by Susan Stoker
Hope smiled a little. Leave it to Mackenzie to make her feel better with her babbling. “Yeah, well, Joseph isn’t going to die. He’s too ornery and stubborn to die of broken legs.”
“Of course he’s not. He’s had you and Calder to look after him. Not to mention Billy. I’ve heard that older people do much better in the long run when they’re around kids. I think it was a study on grandparents, that if they babysat their grandkids they lived longer and had less issues with dementia…or something like that.”
“I’ve heard that,” Hope agreed, feeling happy that Joseph had taken to Billy as he had. “Anyway, thank you for helping me out today. I didn’t want to have Billy take the bus, just to be safe.”
“Yeah, the whole situation sucks. I’m happy to help. I know Daxton has been working with Cruz to find out what they can, but they don’t have much yet…other than the fact that it’s not your ex.”
“Ms. Drayden?”
Hope looked up at the nurse standing in the doorway of the waiting room. “I need to go, Mack. The nurse is calling me back.”
“No problem. I’ll take care of Billy. See you later.”
An hour later, Hope was pulling into the garage at Calder’s house, a happy Joseph sitting beside her. He’d gotten both casts off and now had a walker to get around with. He was going to need some physical therapy to help build his muscles back up, but he was determined to walk on his own rather than use his wheelchair, claiming he’d been “sitting on his ass long enough.”
Hope’s phone vibrated with an incoming call just as she stopped inside the garage. She put the car in park and looked down to see it was Mackenzie.
“Hey,” Hope said in way of greeting. “I just got home. I’ll be inside in a second.”
“Hope, I’m still at the school. They can’t find Billy.”
Those four words sent ice racing through Hope’s veins.
She had a flashback to when Billy disappeared when they were on the streets. It had been the worst feeling in the world.
Taking a deep breath and telling herself it wasn’t the same thing, she asked, “What?”
“I got here and went to the office to sign him out. The secretary checked the paperwork and saw that you’d called to approve me picking him up. They went to the playground to get him…and he wasn’t there. None of the other kids had seen anything, and even the teacher on duty hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. They’re looking through the school now.”
“Maybe he grabbed the bus,” Hope said desperately, and made her way toward the door to the house, Joseph following behind her as fast as he could. He wasn’t moving too quickly, but without the casts, he was at least upright and mobile now.
“Billy?” Hope called as she entered the house. She was met by nothing but silence. “Billy, I mean it. If you’re playing a game, it isn’t funny. Come out right now!”
But he didn’t appear.
Hope leaned heavily against a wall and slid down it until her butt hit the floor. “He’s not here,” she whispered into the phone. “Mackenzie, he’s not here. Where is he?”
“I’m calling Daxton,” Mackenzie said. “They’re still searching the school, but we can’t wait any longer on this. Call Calder,” she ordered.
“He’s in autopsy. He won’t pick up,” Hope said.
“Then call his boss. Call someone. Make them go in and get him.”
“I…he’s busy,” Hope said, feeling conflicted. “I mean, I know he’d want to help, but he’s working, trying to figure out why and how someone died. It’s not like he can just put that to the side and leave.”
“Is Joseph there?” Mack barked.
“Yeah.”
“Give him the phone.”
Without thought, Hope held out her cell phone to Joseph.
The older man took it and put it to his ear. “This is Joseph,” he said. He listened to whatever Mackenzie was saying for a long moment before replying, “Will do.” He clicked off the phone then pressed on some other buttons before bringing it back up to his ear.
“TJ? This is Joseph Roberts. Billy’s missin’. Calder’s in autopsy and needs to be notified. Hope is headed to the school, have him meet her there.”
Hope heard him, but it was as if she was at the end of a very long tunnel. This couldn’t be happening. Billy couldn’t have been taken again.
Joseph clicked off the phone then said, “I’d help you up, but you’d probably pull me over.”
When Hope didn’t move, he nudged her with his foot. “Hope. Get it together. You need to get to the school.”
Hope looked up at the man who was like a father to her. “I can’t do this again,” she whispered.
“Tough shit,” Joseph said unsympathetically. “You don’t have a choice.”
Hope stifled a sob.
“Seriously, Hope. Get. Up. You can’t fall apart right now. This sucks, and I want to rail against God and sit down on the couch and cry, but I can’t. You know why? Because Billy’s out there somewhere and we have to find him. There’ll be time to break down later.”
Hope took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Joseph was right, she knew he was, but pulling herself together was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. Even getting beaten by Earle was easier than this.
Her baby was missing. Someone had taken him. Again.
Then, as she sat huddled on the floor of Calder’s house, something clicked inside her.
As if a switch had been flicked, she got mad. Furious.
Billy was hers. No one was allowed to mess with him. Steal him away. Hurt him.
She pushed herself to her feet and took Joseph by the arm. “How’re your legs?”
“They hurt,” Joseph said bluntly. “I can’t go to the school with you. I’ll stay here and call in the troops. If Billy comes home, I’ll be here, and I’ll call and let you know.”
Hope nodded. That was a good idea. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to be running around and miss Billy if he showed up here. “Okay.”
Joseph reached out and yanked Hope into his arms. “He’s okay,” he said quietly. “That boy has a core of iron inside him…just like his mom.” Then he pushed Hope back and put his hands on her shoulders. “Go get him, Hope. Bring him home.”
“I will.” Hope took the phone Joseph was holding out and stuffed it into her pocket before turning around and heading for the garage once more. She drove like a bat out of hell to get to the elementary school, hardly remembering anything about the trip once she’d arrived.
She jogged up to the doors and went straight to the office. The principal met her there, and immediately started apologizing and telling her that they were reviewing the security tapes that overlooked the play area, to see if they could determine where Billy went.
Hope was trying not to break down, and feeling frustrated that there wasn’t more they could do right now, when there was a ruckus at the doors.
Turning, she made a weird little noise in her throat that she knew was pretty pathetic, but she couldn’t have stopped it if she tried. She’d been holding herself together pretty well up to this point, Joseph’s little pep talk being immensely helpful, but the second she saw Calder, she felt her composure start to break.
Hope rushed to him. She barely noticed the other men with him. She only had eyes for the man she loved. Calder would know what to do. He’d find Billy.
Calder wrapped his arms around her and Hope buried her face in his chest, clenching his shirt with both hands. He was wearing what she called his “work uniform.” A suit coat, nice shirt under and a pair of black pants. She knew he’d been in autopsy, and could smell the slight stench of chemicals. She also knew the mortuary didn’t really smell bad, like one might expect with all the dead bodies. The building and autopsy room were well ventilated and washed incredibly frequently. But she still knew when Calder had been in autopsy because he simply smelled…off.
But at the moment, she didn’t care what he smelled like or where he’d been, she only
cared that he was here with her right now.
“Calder,” she whispered.
“We’re going to find him,” Calder said without hesitation. “All the guys are on this. TJ and Hayden went to the house. Weston and Dax are organizing a search party, and all our firefighter friends are going to be assisting them. Quint and Cruz are with me to interview and question everyone who was here when he disappeared. “
“The principal said she was going to look over the surveillance tapes,” Hope said, looking up.
“We’ll take a look at them too. Hopefully one of us will recognize who it was, and then we can call Cruz, and Beth, if necessary.”
Hope took a good look at Calder for the first time. He. Looked. Pissed. And the anger on his face somehow calmed her. She wasn’t alone this time. When Billy had disappeared before, no one had seemed to care. The cops had come, but she could tell that because she was homeless, they didn’t take her as seriously as they might someone else.
Having Calder at her side, organizing things, getting their friends involved, Hope had no doubt he’d not rest until Billy was home.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” Calder said firmly. “Come on, let’s go talk to the principal.” He turned her and, with his arm around her waist, they headed back into the office, where Quint and Cruz were already deep in conversation with the principal.
Two hours later, Calder and Hope returned home without Billy.
They’d looked at the surveillance tape at the school and, even though the footage was grainy, realized the man on the video was the same man who had come to the school previously and pick up Billy. But this time he hadn’t bothered to try to be subtle about things—he’d simply snatched the little boy right out of the playground and run off with him in his arms.
Hope was sitting on the couch between Mackenzie and Mickie, holding her cell phone and staring at it, as if her gaze alone was enough to make it ring.
She knew Beth had been sent the surveillance footage from the school after Hope and Calder had watched it. Beth was still working on making an ID, as well as searching for other glimpses of the man from nearby traffic cams. Now they were all waiting to hear from her about what she might’ve found, or not found.
Calder was in the kitchen with Dax, Cruz, and Quint. It was getting dark, and any search efforts were on hold, since the assumption was that the mystery man had gotten him in a car and driven off with him…and that was absolutely terrifying
Joseph was sitting in a chair near the women, looking concerned and pissed off at the same time.
“The amber alert will be going out within the hour,” Quint told Calder.
Calder nodded.
“And every law enforcement agency has been given pictures of Billy and the mystery man. They’ll be on the lookout.”
Calder nodded again, his eyes focused on Hope sitting in the other room.
“If there’s a ransom call, we’ll get it on tape,” Dax added.
“Agents in Seattle went to Thyne’s house to check out his alibi. It’s not him,” Cruz added. “He was at work all day and was in the process of berating his new girlfriend when they knocked on the door. They could hear him screaming at her as they walked up.”
“He could’ve hired someone to snatch Billy,” Calder said in a voice that held no emotion.
“The paperwork’s been submitted to check his phone, his girlfriend’s phone, as well as his phone at the police station. His computers will also be seized so they can look for emails and messages. If he’s involved, they’ll find out soon enough,” Cruz told him.
Calder pulled his eyes from Hope to look at his friends. “Where is he?” he asked softly. “He’s a little kid. A kid who doesn’t talk. He can’t scream for help. He can’t call out. He’s at the mercy of whoever took him.”
“He’s a smart kid,” Dax said immediately. “He might not be able to talk, but that doesn’t mean he can’t fight back.”
“Yeah, he’s street smart,” Quint added.
“But he’s still a kid,” Calder said. “He only recently got the confidence to sleep in his own room by himself. He was scared to sleep anywhere but near his mom. I’m not sure how much more he can handle.” Calder turned to look back at Hope. “How much more she can handle.”
“She’s also stronger than you’re giving her credit for,” Quint said.
Calder turned to pierce his friend with a murderous look. “Don’t give me platitudes,” he growled. “When Corrie was missing, I didn’t tell you that she was strong and you shouldn’t worry. This is Hope’s child. She’s given up everything in her life for him. If something happens to him, if his mental health takes a hit because of this, she’ll never forgive herself. She’ll blame herself…hell, she’s already blaming herself. I can sense it.”
“I’m not telling you not to worry,” Quint returned. “All I’m saying is that with you by her side, she—and Billy—will get through this.”
“I didn’t think Mack was going to be able to bounce back after that asshole buried her alive,” Dax added. “I was afraid to let her out of my sight for the longest time after that. Hell, man, she was dead. When I pulled her out of that coffin, she was fucking dead. But by some miracle, I was able to bring her back. From everything I’ve heard about Hope and Billy, they really shouldn’t be as healthy and happy as they are. From her douchebag ex, to living on the streets, to Billy’s being snatched before. And now they have you. And Joseph. And all of us. There’s no way in hell we’ll stop before we find him. And no matter what, we’ll be there for all three of you afterward.”
Calder took a deep breath, dropped his head, and shut his eyes. He knew he had good friends. He’d been by their sides when shit had happened to their women. He’d never, not once, lost faith in their abilities to save them. But this was different. This was his family. Billy was his, just as his mom was. He hated seeing Hope upset and couldn’t stomach thinking about what Billy was going through.
He’d seen all the ways humans could be vile to each other on his autopsy table. The thought that Billy might be the next body to lie there was unacceptable and loathsome. He was hoping like hell Beth would be able to find something when she widened her search for cameras around the school. It seemed like forever since they’d last heard from her.
He looked up at Cruz. “How much longer—”
Calder’s words were interrupted by the ringing of Hope’s cell phone. Calder was on the move before the first ring had finished echoing in the room. He leaned over her and saw the display said “unknown.”
“It’s not Beth,” Calder said as he turned to look at Cruz. “It could be whoever took him.”
“Take a deep breath,” Cruz instructed Hope, who was staring at the phone anxiously. “We’ve been over this. Put it on speaker when you answer. Try to keep whoever is on the line as long as possible so Beth can track the call.”
Calder knew Quint was already on the phone to the computer genius, telling her about the incoming call. He maneuvered his way between Mackenzie and Hope on the couch and wrapped an arm around Hope. “Answer it, sweetheart. We need to get our boy back.”
Nodding, Hope reached for the display. Calder saw her hand shaking and wished he could turn back the clock and reschedule the autopsy he’d had that day. Wished he’d had his assistant take over so he could’ve gone to pick up Billy. There were a hundred things he wished he’d done differently, but it was too late now.
“Hello?” Hope said shakily after she’d put the call on speaker.
The response was digitally altered, but it was obviously a female’s voice. “We have your son.”
Chapter Fifteen
Hope inhaled sharply at hearing the words she’d dreaded since Billy had disappeared. She wanted to fall apart, but Billy was depending on her to keep her shit together. She could feel Calder beside her. She could do this.
“Where is he?” Hope demanded.
“Somewhere that you won’t find him. Not until you give us what we want.”
“Five hundred thousand dollars in cash.”
Hope gasped. “I don’t have that kind of money,” she told the kidnapper.
“Of course you do,” was the response. “You just won a million bucks. I’m being nice and only asking for half.”
“How is Billy? I want proof he’s okay,” Hope demanded, keeping in mind what Cruz had told her earlier. He’d gone over what she should and shouldn’t say to the kidnapper if they called. He insisted that they needed to make sure Billy was okay, and that she tell the kidnappers no money would be delivered until they had proof of life.
Hope had shuddered, hearing him say it like that, but she knew he was right.
“You don’t get to make the demands here,” the disembodied voice said. “You’ll do what I say if you ever want to see your son alive again.”
Hope swallowed hard. She wanted to insist the person take a picture of Billy and text it to her, but she also didn’t want to do anything that might make them hurt him. “I’m not sure I can come up with the cash very quickly.”
“Bullshit,” the woman on the other end of the line said. “You go to the bank. Tell them you want five hundred thousand in small bills and leave. Easy.”
Cruz leaned down and held up a piece of paper with two words on it. Hope nodded and asked, “How am I supposed to get you the money? And where?”
“Bamberger Park. There’s a nature trail there. Go down it about half a mile. There’s a trash can. Put the money in it and leave. I’ll be watching. If you involve the cops, I’ll know. If you don’t leave after dropping off the money, I’ll know.”
Hope looked back at Calder. She had no idea where the park the kidnapper had mentioned was. When he nodded at her, she swallowed hard. Okay, if Calder knew it, then she’d just go with it. “When?”
