by Liv Brywood
“You couldn’t have known Olivia would lose her mind and steal Tucker,” he said.
His heart ached for his mom. What she must be feeling! But it wasn’t her fault. It was Olivia’s. He had to find her.
As he stalked toward the front door, Sheriff Hannity stepped out to block his path. “Where are you going?”
“To find my son.”
“The entire sheriff’s department is out looking for him.”
“Half the department is standing in the living room.” He stabbed a finger toward the other officers.
“Slade, Yukon, go check Mrs. Slater’s house again. Perkins, Collins, go canvas her neighborhood. Find out everything you can about where she hangs out.”
Kade turned to Emily who stood behind his mom with her hands on the sobbing woman’s shoulders. “Honey, stay with mom. I’m going out.”
“I’m coming with you,” Emily said.
“No. Mom needs you.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Hannity said.
Kade glanced from Emily to Hannity. His jaw twitched. If Emily drove, he’d be able to look for Tucker from the passenger seat.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Emily rushed around the kitchen table. Kade grabbed her hand as they raced out to the car. Once inside, he had no idea where to start looking.
“The sheriff’s already been to her house and job. Where else should we look?” Emily asked.
“Maybe she took him to the mall?”
“Okay.”
Silence stretched between them as she drove toward the mall. As soon as she parked, he jumped out and sprinted toward the closest entrance. She followed close behind.
“Check the food court. I’ll start with the stores on the left,” he said.
“I’ll circle back and meet you in the middle.”
He frantically searched all the faces of older women. He stopped to inspect every baby, drawing frightened looks from the children’s mothers. Several clutched their children close before hurrying away. None of them were his son.
When he found Emily in the center of the mall, she held up her hands.
“Nothing?” he asked.
“No.”
“Where else could she be?”
“Let’s drive through town and see if she’s walking around somewhere.”
“That’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he snapped.
“You have any better ideas?” She placed her hands on her hips and scowled.
“Honey, I’m sorry.” He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. “I’m being a jerk.”
“You’re scared.”
“But I shouldn’t take it out on you.”
“We’re going to find him,” she said.
“I’ll drive.”
He held her hand all the way to the car, only releasing it when they had to part to get in. As they drove up and down the streets, night fell. Streetlamps flickered on to illuminate empty sidewalks. A cold front moved in. He turned the heater on in the car.
“We’ve been driving around for hours,” Emily said.
“What if she took him out of town? We don’t know anything about her. She could have left the state. She could be in Wyoming, or even Utah by now.”
“Does she have any family anywhere else?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”
In truth, talking to Genevieve about her family had never happened during their brief relationship. This was all his fault. He shouldn’t have slept with her. If he’d been more responsible, his son wouldn’t be missing right now. Granted, he wouldn’t have a son, but still. His thoughts jumbled together as he tried to rationalize his pain.
“Maybe we should go back to your mom’s house.”
“They would have called us if he was back home.”
“Can you think of anywhere else she might go? Anywhere at all?”
He scrunched his nose and rubbed at the tension between his eyes. Where else could she be?
As they turned onto Main Street, Kade’s head jerked up. “I have an idea. It’s crazy, but… let’s try the cemetery.”
“The cemetery?”
“Where Genevieve is buried.”
“Why there?” She asked, even as she drove toward the graveyard.
“Who knows. Maybe she wants to take Tucker to see his mom. I don’t know how a crazy person thinks. It’s all I can come up with.”
“It’s worth a shot. Do you know where she’s buried?”
“No.”
“The cemetery’s huge.”
“Park in the middle. We’ll have to split up again.”
“Okay.”
After getting out of the car, he popped the trunk. He pulled two flashlights out and handed one to Emily.
“If you see her, don’t approach her. Who knows what kind of insanity is going on in her head,” he said.
“Keep your phone close. I’ll text you if I see her.”
“Okay.”
They took off in opposite directions. As he walked from one set of rolling hills to the next, he swept a beam of light across headstones. He appeared to be in an older section. Most of the gravestones listed death dates from mid-last century.
He quickened his pace. As he crested a hill, he spotted a dark shadow walking through the headstones. He ran down the hill.
When he reached the figure, he grabbed their shoulder and spun them around. A startled elderly man gasped. The bouquet of flowers in his hand fell to the ground.
“Sorry,” Kade said. “I’m looking for a woman. She’s in her sixties, gray hair. She has a baby with her.”
“I haven’t seen anyone. I usually come before dark, but I had to work late today.”
Kade bent down to pick up the scattered flowers. He handed them to the man.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that my son is missing, and his grandmother took him, and I can’t find him.”
“I hope you find him.” The man clutched the flowers and walked away.
Kade listened intently as he wandered from row to row. Several times, he thought he heard a baby cry, but it was so faint, he couldn’t pinpoint the source.
His phone beeped. He pulled it out to find a text message from Emily.
Meet me at the fountains.
He changed direction and broke into a jog. As he crested the last hill, he found her standing next to a reflecting pool.
“Anything?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“Maybe we should head back. This was a long shot.”
He clasped her hand in his and led her toward the car. His hopes dashed, he hung his head. What if they never found Tucker? Kids went missing every year, some never to be seen again. Would he ever see his son again?
As he slid into the driver’s seat, a baby’s cry reached his ears.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yeah.” Emily was already out of the car walking in the direction of the sound. “This way.”
They took off toward the sound. The cries got louder.
“It’s him,” Kade said.
“Sheriff Hannity said we shouldn’t approach her if we find her.”
“Text him.”
“We don’t know that it’s her yet.”
He stopped and pointed to a lone figure sitting on damp earth in front of a fresh grave. “It’s her.”
“Wait.” Emily grabbed his arm. “Let me text the sheriff.”
Kade couldn’t wait. His stealthy approach lasted until he was standing ten feet away. Olivia turned her head slightly.
“You’ll never get him back,” she said in a low, dark tone.
“He belongs to me.”
“He’s my grandson.”
“But I’m his father.” He knew trying to reason with an insane person wouldn’t work, but if he kept her talking, it would buy him time to figure out what to do. “Why did you bring him here?”
“So he could see his mother one last time.”
“She’s gone.”
“Don’t
you think I know that?” She scrambled to her feet, clutching the baby to her breast. “They belong together.”
A chill ran down his spine. He glanced at Emily who stood several paces back. She nodded her head slightly. Hopefully that meant she got a call through to the sheriff. All he had to do now was stall. As much as he wanted to rush her and take the baby, he couldn’t risk hurting Tucker.
“Tell me about Genevieve,” he said.
“That’s right, you don’t know a damn thing about my daughter.”
“I know she was a kind person who wouldn’t want her son to get hurt.”
“Hurt?” She cocked her head to one side. “I’m not going to hurt him, I’m going to reunite him with his mother.”
“Shit,” he muttered.
“You can’t do that,” Emily said.
“You! This is all your fault,” Olivia snapped.
“My fault?”
“Kade would have been with my daughter if you hadn’t come along.”
“I didn’t even live here when they were… uh, dating,” Emily said.
“But he still wanted you. Genevieve used to cry about how Kade would have married her if it wasn’t for you.” Olivia stalked toward Emily. “You killed her. She wouldn’t have been driving the night she was killed if she hadn’t been going to Five Claws to try to find Kade.”
“How do you even know that?” Kade asked softly. “She wasn’t speaking to you.”
“I’m her mother. I know everything about her.”
Furtive footsteps coming from the direction of the parking lot caught his attention. He forced himself to keep his attention on Olivia. If he could keep her distracted, the deputies would be able to surround her.
“What if I gave you partial custody?” he asked.
Her head whipped toward him. “Full custody.”
“I’m his father.”
“You’re his sperm donor.”
“Olivia, it’s Sheriff Hannity. Is it okay if I come over and talk to you?”
“He’s mine! You can’t take him away. I’ll do better. It won’t be like Genevieve. He won’t hate me. He won’t!”
Olivia backed up several steps. She set Tucker on the ground in front of Genevieve’s gravestone. She knelt next to him. Kade rushed forward until she pulled a knife out of her jacket.
“Stay back.” A shrill edge darkened her tone. She held the blade over Tucker’s body.
“Kade, step back,” the sheriff said.
Kade responded to the authoritative sound of his voice. He hated backing away from his child. His bear hated it more. Without warning, fur sprouted on his hands and feet. His nose lengthened. His spine cracked and reformed. When he dropped to all fours, his protective instinct kicked it. He wasn’t in control anymore, but his bear was, and the animal was pissed.
13
Emily’s stomach dropped through her feet as Kade’s bear roared. She and the sheriff shared a look. Fear blanketed his face. A shifter protecting his child couldn’t be reasoned with. It would do whatever it took to get its baby back.
“Kade,” Emily said softly. “You need to shift back.”
The enormous ten-foot tall bear turned to glare at her. Saliva dripped from razor-sharp teeth. Wild rage clouded its eyes. If Kade could still hear her, he would have to fight his bear to break free of its feral hold.
“Olivia, give me the baby,” Sheriff Hannity said.
“No.”
“If you don’t give me the baby, he’s going to kill you.”
“What do I have left to live for? Everyone’s gone. They’ve all left me. I’m all alone. Or, at least I was… until Tucker.” She scooped him back into her arms. “He’s the only thing I live for. If we die together, then we can be a family again.”
The sheriff held a sidearm at his hip, concealed from Olivia’s vantage point, but in plain view for Emily. Feeling completely helpless, Emily could only watch as the sheriff tried to reason with both Olivia, and Kade’s bear.
Minutes passed with zero progress. Emily’s fingers clenched at her sides. The longer the standoff lasted, the more agitated her bear became. The last thing they needed was two furious bears on the loose. So far, she’d been able to control her bear, but the beast was getting stronger.
“Don’t!” Sheriff Hannity shot her a look. “One’s bad enough.”
Emily glanced at the claws poking out of her fingertips. She willed her bear to calm down, but the beast’s protective instincts overrode her ability to control it.
“You’d better hurry,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold my bear back.”
Kade’s bear reared up on its hind legs. It roared loud enough to scare an owl from a nearby tree. It took off in a cacophony of angry hoots.
“He’s mine, and he’ll always be mine.” Olivia said. She raised the knife high in the air before bringing it down.
Everything happened at once. Hannity fired his gun as Kade’s bear leapt forward. The bullet hit Olivia in the chest. She fell back, dropping the knife. Kade snatched up Tucker by his shirt and took off running.
Emily shifted and raced after Kade’s bear. The beast wouldn’t know its own strength and could hurt the baby. Terror spurred her into action. She pushed as hard as she could, bounding alongside Kade until she could get in front of him. She skidded to a stop and rose up. With claws extended, she stopped the other bear.
She pointed at the baby, then at the ground. Kade’s bear still held Tucker by his shirt. The bear stared at her for several seconds before blinking. It lowered the baby onto a patch of soft grass. The bear sat on its haunches. Fur began to recede. She waited until he’d finished shifting before she returned to her human form.
“I wasn’t going to hurt him,” he said in a desperate tone.
“I know. You were rescuing him, but your bear’s too strong to be handling a baby.”
“Thank you for stopping me.”
“I’ll always be here for you.”
She picked Tucker up and handed him to Kade. They walked side by side back to where Sheriff Hannity knelt next to Olivia. He held two fingers to her neck for several seconds before shaking his head.
“Call the coroner.”
Emily’s heart broke. There was no reason for this. Olivia had taken things too far, and now she was dead. Such a waste, and for what? If she’d been more reasonable, Kade would have probably worked out a supervised visitation schedule.
“We’re going to have to take your statements separately,” Hannity said.
“Am I under arrest?” Kade asked.
“No. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I shifted.”
“What father wouldn’t in that situation? I’ll follow you to the hospital. A doctor needs to check the baby. I’ll call your mom on the way.”
Emily drove. Kade held Tucker against his chest. He hadn’t said a word since they’d gotten in the car.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly.
“I almost lost him.”
“You helped rescue him.”
“My bear could have killed him.”
“But he didn’t.”
“Because of you.” Kade’s eyes glistened. “You stopped me from hurting him.”
“You never would have put him in danger,” she said.
It wasn’t exactly the truth. His bear wouldn’t knowingly hurt a baby, but it also didn’t understand its own strength. Explaining all of that to Kade was pointless because he wasn’t being rational.
When they reached the hospital, a doctor wearing blue scrubs and a stethoscope came running out.
“I’m doctor Julie Fall. Is this Tucker?”
“Yes.” Kade placed him in her waiting arms.
“I’ll check his vitals. Come with me.”
As they followed her into the hospital, the antiseptic scent hit Emily’s nostrils. She absolutely despised hospitals, but for Kade, she was willing to endure it.
“He looks good,” Doctor Fall said, after examin
ing Tucker. “Vitals are good. Heartbeat is strong and regular. His temperature is a little low, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed by a good blanket.”
After she’d swaddled the baby, she handed him to Kade. The way he looked at his son filled Emily’s heart with love.
“It’s okay to take him home,” the doctor said. “Keep an eye on his temperature and if anything comes up, here’s my direct number. Call me anytime, day or night.”
“Thank you.”
The doctor left the exam room.
“Ready to go home?” Emily asked.
“We’re supposed to go to the station.”
“The sheriff can meet us at your mom’s house. She’s going to want to see her grandson.”
* * *
Kade’s mom sobbed with relief as they walked through the door. Kade smiled and handed her the baby.
“He’s okay, Mom.”
“I was so worried. What happened?”
As Kade related the story to her, he held Emily’s hand underneath the table. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he wanted to wait until they had some privacy.
The doorbell rang. Sheriff Hannity poked his head inside.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course.” Kade’s mom jumped up to give him a kiss.
“I don’t mind taking your statements here, but we still need them. It’s protocol,” he said.
“You can use the living room. We’ll be in the kitchen,” his mom said.
Kade followed the sheriff into the living room where he gave a detailed statement about the events leading up to Olivia’s death.
“You’re lucky Emily was able to stop your bear,” Hannity said.
“I know.”
“Considering everything that’s happened, I have no doubt you’ll get full custody. I have a call into Judge Franklin.”
“I appreciate any help you can give me.”
“I know we’ve had our issues in the past,” the sheriff said. “But I’ve seen how protective you are of your son. You’re a good man. You just need to keep that bear in check.”
“It’s not easy, but I’ll manage.”
“Just run the beast every week. That’s how I keep mine under control in tense standoffs.”
“Hopefully I won’t be faced with another situation like this for a while.”
