Her Mistletoe Protector(10)

It did matter, but he didn't say anything as the waitress headed their way with two plates of food. She plopped them down on the table, and then glanced at the two of them. "Need anything else?"

He forced a smile. "No thanks, we're fine."

The waitress turned on her rubber-soled heel and strode away. He bowed his head and prayed. Thank You, Lord, for this food we are about to eat, and please keep Joey safe in Your care. Guide us in our journey to find him and help Rachel open her heart and her mind to Your peace and Your glory. Amen.

When he opened his eyes, he realized Rachel had her head down, waiting for him to finish before eating her breakfast. She didn't join him in prayer, but she didn't lash out against God again, either, which he chose to believe was a good sign.

He dug into his bacon and eggs, savoring every bite. When the knot of hunger in his stomach had eased, he glanced up at Rachel again, noting with satisfaction that she was doing a good job of demolishing her own meal. "Tell me more about this lawsuit."

She lifted one shoulder. "There's nothing to tell."

"How is it that you didn't find the side effects of the medication during the clinical trials?" He didn't know much about the pharmaceutical industry, but surely there would have been an indication of the dangerous side effects long before the medication was released to the public.

Rachel tapped her fork on the edge of her plate. "That's one of the things I've been working on with my research team. We don't know why the blood clots only showed up after the medication was approved. The FDA wants a full investigation, and we're actually in the middle of pulling everything together." She sighed, and then added, "At least we were. Until all this happened."

The timing couldn't be a coincidence. "Who benefits if your company goes out of business?"

"No one." She set her fork down and pushed her half-eaten plate away. "My company employs well over three thousand people, who would all be out of a job if something happened. I can't see how this could be connected to Joey in any way."                       
       
           



       

He found it impossible to ignore the sliver of unease. "Rachel, be honest with me. Is your company in danger of going under?"

"Not yet, but we can't afford to take another hit like the one we took earlier this year. So far, we've managed to weather the storm."

Relieved by that news, he continued to finish his breakfast. "What about your competition? Wouldn't they benefit if you went belly-up?"

"I can't imagine any company going to these lengths to get rid of the competition. You're on the wrong track, Nick. Those threatening notes have the Mafia written all over them."

She could be right. "You better eat," he advised. "There's no telling when we'll get our next meal."

She picked up her fork. "As soon as we're finished here, I need to call Gerry Ashton, my vice president of Operations."

"Why?"

"Because he's my second in command and owns forty percent of the company stock. I'm fairly certain he'll be willing to buy my shares. And I know his wife has a significant amount of money."

His stomach clenched at hearing her plan. "Do you think something that drastic is really necessary?"

She shrugged and toyed with her food. "Yeah, I do. Besides, I'd give up my company in a heartbeat if it meant getting Joey back safe and sound."

As Nick finished up and paid their bill, he couldn't help wondering if this was exactly what the lawsuit victims had planned all along. Forcing Rachel to give up everything she owned in order to save her son.

* * *

Rachel glanced at the clock, wondering if she dared call Gerry this early on a Thursday morning. They were both generally early risers, but it was barely seven-fifteen. She couldn't deny the deep sense of urgency. What if the kidnappers called right away, wanting the exchange? What if she didn't have enough time to pull the money together?

Logically, she knew that they would give her some time-after all getting the money was the end goal. Wasn't it?

She wished Nick hadn't questioned her about the lawsuit, because now uncertainty gnawed away at her. But those messages had to be from Anthony's uncle Frank, or from someone else within the Mafia. Nothing else made sense. Once they were back in Nick's car, she scrolled through her old phone's list of contacts until she found Gerry's cell number. Just as she pushed the button to call him, another text message came through. Another message from the kidnappers?

No, it was the text message stating that her phone number had been successfully transferred to her new phone. "Finally," she muttered.

"What?" Nick asked.

After she filled him in, Rachel got busy activating the new device. She had to click on a link first and then wait another few minutes for the phone number to be registered before she could use her new phone. When that was finished, she typed in Gerry's number and waited anxiously for him to pick up.

There was no answer, so she left a message. "Gerry, it's Rachel. Call me as soon as you get this. It's urgent."

Nick filled up the gas tank at the truck stop and dumped her old phone in the garbage before he slid behind the wheel and drove back out toward the highway. "Where does Gerry live?"

"About fifteen miles west of our corporate offices," she answered.

Nick glanced her way. "Okay, we're a good hour away, so I'm going to head in that general direction."

She nodded, hoping Gerry would call her back soon.

Forty-five minutes passed before her new phone rang, and she pounced on it when she saw Gerry's number come across the screen. "Hello?"

"Hi, Rachel, what's going on? What's so urgent?"

She relaxed a bit, hearing the sound of his voice. "Gerry, I'm so glad you called me back. I need your help. Would you mind meeting with me right away?"

"Of course, but why? What's wrong?"

"I'd, uh, rather explain in person."

"Okay, well then why don't you come to my house? We'll have plenty of privacy as Nancy is out visiting her mother, helping her recover from her hip surgery."

Nancy was Gerry's wife and she vaguely remembered that he'd mentioned Nancy's mother needing surgery. "That sounds perfect," she said, feeling relieved to know that Nancy wouldn't be there. "I'll see you in about fifteen minutes or so."                       
       
           



       

Asking Gerry for money wouldn't be easy-he'd been like a father figure to her since her own father had passed away from a sudden heart attack. She didn't like the thought of selling off her company, but she didn't have a choice. She'd give up everything she owned if it meant getting her son back safe and sound.

"You're not going to see him alone," Nick said, breaking into her thoughts.

She glanced at him in surprise. "I wasn't planning to."

He scowled as he navigated the streets heading toward Gerry's house. "But you didn't mention that you'd be coming with someone," he muttered.

"I didn't want to put him on guard," she admitted. "I'm not sure how much I should tell him."

"As little as possible," Nick responded. "No sense in dragging him into this mess."

"You're right. It's bad enough that I'm asking him to bail me out by buying my shares of company stock. And we still have to find a way to convince the bank to bypass their normal requirements to give me the cash immediately."

"One step at a time," he advised.

Gerry's house was much grander than hers, but then again, she preferred the family-friendly neighborhood she'd chosen to raise Joey in. There was nothing better than watching the neighborhood kids get together to play a quick game of soccer or baseball in the park across the street.

She had to shove the poignant memories aside. She needed to believe Joey would play again in the park, as soon as they got him away from the kidnappers.

"This is it," Nick said, as he pulled up into the driveway. There was a large wreath on the door and she could see the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree through the window. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and slowly climbed out of the car. She rang the doorbell and braced herself as Gerry swung open the door. He looked surprised to see Nick standing beside her. "Hi, Rachel, come on in."

She stepped across the threshold and then turned to make introductions. But before she could speak, Nick thrust his hand out. "Gerry, my name is Nick and I'm a good friend of Rachel's. I'm so glad we finally have a chance to meet in person, after all I've heard about you."

Her mouth dropped open, and she quickly closed it again. Nick's message was clear-he did not want to be introduced as a detective.

Gerry accepted Nick's handshake. "Nice to meet you, too," he said, throwing a suspicious gaze at Rachel. "I have to say, Nick, you have the advantage here, because Rachel hasn't mentioned you to me at all."

The reproach in his tone was obvious and she swallowed hard, already hating the way she wasn't being completely up-front and honest with Gerry.