Authors: Lara Valentine
Tags: #Romance
Brianne had also called Nate and left a message. She didn’t want him to think she didn’t trust him to help her through this. The fact was she needed him right now. She was trying to be strong, but it was getting harder by the minute.
Traffic inched northward, and Brianne was relieved to finally get to the Tampa Road exit, head toward her neighborhood, and pull into her garage. Sam had said the best place for her would be at home in case Tami brought Kade there. He would send a police officer to stay with her. If Tami did show up there with Kade, it was going to be all she could do not to kick Tami’s ass from here to Orlando for putting everyone through this.
Brianne walked into the house and checked the answering machine. No messages. Her cell phone was eerily silent, too. She walked into Kade’s bedroom. It looked as it always did. LEGOs and action figures everywhere. The bed was barely made and shoes were scattered on the floor. Brianne lay down on the
Star Wars
bedspread and breathed in her son’s familiar scent. She finally allowed her tears to fall. This was a fucking nightmare. The thought that she might never see her son again was too horrible for her mind to process. She choked back sobs and clutched at Kade’s pillow.
She didn’t know how long she lay there crying until she heard her cell phone ringing. Nate’s ring. She ran to answer it.
“Nate!”
“Oh my God, Bri. I just got your message. Tami took Kade? What the fuck was she thinking? I’m leaving the hospital now, sweetheart. Are you at the police station?”
Brianne felt numbed as she shook her head then realized that Nate couldn’t see her.
“No, I’m at home. The police said I should be here in case Tami brings Kade here.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can, honey. Just hang in there. I’m going to call Lisa and see if she can come sit with you until I get there.”
Brianne knew that at this time of the day it would take Nate at least an hour to get from the hospital in the southern part of the county all the way to Palm Harbor. Tampa Bay was famous for its traffic jams and terrible drivers.
“Okay, please drive carefully. I’m okay.”
But she really wasn’t, and she could hear it in her own voice.
“No, you’re not, Bri. And you don’t have to do this alone. We’re all here for you. I need to hang up now, honey. I’m in some nasty traffic. I’ll be there soon.”
“Bye, Nate. I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby. Hang in there for me.”
Brianne sank back down on the bed and tried to calm her breathing. Was it only a few weeks ago that Kade had come home happy from his time with Rick and Tami? She remembered Kade’s excited face as he had described fishing off the boat and catching the biggest fish of all.
The boat!
Brianne sat straight up on the bed. Her heart went into overdrive, almost pounding its way out of her chest.
The fucking boat!
Tami could have taken Kade to that damn boat and sailed away by now. Brianne knew that was where they spent almost every weekend as long as the weather was good.
She would call the police and Nate from the car. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed toward Clearwater Marina.
“Brianne, you need to wait for us. We are almost there. Do not search the boat by yourself.”
Brianne pulled into the Clearwater Marina and put her car in park.
“They could be leaving now, Sam. I can’t wait for you or Nate. I have to get my son back.”
Brianne hurried along the grayed and weathered docks toward Rick’s beloved boat
The Impetuous
.
“Shit, Brianne. This could be dangerous. What if Tami is armed?”
“I’m not going to just hop onto the boat, Sam. I will check things out. But I need to make sure the boat is here first then see if Kade is there. Oh, hell, the boat is there!”
Brianne felt some relief seeing the boat in its familiar slip. At the very least, Tami hadn’t spirited Kade away via the Intracoastal.
“Okay, good, Brianne. Just sit tight. We’re almost there. Traffic is a bitch, but we’re just down the street.”
Brianne barely heard Sam’s voice as she caught sight of Kade fishing off the side of the boat. Relief swept through her body, and she sagged against a wooden pole as she drank in the sight of her beloved son.
“He’s here, Sam. Kade is on the boat, fishing. He’s okay!”
“Stay there, Brianne. We’ll get—”
Brianne pressed the “end” button on her phone and dropped it in her purse. When she had spied Kade she had also seen Tami. Tami in a tiny pink bikini, drinking a Corona while lying on a chaise lounge. Just that quickly, relief was replaced by burning anger. Anger at Tami for putting her through the last few hours. Her spine stiffened, and her mouth thinned.
One ass kicking coming up
.
* * * *
Brianne climbed up the narrow gangplank and stepped over the railing of the boat. Kade heard her and turned from his fishing, dropping his pole with a clatter.
“Mom! I’m hungry!”
Kade flew to Brianne, and she hugged him tightly. Oh God, she had thought she might never see him again. She hugged him again as he began to squirm.
“Hey, Mom, you’re squishing me! Are we going to get some dinner? I’m hungry.”
Brianne kissed the top of Kade’s head and pulled a granola bar out of her purse. She was always prepared for Kade’s ravenous appetite. Tami sat up from the chaise lounge and peered at her through oversized white sunglasses. Brianne couldn’t tell Tami’s mood, but she didn’t give a shit anyway. She was pissed off as only a mother could be.
“Eat this to tide you over until dinner, baby. Now go down the gangplank and wait on the dock for me. Some friends are going to meet you.”
Brianne knew that the police and Nate were right behind her.
“He has to stay here, Brianne. He can’t leave.” Tami’s girlish voice grated on Brianne’s already-raw nerves.
Brianne gently pushed Kade toward the gangplank. She needed him off this boat. Now.
“He has to stay here!” Tami’s voice held panic, and she started to rise from the lounge chair. Brianne placed herself between Kade and Tami.
“What in the hell are you doing, Tami? You kidnap Kade from day camp and bring him here? For what? He is so fucking not staying!”
Tami halted at the anger and command in Brianne’s voice. If Brianne had learned anything these last months with Nate, it was that a certain tone of voice could get into someone’s head. She needed that advantage right now. She needed Tami to listen to her.
“He is not staying here, Tami. He never should have been here with you. Why did you kidnap him?” Brianne put as much dominance and command into her voice as she could. It seemed to work, as Tami’s shoulders slumped.
“He has to stay here,” Tami whined. “He is the only thing that will make Rick come back.”
“Rick is coming back? Has Rick called you, Tami?” Brianne kept the steel in her voice.
“No! I haven’t heard from him, and he needs to come back! I need him here to take care of things.”
“You cannot go around kidnapping people, Tami. I didn’t know where Kade was. I was worried.”
Tami frowned behind the owlish sunglasses.
“I didn’t kidnap him. I just picked him up and brought him here. If Rick comes back, it will be to Kade and the boat. So I brought him here.”
Brianne reined in her anger and kept her voice strong.
“If you take someone without permission, that is kidnapping. Did you even feed him?”
Tami pulled the sunglasses off, and Brianne could see tears in the other woman’s eyes.
“There was no food here. Rick always took care of that. Rick needs to come home and take care of things again.”
Brianne pressed her fingertips to her temples. This time it was Tami giving her a headache.
“I’m going to lose the house if Rick doesn’t come back. Rick took all the money.”
“Then get a fucking job, Tami. Rick isn’t coming back, for God’s sake. He’s gone. He was an asshole to me and an asshole to you. You are well rid of him, if you ask me. Move on with your life. Sell the house, the car, and your wedding ring. That should give you a new start on your life.”
Tami looked at her as if she was insane.
“Rick promised me I would never have to worry about anything ever again. He promised. When he comes back, he will look for Kade, and Kade will be here with me. Kade has to stay here with me. Rick loves Kade and the boat. He said so all the time.”
Brianne shook with anger at Tami’s asinine logic. This woman thought only of herself.
“Men lie, Tami. Rick was one of the worst liars. He lied to me, to Kade, and to you. Rick loved Rick. Maybe in his own way he loves Kade, too. But I can assure you that he didn’t love anyone else. If he did, he sure as hell wouldn’t have done this.”
“He’ll come back. He’ll come back for me and Kade.”
Tami moved toward the gangplank as if to go after Kade, and Brianne’s thin hold on her temper snapped. She reared her fist back and clocked Tami right on the jaw. The woman went sprawling on her bikini-covered ass with a comical expression of shock.
“Shit, Tami, I didn’t want to hit you. But you will never go near Kade ever again. Do you understand me?”
“Quite the right hook you have there, slugger.”
Brianne rounded in surprise at the sound of Sam’s voice. He was climbing over the railing along with two uniformed officers. The officers helped Tami to her feet and cuffed her hands behind her back.
“She was going after Kade, Sam. I had to stop her.”
Oh hell, was she going to jail, too?
“I know. I saw it all. Nate’s down there, by the way. He’s got Kade.”
Brianne felt the breath whoosh out of her in relief. Kade was okay, and Nate was here. She ran to the railing and looked over to see Nate carrying Kade piggyback as her son ate his granola bar. She waved at the men she loved. They both smiled and waved back. It was all going to be okay.
* * * *
Brianne gazed at her son’s angelic face as he slept. She was relieved to have him home and tucked up safely in his
Star Wars
bed. She was also sad that events had taken the turn that they had. Rick would miss out on his son growing up, falling in love for the first time, going to college, becoming a man. She winged a prayer upward that she would live a long life so she could be there for all those milestones. She wanted to be there for Kade.
It had been one hell of a day, and she was exhausted. She still couldn’t believe what had happened, and she had spent the better part of the evening recounting the events for Lisa and Conor.
“So, are you pressing charges, Bri?” Conor had asked.
Nate had sat with her and rubbed her tense shoulders.
“Yes, I am. If she had been sorry, maybe I might have backed down. But she refused to see what she did was wrong. Maybe this will help her see beyond herself for a change.”
“You did the right thing, Brianne. Tami needs to start taking responsibility for her actions. I’m just glad to have you and Kade in one piece. Tami’s a little worse for wear, but she’ll be fine, too,” Nate had teased.
“I must say, after punching Tami I do feel better. I abhor violence, but she pushed me when she messed with my child.”
“Hell yeah,” Lisa cheered. “No one messes with a mama bear. No one with any sense anyway.”
She slumped against the doorframe and closed her eyes. All the adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins mere hours ago had drained away, leaving her limp as a dishrag.
“You’re almost asleep on your feet, Bri.”
Nate’s voice rumbled in her ear. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he pulled her into his arms. She burrowed deeper into his chest, pretending to snore. Nate laughed and swung her up in his arms, heading for the bedroom. She should protest that she didn’t need to be carried, but she was honestly too tired.
Nate lowered her gently to the bed and began to undress her. She sat quietly while he efficiently stripped her shorts, shirt, and bra. She smiled when she saw that he pulled one of his old T-shirts out of a drawer for her to wear to bed.
“Arms up.” Obediently, Brianne raised her arms over her head so that Nate could tug the Rays shirt over her head. She would need to buy him a new one next time they went to a game. She wasn’t giving this one back.
“Lay down, sweetheart. Everything looks better after a good night’s sleep.”
She lay down and curled up under the light blanket. Before she knew it she was asleep.
* * * *
Brianne’s eyes fluttered open, and she waited while they adjusted to the dark. A glance at the nightstand showed that it was five in the morning. Nate must have felt her stir. She could feel his body tense next to hers.
“You okay, Bri? Do you need anything?” Nate’s voice was rough with sleep. She felt bad that she had woken him up.
“I’m fine. I slept like the dead but seem to be pretty awake now.” She pushed to a sitting position and groaned as her muscles protested. She must not have moved the entire night.