The Embrace Series: Romantic Suspense Box Set

by Dana Mason

  Melissa looked around the room, her glare resting on Brian. “Why haven’t you found him yet?”

  “It’s good to see you too, Melissa,” Brian said, tension frowning his face. “Give it a rest today, Lis, you’re freaking out your sister.”

  She lowered herself down next to Ali, keeping her stone-cold glare on Brian.

  “We were questioning Ali, try to keep your snide comments to yourself until we’re done,” Brian said.

  Melissa started to snap back but Ali stopped her. “—please don’t fight. Really—I need you two to get along right now, okay.”

  “Mrs. Hayes, if you don’t mind. Will you copy those addresses for us?”

  Ali nodded. “Of course.”

  As much as they looked alike, Ali and Melissa were total opposites. Ali’s graceful and soft way clashed completely with Melissa’s harsh and outspoken demeanor. Even the way Ali talked and the sound of her voice made him warm inside. Melissa’s brash attitude reminded him more of Brian than anyone.

  When Ali finished copying the addresses, she put the book aside and reached over for Johnny again. Melissa’s eyes followed the progress of Ali’s hand then they trailed up until she focused on Johnny’s face.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Um . . . who are you?”

  He didn’t answer right away, not sure what to say.

  “Lis, this is Johnny, he’s a friend,” Ali said, bringing their joined hands to her lap. “He was with me when Micah was taken.”

  Melissa raised an eyebrow and looked at him again. “And you couldn’t stop them?”

  Johnny rested his head back and covered his face with his free hand. He had asked himself the same question over and over. Why couldn’t he stop them? What was wrong with him?

  Ali gasped. “Melissa!” She turned and grabbed Johnny’s wrist to pull his hand away from his face. “I’m sorry, Johnny, I’m sorry. S-she’s just—”

  Johnny tried to wave her off. “It’s okay.”

  “As a matter a fact, Lis,” Brian said. “We were setting up the parking lot surveillance . . . you can see for yourself what happened.” He waved the DVD remote at her.

  Johnny crept off the couch, hoping to get out of the room without much notice. He closed the bathroom door, closing out Ali’s shouts to her sister. He rested his hands on the sink basin and bowed his head, trying with every ounce of self-preservation to fight the nausea.

  A knock sounded on the door. “Johnny?”

  “It’s open.”

  The door opened and a second later the latch clicked closed, and a hand slid up and down his back.

  “I’m sorry, she’s rude,” Ali said through her tears. “I told her to leave.” Johnny nodded, but didn’t move or speak.

  After a long silence she said, “Are you okay?”

  He nodded again.

  “Please say something, I need to hear your voice.”

  “Stop worrying about me.”

  “Of course I’m worried about you. You’re a mess.” Ali sounded as miserable as he felt. The tone of her voice nasally . . . so different than he was used to. “I’m sorry.”

  Johnny lifted up from the sink and looked at her tear streaked face. He waved imperiously. “Come here, sweetheart.” Ali leaned into him, her warmth bringing him instant relief. “Stop apologizing to me. She’s right, I should have done more to stop them.”

  “No!” She shook her head vigorously in his chest. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this. That doesn’t help—self-blame will not bring Micah home. You saved my life, and Micah’s. You pushed us out of the way and got the full force of that car.” Ali’s chest heaved, her crying turned into a sob. “It’s a miracle you weren’t killed.”

  “Shh, stop crying. We need to focus on bringing Micah home.” He paused to kiss her head. “He’s going to be alright—he has to be.”

  Ali lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were black with grief, no golden brown, no light, or spark left in them. All he saw was hurt and pain and sorrow.

  “You love him too,” Ali whispered. “You’re hurting too, don’t try to hide it.”

  “Watching that car come at us . . .” Johnny closed his eyes and exhaled. “I thought I’d lose you both.”

  “I know.” Her chin quivered and she said, “I watched you get hit by that car twice . . . I can’t even . . .” she shook her head breaking free of the embrace and turning her back on him. She exhaled heavily and sat on the closed toilet seat. “Johnny . . . I know this isn’t what you signed up for. I realize this situation might be a little more than you’re interested in committing too.” She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and locking her gaze on his. “If you want to leave, nobody would fault you. I’ll understand . . . everyone will understand.”

  He squared his shoulders, not sure what pissed him off more, her believing he didn’t want to be here, or her so easily giving him the out. Why would she even think that? There wasn’t another place on the planet he wanted to be but here with her, fighting to get Micah home safely. “Is this about your sister? Are you looking for an out . . . of this relationship?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I don’t want you to feel trapped in my insane life. If you’re going to leave, do it now because the longer you stay, the more it’s going to hurt.”

  He knelt in front of her, gripping her hands in his. “I’m not going anywhere. You said it yourself, I love Micah too. I will be here for you and with you through this, I promise. I will be here when they bring him home and I am not looking for the escape door out of this relationship.” He reached up and wiped the tears off her cheeks and said, “Please tell me you believe that. Tell me right now that you believe me when I say I’ll walk to the end of the world for you and your little boys.”

  Her eyes filled with tears again and she smiled. “I believe you.”

  “I won’t let you down, sweetheart.” He stood pulling her to her feet. “Let’s do this, they’re waiting for us.”

  When they entered the living room holding hands Ali stared down at her sister, shocked she had the gall to stay after Ali had screamed at her to leave. “I thought you were leaving.”

  “I’m sorry I said that. I’m worried about Micah too.”

  Ali helped Johnny ease down onto the couch. “Really? You’re sorry?”

  “Yes.” Melissa looked directly at Johnny. “I’m very sorry for what I said to you.”

  Johnny waved her off then turned to Brian “We want to watch the surveillance, Brian, and then we want to hear where the investigation is going.”

  “You got it,” Brian said, hitting play on the remote. “Prepare yourselves, it’s not pretty.”

  Ali’s eyes focused on her baby, she couldn’t help it. The thought of it being the last time she’d ever see him had crept in and she couldn’t shake it now. When the speeding car came at them, she covered her mouth with her hand, and fought the urge to brace for impact.

  In the video, Johnny positioned himself between her and the speeding car, pushing the stroller with his left hand and Ali with his right. The time it took for the car to reach them had been little more than a heartbeat. The stroller rolled between the parked cars, but Ali had been shoved to the other side of her car and slammed into the car on the right of hers. She was blocked in and couldn’t get around. She watched herself get up and look at the stroller then at Johnny lying on the ground ten feet away.

  Johnny had been hit full force above the knees and it sent him flying through the air. Ali gasped and Johnny’s grip on her hand tightened. She knew he was thrown after being hit, but watching it now showed how close he came to being killed. If he’d landed on another car, hit his head too hard, if he’d landed any other way, things could have ended completely different.

  When the video showed the woman get out of the car Ali said, “I thought she was getting out to help. When I realized what she was doing I started screaming.” She felt so helpless. Now and in the video, watching her son get taken and not being quick enough or strong enoug
h to stop it.

  In the video, when the woman slipped into the backseat of the silver car with Micah, Johnny staggered to his feet. The car went screeching toward him again and instead of diving out of the way, he jumped on the hood. Ali gasped again and looked away, she’d seen this part clearly in the parking lot and she didn’t want to see it again.

  “What were you doing—there?” Melissa asked, pointing to the screen.

  “Reaching for his gun,” Mark said, glancing at Melissa then Johnny.

  Ali turned to him. “You didn’t have your gun.”

  “Habit,” Brian and Mark said in sequence as Johnny mouthed the same thing.

  “Did you know you didn’t have the gun when you jumped on the hood?” Ali asked.

  “I didn’t think about it. I was just trying to get to Micah,” he said, lowering his eyes.

  Chapter Fourteen

  In the stillness of the room, Ali’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Melissa’s quiet sobbing was the only other sound. Everyone else stayed silent until Brian reached out for Melissa’s hand. “Lis, they’re okay.”

  Melissa jerked away from him and turned toward Ali. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry, Johnny. You saved my sister’s life, that car should have killed you both.”

  “We’re fine,” Johnny whispered. “We only want to find Micah.”

  Melissa’s apology did nothing to relieve the tension in the room. Brian leaned forward and bowed his head, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked exhausted with disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes. Ali had never seen him this on edge. It was obvious he hadn’t gotten any rest since everything had happened.

  “Is it possible someone took Micah for a ransom?” Ali asked.

  “We would’ve received demands from a kidnapper by now if that were the case,” Brian said.

  She covered her mouth with her trembling hand. “Who else would do this?”

  Brian looked up and glanced between Johnny and Ali. “We don’t want to speculate.”

  “Bullshit, Brian, you always have a suspect. Tell me what you think—besides Carl?”

  Mark cleared his throat, eyeing Brian and shaking his head slightly.

  “Shut-up, Mark, I want to know,” Ali said, pointing a finger at him.

  “It won’t help to tell you any of these theories until we have something concrete,” Mark said.

  “Stop—Mark! Don’t try to spare me.”

  “We need to hear everything,” Johnny said. “Don’t keep anything from her. We—she needs to be fully informed.”

  “We don’t intend to keep you in the dark,” Agent Peters said. “We’ll share whatever we can as long as it doesn’t hinder our investigation.”

  Brian set the remote aside and cleared his throat before sitting back up. He waited a few heartbeats then said, “There’s been some noise about baby brokers in Northern California lately.”

  Ali brought her hand to her mouth. “B-baby brokers?”

  “Do you understand what that means?” Brian said, resting his eyes on her.

  Her chin quivered under her hand. “You believe someone might have stolen my baby to sell him on the black market in an illegal adoption?”

  Brian nodded and the room grew quiet again.

  Ali closed her eyes for a moment trying to focus, her stomach in knots. Her beautiful baby, being sold to the highest bidder. Please no . . . not her Micah. “I thought they targeted newborn babies?”

  “When people get desperate for a child, they aren’t likely to squabble over a baby who’s four months old.”

  She leaned forward. “What about the Amber Alert? The video was pretty clear. Didn’t you get the plate numbers and the make of the car?”

  Brian shook his head. “We’ve recovered the car. They found it abandoned outside of town. It was reported stolen the morning of the kidnapping.”

  Ali’s insides writhed as if she were burning from the inside out. The hole in her gut grew wider and she had to cross her arms over her stomach to keep from being swallowed whole by the deepening pit. She lowered her head unable to look into Brian’s worried eyes any longer.

  “This can’t be happening,” she whispered and felt herself slowly shutting down, one function at a time. First her physical body, then her brain, then her heart—she knew her heart had stopped because broken hearts didn’t beat.

  “Ali, there is a bright side—”

  “Really, Brian—a bright side,” Melissa mocked. “Enlighten us, please.”

  “Yes, Melissa,” Brian said in a tone that sounded so pained, it hurt Ali to hear.

  “Melissa . . . please stop,” Ali said, glancing between the two.

  “If Micah was taken for this purpose—stolen by a baby broker, they won’t harm him. They’ll take good care of him until we find him.”

  Melissa’s glare on Brian softened ever so slightly, but Ali was the only person in the room who noticed the change.

  “If these baby brokers are already being investigated then we have a head start,” Johnny said.

  “Yes, a good head start,” Brian confirmed. “The FBI is working closely with the San Francisco Police Department. That’s where they think the home-base is for these baby brokers.”

  “So . . . what?” Johnny asked. “What have they found in The City? What exactly are they investigating?”

  “There are a couple of shady lawyers they’re looking into. Nothing solid yet. We’re not absolutely sure, but we’re checking out everything.” Brian focused on Ali again. “Ali, sometimes these abductions are just chance opportunities . . . but more often they’re targeted. I need you to study the woman in the video, maybe you’ve seen her before. Anywhere you might take Micah regularly. The pediatrician’s office, babysitters, any Mommy and Me groups,” Brian said. “She could be a friend of a friend, maybe a friend’s housekeeper, a barista at the nearby Starbucks—if anything comes to you, let us know immediately. Has anything strange happened over the last few weeks to make you question people or your surroundings.”

  “Ha—yeah,” Johnny said. “The break in on Saturday night.”

  “Yeah, that’s the only strange thing that’s happened.”

  “Maybe they were trying to get to Micah and didn’t know he wasn’t here,” Johnny sat up a little straighter and said, “Were you able to make contact with Carl at all before the abduction?”

  Brian shook his head. “No luck.”

  “It’s not Carl,” Ali said. “Questioning him is a complete waste of time.”

  “We have to be thorough, Mrs. Hayes. Mr. Hayes is a suspect until he has been eliminated as one.”

  Ali shook her head but didn’t respond. The room grew silent until Mark said, “We’ve contacted the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children. Your mom and my parents are working with them at the volunteer center. They’re making calls and printing flyers—whatever’s necessary to help.”

  “We have a good head start, Ali,” Brian said. The quietness of his voice, defeated and drained. It wasn’t like Brian, and that scared her. She’d known him too long not to recognize when he was hiding something.

  “Mrs. Hayes, the media may be annoying but they’re our best asset at this point.” Agent Peters held up a newspaper to emphasize his point. “The more they show Micah’s photo and the hotline number, the better our chances are of finding him. We may need you to talk to them in person soon. Brian’s been an excellent spokesperson, but nothing can replace the words of a mother.”

  Someone was trying to sell her baby. She lay down, resting her head in Johnny’s lap again and closed her eyes, letting the darkness cloud her. She went over every detail of the last few months she’d spent with her baby, remembering his first laugh from the day before. How could she function when her child was missing? She didn’t know what to do, or how to act. She wished she could disappear with him, get all these people out of her face and pretend time had stopped at the very moment of Micah’s first little giggle. If she could freeze time there in that moment, she’d neve
r have to know what it was like to have a missing child, she’d never have to worry if he was hungry or scared . . . dead or alive. Go back in time and cook breakfast, instead of suggesting they go out. If only she’d went back to bed like Johnny had suggested. If she’d done anything but leave the house, her Micah would be home and safe.

  They were all watching her, but she didn’t care. When Johnny’s warm hand touched her cheek it reminded her that she was still alive even if she felt dead inside.

  Brian slowly stood up and left the room. Johnny had the distinct impression it was to hide from Melissa. He looked up at Mark so drained it took every ounce of strength he had to speak. “She hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday’s breakfast.”

  “I’ll get her something. Sarah’s been cooking all day and sending food over here.”

  “Do you think you can eat, Ali?” Melissa said.

  Ali didn’t look up or even acknowledge Melissa.

  “She’ll eat—I’ll make her eat. She has to keep her strength up for her boys,” Mark stood and glanced at Ali’s tear streaked face before walking out of the room.

  Melissa followed Mark, and Johnny was thankful to have a few minutes alone with Ali. He rested his head on hers lightly and tried to remember the prayer he used to say with his mama as a child. When he couldn’t remember the words, he decided to pray to her instead, she’d hear him. He’d been doing it since she had died. It was the only way he could communicate with his family since they were killed and he had to believe they could hear him—especially now when he needed them so badly.

  When Ali stiffened underneath him, he whispered, “Keep breathing, sweetheart.”

  She inhaled sharply then heaved out a sob. He started humming a tune in her ear to calm her and after a few minutes, she stopped trembling and relaxed on his lap again.

  Johnny couldn’t tell how long they sat like that. Before he realized, Melissa and Mark were coming into the room with sandwiches and soup. When Johnny smelled the food he had to swallow hard. The thought of eating made him want to throw up, but if he didn’t eat then Ali wouldn’t either. He leaned up and shook her gently on the shoulder. She wasn’t sleeping; tears were still streaming from her closed lids. “Ali, sit up and eat, darlin.’”