by T. M. Cromer
Judith had known all along! Shocked, Shonda’s gaze took in Mason’s stoney face, then flew back to Zack and Jacob embracing.
“Son, I need you to stay here for a little while. I need to talk to your grandparents. Can you do that?” Zack asked.
Jacob nodded his agreement.
“I can stay with him,” Shonda offered, jumping up to place an arm around the boy’s thin shoulders.
“Thanks.”
Mason followed him out.
While she tried to shield Jacob from the ugliness going down in the main room, the raised voices were in direct opposition to her goal.
“Is my mom going to kill Erica?” Jacob asked tearfully.
Should she offer up a lie? Should she tell him the possibility was high?
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything.”
The kid read her like a book. He knew he’d stumped her with the question and that she believed his mother was bat shit crazy.
In the end, the police took Judith into custody, Charlie headed back to his house to wait for news, and Dane moved in to take charge of Jacob.
“Come on, fry guy,” Dane said. He scooped his nephew up and tossed him over his shoulder with ease. “Let’s go.”
The night wore on with no news. Exhaustion started to make Shonda’s thoughts wander and her eyes fuzzy.
“Come here, love,” Mason ordered.
For the count of five heartbeats, she hesitated, wishing she had more fortitude. However, her best friend was missing and most probably in the hands of a lunatic. It caused her to feel helpless and scared. Made her want the comfort only the man she loved could provide. She sighed and settled on the sofa next to him. He held her head against his chest. The strong, steady beat of his heart, combined with the light stroking of her hair, eventually lulled her to sleep.
* * *
Mason was replaying the night’s events, torturing himself by running the conversation with Shonda over and over in his mind. When Zack’s phone pinged and his brother lost his color, Dane and Bucky jumped to discover the cause.
He shifted a dozing Shonda from where her head rested on his lap and joined the other men huddled around the phone. A picture of Erica was displayed. It showed her blindfolded and tied up with dried blood on her face.
“Jesus!” he and Dane swore in unison.
Bucky, on the other hand, said not a word as he studied the picture. After another minute, he asked Zack to forward the message to him, which Bucky in turn forwarded to someone else.
“I’ve sent it to the lead detective on the case,” Bucky told them. “If I had to guess, I’d say she’s being held in a garage. See here? That’s some type of floor coating.”
Zack studied the picture more closely. “You’re right! Look at the back wall. I can’t be positive, but doesn’t it look like it might be pretty dark? Like maybe the wall was burnt?”
Abruptly, he ran to the dining room to grab a laptop. He opened it, entered a passcode, and searched through photos until he came to one particular picture that had him excited.
“Here! Right here. Same coating on the floor. That’s Erica’s garage!”
Zack shoved the laptop into Bucky’s hands and went for his keys and coat.
“Zack, wait. You can’t rush in there. She might have a weapon and could hurt Erica if she feels threatened.”
Mason could have kissed Bucky for his cool head.
“Right. What’s our next step?” Zack asked. “And don’t say we wait because I can’t.”
Dane redirected the conversation. “Why would Christie send this? She had to know you might recognize the place.”
“Maybe she didn’t think that far ahead. Maybe she just wanted to torment me so bad, she didn’t consider it,” Zack suggested.
“I’m not buying it,” Mason spoke up. Dane had a valid point. “She’s been extremely careful not to get caught up until now.”
“Fuck! You’re right.”
Zack dragged his hands down his face, halting to steeple them over the lower half. His younger brother’s torment shredded Mason’s soul.
“What do we do?” Zack questioned, hoarse and hurting.
“You do nothing. Let us handle it.” When Zack would have protested, Bucky held up a hand. “I’m serious about this, Zack. We are trained for situations of this nature. You’re not. I’ll call it in that Christie might be holed up there. But if you go charging over, half-cocked, you could get Erica killed.”
“Dammit, Buck! I’m dying over here,” Zack protested.
Mason felt for him. He’d react the exact same way if he was in that predicament. To be unable to protect the person you loved the most had to be devastating. His gaze zeroed in on Shonda, who was now wide awake and silent. One arm was wrapped around her stomach as if she was hugging herself. Four fingers on her opposite hand rested against her mouth as if to prevent an involuntary scream.
Bucky drew Mason’s attention with his next comment to Zack. “I could always arrest you for obstruction of this investigation and throw you in a cell to cool off, I suppose.”
Zack paced a few minutes and decided to check on his son. The next thing Mason knew, Zack was tearing through the house, screaming Jacob’s name. They all rushed to follow suit while Bucky checked the exterior of the house.
“What the fuck?” Zack shouted. “How the hell does an eight-year-old boy just disappear from a house with a half-dozen cops surrounding the outside and five adults on the inside?”
“Stay calm,” Dane ordered.
Mason had never been so terrified in his life. Where the hell had Jacob gone? To see his grandfather? “Do you think he might have gone to Charlie’s?”
Zack and Dane rushed off, and Mason grabbed Shonda when she would have charged after them. Her hiss of pain caused him to abruptly release her. Even though he’d seen the leftover bruises from the mugging earlier in the evening, they’d escaped his mind just now. He hated that he’d inadvertently hurt her.
“I’m sorry, love. I forgot.” At her understanding nod, he sat down beside Shonda and clasped her hand in his. Odd how he was now the one needing comfort. “Let them go see first.”
“I have a sick feeling about this,” she said. Her voice rough with unshed tears.
He nodded, overcome and unable to answer. It went against his nature not to take action, but Bucky was correct. They could get Erica killed.
It didn’t take long for Dane and Zack to return, both looking like death warmed over. He jumped up to hug his little brother. Tears coursed down Zack’s cheeks, and Mason thought Zack might crack his spine, so tightly did he squeeze.
“We think she has Jacob, too. We found Charlie in a pool of blood, unconscious,” croaked Zack.
“Apparently, Christie hit him over the head and started texting Jacob, pretending to be Charlie,” Dane clarified.
From somewhere behind him Mason heard Shonda gasp and say, “Ohmygod.” His thoughts exactly.
“I feel like we should be there for Charlie,” Zack said.
They all agreed. Charlie had been like a surrogate dad to them growing up. As the local police chief, it had been well within his rights to arrest and send the young Sharp hoodlums to juvie when they erred on the wrong side of the law. Instead, he’d proved to be a positive influence and dedicated his off-time to guiding them on the right path.
“Is it possible Jacob got away? Maybe he got lost in the dark?”
Mason adored Shonda for providing hope, however misguided.
“Anything is possible.” Dane’s eyes softened, and Mason figured he, too, appreciated what she was trying to do.
“I can wait here, in case…” she offered.
After a few hours at the hospital waiting for news of Charlie’s condition, Dane suggested breakfast. Mason, needing something to do, jumped up and rode shot-gun. The hospital was making him nuts. Everyone sitting around with long faces, expecting the worst. He couldn’t take another second of it.
The respite didn’t last nearly long
enough, and before long, they were strolling through the waiting room door with their bounty.
“Did either of you check in at Workout World?”
While business was the last thing any of them cared about, it was still a necessity and paid the bills.
“I did,” Dane said. “Lacey has everything handled. We really should think about making her a manager.”
Zack sipped his coffee and nodded. “I’m fine with it. Todd will have a meltdown that we offered her the position first.”
“We could always make him co-manager of another branch. I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to separate them anyway. He can’t get any work done when she’s around. Can’t keep his eyes off her breasts,” Mason spoke up. “I’m worried we are going to have a sexual harassment suit on our hands before long.”
“I’ve been worried about the same thing. Dane?”
“Yeah, I think we are all in agreement. He’s a good enough worker when she’s not around,” Dane said around a mouthful of food.
“Okay. Can one of you handle the promotion paperwork and talk with Todd about his behavior? It’s a condition of his continued employment. He’s lucky he’s a good employee in every other way and that we’ve never heard even a hint of complaint from our members.”
Mason lifted his plastic utensil, a gesture of his volunteering. Zack glanced at Dane, who answered with a silent nod, agreeing he was fine with Mason taking the lead in this instance.
“It’s settled then.”
“You should try to eat something, Zack,” Dane said. He shoved a container closer.
“Yeah, I’m not sure I can eat anything,” Zack replied.
“What was the last thing you ate and when?”
“A donut about eight hours ago,” he admitted.
The idea of Mr. Healthy eating a donut was hilarious. “A donut? Since when do you eat donuts?” Mason laughed, spork paused mid-shovel.
Zack only took a mild exception, “Fuck off, asshat.”
“Dickhead.”
A reprimand from their mother brought a chuckle to the three brothers before they all sobered. Considering the circumstances, it wasn’t appropriate, and they all knew it.
The beep of his cell distracted Zack.
“That fucking bitch!” Zack swore and flung his phone. Dane, in a move that would do pro athletes everywhere proud, snatched the device before it crashed against the wall.
“Zack!” his mother gasped.
“Mom,” Mason said in an undertone, with a shake of his head. An indication it wasn’t the time to scold Zack. Sick with dread, feeling as if his meal wanting to make a return trip, he swallowed and asked. “What did she say this time?”
“She confirmed she has Jacob.”
“Why the hell can’t they use the GPS on her phone?” Dane asked.
“Apparently, she’ll send the text and immediately turn it off according to Bucky.”
“I thought they could tell which tower they pinged off,” Connie said.
“Mom, we are a small town. All cell phones ping off the same tower here. It won’t pinpoint her location. You have to stop watching so many crime dramas,” Mason said with a half-hearted smile. Her love for television was well known within their family.
“Okay, smarty pants, but can’t they still track it even if it is off? I thought I saw that somewhere.”
“Again, with the crime shows,” Mason mocked her lightly before sobering. “Seriously, I don’t know. Maybe she’s taking the battery out?”
“Erica would know,” Zack said absently. “It’s something she would have researched for her novels.”
“She writes the best books,” Connie said. “I’ve read every one. Some of those sex scenes? Wow!”
“Mom!” Three male voices groaned in unison.
“Oh, I forgot. All mothers are saints,” she chuckled.
“That’s right. And don’t forget again,” Mason said, kissing her cheek. “How do I scrub this conversation from my mind?”
“Back to the subject at hand, you need to report that to the PD, Zack,” Dane said, handing him back his phone. “Maybe there is something they can do. Now that a child is involved, they might bring in the FBI.”
“I don’t think she’ll hurt him. At least not yet. She isn’t through toying with me,” Zack replied. “Erica, on the other hand…”
Mason didn’t want to think what that would mean to their family. Or to Shonda for that matter. His heart was heavy as he texted her to tell her the latest development and let her know there was no longer any need to wait at Zack’s place.
Chapter Eighteen
Shonda joined the Sharps at the hospital, because she, like everyone else, was worried about Charlie. He was known and loved community wide. She couldn’t recall a time when he wasn’t officiating some town function or another. And when he’d caught her and Erica sampling pot behind the local movie theater, he’d let them off with only a warning.
In addition to being there for developments on Charlie’s condition, Shonda figured being close to Zack would get her the real-time updates on Erica. What she hadn’t planned on, and what shouldn’t have surprised her, was Mason’s emotional withdrawal. It seemed as if he’d met his quota of handing out comfort. While in the last few hours she’d admittedly needed it to get over the shock of her friend being kidnapped, she could stand on her own two feet now. Either way, it was essential to remember she was the one who’d sent him on his way last night. The one who’d basically said she was done with all the back and forth.
As if Shonda reached out to him with her thoughts, he appeared before her. All six foot four inches of alpha male. “It appears Zack isn’t coming back with my coffee. I’m going to go pick some up. Do you want anything?”
“Sure,” she cast a glance around and counted heads. “Do you want me to go with you to help carry anything back?”
“I think I can handle four coffees,” Mason responded dryly.
“Okay. Two cre—”
“I know how you take it.” He pivoted on his heel and walked off.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and counted to ten, then she added another twenty to be on the safe side. Tempers were frayed, and it was important for her to recall that when she wanted to do him bodily harm.
Twenty minutes later, Shonda was wondering what was taking Mason so long. She supposed one of their group should have gone and helped him carry the drinks after all. But Mr. High and Mighty had refused. Though why she cared if he needed assistance was beyond her. He’d made it clear he wanted nothing from her. Nothing but a no-strings-attached fuck-buddy, if she was inclined to be receptive to his terms of no dates, no love, and no expectations. Just friendship.
Because she already had strong feelings for him, she had declined and sent him on his way. Maybe a different woman might have taken him up on it, hoping to eventually change his mind and gain his love, but not her. No, she’d been burned one too many times. Thinking to go into a relationship and change the other person was asking for trouble. It never worked. The one with the delusions of happily-ever-after would always find their heart crushed.
These thoughts rattled about in her head and made her close to mental. The what-if and should-she-try-to-make-it-work scenarios were playing on a continuous loop in between the generous heaping of dear-God-I-hope-Erica-is-okay thoughts.
“Shonda, dear, would you mind seeing what’s keeping Mason?” Connie Sharp asked, a warm smile on her face.
“I’ll go.” Dane popped up like a jack-in-the-box. “I want to find Zack and make sure he’s all right, anyway.”
“I didn’t ask you, dear. I asked Shonda,” his mother stated. “You can keep me company for a bit.”
Shonda liked Connie, but the other woman seemed keen on setting her and Mason up since they’d all been closeted together. It got on Shonda’s last nerve. She could only imagine what the commitment-phobe Mason must be experiencing. Did the woman not know her son at all? Did she think he was as willing to form a relationship as
either of his brothers? The poor woman had another think coming. The more he was pushed in that direction, the more he’d back pedal and run the other way.
“I’ll be happy to go check,” Shonda said with an insincere smile. “Be right back.”
Amusement flashed in the older woman’s tired eyes. The sparkle lit up the blue, making her wonder what Connie had been like when she was younger. Had she been like Mason? Carefree and breaking hearts? Like Dane, who was staid and family oriented? Or a mix of the two like Zack, who seemed to laugh easily and love with every fiber of his being?
“Thank you, dear.”
“Think nothing of it,” Shonda said dryly.
When she found Mason, he was leaning against the counter, being treated to a display of luscious breasts barely covered by a white, V-neck t-shirt. The critical part of her brain said the woman had no business wearing a lacy demi-bra with girls that large. Hell, her nips could be seen over the edge of the cup. The thin material of the shirt did nothing to hide their dusky color.
Mason said something and made the woman giggle, and Shonda’s green-eyed monster rose up, claws bared. “Excuse me,” she called from her place in line. “Your mother is waiting on her coffee, and the line is backing up. Do you mind letting this poor girl get back to work?”
A slow glance over his shoulder to survey the line made him reluctantly acknowledge the truth of her words. He met her frosty gaze with an arctic one of his own. Shonda’s heart shriveled. Deep down she recognized by letting her jealousy show, she’d just cemented the end of their relationship. It didn’t matter she’d called it quits yesterday. This scene was the final nail in the coffin of their affair.
Shonda told herself it didn’t matter that he’d blatantly accepted the tramp’s proffered number, or that he’d stepped by her without a word. But it did. To keep a look of indifference on her face and continue to stand in line was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
A few more minutes passed, and it was her turn to order. “May I get a slice of lemon pound cake?”
