Precious Embrace (Embrace Series) (10 page)

She shook her head. “No, but I don’t want you to feel trapped in my insane life. If you’re going to leave, do it now because the longer you stay, the more it’s going to hurt.”

He knelt in front of her, gripping her hands in his. “I’m not going anywhere. You said it yourself, I love Micah too. I will be here for you and with you through this, I promise. I will be here when they bring him home and I am
not l
ooking for the escape door out of this relationship.” He reached up and wiped the tears off her cheeks and said, “Please tell me you believe that. Tell me right now that you believe me when I say I’ll walk to the end of the world for you and your little boys.”

Her eyes filled with tears again and she smiled. “I believe you.”

“I won’t let you down, sweetheart.” He stood pulling her to her feet. “Let’s do this, they’re waiting for us.”

When they entered the living room holding hands Ali stared down at her sister, shocked she had the gall to stay after Ali had screamed at her to leave. “I thought you were leaving.”

“I’m sorry I said that. I’m worried about Micah too.”

Ali helped Johnny ease down onto the couch. “Really? You’re sorry?”

“Yes.” Melissa looked directly at Johnny. “I’m very sorry for what I said to you.”

Johnny waved her off then turned to Brian “We want to watch the surveillance, Brian, and then we want to hear where the investigation is going.”

“You got it,” Brian said hitting play on the remote. “Prepare yourselves, it’s not pretty.”

Ali’s eyes focused on her baby, she couldn’t help it. The thought of it being the last time she’d ever see him had crept in and she couldn’t shake it now. When the speeding car came at them, she covered her mouth with her hand, and fought the urge to brace for impact.

In the video, Johnny positioned himself between her and the speeding car, pushing the stroller with his left hand and Ali with his right. The time it took for the car to reach them had been little more than a heartbeat. The stroller rolled between the parked cars, but Ali had been shoved to the other side of her car and slammed into the car on the right of hers. She was blocked in and couldn’t get around. She watched herself get up and look at the stroller then at Johnny lying on the ground ten feet away.

Johnny had been hit full force above the knees and it sent him flying through the air. Ali gasped and Johnny’s grip on her hand tightened. She knew he was thrown after being hit, but watching it now showed how close he came to being killed. If he’d landed on another car, hit his head too hard, if he’d landed any other way, things could have ended completely different.

When the video showed the woman get out of the car Ali said, “I thought she was getting out to help. When I realized what she was doing I started screaming.” She felt so helpless. Now and in the video, watching her son get taken and not being quick enough or strong enough to stop it.

In the video, when the woman slipped into the backseat of the silver car with Micah, Johnny staggered to his feet. The car went screeching toward him again and instead of diving out of the way, he jumped on the hood. Ali gasped again and looked away, she’d seen this part clearly in the parking lot and she didn’t want to see it again.

“What were you doing—there?” Melissa asked pointing to the screen.

“Reaching for his gun,” Mark said glancing at Melissa then Johnny.

Ali turned to him. “You didn’t have your gun.”

“Habit,” Brian and Mark said in sequence as Johnny mouthed the same thing.

“Did you know you didn’t have the gun when you jumped on the hood?” Ali asked.

“I didn’t think about it. I was just trying to get to Micah,” he said lowering his eyes.

Chapter Fourteen

In the stillness of the room, Ali’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Melissa’s quiet sobbing was the only other sound. Everyone else stayed silent until Brian reached out for Melissa’s hand. “Lis, they’re okay.”

Melissa jerked away from him and turned toward Ali. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry, Johnny. You saved my sister’s life, that car should have killed you both.” 

“We’re fine,” Johnny whispered. “We only want to find Micah.”

Melissa’s apology did nothing to relieve the tension in the room. Brian leaned forward and bowed his head, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked exhausted with disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes. Ali had never seen him this on edge. It was obvious he hadn’t gotten any rest since everything had happened.

“Is it possible someone took Micah for a ransom?” Ali asked.

“We would’ve received demands from a kidnapper by now if that were the case,” Brian said.

She covered her mouth with her trembling hand. “Who else would do this?”

Brian looked up and glanced between Johnny and Ali. “We don’t want to speculate.”

“Bullshit, Brian, you always have a suspect. Tell me what you think—besides Carl?”

Mark cleared his throat, eyeing Brian and shaking his head slightly.

“Shut-up, Mark, I want to know,” Ali said pointing a finger at him.

“It won’t help to tell you any of these theories until we have something concrete,” Mark said.

“Stop—Mark! Don’t try to spare me.”

“We need to hear everything,” Johnny said. “Don’t keep anything from her. We—she needs to be fully informed.”

“We don’t intend to keep you in the dark,” Agent Peters said. “We’ll share whatever we can as long as it doesn’t hinder our investigation.”

Brian set the remote aside and cleared his throat before sitting back up. He waited a few heartbeats then said, “There’s been some noise about baby brokers in Northern California lately.”

Ali brought her hand to her mouth. “B-baby brokers?”

“Do you understand what that means?” Brian said resting his eyes on her.

Her chin quivered under her hand. “You believe someone might have stolen my baby to sell him on the black market in an illegal adoption?”

Brian nodded and the room grew quiet again.

Ali closed her eyes for a moment trying to focus, her stomach in knots. Her beautiful baby, being sold to the highest bidder. Please no…not her Micah. “I thought they targeted newborn babies?”

“When people get desperate for a child, they aren’t likely to squabble over a baby who’s four months old.”

She leaned forward. “What about the Amber Alert? The video was pretty clear. Didn’t you get the plate numbers and the make of the car?”

Brian shook his head. “We’ve recovered the car. They found it abandoned outside of town. It was reported stolen the morning of the kidnapping.”

Ali’s insides writhed as if she were burning from the inside out. The hole in her gut grew wider and she had to cross her arms over her stomach to keep from being swallowed whole by the deepening pit. She lowered her head unable to look into Brian’s worried eyes any longer.

“This can’t be happening,” she whispered and felt herself slowly shutting down one function at a time. First her physical body, then her brain, then her heart—she knew her heart had stopped because broken hearts didn’t beat.

“Ali, there is a bright side—”

“Really, Brian—a bright side,” Melissa mocked. “Enlighten us, please.”

“Yes, Melissa,” Brian said in a tone that sounded so pained, it hurt Ali to hear.

“Melissa…please stop,” Ali said, glancing between the two.

“If Micah was taken for this purpose—stolen by a baby broker, they won’t harm him. They’ll take good care of him until we find him.”

Melissa’s glare on Brian softened ever so slightly, but Ali was the only person in the room who noticed the change.

“If these baby brokers are already being investigated then we have a head start,” Johnny said.

“Yes, a good head start,” Brian confirmed. “The FBI is working closely with the San Francisco Police Department. That’s where they think the home-base is for these baby brokers.”

“So…what?” Johnny asked. “What have they found in The City? What exactly are they investigating?”

“There are a couple of shady lawyers they’re looking into. Nothing solid yet. We’re not absolutely sure, but we’re checking out everything.” Brian focused on Ali again. “Ali, sometimes these abductions are just chance opportunities…but more often they’re targeted. I need you to study the woman in the video, maybe you’ve seen her before. Anywhere you might take Micah regularly. The pediatrician’s office, babysitters, any Mommy and Me groups,” Brian said. “She could be a friend of a friend, maybe a friend’s housekeeper, a barista at the nearby Starbucks—if anything comes to you, let us know immediately. Has anything strange happened over the last few weeks to make you question people or your surroundings.”

“Ha—yeah,” Johnny said. “The break in on Saturday night.”

“Yeah, that’s the only strange thing that’s happened.”

“Maybe they were trying to get to Micah and didn’t know he wasn’t here,” Johnny sat up a little straighter and said, “Were you able to make contact with Carl at all before the abduction?”

Brian shook his head. “No luck.”

“It’s not Carl,” Ali said. “Questioning him is a complete waste of time.”

“We have to be thorough, Mrs. Hayes. Mr. Hayes is a suspect until he has been eliminated as one.”

Ali shook her head but didn’t respond. The room grew silent until Mark said, “We’ve contacted the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children. Your mom and my parents are working with them at the volunteer center. They’re making calls and printing flyers—whatever’s necessary to help.”

“We have a good head start, Ali,” Brian said. The quietness of his voice, defeated and drained. It wasn’t like Brian, and that scared her. She’d known him too long not to recognize when he was hiding something.

“Mrs. Hayes, the media may be annoying but they’re our best asset at this point.” Agent Peters held up a newspaper to emphasize his point. “The more they show Micah’s photo and the hotline number, the better our chances are of finding him. We may need you to talk to them in person soon. Brian’s been an excellent spokesperson, but nothing can replace the words of a mother.”

Someone was trying to sell her baby. She lay down, resting her head in Johnny’s lap again and closing her eyes and let the darkness cloud her. Unable to hold herself up any longer. She went over every detail of the last few months she’d spent with her baby, remembering his first laugh from the day before. How could she function when her child was missing? She didn’t know what to do, or how to act. She wished she could disappear with him, get all these people out of her face and pretend time had stopped at the very moment of Micah’s first little giggle. If she could freeze time there in that moment, she’d never have to know what it was like to have a missing child, she’d never have to worry if he was hungry or scared…dead or alive. Go back in time and cook breakfast instead of suggesting they go out. If only she’d went back to bed like Johnny had suggested. If she’d done anything but leave the house, her Micah would be home and safe.

They were all watching her, but she didn’t care. When Johnny’s warm hand touched her cheek it reminded her that she was still alive even if she felt dead inside.

Brian slowly stood up and left the room. Johnny had the distinct impression it was to hide from Melissa. He looked up at Mark so drained it took every ounce of strength he had to speak. “She hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday’s breakfast.”

“I’ll get her something. Sarah’s been cooking all day and sending food over here.”

“Do you think you can eat, Ali?” Melissa said.

Ali didn’t look up or even acknowledge Melissa.

“She’ll eat—I’ll make her eat. She has to keep her strength up for her boys,” Mark stood and glanced at Ali’s tear streaked face before walking out of the room.

Melissa followed Mark, and Johnny was thankful to have a few minutes alone with Ali. He rested his head on hers lightly and tried to remember the prayer he used to say with his mama as a child. When he couldn’t remember the words, he decided to pray to her instead, she’d hear him. He’d been doing it since she had died. It was the only way he could communicate with his family since they were killed and he had to believe they could hear him—especially now when he needed them so badly.

When Ali stiffened underneath him, he whispered, “Keep breathing, sweetheart.”

She inhaled sharply then heaved out a sob. He started humming a tune in her ear to calm her and after a few minutes, she stopped trembling and relaxed on his lap again.

Johnny couldn’t tell how long they sat like that. Before he realized, Melissa and Mark were coming into the room with sandwiches and soup. When Johnny smelled the food he had to swallow hard. The thought of eating made him want to throw up, but if he didn’t eat then Ali wouldn’t either. He leaned up and shook her gently on the shoulder. She wasn’t sleeping; tears were still streaming from her closed lids. “Ali, sit up and eat, darlin’.”

She still didn’t move.

“Please eat something. You have to keep up your strength,” he said again, but Ali lay motionless with her eyes closed.

“Ali, stop this. Sit up and eat,” Mark said.

Her eye’s popped open and glared at Mark. “Fuck you. Get out of my house.”

Mark smiled a teasing smile. “Get up and make me.” Johnny understood that Mark wanted to rouse her into fighting so she’d snap out of this funk, but Ali couldn’t have the strength to fight any more than Johnny. Otherwise he’d get up and knock the hell out of Mark for talking to her like that.

After a long pause, Mark tried again. “Ali, if you eat and clean yourself up a little, I’ll have Sarah bring Jamie over here—but not until you pull yourself together.”

Ali groaned, wiped her face, and opened her eyes. When her eyes met Mark’s she started to cry again. It must have hit a nerve with him because he eased up.

He knelt in front of her. “You need to eat, Al, and clean yourself up. Jamie can’t see you like this.”

Johnny helped her sit up. When she was steady, Mark handed her a bowl of soup and said, “Eat that first. If you can keep that in your stomach then I’ll give you a sandwich.”

“I hate you,” she said.

Mark smiled at her. “I know, honey, but you’re still eating.”

Johnny looked at Melissa. “Y’all are just one big happy family.”

Melissa and Mark both chuckled and Ali almost choked on her soup.

“What—you haven’t gotten the ‘Fuck you, get out of my house’ from Ali yet?” Mark grinned. “It’s a staple when she’s mad.”

Johnny thought about that and remembered their argument in her kitchen that had ended with them in bed together. He smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I guess I have.”

“Here,” Mark said handing Johnny a bowl of soup. “Ditto for you. If you eat I’ll have Sarah bring you some clean clothes and whatever else you need from your house. Jamie can’t see you covered in blood,” Mark said. “You don’t mind if Sarah lets herself in, do you?”

“Hell no, I don’t care.” Johnny sipped the soup. “It’s her house.”

“You’re living in Mark’s wife’s house, but dating his ex-wife?” Melissa asked, her eyebrows lifting in confusion.

This time Johnny choked on the soup. “That ain’t even the best part,” he drawled. “His wife is my ex-girlfriend.”

“Wow—what is that called?” Melissa’s mouth quirked into a grin. “A love square instead of a triangle?” 

“We were in the eighth grade. It was some great love affair,” Johnny said. “What about you and Brian. There must be some serious history for you to like him so much?”

“We dated in high school. The same time Ali and Mark dated.”

“And now you hate him?” Johnny asked.

Melissa’s eyebrows rose, but this time in challenge. “When I went off to college, instead of waiting for me, he married my worst enemy. So yeah, I hate him.”

“Well…that’s not exactly true. Melissa and Julie were best friends until Julie and Brian got married. They made mine and Ali’s wedding pretty interesting. We weren’t sure who was going to rip whose throat out first.”Mark said, “Melissa was the maid of honor and Brian a groomsman.”

“But they behaved themselves,” Ali said coming to life. They all turned to look at her and the soup was gone. “Can I have my sandwich now?”

“Sure.” Mark handed her the sandwich and said, “I’ll go call Sarah.”

Johnny finished his soup and took a couple of bites of his sandwich, fighting the self-consciousness he felt as Melissa stared at him.

“Johnny, where is the accent from?” she finally asked.

“Nashville. I moved out here a little over a week ago.”

She shot a glance at Ali. “Wow, you move fast. How did you two meet?”

“I came out here in December to work with Brian on an investigation. I’ve since been offered a job with the Santa Rosa PD,” Johnny explained.

Ali turned her eyes on him and he couldn’t help but compare the sisters. As similar as they were, their differences were glaring. Ali’s expression was softer than Melissa’s and her body fuller, curvier. “Damn, you two look alike.”

“Yeah, we get that a lot.” Melissa grinned then looked sharply at Ali and said, “I can’t believe you’re dating a cop.”

Ali rolled her eyes. “Just stop, Melissa.”

Melissa ignored her and looked back at Johnny. “You moved out here for a job?”

Johnny nodded and said, “Well…there were a lot of reasons to be here instead of Nashville. Being offered the job made the move a lot easier.”

“So…you moved out here for Ali?”

“Don’t ask him that, Melissa,” Ali said. “It’s none of your business.”

“If you’re sleeping with him then I have every right to ask him questions,” Melissa said.

“—my sex life is also none of your business,” Ali snapped.

“It’s okay,” Johnny said. Melissa was clearly just as protective of Ali as Brian.

“No—it’s not.” Ali glared at Melissa. “Don’t say another word to her.”

Johnny held his hands up. “Okay…it’s okay.”

“God, Ali, you act like it’s a criminal offense to want to know about your boyfriend.”

“No, but it is offensive to ask someone you just met personal questions.”

Ali and Melissa glared at each other. To Johnny it looked like a twin standoff. After a full minute, Melissa closed her eyes and said, “I’m sorry.” She opened her eyes and met Johnny’s. “I’m not trying to be offensive. I’m just concerned for my sister.”

He stared at her, his eyes unblinking. Of course he understood her concern. He was the new person in Ali’s life. He expected to go through all the family drills. “I promise you, I won’t hurt your sister.”

Melissa nodded and looked back to Ali, standing. “I’m going over to check on Mom. She’s working herself to death at that volunteer center.” She leaned over and kissed Ali’s cheek. “I love you, sis.”