Page 35 of The Maverick

Nick and Reggie hurried up to the house, arriving just as one of Nick’s security officers arrived with an older woman.

“Mrs. Ralston. How are you? Please come in.” Nick ushered the sturdily built woman into his office. “Reggie, see if you can find Sarah and get us some coffee. How do you take yours?” He asked the bus driver.

“I don’t need coffee. Thank you though.” She sat in front of Nick’s desk. “I just thought you might want to know that Jake’s mom, Ms. Foster-Bennett, got in a car with a man. She didn’t seem happy about it. Shook her head a couple of times before finally getting in.” She looked down at her hands where they rested in her lap.

Nick leaned against the front of the desk, his hands curling around its edge while she talked. “Did you see where the car went?.”

“Well, I thought it was odd for them to be following the bus. But then when we hit the exit for the south bound traffic, that’s when it passed me. The car drove onto the on ramp for southbound Highway 85. And he seemed to be in a hurry, like someone was chasing him. He passed on the double yellow line. I didn’t really think much of it, but Ms. Foster-Bennet took a moment, looked up at me and mouthed “Help.” I couldn’t ignore it or her, so I came here as soon as I could.”

Nick leaned over and laid a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “You did the right thing. We are attempting to locate Ms. Foster-Bennett, and this could be just the information we need. Mrs. Ralston, thank you for coming forward.”

She smiled and stood, her dyed blonde hair escaping the confines of the bun at her neck.

Nick extended his hand. He hoped this was the break he’d prayed for. “Thank you again. I’m glad Bailey and Jake have someone like you taking care of them.”

She blushed. “The kids are my number one concern. I will get them to and from school safely. You can count on that.”

“I do. Let me show you out.”

“Thank you, but I can find my way.” She left the room.

Nick watched her go. “He was heading back into Denver. There is only one place for him to go.”

“Two places,” said Reggie. “His motel or?—”

“Rachel’s house.”

Reggie nodded. “How do you want to do this?”

Nick narrowed his eyes. “As quietly as possible. Get the Denver team on it right away. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I need to talk to Sarah first.”

“I’m on it.” Reggie already had his phone out, and he was talking to the Denver team.

Nick left and searched for Sarah. He found her in the kitchen. It looked like she was making bread. “Sarah, I need for you to watch Bailey and Jake when they get home from school. They are to play inside. We have a situation. Rachel has been kidnapped by her ex-husband and is in danger. I’m going after her now.”

She stopped kneading the bread. “Oh, my gosh. I’ll take care of the kids. Don’t worry about them. They’ll be safe with me. You know I’ll give my life for them.”

Nick put his right hand on her shoulder. “I know. Thank you.”

“Of course. Now, you just go get Rachel back.”

Nick nodded and left to get Reggie. He found him in the weapons room in the security building.

“What do you want to carry?”

“The Glock. I can put it in the back of my pants. I also want us to wear Kevlar vests. The man might be armed. That’s the only thing that makes sense. Rachel wouldn’t have gotten in the car for any other reason.”

Reggie handed him the gun, butt first. “Agreed.” He walked to a closet and pulled out two vests. “Ready?”

Nick nodded. “The sooner I get her back the happier I’ll be.”

Both men piled into the Lincoln Navigator.

Reggie drove.

Nick was much too nervous to drive. Even though his jaw was clenched and he constantly tapped on the armrest, he didn’t say a word. At this point he just wanted to scream his frustration. What if Greg hurt her? If he had, it would be the last thing he would ever do.

The forty-minute trip to Rachel’s house seemed like hours to Nick. His stomach produced so much acid he worried he’d have a hole in his esophagus before the day was out.