by Celeste Raye
Chapter Two
Scott woke up to the phone ringing and his head pounding. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt like they were glued shut. He was done with everything, and he wasn’t even out of bed yet.
Trying to shut the phone up, he moved his hand around on the nightstand, trying to find it before it became too much. His head was going to kill him. He was sure of it. All he had to do was get his phone to stop making noise.
When he finally found it, it was only to push it off the bed. He cursed and finally got his eyes open. It was time to find out who was calling that early in the morning. Scott was going to make sure that whoever it was, regretted calling him.
“Hello!”
“Um, sorry to bother you—”
“You don’t seem that worried about it, because here you are, calling me. What do you want?”
“I am sorry, Scott.”
“Who is this, and how do you know who I am?”
The woman on the line was getting flustered. Scott knew that he sounded harsh, even to his own ears, but he’d been that way for a while now. Two years almost. Life had changed him, and not in a good way.
“This is Fran. I run a nanny service.”
“I don’t need a damn nanny. Your information could have been better. Goodbye.”
He was about to hang up, when she said something that almost made him drop the phone.
“Shane is with me. Don’t hang up, please. Your son, Shane, we found him.”
Scott felt his heart stop, and he needed a minute to take a breath. As much as he wanted to believe that this was all happenstance, he couldn’t. He hadn’t heard anything about Shane in over a year and a half. He had been taken, Scott’s wife Sandra murdered, and the trail had run cold. To hear his name was like a knife in his heart and the pain was sudden and life-threatening.
“Do not talk about my son. I don’t know what you want, but you are cruel to even say his name.”
“I am sorry, Scott. This must come as a shock; I can’t even imagine. Shane told me that he’s been gone for a long time. He doesn’t know how long he’s been gone.”
“Two years and fourteen days.”
The woman on the other line was quiet and then he thought he heard her sniffle.
“What is going on?”
“Sorry, I just can’t believe that it’s been so long.”
Scott was hurt, confused, and wanted to know what the hell the woman was going on about. She was killing him, and she didn’t even seem to know it.
“You said Shane told you? He’s been considered dead for well over a year. Where are you?”
He wanted all the answers at once, and Fran answered as quickly as she could.
“I’m in California. He is here with me and wants to come home. I am trying to get him to come over here so that he can say hello. He’s eating lunch. Just a second.”
She covered up the receiver, but he could still hear her call out his son’s name, telling him that his dad was on the line. Scott was trying not to let hope bloom, but he couldn’t help it. The idea that his son was alive hadn’t run through his head in a long time.
“Okay, he’s coming. Um, I guess I should warn you to take it slow. He’s still really skittish, and he’s been through a lot.”
Scott needed more information, like where his son had been this whole time, but Fran was gone, and he heard his son’s voice on the other line. Tears started to work down his cheeks, and he wasn’t able to speak for a moment, emotions closing up his throat.
“Shane?”
“Hey, Dad. I want to come home.”
“Yes, buddy. I will be right there. I love you son.”
“I love you too, Dad. I miss you.”
Scott was overwhelmed, and they talked for a few more minutes, mainly him promising to be there to get him soon. Shane was hungry though, relaying that he was going to get something to eat. Scott agreed, because what else was he going to do? He was thankful when Fran got back on the phone.
“I can’t believe you have my son. What’s happened to him? He said that he didn’t get to eat much.”
Fran told Scott she wasn’t sure what had happened to his son. She relayed the takedown of the Franklin Organization and where he was found. She left out some of the grittier details of his captivity, Scott could tell, but he got enough information to give him an idea. He didn’t want to think thoroughly about all that had happened to him. It was just too painful.
“Give me the address, and I will be there as soon as I can.”
“Well, we are going to be here a while. Shane was saved with twenty-two other children. We’re just trying to get them home. Shane touched my heart. Your son is a good boy, and I’m sorry this happened to you and your family.”
“What about this Organization? Are they done?”
The woman was quiet for a time, and that gave him his answer. They were still out there, roaming around, murdering and kidnapping, ruining lives. Scott knew that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep at night, really sleep, until they had all paid for what they’d done to his family.
“I will be there soon, Fran. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I can’t thank you enough. I thought he was—”
She stopped him. “It’s okay, Scott. He’s okay. He’s waiting for you when you get here. As information comes in, I will let you know everything that I do.”
“These people have to die, Fran. All those humans involved.”
“And witches. It looks like it’s a witch at the top.”
Scott was feeding on the anger. It helped him rise and get ahold of himself. He didn’t know what he was going to do about his broken son, but he knew exactly what he would do to the ones that had done it to him.
“All of them.”
“I’m not a violent person, Scott, but I have to agree with you. Something has to be done. I look forward to meeting you. I know that Shane is looking forward to it.”
As soon as he got off of the phone with her, Scott knew it was time to leave.
Chapter Three
“Thank you for coming in and helping me, Vanessa. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.”
Vanessa was still looking around the room, trying to figure out what it was she was looking at. There were people everywhere, in all forms of healing, and there was a sadness that was almost palpable. The people had seen far too much. Fran had called her to help with the children while she continued to find the rest of their parents.
Vanessa was human, but she had learned a lot from Fran. She was still trying to get her head around the fact that there were people that turned into different animals all around her. There was also violence in the supernatural world that was hard to take on with her human background. Humans were certainly the type of people to inflict violence upon each other, but it was somehow different when the supernatural did it. They could do so much more damage.
Vanessa had not gotten the full story, but she had gotten the gist of it. Some humans and witches had stolen a bunch of children and kidnapped a bunch of shifter adults. Their whole purpose was still a mystery, but there was talk that they were trying to wipe out the entire race. Vanessa couldn't even imagine it.
Her eyes tried it to take in everything that was in front of her. There were so many children, and Fran had said something about there being even more children to begin with.
“Do you think you're going to be able to find all of their parents?”
Fran sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
“I really don't know, but I hope so. They all deserve to go home.”
She had walked in on the tail-end of the conversation that Fran was having with Scott on the phone, and she asked Fran about it. She had never seen Fran so upset before, even though she knew why. There was just something in the way that Fran had talked to him that made her pause and wonder.
“Is the guy that you were talking to on the phone going to be here soon?”
“I’m not sure. He said he would be here as soon as possible.
>
These kids are mainly local, but a couple of them have had family members that are quite a distance away. I don't even know how they got ahold of all of them.”
It was hard for Vanessa to conceive everything that she was hearing. She knew it was true. She could see it with her own eyes, but it was still more complicated than she could imagine. She did not know how Fran was handling it so well.
“I am glad to help, Fran. Just point me in the right direction.”
Fran said something about finishing up lunch, and Vanessa went to help. She was still new to the world, but kids were kids as far as she was concerned. Anybody that would hurt a child did not hold much value.
Vanessa put together the rest of lunch and served adults and kids alike. The only thing that most of them had in common was that they were shifters. It still amazed Vanessa that people that look completely normal, could shift into all sorts of different creatures. It blew her mind to be around so many at once.
Vanessa tried not to let everything get to her. She was a pretty gentle soul, and like her friend Fran, all she could think about was what had happened to the children. They all seemed to be hungry, like they hadn't eaten properly in a month. When Vanessa heard about Shane and how he had actually been there for over two years, she found herself getting misty-eyed as well. The stories that she heard were devastating.
The one that drew her to him the most was the one that had been there the longest. He had the sort of sadness in his eyes that did not seem to go away, even though he was surrounded by people and he was finally safe. Instead of talking and carrying on like everybody else was, he kept to himself and Vanessa went to sit with them.
She asked him how he was doing, and he seemed a little hesitant.
“Okay, I guess.”
“I hear that you are going to be going home soon. I bet you are excited about it.”
Vanessa was a little surprised to see that the boy was not nearly as happy to be going home as she would have thought. That made her wonder why and when she asked him, he just kind of looked at her strangely.
“My mom was killed when they took me; I haven't seen my dad in a long time. I am happy to be going home, but I wish my mom was still there.”
It was another gut-wrenching moment for Vanessa, and she was finding it hard to hold her composure. The boy was just so sweet and had been through so much. She wanted to make it better for him, for all of them.
“I am sorry, honey. I can't even imagine what you're going through, but I can tell just by meeting you for these few moments that you are one brave boy.”
He seemed to perk up a little bit, but she could also tell that he most likely didn't want to be brave. He just wanted his mother back, like any kid would.
Vanessa heard Shane’s name being called loudly behind her and she turned around to find a very tall man standing there. The guy had tears in his eyes. She did not even need to guess who it was. It was Shane’s father.
Two years was a long time not to know what was happening with a person’s child. Like Shane, the father had pain in his eyes. Vanessa’s heart went out for both of them.
The boy next to her animated and even though he’d acted unaffected moments ago, all of that had changed when his father came into focus. Shane jumped up and into his arms. She found the scene heartbreakingly sweet, and the emotions were bubbling up again. It was impossible not to feel something for them.
She watched the two embrace and had to look away, the feelings inside her overwhelming. It had been an emotional day, and Vanessa went to find Fran. She wanted someone to talk to, to share in the burden of the information she’d picked up. It wasn’t anything that she had ever wanted to see. It was just too much.
Fran smiled at her. “It’s tough, isn’t it?”
“Shane’s dad just got here, and you should have seen him. Oh, Fran, this is hard. I don’t know how you do it. These people, their lives are so complicated.”
Fran agreed. “They do seem to be, more so than what I’m used to, but they love just as much. You’ll see.”
Vanessa didn’t know what to say. She kept finding herself checking out the father-son duo, and though her heart ached for the people involved, it was also full. It was, at least, a good ending.
Chapter Four
“I can't thank you enough, Fran. Really. You don't know what this means to my family and me. We thought that we had lost Shane for good.”
Scott looked over at his son playing with some of the other kids, and he still couldn't believe that he was back. Scott knew that a lot of people had been involved to make it happen, but the human in front of him had facilitated their reunion. For that, Scott was always going to be forever grateful.
“I'm glad that I was able to help. Your son is precious, and I hope all the best for you both. I won't even try to pretend like I can imagine what you're going through, but just know that I am here for you and anything that you need. We all just want to help them.”
Scott had been figuring some things out while he was on the way over. He wanted to believe that he would easily be able to take down the Franklin Organization. Scott was a businessman that had become a billionaire when he was thirty. He made things happen. He got his way, and it had not even occurred to him that he would not be able to do what was needed. He was just that sure of himself.
What he had found out quickly, though, was how much he didn't know. The Franklin Organization was bigger than he had imagined, and the more he started to talk to people, the more he realized that Shane was certainly not their first victim, and even the people that were in the room with him at the moment were only the tip of the iceberg. The Organization was going to be a lot more trouble than he had first imagined, and that made Scott pause.
Now that he had his son back, he was thinking about how he was going to be able to take care of everything. While his focus, of course, was going to be on his son, at the same time, there was revenge ticking in his thoughts.
Scott had some questions for Fran that did not pertain to the Franklin Organization. He was curious about something else weighing heavily on his mind.
“Well, I am thankful for everything that you've done, and when you were telling me that you had a nanny service, I am sorry that I was so rude. I have not been myself since Shane was taken.”
Fran immediately agreed and told him that it was not a big deal.
“I just wanted to apologize for that. I had a hangover, and I shouldn't have said those things to you. I can’t tell you how much of an ass I feel about the whole thing.”
Fran didn’t seem to mind all that much, but Scott wasn't done. He still had more to ask her.
“So, do you really own a nanny service?”
“I do. Right now, I am kind of focusing on what's going on here, but I've had the supernatural service going for quite a while.”
“Do you have anyone available that could take care of Shane?”
Fran was puzzled for a moment, and Scott could see the judgment in her eyes, but she finally just smiled and thought about it for a minute.
“If I'm honest with you, I will tell you now that I don't want to bring anybody else in at the moment. And I do not have anybody that I can think of that actually works for me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It is only to say that I have somebody in mind that may be able to help you, but Vanessa doesn't work as a nanny. She is just a really good friend of mine, and she might be able to help.”
“Are you talking about the human friend that was talking to my boy when I first got here?”
The way he said it made Fran wonder where he was going with it. He had already made a comment about humans before that she didn't find particularly helpful. As much as she wanted to help the man in front of her, she didn't want to make it harder on Vanessa.
“Yes, I was talking about her. Vanessa has been my friend for a long time now. She may be human, but she knows how your world works.”
“Do you trust her?”
; Fran did not hesitate when she said that she did. She had known Vanessa a long time, and Vanessa had kept some pretty big secrets for her. She certainly did not have a reason not to trust her.
“I do. I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't.”
“My son seemed to take a shining to her. I don't know what she said to him, but he has mentioned her several times. I think maybe that could work.”
As far as Scott was concerned, that issue was done. He needed a babysitter, and now he had one. Now he would be able to leave when he needed to take care of plans for revenge. As happy as he was to see his son, there were still other matters to attend to. Someone had taken his child and done horrible things to him. Not only that, they killed his wife as well. Scott was not going to be able to let that lie.
Since his son has been gone, Scott had taken to drinking. He had taken to anything, really, that helped him to forget about the pain he was feeling, and now all of that energy was going to be directed towards finding who had done this to his family and ending them all. It was a vow that he made to himself in a moment of desperation a year ago, and he had every intention of sticking to it. Scott was on a mission and having Vanessa around was going to help.
“Why don't I introduce the two of you? I can then ask her about staying with Shane for a little bit. Like I said before, she doesn’t nanny for a living like most of my girls do. She has a business degree.”
Scott agreed and the two of them started to walk over. Scott was keen to really meet the woman. There was something about her that he found intriguing and his son certainly did as well.
Fran quickly introduced the two, and he felt a moment of hesitation when the two of them touched. It sent feelings of electricity through him, and he pulled his hand back quickly. That was last thing that he needed to be thinking about. As pretty as Vanessa was, he quickly pulled himself into focus.
“So, Fran tells me that sometimes you help her out with extra jobs?”
Vanessa look confused for a moment, and then she agreed.
