by Jenna Brandt
The color drained from Roger’s face as a look of fear seized his face. “Where is he, Celeste?”
“I…I don’t know,” she cried out. “I’ve been looking everywhere, even asked several of the other company employees to help me look. I can’t find him anywhere.”
“We can help look,” Conrad quickly volunteered, worried about the little guy. Even if he wasn’t getting along with the boy’s father, the least he could do was help look for a missing child.
“What if someone took him? Doesn’t that happen with rich people, for ransoms?” Celeste inquired. “Shouldn’t we call the police?”
Roger nodded, pulling out his cell phone. “I’m dialing 9-1-1 right now.”
“How long has it exactly been since you last saw him, Celeste?” Tiffany asked, wanting to know the facts before they involved the police if Marcus simply curled up and took a nap somewhere.
“At least twenty minutes. The nanny is rather new, and I thought she was doing a good job, but between being busy with the employees and making sure the picnic was successful, I didn’t watch Marcus as close as I normally would have,” Celeste prattled. “If anything happens to him, I’ll never forgive myself.” Tears started streaming down Celeste’s cheeks, her face bright red and her body shaking from the hysteria that was taking hold of her.
As Conrad looked around the area, he wondered how they would ever find such a small child in such a thickly populated area. If he knew one thing, they were going to need help. Though prayer was new to him, it was all he could think of doing.
God, help us find Marcus. You know where he is and what needs to happen to help us find him.
Conrad reached out and took Tiffany’s hand. He wasn’t going to let her go through this alone.
“Let’s start looking. He has to be around here somewhere,” Tiffany stated in a soothing voice, trying to calm her sister-in-law down. “I’m sure someone will find him at any moment.”
The truth was, Tiffany was equally scared. A lot could happen to a small child in only a few minutes. Kidnapping was the least of her concerns. She was more worried her nephew was lost, had fallen down and gotten hurt, or even stumbled into the nearby waterfall.
Tiffany made a straight path to that very area, terrified her nephew might be found face down in the water. She wasn’t even sure if her family could survive such a tragedy, especially on the heels of losing their father.
Silently, she sent up a prayer, asking God to help them in the situation.
“Where are we going?” Conrad inquired with confusion. “Do you know where he is?”
Tiffany shook her head. “No, but all kids are attracted to water. I thought he might head towards the waterfalls. I hope I’m wrong though,” she added at the end, barely loud enough for Conrad to hear.
Please Lord, let me be wrong. Don’t let me find him in the water.
They reached the bank of the stream at the bottom of the waterfalls and spent the next couple of minutes looking around. To Tiffany’s momentary relief, there was no sign that Marcus had ever been near the water. After establishing that though, she realized it meant that they still didn’t know where her nephew was.
“Where else should we search?” Conrad inquired, glancing around the park.
“I’m not sure, but I know everyone else headed north and east of the tent. Maybe we should cover the west side of the area,” Tiffany suggested.
“All right, let’s go.”
Tiffany and Conrad took the nearest walk path heading west, scanning the area for any sign of the little boy. The further they went, the more afraid Tiffany became. Where was he? What if she never saw him again? Would her brother even be able to live without his son? Would any of them?
“Isn’t that Marcus over there with that woman?” Conrad asked, pulling Tiffany back to where they were. “It looks like she is trying to hail a cab.”
Tiffany’s eyes darted over to where Conrad was pointing. It was indeed Marcus, along with his mother Brianna, who wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near him, let alone trying to take him from the park.
“We have to stop them, right now,” Tiffany shouted, sprinting towards them.
If Brianna was able to take off with Marcus, they might never see him again. Who knows where she planned to take him? The woman had endless contacts since her client list was filled with rich and powerful men, willing to do anything for the notorious Manhattan escort.
They reached them just as a cab was pulling up along the road that ran along the outskirts of the park. Tiffany reached out and grabbed Brianna by the arm.
The woman glanced over her shoulder at Tiffany, gave her a dirty look, and stated firmly, “Do you mind taking your hands off me. This is my cab.”
“You don’t recognize me, do you, Brianna?”
The other woman shook her head.
“I’m Tiffany Boswell, Roger’s sister, and you need to give me back my nephew this instant.”
“I don’t have to do anything. He’s my son,” Brianna shrieked out in anger, her glazed over eyes darting everywhere. If she were high on drugs, it made her even more dangerous. “You can’t keep a mother from her child. It’s not right.”
“We aren’t doing anything; you did it with the choices you made,” Tiffany pointed out.
The woman yanked free from Tiffany’s grasp and reached for the handle of the door. “Get in the car, Marcus.”
The little boy glanced with trepidation between his aunt and mother, his big brown eyes puddling with tears.
“It’s all right, Marcus, why don’t you come over here so I can take you to your father,” Tiffany coaxed, reaching her hand out to the boy.
Brianna swung the cab door open. “Get in now, Marcus, before it’s too late. Don’t you want to come away with Mommy?”
Conrad stepped forward and pushed the door shut. “The boy won’t be going anywhere with you.”
“I don’t see how any of this is your concern,” Brianna snapped out. “Get out of my way.”
“I can’t do that, ma’am, and you need to settle down. Can’t you see you’re scaring your son?”
Brianna glanced momentarily at Marcus, and she looked as if she was debating what to do. With a roll of her shoulders, she stated dismissively, “He’ll get over it once we’re far from here.”
“I don’t want to go, Mommy. I like living with Daddy.”
“He’s not your dad. I lied,” she seethed out. “I just wanted him to take care of us.”
“Stop it, Brianna, stop it right now,” Tiffany shouted at the other woman. “It’s over and you’re only making a fool of yourself and confusing Marcus. My father had a paternity test done a long time ago. Marcus is Roger’s son, and nothing you say will change that.”
The woman’s face went white as she glanced down at her son. Was it possible that even Brianna hadn’t been sure herself up until that moment? She probably hadn’t cared until it became convenient to do so.
“It doesn’t matter. I raised him, and he belongs to me. I’m taking him,” Brianna reached out and yanked Marcus by the arm, causing him to cry out in pain.
“You need to let the boy go now,” Conrad yelled at the other woman, pushing his hand against the cab door. “You’re not taking him anywhere.”
Cop sirens could be heard in the distance, approaching the park. “You need to hand him over right now, Brianna, or this is just going to get worse for you,” Tiffany warned. “The court has mandated you stay away. What do you think they’re going to do if they find out you tried to kidnap him?”
“You can’t kidnap your own child,” she cried out in anger. “Marcus is mine.”
The little boy pulled free, shaking his head. “No, Mommy, I want to stay with Daddy and Celeste. I don’t like all the men that visited the house, or how you made me stay in my room all night. It was scary.” Marcus darted towards Tiffany, burying his face in her waist as he started to sob, the tears finally bursting free from their dam. Tiffany patted his back, trying to comfort him.
She gave him a dirty look, then with anger, reached in her purse and pulled out a gun. She pointed it at Conrad, then wildly swung it around, obviously not caring who saw it or what might happen because of it.
“You’re both going to leave me and my son alone right now, or I swear, I’ll shoot you where you stand,” she threatened in a high-pitched frantic voice. “I have nothing left to lose. I just found out that one of my clients had me blacklisted when I wouldn’t give him what he wanted. Marcus is all I have left, so I’m taking him one way or the other.”
Suddenly, Tiffany saw Conrad dart towards Brianna, but from her vantage point behind him, she couldn’t see what was happening clearly. There was a struggle, several grunts from Conrad and shrieks from Brianna, before Conrad seemed to get the better of Brianna. He tucked the gun into the back of the waist band of his jeans, then grabbed Brianna in a bear hug.
Tiffany watched as the other woman struggled against Conrad for several seconds, thrashing around like a feral cat, before finally sagging against his arms, sobbing about how her life was over.
The cops arrived a few moments later, rushing up to detain Brianna and take the gun into evidence once Conrad explained what happened. Roger and Celeste arrived shortly after, both of them gathering Marcus into their arms as they cried with relief that he was safe.
Tiffany made her way over to Conrad’s side. She reached up and gently touched the side of his left cheek that had scratch marks on it. “Are you okay?”
Conrad nodded. “Nothing that a little antibiotic ointment and sleep can’t cure. Man, that woman sure has a lot of fight for being so tiny. I mean, I was an all-star, state-champion wrestler, and she made me feel like I went through an entire match with a contender.”
“I guess that’s what happens when you have nothing left to lose. I feel bad for her. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was awful what she did, but to be so filled with despair, I can’t even imagine feeling like that. It makes me glad I have my faith.”
“Me too, though I’m new to it, I’m glad God was with us today,” Conrad confirmed, stretching out and pulling Tiffany into his arms. “I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you, or your nephew for that matter.”
“You didn’t have to risk your life for us,” Tiffany whispered against his chest. “You don’t even know Marcus.”
“Yes, I did. Anyone that matters to you, matters to me,” he countered, letting his chin rest against the top of her head.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Mrs. Boswell, Roger and Tiffany’s mother said, rushing up to stand next to Conrad and Tiffany. “The police just told me what you did, Mr. Gaines. I can’t thank you enough for saving my grandson’s life.”
“Neither can I,” Tiffany heard her brother say, joining them. “After how I treated you right before, I wouldn’t have blamed you for walking away.”
“Like I said, I care about Tiffany, and I would do anything for her,” Conrad vowed. “Besides, what type of despicable person would sit back and let a child be kidnapped? No, I had to intervene.”
“Well, I’m truly grateful, Conrad. If it hadn’t been for you, I might’ve never seen my son again. I was wrong about you. I won’t stand in the way of you being with my sister.”
“Hey now, I have a choice in the matter,” Tiffany said, leaning back for a moment and giving both men an irritated glare. “Of course, I made my decision about Conrad a long time ago. He’s a keeper.”
Conrad leaned down and kissed Tiffany. She was grateful that despite how it happened, everything had worked out for the best. Everyone was safe, she had her family’s support, and her relationship with Conrad was finally out in the open for all to see.
11
Once everything was settled at the picnic with the police, Conrad took Tiffany home. Though she looked exhausted, which was to be expected, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
“How does it feel to be out in the open with me? I mean, when we walked back to the tent, we were holding hands, so I’m sure everyone knows by now.”
She smiled, squeezing his hand with her own. “I’m okay with that.”
“Good, because so am I,” he leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. “I still can’t believe the cops found out that Daniel Maddox was the one who sent an email telling Brianna that Marcus would be at the picnic.”
“Me either, I mean, I heard he was furious when he got fired, but to sink to the level of helping Brianna take Marcus seems unreal to me. He really is a horrible man.”
“Well, he thought his life was ruined before, he’s going from simply being unemployed to being arrested on conspiracy charges for felony kidnapping. His need to seek revenge is going to result in him spending a lot of time behind bars.”
The Town Car pulled up in front of Tiffany’s apartment building. The driver got out and opened the car door for them. They climbed out, then stood on the edge of the sidewalk.
“Should I walk you upstairs?”
Tiffany shook her head. “I’m fine. I don’t want to be tempted into inviting you inside, or I’ll never get any sleep.”
“So, no movie marathon tonight?” Conrad teased.
“Nope, I need like two full days of sleep,” she jested back, “Or least a solid six hours of uninterrupted pillow time.”
He leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. “All right, I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tiffany agreed with a smile. “Talk to you soon.”
“Not soon enough.”
Conrad watched as Tiffany made her way upstairs, then climbed back into his Town Car. While they drove towards home, Conrad thought about how happy he was. Not only did he finally have a healthy relationship with a woman that was amazingly smart, funny, and drop-dead gorgeous, but his business was doing better than ever, and he had a newfound faith.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tiffany’s wallet. It must have fallen out of her purse. He could get it back to her tomorrow, but he liked the excuse of going back and seeing her one more time before bed.
He instructed his driver to turn around. A few minutes later, he arrived back at Tiffany’s apartment. The doorman greeted him, recognizing Conrad. “You’re back to see, Miss Boswell, already? She seems rather popular tonight, but who am I to judge.”
Conrad’s brows came together in a furrow as he tilted his head to the side. What did that mean?
“Miss Boswell forgot her wallet in my car. I just want to return it to her. Can I go ahead on up?”
“Sure thing, Mr. Gaines,” the doorman permitted as he opened the door to let Conrad inside.
He took the elevator up to the top floor, then headed down the hallway. Before Conrad reached the end where her apartment was located, he saw Tiffany standing at her door with a man he recognized from Roger and Celeste’s wedding. It was Artie Frankhurst. Tiffany’s ex. What in blazes was he doing here?
Conrad stopped in his tracks, and from around the corner, debated whether he should intervene and kick Artie out of the apartment building or let Tiffany do it for him. Before he could make his decision though, something unexpected happened. He watched as Artie leaned forward and kissed Tiffany on the mouth. What was more shocking was that she didn’t pull away from it.
Disgusted, enraged, and hurt, Conrad ducked back and let himself droop against the wall. What did he just witness? What did that kiss mean? She’d never really talked about her ex or why they broke up. Had it been only temporary, or was it worse? Had she been playing both of them all this time?
Every negative thought he ever had about himself and about the old money elitists were confirmed when he saw the two of them kissing. Artie was raised in the same social set as her, and they were from the same world. Perhaps she was having second thoughts about who the better match was for her. Maybe she didn’t want t
o be with a foster kid from Florida who didn’t have the pedigree that Artie Frankhurst did.
Conrad rushed from the apartment building after leaving the wallet with the concierge downstairs, wanting to put as much distance as possible between himself and the woman who had just broken his heart.
When Tiffany swung the door open to find Artie standing on the other side, all she could do was let out a heavy sigh of frustration.
“What? Not happy to see me?”
“You know I’m not. I’ve told you more times than I can count to leave me alone,” she snapped.
“I guess it’s going to have to take a million and one,” he badgered with an impish grin.
“It’s been a long day, Artie, and all I want to do is get some sleep. Please leave, before I call security. I’m not even sure how you got in here.”
“Oh, I just told the doorman we were back together. He’s so old, he bought it hook, line, and sinker. Besides, it’s going to be true soon enough.”
Tiffany resented his cockiness. Why did he think he got to cheat on her, and she would somehow see past it and take him back?
“No, it’s not. It’s never going to be, which is why you need to leave,” she stated emphatically.
“Not yet; I need to talk to you first. I heard about what happened at the picnic today.”
“From who?” Tiffany asked with weariness as she crossed her arms, not sure if she wanted to talk about the whole ordeal yet, or ever, for that matter. “It’s barely been a couple of hours. I doubt the attempted kidnapping has made the news.”
“What attempted kidnapping?” Artie asked in confusion. “I was talking about this,” he said, clicking the screen of his phone and pushing it out towards her. “Someone snapped a picture of you kissing that tacky, new money, imbecile.”
“Don’t talk about him like that,” Tiffany rebuked. “You don’t know him, and for the record, he’s ten times the man you are.”
Artie let out a laugh, shaking his head. “You’re just trying to make me jealous, and you’ll be happy to know, it’s working.”