Chapter 17

Regan’s eyes flew open, and her gaze landed on the clock, which currently read 8:22 AM. She had planned on being up by seven thirty in order to give herself some time to plan out how best to introduce AJ to her life—the most important part of which would be arriving today. However, the night before, it had taken them some time to wear each other out. Not that she would ever complain that such an amazing man was in her life and found her so desirable, Regan mused.

Carefully lifting his arm from around her waist, she wriggled out from under it and climbed off the bed.

“Where are you going?”

Caught. Regan turned slowly and smiled brightly at AJ’s bleary-eyed gaze. “Uh, it’s after eight, and I need to get dressed and get down to the study to work. Some of us do that, you know.”

Sitting up, AJ ran a hand over his close-cropped hair. “Baby, you only slept a couple hours. Don’t you need more sleep than that?”

Heading into the adjoining bathroom, she shook her head. “Nope. Four hours does it for me. Sleeping in and overindulging would be six hours. You should go back to sleep. I’ll just take a shower and meet you downstairs later, okay?”

AJ shrugged and curled up under the covers, wondering at the remarkable stamina of the woman he loved. “See you in a while, then.”

“A while” turned out to be close to eleven o’clock. AJ ambled down the stairs, buttoning his shirt. Now that the only woman in the house was Regan, he figured he and Nick would take turns cooking. And from the smell of it, Nick had made the only thing he could make. Pancakes.

Before AJ could make it to the kitchen, the buzzer for the gate rang, and he glanced back towards the door.

“I’ll get it!” he called to anyone who cared. “Hello?” He spoke into the speaker.

“Um, excuse me, but is this the Littrell residence?” an unfamiliar female voice spoke.

AJ frowned. What, was the media trying to get inside? “Yes, it is. Who is this?”

“This is Rebecca Daniels—Regan Daniels’ mother. I understand my daughter is working here. May I get inside?”

AJ froze. Her mother? Crap. “Yeah, of course,” he responded, hitting the button for the gate.

Five minutes later, he opened the door to a woman with Regan’s deep red hair and aging gray eyes.

“Thank you for letting us in,” Rebecca Daniels told him, entering the house. “I’m Rebecca and this is Jordan.”

She gestured to the young boy AJ had somehow missed seeing the first time. He seemed to be about nine or ten years old with familiar smoky eyes and dark brown hair that curled around his solemn face.

“Hey,” AJ held out a hand and was surprised at the strong grip. “I’m AJ. It’s nice to meet you, Jordan.”

Jordan nodded. “Hi. Is my mom here?”

AJ felt his heart stop. When it kicked back up again, he knew where he’d seen those eyes, that nose, and mouth before. Regan’s son.

“Mama? Jordan?” Regan’s voice spoke from behind AJ. “Jordan! Baby!” Regan hurried past AJ and scooped her son into her arms. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much,” she murmured as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. Setting him down, she ran a hand over his dark curls. “It’s silly, but you’re growing up on me, pal.”

“You’ve been gone more than a month. You promised no more than a month,” Jordan reminded her quietly.

Regan sighed, unhappily, AJ thought. “I know. You know I love you, right?” When Jordan nodded, she added, “It’s a long one, kid. I’m trying to finish it up. To bring home two little girls and their mom.”

“Is it your family?” Jordan asked, turning to AJ. Regan found herself facing him for the first time after he’d met her child. His expression was unreadable when he looked at her, but it softened when he turned to her son.

“No, it’s my friend’s family. This is his home, and it’s his baby girls and wife missing,” AJ explained.

“I’m sorry,” Jordan replied. “But, Mom’s the best. She’ll find them.”

AJ couldn’t help but smile at the pride the boy had for his mother. “Yeah, I think she’s pretty good at what she does.” Before he could continue, the tune of “As Long As You Love Me” jingled behind him.

The group in the foyer turned to see Brian hurrying in, his cell phone held in his hand.

“It’s ringing!” He barely acknowledged the new arrivals before answering the phone. He didn’t care who they were at the moment because all his thoughts were focused on the man at the other end of the line. When Regan had gone into the study, he flipped the phone open. “Hello?”

“So, you figured out who I am, huh?” Scott seemed remarkably cheerful for an identified criminal.

Brian took a deep breath before speaking. “Yeah, I know who you are. Why don’t you just make it easier on yourself and bring my family back. I’m sure the FBI would go easy on you.”

“Ha! I don’t think you understand law enforcement very well, Brian. I kidnapped your family and crossed several state borders to do so. That’s a whole lot of criminal charges there, you know. It’s okay, though. I’m going to relieve the last of my burden today. I just thought I’d let you know,” he added. “Seeing as I’m a nice guy and all.”

“Yeah, real nice.” Brian’s laugh was brittle. “Nice would be if you hadn’t touched them in the first place. When we find you, there is no one, not even God, who’ll be able to save you.”

Scott laughed, and the evil in it chilled Brian’s bones. “I don’t believe in God. Not like you. What I’ve accomplished has been through my own skill. I don’t have time to waste, though, so I’ll let you go.” There was a click, and Brian knew he was gone.

He rushed back towards the office. Regan was pressing buttons on the tracing mechanism. Finally, she looked up at him.

“Orlando.”

His brows shot up. “Florida? Where in Orlando?”

She held up a hand when the phone next to her rang. “Daniels. What can you tell me?” After listening for a moment, she thanked the caller and hung up. “A pay phone outside Tabu. Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Howie Dorough own that property?”

“Yes,” Brian nodded. “So, the call came from Tabu. He’s keeping it connected to us somehow. He said something about unburdening himself. Did they find anything?”

Regan sighed. “They’re checking out the area, and they’ll call back if they find anything. Brian,” she placed a hand on his arm, feeling the stiff muscles under it. “We’re so close. Can you feel it?”

Brian flopped into a chair. “I want to, I really do. I have Luke back, so part of me keeps hoping that you’ll find his hiding place. But, the longer I go without them, the less hope I have. I mean, if he didn’t harm Luke after a month of kidnapping them, it’s possible that he’s left the others alone, too. That’s the hope I’m holding onto.”

Before Regan could answer, the door opened.

“Mom?” Jordan’s head peeked around the door, making Regan smile at his terrified expression when he saw Brian.

She held out a hand. “Jordan, come in here, hon. Brian, I’d like you to meet someone,” she began as Jordan crossed the room to stand next to her. “This is my son, Jordan. Jordan this is Brian Littrell. It’s his family I’m trying to find.”

Brian managed a smile. “Hi, Jordan. It’s a pleasure meeting you.” Jordan shifted so he stood behind Regan’s chair, and Brian looked past his own troubles to realize he must have scared the young boy when he’d flown into the hall. He smiled again, this time his trademark grin. “Sorry, I scared you before. It’s just, the man that took my family calls me. And, when he does, your mom has to trace the call to find out where he’s calling from. If we can figure out where he is, we can find my family.”

Jordan nodded. “I’m sorry someone stole them. It’s not fair, but Mom’ll bring them home. Then, she can come home, too. Right?” He looked to his mother for confirmation.

Regan smiled at him. “Right. So, where’s Gran?”

“She’s talking to AJ,” Jordan answered. “He’s got lots of tattoos and earrings. You told me guys didn’t get earrings.” He watched his mother, ready to catch a bluff.

Regan sighed. “Okay, I lied. I don’t want these gorgeous ears,” she yanked on his lightly, “to be destroyed.”

“So, you think AJ destroyed his ears?”

“Uh,” Regan looked to Brian for help. She didn’t think AJ had destroyed his ears; it was just his style. It was one she’d come to love.

“I don’t think AJ destroyed his ears,” Brian spoke up. “I mean, I used to have a piercing too,” he told Jordan, pointing to his ear. Jordan crept closer to see it. “The thing is, sometimes, it’s not fun to have. You get it, and it’s cool for a while. Then you just don’t want it, and you’re stuck with a hole in your ear.”

Jordan pondered this. “Okay,” he said finally. “I’m hungry,” he turned to his mother. “And, because Gran took me out of school, I have to do all this extra homework. I hate math,” he told Brian.

Brian made a face. “Eww. Yeah, me too, buddy. If you want help, you can always ask me.”

Regan gave him a grateful smile, which vanished when the phone rang. “Hey, son of mine, why don’t you go find Gran and talk to Nick. He’s the guy in the kitchen who made chocolate chip pancakes,” she explained. “See if he’ll let you have some.”

“Okay,” Jordan said, and, with a nod to Brian, left the room.

Regan grabbed the phone. “Well? Any news?” A look of surprise crossed her face, making Brian sit up and lean forward. “No, no. Just send them up as soon as possible. I want one officer with them at all times. Pick your best. Let me know when they’ve left Orlando. Good work,” she added and hung up.

“Well?” Brian couldn’t sit. Something big had happened.

Regan couldn’t help the smile that split across her face. “They found the twins in a stroller outside Tabu. They positively ID’d them based on their pictures. Your daughters are coming home!”

Brian grinned and grabbing her arms, twirled her around the room. Then he hugged her. “Thank you so much!” Letting go of her, he hurried out of the room.

In the kitchen, he found AJ, Jordan, Nick, and the woman he assumed was Regan’s mother.

“Guess what!” He couldn’t help but want to laugh hysterically. “They’ve found the twins! They were outside of Howie’s Tabu!”

AJ frowned. “Tabu? In Orlando?”

“The guy’s got Sienna in Florida?” Nick couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah,” Regan answered for Brian. “I don’t know why he would be letting them go. Not that I’m not glad,” she added quickly. “But why kidnap an entire family then give them back little by little?” Unless. A thought occurred to her. Unless his sole purpose was to get Sienna, and the kids were just to stick it to Brian. When her eyes met Nick’s, she knew he thought the same thing.

Brian, meanwhile, was exuberant. “I don’t care why he’s giving them back, just as long as he does. This has to mean only a couple more days and Sienna’ll be home, too!”

“Let’s hope so,” AJ spoke quietly, knowing the chances were slim.

Around three that afternoon, Brian, Jackie, and Regan met the small airplane that carried Kara and Serena at the same airstrip where they’d met Luke. The girls seemed to be in good shape and launched themselves into Brian’s arms when they saw him. Jackie had taken the three of them to the doctor’s office, leaving Regan to go back and start setting up for another press statement. The media was clamoring for news and knew that something big was happening. Brian had asked her to arrange things, so that, when he returned, he could announce the good news.

When she entered the house, Nick met her in the foyer.

“How did the girls look?”

Regan smiled. “They ran to Brian, crying. I think they’re okay. All of them are going to be okay.”

“Once their mother gets home,” Nick added. “Which, I don’t think is going to happen unless you find Thompson’s hideaway. I think his whole goal was to get Si. You think that, too, don’t you?”

Regan sighed. “Yeah, unfortunately, I do. So, I’m going to continue to do whatever I can to find them,” she promised.

“That’d be good,” Nick told her. “So, I like your kid,” he began. “He seems really smart and likes to know exactly what’s going on. He had AJ and me show him all our tattoos and explain how we got them put on. Then, he told us we were weird if we liked needles, but he thinks the earrings are cool.” Nick grinned. “You’ve got a great kid.”

Regan smiled. “Thanks, Nick. He’s the light of my life. Speaking of which, where is he?”

“Chilling with AJ in the den. They were having a really serious conversation when I left them. Which is really weird to see both AJ and an eight year old having, you know,” Nick added.

“My kid’s complex,” Regan told him and headed back towards the den.

When she got there, she simply stood in the doorway and stared at the sight that greeted her. AJ and Jordan were crouched on the floor, a map of the United States stretched between them.

“So then, Gran took this route from Wheeling, West Virginia,” Jordan pointed to a spot on the map, “and we drove the whole rest of the way here on that road. Except, we had to take a few turns to get to this house, but yeah.”

“Cool,” AJ grinned. “I’ve never been to Wheeling. Or to West Virginia. But, I’ve been to almost every other state in the country.”

“Oh yeah?” Jordan was interested. “How did you do that?”

AJ shrugged. “I sing professionally. My songs are on the radio, and, sometimes, I have to travel around the country and do concerts. Huge ones with lots of girls screaming.”

Jordan scrunched up his nose. “Girls always scream. They’re disgusting.”

AJ grinned and ruffled Jordan’s hair. “Tell me that in six years, kid. We’ll see if you think the same thing.” His gaze fell on the doorway, and the grin disappeared. “I think your mom wants to talk to you.” He nudged Jordan.

When her son’s attention switched to her, Regan shook her head. “Sorry, baby. I just wanted to see what you were up to, but I have to go talk to the reporters outside the gates, right now. Brian took Kara and Serena to the doctor’s office with his mother,” she told AJ, who simply nodded and turned away from her. Trying not to feel hurt, Regan turned back to her son. “Give me an hour and a half and we’ll go for dinner together, okay? We’ll let Gran off the hook.”

“She went back to the hotel room already,” Jordan informed her.

“Hotel room?” Regan wondered. “Okay, then. She’s already off the hook. But, tonight, pal of mine, it’s just gonna be you and me. How’s that sound?”

“Can we have lots of spaghetti and chocolate cheesecake?” Jordan asked her hopefully.

Regan smiled, loving her son. “Anything you want. I’m going to make the whole last month up to you. I promise.” She gave him a hug and watched as AJ avoided her gaze. “See you in a few,” she told Jordan, kissing his forehead before she left.

As she prepared her statement, Regan tried not to weep. She hadn’t told AJ the most important parts of her life, and he hated her now. She couldn’t blame him. What sane man would want a woman who’d lied to him? It hadn’t even been about something small. No, it was about the most important piece of her life, and she hadn’t let him into it. True, she’d trusted him, but not with her son. She couldn’t blame him for backing out, putting some distance between them. She would probably have done the same thing, but it hurt nonetheless. She’d lost the first man who’d ever touched her heart, made her feel, and proved to her that she could love. Because it was through her own stupidity, she had no one to blame but herself.

If only she’d followed her own rules and hadn’t gotten involved. She’d never have known that there was so much to feel. And so much to lose, Regan thought. A pit of despair loomed before her as she realized that she’d had to let AJ go before she was ready for it. She had planned to follow his mother’s advice and leave him with a whole heart, but, now, she was left with her own broken one.

“Regan?” Brian stepped into the office. “Ready?”

Blinking back tears, she grabbed a sheet of paper. “Yeah, let’s go.”

***

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