Finn nodded, but his mind wasn’t on the mystery surrounding the missing K-9. He needed to get over to Mikey’s preschool as soon as possible. Knowing that the raspy guy had accosted Eva and threatened her and Mikey so close to the preschool made his blood boil.
Bad enough that they’d dognapped Cocoa, but to threaten an innocent woman and a three-year-old child? The two men must be desperate to get their package back, and he knew only too well that desperate men did equally desperate things.
Traffic was horrible, and it hadn’t even started raining yet, but thankfully Rego Park wasn’t far from Forest Hills, so he made it to the preschool quickly. When he and Abernathy walked up, Eva came out from the doorway, where he surmised she’d watched and waited for him. Her eyes were wide with fear and horror.
He instinctively pulled her into his arms, cradling her close. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded her head, her voice muffled against his chest. “Bruised and sore, that’s all.”
He closed his eyes, thanking God for keeping Eva safe. He never should have let her head home alone. He should have told her to wait for him until he’d finished searching for Snapper. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“It’s not your fault.” She lifted her head to gaze up at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I’m worried about Mikey. We have to find that stupid package, Finn. We have to!”
“Shh, it’s okay. We’ll keep looking, I promise.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “Mikey is inside?”
She sniffled, swiped at her eyes and nodded. “They were working on a finger-painting project for Father’s Day. Mikey wanted to finish it for his dad and told me it was to be a surprise. I assured him I’d wait for you and Abernathy. I also called Pete, but he didn’t answer so I left a message. I didn’t go into detail, because I didn’t want to panic him, but I told him to call me back as soon as possible.”
Finn nodded and glanced around the sidewalk. “Show me where this went down.”
Eva looked a little nervous, so he took her hand in his, noting the rough abrasions on her palm. She led him two blocks away from the preschool and gestured to the narrow alleyway between two buildings. “Here. He grabbed me as I was walking past and shoved me up against the brick building.”
Thinking about how frightened she must have been had him clenching his jaw to keep his temper in check. As if the bruise darkening her cheek wasn’t bad enough, these guys just kept coming after her. He swept his gaze around the area, but there was nothing resembling a clue as to who raspy guy might be. Finn wished he had the tire iron that was used at the guide dog training center with raspy guy’s scent on it, but he’d left it at the crime lab.
With a resigned sigh, he turned back toward Eva. “Okay, we have to assume he’s been following you and knows the location of Mikey’s preschool. I’ll take you and Mikey home, and you’ll need to stay there. It’s too risky to continue bringing him here and going to work. I’ll make sure the cops drive past the place on a regular basis.”
She never hesitated. “I know. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to Mikey. His safety has to be my primary concern.”
He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself either if anything happened to Mikey or Eva. He took her hand again. “I’ll keep you both safe. Let’s get Mikey.”
The little boy greeted them enthusiastically, proudly displaying his finger painting for them to see. Amid the blue-and-green swirls, the child had drawn a family portrait. There were stick figures of a man and a woman with long hair each holding the hand of a little boy who looked just like Mikey. “Auntie Eva, will you help me hide it from my dad? I want it to be a surprise.”
“Of course,” Eva assured him as they walked to the vehicle. Finn could tell she was getting choked up all over again. “How about if we frame it and wrap it up for him? I’m sure he’d love to have your painting hanging on the wall.”
“I’d like that.” Mikey grinned as she placed him in the car seat. “Can we do that today?”