The FBI didn’t know what the hell they were doing. He should have insisted on accompanying Ballard on the exchange. He shouldn’t have given in to their vaunted expertise. He shouldn’t have listened to Brian. Of course the kidnappers said not to contact the cops or they’d kill Jason. Wasn’t that what they always said?
Trey shot a glance at Walt Ballard, the thirtyish but already balding agent in charge of Jason’s case. Since returning with the bad news, the man worked his phone in a chair by the door, leaning forward, forearms on his knees, wearing a grim expression. Texting? Checking email? Was he receiving information about Jason from the agents still in the field? Was it bad news?
Trey stopped moving and took a deep breath. Not here. He’d fall apart later, away from the public eye. That was the Wentworth way. Trey heard his father’s clipped voice inside his head and pushed away the sound. The bastard couldn’t be bothered to fly in even though his only grandson had been abducted.
Where was his attorney? Shit. Why hadn’t they heard something?
Trey glanced at his watch. How much longer? Jason had been through so much in the last year. Would he ever see his son again? Would they even find Jason’s body?
Kids disappeared without a trace all the time.
Ballard’s phone rang, the sound startling in the quiet of the room. Everyone turned.
“Ballard,” the agent barked into the phone. A few beats of silence. “What?”
The shock in Ballard’s voice forced Trey into a chair. Oh, God. No. Jason.
“Where?” Ballard demanded. Then, “Got it. We’re on our way.”
Ballard disconnected and looked directly at Trey. “We’ve got him. We’ve got your boy.”
“Alive?” Trey stood on shaky legs, not trusting his hearing. “Is he hurt?”
“He’s fine. He’s in the custody of the City of Miami Police.”
“No mistake this time?” he demanded.
“No mistake,” Ballard said.
Choking back a sob, Trey sagged into the chair again, unable to formulate a response.
“City of Miami arrested the kidnappers?” This question came from another agent, a female. Trey couldn’t remember her name. All he could focus on was the knowledge that Jason was alive and unharmed.
“No,” Ballard said. “Apparently the kidnappers remain at large.”
“What the hell happened?” asked another agent.
Ballard shook his head. “I don’t have all the details yet, and they can wait.” He nodded at Trey and grinned. “Let’s go get your son.”
* * *
INSIDE A FRIGID interview room at the Coconut Grove police substation, Kelly couldn’t remember when she’d ever been so cold. The AC had to be set at about forty degrees, and she might as well be naked since all she had on was flimsy nylon running shorts and a cotton jog bra. Making things worse, her flesh and her clothing were sweaty.
Officer Rodriguez had wrapped a towel around the shivering Jason, and that helped, but Kelly’s legs were freezing. They’d given her a cup of vile lukewarm coffee, but that had cooled and was of no help.
There was a reason for the chill of course. The police didn’t want their suspects or interviewees comfortable. She had a bad feeling they considered her a suspect—of what she wasn’t sure, but something. She’d heard chatter of a statewide BOLO as they’d snapped photos of the kid, so maybe they knew who he was. For his sake, she hoped so. The misunderstanding would all be straightened out eventually, but she was going to be late for her shift.
She’d called her sergeant on the way in to explain, but he hadn’t sounded happy. Shit. She’d been number one in her rookie class and intended to be the highest-performing rookie that had ever entered the Miami-Dade County PD. Missing roll call this soon wouldn’t help with that goal.
So where was a social worker? DCF was notoriously inefficient, but this delay was ridiculous.
She needed to contact her lieutenant, but the kid remained glued to her, his legs hooked around her waist. If she shifted his weight to her other side, she could access her phone in her jog pouch. At least she was getting his body heat. He still insisted on calling her Mommy, which was beyond weird, but the kid was confused. Definitely traumatized.
Maybe Caleb and Adam had drugged him. The kid hadn’t so much as twitched since she’d sat on this hard chair. His breathing sounded ragged, but he was stuffed up from crying. Maybe he’d fallen asleep.
“Jason,” she whispered.
He snuggled deeper into her shoulder and twisted her halter straps tighter. Not asleep.
“Hey. I’m going to move you to the other side, okay? My arm is really tired.”
He raised his head to look at her. “You won’t let go?”
The fear and longing in his voice made Kelly’s breath catch. She had no experience with children.
“No, I won’t let go,” she told him. As if I could. She rubbed his back reassuringly, the way she’d seen mothers do. “I just need to make a phone call. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said, and went willingly when she transferred his weight to her left shoulder, which of course now made her right side cold. He placed his hot cheek against her neck and stuck his thumb in his mouth.
Thinking the kid was too old for thumb-sucking, Kelly unzipped the pouch around her waist and withdrew her cell phone. A quick glance told her she didn’t have service. Likely the signal had been blocked.
“Damn,” she muttered and stuffed the phone back inside.
She was a rookie. How much trouble would she be in for missing a shift? She glanced at her watch. Roll call was in thirty minutes.
Maybe it was time to make some noise, attract some attention. She and the kid had been slowly turning into ice for close to an hour. She knew the drill, and someone watched her through the one-way glass on the far wall. She’d never been good at waiting, but had been extremely patient this morning. She was tempted to give her observers the finger, but knew that wouldn’t help anything. And her lieutenant would definitely hear about it.
“How old are you, Jason?” she asked to pass the time.
“Four,” he stated, as if she were very stupid. But of course his mother would know his age.
“Who were those guys you were with?” she asked.
He closed his eyes.
“Did they hurt you?”
“They hit Maria,” he whispered.
“Why did they do that?” Kelly asked, encouraged by his response. Who was Maria? Maybe the kid had recovered enough to give her some answers.
Jason shivered and turned his warm face into her neck.
“Did you know those men, Jason?”
He released a giant sigh, but didn’t say another word.
“Okay, okay,” Kelly said, patting his back. “We don’t have to talk about them.”
The door burst open and four men entered the room. None of them were in uniform. Short hair. Jackets and ties. Feds. DEA? FBI?
“Jason,” someone shouted in a relieved tone.
Kelly focused on the speaker as he rushed toward her, and wondered if her mouth fell open. She stared at a man so impossibly good-looking he belonged on a movie screen or in a magazine. Dark hair, intense dark eyes. His jacket, his slacks—everything about him reeked of money and sophistication. The gold watch on his wrist belonged in a museum.
This god-come-to-earth squatted before Kelly and held out his arms to the kid. “Jason,” he said in a choked voice.
The kid lifted his head but didn’t release his hold on her. If anything, he tightened his grip and glared at the man.
“Jason?” The man shifted his gaze to Kelly, and she felt as if she’d been assaulted by an unseen force. Raw power flowed off him in waves. And arrogance mixed with anger. He didn’t like being denied anything. And who would want to refuse him
?
“Who the hell are you?” the god demanded.
“Kelly Jenkins. Who the hell are you?”
His eyes widened in surprise as if she was supposed to know who he was. Maybe he was some big-deal movie star. Maybe she had seen him before, now that she thought about it, but she never had time for movies or TV. His nails were manicured; his leather shoes buffed. His skin was smooth, unlined, as if he’d never experienced a worry in his life.
“Officer Jenkins, this is Trey Wentworth and you’re holding his son, Jason,” one of the suits said.
“Thank goodness,” Kelly said, thinking, yeah, the name rang some bell, one associated with stacks of cash. She attempted to pass the kid to Wentworth.
“No, Mommy,” Jason wailed, and turned his face from his dad.
Wentworth flinched as if the kid had struck him, and rose in a smooth athletic movement.
The feds all exchanged alarmed glances.
Coming to her feet, Kelly asked softly, “Don’t you want to go to your daddy, Jason?”
“No. I want to stay with you, Mommy.”
“But you know I’m not your mommy,” Kelly said.
Jason began to cry again.
Kelly tried to pry his fingers from her clothing and hand Jason over. This kid had a problem far beyond her limited expertise as a rookie cop. He needed serious help, likely a shrink. She felt for the poor little guy. She’d had plenty of experience with shrink stuff.
“Jason, come on,” she said. “Let go.”
“Stop it,” Wentworth ordered.
The force of Wentworth’s command caused everyone in the room to look at him.
Kelly met his furious gaze, and again that strange sensation of raw power flowed over her.
“You’re upsetting him,” Wentworth said. “Leave him alone.”
“I’m upsetting him?”
“Just give him a minute, okay?” Wentworth ran a hand through his perfectly cut hair. “He’s confused. He’s been through a lot.”
Kelly plopped back down in the chair. “Yeah, well, so have I. What’s going on here?”
One of the suits stepped forward. “Officer Jenkins, I’m Special Agent Walt Ballard.”
“FBI?”
“Yes.”
Kelly nodded. “I knew you were a fed.”
“Why don’t you fill us in,” Ballard said. “How did you meet Jason?”
Beginning with her first sight of Jason, Kelly relayed what had occurred in the park.
“You used martial arts to knock a gun out of the man’s hand?” Wentworth interrupted in a shocked voice.
Kelly nodded. “Instinct. These guys were amateurs. I mean, come on, they let a kid get away from them.”
“An amateur could still shoot my son.” Wentworth glared at her as if she were the criminal.
“You’re upset because I kicked the gun from his hand?” Kelly demanded, glaring right back. “So I should have just handed him over to the bad guys?”
“Go on, Officer Jenkins,” Ballard said.
Kelly squared her shoulders and continued, ending with concise descriptions of Caleb and Adam.
“The last I saw them they were hauling ass toward the marina. The Miami PD sent officers after them. I assume this is a kidnapping?”
“Yes,” Ballard replied. “Apparently there was a miscommunication on the drop site.”
Wentworth muttered something about the Keystone Cops.
Ballard turned to Wentworth. “Jason is safe, Mr. Wentworth. Your continued sarcasm isn’t necessary or helpful.”
“Safe?” Wentworth spit out. “He’s clinging to some strange woman I’ve never seen before who almost got him shot, and he thinks he found his mother.”
“Yeah, well, this strange woman likely saved your son’s life.”
“If you had done your job correctly, the way I—”
“Hey, guys.” Kelly shouted over the rising voices. She placed her hand protectively on Jason’s head as he burrowed into her shoulder. His entire body shook with the force of his sobs.
Wentworth whirled on her.
Kelly met his penetrating gaze. “This is so not what this little boy needs right now,” she told him in a quiet voice.
CHAPTER TWO
TREY STRUGGLED TO control his frustration as he watched his precious son—his blessedly alive son—weep on the female cop’s shoulder. Why was he lashing out at Ballard? The angry voices only confused Jason—upset him worse. But the way his son looked at him had pierced him to his core—like everything bad in the world was his daddy’s fault. And maybe it was.
Officer Jenkins murmured soothingly to Jason, and his sobs gradually diminished.
“Gentlemen,” the woman said in a level tone, her hand cupping Jason’s head. “This strange woman is freezing her ass off and really would like someone to call her lieutenant.”
After a long quiet moment, she said, “Please?” in a hopeful tone.
Noting gooseflesh on Jenkins’s long legs, Trey removed his jacket and wrapped it around her and Jason. He took the opportunity to give his son a quick kiss on his flushed cheek before stepping back. Jason’s gaze locked with his briefly before he turned away.
“Thank you,” Jenkins said meaningfully. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
“Of course,” Trey said.
Ballard raised his phone. “Give me a number,” he said. “I’ll explain the situation to your department.”
She gave Ballard the information, and the agent stepped out of the room with his two colleagues, leaving Trey alone with Jenkins and his son. Trey sat in a chair beside them. His son still refused to look at him and sucked on a thumb, something he hadn’t done in a while. Trey rubbed Jason’s back, grateful the agents had left.
“Thank you for rescuing my son,” he told Jenkins.
“You’re welcome.” She glanced down to Jason then carefully mouthed, “Where is his mom?”
“Dead,” Trey mouthed back.
She closed her eyes.
“Hey, buddy,” Trey said. “How are you doing?”
Jason buried his face deeper into the officer’s shoulder.
“Don’t you want to say hello to your daddy?” Officer Jenkins prompted. “I know he’s been very worried about you.”
After a moment, Jason raised his head. “Hi, Daddy,” he said in a small voice.
With a rush of relief, Trey nodded his thanks to Jenkins.
Jason placed his small hand on the woman’s cheek. “Don’t send Mommy away again, Daddy.”
Jenkins’s bright blue eyes widened.
Trey shook his head. “Of course not, buddy,” he soothed. He knew Jason blamed him for his mother going away. He was too young to understand divorce, the accident or Darlene’s death, and right now was crazy mixed-up. He needed time and more therapy to get his memory straight.
Jenkins eyed him suspiciously, probably wondering what he’d done to make the kid act so hostile toward him. God, she likely thought he was some kind of monster. He tried to smile at her reassuringly, but she only narrowed her eyes.
His son had certainly picked the right stranger to help him, and he got why Jason had latched on to her. Definitely pretty, though rough around the edges. Blond hair, blue eyes, tall, slender, all the same as Darlene. When she couldn’t get pharmaceuticals, Darlene used running to control her weight and often took Jason with her in a special stroller. Likely the physical resemblance and the jogging had gotten his son all twisted up. What his daddy needed to do was untwist him without causing more damage.
He needed to get Jason home. If his son fell asleep in his own bed, maybe when he woke up in familiar surroundings he’d be grounded in reality again. Dr. Carico could resume regular therapy. Obviously, they’d cut back on tre
atment too soon.
The immediate problem was getting him to let go of the female cop. Trey knew he should be grateful to Kelly Jenkins, but couldn’t help but resent the way Jason clung to her. He wished his son would just once demonstrate the same sort of affection toward him. Not likely. Well, no way was he or anybody else wrenching his son away from her. Whatever the reason, this woman made Jason feel safe, and he had to respect that no matter how much it rankled.
How much would it take to convince her to accompany them back to the villa? Probably not much. Cops were notoriously underpaid.
“Listen, Officer Jenkins, I was wondering if you—”
Ballard swept into the room with his entourage and handed his phone to Jenkins. “Your commanding officer wants to speak to you.”
Jenkins held the phone to her ear away from Jason and shifted his son higher on her lap. Trey felt a twinge of sympathy. He knew how heavy a four-year old could get.
“Yes, sir?” she said. “That’s correct, sir. Of course, sir.” After several nods she said, “Thank you, sir,” and handed the phone back to Ballard.
“Are we good?” Ballard said into the phone. “Right. You’ll have my report as soon as it’s completed. Right. Thanks for the cooperation.”
“You’re square?” Ballard asked Jenkins.
“Released from duty for the day thanks to you,” Jenkins said. “But I’m going in as soon as we’re done here. He’s pissed, and I don’t want to be in his shitcan.”
Trey winced at her choice of words.
“Maybe you should take the day,” Ballard suggested.
“Can’t do that,” Jenkins said. “So what now, Mr. Wentworth?”
Jenkins shifted her gaze to Trey, eyebrows raised.
“How would you like a hot shower and some hot food?” Trey asked.
“A hot shower sounds like heaven on earth, but what about your son?”
“Look,” Trey said. “Obviously my son is confused because of the abduction. Forcing him away from you right now will only upset him further, agreed?”
She glanced down at Jason and shrugged. “Yeah, that seems to be the situation.”
The Billionaire's Son Page 2
