Page 2 of The Captive Missing

Deliberately she counted to four before releasing the air in her lungs with control. Composing her face in a relaxed sort of serenity, Val was soon worthy of any display box.

If Jason were here he would be frowning, she could see it. He hated her old training, the way she could pull down a mask and hide. But her husband wasn’t here right now, and what Jace needed was an unaffected mommy. And an unaffected mommy is what he would have.

So, the moment her boy appeared at the top of his school steps, Val was able to smile gently instead of cry.

“Mama, Mama!” Jace bounded through the car door, held open by Victor. “Why are you here? Mademoiselle said I had to leave early.”

“Well, you’ve been such a good boy lately that Daddy wanted me to surprise you with a special treat.” Val beamed into his blue eyes, laying an affectionate finger on the tip of his nose.

“What is it? Ice cream?!” Jace practically squealed.

“Does ice cream sound good to you, Victor?” Val called to the front seat, wondering if her driver would approve, he was often tasked with protecting her.

“It sounds more than good, Madame.”

* * *

And so, for the next ten hours, the old agency Val went to work. She swallowed the bile that tumbled about in her belly and painted an easy smile on her face. She doted on her son while absently wiping the sweat from her palms on her riding breeches. She hadn’t had time to change.

All day long, her ability to go through the motions without missing a beat served her well. At the outdoor cafe, Jace slurped up his double scoop of mint chocolate chip while Val sipped on an espresso. When they arrived back home, she folded her hands demurely in her lap and watched Victor and Jace play soccer on the wide lawn beside their two-story Manor house.

Did she cringe just a little when the black and white ball barely missed shattering a window? No. Instead, she focused on the sound of Jace’s laughter as it mixed with Victor’s shouts in French. The noises lifted to curl in the thick canopy of trees that filled their garden.

On the surface, Val was picture perfect.

She sat at the outdoor dining table and watched them until evening fell. When the kitchen staff came to ask her about dinner, she requested a pizza, even though she knew the chef’s lips would twist in disgust. It was Jace’s favorite, and tonight, he would have it.

Running her manicured nails along the sleek wood of the table, Val glanced around at the pruned bushes and flowering plants. Anyone watching her would see an indulgent mother, or maybe a bored housewife. But no matter the outward composure she kept, the internal questions kept coming.

What was happening to Jason? Why was he in custody? Would they be coming for her next? For Jace? A sudden spike of panic threatened to undo her, so she clamped down on it… made it go away.

Thankfully, Jace carried on unawares. It wasn’t until bedtime that her son began to notice his father’s absence. In a normal week, Jason missed about half of their evening meals due to work so Jace hadn’t questioned why he wasn’t at dinner. No, it was bedtime when the fretting truly began.

“When’s Daddy coming home?” Jace’s little face was downcast as Val walked him slowly to his own room.

“Soon.”

“Can I stay up until he gets here?”

“No, sweet boy.” Val’s heart twisted, she didn’t know when Jason was coming home. Would it be tonight? Longer? She felt suddenly ill at the thought. “What about cuddling with me instead?”

“Really?” Jace’s face lit with the invitation.

Before Val could even turn, Jace was backtracking down the hallway. He zoomed ahead of her, his little boy legs pumping like pistons as he slammed through the heavy carved wooden door to the master suite.

Normally, Val would scold him for it, but tonight she found she no longer cared. By the time she made it into the bedroom, Jace was in the center of their king-sized bed, rolling back and forth, causing pillows and blankets to tumble to the floor. Stopping for a moment on the threshold, Val watched him. His thick chestnut hair and bright blue eyes were a mirror image of his father. And the love she felt for him? There was no comparison.

After a beat, she moved forward to scoop and bend and pick up his never-ending mess. Jace merely giggled as Val tossed the discarded items back onto the bed before leaving him to go shower and change. When she returned, he was already asleep.

Settling down beside him, Val wrapped her arms around his lanky body, then blinked into the darkness. She had drawn all of the heavy curtains, which was unusual. Normally they slept with the moonlight streaking across the hardwood floor.

But tonight, she felt compelled to cover the wall of windows that overlooked the garden. As the silence engulfed her, Val did battle with herself. She was slipping. The fear had returned full force and it was suddenly so very hard to breathe.

A lifetime of terror was taking up all the room in her chest. And this was the exact reason she had been lying to Jason. This right here was the reason she was a sneak and a fraud.

Was it any consolation she’d been proven right? No. No it wasn’t. Because apparently you can be right about something and still feel completely wrong. Val had discovered that little fact too many times to count.

Chapter 2

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