Abducted at Christmas by Rhonda Starnes

Author:Rhonda Starnes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-07-19T19:53:14+00:00

FOURTEEN

“Amen,” Hadley echoed Ryan as she hugged Sophia’s stuffed animal close, her anxiety easing for the first time since they’d discovered Sophia missing. “Thank you for leading the prayer. In situations like this it’s easy to forget Who is in control.”

He offered her a half smile, his face showing remorse. “Actually, I needed the reminder, too. Now, let’s make a plan to—”

“What’s this?” She pressed the stuffed panda’s right ear between her fingers. “There’s something hard inside Mr. Bamboo’s ear.”

“Let me see.” Ryan took the beloved toy and placed it on the table.

In the light, Hadley could see a loose gray thread that didn’t match the rest of the threads. Grasping the end, she pulled it loose, and a small white square piece of plastic dropped onto the table.

“Tracking device. No wonder they found us everywhere we hid,” Ryan stated flatly.

“How were they able to put it in there without my knowledge?”

“I’m not sure, but I do know one thing. This is proof that the person responsible is someone you know and have been in contact with in the last week or so.”

Her phone rang. Carlton McIntyre’s name flashed on the screen, and she gasped. “I forgot about Carlton. He’s the only person I know who might be able to get the money for the kidnappers.”

She reached for the phone, but Ryan grabbed it before she could. “Why would he be calling at this time of night? How can you be sure he’s not involved in this?”

“Don’t be silly. Why would he want to harm Sophia? We’ve been going out to his ranch for riding lessons for months. If he’d wanted to snatch her, he had better opportunities than this. Besides, he is the last person to need money like that. And he knows I don’t have that kind of cash.” The phone rang for the third time. She held out her hand, expectantly.

“Okay, but we put it on speaker.” Ryan slid his finger across the screen to answer the call, and then pressed the speaker symbol.

Hadley took a deep breath and released it, in hopes her voice would sound normal. “Hello?”

“Hadley, is everything okay? You ended our phone conversation abruptly earlier, and I just saw an Amber Alert for a five-year-old girl. I’m worried about you and Sophia. Tell me you’re both fine,” he demanded.

“Now, Daddy, settle down. The odds of it being Sophia are very slim,” Carlton’s daughter, Mikael McIntyre, said in the background. “Give Hadley a chance to answer. You’ll see.”

How much should she share? She looked to Ryan for guidance. He nodded. Hadley swallowed. “Actually, the Amber Alert child is Sophia.”

“What!” Carlton roared, and Hadley could picture his calloused hands fisted at his side and a pensive expression on his weathered face. “Who took her? What can we do to help you get her back? Have you called the FBI?”

“Shhh... Daddy, let her speak,” Mikael scolded. “Go ahead, Hadley, fill us in on the details.”

“There aren’t many details to share,” Ryan spoke up.

“Who’s that? Is it the police? Why are you sitting around doing nothing? Get out there and find my little sweetheart.

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