Controlled Burn (Blackbridge Security 8)

“What can we do?” Jude asks as he stands from the sofa, his hand still holding Parker’s, who was sitting beside him.

All of these people have been congregated in the breakroom for hours, waiting helplessly for any word about the situation.

“The kids are probably starving. They’re going to need to be comfortable and distracted.”

“We’re on it,” Anna, my boss’s wife, says as she steps forward after a quick glance in her sleeping baby’s direction.

The little guy is sleeping through the chaos in Hayden’s arms.

Whitney and Parker stand from the sofas they’re sitting on.

“I’ve got to go,” I tell them. “But thank you for being here.”

I let my eyes roam over every person in the room, my heart swelling with gratitude, but then I bolt.

I don’t bother obeying traffic laws on the way to the police station. If I get pulled over, I’m sure I can convince the officer to give me an escort to get the kids.

I’m stopped by a stern-looking man as I enter the police substation where the kids are.

“Can we talk?”

My eyes drop to the name tag on his chest, noticing it reads OLSEN. This is the guy that called Wren.

I nod, following him to the corner of the room, my eyes darting all over to locate the kids.

“Are they hurt?”

He shakes his head. “They aren’t hurt. What I was able to determine is that the kids were picked up at school by some guy with a dragon tattoo on his neck.”

I file this information away because Wren may be able to identify him with it.

“That man took them to the park. The oldest boy told us that they played for a while, and he didn’t think anything of it when he noticed the man had left. You know kids, they don’t pay much attention. He said the little boy complained about being hungry, so they went to find the man and couldn’t. It was nearly dark before a woman walking the track around the park noticed them alone and called the police.”

“They were there until dark? The fucking Amber Alert went out at four-thirteen.”

The cop frowns in solidarity. “You know how people are. Their phone chimes and they just rush to turn the alarm off. I doubt hardly anyone pays much attention. The woman who called it in admitted that she does the very same thing, but despite not knowing the details of the alert, she knew it wasn’t okay for children that young to be out that late on their own.”

“I need to get my kids,” I tell him.

“I spoke with Deacon Black and then referred that call to my supervisor. I have clearance to release them to you, but I hope you understand why I’m cautious.”

“I appreciate your diligence, Officer Olsen.”

He nods before guiding me through a thick door that reads POLICE PERSONNEL ONLY.

Kayleigh is the first to see me, and she screeches as she jumps up from her seat at a small table, running across the room. She flings herself into my arms but isn’t really interested in the hug I have to offer. Her little hands press against my chest, and she looks up at me with a wide smile.

“We played at the park for hours, and Kason even pushed me on the swing!”

I look to her brother, and even though they’re the same age, I can tell Kason is more aware of what’s going on than Kayleigh is.

“Hey!” Knox says, pulling his eyes from the mostly blue crayon drawing he’s working on. “We got chicken nuggets.”

The Happy Meals have been consumed and long forgotten.

“You guys ready to head to the office?” I ask as Kayleigh wiggles out of my arms.

“Yes!” Knox says, and he abandons his drawing.

“Let’s clean up in here before we head out.”

I turn to find a woman handing a booster seat to Officer Olsen and I could hug and kiss them both for taking Knox’s size into consideration.

“Figured you may need this.”

“Thanks,” I tell him, taking the booster when he holds it out for me. “What I have with Kendall is new, but I’d never let anything bad happen to those kids.”

We both stand here and watch as the three kids clean up their dinner trash, and Kason is extra attentive in helping Knox gather his crayons and stuff them back into his backpack.

“My wife is a nurse and she swung by to see them. They don’t have any physical injuries, but that oldest boy has a lot of questions. Still no word on their mother?”

I swallow a lump forming in my throat. “No.”

I haven’t until now considered that although the kids are safe, things may not be so good for Kendall. I haven’t even called her brother Ezra to let him know what’s going on. Thinking of him makes my head go to a dark place, one that includes burying their mother and having to watch a man who took off to Vegas take custody of these kids. I honestly don’t think I could ever let that happen. I wasn’t lying about what I have with Kendall being new, but I’ll be damned if I lose her to some piece of shit and then walk away from her kids, too.