Ball & Chain(94)

“Did you find the kids?” Earl asked.

“No.”

Earl’s shoulders slumped. He looked older than he usually did, but the shadows from the fire did odd things to people’s appearances. “Stanton ordered them to search the house for Amelia. He told them her safety was more important to him than his own, so they went out.”

“Shit,” Zane hissed. “Ty’s off looking too; if they run into each other there’s going to be some—”

“Blood,” Earl provided wryly.

Zane grunted.

“I figure if Stanton’s a target, then you’re looking at last line of defense,” Earl said with a tap to his chest. “We found this rifle on the wall above the fireplace. It’s loaded, but I don’t even know if it’ll fire.”

“You have a knife?” Zane asked. Earl nodded and patted his hip.

Stanton had noticed Zane there and was making his way to them.

“Did you find Nick?” Earl asked.

Zane nodded, waiting until Stanton and Theo joined them. “He interrupted the nanny and the groundskeeper trying to kidnap Amelia. He stopped them, and sent the kids into the passages within the walls. He hid them somewhere inside the walls and then ran as a decoy for Fraser.” He met Stanton’s eyes. “Did you know those passages were there?”

“Yes, we used to play in them when I was a boy,” Stanton answered. He was nearly mumbling, frowning so hard his eyebrows were touching. “Jockie Fraser? I’ve known him since he was little. He was Theo’s playmate on the island during the summers when we’d visit.”

“Jockie did this?” Theo asked, looking horrified. It was the first time Zane had seen the man with any sort of expression. “I don’t believe it.”

“We caught him with a gun, threatening to send pieces of Amelia to your father. Believe it,” Zane growled.

Theo and Stanton both blanched. Zane could hear Earl growling, and he took a deep breath, sorely tempted to go off the rails with them and rage about the threat to the little girl. Others had drifted closer, listening in, probably wanting to know if they were safe now, if it was all over. Zane looked over them and raised his voice to be heard.

“Nick couldn’t tell us where he stashed the kids, so it’s simply a matter of finding them before anyone else does now. Who else knew about the walls?”

“My wife. Some of the older staff. We never told the kids when they were little, we were afraid they’d play in them and get hurt or lost. Frankly, I’d forgotten about them. What about Jockie? Did he talk? Tell you who else is involved?” Stanton asked.

“He’s not capable of much of anything right now,” Zane admitted. “But when he is, we’ll get everything we need out of him, I can guarantee you that.”

Hamish Boyd, the butler Zane had only met the day he arrived, forced his way through the crowd. He used a cane to do it, shoving at people with it to clear his path. “Did I hear you say Jockie and Maisie are responsible for this?”

Zane met the old man’s eyes. He’d lost his wife to this ordeal, possibly the greatest loss of anyone on the island. Zane wasn’t sure how to answer him.

“How were two locals connected to the bodyguard lady?” Earl asked. “Or the maid of honor?”

“We don’t know yet,” Zane answered, mirroring their growing frustration with his own. “All we know is the target, and that is the information Mr. Stanton is protecting.”

There was a ruckus from several of the people standing in front of Zane, and when Zane looked over his shoulder, Kelly, Nick, and Emma were there, Jockie Fraser supported between Nick and Kelly. He was unconscious. And very, very bloody. Kelly had really worked him over. Zane was beginning to see the doc in a new light.

“Has he said anything?” Zane demanded.

Kelly shook his head. Nick didn’t much look like he should be supporting anyone’s weight at this point, not even his own, and Emma was having a hard time helping him. They cleared off one of the dining tables, and Zane helped Kelly heft Fraser onto it as Emma and Earl guided Nick to a chair.

Earl came up beside Zane and looked down at the unconscious Scot on the table, then around at the people gathered and gawking. “Someone get some rope.”



Ty took the steps two at a time, racing up to the third-floor nursery. Every step jarred his shoulder, but he knew putting the damn thing back in by himself would just risk permanent damage. He was out of breath and his arm was on fire by the time he reached the door. Deuce and Livi both stood when they heard him coming, their eyes wide and hopeful. They clung to each other as Ty stepped into the room.