Her Mistletoe Protector

Walsh wasn’t entirely thrilled to hear what had transpired. “I’m glad you got the kid back, but we need to keep looking for the link to the Mafia,” he said. “When are you coming in to file your report?”

“Soon,” Nick hedged. “Just let me know as soon as you hear anything about Morales or the Jeep, okay?” He disconnected from the call.

“Where to?” Jonah asked, as he turned off the dirt road and back onto the highway.

“That’s a good question,” Nick muttered, as he rummaged around for the first-aid kit. “We should probably pick up my car first.”

“No, we need to stop for something to eat, first,” Rachel said from the backseat. “Joey’s hungry.”

“Is he all right? Or should we get him checked out by a doctor?”

“Physically, he looks fine,” Rachel said after a moment’s pause.

He knew she was already worried about the emotional trauma Joey may have suffered. “You’re right, eat first and then pick up my car.”

From there, he wasn’t sure, other than he wasn’t going to take Rachel or Joey back to their home.

Not until he knew for sure they were safe.

* * *

Rachel knew she was smothering Joey, but she couldn’t seem to stop touching him—his hair, his arm, his knee—to remind herself that he was actually sitting right here beside her.

Thank You, Lord, for keeping my son safe!

There was a tiny voice in the back of her mind telling her that there was a good chance God didn’t have anything to do with getting Joey back safely, but she was too emotionally drained to listen. Right now, she found an odd comfort in believing God had been with them through those horrible moments when she’d faced Morales.

“Can we eat at Mr. Burger’s?” Joey asked in a soft, hesitant voice. His lack of confidence broke her heart.

“Of course,” she agreed, even though she normally avoided those types of fast-food joints like the plague. “Nick, let me know if you see a Mr. Burger’s.”

“There’s one up ahead,” Jonah pointed out. She wasn’t surprised, as they were everywhere. A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot. Jonah swiveled in his seat. “Inside? Or drive-through?”

“Drive-through,” Nick said, before she had a chance to respond. “All of us going inside would draw too much attention.”

She belatedly remembered his bloodstained jacket. “The drive-through is fine.”

Nick warned her to go light on Joey’s food, as they placed their order. She went with both a chocolate shake and a soda for her son, along with chicken pieces. No one else ordered anything to eat, including Rachel. The nausea that she’d lived with for the past few hours had dissolved, but she still wasn’t hungry.

Jonah kept driving as Joey ate. He only ate about half his food before declaring that he was full. The thought of her son going hungry gnawed away at her, although she was grateful he didn’t appear to be physically abused. The only indication of what he’d suffered was the traumatized expression in his eyes.

“That’s okay, we can save the rest for later,” she said, bundling up the leftovers.

They reached the hotel parking lot where they’d left Nick’s car, and there was a heated debate between Jonah and Nick about what to do next.

“Go home to your pregnant wife, Jonah,” Nick said stubbornly. “If I need anything more, I’ll let you know.”

“I’m not leaving when you’re wounded,” Jonah argued. “Besides, where are you going to go?”

“My mother’s uncle has a cabin in Wisconsin,” Nick said. “I thought we’d go there for a while. I still have my laptop and we can maybe do some searching while we’re there. Hopefully, we’ll hear some good news from my boss soon.”

“A cabin?” Joey echoed, his eyes wide with enthusiasm. “Can we go to the cabin, Mom? Can we?”

She couldn’t bear to deny Joey anything. At least not now. Of course, they’d have to go back home, eventually, to figure out their next steps, now that she didn’t have her company anymore. “If that’s what Nick thinks is best,” she murmured.

“I don’t have enough cash to keep going to motels,” he said, his tone apologetic. “Besides, Morales is going to report back to whoever hired him that you weren’t there alone. I’m worried they might be able to spot my car if we stick around here. I think the cabin is the safest place for us to be right now.”