Ellie’s knees started to buckle. Nick’s arm snaked around her waist to keep her from falling. “I think she needs to sit down,” Nick said, guiding her toward the couch.
Her heart pounded against her chest as she sank onto the couch with Nick and her mother flanking her. A ransom note was better than some of the other scenarios Ellie had been trying not to dwell on.
Once everyone was seated, Agent Carter went over the kidnapper’s demands. The note said Cade was safe and would be returned as soon as the five-hundred-thousand dollar ransom was paid. The agent shifted in his seat, his gaze still on Nick and Ellie. “The abductor states he wants the money transferred to a secure account, demanding the funds be wired within forty-eight hours. After that, he will give us the location of Cade.”
The agent handed the baggie to another officer. “We’re running forensics on the note. We’re hoping our perpetrator licked the envelope to seal it. That way, we will have his DNA, and with any luck, it will match DNA already in our database. The note was printed from a computer so there is probably no way to determine where it originated. But we will still do what we can.”
Agent Carter addressed everyone. “We don’t usually encourage families to pay the ransom, but this case is the exception. The kidnapper hasn’t left any room for negotiations. I’m afraid the ransom note is our only connection.”
Ellie’s brothers started asking questions. “How do we know he’ll tell us where Cade is once we transfer the money?” Nathan asked.
“We don’t—.”
Weston cut in. “Isn’t there some way of tracking down this account number?”
The agent gave him a brief nod. “Yes. Even if it’s an off-shore bank account, we can track where the money has gone.”
“I thought that’s why they use that kind of an account, so it won’t be traceable?” Nathan questioned.
“A lot of things changed after nine-eleven. Foreign officials will cooperate, especially in the case of child abduction. Also, you need to know that nothing on the Internet is totally secure. The cyber security models keep changing constantly to maintain protection, but believe me when I say there are hackers that can crack anything.” He smiled briefly “Fortunately, we have access to some of the best hackers out there.”
Ellie felt a glimmer of hope. Her son was still alive. But how was she supposed to come up with that kind of cash? “I’ll find a way to get the money—“
Nick cut her off. “Don’t worry about it, Ellie. I can get the money.” He looked over at the agent. “Just tell me what to do.”
Agent Carter nodded his head. “I’ll have one of my men let you know what needs to be done.” He stood up and knelt down in front of Ellie. “Ms. Garrett, I don’t want to give you false hope, but when a child is abducted, we usually don’t have a ransom note or anything else to go on.” He took a hold of her hand. “Having the note at least gives us some idea of the kidnapper’s motivation. I promise to do all that I can to bring your son safely home.”
She squeezed the agent’s hand. “Thank you.”
* * *
As the night approached, Nick could sense Ellie’s rising panic. She refused to take anymore of the anti-anxiety medication, claiming it made her too foggy. She also wanted to be alert and awake when Thomas arrived. He was due at any moment. His pending arrival had everyone on edge.
Nick’s gaze followed her as she paced back and forth, her arms wrapped around her middle. He wanted to comfort her, but Ellie didn’t want to talk to anyone, including him. Her father had also called to say the only flight he could get on would be in the morning, which had upset her further.
Finally, Weston pulled her to the side. “El, you need to calm down.”
“I am calm,” she snapped.
Her brother put his arm around her and spoke softly, “Honey, let’s have a family prayer before Thomas gets here.”
Her eyes flitted to Nick, and he nodded his head in agreement.
She sucked in a big breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.”
They filed into the office and once again knelt down to petition the Lord for a blessing. Pastor Stewart offered the prayer, and closed with a promise that the Lord was mindful of Ellie and would give her the strength to endure until she was reunited with her son. Nick felt God’s power in the room, and something inside made him believe the reunion would take place in this lifetime, and not the next. The peaceful Spirit seemed to calm everyone, including Ellie.
Tears shimmered in her eyes as she stood up and gave Owen a hug. “Thank you.” She turned and hugged each of her brothers, her mother and Betsy.
When she wrapped her arms around Nick’s chest, he held on tight. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. Her grip tightened, and Nick prayed he was right.
A few minutes after the prayer, Thomas arrived. The beautiful, peaceful spirit vanished as soon as he opened his mouth.
Thomas swore, looking directly at Nick. “What is he doing here?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The muscles in Nick’s shoulders tensed, his pulse pounding in his ears as the blood rushed to his head. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a jealous ex-husband.
Weston put a restraining hand on Nick’s arm. “Keep a cool head, my sister needs you here.”
Nick balled his hands into a fist and looked at Weston. “Okay.”
Agent Carter intervened by stepping in front of Thomas. After introducing himself, he offered Thomas a chair so he could give him the latest updates.
Ellie stepped beside Nick and slid her palm down his arm, her fingers curling around his clenched fist. Nick’s hand relaxed, his fingers twining with hers. “I love you,” she whispered.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I love you too.”
Thomas’s eyes flickered over to them, his mouth pulled into a tight grimace. Nick felt the hate emanating from him. When the agent mentioned the ransom, Thomas became irate. “I don’t have that kind of money! Coulter needs to pay for this!” He pointed a finger at Nick. “This is all his fault.”
The accusation stung. What if he really was to blame?
“I’ll do anything to bring Cade back safely,” he said, and felt Ellie’s grip tighten on his hand. “My accountant is already working with the FBI as we speak.”
“Good.” Thomas’s lip curled up into an angry sneer. “You know, if you would have left my family alone, none of this would have ever happened.”
Left his family alone? Was he serious? Nick clamped his mouth shut. Now was not the time to remind Thomas about his infidelity and abandonment.
Thomas took a step forward, his eyes zeroed in on Nick. “You don’t need to be here any longer.”
Before Nick could respond, Nathan and Weston both stepped in front of him, shielding him from Thomas.
“Thomas, we need to work together as a family for Cade’s sake,” Nathan stated calmly.
“He’s not family,” Thomas snarled.
Weston spoke this time. “Yes. He is. We want you to be able to stay here so that we can all support each other, but if you can’t refrain from trying to pick a fight with Nick…you’ll need to leave.”
As a quarterback, Nick had been protected by some enormous linemen. Having these two men stand up for him felt like the best offensive line in the NFL.
“I’m not going anywhere!” Thomas shouted. “It’s my son who was taken, not his.”
“Right,” Weston said, his voice low and menacing. “Yet you’re the one who left my sister and a three week old baby for another woman.”
Thomas’s eyes narrowed and he took a determined step toward Weston. “That has nothing to do with it.”
Before the two men came to blows, Agent Carter clapped a hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “You’re right, Mr. Garrett. We need to focus on the here and now.” He cast a look that told Weston to back off. “We don’t want you to leave. How about you come over here with me and we can talk while you get something to eat?”
While the agent tried to placa
te Thomas, Mrs. Ferguson took a hold of Weston’s hand. “Come on, boys. Let’s call your father and update him on the situation.”
Ellie pulled Nick alongside her and followed her family into her father’s office. Betsy and Owen were right behind them. Nick could hear Thomas ranting, still accusing him of being responsible for Cade’s abduction.
His gut twisted with pain as he faced the somber group. “If he’s right, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Stop it, Nick,” Ellie said, her face pale. “It’s my fault Cade is gone.” Her voice cracked.
“What kind of mother allows her four-year-old son to go somewhere alone?”
She made it sound like walking to the neighbor’s backyard was like leaving him alone at a busy mall. Nick had never met a more devoted mother than Ellie.
Betsy stood. “Then I guess it’s my fault. I should’ve called you a few minutes later to find out where Cade was.”
Ellie shook her head. “No, Cade has gone over to your house a dozen times before. He usually takes his time. You couldn’t have known.”
Betsy walked over and took Ellie’s hand. “Exactly. He’s done it more than a dozen times. Ellie, our backyards are not that far apart, and Cade has come that way many times unscathed. This is not your fault.”
Tears filled Ellie’s eyes, spilling over her bottom lashes. “But if I had walked over with him, he would still be here.”
Nathan knelt down in front of his sister. “Ellie, if someone wanted to extort money using Cade, they would’ve found another opportunity. You’re the best mother I’ve ever known. Don’t blame yourself. It will only make you lose faith.” He stood up, his gaze connecting with Nick’s. “This isn’t your fault, either. No matter what Thomas thinks.”
Weston patted Nick on the back. “He’s right, Nick. None of us blame you. Somebody else is responsible and, God willing, they will be brought to justice and Cade will return to us unharmed.”
* * *
Ellie cupped her hands under the bathroom faucet and splashed cool water on her swollen face. Crying and not getting any sleep didn’t exactly leave her looking her best. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered until Cade came home.
She turned the water off and patted her face dry with a clean towel. She avoided looking in the mirror. The woman she saw staring back at her looked like a shell of her former self. Haunted and broken. How could her life ever go on without Cade?
Opening the door, she stepped out into the hall and headed back downstairs. Her fingers tightened around the banister for support as she carefully took each step. She was lightheaded and shaky from lack of food and sleep. If she passed out, everyone would make her take the medication again and force her to eat.
Nick was on the couch, holding his laptop with Nate and Weston on either side of him. All three of them stared at the screen intently. A wave of dizziness swept over her as she took the last step. She swayed, gripping the banister to keep upright.
A strong arm circled her waist. When the swirling stopped, she met Nick’s concerned gaze. “Are you okay?” he asked gently.
She knew how he meant the question, but would she ever be okay again? Unless her son returned home safely, she doubted that being okay was in her future. “No.” She didn’t elaborate, and Nick didn’t need clarification.
As Nick helped her over to the couch, her mother came over, holding a glass of orange juice and a slice of bread. “Ellie, you need to eat something.”
She knew mothers liked their children to eat—somehow, it made a mom feel better. Was Cade eating? Having watched a few movies involving kidnapped children, she prayed Cade wasn’t blindfolded and tied up in some dingy basement, wondering where his mommy was. She shook the image out of her head. She couldn’t go there.
Splaying a hand across her stomach, she met her mother’s eyes. “I don’t know if I can eat anything, Mom.”
Her mom touched her on the arm. “Just have a bite of bread and glass of orange juice.” Her mom held out the juice. “You need to keep up your strength.”
Ellie’s hand trembled as she took the juice and brought it to her lips. She did need to stay strong. The money had been wired a few hours ago. She hoped and prayed the kidnapper would give them Cade’s location soon.
The juice was cold and eased the dryness in her throat. After a few sips, she felt the effects as it entered her blood stream. She forced herself to take a small bite of the warm bread. Swallowing the bread, she took another sip of the juice and then handed it back to her mom. “Thanks.”
She glanced over toward the kitchen where Thomas sat with two police officers, eating breakfast and staring at the television. Thomas didn’t seem to have a problem with his appetite. In fact, the only emotion he showed was anger and hatred toward Nick. Even after Nick had come up with the ransom money, Thomas’s only comment had been filled with contempt. “You better pray my boy is okay, Coulter.”
Pulling her gaze away, she looked up at Nick. “Have we heard anything yet?”
Nick shook his head and sat down beside her. “No.”
Before he could say another word, Thomas started yelling. “See! I knew it!” He turned and pointed a finger at Nick. “This is all your fault!”
Ellie felt Nick stiffen before he rose up from the couch. Both her brothers were immediately by his side. They had quickly bonded with Nick and didn’t like Thomas’s accusations.
“Do you hear that, Coulter?” Thomas snarled, gesturing a hand at the television.
Ellie moved in beside Nick and stared at the television. A picture of Nick was in the corner of the screen with several smaller pictures of different individuals down below it. The room went silent as they all listened to the reporter.
“As hundreds of volunteers continue searching for four-year-old Cade Garrett, speculation about what really happened to the child is on everybody’s mind. Could the boy’s mother’s recent engagement to famous quarterback Nick Coulter be the real reason Cade has disappeared?”
Ellie felt sick inside. Had getting engaged to Nick really sent some crazy fan over the edge?
The camera zoomed in on the reporters face. “When we come back, Celebrity Weekly’s Darin Symonds will reveal the multiple restraining orders Nick Coulter has filed against fans that might have a fatal attraction and will stop at nothing to keep the bachelor from marrying.”
Nick’s fingers tightened around her hand as Ellie glanced up to see his stricken face. What kind of fans had been threatening enough to get restraining orders against?
Weston snorted. “How about switching the channel to a real news station.”
Thomas stepped around a police officer and advanced on Weston, but Agent Carter and his partner, Agent Bailey, moved quickly to stand in between the men. “How about we all go into the office for a minute?” He pressed forward, forcing Weston to take a step back.
Ellie could hear Agent Bailey placating Thomas and didn’t want to hear another word. She held Nick’s hands and followed her family into the office.
Agent Carter closed the door, shutting out the noise of the television and Thomas’s irritated voice. “Things are stressful right now, but getting into a fight with Mr. Garrett won’t do any good.”
“I don’t think we want Thomas here anymore.” Weston’s voice was low as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
The agent put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. “Look, Mr. Ferguson, I understand how you feel about him, but Thomas is Cade’s father and has a right to be here. We could move our search headquarters to a neutral location, if that’s what you all want.”
Ellie didn’t want to leave. What if Cade came back and she wasn’t home? Under the circumstances, she found comfort in having the law enforcement so close at hand. “No.” She glanced at Nick and her brothers. “We can all get along.”
Weston, who had always had a quick temper, nodded his head in acknowledgment. “I’m sorry.” He met the agent’s eyes. “I’ll do better at ignoring his comments.”
Agent Carter pursed his lips. “I know Mr. Garrett is directing his anger at Mr. Coulter.” His gaze flickered to Nick’s. “He needs someone to blame, and the inflammatory news reports about you and your notoriety are an easy target.”
Nick let out a big breath. “I’ll try to stay out of his way.” He ran a hand over the dark stubble covering his jaw. “In fact, I really need to clean up. Maybe if I went home long enough for a shower it would help Thomas calm down a little.”
Agent Carter’s shoulders relaxed. “Good idea. I’ll have a couple of police officers escort you home.” The agent scrutinized Nick through narrowed eyes. “I guess I don’t need to remind you about not speaking to the media?”
Nick’s face looked pained. “No. I know all about the media and how they work.” His eyes slid over to Ellie. “I’ll be right back.”
As soon as Nick left, Ellie went into the family room and sank down on the couch. She glanced over at the kitchen to see Thomas standing in the corner, talking on his phone. Why couldn’t he set aside his hatred long enough to offer her any kind of support? Again she had to ask herself why she had ever married him in the first place.
She pulled her gaze away and looked up to find her mother standing in front of her, worry evident in her blue eyes. “Ellie, are you sure you don’t want to eat anything else?”
Ellie gave her a small smile and shook her head. “Not now, Mom. Maybe when Nick comes back.”
Her mom didn’t push it and went back to the kitchen with Weston following behind her, leaving Nathan with Ellie. Her brother took a seat next to her, circling a protective arm around her shoulders. “Nick’s a good guy.”
Ellie leaned into her brother’s side. “I know.”
Nathan pressed a kiss on top of her head. “You did good this time, El.”
They could hear Thomas grumbling again, and Nathan squeezed her shoulder. “Real good.”
Fair Catch Page 25
