The Billionaire's Son. Sharon Hartley
flinched as if the kid had struck him, and rose in a smooth athletic movement.
The feds all exchanged alarmed glances.
Coming to her feet, Kelly asked softly, “Don’t you want to go to your daddy, Jason?”
“No. I want to stay with you, Mommy.”
“But you know I’m not your mommy,” Kelly said.
Jason began to cry again.
Kelly tried to pry his fingers from her clothing and hand Jason over. This kid had a problem far beyond her limited expertise as a rookie cop. He needed serious help, likely a shrink. She felt for the poor little guy. She’d had plenty of experience with shrink stuff.
“Jason, come on,” she said. “Let go.”
“Stop it,” Wentworth ordered.
The force of Wentworth’s command caused everyone in the room to look at him.
Kelly met his furious gaze, and again that strange sensation of raw power flowed over her.
“You’re upsetting him,” Wentworth said. “Leave him alone.”
“I’m upsetting him?”
“Just give him a minute, okay?” Wentworth ran a hand through his perfectly cut hair. “He’s confused. He’s been through a lot.”
Kelly plopped back down in the chair. “Yeah, well, so have I. What’s going on here?”
One of the suits stepped forward. “Officer Jenkins, I’m Special Agent Walt Ballard.”
“FBI?”
“Yes.”
Kelly nodded. “I knew you were a fed.”
“Why don’t you fill us in,” Ballard said. “How did you meet Jason?”
Beginning with her first sight of Jason, Kelly relayed what had occurred in the park.
“You used martial arts to knock a gun out of the man’s hand?” Wentworth interrupted in a shocked voice.
Kelly nodded. “Instinct. These guys were amateurs. I mean, come on, they let a kid get away from them.”
“An amateur could still shoot my son.” Wentworth glared at her as if she were the criminal.
“You’re upset because I kicked the gun from his hand?” Kelly demanded, glaring right back. “So I should have just handed him over to the bad guys?”
“Go on, Officer Jenkins,” Ballard said.
Kelly squared her shoulders and continued, ending with concise descriptions of Caleb and Adam.
“The last I saw them they were hauling ass toward the marina. The Miami PD sent officers after them. I assume this is a kidnapping?”
“Yes,” Ballard replied. “Apparently there was a miscommunication on the drop site.”
Wentworth muttered something about the Keystone Cops.
Ballard turned to Wentworth. “Jason is safe, Mr. Wentworth. Your continued sarcasm isn’t necessary or helpful.”
“Safe?” Wentworth spit out. “He’s clinging to some strange woman I’ve never seen before who almost got him shot, and he thinks he found his mother.”
“Yeah, well, this strange woman likely saved your son’s life.”
“If you had done your job correctly, the way I—”
“Hey, guys.” Kelly shouted over the rising voices. She placed her hand protectively on Jason’s head as he burrowed into her shoulder. His entire body shook with the force of his sobs.
Wentworth whirled on her.
Kelly met his penetrating gaze. “This is so not what this little boy needs right now,” she told him in a quiet voice.
TREY STRUGGLED TO control his frustration as he watched his precious son—his blessedly alive son—weep on the female cop’s shoulder. Why was he lashing out at Ballard? The angry voices only confused Jason—upset him worse. But the way his son looked at him had pierced him to his core—like everything bad in the world was his daddy’s fault. And maybe it was.
Officer Jenkins murmured soothingly to Jason, and his sobs gradually diminished.
“Gentlemen,” the woman said in a level tone, her hand cupping Jason’s head. “This strange woman is freezing her ass off and really would like someone to call her lieutenant.”
After a long quiet moment, she said, “Please?” in a hopeful tone.
Noting gooseflesh on Jenkins’s long legs, Trey removed his jacket and wrapped it around her and Jason. He took the opportunity to give his son a quick kiss on his flushed cheek before stepping back. Jason’s gaze locked with his briefly before he turned away.
“Thank you,” Jenkins said meaningfully. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
“Of course,” Trey said.
Ballard raised his phone. “Give me a number,” he said. “I’ll explain the situation to your department.”
She gave Ballard the information, and the agent stepped out of the room with his two colleagues, leaving Trey alone with Jenkins and his son. Trey sat in a chair beside them. His son still refused to look at him and sucked on a thumb, something he hadn’t done in a while. Trey rubbed Jason’s back, grateful the agents had left.
“Thank you for rescuing my son,” he told Jenkins.
“You’re welcome.” She glanced down to Jason then carefully mouthed, “Where is his mom?”
“Dead,” Trey mouthed back.
She closed her eyes.
“Hey, buddy,” Trey said. “How are you doing?”
Jason buried his face deeper into the officer’s shoulder.
“Don’t you want to say hello to your daddy?” Officer Jenkins prompted. “I know he’s been very worried about you.”
After a moment, Jason raised his head. “Hi, Daddy,” he said in a small voice.
With a rush of relief, Trey nodded his thanks to Jenkins.
Jason placed his small hand on the woman’s cheek. “Don’t send Mommy away again, Daddy.”
Jenkins’s bright blue eyes widened.
Trey shook his head. “Of course not, buddy,” he soothed. He knew Jason blamed him for his mother going away. He was too young to understand divorce, the accident or Darlene’s death, and right now was crazy mixed-up. He needed time and more therapy to get his memory straight.
Jenkins eyed him suspiciously, probably wondering what he’d done to make the kid act so hostile toward him. God, she likely thought he was some kind of monster. He tried to smile at her reassuringly, but she only narrowed her eyes.
His son had certainly picked the right stranger to help him, and he got why Jason had latched on to her. Definitely pretty, though rough around the edges. Blond hair, blue eyes, tall, slender, all the same as Darlene. When she couldn’t get pharmaceuticals, Darlene used running to control her weight and often took Jason with her in a special stroller. Likely the physical resemblance and the jogging had gotten his son all twisted up. What his daddy needed to do was untwist him without causing more damage.
He needed to get Jason home. If his son fell asleep in his own bed, maybe when he woke up in familiar surroundings he’d be grounded in reality again. Dr. Carico could resume regular therapy. Obviously, they’d cut back on treatment too soon.