Page 19 of Sugar, Sprinkles, and Secrets
“I need help.”
“What do you need? Name it.”
“I need to call in each and every favor you’ve ever owed me.”
“Done.” Jack doesn’t even hesitate, and I’m going to owe this man for the rest of my life—not that he would ever cash that debtin. I explain the situation and Jack just quietly listens, without interrupting, other than to hum in acknowledgment a few times.
“You know I’m going to need to make a call, right?” Jack asks when I finally finish.
“Yeah, and I could’ve just called him, but I wanted to call you first,” I admit. I easily could have texted or called his brother directly, but it felt like I should go to Jack with this first.
“I’m glad you did. I’ll call Liam and we’ll go from there. Please tell Cara to be strong and that we will do everything we can to get them back to her.” Jack is the oldest of the Callahan siblings, and the four brothers and two sisters are impressive in their own right, but Jack’s brother Liam is in a league of his own. Liam is only a year younger than us, so I consider him a friend as well, as much as that guy allows someone to be his friend outside of his brothers and team members anyway. I’m not sure if Jack even knows exactly what Liam does, but I know that he works with various federal law enforcement agencies, possibly even some international ones, and five or six years ago, Jack would go extended periods of time without being able to talk to him. I didn’t ask a lot of questions, but I know Liam not only has impressive skills himself, but he also has a network of equally impressive connections. Last month, their sister Savannah was kidnapped, and I don’t know all the details, but I do know that Liam handled it without involving official law enforcement, and despite what the local newspaper claimed, I don’t think the cabin where she was held exploded due to a gas leak. I also know Savannah was brought home safely and that’s the hope I’m clinging to right now for Dante and Mila.
“So, now we just wait? Who is he going to call? What are we going to do?” Cara pleads.
“He’s going to call his brother.”
“Which one? And how is that going to help Dante and Mila?”
“Liam—and he is our best bet at getting Dante and Mila back as quickly and safely as possible.”
Chapter fourteen
Opening Sprinkles today was not an option. I sent Betty a text that I was down with the flu and offered her a paid day off, even though she offered to run a skeleton crew and limited menu for me, I couldn’t take her up on her kind offer. Max helped me print off a sign that made it sound like we’re closed after celebrating Merry and Bright Night, and hopefully we will be open tomorrow because I won’t have an excuse for being closed two days in a row. But I don’t care right now, not while we sit here and wait.
Forty-five minutes after Max showed up at my door and wrapped his arms around me, we’re sitting at the dining room table explaining everything—and I mean everything—to strangers on a conference call. Max assures me they are all trustworthy and will protect our secrets, but right now, I don’t care about secrets or the bakery or anything other than getting my nephew and niece back safely. I can’t sit still; I’ve checked and rechecked each of the windows and doors in the entire building, not that it matters if everything is secure now, but it gives my hands something to do. In between checking the windows and pacing, I clench and unclench my hands repeatedly. More than once, spots have danced in my vision, but I try to clear my head; I don’t have the luxury of relaxing. Dante and Mila are out there somewhere—and they need me now more than ever.
Liam called Max on a conference call with someone named Ace, who has said two words so far, and a firecracker named Sophia who seems to run the show.
“I’m running a trace on that number right now. Of course, it’s a burner, but it’s on, so we may be able to triangulate a location depending on the model of the burner,” Sophia says as I hear keys clacking in the background. “These assholes taking innocent children, I can’t even. I want this one to hurt, boys.” Liam and Ace hum in agreement as Sophia continues, “I’m also running a search for any known connections to Salvatore Serrano in the regional area, maybe he farmed this out to a local outfit. But without knowing how they located you, I’m not sure whose world to burn to the ground yet.”
“I wish I knew. I’ve been so careful! We haven’t even left Forrest Falls in months, except for the other day when we had to go to the city for Dante’s cardiology appointment.” I twist my hands together, wondering if it’s possible to tie my fingers in an actual knot, until Max places a hand over mine and intertwines our fingers. With a slight squeeze, he brings me out of my thoughts and back to the room.
“How often do those appointments occur?” Ace’s deep voice growls on the phone.
“It’s just an annual appointment,” I reply as I take a deep breath through my nose to try and calm down, but it’s futile. “Dante was born with a combination of congenital heart defects, but he had surgery to correct them as a baby. It’s not a big deal for his day-to-day life, so long as everything stays stable, but he has to see a specialist annually to make sure the repair looks good and there aren’t any complications.” I know everything should be okay, but I don’t want him upset in case it puts more stress on his heart.
Liam speaks up and startles me again from my thoughts. “Did anything out of the ordinary happen that day?”
I scrunch my eyes as I try and remember. “No, it was only the second time we’ve seen this doctor, but he’s really good. His team is great with the kids too; they even have activities for siblings that come along for these appointments. We were late, but I’m always late. There wasn’t any issue getting there—oh, Mila stole my watch!”
I jump up from the table and rush over to where I usually charge it—hoping there’s a chance it won’t be on the charger and maybe we can somehow find them with my watch. It’s not on the charger and a surge of hope pulses through my chest as I grab my purse to make sure it’s not in there. I dump the contents out on the table. “Dammit!” My watch sits next to my wallet, lip gloss, and an AirTag I don’t recognize.
“Can someone fill the class in, please?” Sophia’s voice calls out through the speaker.
“I’m sorry about that. I was hoping my little thief of a niece had stolen my watch again, and maybe we could track my watch somehow. Shit.” I rub my eyebrows in frustration. Despite being empty, my stomach still finds a way to be nauseous. I press my palms into my forehead to try and focus on a different physical stimuli.
“What about this AirTag?” Max picks it up and looks at me, holding a small silver circular object.
I look up and slowly shake my head. “I don’t have any of those, so I don’t know where that came from. It’s not like I have people putting things in my purse for me.” I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. Why would that be in my purse and how long has that been in there?
“An AirTag or electronic with Dante or Mila would be ideal to track their exact location. And I suspect you may be holding how they tracked your current location.” My stomach flips at Sophia’s comment and I think I’m going to be sick.
“I … I take that back. At Dante’s appointment, coming out of the exam room, I ran into a receptionist and my purse spilled. She helped me put everything back in my purse, but she seemed so nice!” I can’t believe the receptionist from the pediatric cardiology clinic could have done that. I bite down on my lip, trying to hold back the tears that are threatening to fall again. Max squeezes my hand as Sophia continues.
“You said Dante has a heart defect. He didn’t happen to have anything inserted during the surgery, did he? Like any kind of transmitter?” Sophia asks.
“No, he didn’t have that kind of surgery and the only thing he has to track anything is a watch I make him wear because I’m neurotic and anxious.”
