The Hidden Heir

by Debra Webb

  He grabbed his cell phone and the knife he’d used. Before walking out the door, he said to the two men, “Don’t light any matches.”

  After cutting Ashley loose, he took her in his arms. Had to hold her. “Are you all right?”

  She trembled in his arms. “I am now.”

  He held her that way for a moment, wanting her to feel safe. But they couldn’t waste any time. He had to get in touch with Victoria and let her know what was really going on with Van Valkenberg.

  He drew back from the embrace, didn’t want to but knew he had to. “You look for the tape. It wasn’t on Marcus so he must have stashed it in the car. I’m going to call this in—”

  His cell phone chirped.

  Ashley caught her breath.

  “It’s just a voice mail.” He didn’t remember hearing his phone but then he’d been a little busy the last hour or so. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled it out. He checked the caller ID display. He’d missed a call from Ben.

  He selected the option for listening to his mail. As soon as he’d reviewed the message he would call in this latest development.

  “Keith, I guess you’re busy but you need this information like, two hours ago. We have a situation here. A woman claiming to be Miss Orrick’s mother just called and she insists that she must speak to her daughter. She was pretty hysterical. But from what I could tell, the boy ran away and she thinks he might be headed to Marla Beck’s house in Springfield. You think there’s anything to this? Let me know what steps you intend to take. Brody’s not taking any of this too well. He wants the boy found like right now. He just called and demanded an update. He is furious at the idea of the kid being out there on his own. Victoria kind of left me…”

  Keith closed the phone. Didn’t need to hear the rest of the message. Dread kicked him in the chest. He had no idea who Marla Beck was but if there was any truth to the call at all, Van Valkenberg’s people already knew where the kid might be headed.

  Ben was right. He’d needed this information two hours ago.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “We’ll never get there in time.” Ashley chewed on her thumbnail, too sick with worry to sit still.

  “We’ll get there,” Keith promised as he wheeled into South Bend Regional Airport.

  There had been no time for anything else. Keith had called Ben and ordered the Colby Agency’s jet. They had to get to Springfield before Desmond’s thugs.

  Ashley squeezed her eyes shut and prayed again that God would protect Jamie.

  What was he thinking, taking off like that?

  He knew better.

  Her mother had called the Colby Agency back and said it looked as if he’d taken a bus. He’d left in the middle of the night. She hadn’t even realized he was gone until she’d gone in to waken him for breakfast.

  He’d learned his lessons well from his mother.

  Disappear when it was least expected. And be prepared.

  She could have prevented this. She should never have allowed that devil Desmond to rule their lives.

  There had to be something she could have done differently.

  “Here we go.” Keith parked the car in the area designated for corporate flights. He turned to her. “Don’t beat yourself up, Ashley.”

  Those blue eyes looked almost as worried as she felt. Could he possibly care about what happened to her son? It had been so long since anyone besides the three people close to her had offered anything, much less cared.

  “You did what you thought was best. I would have done the same.”

  She nodded, couldn’t muster the necessary skills for speech.

  “Let’s get on that plane and go find your son.”

  His smile brought tears to her eyes. He did care. No way was this fake.

  She nodded, grabbed her purse and reached for the door handle. He was at her door before she’d realized he’d gotten out of the car. Boy, she really was out of it. Shock, she decided. Or plain old fear.

  If anything happened to her son…

  No. She got out of the car. She refused to consider that possibility. She would find him first.

  They boarded the plane and the pilot informed them that takeoff would be in twenty minutes. The flight would take less than an hour.

  She prayed. Told herself that she had trained Jamie well when it came to dealing with strangers. He would be fine. She had to believe that.

  Keith offered her a bottle of water and she accepted it. Her throat was so dry, swallowing proved nearly impossible.

  “There’s a wide variety of snacks, if you’re hungry,” he offered.

  She shook her head. “No thank you. I couldn’t.”

  He nodded his understanding and opened his own bottle of water. She knew he was hungry, but he didn’t get anything for himself.

  “You should eat, if you’re hungry.” He shouldn’t hold out just because she wasn’t having anything.

  “I’m good.”

  Where had guys like him been ten years ago?

  She had to turn off her brain for a few minutes. Too much to worry about.

  She desperately wanted her son to grow up happy. To meet a wonderful girl and fall in love the way it was meant to be. Happiness, a priceless commodity.

  And sometimes so far out of reach.

  The plane started to roll forward. Anticipation made her heart start to fly even before the plane got off the ground.

  A telephone rang. Not a cell phone.

  Keith reached toward the table next to his chair and lifted a receiver out of a built-in niche.

  Taking a private jet was far ritzier than going coach on a commercial jetliner.

  Lush carpeting. The seats, all six of them, were like elegant leather recliners that swiveled.

  And more she hadn’t seen.

  She’d bet the restroom was far nicer, as well.

  “I understand. Thank you.”

  Keith hung up the receiver and his gaze settled on hers. Ashley’s heart dropped all the way to the thick carpet around her feet. There was news. Please, please, God, let it be good. She couldn’t read what he was feeling. Was the news good…or bad?

  “That was Ben. The driver of the bus into Spring field just confirmed that your son arrived safely and exited the bus at the downtown station approximately one hour ago.”

  “Thank God.” The words were scarcely a burst of air. At least he was safe up until that point.

  “There’s something else.”

  There was something in his expression this time that made every part of her being go utterly still.

  “When I called Ben and updated him on what went down at your mother’s, I asked him to look into Van Valkenberg’s state of health. At this point, we have to assume he may have lied about everything. But, he didn’t lie about one part. He is dying. That has been confirmed.”

  Part of her felt glad to hear that. Her lips trembled and she fought back her tears. The bastard deserved to die.

  “But all hope isn’t lost. The problem is his heart. All he needs is a suitable donor.”

  Terror wrapped around her; she couldn’t breathe. The full impact of Keith’s statement hit her.

  “That’s why he wants my son. He wants his heart.”

  THE HOME owned by Marla Beck gave every appearance of being deserted. Backup—A.J. Braddock and Simon Ruhl, two of the Colby Agency’s best—had met Keith at the airport. The local authorities had been alerted and were on standby in the event official assistance was needed. The videotape was being hand-delivered to the Chicago District Attorney’s office at that very moment. Whatever involvement Van Valkenberg had in a decades-old murder was out of the Colby Agency’s hands.

  But the man himself, that was another story.

  Keith intended to personally see that he didn’t get anywhere near Ashley or her son.

  “You should touch base with Marla now that we’re here.” Her minivan was not in the driveway. Since Ashley no longer had her cell phone, there had been no way for Marla to contac
t her. If they were lucky, Jamie would be with her by now.

  Her hands shaking, Ashley accepted the cell phone he offered and entered Marla’s cell number. “Marla.” Her breath caught and her eyes closed a moment as she struggled to hold on to her composure. “Is Jamie with you?”

  The absolute terror in Ashley’s voice tore Keith apart. His fingers clenched into fists of rage at the idea of what Van Valkenberg had planned for the boy. Of what he had put both of them through for the past decade. Selfish bastard.

  Ashley pressed her free hand to her mouth for a moment and Keith knew the news wasn’t good.

  When she’d regained control of her emotions, she pleaded with her friend, “Keep looking, okay? I’ll call you if we have any news on this end.”

  She pressed the End Call button and handed the phone back to Keith. “She’s looked everywhere. All the places we told him to go in the event of something like this.” She shook her head, tears shining in her eyes. “Nothing.”

  Keith wanted to hold her. To promise her everything would work out in the end…but he couldn’t lie to her. She’d lived with enough lies already.

  “We should check this house just in case,” A.J. suggested.

  A.J. was right. “Definitely.” He turned to Ashley. “You stay here with Simon. A.J. and I will make sure the house is clear. Just in case.”

  She nodded, her eyes glazed with worry.

  His fury barely contained, Keith, with A.J.’s assistance, searched the house. Three-bedroom, two-bath ranch style. It didn’t take long. And they found nothing. He even asked Ashley to come inside to check any place they might have overlooked. Allowing her to go into the boy’s room turned out to be a mistake. She couldn’t contain the tears any longer.

  As he ushered her out the front door, his cell phone rang again. He flipped it open. “Devers.”

  “We have movement at the mansion.”

  Ben. He and another Colby Agency investigator, Todd Thompson, were watching the Van Valkenberg estate.

  “A limo has just pulled out. We’re going to follow it and see what Van Valkenberg is up to.”

  “Thanks, Ben. Keep me posted.”

  Keith put his phone away and filled Braddock in on what he’d learned. Ashley listened, but didn’t make any comments. She’d almost gone as far as she could go. They had to find her son. Soon.

  “We’re missing something,” he said more to himself than to Ashley or A.J. “I don’t see how it’s possible, but it feels like he already has the boy.”

  Ashley’s fear visibly escalated. “Is that possible?”

  Braddock rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I guess it’s not impossible.” To Keith, he said, “Do we know where Van Valkenberg’s private jet is? That could give us somewhere to go from here.”

  “The last time I checked, it was still in Chicago, but I’ll confirm there hasn’t been any change.” Keith put in the necessary call. Less than five minutes later, they had the information.

  Van Valkenberg’s private jet had landed at a private airfield just outside Springfield more than an hour ago. Their man in Chicago was left out of the notification loop.

  “Someone should stay here in case the boy shows up,” Keith said quickly, a plan forming rapidly in his mind. “The rest of us should head to the airfield.”

  Simon nodded his agreement with that strategy. “I’ll stay here.”

  Ashley stared at the men as they talked. Keith had a bad feeling that shock had begun to delay her reactions. But there was no time to waste ensuring that she understood what they were about to do. The airfield was twenty minutes away. Anything could happen in twenty minutes.

  ASHLEY SAT VERY STILL in the backseat. She didn’t dare move or talk or even think. If she allowed her mind to go in any direction, it would only nurture the devastation roiling in her belly, threatening her flimsy hold on composure.

  Please, God, she prayed, don’t let them hurt my baby.

  Keith and his associate, the man named Braddock occupied the front seat of the car. Neither spoke. Ashley was glad. She didn’t want to talk. Talking required thinking. She just couldn’t do that right now. She only wanted her son back.

  As Braddock made the turn onto the road that led to the airfield, Keith’s cell phone sounded again.

  “Devers.”

  Ashley watched him, wrung her hands as anxiety tightened its hold on her throat. She prayed it was good news.

  “I don’t care what you have to do, Ben, get in there.” Pause. “I don’t know. Fake a heart attack, but do something.”

  Keith closed his phone then. He shifted in the seat so that he could look at her. “Van Valkenberg has just arrived at a private surgical clinic.”

  A new wave of fear washed over Ashley. “They’re getting ready.” Horror twisted in her chest. “They must have Jamie…otherwise preparations wouldn’t be necessary.”

  Keith tried to comfort her with his eyes, but there was no way he could. Nothing could make her feel better now. Nothing but her son safely back in her arms.

  The cell phone’s ring shattered the tension again. “Devers.”

  Ashley held her breath.

  “I understand. We’re almost there.” He closed the phone. “Van Valkenberg’s jet is scheduled to take off in fifteen minutes.”

  Braddock didn’t stop at the entrance gate. A guard burst out of the guard shack but Braddock didn’t slow.

  Ashley sat on the edge of her seat, her heart knocking against her rib cage. They had to get to Jamie before that plane took off.

  “There!” Keith pointed to a hangar up ahead. “That’s the hangar number.”

  Braddock roared up to the hangar and slammed the vehicle into Park. All three poured out of the car. Ashley felt as if her movements were stiff, surreal, happening of their own volition. Her thoughts were frozen, that same prayer echoing over and over inside her head.

  Keith ushered her back toward the car. “Stay back, Ashley. We can handle this better with you safely out of the way.”

  “I’m going with you.” Nothing he said could change her mind. Nothing.

  “Let’s go,” Braddock urged. “There’s no time to argue.”

  The sound of car engines roaring in the distance, security most likely, lent more urgency to his words.

  “Stay behind me,” Keith ordered.

  Ashley managed a nod.

  They raced to the hangar. The plane sat on the tarmac beyond the looming building. Portable stairs had been rolled up to meet the open door.

  Ashley recognized the man climbing the stairs. Brody.

  He rushed up the stairs after catching sight of them.

  Keith hit the bottom of the stairs first, didn’t pause, just bounded up. Braddock was right on his heels. Ashley hurried up the steps next, her heart thumping painfully.

  She prayed again that she would find her son safe.

  Keith charged the closing door, barely managed to push through. Braddock disappeared inside right behind him.

  Ashley, her breath sawing in and out of her lungs, didn’t hesitate. She barreled through the door right behind them.

  The first thing her eyes encountered was the three men engaged in a kind of standoff with Keith and Braddock, weapons drawn.

  “You’re trespassing, gentlemen,” one of the men said. “Now kindly leave this aircraft. The pilot is already locked in the cockpit and prepared to take off.”

  A frantic scream rent the air.

  “Jamie!” Ashley instantly zeroed in on the direction from which the sound came.

  She bolted past Keith and Braddock; not even Desmond’s three thugs moved quickly enough to stop her. She burst through the door and found herself in a private compartment much smaller than the cabin where the others were. Brody had positioned Jamie in front of him like a shield. His weapon was trained on Ashley.

  “Take another step and I’ll shoot you right in front of your son.”

  Fury obliterated any fear she had felt before. “How could you do this? I knew you were a lo
wlife bastard, but I didn’t think you would stoop to murdering a child.” Just then she saw the man wearing a white lab coat cowering in the corner…then the bed…and finally the medical equipment. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs. They had intended to prepare her son en route.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brody argued. “Your son is ill. Just like his father. We’re trying to help him. That’s what this has all been about.”

  He looked frazzled, unaccustomed to doing the dirty work himself.

  “I don’t believe anything you say,” she snarled, a lioness determined to protect her cub. “Let my son go and maybe you can get immunity by telling the truth about your boss.”

  Brody shook his head. “I’ll die first.” He looked at Ashley for a moment. “And I’ll take you with me.”

  Oddly, she wasn’t afraid. She smiled at her son, gave him a wink and did the last thing Brody would have expected—she dropped to the floor.

  Her son bit Brody’s arm. His hold loosened and her son dropped to the floor as well. The gun’s blast thundered in the small compartment.

  Before Brody could fire another shot, Keith had his weapon leveled on the man, “Drop it!” he ordered.

  For two seconds that stretched out like eternity, Ashley feared Brody wouldn’t cooperate, but then he did. The moment his weapon was in Keith’s hand, Jamie ran over to her. They hugged and hugged. She kissed him over and over until he cried, “Mom! Enough with the kisses,” and wiped his face.

  Thank God she had her child back safe and sound.

  She owed one man for making it happen, for believing in her.

  He smiled down at her, didn’t try to intrude on the mother-and-son reunion. There would be time to work things out with Keith later.

  ASHLEY SAT on the swing of the front porch where she’d grown up.

  The smell of her mother’s cookies baking wafted through the open windows.

  God, it was good to be home.

  Jamie chased a chicken around the yard. She had to get that boy a dog. Now that they were on the farm, she could do that. She couldn’t have him chasing her mother’s chickens around; otherwise they’d never lay any more eggs.