They moved to the great room and settled on the sofa. Taylor curled her feet under her and faced Dante. The wine gave her courage to ask him the question she was dying to know the answer to. “Tell me about Kai’s mother.”
He looked surprised by her query and he was quiet so long, she was afraid he wouldn’t answer. Finally, a sad smile tilted his lips. He took a sip of wine and stared off in the distance. “Her name was Leilani. She was so vivacious and full of life. She loved nature and the outdoors. She was so competitive.” He chuckled softly and shook his head. “I was a SEAL and she loved to challenge me at any sport. I usually let her win.”
Taylor smiled and felt tears gather. It was obvious he loved his wife very much. She was a lucky woman to have had his love for her short time on earth.
“She was a marine biologist…we met when she was in school and I was stationed nearby. She postponed her career when she became pregnant.” He took another sip of wine. “She understood the demands of the military and she didn’t encourage me to retire or resent the time I had to spend away.”
When he didn’t continue, she reached over and rubbed his arm. “What happened?”
He closed his eyes in pain. “Drunk driver in the middle of the day. He ran a red light and plowed into her car. She died instantly. I was overseas. My parents were in town visiting and Kai was with them. If he’d been in the car with her…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.
She gave him time to regroup. “How old was he?”
“Almost two.”
“Leilani’s a very beautiful name.”
“She was half-Hawaiian and grew up in Maui.”
Taylor was sorry she’d brought it up. Talking about his late wife had put Dante in a melancholy mood. But she was truly interested in the woman he had loved and lost. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
He smiled sadly. “You didn’t. I don’t talk about her very often…or at all, really. Kai doesn’t remember her. That’s what’s hard. He was the light of her life. She’d be so proud of him. We fly to Hawaii once a year to visit her grave and spend time with her family. Her parents visit Kai when they can.” He stretched his arms and changed the subject. “I don’t know about you, but this is all catching up with me.” He yawned to punctuate the statement.
She knew that was his way of ending the conversation. She gathered their empty glasses and stacked them in the dishwasher. She added soap and started the cycle. She didn’t know how to ask him to hold her again tonight, especially after she forced him to dredge up memories of his late wife.
He followed her up the stairs and her heart pounded. When he stopped outside her bedroom door, she gathered her courage and looked him in the eye. “I know the kids are safe from Sweeney and I know it’s a lot to ask, but,” she bit her lip and looked at the floor.
He tilted her chin back up with a finger and she met his gaze. Her breath caught in her throat when he slowly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Sparks ignited from the contact and she couldn’t stop a moan from escaping. His lips were both soft and firm and tasted like heaven. And oh, could he kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sank into his embrace. She wanted to feel him skin, on skin, on top of her, inside her. Abruptly, he broke the kiss and stepped back with a look of shock. She couldn’t seem to pull enough air into her lungs but she wanted to feel his lips on hers again. She reached for him but he sidestepped her arms and padded into the bathroom across the hall.
“I’m going to grab a quick shower,” he called out gruffly over his shoulder as he disappeared behind the closed door.
Taylor watched him flee with an overpowering sense of loss. She hadn’t allowed herself to focus on anything for the past three days other than bringing her daughter home safely. Grace was still missing, but knowing she was safely away from Sweeney lifted the lid on her emotions and they came rushing out. What she felt for Dante was powerful and overwhelming. She was terribly afraid she’d fallen in love with him.
She hurried to her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. After donning an old t-shirt that reached her knees, she padded to the bed, stopping to pat Midas as he lounged on the rug. He thumped his tail in appreciation. She slipped under the covers and turned her back to the door. Would he slide in behind her, as he’d done the last three nights? What would she do if he didn’t? Did she have the courage to go after him?
The sound of running water fired her imagination and she pictured him standing inside under the hot spray, droplets cascading down every ridge and valley of his muscular body. The shower shut off and then the sink turned on. Her lids drooped but she was determined to stay awake. Finally the door opened and footsteps sounded in the hallway. She held her breath. A sense of euphoria rushed through her when he lifted the blanket and eased in behind her. His strong arm wrapped around her, anchoring her back to his front. She sighed in contentment.
“Goodnight, Taylor.”
“Goodnight, Dante.”
Her eyes drifted closed and she slept soundly for the first time in days.
Chapter Eighteen
Monday
A piercing scream woke Kai from a deep slumber. His first thought was of Grace and terror coursed through his veins. Then he realized she was glued to his side and he breathed a sigh of relief. Though he couldn’t quite see her features, he could make out the shape of her face. Her eyes blinked open.
“What was that?” she whispered.
“I’m not sure.” He moved to the peep hole and removed the screwdriver. Dawn was coloring the sky so he could see the outline of the silver camper.
“She’s gone!” The woman’s voice was high-pitched and panicked.
The man barreled outside, his hair standing on end. He wasn’t wearing a shirt or shoes. “Shit. She couldn’t have gone far. It’s barely light out. How did she get loose?”
“It looks like she sawed through the rope.”
“My God, did you leave a knife within reach of a child?”
“No, I did not.”
“Well, then you must have left enough slack so she could get to one.”
“You tied her up.”
“Dammit, woman, this is your fault not mine. You must’ve scared her or something.”
“No I didn’t, Patrick. I love kids.”
Kai scoffed. The woman treated Grace like a pesky flea.
“Get dressed. We need to find her before something happens to her.”
If Kai didn’t know better, he’d think the man cared for Grace.
“The brat’s my bargaining chip. I can’t torment her bitch of a mother without her.”
Okay, strike that thought. But he learned two important pieces of information. One, the man’s name was Patrick, and two, he took Grace to get back at her mom.
Grace clung to his arm, her entire body shaking like a leaf. “Don’t worry, Gracie, he can’t get to you now. You’re safe.”
“I-I know,” she shuddered. “But his voice s-scares me. He told me that he was my father.”
Kai jerked his head around to her. “What?”
“He made me call him daddy.”
Eww. “He was just messing with you. Where’s your real dad?” He’d never seen a man around her house and now that he thought about it, he’d never heard her talk about one, either. Only her mom.
He felt her shrug. “I don’t have one.”
“Everyone has a dad, Gracie.” Man, he didn’t know what he’d do without his dad. He was his best friend and his hero all wrapped into one. “Maybe he died, like my mom.”
“I don’t know. I asked my mommy once and all she said was that he wasn’t in the picture. I don’t even know what that means. What picture?”
He didn’t know what to tell her. He didn’t know what picture either. The man and woman came back outside, saving him from having to try to answer.
“Where the hell are all of the flashlights?”
“I have one in my car,” the woman said. “I’ll get it. Hey, it’s gone.”
“Just great.�
�� The man cursed loudly. Kai covered Grace’s ears. “Someone must’ve taken it when they stole the other stuff.”
Yep, he did. Kai smiled to himself.
“You use the car,” the man said. “I’ll check the woods. Charge your phone so you can text me if you find her.” He dialed his cell phone as he started walking.
#
Dante woke when dawn filtered through the bedroom window. He checked the clock, surprised that he’d slept so long and so soundly. He actually managed almost six straight hours of shut eye. He hated to leave the warm bed and Taylor’s side, but the enticing aroma of coffee drifted from the kitchen. Nancy was here.
Careful not to wake Taylor, he rolled out of bed and padded to the bathroom across the hall. He brushed his teeth and after a quick shave, he headed downstairs. “Morning, Nancy.”
“Good morning, Dante.” She handed his a steaming mug of black coffee, just the way he liked it, and then hugged him affectionately. “I didn’t get to tell you last night in the excitement, but I’m so proud of Kai.”
“Thanks. I’m pretty proud of him, too.” Understatement. His heart was practically bursting from his chest.
“Did you let your parents know?”
He nodded. He’d called last night to tell them he’d heard from his son. They both broke down, causing his eyes to water, too. They had their forty-five foot luxury RV packed and were heading down. “They’re coming in their motor home.”
“Oh, good. I look forward to catching up with them. Do you want me to reserve a space at the same campground as last time?”
“That would be great. Thanks, Nancy.”
“I’m on it.” She reached for her cell but before she could punch the buttons, Taylor’s phone rang. She frowned. “Blocked. It’s probably him.”
Dante grabbed the receiver and took the stairs three at a time. He hated to wake Taylor after the first good night’s sleep in days but they needed to hear what Sweeney had to say about Grace. His footsteps woke her and she bolted upright, disoriented, her hair a tangled mess. Her gaze darted around the room.
“Dante?”
He held out her phone. “Sweeney,” he mouthed.
Instantly alert, she scrambled out of bed. The thin t-shirt she wore rode up so that her long, shapely legs were on full display. It was all he could do to keep his eyes from drifting down the front of the thin cotton material. Did she know what she was doing to him? She’d looked so shy and uncertain when she asked him to sleep with her last night, he had to bend down and taste her lips. He’d been dying to do that from the first moment he met her.
She tasted sweeter than he’d imagined and when she sighed and melted into him, it took an amazing amount of willpower to walk away. A cold shower helped. She wouldn’t have said no, he was positive of that. And he found that he wanted to make love to her more than he’d wanted anything in a long time. But he’d felt so raw and exposed after talking about his late wife. He hadn’t talked that much about her in years. When he made love to Taylor, he didn’t want memories of his past life intruding. She deserved better.
She reached for the receiver. He held on to it a beat longer, smiled and nodded. She smiled and nodded back. Lifting the phone from his hand, she punched the speaker so he could listen.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Taylor. How are you this fine morning?”
“Cut the platitudes, Sweeney. I want my daughter back.”
“Now that’s going to be a little hard to manage.”
Taylor’s eyes shot to his. Would Sweeney admit Grace was gone?
“What do you mean? You have my daughter.”
“Yes, but we’re having such a wonderful time. Bonding. That’s what we’re doing. We’ve ridden horses and we went to a fair and we even took a boat ride on the water. We’re having so much fun in fact, she’s forgotten all about you.”
“Let me talk to her,” Taylor demanded, her voice strong with the knowledge that he didn’t have her anymore.
“Well now, Taylor, I’m afraid she doesn’t want to talk to you. Remember what she said yesterday? About wanting to stay with me? She’s become a daddy’s girl. But just for you, Taylor, I’ll try. Grace, do you want to talk to your mommy? No? Okay. Did you hear that? She’s decided she doesn’t want to talk to you, so this could very well be our last phone call.”
Her hands shook as she clicked the off button. Dante covered them with his. “He’s grasping, you know that, right?” She gave a small nod. “I imagine he panicked when he couldn’t find her, but he doesn’t want to give up the advantage he thinks he has on you.”
She inhaled and then released it. Squared her shoulders. “You’re right. He is grasping. Grace is safe with Kai.” She smiled and it was so beautiful, it took his breath. He felt like the sun had burst through a cloud to shine in this room. Her hair closely resembled the bird nest in the tree in front of her house, a red crease mark bisected her cheek and there was a tiny rip in the neck of her shirt.
Dante couldn’t stop himself. He drew her into his arms and kissed her.
#
“Hey guys, take a look at this.” Dan grabbed the remote to activate the flat screen above the fireplace. The computers were all linked into the television so they could share information as needed. Once everyone was gathered, he pulled up a website. “I’ve been monitoring Sweeney’s fan sites. This one bills itself as his official page. These just appeared this morning.” He clicked on a tagline titled “Follow Patrick’s Journey”. A close-up of Sweeney’s face filled the screen. He was flashing perfect white teeth. The caption read “Freedom”. The next picture was of a crude tattoo of crossed arms, one holding a gun, the other a knife, the words “Justice,” inscribed below. The caption read, “It’s all about the payback”. The final picture was a shot of the bottom half of Sweeney’s smiling face above a current USA Today newspaper with the headline “Manhunt.” He was holding the paper with both hands giving a thumbs up sign. This caption said, “That which does not kill me makes me stronger ~ F. Nietzsche.”
“We need to trace this website,” Luke said. “If we can track how Sweeney’s uploading the photos, we might be able to pinpoint his location.”
“Already on it,” Peter said, his fingers dancing across his keyboard. “I’ll get Tyler Redmond working on it, too.”
Sawyer stepped closer to peer at the picture. “That’s Friday’s newspaper so it’s definitely recent.”
“The shots are all tight so you can’t see anything in the background that might give a clue as to his whereabouts,” Dorian pointed out.
“And he was careful not to show his hair either,” Dante added. “It keeps us guessing if he’s disguised his looks or not.”
As they watched, real-time comments kept popping up: Way to go, Patrick. Rooting for you. Run, Patrick, run.
“These people are twisted,” Logan groused.
Peter’s phone rang. “Hold on, let me put you on speaker.”
“Hey, everyone, it’s Tyler. The owner of the site went to quite a bit of trouble hiding his identity, but I’ve finally managed to locate the webmaster.” Keys clicked in the background. “Keegan Brewster. Beaumont, Texas.”
Sawyer padded to his computer. “I’ll pull his files.”
“Do you want me to get him on the line?” Peter asked.
“I prefer face to face,” Luke said. “And it’s better if he doesn’t know we’re coming.”
“I’ll have Wyatt gas up the plane,” Logan said, firing off a text.
“I’ll update Taylor, let her know where we’re going.” Dante left the office as they arranged plans for the flight to Texas. He didn’t know how he’d repay his coworkers for what they were doing to find Kai. He couldn’t imagine working for better men than Luke and Logan, or with better teammates than Dorian, Dan, Peter, Maggie, Carter and all the rest of the crew. Even Sawyer Oldham was an okay guy, for an FBI agent.
He found Taylor sitting at the table with her parents. He greeted them and then asked Taylor if
he could speak to her alone.
Her eyes were wide in questioning. “Do you have news?”
“Sweeney’s been posting recent photos to his official website.”
“Grace?”
“No, just of himself. We don’t know if he’s uploading them or if he’s having someone else do it. We tracked down the owner of the site. He’s located in Texas. We don’t even know if it’s a lead, but we’re going to fly down and interview him now.
“Call me as soon as you know anything.”
“I will.” Because he just couldn’t help himself, he leaned down and kissed her goodbye.
#
“Keegan Brewster doesn’t have a criminal record,” Sawyer said as they were preparing for takeoff. “No speeding tickets or unpaid parking fines. He’s a white male, twenty-four years old. He lists computer programmer as his occupation on his taxes and he paid them on time.”
“Sounds like a model citizen,” Dan said. “Except for the fact that he’s aiding and abetting a felon.”
“I contacted the local FBI office in Houston to give them a heads up,” Sawyer told them. “They’re on standby in case we need their assistance.”
Luke popped up an image on the screen in front of the cabin. “Here’s a shot of his apartment building. He lives on the second floor. One main entry and one door that leads to a small balcony.”
“Sawyer, you should take the lead,” Logan decided. “He’s likely to be more intimidated by the FBI than by us. Dante and I will go in with you.”
“Dan and I’ll guard the front,” Luke said. “Dorian, you and Wyatt keep watch on the back in case he tries to escape.”
By the time the plane descended, they had all the plans in place. A rented SUV was waiting for them when they landed. Luke drove to the apartment complex on the south side of town. They waited until Dorian and Wyatt were in place before they climbed the steps.
The low drone of heavy metal music rocked the landing. “He’ll never hear us knock,” Dante said. Sure enough, no one answered Sawyer’s pounding. There was a small window down the walkway. Sawyer strode up to it and peered in. He banged on the glass to get the attention of the man sitting inside. The man’s head jerked up and Sawyer smashed his ID against the glass and then pointed to the door. The man’s eyes widened and he knocked over his chair hurrying to the entry.
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