Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set (121 page)

“Then it's a good thing I came home,” I smile. She says goodby to the twins and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and then she leaves.

“Mommy, wook!”

Leo's voice grabs my attention as I'm walking to the fridge to start their snack, and I turn to look out the glass french doors.

“Oh, my goodness. Look at that,” I say abandoning my task and moving toward them. “It's snowing, isn't it?”

“Yeah,” they say in unison, and I smile at the wonder I hear in their little voices. And I can't remember if they've ever actually seen snow before. Last winter was so mild here, all we got was rain.

“Would you like to go outside and see the snow?” I ask them, knowing that it won't last an hour on the ground in this climate.

“Yeah,” they say excitedly.

“Okay. Coats first,” I smile. I get them all bundled up and we head outside to the patio. And Leo and Livvie have a great time as we spend the next fifteen minutes catching snowflakes and attempting to make a decent snowball out of the light dusting on the ground. I swear, they are so precious!

They burst into yet another chorus of Jingle Bells just as I hear my phone ringing in the kitchen. As I stand up, I glance over at the patio gate to make sure I closed it when I came back from my studio.

“I'll be right back, don't move.”

I step into the kitchen just as my phone stops ringing. Digging it out of my bag, I check the caller ID and see that I've just missed a call from the event planner I've hired for the foundation's gala. I'll call her back in a few minutes. First I need to get the twins inside and get them settled. I stuff the phone into my pocket as I turn to head back outside. And through the open door, I can see that the twins are not where I left them.

I step out onto the patio expecting to see them off to the side gathering more snow. But I don't. Turning quickly, my eyes dart around the small patio area. The gate is still closed and the latch is much too high for them to reach. Did they follow me into the house?

I hurry back inside looking around the kitchen.

“Leo? Livvie?”

I run into the family room praying to find them there. But I don't. I keep running…

“Leo!”
Oh, my God.

From room to room…

“Livvie!”
No. Please, no!

And back again…

I shoot out the french doors once more, opening the gate and running around the perimeter of the house. “Leo! Livvie!”

This isn't happening!

I pull the phone from my pocket and hit the speed dial. When he answers the phone I'm so frantic that my words come out in a terrified scream.

“Josh, I can't find them! They're gone! Leo and Livvie are gone!”

Chapter Five

Joshua

There are uniforms all over our yard. Not to mention our street. The neighborhood is crawling with every cop the city can spare, all in the name of finding one – or in this case, two – of their own. Leo and Livvie have been missing now for about three hours and Samantha and I are beside ourselves. I'm trying to play it cool. Trying to be strong and keep it together for her sake. But truth be told, I feel like I'm about to go out of my fucking mind.

The house has become a makeshift headquarters for this search and rescue operation and there are people everywhere. Mostly cops, but there's a lot of family milling about too. Lucas is here, as is their Uncle Kenneth Colby. Lee and Molly are here. And my mom. Even Lois Colby is pacing around wringing her hands. Everyone is eager to help find the twins as quickly as possible. The problem is that no one so far has offered up any information that we can use. Sam is understandably panic-stricken, and in her state, her recollection of events is sketchy at best.

I'm seated beside her on our living room couch as Conner tries to question her one more time about the events leading up to her frantic phone call to me. She's clinging to my right hand as if holding on for dear life, while I gently rub her back with my left hand.

“I have told you all of this a million times, Dave. Why aren't you out there doing something?” she tearfully yells.

“Baby, he is doing something,” I tell her, trying like hell not to raise my voice. “He's doing his job, and it's a very important step. So just, please … one more time! You were out on the patio playing in the snow?”

“Yes,” she sighs.

“And you're certain that you closed the gate on your way back from the studio?” I ask.

“Yes, I did. And I double-checked that it was closed before I stepped inside to get the phone,” she confirms. “It was locked. I'm sure of it.”

She begins to softly cry, and I feel like my guts are being ripped out.
This is my fault.
This is all my fault.

“This all my fault,” she sobs, burying her face in her hands. “I never should have stepped inside the house! What kind of mother does that after she feels like someone is watching?”

“Sam, don't beat yourself up. Kids wander away; it was two seconds,” Conner offers, but she turns on him.

“It doesn't matter! Two seconds, two minutes … they're still gone,” she screams. “My babies are out there somewhere and it's all because of me!”

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to me and holding her tightly as she continues to sob. I would give anything to alleviate her pain.

“This is not your fault, baby,” I say softly as I hold her to me. “None of this is your fault, this is all on me. I should have done something sooner. I should have called Lucas the minute that first set of pictures came to my office. I should have taken them more seriously. The twins are in danger because of me!”

Sam pulls away and looks at me with a deep scowl on her lovely face. “Pictures? What are you talking about? What pictures?”

Instantly, my stomach is in knots once more. My plan was to talk to her about all of this tonight. To tell her about the menacing photos and about my call to Lucas and my plan to finally accept his long-standing offer for a security detail for the children. But we hadn't had a chance to have that discussion yet.

“What pictures, Josh?” she repeats when I hesitate.

I take a deep breath and take her by the hand once more. “Earlier this week, I received a set of pictures in the mail at work with no note, no return address. They were shots of the kid's preschool.”

“What?”

“And then this morning … another set of pics came in the same manner. This time they were images of you and of Mom, dropping the kids off or picking them up.” She says nothing as she stares at me in disbelief. “I didn't say anything before because I didn't want to worry you, but …”

“Didn't want to worry me? Are you insane?” she yells. “You didn't think I had a right to know that our kids were being watched? How could you keep something like this from me?”

The tears are flowing freely as she screams at me, and I feel like so much shit. “I was trying to protect you,” I tell her, my voice raised in frustration as I struggle to keep my own tears from falling now. “I was trying to protect you all! That's why I called Lucas this morning. To accept his offer for security! And I was going to tell you all of this tonight!”

“Well, you're too late,” she screams.

“I know that!” I scream back at her, and my deep voice seems to boom and echo around the room, causing silence to descend for a moment as all eyes turn our way. Sam dissolves into tears and I fold her into my arms once more.

As I'm holding Sam tightly, Detective Anne Marsh enters the room. “Lieu, we've got some info,” she says quietly, gesturing to the uniformed officer walking behind her.

“Hey, Guy. Sam,” Tom Cody says in somber greeting as Sam and I both look up at him expectantly. One of my bandmates in Off Duty Blue, Cody has been a member of the force's K-9 unit for almost ten years now.

“I got Logan out and we started a track at your patio,” Cody begins, referring to his K-9 partner. “He picked up on a scent right away back there. He did a beautiful track, never lost the scent the whole time. Track leads straight from your back patio off the kitchen, around the south side of your house and out through your front yard to the curb. But, I'm afraid that's where the track ends.”

“You're sure about that?” I ask, feeling my heart sink.

“I'm afraid so,” Cody answers.

I sigh heavily, and nod at him. I want to scream at him to do it again. To tell him that the kids just wandered out of the yard and are somewhere in the neighborhood, but I know that would be pointless. The dogs are rarely wrong. And when they are, it's because of handler error. But Cody has been decorated half a dozen times for his work in the K-9 unit, so I know that handler error is not a factor here.

“What? What does that mean?” Samantha asks urgently, looking from me to Cody.

I pause a beat before I look her in the eye. “It indicates that whoever was back there got into a vehicle in front of our house.”

I watch as her pretty face contorts as she begins to cry all over again. And I feel so fucking useless. “They took the twins with them?” she asks tearfully. “Is that what you're saying?”

I tighten my arms around her in response.

“There's more, Lieu,” Marsh speaks up. “One of your neighbors across the street remembered seeing an unfamiliar car sitting in front of your house just before mid-day. She couldn't give me a plate number, but she provided a decent description.”

“Well, I think it's safe now to say an abduction has taken place,” Conner mutters. “Marsh, if you've got a description of the vehicle let's get going on that AMBER Alert. Here's the description of what the kids were wearing,” he says, handing her a piece of paper.

“I'm on it,” she says, rushing from the room.

As late afternoon drags into the early evening, Samantha and I both grow more anxious by the minute. And I know that for every second that passes, the chances of finding Leo and Livvie unharmed slip way like sand, but I can't mention that to Sam. She is so stressed out and worried as it is, and I quietly caution my men to be careful of what they say around her. But I've learned my lesson about trying to keep things from her, and that's not what I'm doing. Right now, I'm just trying to take care of my pregnant wife.

More family has arrived. Lee and Molly's daughter, Sara and her husband. My cousin Paul Jr. and my Aunt Celeste. Celeste brought food. And I know that she's just trying to help, but I can't shake the thought that this feels like a fucking wake. Mom and Molly have been in the kitchen for what seems like hours, doing what those two do best – mothering everybody, making sandwiches and coffee and stuff, trying to keep the rest of us fed and occupied. Even Lois is being unusually maternal.

“Samantha, darling, please eat something,” Lois says as she sits down next to her on the couch, holding a plate of Mom's 'ham and mac and cheese.'

“I don't feel like eating anything, Mom,” Sam replies with an agitated tone. “How do you expect me to eat when my babies are God knows where with some maniac?”

Lois stares at her for a moment with the most genuine look of compassion that I've ever seen from her. She gently places her hand on Samantha's knee and says, “Sweetheart, I know you're terribly worried about your babies, and I know how that feels. But your husband and his colleagues are doing everything in their power right now to find them. There's nothing for you to do but to sit and worry after them. But you need to think about
all
of them, Samantha. All of your babies. Won't you please eat something … for him?” she asks, placing her hand on Sam's belly. Sam looks at her tearfully and places her hand on top of her mom's. Then she slightly nods her head, and Lois feeds her a forkful of pasta.

It's a rare tender moment between them, although they have grown closer over the last four years. Largely due to the twins. Granted, Lois isn't the kind of hands-on, homey grandma that my mom is, but I know that she loves her grandchildren. More importantly, Leo and Livvie know that she loves them, and they're always excited to see her. She's actually very doting in her own way. And I can't help but think about that now as I watch her feeding her child.

Sam and I haven't moved more than a few feet away from one another since I arrived home after getting her distressed phone call this afternoon. Despite the brief flare up of emotions when I told her about the menacing photographs, it's as if we simply can't bare to be too far out of reach at any given moment. As though we're each other's anchor. Standing mutely just a foot or so away from where Sam and her mother are, I can't help watching her every movement. She's all I can concentrate on, even while Lee and Paul are trying to draw me out. She looks so small and frail right now, like the worry has sapped all her strength, and I now that she probably needs to lie down and rest. But I also know that I'll never get her to do that. Not while the twins are out there somewhere.

The front door opens and more family comes in. Megan and Scott, followed by Dennis. I watch as Meg rushes to Sam's side and takes her by both hands. And I can see Sam offer her a tearful smile. “What are you doing here? Where's Scottie?” she asks softly.

“He's at home with the nanny,” Megan answers. “There was no way I was going to let you sit here alone.”

Samantha smiles again. “I'm hardly alone, Meg,” she says as she looks around our living room at all the family and cops. “You should go home and hold your little boy,” she says wiping tears.

“Oh, Sam.” Meg wraps her arms around her and Samantha cries on her shoulder for a moment. And then she lets out a small, tearful laugh.

“I felt that! She kicked me,” she says, lightly running her hand over Megan's swollen belly.

Meg smiles. “She was just giving her cousin a friendly kick hello,” she says, patting Sam's small baby bump.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. We learned the sex the other day,” Sam says.

“Yeah?”

She nods. “It's a boy.”

“Aw, congratulations,” Meg smiles.

“Thanks,” Sam smiles. And then she quietly burst into tears as Meg folds her into her arms once more, and I can feel my heart breaking. I feel so fucking useless right now.

Samantha's tears turn into full blown, agonizing, gut-wrenching sobs, and I can't stand it anymore. Before I know what I'm doing, I've crossed the few feet separating us and stepped in between Lois and Sam. Reaching down, I gently take her into my arms, pulling her away from Meg as I stand. I carry her into the relatively quiet family room and take a seat in one of the overstuffed, comfy chairs. Cradling her in my arms as she sobs, I say nothing and just let her cry. She clings to me as I hold her. And as I listen to her weep I can no longer stop my own tears.