Jumping when Babs walked over for him to sign a stack of forms, he looked up as she bent over and whispered, “Slow down, boss. You can’t figure out your whole new life in a few minutes.”
Chuckling, he said, “Does it show?”
“Only to those of us who care.”
Casting his gaze around the room, he saw the Keepers staring, smiles on their faces. Pretending to grumble, he started to move from the room as Babs took a phone call. She motioned for him to wait and he turned back to her.
She nodded before looking up at him and saying, “Senator Whitson? Conference call in an hour?”
Agreeing to the time, he made his way back upstairs for lunch, seeing Sylvie standing in the kitchen with Marge. Crossing the space quickly, he placed a quick kiss on her upturned lips.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I got a call saying that David had some items at school that we needed to pick up. I didn’t think about there being any work, gym uniform, or even artwork that he would have taken if he’d gone for the last day of school.” Shrugging, she added, “I don’t think there’s anything very important, but he said he has an art portfolio that he really wants to keep. Did you need us for something?”
“Yeah, I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to tell you Charles’ attacker was positively identified as the man whose body they just found.”
Her breath left her body in a whoosh and he held her close. He smiled at Marge and Horace over her head. “There’s more, baby.” He waited until she leaned back and stared up at him. “Two men who were involved have been indicted.”
This time she sucked in a quick breath. “So, it’s over?”
Smiling, he placed a quick kiss on her lips, aware of their audience, and said, “The threat is over.”
She gave a little jump, bumping his chin, and squealed just as David came bolting into the room. Settling back down on her heels, she twisted her head and said, “David, we can go to the school to pick up your supplies.”
“And home? Are we going home?”
His heart dropped at the excitement in David’s voice. Taking Sylvie’s hand in his, he gently pulled her around to look at him, his brow lowered. “Home?”
Her face gentled and she replied, “Our belongings are there, Mace. He’s not anxious to leave here but his toys and books are there. My clothes.” Emitting a little snort, she added, “I don’t even know what’s now growing in the refrigerator.”
“Are you coming back?”
She looked down at her feet for a few seconds before lifting her eyes back to his. “Mace, I want what we have started and yes, I want to be here. But, I also have to figure some things out. I need to go to my workplace…hell, I might need to find a new job. I need to—”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” He looked down into her eyes, seeing a spark that he had not seen since meeting her. Sucking in a deep breath, he wanted to talk to her about something that had struck him the other day when he realized how much Babs needed assistance but, looking at her face, he knew this was not the time. She and David needed to get their life back on track—he just hoped he was going to be part of that track.
Marge declared, “I’ve got to go shopping, so how about we drive all the way to your place? Your car’s there, so you can go to David’s school afterward.” She walked out of the kitchen, calling over her shoulder. “I’ll get my purse and tell Horace to bring the SUV around.”
Looking up at him, Sylvie said, “I know it sounds crazy, but as much as I love this place, I’m dying to go to a grocery store.”
Sucking in an uncertain breath, Mace said, “I’d feel better if I were taking you. I’ve got a conference call, but I can let them know—”
Her face softened and she pressed her fingers to his lips. “I need to get David settled back in his house, with his things.” Lifting back on her toes, she said, “This isn’t the end of us, Mace. But, it gives us a chance to start over…as a normal couple, not in the middle of a murder investigation.”
Kissing her once more, he knew she was right. “Any chance I can convince you to go on a date with me? A real date?”
Her smile blinded him as she replied, “I’d be honored to go on a date with you.”
She and David walked to the SUV, and he watched as Horace and Marge got everyone settled. Waving as they pulled down the lane, he rubbed his chest, already missing them.
Standing on her front porch, Sylvie hugged Marge, tears prickling her eyes. “I don’t know how to thank you for everything.”
“Oh, hush,” Marge shushed, her strong arms holding her tightly. Leaning back, she peered into her eyes. “Now, don’t be a stranger. I’ve loved getting to know you and Horace is already suffering David withdrawal!” Sobering she added, “Mace will miss you.”
Her lips curved into a slight smile. “I really like him, Marge. But, now that this is all over with and he can go back to his life, I don’t know…” Her words trailed off, the idea of Mace no longer wanting her once she no longer needed his protection too painful to speak.
Marge narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “I’ve known Mace for years and can tell you, unequivocally, that man does nothing without careful consideration. He’s head over heels for you and David, of that I’m sure.”
“I’ll see if we can come back on the weekend, once I’ve figured out what I’ll be doing. I’m pretty sure my boss has already fired me, but I can see.”
“Are you heading off to the school now?”
“Yes. I got a message that said I should come this afternoon. David is anxious to get his art pad back.”
With final hugs, Marge trotted to the SUV while she and David went inside their house. He spent several minutes running around his room, reunited with his favorite toys and books. “Mom! When we go back to Mace’s house, can I take my video games? How about my…”
She stopped listening to the many items he rattled off, instead focusing on the idea of taking their possessions to Mace’s house. Blowing out her breath, she tried to think of how to explain to David that they needed to take things slow.
She headed into the kitchen, where she threw out containers of moldy and old food. “Sweetie, we’ll need to go to the grocery store after stopping by your school,” she called out, “so let’s go now.”
Pleased to be driving her own car again and with David buckled into the back seat, she headed down the road toward the school. Pulling up to the front, she noted how different schools appear in the summer when no students are around. The playgrounds were empty and so was the parking lot. Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, she hoped she was not too late to pick up his things today. Together, she and David walked hand-in-hand toward the front door. Pulling on the handle, she realized it was locked. She pulled on the other door handle, noting the same.
She glanced down at his droopy face, shaking her head sadly. “I’m sorry, David. We must not have gotten here in time. It looks like they’re already closed.” Seeing him about to protest, she said, “But don’t worry, we can come tomorrow. I’m sure your art pad will still be here then.”
Walking back to the school parking lot, there was an old pickup truck, with a shell canopy on top, that was not there before. Unsure if it might be another parent wondering if the school was open, or maybe a school employee who left something behind, she slowed her steps to see if she could recognize the driver. As they drew closer, she observed no driver in the vehicle and did not see a driver anywhere around either. Shrugging, she focused on David as he hopped over the cracks in the sidewalk.
“How about we hit the grocery store and you can get whatever you want to eat. In fact, for dinner, we can even get takeout hamburgers.”
He immediately perked up at the thought of fast food hamburgers. Turning his face up toward hers, he grinned. “With french fries?”
Laughing, she held her hand out for him to take, and nodded. “Absolutely. Can’t have hamburgers without french fries.”
He had just passe
d the age and weight for not needing a booster seat, but she still had one in the car that she had him use. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, the silent question passing between them.
Shaking her head, she said, “Let’s get through the summer, David. Once you’re a little taller and a little heavier, we’ll get rid of the booster seat for good.”
Nodding his acquiescence, he looked over her shoulder, his attention snagged, and his eyes grew wide. Before she could turn to see what he was looking at, a blinding pain exploded against the side of her head. Her son’s scream was the last thing she heard.
22
Mace sat at his computer, entering the information needed to begin a new mission he accepted after his phone conference with Senator Whitson, from Florida. The Senator’s granddaughter was attending a Florida college and had become involved with a group that made the Senator nervous. He had confessed to him that, while he was open-minded, he also was older and wiser to the dangers that a young woman could encounter.
At first Mace wondered if the Senator was simply overcautious, but within a few minutes of the group’s investigation, he shared the Senator’s concerns. Assigning the case to Cobb, who had a knack for working with political figures, he looked at the time on his computer screen, sighing heavily.
He wanted to call Sylvie but knew that would seem ridiculous. They had only been apart four hours. Is this what life is going to be like without them?
Rank jerked around in his seat, and shouted, “Mace!” Gaining his attention, he reported, “You asked me to keep an eye on Sylvie’s ex-husband. I have a tracer on his old truck and he’s done nothing but go between a fleabag hotel, a couple of hamburger joints, and bars. I set it to alert if he moved to a different location outside of his normal pattern and just got a signal. Double checking it…yeah, he’s definitely at an elementary school.”
Ice ran in his veins, his words clipped. “What school?”
“South Cove Elementary.”
“Fuck,” he roared, his heart dropping to his stomach.
The others quickly reacted, each to their duties, shouting out their information.
“Pulling up traffic cams now.”
“Searching his bank accounts.”
“Locating Sylvie.”
“I’m on David’s location.”
Swallowing hard, his thoughts scrambled and for the first time, he experienced complete blankness when it came to a mission. A hand on his arm had him jerk in response before looking down at Babs.
“Mace,” she said, her voice quiet, yet firm. “You got this. You built this organization from the ground up, doing exactly this kind of thing over and over. This is no different, other than your heart is now involved. Put that aside for now. Work the mission.” Her fingers dug into his arm, the slight pain jolting him as she punched out each word. “Work. The. Mission.”
Blinking, he pulled himself up to his full, impressive height, and nodded. Turning back to his crew, he growled, “Give me all you’ve got.”
“Sylvie! Sylvie!”
The black fog slowly moved away and as she blinked her eyes open, albeit painfully, she heard Marge’s voice as gentle hands smoothed over her face. Somewhere in the background, she heard Horace’s voice, muffled words, as he talked to someone.
“We’ve got her. No sign of David. What’s your ETA?”
“David!” she croaked, sitting up quickly, then immediately falling into Marge’s arms, her vision swimming in front of her as her heart seized.
Horace slid his phone back into his pocket and bent over her. She looked up, his face ravaged with worry creases. “Mace and the others are on their way. We’ll get him back.”
His words, so strong and confident, as though set in stone, caused her to nod even though doubt snaked through her. “But, I don’t know what happened. He looked over my shoulder and when I turned, I was hit.” She looked at the bloodied cloth in Marge’s hand and reached out to touch her bleeding head. Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest as fear clutched her heart. “I don’t know who has him.”
“Ed.”
She stared blankly at Horace, her brow lowering painfully in confusion. Before she could speak, Marge, gently holding the cloth to her head again, explained, “Mace didn’t trust your ex and had one of the men keep tabs on him. Part of that, was to place a tracer on his truck. They noticed he was here and Mace realized you were here also. It was too much of a coincidence.”
“Ed?” She felt stupid, with nothing else to say, but her still-aching head was unable to process the rapid information coming her way. “But…”
“Our guess is that he may have been contacted by someone wanting to get their hands on David. It’s a moot point now, but I take it Ed isn’t too bright. Or, maybe that someone forgot to tell him there’s no reason now.”
“Oh, Jesus, oh, Jesus,” she chanted, struggling to lift herself up.
Marge held her down, shushing her. “Girl, you’ve got a bloody knot on the side of your head. You’re not going anywhere.”
As reality crashed in, she began to shake and tears fell readily.
Horace moved closer and got right in her face. “Sylvie, I know you’re scared, but honest to God, Mace and the others will move heaven and earth to get David back. No one is better than they are.”
“But how?”
“Don’t worry about that. Mace got hold of us, told us to get here and that’s what we did. Found you, called it in, and they’re on it. Our job is to take care of you and yours is to let them take care of David.”
They assisted her to stand, both assessing her. Horace looked at Marge and asked, “Hospital?”
“No,” Sylvie all but shouted. “I want to go home and be there when David gets home.”
Examining her head, now that the bleeding had slowed, he agreed. “All right. I’ll inform Mace where we are.”
As she sat in the back seat of the Tiddle’s SUV, silent tears continued to fall. Please, Mace…find my son.
Jonathan Adams sat at his desk, looking up when his secretary knocked on his door. “Yes, Ms. MacArthur?”
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Adams, but there is a man out front that insists you need to see him. He’s acting strangely, but will not leave. When I threatened to call the police, he just laughed and said that you would not like that.”
Brow knit, he asked, “Did he give a name?”
“He just said that his name was Ed and insisted he had a small package for you.”
His outward demeanor did not change, but his pulse rate increased. “Thank you, Ms. MacArthur. You may show him back.” Looking at his watch, he smiled, adding, “And you may leave for the day. It’s a lovely afternoon and I’ll lock up.”
“Thank you, sir. If you’re sure, I’d love to go ahead and leave. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He watched as she left, then gripped the edge of his desk as he stood, working to steady his breathing. Lifting his head, he smiled as Ed was escorted in and then offered a polite nod to his secretary. Ed opened his mouth, but he silenced him with his hand, calling out, “Have a nice evening, Ms. MacArthur.”
As she left, they stood, silently, until they heard the front office door close. Turning on his visitor, he growled, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Ed, his gaze jumping around, said, “I’ve got him. My kid. The one you said someone would pay to get their hands on.”
His face reddened as he stared at the man in front of him. “You fool. You were supposed to let me know what you could do. Let me know if you thought you could get to him safely. You were supposed to scope things out to find him. Not fucking kidnap him and bring him here!”
Ed’s eager expression contorted into a grimace as he stared back at him. “Well, I’ve got him. And I’m supposed to get paid.”
“Not by me, you moron!”
“Then call whoever your boss is,” Ed bit back, his fingers twitching at his sides before scrubbing them over his face. “I need the money!”
“The man you’re referring to is in jail! There is no money…there is nothing.”
Ed’s face went slack, his breath leaving his body in a rush and he slumped into the nearest chair. “No money…but…but…I’ve got him.”
“Then take him back where you got him. Take him back to his mother.”
Eyes wide, Ed shook his head. “Back? I can’t.”
He grimaced as though in pain, and asked, “What did you do?” Immediately jerking his head back and forth, he growled, “No. I don’t want to know. Just go and fix whatever you fucked up.”
Drawing himself up, Ed bit back, “Not without some money. You don’t provide, I go to the police and tell them what I was asked to do.”
“I don’t have that kind of money—”
“Get it!”
Pinching his lips, his chest heaved. “I can get you a couple of thousand dollars—”
“Do it!”
He sat down in his chair and opened a lower drawer, pulling out a locked box. Opening it, he counted out the contents…just a little over twenty-five hundred dollars. Handing it to Ed, he said, “This is it—all I have here. Take it and get out.”
Ed eagerly snatched the money from his outstretched hand, nodding enthusiastically. He was almost to the door when he spoke again.
“What are you going to do with the kid?”
Rubbing his chin, Ed said, “Just leave him somewhere. Someone’ll find him.” With that, he turned and jogged out of the office.
Jonathan slumped over, placing his head in his hands, hating ever having met Richard Atkins…or dealing with the NSEG.
Vote Then Read: Volume III Page 307