***
WHILE EMMA WAS SLEEPING, Sawyer stepped out into the gravel parking area and took the opportunity to call his mother. “Hello, Mom?”
Her voice sounded in his ear. “Hello, Son. Have you had any luck?”
“What do you think I am, a miracle worker?” he retorted fondly.
“No, I just know you. Once you start working on something, you don’t stop until you’ve resolved it,” she replied with a chuckle. “Your dad used to call you a dog with a bone,” she added wistfully.
Sawyer snorted. “Where did he think I got it from? But to answer your question, yes, I’ve found Emma and Levi. There’s been some complications and I’ll tell you about it all later.”
“What kind of complications?”
“I will be bringing them home to stay with us for a while,” he went on, ignoring her question because he knew his mom. One answer would just lead to more questions and this wasn’t the time to talk about everything. “Probably tomorrow night. Can you get some rooms ready for them? They will need their own space.”
“Of course I can. I would love to!”
“And Mom? Be extra watchful about strangers or anyone coming to the house. Put the rifle back over the door and keep other items handy where you can easily reach them if need be.”
Sawyer didn’t want to alarm her, but he had a bad feeling about the attempt to grab Levi. He didn’t want anything happening to his family any more than Emma’s family.
Things could have gone badly for Chessy today if not for Ty’s ever-vigilant attitude towards his wife. He didn’t know all the reasons for that yet, but in time, hopefully, he would know all about Emma and her family and friends. Provided she allowed him to stay in her life.
The line was silent for a moment and then Rachel spoke. “I understand. Do you want me to call Shorty and have him come in over the weekend after all?”
Shorty was the ranch hand Sawyer had given the weekend off. “No, that’s not necessary. Just keep a yellow alert standing for yourself and call me if anything seems unusual. I’m in Revere with Emma at the home of one of her friends.” Then deciding he should probably give her something he added, “Emma’s home was burned out today and although it’s unconfirmed at this time, they are suspecting arson. The rest I’ll explain later, okay?”
“I’ve got it, Sawyer,” Rachel replied quietly after her initial gasp of surprise. “I’ll be extra watchful and wait for you to get here.”
Sawyer hung up the phone and was surprised to see Nat watching him from the porch. When he slipped the phone into his pocket, Nat stepped off and came to meet him.
“I didn’t want to disturb your phone call, but I wanted to talk to you,” Nat said.
Sawyer eyed the man in front of him who for some odd reason, reminded him of Don Johnson of Miami Vice. His eyes were certainly as sharp as the TV detectives had been. “I wanted to talk to you to,” he replied cautiously, “about getting some security set up at my home. What you have here is first rate.”
Nat chuckled and folded his arms across his open-necked, button-down black shirt. “Great minds think alike. I wanted to offer you some suggestions about that. I’ve got some people who can install hidden cameras and a security system on your doors. You will receive an alert on your phone if anyone gets within a certain range of your home or the buildings you have protected. I had one installed for Ty and he likes it pretty well.”
“Why did Ty need one?” Sawyer asked curiously. “If I’m not out of line in asking?”
Nat shook his head with a grin. “I’m sure you’ve noticed Ty’s protective attitude toward Chessy, right?”
“It had caught my attention,” Sawyer replied dryly. “It paid off this time too.”
“It’s because Chessy is the granddaughter of one of the richest men in Boston. Her maiden name is Huntington, if that rings a bell.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened. “Clancy Huntington the third?”
Nat nodded. “He’s rich as Croesus and twice as reclusive.”
“Yeah, I can see why Ty’s so cautious. I bet he is with his kids too.”
“Definitely.”
Sawyer had a sudden thought. “Do you suppose those men were trying to kidnap Chessy and not Levi?”
Nat shook his head. “Ty and I discussed that, but he’s pretty sure that’s not the case. He talked with Chessy’s grandfather, who also has people in strategic positions, and they said it was very unlikely. No, this seems to be about Levi and Emma. It’s too closely connected with the house burning and the phone calls she received from Marlene this morning.”
Sawyer ran his hand over his short hair. “Is there any way I could get something installed tomorrow? I know it’s short notice, but I don’t like any of this, especially the grab for Levi. Something feels off about it. How did Henry’s mother know where to find him and Emma today?”