Corporate Affair (29 page)

Later, after Grace had eaten her lunch, they put her in the stroller and walked the mile and a half into town. On this sunny Sunday afternoon, there was hardly a person or a car to be seen. It occurred to Aiden that the strangest thing about this little outing was that he didn’t feel strange about it at all. He smiled to himself, reflecting that on most Sunday afternoons, he would be pursuing some seasonable activity on the mountain, in the woods, on the ocean, and would most likely be taking some girl to bed in the evening.

This immersion into sudden domesticity should have jolted him somehow, but instead, he felt calm and surprisingly at ease. When Grace squirmed and fussed in the stroller, Aiden bent down and picked her up. His strong hands, which had only held his nieces and nephews on occasion, handled baby Grace as though he had been carrying babies daily all his life. Her chubby little body fit easily into the crook of his arm, and she sat there, instinctively feeling safe, looking down on the world around her with the air of a queen looking down from her throne.

They walked back to the house this way, Jordan pushing the empty stroller and Aiden walking beside her with Grace cradled against his hip. The rest of the day was spent in a golden haze, any thought outside their own little sphere far from their minds. They were oblivious to anything except the tiny magical bubble in which they found themselves. They drank beer and talked. They laughed. They touched and kissed, happy to not have to contain their affection, happy in their own company.

When the sun began to slide behind the hills, Jordan fed Grace her supper, bathed her, and after reading a couple of stories, put her to bed in the little nursery across from her own room. The spring night was balmy. Aiden stood in the doorway as Jordan opened the window a few inches to let the fresh air in, and he joined her at the side of the crib until Grace fell asleep. They lingered for a bit, and Aiden marveled at the connection between mother and child. Finally, Jordan sighed contentedly, and she and Aiden left the room, leaving the door open a small crack.

“Are you hungry?” Jordan asked Aiden as they walked back into the living room. He was standing at the big window, gazing out over the hills. The sun had set and the warm spring evening was washed in the deepening blue of the encroaching night. Aiden could see the lights from the town and here and there, the warm yellow glow from neighboring homes as people enjoyed their supper hour.

“I could eat something.” He came up behind her as she stood facing the open refrigerator door. She felt the little thrill in her soul as he put a hand on each of her hips and kissed the back of her neck. “I could eat you,” he whispered. “That’s all I need.”

Jordan laughed. “That’s for dessert. How about a steak? I can fire up the grill, and we can eat out on the deck. It’s a beautiful evening.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Aiden. “I can do the man thing and grill the steaks.”

“Good, then you get the grill going. I’ll make a salad and some potato wedges.”

They had a delicious and intimate meal. Jordan set the table with candles and opened a bottle of red wine. They ate slowly and laughed together softly as they enjoyed the peace and contentment that had settled over them.

Later, as they cleared dishes, Aiden noticed how easily they worked together. They had developed a natural familiarity that was testimony to their love. They went to bed early, slipping naked under the fragrant sheets of Jordan’s bed. Aiden wrapped his arms around her, and they lay quietly, face to face, for some time, each listening to the other breathe. Finally, Jordan let her hand slip down his hip, over his muscled groin. He groaned contentedly as he felt the fire flare up between them.

This time their lovemaking was slower and more deliberate. The frantic, almost egocentric passion gave way to a need to discover each other, to understand who this person they so loved was. To Aiden, it felt as though he was seeing Jordan for the first time and that she was more beautiful than ever. Her large blue eyes were more luminous. Her ample alabaster breasts, flushed pink with desire, seemed softer. The heat from her body was more seductive, all because he was learning who this woman was. He could read her now. He trusted his soul to her.

Jordan gasped as Aiden’s hand move down her belly, tickling her navel, skimming the surface of her skin as he sought the hot, wet place between her legs. She opened her thighs to allow him in. Aiden bent his head to that tender place between her thighs. The scent of her was intoxicating. He caressed her with his lips until she was writhing. He brought himself up and knelt between her legs, pushing into her all at once, seeking the hot vortex of her. In that moment, he wanted to possess all of her. He would have all of her that there was to have.

Jordan groaned and moved against his hips as he thrust into her again and again. They clasped each other as they would have clasped a life preserver in a flood, riding their own waves until their desire broke over them, drenching them both in a torrent of physical rapture, swirling their souls together as though they were froth on the tips of those waves of desire.

Aiden collapsed on her, trying to get as close as he could. He felt her relax under him, felt her hands resting so softly on his back. He rolled gently from her, careful to keep her cradled against him. He whispered in her ear, “I love you, Jordan. I love you.”

Her head rested over his heart, and she kissed him there. “I love you, too, Aiden,” she whispered back, just before they drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Fifteen

A
IDEN
W
AS
W
AKENED
sometime later by an odd, sharp cry. It was like nothing he had ever heard. Panicked, he pulled himself up out of his sleep, fighting his way up through the layers of unconsciousness until he could open his eyes. The room was softly illuminated with moonlight. He saw Jordan pulling on a robe and rushing out the door. Then he heard a ghastly, strangled shriek.

Aiden vaulted out of bed and across the hallway, into Grace’s room. Jordan was hysterical, throwing the bedding out of the crib.

“What is it!” he shouted.

Jordan wheeled, her eyes wide and frantic, the veins in her neck and forehead swelled and throbbing. She spoke in gasps of air. “Grace!” she gasped. “Grace! She’s gone. Somebody’s taken her!”

The room began to whirl. Aiden gripped the door jamb to steady himself. He turned, ran back into the bedroom, picked up his phone, and punched 9-1-1 with shaking fingers.

“Nine-one-one dispatch. What is your emergency?”

“There’s been a kidnapping. Send the police immediately!”

“What is the location, sir?”

“1020 Stage Coach Road. The Fitzgerald residence. Hurry!”

“Your name?”

“Aiden Stewart. Look, can you just hurry up!”

“Who has been kidnapped, sir?”

“Please, send somebody now!”

“Sir, who is missing?”

“Jordan Fitzgerald’s little daughter! She’s been abducted! Please, hurry!”

“We’re sending someone now. Please stay on the phone until they arrive, sir.” Aiden glanced at the phone and purposely terminated the call. He ran back into Grace’s room. Jordan was on the floor, her face in her hands.

“It’s my fault!” she sobbed. “It’s my fault! I opened the window when I put her to bed!”

Aiden reached down and brought Jordan to her feet. “I’m getting dressed,” he said. “It just happened. I’m going to look for her. Wait here. Police are coming.”

Jordan nodded automatically, and Aiden raced across the hallway. As he threw on his T-shirt and jeans, he heard the door slam and knew Jordan had taken off anyway. Quickly, he slipped on his sneakers and ran out into the night.

He could see Jordan at the far end of the yard, where the lawn was bordered by the woods. He was not familiar enough with his surroundings, but Jordan was. He ran and caught up with her.

“Did you hear a car?” Aiden’s voice echoed in Jordan’s head.

“What?…No, no, I didn’t.” Her teeth were chattering with fear and shock.

“Where are we? What’s beyond those woods?”

“I don’t know if anybody came this way. I don’t know why I ran out here. Aiden, I don’t know what to do!”

“What’s on the other side of those woods?” he repeated, putting his arm around her.

“There’s just a narrow strip of woods between here and River Street, the next street over.”

“I’m going in there. I might still find something.”

“You’ll stay right here,” said a quiet voice behind them. They both turned. John Giamo stood there, his young deputy, Tim Cully, in tow.

“John!” sobbed Jordan when she saw him. “John! Somebody’s taken Grace!” She slumped into Aiden, and he held her with both arms.

“State police are already on River Street, Jordan. Can we go into the house? I need to ask you questions right away. We have to act fast. Cully, you scan the perimeter here and then go through those woods until you’re on River Street. Check with State Police. See what they’ve found.”

The deputy nodded and jogged off toward the wood line.

“Let’s go inside,” Giamo repeated gently. He led the way, and Aiden followed, holding Jordan.

The police chief sat down at the kitchen table. Aiden pulled out the chair across from him and guided Jordan, who clutched her robe around her, into it. Then he pulled out a chair for himself and sat beside her. Giamo took a recorder out of his pocket and set it on the table.

“Clark’s Corner Police Chief John Giamo. Interview with Jordan Fitzgerald. May eighteenth, two thirty a.m.,” he said. “We’re taping this, Jordan.”

Jordan nodded, glad to have the police chief there, ready to help. She’d always respected him; now she was relieved to have him by her side.

“When did you find her missing, Jordan?” asked Giamo.

“About half an hour ago. I—I heard her cry! I heard her cry! John, what if she’s hurt? What will I do if she’s hurt?”

Jordan’s tears roll down her face. Aiden scooted his chair closer to her, his arm across her shoulders. She leaned into him, finding comfort in having him with her.

“Shhh, Jordan. We’ll find her. We’ve got cops all over the place as we speak. You reported it right away.” Giamo reached out and put a large hand over Jordan’s small fist, resting clenched on the table top. Jordan nodded. She gave a shuddering sigh and wiped her eyes. Suddenly, she began to shake all over.

“Jordan, are you all right?” Aiden asked. Jordan nodded again, but her teeth were chattering. She couldn’t seem to control the shaking.

Giamo looked concerned. “Look, why don’t you just try to relax a minute. I’m going to get a call in to Cully and see if he’s found anything.” Giamo reached for his pager, and at that moment, a voice came crackling through.

“John, it’s Becky. Call in, please.” Jordan recognized the voice of Becky Dearborne, the local dispatcher and police department secretary. Becky knew everything of any importance that was happening in the town, day or night.

Giamo stood as he took out his cell phone and stopped the recorder. “Excuse me a moment,” he said to Jordan as he called in to the department. “I’m here, Becky. What is it?” He walked into the living room, but they could still hear his conversation. The cold hands of panic clutched tightly around her throat as she visualized her daughter in the hands of a stranger. “You say Caleb’s there? I’ll get down there right away.” He slipped the phone back in its carrier as he rejoined them in the kitchen.

“John, what is it?” Jordan held her hand to her chest, her breathing ragged.

“Becky got a call from Caleb Cochran. There’s a fire at Chat. The building’s on fire.” He paused, and Jordan could see his frustration as he slowly drew his hand down his face. “Dayton reported seeing a man lurking near the building, and he said he thinks the guy may have been holding a child.”

Jordan stood up. “I’m coming with you.”

“You’re not even dressed. Go ahead and get yourself ready.” Giamo was already on his way out the door. “I’ll meet you down there.” He closed the door behind him.

Jordan dashed to the bedroom as the flashing blue lights disappeared down the drive. It took all her energy to shake off the fear that had paralyzed her. She forced herself into her clothes and captured her hair up in a ponytail.

“She’s going to be okay, Jordan,” Aiden said as they rushed out the door to the car. “Grace is going to be okay.”