Chapter Two

      Danielle was aware of the possible security breach, also aware that a leak could compromise everything, but all of those concerns faded when she heard Luke’s voice.

      “I don’t like doctors,” he told her. It wasn’t said in a bossy way. The boy was frightened.

      “Don’t worry. I’m not that kind of doctor. I don’t give shots.”

      “Good. ‘Cause I don’t like shots, neither.”

      Colin was whispering something to Tom, but Danielle shut that out. “What do you like, Luke? Do you like to watch TV?”

      “Yeah. I like Spider-Man, too.”

      Danielle smiled in spite of the situation. “Why is he your favorite?”

      “He kinda gets to fly. That’d be fun. I could fly up high with the birds and not fall.”

      Danielle was relieved that he seemed to be relaxing a bit. “I’ll bet it would be fun. Do you play video games, too?”

      “Sure. I got lots of ‘em, but the funnest is Safari Explorer. I play with my daddy.” He paused. “Can my daddy come and get me?”

      “Soon,” she assured him. She heard the tremble in his voice and knew she had to pull him away from that reaction. Judging from Boyd’s comments, the tone could set him off. Danielle wanted them both calm. “Luke, have you found the lost baby giraffe in Safari Explorer?”

      “Not yet. The purple hippos knock my boat over.”

      She mentally went through the levels of the game. “Ah, there’s a trick to that. Want me to tell you what it is?” Danielle glanced out of the corner of her eye. Colin was staring at her now.

      “Yes, please,” Luke said. She’d found her connection, and now she had to make the most of it.

      “How about I just give you a hint about how to get to the baby giraffe? That way, it’ll still be your game, and I won’t really be helping you too much.”

      “Okay.”

      The hopeful little voice cut her to the bone. She wanted to get him out of there. But she couldn’t. Creating a distraction and keeping the situation calm was the only thing she could do right now. “Here’s the hint, Luke. When you cross the river, don’t go in a straight line. Do you know what that means, not to go in a straight line?”

      “Sure, I do. I’m smart, and I can do it. This time, I bet I get away from those hippos.”

      “I’ll bet you do, too. You’ll get to the other side, and you’ll be one step closer to finding the baby giraffe.” She took a moment and thought out her next move. “Luke, why don’t you put Mr. Perkins back on the phone?”

      That earned her a raised eyebrow from Colin. “What are you doing?” he mouthed.

      “What I need to do,” she mouthed back.

      Oh, yes. There it was. The inevitable tension. When Callie had called her and asked her to come to the Vaughn estate, Danielle hadn’t known that Colin would be there. But if she had, it still wouldn’t have stopped her. She wanted to help this child, even if she had to go through the emotional roadblock that Colin would create.

      Besides, she needed to talk to Colin.

      At least Danielle thought she did. She was in her element talking to Luke, but her soon-to-be ex was a different story. Communication had never been their strong suit. Ironic, considering their jobs both hinged on excellent verbal interaction.

      “Yeah?” Boyd snapped when he came back on the line.

      “I need a favor,” Danielle calmly explained. “This is something that’ll help all of us, you especially. A three-year-old child gets bored easily, and if Luke’s bored, he’ll keep thinking about what’s going on. He’ll keep whining.” She nearly choked on the word. It wasn’t whining when a child was being held hostage. It was a natural human reaction.

      “So how do I keep him from not being bored?” Boyd wanted to know.

      “Let Luke play his video games. No matter where you are in the house, the system shouldn’t be that hard for you to set up. In fact, he’ll probably be able to help you with that because Luke’s very smart.” She needed to remind this monster that he was dealing with a precious life. “While you’re at it, give him some books, crayons—”

      “And that’ll keep him quiet?”

      Danielle decided to push a little. “Well, the only sure way to keep him quiet is to release him so he can be with his family.”

      “You’re wasting your breath, Doc.”

      Fine. That was Colin’s area anyway. She’d leave that to him. “Just please give Luke the activities to do. And make sure he’s eating right. Not too many sweets, or it might make him hyper or irritable. Do you have a good supply of food at the estate? If not, we can have some brought in—”

      “I’ll give the kid his video games. That’s all you need to be concerned with.”

      “How do you know me?” Danielle asked before he could end the call. “Have we met before?”

      Boyd laughed. Not from humor, though. It seemed as if he was taunting her. And then he hung up.

      Colin reached over, turned off the recorder and made some notes. “I think he has a visual on the van. Maybe some hidden camera that the owner didn’t know about.” He seemed to be talking to himself. “If he saw us get inside here, he could have used a laptop to do a computer search.”

      Yes, but that wouldn’t explain how he knew her name so he could do such a search. And that only added to all the other questions and concerns.

      Danielle tried to control her reaction. She tried to tamp down her breathing and her racing heart. But she failed. Her breath shattered, and she got up, despite the sudden dizzy spell. She had to get out of there. She couldn’t come unglued, not in front of Colin.

      “Are you…okay?” Colin asked.

      “Fine,” she lied.

      Danielle knew she couldn’t go far in case Boyd called right back, but she maneuvered herself around Colin. No easy task