Page 3 of The Captive Missing

The voices began sometime after midnight. Drifting hauntingly up the stairs, the sounds snuck beneath her closed door, muted, but there. Mind groggy, Val registered male laughter. Could she be dreaming? Her body felt like a weight had sunk her down to the bottom of a pool. Beneath the water, she struggled against the slowness until panic had her sitting up, gasping for air.

Blackness permeated the bedroom. The curtains were still drawn against the moonlight that shone outside. Reaching out, Val laid her hand across Jace’s back, drawing reassurance from his still steady breathing. He hadn’t woken. So why had she?

The house was utterly silent for a few moments, making her question what had brought her around so abruptly. Maybe it was all just a bad dream. But then the distant deep murmurs resumed and a single set of footsteps began their ascent up the wooden stairs. Val’s throat went completely dry.

The staff had already gone home and the security alarm had been set. Victor was the only one staying the night and he never came up the stairs. Never.

Pressing one hand to her forehead, Val thought back. She was sure she’d turned the alarm system on.

Adrenaline began to course its way through her system as she swung her bare legs down from the bed. There was a pistol kept high in the closet where Jace couldn’t reach.

Hands shaking, Val made a beeline for the gun, wishing all the while she had paid attention when Jason had shown her how to use it. Helpless. Why was she so helpless? Was the safety on? How could you tell?

“Val-” The whisper came from the other side of her bedroom door accompanied by the soft rap of knuckles against the old oak. “It’s me.”

“Jason?” Val’s chest heaved, her hand still searching for the weapon hidden somewhere above her.

“Yes.” Jason’s voice was hushed.

Abandoning her quest for the weapon, Val raced to the door and wrenched it open. Jason stood in the doorway. He was all alone but his face had new lines of stress etched into it.

The moment he saw her, his hands snaked out to grab her waist and gather her close. Clinging to him, Val buried her face in his collared shirt, the one she herself had buttoned at the start of the day.

Jason shushed her quietly before walking them both back into the bedroom. He did not loosen his grip, but instead held her tight. After shutting the door firmly, he flipped the latch and stepped back. His hands ran up her arms, but his eyes were darting over her face.

“Where’s Jace?” He whispered. “He’s not in his room.”

“He’s in here.” Val gestured to the bed and watched her husband’s shoulders go slack with the relief of it. “What’s going on?”

Exhaling, Jason ran his fingers through his crop of brown hair. He seemed to gather his thoughts, pacing away in the dark to stand over his son’s sleeping form. When he returned, he drew her into the closet and began throwing his clothes into a bag.

“The gendarmes came to my office this morning,” he began, trying his best not to let the empty hangers click in the quiet.

“Gendarmes?”

“Policemen,” he supplied, not willing to meet her gaze. “But a kind of military police. Things in this country are not the same as back home.”

“What do they want? Who’s downstairs?”

“I spent all day going around with them and my attorney. When I agreed not to fight the extradition order, they became more… amenable.”

“Extradition?”

Val grabbed at his wrist, causing Jason to meet her eyes. Even in the darkness, she could tell he was holding back.

“I’m a wanted man back home. Charges have been brought against me and I have to face them.”

“What charges? Is this about Jace? Your businesses? What?” Val worked to keep her voice low, trying not to draw notice from their son.

“It’s not about Jace. They can’t possibly know about him. It’s a bogus charge but I have to be there in person to fight it. The political climate has grown… more heated, since we left. I’ve drawn the attention of some powerful people and this is just a play in a larger game. That’s all.”

“That’s all? You make it seem like it’s no big deal. Like you aren’t packing your clothes in the middle of the night,” Val hissed.

“The men downstairs are waiting for me.” Jason put a hand on Val’s shoulder, gave it a little shake. “I’m going to give them some expensive wine. Maybe a box of cigars, possibly with money in it. They’re going to escort me to a plane and send me back to the US.”

“What am I supposed to tell Jace? When will you be back?”

“As soon as I leave you’re going to pack your own things and wake Jace up. Do not wait until morning. Victor will drive you to the airport where the jet will be waiting. While everyone is watching me get transported back home, you’re going to fly to the Maldives.”

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