Arthur raised his hands to his mouth. “Jordan!”
A faint sound. Maybe a call. Her heart leapt. “Jordan!”
“Mum!”
She ran towards the sound. “Jordan!”
“Over here.”
She shoved past branches and leapt over small shrubs as she ran towards her son’s voice. The branches scraped her arms, but she ignored the pain as she entered a clearing and found Jordan on his feet, Cody next to him seated on the ground. She swept Jordan into her arms, clinging to him. “You’re safe.”
Jordan hugged her back but squirmed in her arms. “Cody’s hurt.”
The words tempered her elation. She let go of Jordan and looked at Cody. “What happened?”
“I twisted my ankle. I told Jordan to keep going, but he wouldn’t leave me.”
Arthur moved into the clearing and knelt by Cody, examining his ankle. Sam was right behind him.
Gretchen checked Jordan. “You’re not hurt?”
He shook his head. “Dad didn’t hurt us, but he said he’d hurt you if I didn’t tell him about the treasure. I told him everything.”
“That’s OK. Dot arrested your dad. He can’t hurt either of us again.”
Sam pulled a first aid kit from his backpack and handed a compression bandage to Arthur. “What about the man you escaped from?”
“He said he wouldn’t hurt us, but we didn’t believe him,” Cody said. “We ran as soon as we could.”
Jordan nodded. “We got out of those ties just like you showed us, Sherlock.”
Arthur finished the bandage and smiled. “You were both brilliant.”
Jordan sagged against Gretchen, obviously tired from the adventure. At a call above them, she glanced up and waved to Georgie and Matt who were at some distance up the slopes. Georgie gestured they were heading back and Gretchen gave her a thumbs up.
“Let’s get you back,” Gretchen said.
“How about piggybacks?” Arthur suggested. “Cody can’t walk on that foot and you both look exhausted.”
“That would be awesome,” Jordan said.
Arthur lifted Jordan onto his back as if he weighed nothing, and Cody climbed on Sam’s back.
“Ready, Watson?” Arthur asked.
Jordan beamed. “Ready.”
Gretchen pressed her hands to her chest as love filled her. Her baby was safe.
She followed them back to the cave.
Chapter 21
Jordan was safe. The weight of him against Arthur’s back comforted him. He’d had to push memories of other rescue missions out of his head on their way to the ranges. Some kidnappers had no qualms about torturing children. He’d been surprised at how easy-going Lee had been. How his concern for the missing boys seemed genuine. But what would he have done if the boys hadn’t escaped and it had been Stonefish and not them who had arrived?
Jordan had become heavier and heavier as they walked until Gretchen whispered, “He’s fallen asleep.”
Arthur ignored the fierce pain from his prosthesis rubbing. There was no way he was waking the boy up to walk. Jordan’s hands clasped around his neck and the warmth of him on Arthur’s back filled Arthur with purpose and joy, but he was relieved when the cave came into sight.
