“What if he’s not a nice guy? What if he tries to get money from you before he’ll sign the paper?”

Nick was impressed by Scotty’s grasp of the possibilities. “That could happen, I suppose. If it does, we’ll deal with it then.”

“How will we deal with it? Will you give him money to get him to sign the paper?”

“I’d give him anything he asked for if it meant clearing the way for your adoption. However, Andy has advised me that it’s not a good idea to let money change hands in these situations. The court tends to frown upon it.”

“Because it’s skeevy.”

“Right,” Nick said with a laugh. “Exactly.” He rested a hand on Scotty’s shoulder. “Listen to me. Are you listening?”

Scotty looked at him with those big brown eyes and nodded.

“There is nothing and I do mean nothing Sam and I wouldn’t do to keep you exactly where you belong. I don’t want you to be worried about this or sick over it or stressed out or anything else. It’s all going to be fine. We’ll go up there, we’ll meet him, he’ll sign the paper and we’ll get a judge to finalize your adoption.”

“It may not be that simple.”

“Maybe not,” Nick conceded, “but the end result will be the same. You’re ours. We’re yours. That’s not going to change. No matter what.”

“You’re telling me everything, right?”

“I promised you I would, and I always will. You can count on that.”

“He’s not my father,” Scotty said fiercely. “You are. I don’t want anyone to call him that.”

“You’re going to make me cry, buddy.”

“Men don’t cry.”

“They do when a boy they love with all their heart says something so sweet.” He reached for Scotty and enveloped him in another hug. “It’s all going to be okay. I swear to you.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

Scotty snorted with laughter. “Now you sound like Sam.”

Laughing, Nick released him and stood. “Let’s go do our tour before the party starts.”

“Hey, Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too. You and Sam, you’re the best parents ever, and I feel really lucky that you want me so much.”

“We’re the lucky ones. We say that every day.” As he followed Scotty out of the office, he silently vowed to protect him and the family that meant so much to him with everything he had.

Chapter Twenty

Sam watched Stahl as he made a dozen or more trips from the garage into the family room, carrying items that had clearly been placed there in anticipation of this situation.

Even though she was still berating herself for the stupidity that had put her here, she took tremendous satisfaction from his pronounced limp, which had resulted from the time he attacked her on her own front stoop. He’d left that confrontation with a broken kneecap and a ruptured testicle. That was probably why he had such a hard-on for her, a thought that turned her stomach.

Sam honestly believed she could get through anything he had in store for her as long as he didn’t touch her that way. The thought of being assaulted by him... No. Don’t go there. Do not go there. Think about Nick and Scotty. Think about being with Nick in the loft and in Bora Bora. Think about the love and the joy and the life we have together. Don’t give him one second of any time you have left. And don’t think like that either. That’s not going to help anything.

Watching Stahl unzip a bag that contained a semiautomatic weapon, Sam had to acknowledge the possibility that this wasn’t going to end well for her. He had her tied so tightly she couldn’t do a thing to help herself. She was completely at his mercy, just the way he wanted her.

She wanted to know how he and Marissa had come together to form this unholy alliance. She wanted to ask what he hoped to gain by taking her hostage. He had to know the entire police department would be looking for her. Maybe that’s what he was counting on, and judging from the arsenal laid out in front of her, he was ready for the entire department.

She shifted in the chair, trying to find a comfortable position, which only reminded her of how badly she needed to pee. She absolutely refused to give him the satisfaction of watching her wet her pants. Her bladder could explode before that would happen. The movement sent a shaft of pain through her face and skull, making her see tiny dots of light that often meant the onset of a migraine. She moved her jaw, painfully, trying to determine if it was broken. Didn’t seem to be.

Were they looking for her yet? Freddie and Hill weren’t working today, which meant two of her closest colleagues wouldn’t know she was missing. Gonzo would wonder where she was when she didn’t meet him as planned at HQ. He’d begin to ask questions.

Would he call Nick?

God, Nick, I’m so sorry for doing this to you, my love.If he kills me, Ihope you know I was thinking of you and Scotty and my family.But mostly you.

To pass the time and to give her something else to think about besides whatever unpleasantness Stahl had planned for her and how badly she needed to pee, Sam let her mind wander from the moment she first met Nick on a deck at a party, to the next time she saw him in John O’Connor’s apartment after his boss and best friend had been murdered. She’d tried to resist him in the midst of the politically charged investigation, the first one she’d been on after the Johnson case had ended in disaster.

Truth be told, she’d actually done a horrible job of resisting him. The night she’d gone to his place in Arlington, they’d been so hot for each other, they’d practically done it standing up against his door the minute she walked into the house. They’d done it against a wall the very first time, she recalled. The night they’d met seven years ago. At the time, it had been the hottest sex of her life, but he’d topped himself many times since then in the year they’d been back together.

She smiled to herself, and then winced in pain, when she recalled the bet she’d made with him—that he couldn’t make her come three times in thirty minutes. Not surprisingly, he’d won the bet and set their wedding date for six short weeks later.

Their wedding, which had been the most incredible day of her life. Nick’s mother had shown up uninvited, but Sam had gotten rid of her before she could ruin anything for him. They’d had the same words, “You’re my home,” inscribed on the inside of their wedding bands. Despite the ropes tied tightly around her wrists, she could reach her ring with her thumb, rubbing back and forth against the cool metal reminder of all she had to live for.

Her mind drifted to the blissful days and nights they’d spent in Bora Bora on their honeymoon. She wanted to ask him if they could go back again this year to celebrate their first anniversary. What was the first anniversary gift again? Paper. That’s right. She would write him a letter and tell him how much she loved him and wanted to spend the next fifty or sixty years with him.

Fifty or sixty years. Right now she’d be perfectly satisfied with fifty or sixty more hours with him.

That all his greatest fears for her safety could’ve led to this broke her heart into a million pieces, imagining him getting the news that she was missing and maybe dead.

Tears made her eyes burn, so she closed them tightly to keep the tears from escaping. She wouldn’t give Stahl the satisfaction of seeing her bawl either. But oh, how she wanted to bawl when she imagined how Nick would suffer over losing her. And there was no way Stahl would let her out of here alive. Not when he’d already tried to kill her once.

It occurred to her, as she contemplated the possible end of her life, that she’d been extremely lucky up to now. She’d gotten through situations that should’ve killed or badly injured her. And she’d managed to steer clear of her many enemies.