re okay.”
“This could be a trap to get you out into the open. Why don’t we send Derrick?”
“They’re my children, Cole. If you won’t take me, I’ll drive myself.” She headed to the coatrack and slipped into her jacket.
“Fine, but Derrick is coming with us.” Cole grabbed a notepad and pen. “Let me leave Dani a note in case she shows up here so she can call us.”
Derrick joined Alyssa at the coats. “Hey, don’t worry, Alyssa. Cole’s right. Cell service is inconsistent out here.”
Alyssa nodded, but the knot in her stomach tightened and didn’t let up even when they were on the road. Cole drove, and she and Derrick were charged with watching for Dani’s SUV along the route. Alyssa kept her focus glued to the vehicles they passed and prayed over and over for her children’s safety. They soon turned onto the street for the school and Alyssa scanned the parked cars.
“There.” She pointed ahead to the left in the nearly deserted parking lot. “Dani’s car.”
“Not good.” Derrick shared a look with Cole that raised Alyssa’s apprehension to panic mode.
Derrick hopped out before Cole came to a complete stop, and Alyssa was right behind him. She heard Cole’s boots following. Though fearing what she would find in Dani’s car, Alyssa couldn’t look away.
Dani lay across the front seat, her hair matted with blood, but Alyssa saw her chest rise and fall—she was alive. Alyssa scanned the backseat for Brianna and Riley. When she found it empty, panic took hold of her every thought.
Derrick jerked on the handle before yelling, “Dani’s inside, not moving. You have a key?”
“No key,” Cole yelled back. “We’ll have to break the window.” He ran around the back of his vehicle and Alyssa heard him talking to a 911 operator on his phone.
Alyssa hated that Dani was hurt, but she couldn’t focus on anyone but her children. “Where are Riley and Bri? Where are they?” She thought she was screaming, but Cole didn’t seem taken aback by her tone of voice as he joined them and handed a tire iron to Derrick.
Well, she was screaming inside anyway. “Maybe they’re still in the school. I need to talk to their teacher.” She ran across the street, and she heard Cole say goodbye to the operator as he pounded after her.
“Call me after you get the car open,” he shouted back at Derrick.
She took a quick glance back. “No, Cole. Go make sure Dani is okay.”
“This might be a trap. Derrick will take care of her.” He put his hand on her elbow and drew her close to his side. She felt protected, but what about her kids? They weren’t protected now. They were helpless children.
FIFTEEN
Cole and Alyssa hurried into the school. On his way past the office, Cole glanced inside and found it empty. Good. With school already dismissed, the staff had relaxed their vigil. That meant they wouldn’t have to waste time checking in before gaining access to the teacher or having an irate secretary trailing them for an explanation.
At the twins’ classroom door, he stepped in front of Alyssa. “Let me check out the room first. You’ll do them no good if you’re hurt.”
She nodded reluctantly, and he slipped into the room. The young teacher was alone grading papers at her desk. “Can I help you?”
Though he’d rather do anything than let Alyssa find out her children weren’t safely in their teacher’s care, he stepped back for Alyssa to enter. Her gaze traveled around the room and she rushed to the teacher’s desk.
“The twins, Ms. Unger,” Alyssa said, panic fully in control. “Where are they?”
Ms. Unger laughed. “Relax. It’s okay. You’re not in trouble for being late. They’ve been picked up already.”
Blood drained from Alyssa’s face, and she clutched the back of a chair. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a croak came out.
“Who picked them up?” Cole asked, fearing the answer.
“Nolan Saunders.”
Alyssa’s hand flew to her mouth and her chin dropped to her chest.
“Did I do something wrong, Mrs. Wells?” Ms. Unger got up and joined them. “You and he trade off picking up all the time.” When Alyssa didn’t reply, she added, “He’s still authorized to pick them up, right? I mean, you didn’t change that, did you?”
Cole swallowed past the stone in his throat. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten something as basic as informing the school that Saunders shouldn’t be allowed to pick up the twins anymore. With Dani taking the kids back and forth, the issue simply hadn’t crossed his mind. But now he could only blame h
imself for the lapse. Still, he couldn’t stand to see Ms. Unger in such distress. “It’s okay. She just thought she’d find them here,” he said, keeping his tone light. “If he picked them up at the regular time, they should be at the house by now.”
“He was punctual as usual, but I have to say the class was disappointed when he didn’t drive up in his squad car and run his lights for them as he often does.”
Cole slipped his hand under Alyssa’s elbow. “We should get going.”
She didn’t respond, and he eased her toward the door.
“Is everything okay, Mrs. Wells?” Ms. Unger called after them.
“It’s been a long day,” Cole answered for Alyssa and escorted her out of the room.
“He has them, Cole,” she said so quietly Cole had to strain to make out her words. “Nolan has them, and I don’t know what to do.” Her steps faltered and Cole wrapped an arm securely around her back to keep her from dropping to the floor.
Cole’s heart ripped in two. He’d promised to care for her and her children and he’d let all of them down. He didn’t think he could feel worse than he had the day Mac died, but he did. He’d made a promise, and didn’t keep it.
He supported her all the way to the door. After making sure no one lurked outside, they exited the building and crossed the road. At the car, he saw Dani sitting and holding a gauze pad on her head and Derrick looking down on her with brotherly concern. Cole felt a brief flash of relief at Dani’s recovery, but it floated quickly away.
“Are the twins inside?” Dani asked, but Cole could tell she didn’t really expect them to be.
“Saunders picked them up,” Cole said. “We should get back to the house and come up with a plan.”
Derrick helped Dani from the car and Cole escorted Alyssa to his SUV.
“Any thoughts on where Nolan may have taken the kids?” Cole asked Alyssa.
“No. He’s proved that I don’t know him at all.” She shivered under his arm. “They could be anywhere.”
Cole pulled open the back door. “I’m so sorry I let him get to them.”
“It’s not your fault.” She looked up at him, her eyes vacant. “It’s mine. I should’ve remembered to remove him from the authorized pick-up list. Then he could never have done this.”
“Don’t do this to yourself, Alyssa.” He squeezed her arm and told himself he should follow his own advice. Still, he knew he’d continue to blame himself until the twins were back in his care. Even then, he didn’t know if he’d be able to let it go.
* * *
Looking at the night sky, Cole slammed the folder on the dining table. They had no leads. None. They no more knew where Saunders had taken the twins than they had six hours ago. At least Alyssa was no longer sitting in the chair, rocking herself back and forth until he thought she might wear a hole in the floor. After much persuading, he and Dani had finally convinced Alyssa to rest in her bedroom, though he doubted she was sleeping.
“We’ll find them.” Dani came up behind him and slipped an arm around his waist.
“I don’t know how you can be so sure when we have no leads.”
“We have a lot of irons in the fire. Something will pan out soon.”
He rubbed his hand over his face and dropped onto a chair. “I screwed up big-time, Dani.”
“Hey, I’m the one Saunders got the drop on.”
“And I’m the one who didn’t insist on the kids staying here. If anything happens to them...” His voice cracked with emotion.
Dani pulled out the chair next to him. “As much as I don’t like what’s happening, I do like the fact that you’ve finally let yourself feel something again. It’s plain as day that you’re head over heels in love with Alyssa.”
He snapped his head up. “What?”
“You’re in love with Alyssa. Otherwise you wouldn’t be feeling this so deeply.”
“You’re way off base here, Dani. It’s just guilt. Something I’m really good at feeling.”
Dani smiled. “It’s okay if you’re not ready to admit it. But we all see it.”
“All?” he asked not really wanting to know the answer.
“Derrick and I.”
“The two of you have talked about this?”
“Of course. He’s happy you’ve come back to life, too.”
Cole shook his head and thought about the past few days. He had come to life. Opened his heart and hoped for more than the sad existence he’d been living. Was that thanks to Alyssa?
With the twins missing, it didn’t matter. None of it. He may be in love with Alyssa, but he needed to keep his focus off himself right now. Only his full and complete attention on finding the twins would do. Or Saunders would make good on his threats and do something too horrific to bear.
* * *
Alyssa climbed out of the bed and paced the room. The walls seemed to close in on her. She was supposed to be resting, but how could she rest when Nolan had her babies? She really didn’t think he planned to kill them, but then he’d proven the lengths he’d go to, hadn’t he?
Her phone vibrated and she grabbed it from the dresser to look at the text message.
I have the twins. They’re safe for now, but if you tell anyone about this message, they won’t be. Call me at this number.
She thought about ignoring the warning and going to Cole, but she wouldn’t risk her children’s lives. Her heart beat hard enough to erupt from her chest as she dialed the number.
“Let me talk to them,” she said as soon as Nolan answered.
“They’re not with me,” he quickly replied.
“What? Where are they? Who has them?”
“Relax. They’re sound asleep and a friend is watching them.”
Her heart lurched at the thought of someone else involved in Nolan’s drug empire taking care of her children. “If you hurt them, Nolan, I swear I will make you pay.”
He laughed at her much like he had in the past when he didn’t think she could do something. “Nothing’s going to happen to them if you do as I say.”
She had no choice but to follow his directives. “Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
“First, keep this between us. No running to the other room and telling the Justice clan about this.”
“You’re watching us?”
“Of course. I’m right outside your window. I want you to climb out and join me.”
Suddenly uncertain of what to do, she glanced at the window. “And then what?”
“Then we’ll take a little drive, and once I’m sure the Justices aren’t following us, you can call and tell them where the kids are.”
She couldn’t trust him to follow through. But what choice did she have? Her children’s lives were at stake and she had to obey his directions. “I’ll be right out.”
“I don’t want them tracking you by your phone so leave it in the room, Alyssa.”
She disconnected and put her cell on the dresser. She dug out a warm sweater from her suitcase. After slipping into it, she opened the window and climbed out. A biting, cold wind pummeled her body and she lost her balance. When she recovered her footing, Nolan crept out of the shadows. He was holding his gun.
The full implication of what she’d done by joining Nolan out here hit her, and she raised her head to the dark night sky to offer a prayer.
“Close the window.” Nolan pressed the gun into her back. “Quietly.”
Be with us all, Lord, she thought then complied, slowly lowering the window down. Nolan grabbed her arm and dragged her across tall dunes. He hurried, his long strides moving quickly, and she struggled to keep up. Her shoes filled with sand and cold seeped through her sweater. They trudged for miles, and when she felt as if she couldn’t go one more step, he made a sharp turn and hauled her up to the road. A four-do
or sedan she’d never seen Nolan drive was parked on the side of the road.
“A rental,” he said, proving he knew what she was thinking.
They’d been good friends for so long. He knew her well and would be able to preempt any attempt she made to thwart him. He opened the driver’s door and pushed her across the console before climbing in and turning on the heater. Once on the road, the warm air thawed her feet and hands, but her heart remained iced over.
He glanced at her, the glow from the dash casting an eerie green pallor to his face. “It feels good to have everything out in the open so we can talk honestly.”
“You don’t know what honest means.” She crossed her arms and slid away from him.
“Hey, don’t be that way.” He paused, his eyes lifting to the rearview mirror, likely checking to see if anyone followed them. “I had to lie to you to protect you.”
“Right. And is that what you’re doing now? Protecting me by kidnapping my children?”
“Well, no,” he said. “But that’s your fault. If you hadn’t spied on me like that and then hired the PIs to come after me, we’d be having a quiet night at home like we always do.”
“Please. I didn’t spy on you. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, you’re the one selling drugs.”
He looked at her long and hard before turning back to the road. “Seems to me that after being married to Todd, you’d be a little more understanding of why I need to make some extra cash.”
“We might’ve needed money, but Todd would never stoop as low as you.”
“I don’t want to talk about Todd. This is about you and me. I did what I had to do so I could provide for you and the twins once we got married.”
“Married!” She shot him a horrified look. “We were friends. Nothing more.”
“For now, but we were getting so close that would’ve changed.”
“No, it wouldn’t, Nolan. You did all of this for nothing.”
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