Page 18 of The Captive Missing

The lights from the house were switched off, throwing them into further darkness. After several minutes, the stars seemed to come out all the more. High above them, a vast glittering swath populated the heavens. It was so beautiful that even sitting here, amidst the fear and uncertainty, they grabbed at her attention, reached somewhere deep inside.

But there were no stars on the inside of a prison cell. And there were no stars on the ceiling of the rooms at Cambric. Couldn’t both of these men have stars? Did one have to give them up for the other?

“Don’t go,” Val whispered. “If you go, then you’re giving up any future of fighting for your kids. You’ll never be able to get them out.”

“What about you? What about your kid? I love him too you know.”

“I know.” Val laid her hand over Gabe’s on the dock. “But getting yourself conscripted isn’t going to help Jace. I can go do the work for both of us and stay free. What’s the harm in me trying?”

“And if you go and they won’t release Jason?”

“Then you can come.” Val gave his hand a last pat before reaching for the bottle and downing yet another shot. Her head began to spin, the alcohol working to both ease and blur. “But not before you tell Bee.”

“I’ll tell Bee about the vasectomy,” Gabe qualified. “When you tell Jason about the birth control.”

“And I go to court first?” Val asked.

“And you go to court first.” Gabe paused, eyes darting over her face in the moonlight. “But if you’re really going back, then I think there’s one last thing we need to do.”

Chapter 8

It took three days. Three more days of running into Male on Gabe’s boat, arranging for money transfers, notarizing documents and talking endlessly with any number of attorneys. Finally, Val was settled on the Riggs private jet, lifting up into the blinding blue of a tropical sky.

Her destination was set for New York and it would take over twenty hours to get there. The hardest part of leaving, by far, was her goodbye to Jace. His little arctic eyes, so piercing like his father’s, hadn’t understood why he was being left behind. It was no matter that Uncle Gabe would be there to play with, or that Gramma Elaine was staying to help keep him content.

He was just a boy, like any other. One whose beloved daddy hadn’t made an appearance in almost two months. The idea of letting his mommy leave too had been overwhelming.

On her knees on the dock, wooden planks rubbing her bare skin, Val held him tight. She rocked his body back and forth, kissed the tears that fell onto his cheeks and tried like hell to prevent any of her own. Apart from the brief weekend of testimony at Sharon Baine’s trial, Val hadn’t spent one night apart from her son in all his life.

This separation would be hard, but hopefully brief. She would testify for Jason, get him released and then be back in a few days. Maybe a week at the most.

Looking out the oval window now, Val could see the dotting green islands below her. Their white sand beaches and array of custom villas were soon invisible though, as the jet soared, gaining in altitude with its nose pointed heavenward.

Nervous palms spread themselves out over her simple sundress. It was summer on the East Coast, but Val’s outfit wouldn’t be appropriate for the task at hand. By the time the plane touched down she would have to make the complete transition back to being captive Val.

Hairstyle, clothing, shoes, nails. Everything needed to be on point. There could be no more casual sundresses. No more bare feet or tousled hair.

Before Val’s departure, Bee had rummaged through her own closet and selected a few outfits that might fit the old captive Val’s persona. They hung in the cabin now, swaying slightly as the jet cut through the air.

For her part, Elaine ordered Val a new array of clothes and had them sent straight to her husband’s penthouse in the city. Once Jason had been taken into custody, the entire family had moved to New York and set up a home base of sorts there. That’s where Val was headed now.

The stewardess, her platinum hair pulled back into a tight bun, worked her way back through the small cabin, bringing a mixed drink and soft blanket along with her. Accepting both items gratefully, Val tucked her legs beneath her and leaned back in the wide leather seat.

At first, she attempted to watch an array of mind-numbing movies. But try as she might, they failed to keep her full attention. Often, she found herself drifting, thinking of what lay ahead or worrying over what she had left behind. The stewardess served her meals which Val picked at broodily. Her appetite was off. Her stomach left twisted and sour.

Several times she got up to pace the aisle, running her hands over the collection of empty seats before moving to sit at the tiny table in the rear corner. More than once, she tried to write a letter to her son, but always ended up scratching at the silly words that took up residence on the paper.

Nighttime came and went. They made a brief stop in Moscow, but Val knew better than to leave the safety of the plane. For now, her whereabouts were still unknown to the media, though Elaine had warned her they were aware she would be returning stateside. In order to get another hearing so soon in Jason’s case, their attorneys had to petition the court with new evidence. That evidence of course centered around Val answering a long ago summons. It was public record, and the news had spread like wildfire.

With any luck, her arrival at the airport would go unnoticed but the hotel that Jason’s father was holed up in was already swamped with reporters and cameramen. Although Val had been able to dodge them many years ago, it likely wouldn’t be so easy this time.

Every move she made would be under intense scrutiny. After all, she was Jason Riggs’ first and only captive. The one who went undercover for the FBI to unearth a human-trafficking ring. Val had been front page news for months. The fact that she promptly disappeared without offering a single television interview, well, that made her all the more desirable.

Overwrought and fatigued, she finally nodded off. Val’s head tilted down onto the table, her arms spreading out over its cool surface.

* * *

Hours later the stewardess shook her awake. Val practically levitated out of her seat. She had been sucked down so deep in her slumber, that the simple touch of another person sent angry tingles coursing through her blood.

---