Mistletoe Reunion Threat

by Virginia Vaughan

  He glanced around and spotted mostly young kids on the streets. This was why he’d accepted when his friend from church had asked him to volunteer to mentor inner city kids. He had something to offer them—hope that if he could make it out, they could, as well. And speaking of his mentoring...

  He spotted a familiar face walking along Harris Street—Adam Greer, the boy he’d been at the courthouse to support yesterday when he’d run into Ashlynn. He didn’t even know what had happened in Adam’s mother’s case. Adam stopped at the corner and Garrett saw him push a bill into another boy’s hand and accept something that he quickly shoved into his pocket.

  He sighed, disappointed. Adam’s mother was a drug addict. Was he buying for her or following in her footsteps? Either way, Garrett couldn’t sit back and allow it to happen. He threw his truck into gear and roared up the road, stopping in front of Adam and jumping out.

  “Mr. G., what are you doing here?” the boy asked, using the nickname they’d given him, forgetting that Garrett was his first, not his last name. He’d gotten that sort of confusion his entire life.

  “I saw that drug buy, Adam.” He pulled open the passenger door. “Get in. Let’s have a talk.”

  * * *

  Ashlynn set down the file she was reviewing and sighed. Nothing had turned up that might be related to her son’s disappearance and she was becoming more and more certain it had nothing to do with one of her past cases.

  She took a break and stood from her spot curled up on the sofa in Josh and Elise’s living room. Placing her file on the coffee table, she stretched her arms and legs. There were photographs on the fireplace mantel, including one of Josh and a teenage girl who must be the niece Garrett had mentioned before. She also spotted a picture of a group of men in uniform and picked it up, thinking this must be Josh and Garrett’s ranger team. Searching the group she found Garrett kneeling on the front row.

  Someone cleared his throat behind her, and she realized she’d been caught snooping. She turned and saw Josh standing at the doorway.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, replacing the photograph.

  “It’s okay,” he told her. He walked in and motioned toward the image. “That was our team before the ambush.” He glanced at her curiously. “Did Garrett tell you about that?”

  “He did mention it.” Actually, he’d done his best to skim over the details of the event that had ripped their relationship apart.

  “Only six of us made it out that night.” He pointed to each man as he said their names. “Matt, Levi, Colton, Blake, Garrett and me.” He pointed to a tall, lanky redhead. “That was Marcus, Garrett’s best friend. Has he mentioned him?”

  She shook her head but wasn’t surprised since Josh had already told her the rest of these men hadn’t survived the ambush. She looked at the wedding photo of Josh and Elise next to the photo of the rangers and felt a pang of jealousy. They’d gotten their happy ending. “Did you know about my engagement to Garrett?”

  He nodded. “Yes, we knew. When he rejoined the group after that leave, you were all he talked about. He was crazy in love with you, Ashlynn.” Josh stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked weary. “We all lost so much that night. We each dealt with it in our own ways. Garrett ran from it. He took off and I didn’t even see or hear from him for months. He just lost himself. But one thing he never lost was his devotion to the rangers. Whenever any one of us has needed him, he’s been there.”

  She sighed. That statement did not make her feel any better. He could be devoted to his friends but not to his family. “He wasn’t there for me when I needed him.”

  “I know he let you down, but you have to know that’s not who he is. That was a bad time in his life and he messed up. You’re having a hard time trusting him and I get that. When I first met Elise, I didn’t trust anyone. I didn’t want to depend on another person because I was afraid of being disappointed.”

  “How did she change your mind?”

  His lips twitched into a smile. “She didn’t. God changed me and because He did I was able to let Elise inside. All I’m saying is that I know what it’s like to step out on a limb without knowing if you’re going to fall or not. But I also know Garrett cares for you. I think he probably never stopped caring about you.”

  She was suddenly uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going. Of course he would stand up for his friend, but he didn’t understand how badly she’d been hurt or how frightened she was that Garrett would leave her again. She just couldn’t take that chance on him. “I’m trusting Garrett to find Jacob because I really have no other choice. But I can’t trust him with anything else, not now, maybe not ever.”

  His phone buzzed and he pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “It’s Garrett. He’s pulling into the driveway.”

  She hurried to the door to wait for him, anxious to know if he’d found anything that might help lead them to Jacob. She watched his truck pull into the garage and he got out a moment later.

  “Well?” she asked before he even made it inside. “Were your old contacts able to offer any information?”

  He shook his head. “No, my old contacts were a bust. However—” he opened the passenger door and grabbed the arm of a young boy, pulling him from the car “—my new contact might just be able to offer us some information. Ashlynn, meet Adam Greer, my mentee.”

  Adam was just a young kid who appeared nervous as Garrett stood over him. He plopped down in a chair and spent five minutes staring at the floor.

  “I caught him buying drugs for his mom downtown. Despite the fact that she was just convicted yesterday and given a year’s probation, she talked her sixteen-year-old son into scoring some junk for her.”

  Adam flushed with embarrassment as Garrett continued.

  “We started doing some talking and it turns out Adam has an idea where Mike Webb’s shop might be.”

  “How would he know that?” Ashlynn asked.

  The boy glanced up at her. “My mom and her boyfriend used to steal cars for Mike in order to get money for drugs. She called me to pick her up there once even though I didn’t have a license at the time or a car. I had a friend drive me over there. That was only about six months ago.”

  Garrett nodded. “We drove by the place, and I’m sure I saw a white van parked out back. It could be our van. It’s worth checking out, don’t you think?”

  “Absolutely. We should take a look.” She glanced at Adam. “Thank you for helping us.”

  He shrugged. “Mr. G. told me about your son. My mom has been in and out of jail my whole life so I know what it’s like to grow up without a mama. Your boy should be happy to have one that cares about him.”

  She saw pain on his young face and remembered Garrett telling her yesterday—was it really only yesterday this all began?—that Adam had been at the courthouse to see his mother who was addicted to drugs. She didn’t have to wonder what kind of turmoil he’d lived in. She knew it firsthand, and she felt bad for him. He was fortunate that Garrett arrived in his life to help guide him.

  “I’m not anxious to take down old friends,” Garrett said, “but if Mike’s at all connected to Jacob’s kidnapping, I won’t hesitate. Our son is more important to me than old loyalties.”

  It warmed her heart to hear his proclamation. She saw him glance at Josh, whose eyebrows were raised in surprise. He obviously hadn’t heard the news about Jacob and Garrett’s connection.

  He grinned at Josh and nodded. “You heard right. Jacob is my son.”

  “What are you going to do with him?” she asked, motioning toward Adam.

  “I’ll phone my friend Dave, the one who suggested I be a mentor, and ask him to come get him.”

  “So, what do we do now?” she asked. “I doubt we can obtain a search warrant based on just a generic white van.”

  He shook his head. “It’
ll be dark soon. I say we wait a few hours then go by his place and do some reconnaissance work of our own. If we see the van and can determine it’s the one involved in Jacob’s abduction, then we’ll call in Vince and the police.”

  She nodded but she couldn’t hide the expression of worry on her face. Could she stand one more lead not panning out? What if nothing came of it? Then they’d have wasted precious time in finding Jacob.

  Another thought occurred to her. “Won’t there be security?”

  “I’ll bring my tools, just in case, but Mike never trusted security systems. He knows too many hackers to believe in secure. He had some guard dogs six years ago, but mostly he just relied on his own reputation to deter thieves. No one wanted to cross him. I’m hoping that’s still the way he operates.”

  “Yet we’re going to cross him.”

  “Not unless he’s involved in this someway. Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.” Garrett squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “We will find him, Ash. We’ll bring him home.”

  He pulled her into his embrace and she went willingly, finding comfort in his strong arms and solid chest. He made her feel safe and reassured, and she longed to lose herself here and not have to face the cold realities of life.

  She closed her eyes, breathed in the musky scent of Garrett’s aftershave and found herself lifting a silent prayer that God would be on their side. She didn’t know if it would help, but at this point, she was willing to try anything.

  * * *

  The street was nearly deserted when Garrett parked his car across from Mike’s shop. It was a simple large warehouse with a fence surrounding the perimeter. Inside the fence were car parts and pieces of vehicles. It looked like a mini junkyard. Garrett was trained to infiltrate compounds and he’d used his ranger training many times to rescue hostages. Breaking in wouldn’t be a problem. The real problem would be convincing Ashlynn to stay in the car. One glance at her and he knew that wasn’t going to happen. He hadn’t been able to convince her to stay back at Josh’s house and he instinctively knew she wasn’t going to stay in the car, either. All he could do was make the best of it and watch her back. Still, he couldn’t resist one more try.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked her. “I can see the headline now. ADA Arrested for Breaking and Entering.”

  She flashed him a determined look and that chin jutted out again. “I’m going.”

  “Fine. But I’m going to walk the perimeter alone first. I’ll see if I can locate the van. It was parked out back earlier. Let’s just hope it’s not inside the shop being stripped of its parts. I’ll also look for vulnerable points in the fence.” He opened the door but she grabbed his arm, stopping him, her face full of doubt and mistrust.

  “Don’t you go in without me, Garrett.”

  “I’ll be right back,” he assured her.

  He got out and hurried across the street while she scrunched down in her seat so as not to be seen. He suspected she wouldn’t stay down long before she peeked out to see what was happening.

  Walking along the east and west sides, he found two decent entry points. He was about to head back to the car when he noticed something in the lot. He reached for his compact binoculars and zoomed in, spotting the white van parked behind the shop near the back door. Its parts were still intact. He doubted that would be the case in a few hours.

  He reached into another pocket for his pliers and knelt down, quickly cutting into the fence and feeling only slightly guilty at not keeping his word to Ashlynn. He tried to tell himself that she wasn’t trained for this, and it was true, but mostly he wanted to keep her out of danger. If anyone walked out of that shop and spotted him, it would be game over. He knew from firsthand experience that Mike Webb was a dangerous man. He didn’t want Ashlynn anywhere near him.

  Garrett slipped through the fence and moved silently to the back of the building. Noises from inside indicated they were working, probably chopping cars. He imagined Ashlynn angrily fussing at him in the car for continuing on without her, but then he doubted she could see him from her vantage point.

  Moving toward the back of the van, he opened the door softly. He didn’t know exactly what he was looking for to indicate this was the same van from the security feed, but he didn’t have to wonder long. His gut clenched when on the back floorboard he spotted a small stuffed bunny. Business vans didn’t have children’s stuffed toys in the back of them.

  He grabbed the bunny, his heart breaking at the thought that not only had Jacob likely been inside this van, he’d been taken out without his stuffed animal for security. Had he cried for his lost friend and was he crying now for his mother? Garrett’s blood boiled at the thought that whoever had him had been so careless with Jacob’s needs. He was determined they would pay.

  God, please comfort Jacob and keep him safe until we bring him home.

  He tucked the bunny into his jacket and softly closed the door. All he had to do now was make it back to the fence and to the car; then they could alert Vince that they’d located the van and let the police swoop in and recover it.

  But he froze when he spotted Ashlynn slipping through the hole he’d cut into the fence. His heart dropped and fear rushed through him. What did she think she was doing?

  He motioned for her to get back, but she obviously couldn’t see him.

  His heart raced at the notion that any one of those men inside could step out and spot her and then she would be in danger. He pulled his gun and headed her way, praying he could get her out of here in time.

  She’d obviously spotted him crouched against the side of the building and changed her direction, moving toward him despite his signaling for her to get back. But Ashlynn froze mid-step when the door to the shop opened and someone stepped outside.

  “Who are you?” a male voice asked.

  Garrett didn’t recognize the voice. He had to stop this guy before he called out for his friends.

  Garrett leaped up, grabbed the guy’s shoulder and rammed the gun into his back. “Don’t say a word,” he commanded in a hard, hushed voice. Ashlynn relaxed as the man lifted his hands and followed Garrett’s prompting.

  She hurried past the door and joined Garrett. “What are you going to do with him?” she asked, her voice also low.

  “The only thing I can.” He reached into his pocket and slipped her the keys. “Go back to the car and start the engine and be ready to get out of here. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She nodded and turned, quietly heading back. He watched her climb through the fence.

  The man shook his head and chuckled. “Fella, you don’t know who you’re messing with. Do you have any idea whose place this is you’re robbing?”

  “I’m not robbing anyone. I was just checking something out.”

  “This isn’t a library. These cars belong to Mike Webb. Heard of him? He’ll kill you and your girl for breaking in here.”

  “I think Mike is about to have his hands full with something else,” Garrett said, pressing the man hard against the outside wall. “Like kidnapping a little kid.”

  “What? Mike ain’t into kidnapping kids. He’s no pervert.”

  Garrett pulled the bunny from his jacket. “Oh, yeah? Then why did I find this inside the white van parked behind the shop? Who does this belong to?”

  The man looked at the stuffed figure then swore under his breath. “We just got that van in today. We didn’t have nothing to do with a kidnapping.”

  “Who brought the van in?”

  “A guy named Meeks. Randy Meeks. He’s not a regular, but Mike buys cars off him from time to time. Look fella, I don’t want any part of a kidnapping.”

  Garrett stuffed the bunny back into his coat. He spotted Ashlynn back at the car and knew he couldn’t wait much longer. Soon this guy’s friends would come looking for him. “I appreciate your help,” h
e said before slamming his gun into the back of his head. The guy uttered an oof then slipped down the side of the building. He would have a headache when he awoke, and he would certainly spill what he knew about Garrett and Ashlynn’s visit to Mike. They needed to get back to the precinct so Vince could arrange for the task force to raid this shop before these guys cleaned it out.

  He hurried back to the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. Ashlynn had the engine running and he quickly took off. Ideally, he would stick around and watch the place, making sure they didn’t start hauling things away, but he couldn’t risk that, not with Ashlynn beside him.

  He dialed Vince as he drove and updated him on what they’d found. Vince assured him he would have a team ready to raid the warehouse within the hour. When he was certain they weren’t being followed, Garrett pulled over the car and got out, slamming the door hard. “What were you thinking?” he demanded, turning to Ashlynn, who got out from the other side and walked around the car. “Why did you follow me? You could have been killed.”

  She shrank back at his angry tone then jutted out her chin in defiance. “You promised you’d be right back but you went in by yourself anyway. What were you doing?”

  “I did what I had to do.”

  “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.”

  He hated the way she hissed out those words, but he didn’t back down. What she’d done hadn’t been smart. “I didn’t want you to get hurt, Ash.”

  “You don’t get to decide that for me, Garrett. I’m a grown woman and a prosecutor. I can make my own decisions.” She huffed away and folded her arms angrily over her chest, but after a moment turned back to him. “What did you find?”

  He sighed. He wanted to be angry with her because she had been reckless but also because it put off having to show her. He pulled the bunny from his jacket. When she saw it, her eyes widened and her chin quivered. He hated that look. It cut him to his core and he vowed he wouldn’t rest until he could wipe it away.