“What? Why isn’t she in jail?” James scrubbed a hand down the bridge of his nose. “I can’t let that happen.”
“If the judge rules in her favor, you can’t stop it.”
He rubbed his forehead and breathed. “You’re saying I don’t have a chance?” He should leave now, take Isaac, and run.
“I don’t know. With the paternity results…I don’t think your role as primary caregiver is going to amount to much.” The attorney slapped his shoulder. “Let’s pray this works out.”
Pray? James had sneered at Pastor’s suggestion of prayer this morning. Now it wasn’t laughable. The room had one long mahogany table. Kathy and a suit sat on one side. He and his lawyer sat opposite of Kathy. A plain-clothes detective sat on the end, his gun visible on his side. Detective Simmons. Ray’s cousin? He nodded at James.
A sheriff’s deputy guarded a second door. He tapped on it. A robed judge entered and sat at the head of the table. “All interested parties are present?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Where is the minor child in question?”
James’s attorney answered for him. “There was no indication his presence was required. My client chose to protect the child from an ugly court scene.”
The judge removed his glasses and stared down the table at James. “Commendable, but as the child’s welfare is no longer your concern, unwarranted.”
James sucked in a breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but his attorney cut him off.
“Although my client has been excluded from the minor child’s parentage, he wishes to continue with his petition for custody.”
“I’m afraid this court rules his suit unacceptable in light of a recent filing.”
Kathy couldn’t have him. She couldn’t. James rose from the table. He had to get to Isaac and Joni.
“Retain your seat.”
He obeyed the judge’s command and lowered himself to the chair.
“This court hereby revokes your custody of Isaac Steven Davies and orders you to present him to the J. R. Strickland Youth Center within two hours.”
Kathy smirked across the table.
“No.” The roaring in his ears drowned out the warning from his attorney. His chair fell back. Kathy would never find Isaac. He promised.
The detective blocked the door.
One of the suits spoke about flight risk and begged for restraint. When their intentions soaked through the fog in his brain, James’s fist connected with the detective’s jaw. He lunged for the door and ran toward the glass. Four deputies swarmed him and he fought them off. Stars danced before his eyes. Fire pierced his side. “Isaac!” Darkness overtook him.
~~~
Joni rocked Isaac in the recliner and sang softly. What was taking James so long? She knew the youth center didn’t allow cell phones, but court should have ended hours ago. Isaac’s eyes drifted shut. She kissed his brow and held him a little while longer. When he was awake, he usually wasn’t still long enough for her to cuddle. “God, be with James, wherever he is. Protect Isaac from the cruelness of this world. And please let me stay in their life.”
Silence answered her prayer. God seemed so far away.
By the door, two duffle bags and a suitcase were packed and waiting. One for each of them. The arm supporting Isaac went numb. She lifted him, walked to his room, and tucked him into bed.
A knock sounded at the door. She hurried to answer before the noise woke Isaac.
A pretty black woman in her fifties, dressed in a suit, appeared in the peep hole. Joni slowly opened the door. She gasped. A uniformed sheriff’s deputy and a plain-clothes cop stood on either side.
“Joni Maher?” the lady asked.
“Yes, can I help you?”
The lady smiled. “My name is Tasha Covington. I’m with the Department of Human Services. This is Detective Simmons and Deputy Johnson.” She waved her hand to the officers in turn. “We’re looking for a minor, Isaac Davies. Do you know the location of this child?”
She wiped her palms on her jeans. “Where’s James?”
“Mr. Preston was incarcerated for assaulting an officer and contempt of court. If Isaac isn’t found soon, he will be charged with first-degree kidnapping.”
Joni fell against the doorframe. Oh God, what do I do? James will hate me if I give Isaac away, but I can’t let him go to prison. Help me, Jesus. Help me. “Wait. You can’t charge a parent with kidnapping. James has custody.”
“James Preston is not Isaac’s biological father.”
“What?” The floor spun under her feet. Little snippets of conversation from yesterday and this morning came back to her. He knew. He’d asked her if she would love Isaac if he wasn’t his. The fear in his eyes this morning was real. How long had he known? “What will happen to Isaac? Where will you take him? To Kathy?” Her throat hurt and she sniffed several times. “She doesn’t take care of him.”
“Miss Maher, I’m sorry I can’t divulge—”
“The mother tested positive for methamphetamines.” The detective had the makings of a black eye and his lip was swollen. “Mobile County has retained protective custody of the child.”
“Are you sure? How do you know this?”
His smile was kind. “I was in the courtroom, but I’m also a father. Where is he?”
Joni choked on a sob. “What will they do with Isaac?”
He shook his head. “I’ve said too much.”
“Yes, you have.” The social worker frowned at the officer. “Miss Maher, if you kno—
“Joni, I’m thirsty.” Isaac rubbed his sleepy eyes behind her.
She slammed the door and slid the deadbolt in place. “Oh God, help me.”
The pounding began immediately.
She swept Isaac up in her arms and held him close. The pounding continued.
“Oh God, help us.” Joni ran through the living room. Her feet skidded to a halt in the hall. She was on the second floor.
She raced back to the door.
“Open up!”
Please God, make them go away. Joni turned to the kitchen. Glass rattled in the living room as the officer knocked on the windowpanes.
She was trapped. Nowhere to go. Joni heaved a sigh and ran to the bathroom. With both doors locked, Isaac trembled in her arms.
“Did they come to get me again?”
“Oh Isaac, I’m sorry. We should’ve left. We should’ve gone to the country. I should’ve known something was wrong when your daddy didn’t call.” Joni buried her face in Isaac’s stomach. “I’m so sorry.”
Little arms clung to her. “I’m ascared.”
Joni breathed deep. The panic raged, but a defense of Isaac surged. Her kiss landed on his cheek. Shaky hands framed his face. “Isaac, look at me.” Her eyes burned and her throat hurt, but Isaac needed her reassurance. “Don’t be scared. I love you. Daddy loves you.”
His pale eyes darted from the bathroom door back to her.
She hugged him close. “We’ll find you. I promise, Isaac. Me and Daddy will find you.”
Footsteps grew louder in the hall. “Miss Maher?”
Isaac flinched in her arms. Joni smoothed his hair. “It’s going to be okay. Daddy and I will find you.”
The bathroom door crashed in. Joni’s heart lurched. Isaac clung to her as strong fingers pried him away. “Nooooo! I don’t want to go. Joni! Joni!”
“Please don’t take him.” Fire pinched her fingers and her arms emptied. “Isaac!”
Little arms and legs flailed against his captors. “No! No! No! Nooooo!”
She collapsed on the bathroom floor. Isaac’s cries faded up the hall. A surge of adrenaline surfaced. Leaping off the floor, she rammed the muscled officer blocking the door. “Isaac!” She slapped the detective’s unwavering shoulders. “Move! Let me go!”
“Miss Maher, it’s for the best.”
She slapped his face. “Best for who? Isaac? His daddy loves him. Feeds him. Clothes him. And you gave him to a crackhead mother who doesn?
??t care about anything but her next fix.” Joni slapped him again. “You took him from people who love him. Who’s going to feed him? Who’s going to read him Bible stories? Who’s going to wrestle with him?”
The officer grabbed her arms. “Calm down.”
Over a beefy shoulder the uniformed officer whispered, “They’re gone. The child’s safe.”
Her knees buckled. Joni collapsed on the cold, hard floor and sobbed. Isaac would never be safe with Kathy.
Chapter Fifteen
The thin mattress did nothing to soften the concrete floor. James stared at the stained ceiling through the dim light peeking from the cardboard box taped around the light fixture. Like a caged animal, he stood and paced. Where was Isaac? Did Joni leave the apartment before the authorities arrived? He scrubbed a hand down his face. Why would she? He told her to wait. He’d been so confident. So sure. How did Kathy post bond? And how did he land himself in jail?
He scratched his thumbnail down the steel bars. Blue paint flaked to the floor. One of his four cellmates stirred behind him. “You got a smoke?”
“No.” James rubbed the lump on the back of his head. He had to get out of here and find Isaac. Joni must be panicked by now.
“Hey, you the guy that punched Detective Simmons?”
James flexed his sore hand. “Yeah.”
“You deserve a reward. How can Frankie help?”
Maybe idle talk would keep James from losing his mind. “Make someone disappear.”
A match struck and sulfur scented the stale air. “They call me the life-giver. I don’t deal in murder.” The end of a cigarette glowed. “But if you ever need a new identity, I’m your man.”
“Preston!” The jailer turned the corner and rattled his keys.
A bony hand reached from behind and snagged James’s sleeve. “You can find me at the old docks, in an abandoned red railcar. Eight grand a person.”
James stepped out of the man’s grip as the jailer opened the door. “Your mommy posted bail. Ain’t that sweet?”
The stars in the sky had never looked as bright as when he stepped out of his mom’s car in front of the apartment.
“Thanks for the ride, Mom.”
“James, I know it’s hard to let Isaac go, but you need to remember, God knows best.”
He bit back a sarcastic retort. “Mom, Joni’s waiting.”
“Please take her home. People talk, and when they find out you’re living here…”
“Mom.” He held up his hands. “Look, I’m sorry my life is an embarrassment, but I love Joni and Isaac. They both belong to me and I won’t let either of them go.” He slammed the door on his mother’s pleas. Taking the stairs three at a time, he raced into the apartment.
Joni paced the living room with her phone to her ear. She turned toward the door as he walked in. She ended the call and threw herself into his arms. “James, you’re home.” He held her close and kissed her temple. Somehow, while holding her, he felt hope.
“They said you had to stay overnight.”
His hand stroked her silky hair. “Ray’s cousin pulled some strings.”
She leaned back and tugged him by the hand to the dining table. Ten different lists were spread out on its surface. “Candace and Trent told half a dozen people that Kathy is networking, so I’m pretty sure she’s in rehab. No one has seen Isaac. All I got from the authorities was that he’s in protective custody. I’ve called everyone I know. Can you think of anyone I’ve missed?”
James scanned her lists and kissed her hard on the mouth. “Have I told you I love you?”
Her smile gave him hope. “Not lately.”
“I do.” He kissed her again and searched the charts. “How do you know these people?”
She gave him a cheeky grin. “I was once a delivery girl.”
Isaac could be in serious danger. “Don’t remind me. Have you called Anna and Sam?”
“Who?”
“Kathy’s sister.” At her blank look, James snatched up her keys. “We’ll have to take your car. My truck is impounded with my phone in the front seat, but I know where she lives.”
Joni was unusually quiet once they turned into the subdivision. James reached between the bucket seats for her hand. His thumb rubbed across the diamond on her finger. In Sam and Anna’s driveway, a gentle squeeze brought her eyes to his. “We’ll find him. If he’s not here, we’ll keep looking. I won’t give up until he’s safe again. I swear.”
The light from the streetlamp illuminated her sad nod. On the sidewalk, he reclaimed her hand. She hugged his arm and kissed his bicep as he rang the doorbell. The volume of a sitcom lowered and Anna opened the door. Surprise was evident in her smile. “You’ve changed your mind? You’ll sign the papers?”
“No.” James stepped into the foyer and pulled Joni in after him. His eyes searched for signs of Isaac’s presence. “Is he here?”
Sam appeared at the end of the hall with a book in one hand and reading glasses in the other. “We haven’t seen Isaac since the night you stormed out of here. Why isn’t he with you? I know Judge Baker granted you custody last December when Kathy was arrested.”
“Things changed.”
Sam narrowed his eyes. “If you’d sign the papers, we could protect him from Kathy.”
An ironic laugh escaped James. “My signature won’t do you any good.” He turned toward the door. “If you see Isaac, or hear from Kathy, call me.”
Joni held out a business card as they walked out into the empty night. “Sam gave me this. Do you want it?”
James shook his head and she put the card in her purse. “What papers were they talking about?”
He waited until they were out of the subdivision before answering. Choosing his words carefully, he told her of the Todds’ attempt to adopt Isaac. Caught up in frustration at his failure to protect Isaac, he blurted. “What kind of monster gives a child to strangers? How could they want me to consider—?”
Joni’s sharp gasp interrupted his tirade. He’d forgotten she was adopted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive.”
She stared out the window. One hand swiped under her eye and he cringed from the guilt. He pulled over in a parking lot. “Hey.” He tugged on her hand, but she ignored him. “I’m sure your father loved you. Maybe he didn’t know you existed. Please look at me.”
Misty eyes glistened as her chin lifted. “You’re wrong. My father didn’t want me anymore than Kathy wants Isaac. Allowing the Mahers to adopt me was the most loving thing my parents did for me.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. “Are you saying the best thing for Isaac is adoption?”
She faced the window once more. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
His fist landed on the dash. “You and Kathy may not want him, but I do.”
She whirled around in her seat. Daggers flashed in her eyes. “That’s not fair. Were you there when they pried him out of my arms? Did you hear him begging me not to let go?”
He couldn’t ignore the tears flooding her cheeks.
“I couldn’t fight the authorities, James. Unlike you, I have no delusions. What happens when we find him? When Kathy comes down and needs more money and drugs? I’ll tell you what happens. She’ll use Isaac to get what she wants. He’s nothing more than a means to an end. A pawn in her sick game. He deserves better. He deserves a family that loves him.”
“I love him! I’m his family!” Suppressing the urge to hit something, he got out of the car and slammed the door. Pain shot up his foot as he kicked the tires. He hobbled onto the trunk. Grabbing his head with both hands, he fell against the back glass as traffic hurried down Airport Boulevard. Why wasn’t his love enough?
The car shifted beneath him as Joni opened and shut the passenger door. He pushed off the glass and pulled her up beside him. With his arm around her shoulders, they silently watched the traffic for a few awkward moments. “I love you.”
She snuggled close. “I love you, too.”
He kissed the top
of her head. “Let’s go home and get some sleep. Neither one of us is thinking straight right now.”
“Sleep sounds wonderful.”
The next day, James called every friend of Kathy’s he could think of while Joni contacted St. Mary’s Home and asked for the locations of children’s safe houses. Adoption wasn’t mentioned again. They confirmed the rumors that Kathy attended a seven day rehab, but found no sign of Isaac.
Ten days after Isaac was taken, James broke down and begged God for help. Later that same night, he dragged his feet through the glass doors of a convenience store. A small boy stretched his arm and a grimy hand slid a candy bar onto the counter.
The guy with him turned. “Go put that crap back. I ain’t wasting good money on junk.” He winked at the cashier. “Give me two boxes of Marlboro reds.”
“I’m hungry.” The little boy sounded familiar. James stepped for a closer look. It couldn’t be this easy.
“Your momma didn’t give me no money to feed you.”
James swallowed the knot in his throat. The dirty jeans and plaid shirt was identical to the ones he’d dressed Isaac in the morning of the court hearing. His heart stopped. “Isaac?”
The little boy’s eyes lit up as he swiveled around. “Daddy!” He flew into James’s outstretched arms. “Joni said you would find me. And you did. She was right. I was ascared, but Joni promised.”
James lifted him up and held him tight. The skinny arms clinging to his neck felt like heaven. “I missed you so much.”
“Hey. The kid belong to you?”
James faced the sorry joker who’d dared to mistreat Isaac. Flames of rage burned out of control. One arm held Isaac safe in his arms. The other snagged the coward by the throat and pinned him against the energy-drink display. Wide-eyed, the punk’s cigarette shook in his hand.
The customers in the store froze. James reined in his strength and kept his voice calm. “Did he hurt you, Isaac?”
Isaac buried his face in James’s neck and whispered. “No, sir.”
“Where’s Kathy?”
Small bottles rained on the floor as the captive shook his head. “I don’t know. She asked me to keep an eye on the brat for an hour. That was three days ago. I haven’t seen her since. She don’t answer my texts or calls.”
“The next time you hear from her, tell her Isaac is with me.” James released the coward who then ran out the door. He paid for the candy bar and a chocolate milk.