Whisper In The Dark (The McKinnon Legends-- The American Men Book One) (39 page)

“I’m scared,” her small voice penetrated Josh’s thoughts.

He wanted to cry. He felt and heard the pathetic emotion coming through the phone. His baby was all that mattered to him and she was in a fight for her life.

“I know you are, just hold tight, Baby Girl. Help is on the way. Now, I need to ask you some questions and it is very important you think clearly. Can you do this?”

“Yes.” She took in a deep breath. She understood she was his eyes and ears on the ground. The more she could tell him the better her chances of survival would increase.

“Can you tell me how many men are there with him?”

“I don’t know, maybe 15-20.” She crawled out from under the bed going to the window to see if she could see anything helpful. “They have lots of big guns and cameras everywhere,” she said noticing the surveillance equipment for the very first time. “The wall surrounding the area is taller than our house.”

“Dogs, Jesse, do you see or hear dogs?”

“No. The housekeeper has a little dog, but she keeps her in the back locked in her room. She is really old and deaf, too.”

“The housekeeper or the dog?” Josh needed to be absolutely clear.

Jesse laughed softly. “Both, actually.”

Good, Josh thought. She still has some sense of humor. That would have to carry her through.

He was happy to hear that there were no dogs. Dogs complicated things. However, until he got a visual he was not going to assume that the dogs weren’t there.

“Where are they holding you, Jess?” Josh was already dialing his cousin Robert for reinforcement.

“I’m in Emilio’s house. We got here late yesterday afternoon.”

“Are you sure?” Josh asked needing to be absolutely sure where she was held.

“Yes.” Jesse knew her father well enough to know the next question and answered before he even asked. “I’ve been here before, Daddy.”

Josh pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn it, why had Jesse kept this from him? He guessed she did not want him jumping feet first into his ex-wife. He was not going to make a bad situation worse by scolding her for keeping this from him. She needed reassurances, not lectures.

“Do you have a guard, baby?”

“No, I don’t think so, but I am locked in my room on the second floor.”

“You have been there enough to have your own room?” Josh was quick to pick up on the inference of that comment.

“Yes, Daddy, please don’t be mad at me,” she begged, understanding that had she been honest with him, she might not be in the jam she found herself.

“I’m not mad. Not at you at least, and it is futile to be angry with your mother at this point. So, listen to me very carefully. I know you are scared, baby, but you have to hold together for me. Can you do that, Sweat Pea?”

“Um huh,” she nodded her head. She was not going to disappoint her daddy. She was a McKinnon, and McKinnons were made of strong stuff.

“In two days put your hat in the window of the room you are currently held.” He knew she never went anywhere without her ball cap. He was banking this trip would not be any different.

She quickly unpacked her Texas Rangers baseball cap and vowed to keep it with her all the time tucking the bill into the back pocket of her jeans. She would be ready.

Josh’s stomach was churning. His child was in grave danger and he understood going in with guns blazing would only get her killed. He hated it, but this was going to take time and it would take some strategic planning. Translation: it would be several days before he could go in and bring her out. Jesse understood.

Damn his ex-wife, Josh could kill her himself for what she had done to their child if she were not already dead.

And damn himself for not smelling a rat when she came to get Jesse in a hired car.

“Just don’t panic, Jesse. I’ll rally the troops. I will be there as soon as I can, promise.”

“Daddy, please bring Cousin Mason. He is just crazy enough to get me out of here and keep us all alive.”

Josh raised an eyebrow, surprised at her request, but could not have agreed more. Mason was a daredevil of Biblical magnitude. However, he was smart, cunning, and experienced, and if Jesse trusted Mason to help him get her out then so would he.

“You understand it will take us a couple of days to plan and to get there?”

“Uh huh.”

“Save your battery. I want you to check your phone only once a day at four o'clock in the afternoon your time. I will send you a text with the numbers 2233 when we are close. If someone happens to see it tell them it is our secret code for ‘Everything is good’. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir.” She nodded bravely.

“I love you, Jesse, more than life itself. I’ll get you out, I swear. You believe me?” Josh wanted her to remain positive and reassured that she would come out of this alive. She would never be the same, but she was going to live and he would deal with the emotional fallout later.

“Yes, with all my heart.” And Jesse did believe. This family took care of their own laying down life and limb for each other. They always had and always would.

 

Thank you so much for reading the story.