Anything for His Son
Rita Herron
“I have your son” The Boston blackout turns terrifying for Ethan and Rebecca Matalon when their son is kidnapped. Rebecca won’t think about their intended divorce while her little boy, who’s afraid of the dark, is in the power of a vengeful madman.Ethan rescues people all over the world on his secret missions, but can he save their son? His arms give strength and comfort to Rebecca – the woman he’s never stopped loving – but they have no chance of a future if they lose Jesse. And time is running out, as darkness descends… Lights Out Dark city, passionate nights
Was it a trap?
The air felt different, smelled different. Ethan hesitated a moment, then opened the door to the empty condo. The explosion shook the floor, shattered glass. Instinctively he threw his arms over Rebecca to protect her from the debris, as fire exploded inside the room.
“Bec, are you hurt?”
“I’m all right,” she managed. “But what if…what if Jesse was in there?”
He pushed to his knees. “I’ll find out.” Fear darkened his eyes; then he turned and ran into the blazing condo, yelling Jesse’s name.
Rebecca’s heart clenched. Ethan would do anything for his son. She couldn’t lose him or Jesse.
Heat seared her as she darted into the condo behind him. Flames clawed at the walls and filled her nose with smoke. Still she dug through the splintered wood. Her breath caught as she spotted something red beneath the mess. She dug it out and screamed in horror.
It was Jesse’s baseball cap.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author Rita Herron wrote her first book when she was twelve, but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former teacher and workshop leader, she traded her storytelling for kids for romance, and writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. She lives in Georgia with her own romantic hero and three kids. She loves to hear from readers so please write to her at PO Box 921225, Norcross, GA 30092-1225, USA or visit her website at www.ritaherron.com.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Ethan Matalon – This former Eclipse operative is about to lose it all – unless he can save his son from a sadistic kidnapper hell-bent on revenge.
Rebecca Matalon – Her son is missing, and the only man who can save him is his father – the man she once loved, but now is about to divorce.
Jesse Matalon – The five-year-old son of Ethan and Rebecca.
Ty Jones – Eclipse operative who discovers that the kidnapping is part of a much bigger plan to bomb Boston.
Liam Shea – The mastermind behind the revenge scheme against the Eclipse team, he’s targeting them one by one and has a grand finale planned that will rock the city.
Finn Shea – Liam’s son used Rebecca to get close to her son, and will do anything to destroy the man who betrayed his father.
Grant Davis – The vice-president is still missing. Will the team find him in time to save his life and keep the Sheas from blowing up the city?
Anything for His Son
RITA HERRON
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Adam, my own son who I would
do anything for.
Prologue
2:00 p.m., August 2
Seventeen hours into the blackout.
Finn Shea smiled as the afternoon temperature in the city began to climb. People were frantic. Traffic jams clogged the streets; subways were stranded. A half-million people were without power. Businesses had closed or were trying to run on auxiliary sources. Tempers had flared and violence had broken out, escalating crime.
His father, Liam, had set his plan in motion last night, now it was in full swing. The target—the men who once belonged to a select coterie of Special Forces servicemen.
The so-called band of brothers had performed highly classified, highly dangerous missions for the military, all flawlessly.
Except for their last.
Ten years ago their mission had been to rescue hostages in civil war-torn Barik, a small Middle Eastern nation.
A mission that ended his father’s brilliant career.
And ruined his life.
Now his father was out of jail, back in control. And ready to mete out punishments to the men who had betrayed him and stood idly by while he alone took the fall for the disastrous mission.
Tom Bradley, who had been in command of the mission, was dead now. But the other six men had moved on, had lived good lives while his father had suffered.
Shane Peters, security expert. Chase Vickers, engine expert. Ethan Matalon, computer ace. Ty Jones, demolitions man. The only non-American, Frederick LeBron, a language specialist and a prince from the tiny alpine nation of Beau Pays. And last but not least, Grant Davis, then the tactical expert—now the damn vice-president.
Thanks to his brothers, Finn knew actions had already been taken against Shane Peters and Chase Vickers. As for Vice-President Davis…well, Finn knew he’d soon come to an explosive end. Ethan Matalon was next on the hit list. Finn’s target.
Yes, his father was finally exacting his revenge.
Because Liam Shea had been innocent. Nevertheless he’d been court-martialed, dishonorably discharged and incarcerated anyway. And his family’s life had been destroyed. His wife had filed for divorce. Hoping to escape the publicity and shame, she’d dragged her sons from their Massachusetts home to that god-awful small town in Oregon.
But they hadn’t escaped at all. Liam had been tormented every day in prison. And Finn and his brothers had paid the price, as well.
Liam’s team was to blame.
And now each of them had to face the consequences.
Finn stared at the photo of Ethan Matalon’s son, Jesse. Five years old. Without a full-time father. Scared of the dark.
Finn forced a steel wall around his heart. He couldn’t care about the kid. Wars caused casualties, he reminded himself.
And Ethan’s Achilles’ heel was his son.
It was only fair. Finn’s father had lost years with his boys. Now Ethan would lose his own, too.
And his pain would be their revenge.
Chapter One
Jesse hated the dark.
Rebecca Matalon had learned to hate it, too. Her five-year-old son’s cry in the night had woken her the evening before, and she’d spent hours trying to convince him that no monsters lurked in the shadows.
The insufferable sudden blackout that had hit Boston last night had continued into the day. So had Jesse’s crankiness.
She stared outside through the fifth-story window of the Ritz-Carlton, stunned that it was already 2:00 p.m. and the power still had not been restored. Never had she seen the city such a madhouse of chaos and ill tempers. Useless air conditioners, accidents due to nonfunctioning traffic lights and vandalism had turned normal decent people into irritable, aggressive, paranoid, violent citizens.
If she were in L.A., she’d be at work reporting the mess.
Instead, she was trying to keep her five-year-old son entertained and happy without the joys of television, electronic games…or his father.
Ethan hadn’t even been able to go to the Red Sox game with her and Jesse yesterday. And Ethan and Jesse’s common love of baseball had assured her they’d always remain close.
In spite of the fact that she’d moved thousands of miles away.
She dressed in the coolest linen skirt and cotton blouse she’d packed, swept her long blond hair into a chignon and clipped silver loops in her ears. A simple assessment in the mirror assured her that she looked fine. Not that she was primping for this dreaded rendezvous with Ethan, her soon-to-be-ex, but she hated to face him looking like a bedraggled sleep-deprived maniac. After all, she was the mother of his child and had been his lover.
And they had had a solid marriage once. Truth be known, they still remained friends. They just couldn’t live together.
Memories assaulted her, launching her back to a time when they’d first met. They’d shared an instant attraction, fallen in love overnight and married a year before he’d enlisted in the military. She’d survived the separation, but when he’d returned he’d been wrapped up in building his now-megamillion-dollar computer software company. On top of that was the covert work he did for Eclipse. Secret missions that he couldn’t talk about. Dangerous jobs that sent him all over the world. She’d never quite known if he’d come home dead or alive.
Her heart raced at the realization that she had liked that dark, dangerous side of Ethan. The mystery, excitement, suspense had been a turn-on. But it was no way for a family to live.
Besides, she’d put her own career aspirations on hold for too long. After having Jesse and practically raising him alone, then working in menial jobs, she hadn’t been able to turn down the L.A. job. A TV journalist—her life’s dream.
In a bicoastal marriage, she and Ethan had drifted apart till she’d filed for divorce.
Now it was time to sign the damn papers and finalize the end of their marriage.
“Mommy?”
Rebecca’s heart squeezed at the sight of Jesse’s big brown eyes staring up at her. Ethan’s eyes.
Could she really do this today—sign those long-awaited papers and put Ethan out of their lives for good?
No, Ethan would always be a part of Jesse’s life. Just not hers.
“I’m hot.” Jesse shoved his hand through his short blond hair, which was sticking out in a thousand directions. In his other hand, he held the glow-in-the-dark lighted wand that she’d bought him at the ballgame. Jesse had held on to it for dear life during the night, using it for light when he’d awakened in the dark.
“I know, sweetie. Maybe the electricity will be restored soon.”
“I don’t wanna stay in the hotel anymore. I wanna go play.”
Rebecca knelt in front of her son. She hadn’t explained about her meeting with Ethan yet, but eventually she’d have to. Jesse would be upset. Apparently half the kids at school came from divorced homes, and Jesse had already announced quite vehemently that he didn’t want to be one of them.
His declaration had broken her heart.
“Tell you what.” She took his hand and guided him to the window, then lifted him so he could see outside. “See over there in Boston Common. That’s Frog Pond. There are a lot of kids out there. Would you like for Miss DeeDee to take you wading in the pond while I’m at my meeting?”
“Uh-huh.” He bobbed his head up and down, and she gave him a hug. Outdoor exercise would do him good. Maybe put him in a better mood and help him expend some of his restless energy.
She had to tell him the truth when she returned. She just prayed that one day he’d forgive her for tearing apart their family.
THE PAST NIGHT AND MORNING had been a virtual nightmare.
Ethan Matalon let himself into his prized Beacon Hill brownstone, wiping sweat from his brow and cursing the damn blackout that plagued the city.
At 9:00 p.m. the night before, life as Bostonians knew it had crashed to a halt. Then chaos had reigned.
Ethan had spent countless hours fending panicked calls about the problems with security systems related to computer software he had designed. Major businesses and high-end clients who felt unprotected without the modern edge of technology to keep the evil-doers at bay had turned to him in their hour—hours—of need and he had done his best to comply. His technical skills had earned him millions of dollars, and helped him reach the pinnacle of success he enjoyed today.
Only that money didn’t keep him warm at night. And it certainly didn’t assuage the pain of knowing that he’d failed at other areas in his life.
He glanced at his watch and cursed. At least work had distracted him from his meeting today. The one he’d stalled for the past two years.
The one with his wife.
His estranged wife. Rebecca. The one woman he’d loved with all his heart. The one he’d married in good faith. The mother of his child.
The woman who’d finally called and insisted that they meet to sign the divorce papers.
Pain knifed through his chest, and he climbed the plush carpeted steps to his bedroom, his breathing labored. Closing his eyes to shut out the image of his son’s small face and the disappointment that had shadowed his eyes the last time they’d spent the weekend together and he’d said goodbye at the airport, Ethan shucked his sweaty clothes and jumped into the shower. The cold water revived him physically, but mentally he was a damn basket case.
Five years ago, he thought he’d finally overcome the haunting remnants of his past, of his childhood. He’d believed he had it all. A beautiful wife who loved him. A new son. Fortune. The prestigious address in Beacon Hill he’d always dreamed of. And the hottest company in the United States.
Then Rebecca had left him.
He scrubbed his body, wishing he could wash away the memories of their time together. But they were embedded as firmly in his head as her touch was imprinted on his body. He pictured Rebecca smiling and laughing when they’d gone sailing in the harbor. Her golden skin glowing with water droplets when they’d skinny-dipped in the bay. The graceful way she’d moved like a ballerina when they had danced in the moonlight. The smile lighting her eyes the night he’d proposed. The romantic honeymoon in Nepal.
Rebecca’s silky honey-blond hair spread across his chest. Her sultry hazel eyes, eyes that turned smoky when they made love. And those mile-long legs wrapped around his waist.
His body hardened with desire at the mere thought, and he cursed again. How the hell was he supposed to get through this meeting today? How was he supposed to get over her?
And why now, after two years of separation, was she insisting on this meeting? Determined to finally sever their marriage?
Suddenly, the grim possibility that she’d met someone else, that she was ready to move on, that another man had ensconced himself in her life, and maybe in her bed, hit him like a fist to his gut.
He leaned against the counter and stared into the mirror at his bloodshot eyes. He’d always known the possibility existed that she’d find someone else, but he’d shoved the thought into the back of his mind, choosing to live in denial.
Today he had to drag his head out of the sand and face reality. Rebecca was not only devastatingly beautiful and sexy, but interesting and damn smart. And her job as a TV journalist certainly had given her exposure across the U.S. Half the men in the world probably ogled her from their living room while she reported the news.
So whom had she met? Who had interested her enough to make her insist on finalizing the divorce?
Someone from TV? Another journalist? Some L.A. producer who’d swept her off her feet? Or maybe a Hollywood star?
He groaned and forced himself to dress. She would probably be waiting when he arrived at the Ritz-Carlton for their meeting. Would she be alone? Or would her lover accompany her? Would they sip champagne afterward and celebrate the end of him, and the beginning of them?
He balled his hands into fists and had to bite down on one to keep from slamming it into the mirror and breaking the glass.
If she had found someone else, what did his son think?
A choking sound erupted from deep inside him. The thought of losing Rebecca hurt. But he would handle it. After all, he’d grown accustomed to being alone the past two years. His business and the missions he did for Eclipse kept him occupied. He had a full life.
Dammit. He did.
But the thought of another man playing father to Jesse nearly drove him to his knees.
REBECCA WAVED TO JESSE AS HE slipped his hand into DeeDee’s. The young nanny had worked for her for six months now, and seemed responsible and appeared to genuinely care for Jesse.
Sometimes she felt bad for the time she spent away from her son and for leaving him with a nanny, but a single mother had to have help.
A single mother. Ethan would say that she’d chosen the role.
But that wasn’t entirely true. Hadn’t she been alone before she and Ethan had actually parted?
It wasn’t as if she’d gotten involved with another man right away, either. She’d only wanted to pursue her career, and take advantage of the opportunity she’d been given in L.A.
Jesse waved the small wand in the air as if it were magic. “Bye, Mommy.”
She gave him a peck on the cheek. “Have fun at the pond, Jesse. Later, um…your dad may come over.” Now, why had she said that? This trip was supposed to be quick. Sign the papers. Accept that their relationship was over.
Move on.
But Ethan had a right to see Jesse. And she would never deny him that right. Or deny Jesse time with his father.
Jesse’s big brown eyes lit up with hope. “Really?”
“Sure, honey.”
He perked up and skipped toward the door with a grin. DeeDee waved as the two of them bustled out the hotel door. Rebecca waited until they’d left, then applied lipstick, grabbed the divorce papers and her purse and headed to the elevator. A couple stepped from the stairwell, reminding her that the elevator was out, so she inhaled a deep breath, then took the stairs. Five flights. Thank goodness she worked out regularly.
Due to the blackout, though, the stately hotel was hot, filled with complaining customers and not running at its normal model of efficiency. The dark stairwell was claustrophobic and suffocating. When she exited and made her way to the salon, where she’d asked Ethan to meet her, her legs felt heavy and weighted.
Exhaustion from the sleepless night added to the fatigue. A case of nerves clutched her stomach in a viselike grip.
Everybody experienced a case of jitters before the wedding. It only seemed right that an anxiety attack would strike before the divorce.
Thankfully, the salon was empty when she entered, giving her a brief reprieve. In an effort to calm herself, she studied the fabulous brocade wall coverings, the striped damask wingback chairs, the intimate seating areas meant to invite conversation. It was a beautiful, peaceful place, one that held no sentimental meaning for them so she didn’t have to be haunted by memories of the two of them reclining in front of the fireplace or cuddled together sipping sherry on one of the loveseats.
She sensed Ethan had arrived before she even pivoted toward the door. His masculine scent permeated the room, and she felt his dark eyes skating over her, making her skin burn with need.
Shaken already, she turned to face him.
He looked massive and intimidating, mysterious and dark, a man who stood out in a crowd. A man who took control. A man who lived on the edge. One who snuck away in the night to save the innocent with no regard for his own life. Born with an adventurous soul, Ethan led others in the fight against terrorism and evil.
And he loved his son fiercely.
She remembered the tears glinting in his eyes when Jesse was born. At the memory, emotions crowded her chest, led by a sudden rush of affection she hadn’t expected to feel.
“Rebecca?”
His gruff voice sent a tingle down her spine.
“Hello, Ethan.” Her throat barely worked. Her dry hands itched to touch him, to pull him to her once more. To kiss him hello.
To kiss him goodbye.
To stop this madness they’d started two years ago.
Heat suffused the room, the tension palpable as he moved toward her, like a panther stalking his prey.
His dark look consumed her. Resurrected memories of erotic touches and whispered promises long into the night. Of lovemaking and marriage vows and total possession of body, mind and soul.
Of being a couple and a family. Of wanting their marriage to last.
But there had been so many nights alone.
“We missed you at the Red Sox game.” Darn it. She hadn’t meant to say we.
“I wish I could have been there. I…hate to disappoint Jesse.”
Jesse. Always Jesse. But what about her?
Guilt tugged at her. She had to put Jesse first and forget about her selfish needs. She hated to hurt their son. And they were both letting him down now, taking the easy way out.
But really, their marriage had ended some time ago.
And now she had the possibility of someone else in her life. In their lives. Someone in L.A. Someone stable. A man who’d taken enough interest in Jesse to volunteer to be his Little League coach.
Ethan couldn’t even make a Sox game on the rare occasion when she and Jesse flew to Boston.
“Is Jesse okay?” Ethan asked.
She nodded. “A little grumpy from the heat. He didn’t sleep well last night.”
A pained look crossed Ethan’s face. “Still afraid of the dark?”
“Yes. He thinks monsters are hiding in the corners.” Her voice wavered. “I tried to convince him there aren’t.”
“I’m sorry…” His voice trailed off, but his words held a wealth of meaning, and she knew he meant it to be a blanket apology.
She had to cut him a break. Ethan never meant to disappoint or hurt them. He had important work, was almost obsessive about achieving success, and was driven by the pain of his childhood. A pain he refused to speak of or share. Maybe if he had, they wouldn’t be here now; they’d still be together. “I guess the blackout created a multitude of problems for you.”
He gave a clipped nod. “I spent all night doing damage control.”
Instead of comforting their son. Or her.
She didn’t want to blame him anymore. Ethan was who he was. His work ethic was one thing that had attracted her to him. She admired his commitment to his software company, as well as his work for Eclipse.
It was time to move on for all of them. Better not to drag out the inevitable. She and Ethan could be friends for their son’s sake. But anything else… The chemistry, the heat, the sex had always been explosive, but it wasn’t enough to sustain them for life.
Sucking in a sharp breath, she removed the divorce papers from her purse and spread them on a table. Ethan’s dark eyes met hers, turmoil clouding the depths.
She would survive this day and the divorce. And so would Jesse.
Then they could all go on with their lives.
IT WAS TIME TO TAKE THE BOY.
Finn’s mouth watered as he watched Jesse Matalon approach Frog Pond, intent on wading in the water. Child’s play.
Finn didn’t remember ever being a child.
All he remembered was the pain of his father’s arrest. The shame. The move. The bitterness. The need for justice and revenge.
He studied the crowd of people hovering nearby. Mothers and fathers who’d left work for the day to venture outside in the light. Babysitters and nannies of Boston’s elite who talked among themselves. Teenagers who strolled hand in hand, grateful for the summer break and unconcerned about who saw them making out in public or sneaking a smoke.
Jesse kicked off his shoes and jumped in to play chase in the water with the other kids as if he’d been penned up for days. He was a precocious kid who Finn might have liked had he not belonged to the enemy.
The nanny was distracted. Rebecca was nowhere to be found. Off to meet Ethan, the man who’d let her down.
Rebecca was such a babe. He wanted her, too, wished he could kidnap them both. It would be double torture for Ethan to know that his former wife had been in Finn’s bed.
But kidnapping her didn’t fit into the plan right now. And he had to stick to the plan with no variations. Variations might mean mistakes, and Finn couldn’t fail. He’d waited too long for this moment.
Hell, six months ago, he’d moved to L.A. to ingratiate himself into Rebecca’s life. First, he’d set in waiting for his father to implement his plan. But he’d finally grown impatient and had orchestrated his own meeting. He’d come on to Rebecca, and she’d responded with interest, although she’d initially turned down his request.
But in time he would have seduced her.
Pity now that he wouldn’t get to bed her. He had to take care of the kid.
Tugging his own ball cap down over his head to hide his face, he slipped through the crowd. Jesse would never see him coming, and neither would the nanny or anyone else. There were too many people in the park, too many distractions.
All he had to do was make his move, and Jesse was his.
Chapter Two
Ethan had taken out terrorists worldwide, maneuvered his way in and out of life-and-death situations that would make some people’s hair curl and had nearly died of gunshot wounds twice.
But Rebecca still had a way of robbing the air from his lungs. Just the sight of her made him feel as if he’d stepped onto a landmine. His heart was racing, his palms were sweaty and the blood rushed to his head.
In spite of the heat and the sleepless night she’d obviously spent, she looked gorgeous today, light and airy in her pale clothing with her sun-kissed skin glowing from the L.A. weather, and her silky hair lifted off her neck. Normally he preferred her hair down, flowing around her shoulders, so the up-do should have put him off. Instead he appreciated the tantalizing view of the sensitive spot behind her ear that he liked to kiss. The spot that drove her wild and turned her into putty in his hands.
His lips puckered at the mere thought, and he almost forgot why they were there and dropped a juicy one on her neck. But the sound of papers crinkling as she spread them on the table jarred him back to reality.
His feet felt like lead weights as he forced himself to cross the room. He had survived countless dangerous missions—he could certainly sign divorce papers. After all, his marriage to Rebecca hadn’t been a real marriage in over two years. He was an adult. Life had to go on.
“You seem in a hurry to get this over with,” he said in a gruff voice.
Her startled gaze swung back to him. “In a hurry? Ethan, I moved to L.A. two years ago.”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “So why today?”
Eyes narrowed, she chewed on her bottom lip and glanced at the window, avoiding eye contact.
His lungs tightened. “You’re involved with someone else?”
Tension rattled between them in the thick air. “Ethan…”
He winced. “So you have met another man?”
She slowly turned back to face him. Her hazel eyes glimmered with emotions. An apology? Regrets? Indecision? “Yes.”
A frown thinned his lips as he reached out and twisted a loose strand of her hair between his fingers. “Who is he, Bec?”
“Ethan, it’s not important—”
“Who is he?” He hadn’t meant to sound so demanding, but his voice came out cold. Harsh.
She closed her eyes for a brief second, then blinked and met his gaze again. This time conviction and determination darkened the hues. “A stockbroker.”
His jaw tightened. “That’s the reason you’re doing this, so you can be free and clear to be with him.”
The silence that stretched between them hammered home his fears.
“I’m sorry, Ethan. But yes. I’m…lonely.” She hesitated. “I’m sure you’ve been with other women.”
She’d be shocked to know that he hadn’t. He hadn’t had the desire. Because no one could ever replace Rebecca.
He couldn’t help himself. He slid his hand up her neck, caught the back of her head with his palm and leaned toward her. Her mouth was only inches away. He desperately wanted to kiss her. Feel her pulse throb beneath his touch. Make her forget wanting any man except him. “You don’t have to be lonely, Bec.”
Her eyes misted. “That’s not fair, Ethan. You know I care about you. I always will. You’re Jesse’s father—”
“Is that all I am to you now?”
She licked her lips, drawing his attention to the curve of her mouth. The one he wanted to taste again.
“No, of course not. We share a past. We…loved each other once.”
Once? The word triggered a spasm of pain in his chest. She didn’t love him anymore….
“But our marriage wasn’t working, Ethan, and you know it.” Her voice grew stronger. “I never meant to hurt you, and I know you didn’t want to hurt me. It… Our lives just got in the way.”
“And your life won’t get in the way with this stockbroker?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “But it’s time to try.”
He heard the honesty in her answer, and a pang of guilt assaulted him. He wanted her to be happy. “I never meant to neglect you,” he said softly.
“I know.” She pressed a hand to his cheek. “But we have to think of Jesse. Closure will be good for all of us.”
His throat thickened. How could a broken family be good for their son?
Despair thickened his throat. He’d vowed to be a better father than his old man, a better husband. But he’d failed at both. “I am thinking of Jesse. He’s my son, Rebecca. He deserves two parents.”
“You’ll always be his father, Ethan. You can see him whenever you want. That isn’t going to change.”
Did she really believe that another man in the picture wouldn’t alter things?
“Let’s face the truth,” she said. “You’re three thousand miles away. Jesse needs a stable male role model.”
He heard her unspoken words. One who was in hislife on a daily basis. God, he was being selfish, wasn’t he? “This man…Jesse likes him?”
She nodded. “He seems to care about Jesse, too.”
Her words both soothed him and tore him up inside. Another man was on the verge of replacing him, both in her life and in his son’s, and he couldn’t stop it from happening.
“We can’t rehash the past,” she said in a voice filled with emotions. “I want you to be happy, Ethan. You are who you are. I realized long ago I had no right to change that, and I wouldn’t want to.”
And he had no right to hold her back if this man was what she wanted. Not when he hadn’t changed. He still worked ninety hours a week. Still accepted dangerous Eclipse missions. Still thrived on work.
Hell, he lived for the high and the danger. He didn’t know how to live without it.
Rebecca deserved better.
He dropped his hand, let it rest by his side for a minute, hoping to calm his shaking fingers.
Then he gathered his courage and reached for the pen to sign the papers.
REBECCA HATED SECOND-GUESSING herself. She hated even more the pain in Ethan’s eyes when she’d admitted her interest in another man. Guilt and affection for Ethan warred with the need to end the meeting as quickly as possible.
She shouldn’t feel guilty. How often had she seen Ethan the past two years? Even Jesse had been disappointed time and time again when Ethan had been forced to cancel.
Frank Sullivan was a nice man. A stockbroker who made good money. A man who had expressed interest in Jesse and coached the kid’s baseball team when he had no children of his own. He supported her career and lived close by, so that he could provide more of a stable influence on Jesse. After all, Jesse was growing up. He needed a man in his life. One he could count on.
One who didn’t disappear for weeks at a time, put his life on the line constantly. One who came home at night.
“Bec?”
She spread her hands in her lap. “What is it, Ethan?”
“Can I see Jesse later?”
Her heart twisted, and she clutched Ethan’s hand. “Of course you can. Jesse is your son. He loves you.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I don’t intend to let him forget me.”
“I know that,” Rebecca said softly. “And I would never let that happen, either.” She squeezed his arm. God, this was harder than she’d imagined. “No one can ever replace you in his life, Ethan.” Or in my heart.
But she had to give Frank Sullivan a chance.
“Thank you for saying that.” He rubbed her hand gently. He used to do that, then he’d lift her fingers and kiss them. Then she would melt in his arms.
She couldn’t let it go that far today, or she’d never be able to sign these divorce papers. And even if they did kiss or make love, their lifestyles wouldn’t change.
“It wasn’t all bad, was it?” he asked quietly.
She smiled and shook her head. “No, Ethan. We had some wonderful times, some great memories. But reliving them…it’s just too painful.”
“The last thing I want is to hurt you,” Ethan said quietly.
Her gaze met his. “I know that, Ethan.”
“Right.” He released her hand and scrubbed his through his short military-cut hair. “Well, then, why procrastinate any longer?”
He handed her the pen and gestured for her to go first. Her insides trembled, but she sat down and zeroed in on the lines where they were supposed to sign their names. How ironic, she thought. After so much love and time together, so many memories and promises, all they had to do to dissolve their marriage and erase the past was scribble their signatures on the dotted line.
She inhaled a deep breath, and pressed the tip of the pen down, when the door suddenly burst open.
“Miss Rebecca! Miss Rebecca!” Jesse’s nanny stumbled into the salon, waving her arms, looking harried.
Rebecca frowned. “What is it, DeeDee?”
“Miss Rebecca,” DeeDee sobbed. “Oh, my God, my God, my God. It’s Jesse!”
Rebecca shot to her feet, her heart pounding as she searched behind the woman for her son. “Where is he, DeeDee? What’s happened?”
Ethan lurched toward DeeDee, grabbed her by the arms and shook her gently. “What’s wrong? Is Jesse hurt? Did he have an accident?”
DeeDee’s face crumpled and tears streaked her pale cheeks. “No, he’s…missing,” she sobbed. “I turned my back for just a minute, and he was gone!”
Missing…gone… The room spun.
“Where were you?” Ethan barked.
“At Frog Pond,” DeeDee cried. “Miss Rebecca, she told me to take Jesse wading, and so I did. He was so excited. And there were other kids there, so many. They were laughing and playing chase at the edge of the water and he joined in.” She heaved a breath. “Then suddenly he disappeared. I searched everywhere, I yelled for him, but he was nowhere! Miss Rebecca, I’m so sorry…”
Rebecca swayed and reached for something to hold on to. Jesse was missing. “No…”
Black dots danced before her eyes just before the world went dark. She felt herself spiraling, floating, the shock clawing at her as she collapsed against Ethan.
ETHAN CAUGHT REBECCA, HIS OWN heart pounding with fear. His son, his five-year-old little boy, was missing. Had he wandered through the crowd and gotten lost, or had he been kidnapped?
He helped Rebecca to a sofa and settled her onto the cushions. “Rebecca?”
“Ethan—”
“Hang on, sweetheart. I’m here.”
A gut-wrenching cry rose from deep in her throat. “Jesse?”
“We’ll find him, I promise.” Even as he muttered the assurance, a dozen terrifying scenarios raced through his mind. Jesse being kidnapped by an ax murderer. Or a pedophile. Christ, no, please no…
His knees buckled and he fought for a breath. He couldn’t think like that. He couldn’t let Rebecca jump onto that horrifying, runaway train of thought, either.
Time was of the essence. If Jesse had been abducted, he was getting farther and farther away by the minute. He had to call the police.
He reached for his cell phone, then halted. He’d seen enough cases to know that kidnappers always warned against calling the cops. They usually wanted money.
Money—he had lots of it. That was the reason they’d taken Jesse.
He’d give them whatever they asked for, just as long as they didn’t hurt his son.
He turned to DeeDee, who had slumped into the nearest wingback chair, crying into her hands.
He had to stop thinking like a father and think like a detective. But Jesse was his son. How could he not think like a father? “DeeDee, did you call for help at the pond?”
She nodded. “I told people all around me and they looked, too. Then this lady said she thought she saw Jesse walking away with a man.”
He punched in the number for his Eclipse contact, Dana Whitley, the only civilian who knew about its existence. A secretary for the Pentagon by day, she clandestinely coordinated Eclipse and could accomplish anything.
Ethan explained the situation. “My son has been kidnapped. I need people now to search the area surrounding Frog Pond. This has to be discreet. I don’t want it to look like I’ve called the cops. The kidnapper might be watching.”
Rebecca shuddered next to him, and he hung up and squeezed her hands. “Bec, listen, we have to go back to my place. If a kidnapper took him and wants a ransom, he might call me there.”
“What about the police?”
“Let’s go to my place first. If there’s no call or note, then we’ll phone it in.”
Rebecca latched on to his hand and dragged herself to a sitting position. “But, Ethan, they can search the streets, the highways. Issue an Amber alert—”
Ethan glanced at his phone in a panic and willed the infuriating thing to ring. He wanted that call, dammit. Wanted to know who had his son and why. “Trust me. My team is on it. They’ll cover the streets better than the cops. We have connections, Bec.”
He flipped on the handset and noticed a text message waiting. He’d been so busy last night during the blackout he’d finally shut down his phone and ignored any messages.
He checked it now.
“Are you afraid of the dark?”
His blood ran cold. The cryptic message struck a nerve. It had something to do with Jesse’s kidnapper. He knew it in his gut.
Fear choked him.
If he hadn’t ignored the message last night, maybe he could have prevented his son from being abducted.
FINN SMILED TO HIMSELF AS HE drove the dark sedan into the abandoned warehouse. He would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Ethan Matalon discovered his precious son was missing. And Rebecca… he would have enjoyed being beside her to offer her comfort. Dry her tears. Whisper reassurances.
Maybe even strip her and soothe her with a night of lovemaking.
His sex swelled, reminding him that he had done without that pleasure for too long. Hell, he’d wanted Rebecca but had forced himself not to push her for fear of raising suspicion. But in the end, maybe he’d screw her anyway.
For now, though, contact with her was too dangerous. Better for her to think he was completely out of the country, off on business.
They would figure out the connection soon enough.
Then Rebecca would blame herself.
As Ethan was no doubt doing, thanks to the text message.
Finn killed the engine, climbed out and shut the warehouse door, then stared at the backseat, where he’d stuffed the boy. The cough syrup in his soda had worked perfectly. The kid was out cold.
But he would wake soon. And like a lot of other children, Jesse Matalon was afraid of the dark.
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.
Ethan made a low sound of pain and frustration, then curved his arm around her and pulled her up against him. “Bec…”
His strangled voice sent another shiver of terror down her spine.
Then he spun around as if scanning the area to see if the person who’d left the note was nearby. The realization hit Rebecca, too. The kidnapper or a conspirator might be watching to make sure they found the message. To see if they phoned the police.
She blinked back tears and studied the passers-by. Due to the blackout, the streets looked grim. People walked in a hurry, shaken and wary of others. Cars still clogged the street, creating a nightmare for drivers. And two uniformed officers tried to direct the mob and clean up the congestion at the intersections. Another one walked the streets as if to announce his presence in case burglars or vandals decided to take advantage of nonfunctioning security systems in the moneyed Beacon Hill section.
But she saw no one who stuck out as watching them. No one with a scared little boy in tow.
“There’s no ransom,” Ethan mumbled. “I don’t understand why there’s no ransom.”
“There will be,” she said, battling terror at the distress in his voice. “They’re going to call, Ethan. They have to.”
He gave a clipped nod, removed his keys and unlocked the door. They rushed inside, and he hurried to check his machine, then cursed. Of course, the blasted thing wasn’t working because of the blackout.
“Let me check the brownstone. Stay put, Rebecca.”
Shaking, she sank onto the living room couch, and twisted her fingers together while he searched the rooms on all three stories. Last night she’d assured Jesse there were no monsters. But today, in broad daylight, one had stolen him.
Ethan returned, shaking his head, but he was already on his cell phone. On the coffee table, she spotted the photo of Ethan with their son at a baseball game, picked it up and traced her finger over Jesse’s smiling face. Disbelief warred with hopelessness, but she fought through it, grappled for strength.
Their baby had to be all right.
She couldn’t survive losing her son.
ETHAN PRAYED SILENTLY AS HE phoned Eclipse teammate Ty Jones, whose day job was as a Secret Service agent. The note had said no cops, and Ethan would comply. But he needed help, and his cohorts from the Eclipse team were the best. He didn’t intend to sit idly by while some maniac stole his son and got away with it.
Fear niggled at the base of his spine. Why hadn’t there been a ransom note or a call yet?
What did the kidnapper want if not money?
Ty sounded winded when he answered the call. “Ethan, I’ve been trying to reach you. Dana phoned me and told me about your son.”
“There was a note warning me not to call the cops,” Ethan said gruffly. “But no ransom. Ty, I don’t understand.”
“Sit tight. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Ethan hung up and moved to the window to study the street, searching the crowd and shadowy corners. He didn’t expect to see Jesse outside, but maybe he’d get a glimpse of someone watching the house. Someone he would chase down and beat into telling him where he had his little boy.
His fingers ached from gripping the cell phone in his hands. He willed it to ring, to be the kidnapper with a message relaying his demands. Where to make the drop.
How to get his son back.
His chest tightened painfully. He had to be strong for Rebecca. For Jesse. Had to hold it together until he found the bastard who’d done this.
Fury raged through his veins like fire ripping through dry kindling. Then he’d kill the maniac with his bare hands, making sure he suffered before he died.
A pounding on the front door jarred him back to motion. He rushed to let Ty in. His friend looked disheveled, rough around the edges as if he hadn’t slept all night.
Ty said hello to Rebecca, then leaned against the fireplace wall with his hands fisted by his sides. “I think I know who kidnapped your son.”
The air froze in Ethan’s lungs. Rebecca started to stand, but Ty gestured for her to remain seated.
“Who?” Ethan asked. “What’s going on, Ty?”
“I tried to reach you earlier, Ethan. To warn you.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ethan’s patience snapped like a thin wire beneath too much pressure. “I want to know who has Jesse, and I want to know now.”
Ty sighed. “I believe Liam Shea is behind Jesse’s disappearance.”
“Liam?” The name caused a cold ball of dread in Ethan’s stomach. “What? Why?”
“Who is Liam Shea?” Rebecca asked.
Ethan scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Ten years ago, a group of us formed a select coterie of Special Forces servicemen in a high-profile rescue mission. Fifty-eight people had been taken hostage in a civil war-torn Middle Eastern nation, most of them American, including the Secretary of State, Geoffrey Rollins.” Ethan paused. “Commander Tom Bradley recruited seven of us to get them out alive. Liam Shea was the electrical expert, Shane Peters the security expert, engine man Chase Vickers, me and Ty, the demolitions man. Vice-President Grant Davis was the tactical specialist then, and Frederic LeBron, a prince from Beau Pays, was the language expert.”
“I don’t understand what any of this has to do with Jesse,” Rebecca cried.
Ethan sat down beside her and took her hands in his. “It’s a long story, Bec. Suffice to say the mission went awry. The timing was off, and the mission blew up in our faces. Cyanide gas was released. By some miracle, we lost only three hostages. Liam was wounded but Grant saved his life. When all was said and done, Grant was hailed a hero.”
“And Liam?” Rebecca asked.
“He was court-martialed, dishonorably discharged and has spent the past ten years in prison.”
“He’s out of jail now,” Ty cut in. “And he wants revenge.”
Rebecca gasped and dropped her head into her hands, breathing deeply as if she might pass out. Ethan stroked her back, although his own chest ached and his pulse raced with fear.
“The blackout,” Ty said. “We think Liam is responsible.”
“For the entire blackout?” Rebecca asked.
Ty nodded. “Liam has blown up two BP and L power plants in town.” He turned to Ethan. “He’s just beginning. Last night LeBron’s daughter, Princess Ariana, was in town for the celebration of an international trade agreement. She joined dignitaries from around the world at the John Hancock Tower. President Stack and the vice-president were there, too.”
Ethan’s stomach turned to lead. “Ty works as Secret Service for the vice-president,” he explained to Rebecca.
“I still don’t see what this has to do with Jesse,” she whispered.
“It’s part of Liam’s master plan of revenge,” Ty said. He angled his head toward Ethan. “Shane was there last night, too. He planned to test the security surrounding the Beau Pays sapphire on exhibition from Prince Frederick. The party was in full swing when the blackout occurred. It was a freaking nightmare for all of the Secret Service and guests.” Ty made a disgusted sound. “Shane received a message about that time. It said, ‘Are you afraid of the dark’?”
Ethan gripped his phone with shaking hands. “I received the same message.”
Ty didn’t seem surprised. He continued, “As soon as the lights went out, goggled men swarmed the building and took everyone hostage. They threatened to kill the attendees if the president and vice-president didn’t show themselves.”
“What happened?” Ethan asked.
“Stack and Grant handed themselves over. The men tried to leave with them, but in the confusion, the president escaped. He’s fine now, but Grant is still missing.”
“This crazy man has the vice-president?” Rebecca asked in horror.
“We think so,” Ty confirmed.
“Liam targeted Grant for revenge,” Ethan said, the full picture forming in his mind.
Ty nodded again. “The entire Special Forces team is being targeted, Ethan. Shane and Chase have already been hit.”
Ethan dreaded the answer to his next question. “Are they all right?”
“Shane survived. But not before having to deal with Colin Shea, one of Liam’s sons.”
“His sons are involved?” Ethan asked.
“Up to their eyeballs.” Ty shifted.
“Liam’s sons were close to their father,” Ethan continued, “and blamed the Eclipse team for his arrest. They think we betrayed Liam.”
Ty sighed. “Colin wanted the sapphire. Shane tried to protect the stone, as well as Princess Ariana. Thankfully, Ben Parker, one of the FBI agents Shane has worked with in the past, managed to divert the shooter and Shane escaped.”
“Thank God,” Ethan said. “What about Chase?”
“Liam’s other son, Aidan Shea, climbed into Chase’s limo, pretending to be a dignitary. He pulled a gun, threatened Chase, then escaped.”
Ethan propped his elbows on his knees and leaned into his hands. “Is Chase all right?”
“Yes. But Aidan claimed he’d lose everything that mattered to him.”
Ethan contemplated the threat. For him, it meant Jesse. For Chase? “Lily?”
“I’m afraid so. Chase managed to get to the hospital before Aidan got to her.” Ty grunted. “She was pregnant.”
“Hell, don’t tell me Aidan killed her.”
“No, they went on the run. Finally Chase called Ben Parker for help. Unfortunately Parker was killed. Chase called me to warn me about what was going on, that Liam Shea was involved, and that he suspected Liam had something even bigger planned.”
“And now Jesse is missing.” Ethan released a string of expletives.
Rebecca’s soft cry twisted his heart. “He took our son to get back at you?”
Guilt slammed into Ethan. Rebecca was right. It was his fault their son was missing. That mission ten years ago had brought this horror on them now.
He remembered Liam’s fury at the court-martial hearing. The rage in his eyes when he’d been sentenced to prison. His vow of revenge.
Liam didn’t care whom he hurt, as long as he paid them back for what he saw as their betrayal.
And poor little Jesse was being used as a pawn in his twisted plan.
Ethan shook with the force of his fear. He knew Liam well, had witnessed how irate and focused he could be.
God help them.
He didn’t want to tell Rebecca, but Liam was coldhearted enough to kill Jesse to get back at him.
Chapter Four
Rebecca lowered her head into her hands and inhaled a deep breath, trying to calm her raging emotions. Yet her head spun with the implications of Ty’s comments.
One look into Ethan’s face, and the turmoil and guilt in his eyes robbed her breath. She had never seen her strong, tough husband look so terrified. That alone magnified the fear mounting in her chest.
His work for the military had been important and top secret. Though he’d never spoken of it, she’d known it had been dangerous.
But she’d never contemplated the fact that her son’s life might be in jeopardy because of what Ethan had done.
Ty’s explanation for the blackout confirmed how twisted and desperate this man Liam was. And his sons…they must have been planning their revenge for years. They’d undoubtedly covered their tracks, knew what they were doing, how to orchestrate their plan without being detected.
Which one of them had taken Jesse? What were they doing to him now? They could be anywhere in Boston—the seaport district, Cambridge, the North End, Chinatown—or he could have hopped a plane and taken him someplace far away.
Was he alive or had they killed him?
No, don’t think like that. He has to be all right.
Memories of Jesse’s smiling face at the ballgame yesterday flitted through her mind. He’d been so disappointed that Ethan hadn’t shown, but as soon as the game had started, he’d gotten swept up in the excitement, and he’d yelled and pounded his small hand into his glove, hoping to catch a foul ball. Later, she’d laughed as he’d crammed a hot dog into his mouth, and ketchup and mustard had dribbled down his chin.
And when the game had ended, he’d jumped up and down, shouting that he wished his dad could have been there to see the win.
She’d been so angry at Ethan…
Now Jesse might never have the chance to see another game or his father again.
She closed her eyes and summoned her courage. She remembered the way he’d tucked his small hand inside hers as they’d woven through the crowded stadium on the way out. The gleam in his smile when he’d spotted one of the players signing autographs.
He’d trusted her to take care of him, but she had failed. Now he was all alone.…
A strangled sound clogged her throat, and she jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Inside, she splashed cold water on her face, trembling violently. She didn’t want to blame Ethan, yet his past had brought this horror on their innocent little boy.
She leaned against the sink, again seeing Jesse’s trusting small face in her mind, and a sob escaped her. After the first memory came, others followed, and she sagged onto the floor in a heap, raised her knees, propped her arms on them and let the tears fall.
A second later, the door squeaked open, and Ethan sank down beside her, took her in his arms and held her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, hating herself for falling apart. She needed to be strong, yet she couldn’t control the flood of emotions.
“Shh, he’s our baby,” Ethan said gruffly. “You wouldn’t be a mother if you weren’t upset.”
She gulped back tears and leaned into him, savoring his strength and comforting arms. He rocked her, soothing her with gentle strokes and whispered promises that he would find Jesse and bring him safely home.
But his words only triggered her anger. He’d muttered false promises before. Hadn’t he sworn he’d be there when Jesse was born? Instead he’d been away on business and she’d almost delivered their baby all alone. The other times he’d disappointed her and Jesse came crashing back, making the pressure in her chest unbearable, and she pulled away.
“You’ve made promises before, Ethan. How can I trust you now?” The need to blame someone, to vent, surged through her. “This is all your fault. You and your job. It was always more important than us. And now our son’s life is on the line because of it.”
Ethan’s face hardened and he balled his hands into fists. “I promise you, Bec. I may have let you both down before, but this time I won’t. I swear it.”
Pain thickened his voice, but Rebecca saw other images in her mind. The disappointment in Jesse’s eyes the night Ethan hadn’t come home to help them decorate the Christmas tree. His silent tears another time when Ethan had missed Jesse’s first Little League game. The crude family sketch Jesse had drawn this year in kindergarten, a picture of the three of them and a new baby, the little brother Jesse had asked Santa for last year.
A baby they would never have, living on opposite sides of the country and divorced.
“I know you mean that, Ethan. But what if we—what if you—can’t save him? What if it’s too late already?”
He flinched. “Don’t talk like that, Bec. Besides…”
“Besides what, Ethan?” she asked coldly.
“Jesse is more useful alive.”
“More useful?” Shock stirred her temper. “What’s wrong with you, Ethan? You’re talking about Jesse like he’s some object, not your own son.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Bec, and you know it. I’m trying to think like a cop.”
“All I know is that you let us walk out of your life once before. You were ready to sign the divorce papers, so I assume you want me out of your life.”
He didn’t move, simply met her look with a dark, piercing gaze that sliced through her, reopening painful wounds.
“You’re the one who wanted the papers signed so you could get on with your life,” he said bitterly.
Only because he hadn’t wanted them enough to try.
She ached for him to hold her now, yearned to believe that he could make this right, but she couldn’t allow herself to believe in him again, to trust him. She and Jesse had been hurt too many times before.
So she wrapped her anger around her instead. She’d come here to end their marriage. And she would—once they found Jesse.
ETHAN SPUN AWAY FROM REBECCA, his chest aching. She was right to blame him. The situation was all his fault. He was responsible for the agony in Rebecca’s cries, the fear in her eyes. And the fact that his son was in the hands of a madman.
“I know you hate me, Rebecca, but I love our son and I’ll do everything in my power to bring him back.”
“I don’t hate you, Ethan,” she said, although her look condemned him in his soul. “But I can’t trust you, either. When this is over, it might be best for you to stay away from Jesse.”
Her soft voice twisted the knife of guilt piercing his chest. But she was right.
He was a failure as a father and husband. As much as he’d loved her, he hadn’t been able to give himself wholly.
And Jesse deserved to be safe. He didn’t deserve to be in the hands of Liam Shea, to be a ploy in his revenge plot.
The cold wave of terror settling inside him hardened his jaw. But could he really let them both go forever when he got Jesse back?
Rage sparked his temper, pushing the guilt and heartache into the back of his mind. He had hoped to talk to Rebecca today, let her know that he was going to cut back on his hours, spend more time with his son. His software company had attained the level of success he’d hoped for; he could delegate work and be with Jesse. But now he might never get that chance. And Rebecca didn’t want him in their lives at all.
“Ethan, do you have a plan? Some way to contact Shea?”
He pivoted, resorted to what he did best.
He might not be a good father, but he was damn good at tracking down terrorists and bad guys. And when it came time to kill, Ethan would have no problem taking out Liam or his sons.
“No, but I will.”
Ty poked his head in with a frown. “I need to go, Ethan.”
“What do we do now?” Rebecca asked.
A computer ace, Ethan knew how to dig up information.
“Let me see what I can find out about Liam and his sons.” Grateful he still had some battery left in his computer, Ethan booted up his laptop and typed in several commands, searching the databases Eclipse had access to.
“What are you looking for?” Rebecca asked.
“Everything I can find on them.” Ethan scrubbed a hand over his neck. “Where Liam and his sons have been the past few years. Jobs. Addresses. Friends or associates. Anything that might give us a clue where they’re hiding out, or where they’ve taken Jesse.”
A photo of Liam appeared on the screen. Ethan frowned, his mind sweeping him back ten years to that fateful mission.
The hostages, mostly engineers, teachers and missionaries, were being held in a densely populated downtown, in the cavernlike basement of a closely guarded building. The world had prayed for their release for weeks. Every country from which the hostages had hailed—the U.S., England, Australia and the Alpine nation Beau Pays—had attempted a rescue and failed.
Ethan’s Special Forces team had been the last hope.
The men had methodically outlined their plan. Just as Ty ignited a minor explosion as a diversion, Liam was to kill the power to the building, plunging it into darkness to provide cover for the team’s entrance. The eight of them, armed with high-tech surveillance to see where the hostages were being held, were in place to take out the guards in precision timing down to the nanosecond.
Previous rescuers had reported that the captors had scrambled all frequencies in the building, allowing no communication between team members. Commander Bradley was supposed to give a visual cue.
But something had gone wrong.
Sweat rolled down Ethan’s neck as he remembered the events. Shea, claiming he’d seen Bradley’s signal, had killed the lights prematurely, causing the captors to release cyanide gas. Among the chaos, it was a miracle anyone had gotten out alive.
“Ethan?”
Rebecca’s soft voice jerked him from the traumatic memory. When he glanced up, he saw her watching him warily. “What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He turned back to the computer, clicked a few more keys, and photographs of Liam’s boys spilled onto the screen.
Which one of them had Jesse? Liam or one of his sons?
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