“How you doing, buddy?”
Danny just looked up and rubbed his eyes.
“Bad night, rough morning,” she said. “The ambulance paramedics gave him a clean bill of health but said, if I grew concerned, I could either go to the hospital or go to my doctor later today.”
“And are you concerned? How is he?”
She shook her head. “Not really. I’m just exhausted, and, from the looks of him, so is he.” She stepped back a little farther and yawned.
He looked at her and said, “Looks like we’re all in the same shape.”
“I thought I had a little bit of sleep, but then I don’t know,” she said, rubbing her face. She closed and locked the door behind him, then moved the chain back over.
“Have you seen or heard anything since I left?”
“I had to deal with the police, the ambulance, and, other than that, no,” she said. “They dropped me off, and I just holed up here.” She stopped, looked at him, and said, “Does that mean you guys didn’t catch him?”
He gave her a grim nod. “That’s exactly what it means,” he said. “Unfortunately we tracked his brother’s truck out of the back gate, but Frank dumped it, and we lost him in the malls and the car parks. I’ve just come back from there now. The police are scouring the area, and my people have satellite running, but, so far, we’ve found no sign of him.”
“Of course. When he ditched the truck, he could have grabbed anything and disappeared,” she said quietly. She walked into the living room, put Danny on the floor next to the couch, where he’d been happy earlier, and went into the kitchen to pour Greyson a cup of coffee. “Well, I’m really sorry you didn’t catch him,” she said.
“I am too,” he said, and such frustration was evident in his voice that she understood how he felt.
“At least with the cops being attacked too,” she said, “they’ll be looking for Frank with their entire police force.”
“I know,” he said, “and that helps, but it’s still not the right answer. We had him,” he said, his hand curling into a fist. “He never should have gotten away in the first place.”
“I know,” she said. “I was pretty dumbfounded at his brazenness.”
“I think it was desperation as much as anything,” he said. “But then he got away and comes back and took the child right out of his bed.” He sank down at the kitchen chair, where he could watch Danny. “I’m sorry he got hurt.”
“I am too,” she said, “and the whole thing obviously has Danny a little cranky, but, other than that, he appears to be fine. Hopefully the cops will find Frank,” she said, trying to make Greyson feel better.
He gave a clipped nod. “The next problem,” he said, turning to face her, his gaze direct, “is that I don’t think he should be left alone.”
“Unfortunately that was made pretty obvious this morning,” she said, “when Frank managed to sneak in and walk out with Danny while I was right here.” She shook her head. “I’ll never get away from that nightmare.”
“It will pass with time,” he said, “especially as soon as we catch this guy.”
“Catch him again,” she corrected.
“Exactly,” he said. “This time he won’t be walking away.”
She wasn’t sure if Greyson meant he would break the kidnapper’s legs or if he would kill him. She was all for the killing part, just so she didn’t have to worry about this guy getting loose again and coming after them.
“Can you think of anybody else who might want to take Danny? We’re assuming it has something to do with your ex-husband, but we don’t have any proof, and it could be just a diversion to keep us looking in that one direction.”
She frowned at him. “I don’t know anybody else who would care,” she said.
“I know it’s a bit far out,” he said, “but do you know any young couples who can’t have children?”
She stared at him, her jaw slowly dropping. “Are you saying somebody might have stolen my baby so they could have one of their own?”
“It’s happening all over the world,” he said. “We can’t assume anything at the moment. We are searching for your ex, and, so far, nobody’s having any luck in finding him.”
“Even if you find him though,” she said, “he’s pretty slippery, and he’ll be gone again soon.”
“Because he travels so much?”
“That, and he’s just not the kind who likes to be questioned,” she said. “He doesn’t believe