Her Mistletoe Protector

by Laura Scott

  “I have a blanket in the trunk,” Nick said gruffly, before sliding out of the driver’s seat. He returned a few minutes later with a wool blanket. “Why don’t you stretch out in the backseat?”

  “I won’t be able to sleep,” she protested. “Besides, we should take turns keeping watch.”

  “I’ll keep watch first while you try to get some rest.” His tone indicated there was no point in arguing.

  Resigned, she opened the passenger door, pausing for a moment as she realized there was a bullet hole near the bottom of the window. The reminder of being used for target practice made her shiver again. Clutching the blanket, she climbed into the backseat and huddled down, grateful for the added warmth from Nick’s blanket. She vowed to give him the blanket when it was her turn to keep watch.

  The backseat was hardly comfortable, but that wasn’t the reason she couldn’t sleep. Images of Joey kept flashing through her mind, haunting her to the point where she almost couldn’t stand it another moment.

  “Nick?” she said softly, breaking the silence. “You don’t think the kidnappers will hurt Joey, do you?”

  “Try not to torture yourself thinking the worst, Rachel.”

  “I’m not trying to torture myself, but every time I close my eyes I picture that man grabbing Joey and slinging him over his shoulder. Don’t you see? I’m the one who told Joey to get out of the car and run. It’s my fault he was kidnapped.”

  There was a long pause, then Nick said, “Rachel, it’s not your fault. I’m sure he would have gotten Joey even if you hadn’t told him to run.”

  “Stop trying to placate me,” she said sharply.

  There was another brief silence. “Look, Rachel, I don’t know if you believe in God, but if you do, praying can help you get through this.”

  She remembered how Nick had prayed before eating their fast-food dinner. Maybe he believed but she wasn’t sure she did. “My parents weren’t very religious. When I was growing up the only time we went to church was at Christmas and Easter.” She hadn’t thought about church or God in a long time. “I’m not sure I believe there really is a God, or that He cares anything about me or Joey.”

  “There is.” Nick’s voice exuded confidence. “And He does care about you and Joey. If you keep an open mind and an open heart, you’ll be rewarded.”

  “Rewarded?” She couldn’t hide the sarcasm in her tone. “I hardly think having my son kidnapped is anything close to rewarding.”

  “You’re twisting my words, Rachel,” he said quietly. “I meant that God can help you through difficult times.”

  “There’s nothing more difficult than having your child in danger.” She fought the rising anger. Who was he to preach to her at a time like this? Her son was missing and he wanted her to pray?

  “I do know a little about what you’re going through, Rachel. Two years ago, I lost my wife and my daughter in a terrible car crash. I nearly went crazy during the hours they were missing, before they were found dead in the bottom of a ravine. And trust me, I wouldn’t have made it through those dark days without God’s strength and the power of prayer.”

  His blunt statement surprised her and caused her to feel ashamed. Why was she taking her anger out on Nick? None of this was his fault. Clearly, he knew what it was like to lose someone he loved. Losing his wife and a daughter had to have been horrible. But prayer? She wasn’t sure she was buying that idea.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d prayed, if ever. And she wasn’t sure that prayer alone would make her feel better about losing her son.

  She wouldn’t survive if Joey died. Everything inside her would die right along with him.

  “I’ve been praying for Joey’s safety,” Nick went on in a low voice. “And I want you to know, I’ll keep on praying for Joey and for you.”

  Tears pricked her eyes and her throat swelled, making it hard to speak. Knowing that he would pray for her son brought a surprising level of comfort. And she suddenly realized that he was right. She did need to keep an open mind. Because if Nick’s prayers could really help, she would gladly take them. She would take anything she could get if it meant keeping Joey safe.

  She cleared her throat, trying to hide the evidence of her tears. “Thank you, Nick. And I’m sorry I snapped at you. I didn’t know you lost your wife and daughter. I guess you really do know what I’m going through.”

  “For a long time I wanted to join them up in heaven,” he admitted. “But God chose another path for me, so I’ve decided to dedicate my life to putting bad guys away and leading a Christian life, until God calls me home to be with my family.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say in response to that, since truthfully, his plan sounded a bit lonely. Although who was she to argue about being alone? She wasn’t interested in having a relationship again, either, especially not while she was raising her son. She was too afraid to trust her instincts about men after the way she’d messed up with Anthony.

  Was Nick subtly warning her that he wasn’t interested in being anything more than friends? If so, she was happy to oblige.

  Right now, she didn’t care about anything except getting her son back safe and sound.

  As the minutes passed slowly, she stared out through the car window at the stars scattered across the night sky. And suddenly, she found herself uttering a simple prayer to a God she wasn’t even sure existed.

  Please keep my son safe.

  FIVE

  Rachel must have dozed in spite of herself, because, when she opened her eyes, dawn was breaking over the horizon and she didn’t recognize the area. She assumed Nick had driven somewhere else at some point in the middle of the night. It took a moment for her to realize the beeping noise that woke her up came from a phone. She scrambled around, searching for her phone as Nick twisted in the driver’s seat to look at back at her.

  “Another text message?” he asked.

  She pushed the button on her old phone and her heart leaped into her throat at the message that bloomed on the screen.

  Ten million dollars will buy your son’s freedom. Details on the exchange to follow. Remember, no police or your son will pay the price.

  She tore her gaze from the message and held up the phone to show Nick. “It’s the ransom demand,” she said in a choked voice. She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or worried that the message had come so early in the morning.

  She stared at the phone, wanting desperately to believe that some sort of contact from the kidnappers was better than nothing.

  “Text them back that you need proof that Joey is still alive,” Nick ordered, starting the car and driving out of the parking lot. “Tell them you want to talk to your son.”

  She hesitated, afraid that if she made the kidnappers mad they might hurt Joey.

  “Rachel, you have to know Joey is alive, or there’s no point in agreeing to the demand.”

  Although she hated to admit it, she knew he was right. She took a deep breath and texted back, No money until I speak to my son.

  The moment she pressed Send, she wanted to call the message back. She stared at her old phone for several long moments, hoping the kidnapper would respond. With every minute that ticked by, raw fear rose in the back of her throat, suffocating her.

  “What if they don’t let me talk to him?” she asked, unable to hide the quiver in her voice. “What if they hurt him, instead?”

  “You have to insist on it,” Nick said, a hard edge of steel lining his tone. “Please trust me on this, Rachel.”

  “I do, it’s just that I don’t care about the money,” she whispered in agony. “I just want them to give me Joey.”

  “I know that, and believe me, they know that, too. They’re playing on your fear, Rachel. They’re doing this to keep you off balance. You have to be strong. For Joey.”

  She
nodded, but the vise grip around her heart wouldn’t loosen. She wanted to talk to Joey. Desperately needed to hear his voice.

  Please, God, please keep Joey safe.

  Just when she was about to give up all hope, her old phone rang, from another blocked number. She pushed the button and lifted the device to her ear. “Hello? Joey?”

  “Mommy? Are you there?”

  Hearing her son’s voice made her eyes well up with tears. “Yes, Joey, I’m here. Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

  “No, but I’m scared,” Joey said, and she could tell he was crying, too.

  “Ask him something that only he knows,” Nick whispered from the front seat. Belatedly, she realized he’d pulled off to the side of the road. “To prove it’s him and not some other kid playing the part.”

  She nodded, indicating she’d heard him. “Joey, sweetheart, listen to me. Everything’s going to be okay. But I need you to tell me who your favorite basketball player is. Can you do that for me?”

  “K-Kirk Hinrich.”

  Yes! The starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls was Joey’s favorite player. “That’s good, Joey. I love you. I’m going to get you out of there soon, okay?”

  “That’s enough.” A mechanically distorted voice broke into her conversation with her son. “We will give you details about the exchange soon.”

  “Wait!” she shouted, but nothing but silence was on the other end. She stabbed the button on her phone to call the blocked number back, but all she heard was a weird click then nothing. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to scream in frustration. But nothing could stop her tears.

  “Don’t cry, Rachel,” Nick said in a low, soothing voice. “We’re better off now than we were a few minutes ago. At least we know Joey’s alive and that they’re going to set up the exchange.”

  Nick was right, but she couldn’t seem to stem the flowing tears. Just hearing Joey’s voice made her furious with the kidnappers all over again. Her son was alone and afraid. “We have to find him,” she sobbed.

  He reached over the back of the seat to gently squeeze her shoulder. “We will. Remember God is watching over him, too.”

  Despite how she’d already prayed twice for her son’s safety, Nick’s words were far from reassuring. Because suddenly she couldn’t understand why, if there really was a God, He would put an innocent nine-year-old boy in this kind of danger.

  “I don’t believe that,” she said abruptly, pulling away from his reassuring touch. She used the bottom of her sweatshirt to mop her face. “I don’t trust a God who allows my son to be in danger. And I can’t understand how you could believe that, either.”

  Nick stared at her for a long minute, his gaze shadowed by a deep sorrow, before he wordlessly turned away and began driving again.

  She ducked her head, swiping away the moisture from her cheeks. She shouldn’t feel guilty for hurting him, but she did. Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to apologize, either.

  Right now, nothing mattered except Joey. That was how she’d lived her life since leaving Anthony. A woman on a mission to provide a normal life for her son, keeping him safe from harm.

  This wasn’t the time to allow herself to get distracted. By Nick or by the God he believed in.

  * * *

  Nick drove to the truck stop he’d passed earlier, so they could use the restrooms and get something to eat. He tried not to be hurt by Rachel’s anger as he understood, better than most, what she was going through. He’d been angry with God, too, at first when he’d discovered his wife and child had died. Anger was a normal part of the grief process, but that didn’t mean he was giving up on her.

  He’d continue praying for both Joey and Rachel.

  Besides, she needed to cling to the knowledge of her son being safe and sound. There was still hope that they could figure out a way to get him back.

  Rachel didn’t say anything when he pulled into the truck stop parking lot, bringing the car to a halt between a pair of twin semitrailers. He climbed out of the driver’s seat and then glanced back at her. “I thought we’d clean up in the restrooms first. I’ll meet you in the diner in about fifteen minutes or so, okay?”

  She nodded and pushed her way out of the car to join him. Wordlessly, they walked inside together before splitting up.

  His stomach growled and the scent of bacon and eggs caused him to hurry. He scrubbed his hands over his rough stubble, wishing he had a razor. When he finished up in the restroom, he slid into a booth next to the door and perused the menu while he waited for Rachel.

  She joined him a few minutes later and he didn’t waste any time in placing their orders. Once they were alone with their coffee, he leaned forward and said firmly, “We need to figure out what to do from here, Rachel. Ten million is a lot of money.”

  “I know.” She stared at her coffee, her hands huddled around it for warmth, but she didn’t drink any.

  “I know you’re the CEO and president of your company, but are you really going to be able to get that much together?”

  Slowly, she shook her head. “The economy has been tough, and we’ve had a large class-action lawsuit that has eaten away a significant portion of our profits.”

  Lawsuit? How come she hadn’t mentioned this earlier? “What was the lawsuit about?”

  She grimaced before answering. “We put a new diabetes medication on the market about two years ago. In clinical trials it was superior in performance to the medication that almost two-thirds of the diabetes patients are currently taking.” She hesitated for a moment. “But something went wrong, and several people suffered very bad side effects and two patients died. The FDA mandated that we pull the drug off the market, and the lawsuit was filed shortly thereafter.”

  He stared at her in shock, mentally kicking himself for not investigating this angle earlier. “Rachel, isn’t it possible that Joey’s disappearance could be linked to this lawsuit rather than the Mafia?”

  She sighed and lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t see how the lawsuit could be related. I authorized a large settlement for those patients and their families. They deserve to be compensated for our mistake. What reason would they have to come after me now?” She gripped the mug tighter in her hands. “Besides, does it really matter who took Joey? All we need to do is to figure out a way to get him back.”

  It did matter, but he didn’t say anything as the waitress headed their way with two plates of food. She plopped them down on the table, and then glanced at the two of them. “Need anything else?”

  He forced a smile. “No thanks, we’re fine.”

  The waitress turned on her rubber-soled heel and strode away. He bowed his head and prayed. Thank You, Lord, for this food we are about to eat, and please keep Joey safe in Your care. Guide us in our journey to find him and help Rachel open her heart and her mind to Your peace and Your glory. Amen.

  When he opened his eyes, he realized Rachel had her head down, waiting for him to finish before eating her breakfast. She didn’t join him in prayer, but she didn’t lash out against God again, either, which he chose to believe was a good sign.

  He dug into his bacon and eggs, savoring every bite. When the knot of hunger in his stomach had eased, he glanced up at Rachel again, noting with satisfaction that she was doing a good job of demolishing her own meal. “Tell me more about this lawsuit.”

  She lifted one shoulder. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “How is it that you didn’t find the side effects of the medication during the clinical trials?” He didn’t know much about the pharmaceutical industry, but surely there would have been an indication of the dangerous side effects long before the medication was released to the public.

  Rachel tapped her fork on the edge of her plate. “That’s one of the things I’ve been working on with my research tea
m. We don’t know why the blood clots only showed up after the medication was approved. The FDA wants a full investigation, and we’re actually in the middle of pulling everything together.” She sighed, and then added, “At least we were. Until all this happened.”

  The timing couldn’t be a coincidence. “Who benefits if your company goes out of business?”

  “No one.” She set her fork down and pushed her half-eaten plate away. “My company employs well over three thousand people, who would all be out of a job if something happened. I can’t see how this could be connected to Joey in any way.”

  He found it impossible to ignore the sliver of unease. “Rachel, be honest with me. Is your company in danger of going under?”

  “Not yet, but we can’t afford to take another hit like the one we took earlier this year. So far, we’ve managed to weather the storm.”

  Relieved by that news, he continued to finish his breakfast. “What about your competition? Wouldn’t they benefit if you went belly-up?”

  “I can’t imagine any company going to these lengths to get rid of the competition. You’re on the wrong track, Nick. Those threatening notes have the Mafia written all over them.”

  She could be right. “You better eat,” he advised. “There’s no telling when we’ll get our next meal.”

  She picked up her fork. “As soon as we’re finished here, I need to call Gerry Ashton, my vice president of Operations.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s my second in command and owns forty percent of the company stock. I’m fairly certain he’ll be willing to buy my shares. And I know his wife has a significant amount of money.”

  His stomach clenched at hearing her plan. “Do you think something that drastic is really necessary?”