Taste (Take It Off #9)(23)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“Our relationship?” he supplied, totally comfortable calling it that.

I could only nod. Did we have a relationship?

“It’s not exactly a secret I like your cookies.” He grinned suggestively.

I smiled. “Well, up until today, my cookies were never in your lap.”

“He’ll get over it,” Spencer muttered.

I knew then that he likely did get a lecture, and that whatever work he had tonight was probably a direct result of the closeness between us.

I might take comfort in being around Spencer, but it wasn’t good for him. I was going down and it wasn’t fair to drag him down with me. I didn’t want him being labeled as someone who conspired with the deadly chef.

Robert Walsh rushed into the room, stopping abruptly, his eyes going right to me. There was a certain wildness about him, a ruffling of his usually calm feathers. My anxiety went through the roof. Immediately, my heart began to hammer and my breathing came in short spurts.

Something was wrong. I could sense it.

“What happened?” I gasped, walking away from Spencer.

“There’s been an incident,” he said, grave.

“Mr. President?” Spencer asked, his voice sounding hollow.

Mr. Walsh shook his head and looked at me. “Not the president.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. Dread was like a lead weight threatening to pull me down deep. Spencer was at my side instantly, his arm winding around my waist, supporting my already sinking body.

Walsh frowned. “It’s Jack.”

12

I rushed upstairs and into the little office where I left my bag this morning. I could hear my cell phone ringing from the opposite end of the hall.

I started to run.

The ringing of the phone silenced, and I gave a strangled cry because I didn’t make it, but as I barreled through the doorway, it began ringing again. The contents of my bag scattered all over the floor as I upended it to get to my phone.

“Hello,” I gasped into the line. I was completely out of breath from running up the stairs and down the hall.

“Elle,” my mother said into my ear.

“What’s the matter?” I demanded.

I was aware of Spencer and Mr. Walsh coming in the room behind me, but I didn’t turn to see them. I was pissed at Robert, and if I looked at him again, I might claw out his eyes.

How could he come into the kitchen like that, tell me there was an incident concerning my son, but report he didn’t have the details? He clearly didn’t have kids or else he never would have done something so dire. He did yell after me that Jack was safe, but the damage was already done.

I needed to get to my son as soon as possible.

“Everyone’s fine,” Mom rushed to say. “But something odd happened.”

“Jack’s okay?” I said, needing to be sure.

“Yes, honey, he’s fine,” she said. “Hold on a second.”

There was a very brief pause, and then I heard her voice in the background. “Tell Mommy hi.”

“Jack?” I said, my voice cracking.

“Ma!” he said and then started babbling things I didn’t understand.

I started crying and sank down into the nearest chair. Hearing his voice was like a dam breaking on an overfull stream. I swallowed down the worst of my reaction, realizing I wasn’t alone and not wanting to make Jack upset with my blubbering.

“I miss you,” I told him, trying to inject some cheerfulness in my tone. “I’ll be home in just a little bit.”

“Tell her bye,” Mom said in the background, and my heart broke a little bit. I wasn’t ready to let him go.

“Bye-bye,” Jack said into the line. His innocent voice filled my head and caused new tears to well.

“Bye, baby. Love you,” I said. I didn’t care if the president himself was listening. I always told my son I loved him no matter what.

“See,” Mom said, taking back the phone. “He’s fine.”

“What happened, Mom?” I said, my voice leaving no room for half answers and excuses. I felt all eyes on me, and I decided rather than repeat this conversation over a million times to switch her on speaker.

I glanced at everyone, making a silent motion with my finger against my lips, and they all nodded.

“I took him to the aquarium, like we talked about,” she said. I nodded even though I knew she couldn’t see me. It was more or less me telling myself I remembered. Ever since the men invaded my home the other night, I’d been suggesting (and paying for) various outings for her and Jack, thinking the crowd would help keep them safe.

It seemed I was wrong.

“We were in the gift shop, and he was going crazy for this stuffed turtle up on one of the high shelves, so I turned to grab it, and when I turned back he was gone.”

My stomach twisted violently, and I wrapped an arm around my waist. Spencer knelt down beside the chair, offering his reassuring presence.

“I panicked, of course.” Mom went on. “I searched everywhere for him. His stroller was outside the gift shop, empty.”

Her voice was shaky, and I knew it had to have been absolutely terrifying. I was petrified, and I was hearing about it after the fact.

“I started yelling for help. The security guards came. The employees came. People who were inside started helping me look for him.”

“Where was he?” I demanded. The suspense was literally going to kill me.

“One of the guards found him near the exit of the building. It was two flights of stairs up from where he and I were.” She sounded confused and upset all at once.

I blew out a shaky breath. “You’re sure he isn’t hurt?”

“Of course not, honey. I checked him over.”

“Okay, I’m coming home right now.”

She didn’t argue because she knew it was a losing fight.

“Elle,” she said right before I could disconnect the phone.

“Yeah?”

“There’s something else.”

“What?” I said, wishing she would just say it and get it over with.

“There was a note in his pocket. I found it when I was checking him over for injuries.”

I glanced at Spencer, feeling all the blood drain from my face. “What did it say?” I asked.

“It was just two words: Hurry up.”

I closed my eyes.

“Do you know what that means?” Mom asked.

Oh, I knew what it meant. It meant my time was running out.

I swallowed past the giant rock in my throat and closed my eyes. I felt Walsh’s stare bore into me, and I knew what he was silently telling me.