clerk reddened, clearly flustered. “I don’t know. I don’t really look at everyone who comes in.”
“He had to have shown you ID. I show my ID every time I come here. Are you telling me you don’t bother looking at everyone’s ID?”
“I… I…”
“I want to see the surveillance videos.”
“A private security company handles them. I’ll call them.” He looked to his computer screen. “I just have to find the right number.”
Red anger—or was it fear for my poor mother?—pulsed through me. “You’re completely useless. I hope you’re ready to lose your job over this. I want you to call Barry right now and get him out here. I have a lot of questions for him.”
He didn’t speak to me but did as I asked. In a few minutes, Barry appeared.
“The person who took my mother today was not my brother. I need you to tell me everything you remember about him.”
“What?” He reddened.
“You heard me. What did the guy look like?”
“I barely saw him. He had dark hair. I’m pretty sure I only saw him from behind.”
“You’ve seen my brothers before, right?”
“Not that I can recall.”
“Don’t you work on weekends?”
“Not usually.”
“Shit. How the hell is a stranger just able to come in here and take a mentally ill woman? What kind of system are you people running? I want to see the manager now.”
“He’s in a—”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass where he is. One of his patients is missing. Get him now!” I balled my hands into fists, frustration and fear overwhelming me. My poor mother. My innocent mother. Anything could be happening to her right now.
God. I couldn’t go there. But the people we were probably dealing with…
I had to get a grip. Had to. For my mother.
The police arrived and took my statement through my angry and scared tears. They questioned everything, and the manager, who finally appeared, was thoroughly questioned, though I wasn’t allowed to witness it.
Joe and Talon arrived while the manager was being questioned, and behind them…
“Bryce!” I ran into his arms.
Talon lifted his brow.
Joe cleared his throat. “I guess they’re together now.”
Talon didn’t look thrilled, but we all had something more important to focus on.
“Where’s Ryan?” I asked.
“We didn’t tell him,” Joe said.
“But he’d want to be here for us.”
“I know, but why put him through this? He’s been through enough.”
“Haven’t we all?” I turned to Bryce. “What are you doing here?”
“I came for you, of course. Do you really think I’d let you go through this alone?”
I burrowed into his chest. If it were possible to love him more than I already did, this deed made it happen.
“I’m sorry. This is your first day, and—”
“Shh. I know what your mother means to you and to Joe and Talon. Of course I’m here.”
The manager came out of the room with two officers, and Joe and Talon pounced. Bryce led me to a chair in the waiting area.
“They’ll take care of this,” he said. “You sit down and relax for a minute.”
Relax? Right. Still, I sat. Bryce sat next to me and held my hand tightly.
“Joe knows? About us?”
He nodded. “I told him today.”
“And?”
“He’s grudgingly happy. He’ll be okay.”
“And Tal?”
“He knows now, but he’s more concerned about your mom, as he should be.”
“Who would do this? Who would take a mentally unstable woman away from her safe place?” I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Safe place. What a crock.”
“We’ll find her, sweetheart.”
“What if we don’t?”
“We will. Your brothers will put the best people on this. You know that.”
“I just got her back, Bryce. I just got her back.”
Daphne Steel was hardly normal, but she was my mother. I’d never had a mother, and now I did. A broken one, but still, she was mine. I loved her, and I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone hurting her.
“You’ll have her again. This is most likely a ploy for money.”
“But what if it’s all related to…everything else?” I didn’t say the words. Bryce had sworn me to secrecy.
“If it is, we’ll figure it out.”
I looked into his blue eyes. He looked at me with so much love that I believed him, if only for a few seconds.
He kissed my forehead.
“I love you,” I said softly.
“I love you too.”
Back at the ranch, everything was in turmoil. We’d gathered at the main house, wives included. Joe and Talon moved the table on the deck well into the yard, and we sat outside. Donny played with the dogs while Dale sat on the deck doing homework.
The police and PIs