Alexa held on to the pet.i.te woman dressed in khaki shorts and a striped green top. She'd always envied Jack his wonderful, warm mother. Secretly she'd considered Carol her own. "I missed you too, Carol."

"Carol? You're going to hurt my feelings if you don't call me Mom. A few years away shouldn't change a little thing like that." She winked. "I had the piano tuned for you, just in case you want to play. Now, where's my Olivia?" She moved to the car and peered in the backseat, all but rubbing her hands together with antic.i.p.ation.

"Why aren't you angry with me?" Alexa's eyes widened as she realized she said out loud what she'd been thinking.

Carol turned back to her. "What good would that do? You're here now, right? You and Jackson will patch everything up and move on, as you should've all along."

Jack winced and cleared his throat. "Mom."

"I'm not meddling. This is for the two of you to figure out. Now, let's get our little princess inside and ready for dinner. Dad's grabbing lobster. He had a meeting on the golf course. He'll be along any minute." Carol opened the door, unbuckled Livy from her booster, and grabbed her up in her arms. "Oh, oh, I'm so in love. She smells so good. Jackson, she looks just like you."

Livy blinked her eyes open.

Alexa stepped over and smiled at her confused little girl, caressing a finger over her forehead. "Livy, we're at Grammy and Grampy's house."

"I want to go on the bridge." Livy yawned and stared at Carol.

"She fell asleep before we made it to the bridge," Jack supplied. "That's all she talked about on the plane."

"We'll go on the bridge tomorrow, my sweet little Livy."

"Are you my Grammy?" Livy stroked her fingers over Carol's face.

Carol's eyes filled. "Oh dear, I'm going to get drippy."

Livy grinned. "Grammy's going to get drippy."

Carol let loose a watery laugh. "Grammy has some surprises for you. She went shopping today just for her beautiful grandbaby."

"I love to have surprises. They are my favorite."

"Good. Let's go inside. Your mommy and daddy can get your things." Carol started for the steps.

"Jack is my daddy. Mommy said so."

Alexa wrinkled her nose and winced as Carol paused mid-step.

"Yes, Jack is your daddy," Carol confirmed as they went inside.

Alexa walked to the trunk, waiting for Jack to join her. She smiled when Livy's delighted screeches echoed through the screen door. "I guess your parents feel duty-bound to spoil their granddaughter."

"It's a grandparent's prerogative." He popped the trunk. "She has a lot of time to make up for."

Alexa's smile vanished as his comment compounded her guilt.

"s.h.i.t, Alex. I'm sorry." He took her hand and squeezed. "I didn't mean anything by that."

"Don't worry about it." She pulled away and grabbed the handle of her suitcase.

"Alex-"

"You have every right to be angry. I'm angry with myself."

"Hey." He turned her to face him. "We've already talked about this. There's plenty of blame to pa.s.s between the two of us, but it doesn't seem to do much good. We need to move past this. I'm sure as h.e.l.l trying."

"Yeah." She desperately wished she could give Jack and his family back the time they'd missed. Alexa looked to the embankment, to the tall marsh gra.s.ses waving in the breeze, the calm waters beyond, craving the serenity the view had always brought in the past. "I'll get mine and Livy's stuff in a couple minutes. I'm going to clear my head."

"Okay." He took a step in her direction.

"Alone, Jack. I need to walk alone." She grabbed her purse from the front seat, too afraid to leave the flip phone behind, and started to the back of the house without looking at Jack. She was drowning in the messy emotions crowding her. Ten blessed minutes by herself would do her some good. She stepped to the graying, weathered boards of the dock and moved to the end, then she sat and stared out at the diamond twinkles on the water from the sun and the pretty wooded area a couple hundred yards across the inlet. The landscape had barely changed over the years. If only she could say the same about her life.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and breathed deep, trying desperately to focus on the tranquility nature offered. Fish splashed about as frogs croaked and a gust of salty air twisted a lock of hair against her cheek. Time slipped away, and her heart rate slowed. For the first time in two weeks, she found a true stirring of peace.

She opened her eyes again, smiling, and gasped when a great white heron only a few feet away soared to the sky. "Beautiful," she murmured, captivated. She wanted to show Livy. She wanted her little girl to experience all the joy she'd found here along the Eastern Sh.o.r.e.

More settled, she stood, ready to get back to Livy and catch up with Carol. She took two steps, and the cellphone rang. Habit had her reaching for the flip phone first, but the window on the small, prepaid cell stayed dark. By the third ring, Alexa freed her own phone. Unknown name. Unknown number.

"Oh, G.o.d." Was it the kidnappers? Her finger shook as she pressed 'talk.' "h.e.l.lo?"

"Lex," came a trembling whisper instead of the horrid mechanical voice.

"Abby? Abby, is that you?" A woman cried in the background-not her sister. "Abby?"

"Help me," came the whisper again. "Help me, Lex."

"I don't know where you are. Where are you?" She pressed her hand to her ear, drowning out the extra noise, waiting for the dull, quiet voice to give her the answer she needed most. "Where-" She jumped, startled, as a huge commotion erupted on the other end of the line and men shouted. She could hear something crashed to the ground. "Where are you, Abby? I need to know where you are."

The line went dead. "No!" Not again. Not again. "Abby!" The dial toned buzzed, and she chucked the phone up the embankment as a burst of frustrated rage consumed her. Breath heaving, she gasped for her next gulp of air and stood perfectly still. Hot, fat tears spilled down her cheeks as she lost yet another opportunity to save her sister.

"Her heart's heavy, Jackson. Her eyes are so sad and troubled."

He glanced at his mother standing by the large picture window overlooking the bay as he sat on the floral area rug next to Olivia. "She's going through a lot."

"I can't even imagine. Are they any closer to finding her sister?"

He absentmindedly placed the miniature couch in the living room of the pretty new dollhouse his parents had purchased. "I don't think so. Leads keep coming in, but they fizzle before they go anywhere."

"Poor darling."

"She's hanging in there. Being back on the bay will be good for her. She's always loved it here."

"I'm glad she has you to help her through this. Alexa's too used to dealing with everything on her own."

He grunted as he looked at Olivia. Alex didn't know how to let anyone help. She'd grown up handling more than her fair share and sailed into adulthood doing the same. When they dated, it had taken her months to unbend and lean on him. He could only a.s.sume it would take even longer this time around.

What would Alex say when she realized he'd paid off the last of her Gran's medical bills and the two loans she'd taken out to help her sister with school? He imagined she was going to be seriously p.i.s.sed, but she would have to get over it. He got a peak at the balance in her checkbook several nights before as she paid her bills at his kitchen table. She'd barely had anything left by the time she finished. Alex deserved to be taken care of for once in her life. He'd be d.a.m.ned if anyone was going to get in the way of him doing so-including Alex herself.

"How's Evelyn handling all this?"

His gaze flew to his mother as she turned to face him. "She's not. She left."

She nodded. "Evelyn is a nice young woman, but she's not for you."

"Mom," he warned.

"I already told you I wouldn't meddle. You're a grown man, but you can't blame me for hoping you and Alexa will find a way to work things out. She's the best thing that ever happened to you. Now you have a daughter to consider."

His mother wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know.

She came to sit on the rug with him and Olivia and ran her fingers through her granddaughter's hair. "She's beautiful, Jackson."

He smiled. "I love her beyond words."

Olivia looked up from the doll and miniature cat she made talk in different voices. "I love you, Jack. You're my daddy."

His heart swelled as he grabbed her up and set her in his lap. "Maybe we can work on you calling me Daddy instead of Jack." He nuzzled her neck and made her giggle.

"Okay. I will call you Daddy. Jack is your big people name, like Alexa is mommy's big people name."

He grinned. "That's right." He looked at his mother. "Have you ever met a smarter kid?"

"I'm a very smart kid," Olivia agreed as she crawled out of his lap to play with her dolls again.

Jackson chuckled. "And modest too. You must get that from your mother."

His mom laughed. "I made a salad and some rolls, but I should start the water to boil for the corn. Your dad will be home any minute. Olivia, do you like corn on the cob?"

Her eyes widened. "It's yummy. I help mommy peel the green stuff away."

"Would you like to help Grammy?"

"Yes. I'm a great helper. The best!" She stood and took Grammy's hand.

Jackson chuckled again and shook his head. "Liv, we need to work on your self-confidence."

"There's nothing wrong with a good self-esteem is there, my Livy?"

"No, Grammy." Olivia smiled as they left the room. "What's a good slef-esleem?"

Jackson laughed as he stood. G.o.d, he loved his little girl. He walked to the window and watched Alex sitting on the dock, wanting nothing more than to be out there with her, holding her close and enjoying the evening together as they had so many times before. But that would take time. Lots of time. He was making progress-slowly. He'd stepped up his game since their kiss in Ethan's office. She'd melted in his arms. There was definitely something between them still. He just had to keep her off balance until she realized she could trust him with more than her family's safety. He would win her back, and when he did, he was never letting her go.

Down the hall, Olivia's lively chatter mixed with his mother's laughter. Now was as good a time as any to get in Alex's way again. They'd made so many great memories here; it was time to make more. Alex stood, and he smiled. "Perfect. Hey, Mom, I'm going to check on Alex. We might take a little stroll."

"I think that sounds wonderful, honey."

So did he, liking his idea more and more. He turned as Alex did and hesitated, facing the window again when she frantically searched her purse. She pulled the small flip phone from her bag, and his stomach clutched. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h." He ran through the room and down the hall, pushing past the screen door.

"I need to know where you are."

Alex's frantic pleading carried on the breeze, and he sprinted down the gra.s.sy hill.

"No! Abby!"

He dodged the phone she threw as he ran to her. "Alex." He took her stiff, trembling arm while tears poured down her cheeks. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Alex stood where she was, gasping for each breath.

He wrapped her in a hug. "What happened?" he asked again.

"She called," she said between shuddering gasps.

"Abby called you? Are you sure it was her?"

"A woman was sobbing in the background. Men were shouting, and something crashed to the floor."

"Alex." He took her face in his hand. "Are you sure it was your sister?"

"She was whispering. She's afraid. She needs my help. She needs me to help her, but I can't."

Tears still poured, but she wouldn't give in to the sobs straining for release. "Okay." He coc.o.o.ned her against him and brushed his fingers through her hair. "We'll figure this out. I'll contact Detective Canon. Did a number come up on your phone?"

"Nothing. There was nothing."

He clenched his jaw as he laid his cheek on top of her head. There wasn't a d.a.m.n thing they would be able to do. "We're going to get her."

"Right." She pulled away and swiped at the drops still falling down her cheeks. "Of course we will." She took a step toward the house as she sucked in steadying breaths.

What the h.e.l.l? He snagged her arm and turned her back to face him. "Where are you going?"

"To the house." She wiped at her face again.

Puzzled, he studied her, watching her pull herself together. "You're upset. Take a minute. I don't-"

"I can't do this anymore," her voice broke, but she shook her head and sh.o.r.ed herself back up. "I can't. We're getting nowhere. Abby's out there somewhere. She's trapped in h.e.l.l. That's what I got from that phone call. She's trapped and needs my help and there's not a d.a.m.n thing I can do about it." She hurried up the uneven wooden planks and disappeared behind the dip of tall marsh gra.s.ses.

Jackson stared into the deepening dusk for a long time before he had his boiling frustrations under control. Alex was exactly right. Everything she'd said had been dead on. There wasn't a d.a.m.n thing they could do but wait.

Jackson scrubbed his hands over his face as he sat back in his father's office chair. The cool breeze rushing through the open window felt like heaven to his weary body. He'd been on the phone for hours talking to Detective Cannon and Doug Masterson, his old college roommate and current Pittsburg police officer. The detective doc.u.mented Abby's attempted contact but could offer nothing new. Dougie, however, had come through big time. He finally had something solid to work with.

Stretching, Jackson stood and switched off the light. Bedtime. He would run with the leads he'd been given after a few hours of shut-eye. He walked down the hall to his old bedroom and stopped with his hand on the k.n.o.b. The distant sound of piano music carried up the stairwell. "What the h.e.l.l?" he muttered. It was after one thirty in the morning.

He peeked in the guest room across the hall and glanced at Olivia fast asleep with Gordon tucked under her arm, but Alex was gone. Retracing his steps, Jackson moved past the home office and down the stairs, following the weeping notes flowing from his mother's Steinway.

Jackson slid open the pocket doors leading to the family room and silently stepped in. Alex sat in the shadows of the dim s.p.a.ce, her hair stirring in the breeze. One of the burgundy spaghetti straps on her pajama top had slid down her shoulder, leaving her smooth skin bare. Her eyes were closed while her fingers moved over the keys-the picture of serenity, yet the mournful song told a different story.

He'd forgotten how well she played-her Gran's last student before her arthritic fingers curled into gnarled, useless b.a.l.l.s. He leaned against the wall, mesmerized, lost in Alex's beauty and pain, knowing he should leave. This moment was for Alex alone. She rarely played for anyone, but he couldn't make himself go.

He stared as the song carried on, until Alex's hands stilled and the last note died away. She blinked her eyes open and gasped. "Jack."