Protecting Her Secret Son

by Regan Black

  “That’s exactly right. You’ve gotta believe.”

  She reached for Daniel’s hand, laced her fingers with his. “So I’ve been told.”

  “This is a fast response,” Daniel said. “More units than I expected.”

  “Detective Hertz and I were ready. We’ve been running down rumors right and left searching for Aiden. We had a tip on this location yesterday and PPD put more units in the area for us.”

  “Anything definitive?” Daniel asked.

  Grant flicked a hand toward the pier. “The self-storage place makes great cover for anyone coming or going. Based on what Loffler said, they’re about to go into that warehouse at the end of the pier. They just scanned with infrared and saw three adults in the office above the warehouse floor.”

  “Bradley told us he sold Aiden,” Shannon said.

  Grant’s jaw dropped. “When?”

  “He called shortly after the cops cut us loose from Old City Hall. Shannon sent you the recording.”

  She pulled her phone from her pocket to verify the message went through, even as Grant pulled up the message on his phone. Grant listened, his face going pale.

  Hearing the conversation again, Daniel had plenty of questions about Stanwood’s sanity. Something in those last words pricked his instincts. Stanwood was gloating, not at all worried about being caught for murder or kidnapping. Sure, the bastard had been trying to upset her with that crack about selling the boy, but the infrared equipment was good enough now to show the difference between an adult and a little kid. If Aiden wasn’t in the warehouse, where had they moved him?

  Daniel looked around, caught sight of the engine and ladder companies standing by at the close end of the pier. “Give me a second? I want to have a word.”

  “She’s safe with me,” Grant promised.

  “Take your time.” Shannon’s smile was understandably tense.

  He tried not to read anything extra into that tight expression as he jogged away. This wasn’t about him or his baggage. It was about Shannon and Aiden and making sure they both got home safe tonight and stayed that way for a lifetime.

  The last video from the kidnappers showed Aiden increasingly unhappy with the situation. Bored, asking for his mother, refusing to eat more fast-food chicken nuggets, the boy couldn’t be making life easy on his captors. Daniel thought that little furrow between his eyebrows could become a permanent fixture if they didn’t get him home soon.

  Although the companies attending the call weren’t from his house, working with the PFD made Philly feel like a small town. He greeted a few friends on his way to speak with the battalion chief, a little startled by the ache deep in his chest. He felt homesick for the PFD. The Caldwell house was important to him, Shannon’s situation more so, but he was ready to get back into the rhythm of his shifts at the firehouse.

  “You got something for me, Jennings?”

  “There should be a child inside. The son of a Jennings employee.”

  “Suspected kidnapping.” The chief nodded. “We heard. No sign of a child on the premises.”

  Daniel knew the chief’s direct look was encouragement to speak up or move along. At the moment, he was technically a civilian and should be staying out of the way. He stopped stalling. “Sir, I’m concerned the kidnapper has the place booby-trapped.”

  “That’s why the tactical teams are taking the lead,” the chief replied. “We helped evacuate the pier and now we’re on standby.”

  Something was off. “The suspected kidnapper called the boy’s mother on the way over.” He continued at the chief’s urging, “After he committed murder right in front of her. The men inside may not know the building is sabotaged. This is all gut instinct, sir. I can’t give you anything solid. Don’t mean to waste your time.”

  “You’re suggesting someone is nipping loose ends.”

  Loffler’s dead body flashed to the front of Daniel’s mind. “Yes, sir.”

  The chief studied the warehouse thoughtfully, turning as he took in the other facilities on the pier. “Get me the blueprints again.” He snapped his fingers at a candidate.

  “With all of us out here, their best escape is out to the water,” the chief said. “The tactical team knows that. They moved to cover that position.”

  “Good,” Daniel said absently. He was thinking about Stanwood’s contradictory comments of selling the boy and leaving him “there for the taking.” The equipment said Aiden wasn’t in there.

  Everything Daniel had seen so far indicated they were facing a man capable of anything. No apparent conscience or morals. Could he have double-crossed the team holding Aiden? It seemed well within the realm of possibility.

  “I want to talk with someone from the city planner’s office,” the chief said. “Jennings, do you know if he has the right skills to booby-trap the warehouse?”

  Daniel shook his head. “I only know he has nearly endless money and mob connections.”

  The chief’s nostrils flared. “No one mentioned the mob.”

  “Speculating here,” Daniel said. “It’s not like I can hand you a file full of proof.”

  “They had a fire in Camden two days ago. Old warehouse, abandoned. No casualties or additional property loss. Building was similar size and age to this one. Collapsed and burned.”

  “Only exit to the river?”

  “Yep.”

  Daniel swore. Not the first time an arsonist took time to practice technique before the main event. Daniel studied the warehouse, trying to see it as a criminal intent on creating a distraction in order to escape.

  The chief reviewed the blueprints. “Wouldn’t take any real expertise to knock this thing down. A kid with a cherry bomb and a knack for geometry could do it.”

  “We’re not dealing with a kid.” He’d washed Loffler’s blood off Shannon’s hands himself.

  The radio on the chief’s shoulder crackled and Daniel heard the tactical team report the all clear at the front, side and rear exits. He itched to get closer and see for himself even though he wasn’t on duty.

  If he’d had any doubts about getting back to work, they were gone. He wasn’t ready to settle into life as a civilian businessman. Once the Caldwell house was done, he and his dad were going to have to talk it out. Hopefully with less shouting.

  “Sold your son.”

  “There for the taking.” Daniel knew it was vital they decipher what Stanwood meant by those conflicting comments about Aiden’s fate.

  The tactical team moved in as directed, covering the exits. Police snipers assigned to high-ground positions on the nearby structures had scopes aimed at those exits while a police helicopter maintained an overhead view of the area where the pier and river met.

  No one inside would get away unnoticed. Logically, he should’ve been happy. Instead he was restless. Maybe it was fallout from the murder in the park, but he wouldn’t be content until Aiden and Shannon were safely home behind her new security system.

  Farther up the line, about one hundred yards closer to the warehouse, Shannon rocked side to side, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. He should be over there, lending support. He’d done all he could, warning the chief that something could be off. Like everyone else, now he had to stand back and wait for the experts to manage the heavy lifting.

  He felt the pop and rumble of the first explosion under his feet. The chief spun on his heel and as the first flames shot up the short side of the warehouse, he gave orders to his firefighters.

  Radios all over the scene started crackling, snapping with voices and reports from inside. Daniel heard something about missing stairs and a blocked egress. Then came the strange news that no one other than the tactical team was inside. Reports from the helicopter claimed no one had exited to the roof.

  What the hell? Before they’d gone in, there had been th
ree people on the second level. They hadn’t levitated up there. Or down again. Where had they gone?

  Suddenly the window in the wide front door blew out with a flash and black smoke flowed out, billowed up, a vicious scar against the blue October sky.

  Daniel fell in with the firefighters surging forward.

  “Jennings! Not your day,” the chief called after him.

  He skidded to a stop, adrenaline pumping through his system with no outlet. If he felt this helpless, Shannon would be losing it by now, with or without the reports of disappearing people. He hurried back over to join her.

  “I’m sure Aiden’s fine.” With his arm around her shoulders, he felt the uncertainty quivering through her body. She wasn’t crying, but the shock was catching up to her. “They’ve got this,” he said.

  “Grant and Detective Hertz went off to chat.” She jerked a thumb in their general direction. “I heard manhunt mentioned.”

  “Someone must have called from the Loffler scene. They’ll be pulling out all the stops to find Stanwood,” he assured her. He rubbed at the tension in her neck, into her shoulders while the firefighters started guiding out members of the tactical team overcome by the black smoke.

  “A lot of resources are focused here and dedicated to bringing in your ex. You heard Grant say they were working the warehouse on a tip from an informant even before Gary shared the address.”

  She looked away from the burning warehouse to others in the area. “Something isn’t right. You know Aiden’s not in there.”

  “No one is in there according to the most recent reading,” he said.

  “Even so, the fire renders the infrared tool useless.”

  “Firefighters use other variations,” he began, stopping when she shook her head. “Aiden wasn’t in there and the best way out is the water.”

  “I haven’t heard any boats,” Daniel said. “The coast guard is close if we do.”

  “No.” She turned her back on the burning warehouse, pulled him around with her. “He’s had Aiden for nearly a week,” she said, talking it out. “He sent professionals to take my son from the sitter when they might as easily have taken him from my house.”

  “If they had grabbed him from your place, they would lose the two-hour lead time,” Daniel said. He started examining the other buildings as well. She’d told him more than once her ex enjoyed lording his advantages over others. Without sharing details of her personal low points of her marriage, she’d given Daniel enough to create an unpleasant picture.

  The man used his advantages, made examples of people who crossed him. Loffler came to mind once more. Something as big and flashy as a warehouse fire during a child rescue diverted men who might be added to the manhunt for a killer.

  “He’s convinced he’s in the clear,” she murmured, her voice barely audible amid the rush of responders around them. “He wouldn’t have called so soon after killing Loffler if he’d been worried about getting away.”

  Daniel had to defer to her expertise on the bastard. “You don’t think he really sold Aiden?”

  “Bradley is capable of anything. He’s been planning this for longer than I realized.”

  She drifted farther from the warehouse. “Gary pointed us here. He wouldn’t have lied to me.”

  “He was Stanwood’s best friend.”

  “And betrayed by him through the years. There was no friendship or trust at the end. Bradley can’t manage those life skills.”

  Her prevailing calm painted a spotlight on Daniel’s rising frustration. Had she slipped into shock? Watching a friend die could do that.

  She broke into a run. Daniel followed, certain she’d finally snapped. “What are you doing?”

  “Gary gave us the holding company. He didn’t give us the warehouse.”

  “He gave us an address.”

  “Look.” She stopped, pointed up. “Do you see it?”

  “The offices.” Although a fresh company logo was on the front door of the smaller, two-story office building, on the side in peeling, faded paint was the now defunct logo that matched the name of the shell company Gary mentioned. At first glance, it seemed deserted, though the sign said they were open. “I see it now. The fire department evacuated everyone on the pier.”

  To clear an area like this in a hurry, teams probably knocked on doors, gave a few shouts and moved on if no one answered. It would be the perfect place to hide and wait out the search for Aiden. When the authorities gave up or responded to another distraction, the kidnappers could waltz away at their leisure.

  With no more than a look, he and Shannon started for the front door of the office. A spray of bullets rained down from the roof of another building between the warehouse and the office, and they skidded to a stop.

  Daniel looked around, but there wasn’t enough cover to safely make it to the front door. The shooter had the high ground. High and to the left, he realized, craning his neck. Another rapid-fire burst chased them back the way they’d come, between this office and a row of the self-storage units.

  He did fires, damn it, left the gun fights to the cops. At the moment, the police were preoccupied. This was up to him. Shannon wouldn’t back down until she was certain Aiden wasn’t inside.

  “He must be in there,” she said, anxiously leaning forward.

  “Whoa.” He drew her back. “Something is,” he agreed. “Give me a second here.”

  Judging the angle, he waited a few more seconds to make sure the shooter was done. When the only noises he heard were those coming from the warehouse, he propelled her across the open space to the darker shadows at the side of the guarded building. The whole way, he prayed there was only one shooter up there on Stanwood’s payroll today.

  “Definitely in the right spot,” she said, her chest heaving as the echo of another burst of gunfire died down. “How can we get in?”

  He’d wanted an outlet for the adrenaline. “Good odds.” He peeked around the corner, looking for a clear path. “Unfortunately whoever’s inside knows we’re coming now.”

  She held a finger to her lips, tilted her head toward the building.

  He caught the sound of voices, too, and the crying of an unhappy child on the verge of an all-out tantrum. That was all he needed. Better to try now and make a mistake than dawdle and let the kidnappers escape the area with Aiden.

  Despite the strength Shannon had shown through all of the terror of this ordeal, he knew if they didn’t save her son she’d die. Not physically and not all at once. No, her heart would keep beating, and her lungs would function, while the loss of her son ate away at her soul day by day until only a husk of the woman remained.

  He couldn’t imagine her eyes without that fiery spirit, the wry humor, the affection she held for the friends close to her. The idea of that light going out of her eyes ignited something deep inside him, something inherently more significant than he’d ever felt on the job. A wave of protective determination rolled over him. His goal on every call was to save lives, but this had become personal.

  He scanned the area, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. The best option at the moment was a chipped brick. He grabbed it, hefted it and drew his finger carefully across the sharp edge. It would do.

  “What are you doing?”

  If he went to check for a back door, he’d likely be facing brick against gun. If they had a shooter guarding the front door, they surely had someone at the back. Around front, he might get through the plate glass window before the sniper tagged him. Better long odds than none, he decided.

  “Call Grant,” he told her. “They probably can’t hear the gunshots over the fire and rescue at the warehouse. He’ll send backup.”

  Daniel slipped away from her grasp when she reached for him, asked him to wait. “No time,” he said. “Call Grant.”

  Inching toward
the front of the building, he stayed out of sight as long as possible. On a deep breath, he turned the corner and slammed the brick through the corner of the window, shattering the glass. The shooter started firing as Daniel leaped through the opening.

  He stayed low, waiting out the spray of bullets. When it was quiet, he tracked the sudden rise of voices, all adult this time, and all of them barking out conflicting orders. Keeping to the long shadows near the wall, knowing Shannon was listening on the other side, he picked his way through the front office until he was tucked back behind the stairs.

  He ignored the shouts for him to come out, listening instead to this side of the conversation between the kidnappers and the shooter outside.

  Two men were here, plus Aiden. He had no doubt of it now as the debate for how to proceed raged on. Probably mob and probably local hires, he thought. It fit with Stanwood’s methods.

  “Leave the kid.” One of the men sounded as weary of the situation as Aiden. “We have to get out of here.”

  “The kid’s the only ace we got left,” a deeper voice shot back.

  The radio was garbled and the two men upstairs swore. “What’s that? Police incoming.”

  Mentally, Daniel gave Shannon a high five. Though more swearing and bargaining followed, it became clear that the deeper voice, the leader on this team, wasn’t going to budge.

  “We ain’t getting enough cash for this crap,” the whiner said. “I’m leaving the kid.”

  Daniel heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being readied to fire. “That’s fine by me. I’ll count your share as a bonus for mental aggravation.”

  “Put that away.”

  “Shut your mouth and pick up the kid.”

  A child shouted and squealed. Cried for his mother.

  “Where is the guy who came through the window?” A pause. “He’s got no idea.”

  “Maybe he’s dead.”

  “We should be so lucky.”

  Daniel held his ground as a stair tread creaked overhead.

  “The woman?”

  Daniel held his breath.

  “Well?”