Rita Herron - Anything for His Son

Ethan had been, too, as a kid. Liam had noted that in his file.

He’d also said that Ethan was smart. He’d know better than to call the cops.

And if he got stupid and called them anyway, then his son’s death would be on his conscience, not Finn’s.

Chapter Three

Shock immobilized Rebecca. This couldn’t be happening. Not to her precious little boy. She’d just seen him an hour ago. He’d been smiling and waving his wand, excited about wading in the pond.

And now some stranger had stolen him.

Who would have done such a thing?

Her mind blurred with the gruesome possibilities. Only monsters preyed on small children. Sick, twisted, perverted creatures who took advantage of their innocence. Ones who tortured and hurt and murdered.

“Stop thinking,” Ethan commanded. He squeezed her arm gently. “Look at me, Rebecca. I know you’re terrified, and you’re imagining the worst, but stop it. We have to pull ourselves together.”

“But, Ethan—” Her voice broke on a sob.

“I know, baby. I know.” He dragged her into his arms and held her, rocking her back and forth. She felt the fine tremors in his big body and knew he was struggling with his own terror.

“I swear, Bec, I’ll get Jesse back. And I’ll kill the monster who kidnapped him.”

She gripped his arms and heaved, suddenly nauseated. “What if it’s too late, Ethan? What if—”

“Shh. Don’t go there. We have to stay positive.” He pressed his finger to her lips, his dark brown eyes glinting with rage and other emotions. Fear. Panic. Determination.

Love for his son.

“I have money,” he said. “Whoever has Jesse will want it. I’ll pay them however much they want. But now we need to go back to my place. They may call there.”

“I don’t understand why Jesse would go with some man,” Rebecca said. “We’ve talked about strangers. He should have yelled for help.”

“I don’t understand, either,” Ethan said. “Maybe he tricked him somehow.”

“What about my hotel?” Rebecca asked. “What if the man who has him calls me? I’m a television personality. Maybe someone wants to hurt me.”

“We’ll look into that angle,” Ethan conceded.

DeeDee cleared her throat and dropped to her knees in front of Rebecca, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen. “I’ll wait in the hotel room for the call. I won’t leave the phone for a second. I swear. I’ll do everything I can to help get Jesse back safely.”

Ethan glanced at Rebecca with questions in his eyes. For a brief second, Rebecca’s chest tightened with another thought. What if DeeDee had something to do with the kidnapping?

She had checked the girl out before she had hired her. She’d had an impeccable reputation, excellent references and had worked as a nanny for two years for another family until they’d moved abroad. Ethan had also used his connections with Eclipse to make certain she was trustworthy. DeeDee was even studying early childhood education and wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.

Still, Rebecca had to ask. She wiped at the tears blurring her eyes. “DeeDee, how do we know that you didn’t have something to do with Jesse’s disappearance? Maybe you need money for school or…or something else.”

DeeDee jerked back as if Rebecca had slapped her. “Miss Rebecca, you can’t think that. I love Jesse.” She hugged her arms around her waist as if to hold herself together. “I would never do anything to hurt or endanger Jesse. I swear. He’s like my own little brother.”

Ethan gave her a concerned look. But they’d be foolish not to question DeeDee. “Rebecca…there was a text message on my phone from last night. I think it may have something to do with the kidnapping.”

“What did it say?”

He showed it to her and she gasped. “My heavens, Ethan. Whoever took him knows that he’s afraid of the dark.”

“And that I was when I was a kid,” Ethan said.

She gripped his hand. Ethan had been trapped in a storm drain when he was four. He had had nightmares for years about the incident.

“We need to hurry. I want to check the house.” He gestured toward DeeDee. “Wait in the hotel room, and let us know if anyone calls.”

She nodded, pushing to her feet. “I promise I’ll do whatever you tell me.”

“You’d better,” Ethan said harshly. “Because if I find out that you conspired in the kidnapping of our son, then I’ll make sure you pay.” His eyes darkened. “And trust me, Miss Archer, you won’t like the punishment.”

ETHAN FORCED HIMSELF INTO combat mode. His military training and work with Eclipse had taught him how to channel emotions, to compartmentalize and focus.

Damn lot of good it was doing him.

He kept seeing his little boy’s innocent, terrified face in his mind, and panic shot through him. What was Jesse thinking? Was he okay? What had the sick person who’d taken him done to him?

Stop it, he ordered himself. He’d told Rebecca they had to think positively, and he had to heed his own advice. If he fell apart, she definitely would.

He had to take charge and get their son back. He couldn’t let anything happen to Jesse.

“Let’s check your room first.” He helped Rebecca to stand, and she seemed to summon her courage and led the way to the stairwell. The three of them climbed the five floors, sweating, the tension thickening as Rebecca removed her key and let them into the plush room. Ethan glanced quickly around but saw nothing amiss. Rebecca had chosen a suite for her and Jesse with an adjoining room for the nanny. She checked the hotel phone for messages and found none.

Of course, the power had been out. He surveyed the room, his heart tugging painfully at the sight of Jesse’s toy cars and the walkie-talkie set he’d given him for his last birthday. He wished Jesse had it with him now.

To cover the bases, he insisted on checking DeeDee’s room. She immediately acceded, and within minutes, he confirmed that the room was clean.

Still, he’d phone his contact at Eclipse and put someone on her. They’d follow her every move, check her phone records, her computer, e-mails, just in case…

“Stay here and don’t leave for any reason,” Ethan told DeeDee. “I’ll send over a bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard?” DeeDee looked even more shaken.

He nodded. It was as much for his peace of mind, to have someone watch her, as it was for her protection, but he didn’t tell her. If the kidnapper had wanted her, he would have forced her to go with him, too.

The minute hand on the wall clock turned. It seemed like hours since DeeDee had made the announcement about Jesse being missing, but in fact, it had only been minutes. Precious minutes, though, that counted.

Ethan raced down the steps, pulling Rebecca along behind him. Outside, he scanned the streets for any signs of his son as they climbed in his car and slowly made their way through the traffic to his brownstone.

Rebecca was pale, her eyes glassy, her body rigid with shock. He pulled into his driveway and parked, took her hand and they jumped out, then hurried up the sidewalk. The sight of a note tucked beneath the brass doorknocker made him halt.

“Ethan?”

He yanked the note free and opened the folded piece of paper. His heart slammed against his ribs as he read the message he’d feared.

I have Jesse. You’ll never see him again if you call the cops.

“OH, NO. ETHAN…” Rebecca had tried to hold on to the hope that Jesse had simply wandered off in the crowd. That a Good Samaritan had found him by now and that they had called the police. Or that Jesse had told them where he was staying and that he was on his way back to the Ritz.

But the note confirmed her worst fears.