Finally, she escaped and drove home. The slam of her car door echoed in the garage and Gretchen frowned. She’d expected to hear them playing in the backyard. Concern skittered over her skin and she hurried inside. “I’m home.”
Nothing.
She checked Jordan’s room to find it empty, and then she headed outside.
No one.
Where were they? Arthur had said they’d got home safely.
“Jordan!” Unless someone else had sent the text from Arthur’s phone.
Panic built inside her and she scanned the garden for evidence they had been here. The small garden shed in the corner was closed, the shrubs against the fence line rustled in the wind, the grass was clear and in need of a mow.
“Boo!”
Gretchen shrieked and spun to find Jordan right behind her, grinning from ear to ear.
“I hid so well you didn’t even spot me!” He danced from foot to foot in excitement.
“Boo!”
Gretchen jumped again to find Cody next to her. She put a hand to her heart as Arthur walked over, an apologetic smile on his face.
“Sorry. The boys wanted to test their skills. I didn’t know they were going to scare you.” He raised his eyebrows at Jordan.
Jordan grinned. “Sorry.”
Yeah, she really believed him. Her relief outweighed the fright, and she hugged her son. “Seems like you’ve been busy this afternoon.”
Jordan nodded. “Sherlock’s the best. He wouldn’t let Dad take me.”
What? Her breath left her, and she spun to Arthur. “What did he do?”
Arthur held up a hand. “He wanted to take Jordan home, but I told him I was responsible for Jordan and couldn’t let him. He didn’t push it.”
But he’d still tried something when Arthur was right there. What had he hoped to achieve? Had he been assessing Arthur’s ability to take care of her child, or was he trying to prove some misguided point?
“I was worried because Sherlock lost his leg, but he put it back on fast,” Jordan said.
She blinked, trying to catch up. Was Sam right? Should she be concerned about Arthur’s ability?
Her heart still raced as Arthur said, “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“Sherlock’s been teaching us how to get out of holds,” Cody said.
“Grab me, Mum.” Jordan thrust out his arm. His wrist was red and a little bruised.
Still not sure about any of this, Gretchen took hold of Jordan’s wrist. In only a second, he’d pried back her fingers and freed himself, wincing a little.
Impressive, but, “I think that’s enough. Your wrist looks sore.”
Jordan rubbed it and grinned. “The bruise is from the cable ties.” He pulled out a couple of cable ties from his pocket.
“What?” Doubt crept in as she glanced at Arthur.
He rubbed the back of his head. “They asked about how to free themselves if they were tied up. I could only find cable ties in your shed.”
The reality of the situation hit her hard. Jordan might need these skills with Kurt. “Did Arthur’s technique work?”
