He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold on tight, but he didn’t dare. Not until the doctor checked her injuries.
Instead, he held on to her trembling hand. “Listen to me, honey. Those men kidnapped Griff for a reason. They’re probably planning to ransom him back to you. If it’s money they want, I’ve got plenty. More than enough. We’ll get him back, no matter what it takes. I promise you.”
Her eyes met his, hers glazed with tears. He had no idea what she was thinking. But the fact that they knew who he was put an extra layer of intrigue over the abduction. He had to find out what the hell was going on.
“You said there were two men. Can you tell me what they looked like?”
She swallowed, sat up a little straighter, winced at the movement. “Everything happened so fast it’s all...it’s all kind of a blur.”
She closed her eyes, taking time to recall. “I don’t remember much about the first man. He was as tall as you, I guess, only thicker in the chest and shoulders. Not muscular, just bigger. The other man had curly black hair. He had kind of a homely, dish-shaped face and he was a lot shorter. I remember the first man handled Griff carefully while the other man... I...I think that man could have killed me and it wouldn’t have bothered him at all.”
Emotion seared Reese’s chest. He clamped down to stay in control.
A sound in the hall caught his attention. He glanced up to see an imposing silver-haired man standing in the doorway, medical bag in hand.
Reese pushed to his feet. “Charles. Thank you so much for coming.” He turned. “Kenzie, this is Dr. Chandler. He’s a friend. He’s going to take care of you.”
Her gaze went to the doctor and fear flashed in her eyes. “You won’t tell the police?”
“I’m here to help you. That’s all.” His gaze swung to Reese. “Give me a moment with my patient, will you, Reese?”
He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay in case Kenzie needed him. He forced a smile in her direction. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
Reese stepped into the hall and closed the door, careful to keep his emotions in check, trying to work out his next move.No police.That left out FBI agent Quinn Taggart, or Detective Heath Ford. But they needed help, needed information. Bran was in Colorado. He had to call Chase. No other choice but to take the risk.
Florence stood in the hall a few feet away, staring worriedly at the bedroom door.
“I need to borrow your cell phone, Flo. They might be tracking mine.”
Her eyes flashed to his, fresh worry in them. She pulled her phone out of the pocket of the robe she was wearing and handed it to Reese.
It occurred to him that Chase might see the kidnapping as another way of setting him up. He might think Kenzie was in on the abduction as a way to extort money from him. But the battered, devastated mother he had seen in the bedroom wasn’t pulling any kind of con.
Not recognizing the number, Chase didn’t pick up. Reese texted him, then dialed again, and his brother answered on the first ring.
“More trouble?” Chase asked.
“Big trouble. Two men broke into Kenzie’s town house and kidnapped her son. They warned her not to call the police or involve you or Bran, but I can’t do this alone. And don’t tell me this could be part of a setup because if you could see the beating Kenzie took trying to save her boy you would know she would never do anything to hurt him.”
Silence fell as Chase assessed the information. “She okay?”
“She refused to go to the hospital. Doc Chandler is with her now.”
“Charlie’s good. He’ll make sure she’s all right.”
“She must have put up a helluva fight. The room is completely destroyed and not all the blood in there is hers.”
Chase grunted. “It’s a wonder they didn’t kill her.”
His stomach knotted. He’d thought the same thing.
“We can’t let them know you’re involved,” Reese said. “We need to meet somewhere safe.”
“Where are you?”
“Her town house on Gilbert in Oaklawn.”
“How about that little place near Turtle Creek Park? Mel’s Diner. It opens at 6:00 a.m.”
