Bound to You

by Vanessa Holland

  Jenna strolled around, examined his trophies and the pictures, sat on the bed for a moment, then stood and went to look out one of the windows. In the darkness, the lights in the stables were the only view. “Is this what you saw every day?”

  He joined her at the window. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  He wrapped his arms around her as she stared out in silence.

  “I talked to your uncle before dinner,” she said.

  “Which one?”

  “Tad? He said you hired him to investigate Brandon.”

  Yeah, and he wasn’t about to apologize for that. “I wanted to know who we were dealing with.”

  He felt her tense then take a deep breath. “At least now I know why he hates me. My dad had an affair with his mother. It caused his parents to get a divorce.”

  Considering everything he’d heard about her father, Sam wasn’t surprised. “And Brandon blames you for that?”

  “Not just for that,” she said. “I always thought Tammy Stewart was his mother, but she was his stepmother. He and his sister, Ally, are half-siblings. His real mother and his dad divorced in 1991, when he was about five. She lost custody of him so she kidnapped him, went to Honolulu, checked into a hotel room and overdosed on sleeping pills.”

  Now he was the one to tense up. “Dang. She killed herself? With Brandon there?”

  “I guess he blames me for that.”

  “He’s crazy, honey,” Sam assured her. And he wasn’t surprised after hearing what had happened to the guy. “It’s terrible. It’s tragic. But it had nothing to do with you.”

  She nodded and continued to stare out the window. “I can’t believe my dad would cheat on my mom. I wonder if she knew.”

  He turned her around, hoping to change her mood. “That’s all in the past, hon. It doesn’t do any good to worry about it now.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. “Every day I hear something worse about my father. I heard rumors he was about to be impeached. I heard he was stealing from the city. How could he have been so… horrible?”

  Sam didn’t know what to say. He’d heard the same rumors just that evening from various family members who’d been asking around about Jenna and her family. “You can’t blame yourself for his mistakes. Give yourself a break. Let’s go home and relax. It’s been a busy day.”

  But she didn’t let go and in fact tightened her grip on him. “I’m his daughter. What does that make me?”

  He stroked her hair, hoping to calm her down. “The same wonderful, beautiful, sweet and caring woman I love. And you’re a great mom, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  She leaned back and smiled, palely, but the sadness didn’t leave her eyes.

  “Hey, wait a minute.” He backed away, prying her arms from his neck. He knew if he didn’t do something fast she’d start blaming herself for things that had happened to other people twenty years ago. She’d start questioning her own parenting skills. “Stay here a minute, I’ll be right back.”

  ***

  Jenna strolled the room again while she waited, then lay on his bed, imagining Sam sleeping there all those years ago while she lay in her own bed across town dreaming about him. She didn’t want to think of which girl Sam had been dreaming about at the same time.

  Noticing a particular photo on the wall, she got up for a better look. The picture was of Sam and his siblings as children posing in a studio setting. Sam was about Ethan’s age, sitting in the middle, grinning happily. His hair had been blond then and the resemblance to her son was striking. She could see it now.

  When Sam returned, she handed him the photo as he sat down. “Look at this. You and Ethan could have been twins.”

  He smiled at the picture then set it aside. “That’s what my mom said.” He held out a long, blue velvet box. “I was supposed to give this to you on our wedding day, but since the ring is taking so long, I wanted to give you something.”

  Startled, Jenna took the box and opened it. Inside was the most beautiful bracelet she’d ever seen. Sam lifted out the string of alternating diamonds and pale blue stones and fitted it around her wrist.

  She held up her hand and the stones sparkled in the light. “Are these real diamonds?”

  “Real as they get. I don’t know what the blue stones are, but it goes with the ring. This was my grandmother’s, apparently. Now it’s yours.”

  She couldn’t stop turning her wrist, staring at the glistening stones. No one had ever given her jewelry before and suddenly, oddly, everything seemed real – the engagement, the reality of she, Ethan and Sam as a family, and especially, Sam’s promise to stay and spend his life with her.

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  She turned and pushed him back on the bed. “Are you kidding? It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  She ran her hands over his hard body, instantly aroused by his irresistible muscles, and the feel of his warm flesh, but further excited at the notion of lying with him on the same bed he’d slept in every night as she’d lain staring at his football picture, dreaming of him, wishing she were with him, right here in this very bed. Her dream was coming true.

  Sam started out kissing her slowly, letting his hands explore her clothed body, but with a jolt, they both seemed to experience at once, things heated up fast.

  “Lock the door,” she whispered.

  Sam jumped up and hurried to close and lock the door then dived back on the bed, not wasting a moment in stripping off her shirt.

  “Is it wrong to do this with your entire family downstairs?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he said, chuckling as his hand found her bare breast. “Really wrong.”

  She grinned wickedly, reaching down to unfasten his jeans. “Good.”

  ***

  When they got home, they found a party going on. Dozens of cars were parked along the driveway and even from the front of the house Jenna could see the backyard blazing with lights. Brianna had apparently invited everyone she knew and the place was overflowing with people. Jenna didn’t bother counting, but guessed at least three dozen kids were swarming in, out and around the house.

  While Sam carried Ethan up to bed, Jenna made a pass through the house and then around the back yard checking for signs of liquor or drugs. Satisfied it was just a gathering of friends drinking sodas, eating junk food, and swimming, she went in search of her sister. She found Brianna, whose hair was still damp, sitting on top of the picnic table. A couple of her friends got up and left when they saw Jenna coming over.

  “Don’t be mad,” Bri immediately said. “It’s my last night of freedom. I called Sam, to tell you, but he didn’t answer. And, anyway, Dakota invited most of these people. I didn’t know it would get this big. It’s summer. I need fun in my life.”

  Jenna could completely understand. “It’s fine,” she told her, climbing up to sit on the table. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

  Bri stared at her for a moment, then grabbed her by both shoulders and gave her a shake. “Wow.”

  “What?”

  “You’re like a million times nicer since Sam came back. I like it. Here’s your ancient dinosaur phone.” She reached behind her and handed Jenna her phone, then held up another phone. “Look at this. Smartphone! Score.”

  “Sam?”

  She shrugged. “He gave me money and told me to get whatever I wanted. It’s not my fault.”

  Jenna gave her sister a pat on the knee and stood. “Just get everyone out by midnight. You have work tomorrow.”

  “I love it here!” Bri yelled as Jen walked away.

  She headed upstairs, anxious to be alone with Sam. A blushing couple rushed past her on the stairs and she found Sam grinning and shaking his head.

  “Please tell me they weren’t on our bed,” she said.

  “Bri’s room. Clothes on.” He picked up a long table in the hall and placed it at the top of the stairs. Chuckling, he draped his arm around her neck, ushering her t
oward their room. “Let’s just hope we still have a house down there in the morning.”

  She checked in on Ethan, who was sound asleep, snuggled under his safari animal comforter Jenna had brought out for him to make him feel more at home here. She was about to leave when she saw a small flower arrangement on the dresser. Colorful flowers in a child’s mug with a big yellow smiley face on it. The mug gave her a slight chill, remembering the smiley face Brandon had sent her in a text.

  She picked up the arrangement to take it out of the room. “This is sweet,” she told Sam. “But we have to keep flowers away from him. He tries to eat the petals.”

  “I didn’t do that,” Sam said. “Probably my mom or Frankie. My mom loves to shop and now that she has a new grandson there’s no telling what all you’re going to find showing up around here for him.”

  She gave Ethan a kiss and then followed Sam across the hall to their room where she left the flowers on the dresser there. Too exhausted to even take off her boots, she fell back on the bed. “What a day.”

  Sam turned off the overhead lights, but it made no difference. The outside lights through the open blinds brightened the room. He fell back beside her. “Long day, but a good day.”

  “Yeah.” She curled up against him and closed her burning eyes. She was so tired not even the music and noise from downstairs bothered her.

  Sam murmured something and that was the last thing she heard until hours later something brought her awake with a jolt.

  She sat up. The room was dark and the house was quiet, but something had happened to wake her – some sound or movement. She glanced at the red shining numbers on the clock and saw it was a little after two. Sam snored softly beside her. Her feet ached and she took a moment to remove her boots, thinking that might be the problem.

  She lay back down and tried to go to sleep but something didn’t feel right. Something had happened and she knew she wouldn’t get any rest until she checked.

  After stepping out into the hallway, she stopped to listen again but heard no sounds. She didn’t smell smoke. Patting her way down the hall, she finally found the light switch and flipped it on.

  The table Sam had put at the top of the stairs had been pushed aside, probably by Brianna when she came up to bed. Bri’s door was closed.

  She stepped into Ethan’s room and from the hall light, she could see his little lump under the covers. She crossed over to the window to look out over the front yard. By the security light, all she saw was her car and Sam’s truck.

  She turned back the covers to see if maybe Ethan had been crying, and stumbled back with a startled shriek when she saw nothing under the covers but a pillow.

  A pillow placed under the covers in such as way as to resemble a small child. Ethan would never think to do something like that.

  Rushing to turn on the light, she checked the room, the closet, under the bed, then ran down the hall to Bri’s room. Maybe he’d gone in there and crawled into bed with her. He’d done that before, at the old house.

  She turned on the light and Bri sat up, in bed alone, and shielded her eyes. “What?”

  “Is Ethan in here?”

  Bri looked around. “I don’t think so. What’s wrong?”

  “Stay calm,” Jenna said to herself as she hurried back down the hall, checking first the hall bathroom and closet, then flipped on the lights in the master bedroom and began a search there. She collided with Sam as she came out of the master bathroom.

  “Maybe he’s downstairs,” she said to him before he could question her.

  She ran past him and down the stairs, calling Ethan as she rapidly searched the downstairs. She now had Sam and Bri rushing around with her after she’d screamed to them that she couldn’t find her son.

  “Maybe he went outside,” she yelled and went for the back door. The door was locked, deadbolt on and the chain was securely in place, but she unlocked the door and ran outside anyway. Sam yelled that he’d check the front yard.

  The backyard was too dark to see and she was about to step back inside to find the porch light, but suddenly all the landscaping lighting came on and Sam crossed the back yard.

  “The front door was unlocked,” he said, the look of panic on his face adding to her fear.

  Seeing the fountain in the pond spring to life, a new and even more terrifying fear hit her. She ran for the pond, praying Ethan hadn’t found his way out of the house and down to the water, maybe wanting to feed the ducks.

  At the end of the pier, she scanned the water, thankful for the lights shining off the fountain. But the pond was too big to see the farthest edges of the water. Sam came running up beside her holding a large flashlight. He flipped it on and she saw it was a spotlight. He slowly scanned the water, the strong beam reaching the far banks. He stopped to shine the lights on the cluster of ducks loitering around the east edge then kept the light moving.

  Jenna started back up the pier to keep searching, meeting Bri as she came running up.

  “He’s not in the house,” Bri said. “I checked everywhere.”

  It was all Jenna could do to keep from screaming uncontrollably. “Call the police,” she ordered her sister. “Right now. Hurry!”

  Bri nodded and ran back to the house. Jenna noticed the barn and ran in that direction, gasping for breath. He had to be there. He had to be here. Somewhere. Hiding or playing. He was okay. He was just fine. He would be in the barn.

  But the barn was pitch black and Ethan didn’t respond to her calls. Sam came up with the light and began the search. The barn had once been a small stable and was now filled with generations of junk. It seemed to take an eternity to search and Bri had returned before they’d finished.

  “They’re on their way,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “Where is he?”

  Jenna held her head and backed up until she bumped into a wall. She had to take several breaths before she finally screamed, “He did this! He took him!”

  “Who did?” Bri yelled back at her.

  “Brandon,” she answered as tears finally came. “He did this! He took my baby!”

  “Oh, hell, no!” Sam yelled, thrusting the spotlight against Jenna’s stomach, his eyes wild and wide. “Stay here!” he ordered as he ran from the barn. “I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch!”

  Jenna ran after him, but while he ran for his truck, she kept up her search outside, circling the house, yelling for Ethan, shining the light around. She checked an old chicken coop, two storage sheds, a leaning outhouse, then she started in the woods, now hating that the house was so isolated, so sprawling, so full of a million places a toddler could hide, or get lost in. She even checked her car even though the doors were all locked. She checked the trunk, then ran back inside to start searching the house again, opening every drawer and cabinet and stripping the covers off all the beds, unable to stop moving, unable to give up the search.

  She knew in her gut Brandon was responsible but he wouldn’t harm Ethan. Surely, he wouldn’t harm him. She’d never been afraid of Brandon before, not really, but this changed everything. She had no idea what he was capable of. He was crazy, deranged, and filled with hate. And he knew the best way to make her suffer was to threaten her son.

  “Blood!” Bri screamed as Jenna raced back down the upstairs hallway. “I see blood!”

  Jenna looked down and bile rose to her throat when she saw the trail of blood on the carpet runner. Then she saw it was from her own feet. She’d been running around outside, in the woods, in only her socked feet. She fell against Bri as her sister hugged her and reassured her they would find Ethan. He would be fine and everything would be fine. They would find him. Safe and sound.

  By the time the police car arrived, Jenna had given up hope of finding Ethan on the property. He wasn’t hiding or playing or wandering around lost. Her baby had been taken. Kidnapped. Someone had come in the house in the night and taken him right from his bed while she’d slept right across the hall completely oblivious.

  It couldn’t
be true.

  And yet it was true.

  Ethan was gone.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Sam called Tad as he drove to his uncle’s house, knowing only that Tad knew more about Brandon Stewart than anyone else, and not sure what else to do. He had to find Brandon Stewart. No one else could be responsible. No one else.

  Unfortunately, Uncle Tad lived only a few miles outside Nashville and it was a long drive. He sped and ran red lights, not caring if a cop saw – he could use the help. The streets were virtually empty. He was fighting off a panic, and visions of finding his son dead, or never seeing his son again. The visions came, anyway.

  For a moment, but only for a moment, he hated Jenna, for keeping Ethan from him, for not letting him have more time with his son. But those feelings quickly turned to worry over her. He knew she was going out of her mind, too. He knew she’d never recover if they didn’t find their son. He wasn’t sure he would, either.

  Using his GPS, he found Tad’s new house – a nice two-story in a middle-class neighborhood.

  By the time he arrived three of his uncles and several of his male cousins were there waiting. Tad’s wife and kids were up. The house was already active. He instantly found himself surrounded.

  Tad’s eldest son, Foster, was the first to step forward, his eyes wide with fear. He was only nineteen and probably expected to be blamed. “I followed him from the bar to his grandfather’s estate. He never left. I swear!”

  “Then he didn’t do it himself!” Sam said, unable to temper his belligerent mood.

  “There’s a big gate,” Foster continued, “but I kept watch! I did my job!”

  Uncle Sage clapped his hands. “To to table!” he ordered, pointing to Sam, Tad and Foster and the older men. “Everybody else, back off and give us room! Time’s a wastin’.”

  Tad’s wife, Rachel, ushered her kids back upstairs while Sam and the others headed to the dining room. Tad had spread out a series of papers and photos on the long table.

  “This is everything we have,” Tad said. “I haven’t had much time to work on it, but we have some things. All the family, properties, addresses, companies, friends, vehicles, all his movements over the past few days. This is all I’ve had time to get. If I’d only had a few more days….”