Precious Embrace (Embrace Series)

  She ate as she talked and with every bite, she felt better. She glanced over at Johnny to see he was cleaning his plate too.

  The color returned to his face as he ate. He never left her side…how long had it been since someone had cared about her like that.

  The more she thought about it, the more considerate the gesture seemed. Before Jamie was born, Mark had been attentive and thoughtful, always concerned with her needs. Of course once they became parents things changed. Most of the changes were on her end, she couldn’t deny that.

  Carl on the other hand, he was always only concerned with himself. She put in one hundred and ten percent for him and he took complete advantage. He was all consuming, self-centered and needy. She couldn’t remember the last time he had done anything for her without an ulterior motive.

  She looked around the table at Johnny, Mark, and then Brian. She was loved, Micah and Jamie were loved. She needed to remember that and stop feeling sorry for herself. These men sitting here with her now were all blessings. Carl was the mistake in her life, not them.

  As Johnny ate, he went over every second he and Ali had spent together since they’d met. Nothing stood out. Things had been pretty easy going until they’d spent the night together here in this house.

  That blaring alarm waking him up, all those people in the house when he only wanted Ali to himself. Shane came to change the locks, hell, even Brian showed up. What are the chances Ali would have a break-in, and then get hit by a car the next day? He thought about the impact from the car and breathed a sigh of relief. Thankful he’d pushed her almost completely clear of it.

  “Johnny?” Ali said putting her hand on his knee. He peeked around at her, hoping she didn’t notice his distraction. “Are you finished?” She gestured to his plate.

  “Yeah, sorry.” He sat back in his chair when she stood and took both their empty plates into the kitchen. “Brian, can I have a word with you?” Johnny said when Ali was out of earshot.

  Brian nodded, following Johnny out of the room. He closed the door behind them and said, “You didn’t hear one word of her statement, did you?”

  “What leads do you have? What about the break in, has there been any progress, any connections?” Johnny said, ignoring the question.

  Brian poked a finger at Johnny’s chest. “We have some leads we’re working on but—”

  “Tell me, I want to help.”

  “No.” Brian shook his head. “Hell no, Bennett, you’re way too personally involved.”

  Johnny pushed Brian’s hand away. “Those fuckers almost killed me and Ali. You have to let me in on this.”

  “You concentrate on getting your shit together. You said you cared about her. iIf that’s true then just be here for her and let the FBI handle the investigation.”

  “Brian—“

  “No, Bennett! Listen, the only thing holding her together is you holding her hand through this—so that’s your job now. All you have to do is sit down, be quiet, and hold her hand.”

  Johnny dropped his head, trying to bite his tongue. “Yeah…well, I suck at being quiet.”

  “Do you think you can step in and do a better job than the rest of us?”

  “Fuck off, Brian.” He lifted his eyes. “I want the updates so I know there’s progress.”

  “You get the updates when she gets the updates.”

  “You haven’t given her any updates, damn it!”

  “Did it occur to you that we have a good reason for not telling her anything yet?”

  “The only reason would be if you thought Micah—“ Johnny staggered backward, his stomach dropping to the floor. “Oh, God…you think he’s dead.”

  “Yeah, Bennett, you’re ready to help. C’mon, you’re a wreck, man.” Brian waved a hand at him. “Relax, we don’t think Micah is dead.”

  Johnny closed his eyes, trying to get the image out of his head. “Then what? Tell me something, Brian.”

  “All I’ll tell you now is that we think the kidnapper is closer than he appears.”

  Johnny straightened his back, “Who?”

  “Forget it. You’re not getting anything else out of me.”

  They both turned at the pounding on the front door. A few minutes later Simms rounded the corner followed by another man.

  “You are fucking kidding me,” Johnny said as Ali and Mark stepped out of the dining room at the same time.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Carl approached Ali with outstretched arms. “Honey, I just got the news.”

  Johnny stepped sideways, cutting in front of Carl. “No you don’t.”

  Carl looked Johnny up and down, and Johnny wanted to punch that snooty expression right off his face.

  “Do you mind if I hug my wife.”

  Blood rushed to Johnny’s head, his heart pounding so hard it made his ears ring. He fought to keep a growl from his voice. “She is no longer your wife.”

  “What do you want, Carl?” Mark asked stepping to Johnny’s side.

  “What do I…” Carl stammered and Johnny swore his chin quivered. “My son has been stolen. What do you think I want?” Carl’s gaze steadied on Mark. “And I’ll remind you, Mark, this is my house.”

  ”This is my house, not yours,” Ali said squeezing between Johnny and Mark. Johnny reached for her, but he wasn’t quick enough to stop Carl from enclosing her into a hug. She stiffened and braced her hands against him, clearly not wanting any part of his hug.

  Johnny lunged at him, wrapping his hand around Carl’s throat, ready to watch the life drain from his smug face. He slammed him against the wall, and with every ounce of strength he had, he would end the son of a bitch. When Brian and Mark tried to pull him off, he couldn’t keep his footing and lost his balance, letting go of Carl.

  Deep breaths, deep breaths. Focus. He inhaled and tried to count as Carl sputtered and gasped, grabbing his throat.

  “I want him arrested for assault,” Carl said pointing to Johnny, one hand massaging his throat.

  Mark took a step toward Carl, forcing him to flinch and step back against the front door. “Shut-up, bastard,” he said, brushing a dismissive hand at him. “Nobody is getting arrested.”

  “Why are you here, Carl?” Ali was fighting tears, Johnny could see it in her face.

  “Arrest him or I’ll step out those doors and tell the press about how Detective Hammel isn’t doing his job,” Carl threatened. “Tell them how I was assaulted in my own home after coming here to find out about my son.”

  “Oh my God!” Johnny rushed at him again, but Mark held him back. “You’re not a father. You’re a fucking sperm donor,” Johnny growled.

  “Well, when you’re rotting in jail it won’t matter to you either way.” Carl’s eyes squinted and he said, “You’ll be out of my house and off my wife.”

  Ali pulled back her hand and slapped him so hard his head popped back on his shoulders.

  When he straightened, Johnny smirked at the angry red hand print left on his cheek.

  “I’m not your wife,” she said, fisting then shaking her hand.

  “Regardless,” Carl said. “That punk is going to jail.”

  “Gee, Carl”—Brian smiled—“would you like me to arrest Ali too?”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Carl said. “Of course not.” He turned and walked toward the bathroom with his hand on his cheek.

  “Let’s go, Bennett,” Brian said.

  “No, Brian—” Mark stood between them. “You can’t arrest him.”

  “I’m not going to arrest him. I’m removing him from the situation and leaving you to smooth things over with Carl and Ali.” He looked at Johnny, leaning toward him, getting in his face. “If you can’t calm him down, then we have a problem.”

  “Take Johnny to my house for a while and let
me see if I can get rid of Carl,” Mark said.

  “I’m not leaving Ali,” Johnny broke in.

  “Would you rather go to jail?” Brian said through gritted teeth. “God damn it, Bennett, this is a distraction we don’t need. This is about finding Micah, not about Carl.”

  “Take him outside and give me some time with Ali and Carl.” Mark looked over his shoulder at Ali who was standing outside the bathroom door, knocking. “I’ll try to smooth things over.”

  “Mark, make it quick,” Brian said, and slapped a hand on Johnny’s back. “Let’s go.”

  Johnny turned to face Mark. “Please…please don’t leave her alone with that pig.”

  Mark nodded. “No problem. I have an idea, just get the hell out of my way and get some fresh air.”

  Brian and Johnny stepped out onto the back patio and closed the door behind them. “Have a seat, Bennett, relax for a minute and get your shit together.”

  “I guess if I get fired before I even start work—I’ll head back to Nashville.”

  “Nobody’s going to fire you. Everyone at the station hates that bastard after what he did to Sarah. You’ll be a hero down there,” Brian said.

  “I’m not about to get involved in some drama shit with that man.” Johnny looked away from Brian’s critical gaze. He felt bad enough about Micah and Ali, he didn’t need Carl coming around pretending to be the worried daddy and trying to remind him who Ali’s husband was. “I made the big gesture; I moved over three thousand miles to be with her.”

  “First of all, you’re not getting arrested—unless you pull another stunt like that. Second, nobody is falling for that jerk’s act, especially Ali. She hates him more than anyone.” Brian plopped down into the patio chair across from Johnny. “It takes a lot to make a leap like that, maybe you should stop feeling sorry for yourself and follow through.”

  Johnny didn’t respond, instead he let the conversation die by changing the subject. “So what’s up with you and Melissa?”

  “She hates me.” Brian shrugged, but by the look on his face, it wasn’t the careless gesture it should have been. “We were together for years, but then she went off to college and I married her best friend.”

  Johnny chuckled, and he thought he had problems. “Melissa said you married her worst enemy.”

  “They were best friends until Jules and I got married. Now Melissa hates us both. It’s a shame; Julie really misses her…”

  “And you?”

  Brian shrugged again and said, “If I could go back and change the past—I wouldn’t.”

  “You couldn’t wait for her to finish college?”

  “She’s the one who left. Ali didn’t leave Mark. She married him, got her degree then went to law school all without leaving the area.”

  Johnny smirked. “Look how that turned out.”

  “At least they don’t hate each other.” Brian gave him a crooked smile and said, “Hopefully when we get Micah home, Melissa and Julie will make nice and be friends again.”

  Johnny leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The word if hanging from his thoughts. If they got Micah home. It was hard to be positive with such a small boy. Micah changed every day, grew bigger and more expressive by the minute. If they didn’t find him soon, all the photos would be obsolete and they won’t have an image to show the public.

  “We will find Micah.” The hardness in Brian’s voice made Johnny open his eyes and look over at him. “I’m not walking away from this until he’s found…so drop the defeated attitude.” When Johnny didn’t speak, Brian said, “Just keep Ali sane and leave searching for the baby up to me, everything will be okay, Bennett.”

  Ali knocked on the bathroom door. “Carl, let me in.”

  Carl opened the door and looked down at her.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked blocking the door so he couldn’t get passed her. He gave her a pathetic look and she wanted to slap him again.

  “It hurts me that you think I don’t care.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Who do you think you’re fooling? You haven’t even called to ask about Micah—not once in four mouths.” She shook her head. “What do you plan to gain from this?”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Just go, Carl! Leave!” When his face dropped, she felt bad for being so nasty. She closed her eyes for a moment then said, “If you want news on Micah, someone will call with updates.”

  “Ali, honey, why are you so angry with me.” He leaned closer. “Our son is in danger…I want to be here for you.”

  “You want to be here for me?” Ali said pushing his chest. “I needed you months ago. I needed you while I was carrying our son! I’ve needed help with him all these months.”

  “Alison.” He reached out and rubbed her arm.

  She slapped his hand away. “I told you not to touch me. You lost that right when you hit on another woman while I was in labor with your son.”

  He rolled his eyes and exhaled heavily. “Please stop.”

  “No, Carl, you stop. I don’t want you here and I certainly don’t want you touching me.”

  He reached again, but she pulled away. “Just go—please leave.”

  Carl grabbed her arm, tightening his grip as she moved away from him. “Let’s talk.”

  She jerked out of his grip, leaned toward him and got nose to nose with him. “Why? You never listen to me. Even now, I’m asking you to leave and you’re ignoring me!”

  “That’s because you’re acting like an irrational child, Alison.”

  “My baby is missing—in danger! How exactly would you expect me to act?”

  “Well—first I’d expect you to be a little more discreet about your boyfriend.”

  “How dare you judge me after what you did, you hypocrite!” She smacked at him again.

  He reached out and grabbed both her arms this time, pulling her closer. “Stop it, Ali.”

  “Don’t touch me!” The words came out in a guttural scream, and the sound of her own frustration fueled her anger.

  Everything she’d been through over the last several months bubbled up inside her and once she started swinging at him, she couldn’t stop. Her open palms landed hard on his face, hitting continuously harder and faster, scratching him and boxing his ears. Fire rose in her like she’d never felt before and as she landed every hit, she felt more empowered.

  She wanted him out of her house and out of her life. Every nerve in her body sparked and hatred flowed through her veins so strongly she thought she would explode from it. How dare he come here now and claim to care about her son, her sweet baby Micah who was God knows where. She’d kill him for hurting her baby and for hurting the one man who loved her baby and wanted to be there for him. How could he claim to care about them now, now when Micah was out there alone.

  He lifted his hands to protect his face, but that didn’t stop her. She didn’t stop until arms wrapped around her midsection and lifted her off the ground. She kicked her legs out and nailed Carl several times before Mark could get her out of the bathroom.

  “Let me go, I’m going to kill him. I’m fucking going to kill him,” she screamed.

  “What did I do wrong?” Carl shouted. “This isn’t my fault.”

  “Fuck you! Get out of my house!” Ali screamed back. “Go crawl in a hole somewhere and die you son of a bitch!”

  When she was done screaming, she started sobbing and collapsed into Mark’s arms.

  Mark carried her into the backyard and placed her on her feet, then embraced her and let her cry for several minutes. “Ali, honey,” he said when she calmed down. “What has gotten into you?”

  She pushed away and wiped her face clean. She had to fight from hiccupping out another sob. “My child has been stolen, what do you think has gotten into me? And don’t yo
u defend him.” She nearly jumped out of her skin when hands rested on her upper arms and wrapped around her. She turned and fell into Johnny’s chest, his warmth exactly what she needed.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Johnny whispered.

  “Ali, this isn’t helping the situation,” Mark said.

  “The only situation I care about improving is the one concerning my missing son.” Ali fought to hold in the whine, but it was there and she was too emotionally drained to contain it. She withdrew from Johnny’s embrace and faced Mark. “I just want my baby back…”

  “What the hell happened?” Brian asked.

  “Ali nearly killed Carl.” When Mark smirked, Ali couldn’t help but smile a little too. “It was fabulous, but it’s not going to keep Johnny from being arrested.” He smiled again and said, “I have an idea, but you both”—he pointed between Ali and Johnny—“need to keep your cool.”

  “Let’s get on with it so we can get back to the business at hand,” Brian said, throwing his hands in the air.

  “Tell Carl you’ll let him come by here every day for one-on-one news on Micah if he promises not to press charges against Johnny.”

  She dropped her head and nodded. “…but we’ll have to deal with him being here.”

  “But you’ll also have Johnny here.”

  She threw her hands out in front of her. “And they’ll be brawling every ten minutes.”

  “Only if Carl gets out of line.” Mark snickered again. “And I think you’ve scared him off for now.”

  Brian perked up and stared at Mark for a few seconds. “That’s actually a great idea.” He glanced between Johnny and Mark then focused on Ali. “Do you think he’ll do it?

  She shrugged dropping her hands. Carl didn’t care about Micah, which made it highly unlikely he even cared about getting updates. “Why is Carl here? He’s never…” She glanced at Mark and wondered what he was after here. This can’t be just about keeping Johnny here. “What are you up to?”