“We will find him,” she told him. “I have every analyst combing the net for every possibility.”
“But we don’t have anything to go on, not one fucking clue as to who took him.” He hugged her closer. “Brenden hasn’t even called.”
The phone rang in the background while she was talking and the minute he heard Jaxson’s name Stephen perked up and pulled out of Brook’s arms. He walked over to Baker who’d answered the phone. “That’s Jaxson?” he asked eagerly. “Did they find Nicholas? Do they know who took him?” Stephen threw a barrage of questions at Baker. He needed answers.
“We need a trace on this number, now!” Baker yelled.
“I’m on it,” Brook said taking the number down and running to her cave.
“What’s going on?!” Stephen yelled.
“The kidnapper called Smith,” Baker said looking at Stephen for the first time.
“What does he want?” Stephen asked him.
“It’s a she, and she hasn’t told him yet, he’s trying to keep her talking,” Baker answered.
“She?” he mumbled to himself. He turned and waddled out of the bullpen heading straight to Brook’s cave. “Brook, I need you to tap into Brenden’s phone.”
“Why?” she asked as she moved over to another monitor.
“He’s talking to the kidnapper.”
She didn’t ask any more questions and did as he asked. A few seconds later, he and Brook were listening on Brenden’s phone call. He heard Brenden call the woman Paige. He froze when she asked him about a night they spent together. If he was wondering what or why the woman took his son, he got his answer. She was his ex-girlfriend. Stephen never asked Brenden about the women or men he dated when they were apart because he viewed that as a part of their past. But listening to them, it sounded as if she was someone recent. He waited to feel jealous but instead felt angry that this Paige used his son in whatever misguided feelings she had for Brenden.
“Do you have a trace?” Baker popped his head in and asked her.
“Not yet, I need another minute,” Brook told him.
Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard Brenden ask to speak to Nicholas. Stephen felt as if he couldn’t breathe the second he heard his son’s voice. He listened, trying to gauge how his son was doing but the conversation was too short.
“All right, kid, that’s enough.” Stephen growled when he heard Paige’s voice again. He promised himself that the minute he had Nicholas back in his arms, he would make the bitch pay.
“There, you talked to him, now you made me a promise I want you to keep.”
“What do you want from me, Paige?”
“I want you to make love to me while that man watches. I want to see the hurt in his eyes when he realizes that you don’t love him and that you love me. And last but certainly not least, I want to have your child!”
Stephen froze and waited to hear Brenden’s answer, but Brook yelled over his reply. “I got it!” She held up a piece of paper, and before Stephen could grab it out of her hand, Baker took it and ran out of the cave.
“So what’s it going to be, Brenden?” He stopped when he heard her ask him again.
“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?” Brenden asked her. Stephen could tell that he was moving and wasn’t sure if Paige caught on. He didn’t stick around to hear her answer, he also knew a team was heading to Paige’s location, and he wanted to be there. He walked as quickly as he could to catch up with the team. He was about to get in the truck when a strong hand clamped on his shoulder. He turned around, and Mayson was standing there with tactical gear on.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“Where the fuck do you think?” Stephen shot back.
“You’re not coming, Stephen,” he told him.
“Look, May, I’m not going to do anything, I promise. I want to make sure Nicholas is safe, and even with Brenden there he might freak out. Please, I can’t sit here waiting for you guys to get back.”
“Let him go, Mayson.”
Stephen looked around Mayson’s shoulder to see his uncle standing there.
“Are you sure?” Mayson didn’t turn around to look at their boss.
