Nash Bridges, Caitlin Cross, and Joe Dominguez hurried into Caitlin's
apartment. "Oh, God. Oh, God. He's gone, Nash. He's gone." Caitlin
called from their son's bedroom and Nash hurried to her in disbelief.
"They took him. They took him."
Nash wrapped his arms around her, drawing her to him, and looked at Joe. "I'll go call Harvey and Cassidy." Joe said, leaving them alone.
Cassidy Cortez answered her cell phone. "Cass."
"Cassidy, it's me. The call was real."
She tried to breathe. "They've got Bubba?" Harvey Leek raised his eyes and she motioned for him to wait.
"Yeah. Caitlin's taking it pretty hard, but your dad's taking care of her."
"How's Dad?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. We need you and Harvey over here."
"We'll be right there." She hung up and looked at Harvey. "They kidnapped my baby brother."
The phone rang and Cassidy sat by Caitlin while Nash answered it. "Hello?"
"Nash. Good to hear your voice again." He vaguely recognized the voice on the other end, but couldn't put a name with it. "I assume you want your son back."
"I do."
"I want you. You arrange a meeting with just you and me, no other police, no surprises, and I'll give your son back to his mother." The line went dead and Nash hung up, meeting four sets of eyes staring at him.
"What did he say, Daddy?" Cassidy asked.
"He wants a meeting with just him and me, no other police, no surprises, and he'll give Bubba back…to Caitlin."
"Because you'll be dead." Harvey said softly, but loudly enough for Nash to hear.
"Yeah." He sat on the bed between Caitlin and Cassidy; Cassidy laid her head down on his shoulder and he held Caitlin in his arms.
Nick Bridges was pacing in the kitchen. Usually he wouldn't worry, but all of his family was supposed to eat dinner there that night and they were three hours late.
The phone rang and he answered it. "Hello?"
"Grandpa, it's Cassidy. I need a huge favor." She said, pacing Caitlin's balcony.
"Anything. You know that."
"Watch Maddie for me tonight? We've got a case that I can't get out of."
"What's going on? Where's Caitlin and your dad?"
"They're with me. We're all okay. I'll tell you what's going on, I promise. Maddie and I'll be there within thirty minutes. I love you, Grandpa."
Twenty-five minutes later, Cassidy walked into the apartment that her father shared with her grandfather. "Grandpa?"
"My girls." He hugged Cassidy and took Maddie from her. "What's wrong?" He asked, noticing the expression on his granddaughter's face.
"Someone kidnapped Bubba."
Nick's smile faded when he heard about his grandson. "How are your father and Caitlin?"
"Dad's doing pretty well, but Caitlin's falling apart."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"You're helping a lot. Maddie, be good. I love you, sweet girl." She hugged her daughter goodbye and went back to Caitlin's apartment.
Caitlin walked into the living room while Nash and Harvey ordered takeout. "Joe."
"Yeah?"
"Go home. Go see Inger and Lucia."
He studied her. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Nash and I talked about it. Jerry's with Anna; Cassidy decided she'd rather stay here. We wanted all of you to go home if you wanted." All five of the cops were parents: Joe had Lucia, 5, Cassidy had Maddie, 1, and Harvey had Jerry, 3.
"If you're sure…call us if there's anything you need." She nodded, he whispered something to Nash, then left.
As they ate Chinese and waited for another phone call, Nash thought about the day that his son was born. Caitlin still lived in Washington and he'd been on the way home in his yellow Barracuda when the phone rang. By the time he called Joe and his family, caught a flight, and sped to the hospital, they were ready to take her to a delivery room. He would never forget the look on her face when he'd arrived or the first time he saw their child, Nathaniel, or Bubba as almost everyone called him now.
"So what are you going to do?" Caitlin asked Nash that night.
"I don't have a choice."
"Harvey's right, you know? What if they do try to kill you?"
"What am I supposed to do, Caitlin? Leave him there? If we can figure out who's doing this, then the whole thing will be moot, but until then, we're working off the assumption that the next time he calls, it will be to set up a meeting. It'll be a relief to meet this son of a bitch face to face, actually."
"So tomorrow I will either lose you or our son, maybe both. What's to keep him from killing you both?" Caitlin was crying and he held her again. "Damn it, I just wish he'd call, you know? Let us know that Bubba's all right."
"He'll be fine, Caitlin. Don't worry, all right?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
"You don't want me to answer that right now. Why don't you lie down and get some rest? Cass or I will wake you up if we get a call." He stood and walked back into the living room where Harvey and Cassidy were playing cards.
"I'm going to go call Jerry before he goes to bed." Harvey walked out onto the balcony and Nash looked at his daughter.
"How's Nick?"
"Worried about you two and Bubba."
He looked up at her. "Cass, you're staying with Caitlin when we find this guy. She needs someone and I don't want to lose another child."
She knew better than to argue with him when he had that look on his face. "All right." Harvey came back and the three of them played cards for the rest of the night, none of them wanting to sleep.
Nash wrapped his arms around her, drawing her to him, and looked at Joe. "I'll go call Harvey and Cassidy." Joe said, leaving them alone.
Cassidy Cortez answered her cell phone. "Cass."
"Cassidy, it's me. The call was real."
She tried to breathe. "They've got Bubba?" Harvey Leek raised his eyes and she motioned for him to wait.
"Yeah. Caitlin's taking it pretty hard, but your dad's taking care of her."
"How's Dad?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. We need you and Harvey over here."
"We'll be right there." She hung up and looked at Harvey. "They kidnapped my baby brother."
The phone rang and Cassidy sat by Caitlin while Nash answered it. "Hello?"
"Nash. Good to hear your voice again." He vaguely recognized the voice on the other end, but couldn't put a name with it. "I assume you want your son back."
"I do."
"I want you. You arrange a meeting with just you and me, no other police, no surprises, and I'll give your son back to his mother." The line went dead and Nash hung up, meeting four sets of eyes staring at him.
"What did he say, Daddy?" Cassidy asked.
"He wants a meeting with just him and me, no other police, no surprises, and he'll give Bubba back…to Caitlin."
"Because you'll be dead." Harvey said softly, but loudly enough for Nash to hear.
"Yeah." He sat on the bed between Caitlin and Cassidy; Cassidy laid her head down on his shoulder and he held Caitlin in his arms.
Nick Bridges was pacing in the kitchen. Usually he wouldn't worry, but all of his family was supposed to eat dinner there that night and they were three hours late.
The phone rang and he answered it. "Hello?"
"Grandpa, it's Cassidy. I need a huge favor." She said, pacing Caitlin's balcony.
"Anything. You know that."
"Watch Maddie for me tonight? We've got a case that I can't get out of."
"What's going on? Where's Caitlin and your dad?"
"They're with me. We're all okay. I'll tell you what's going on, I promise. Maddie and I'll be there within thirty minutes. I love you, Grandpa."
Twenty-five minutes later, Cassidy walked into the apartment that her father shared with her grandfather. "Grandpa?"
"My girls." He hugged Cassidy and took Maddie from her. "What's wrong?" He asked, noticing the expression on his granddaughter's face.
"Someone kidnapped Bubba."
Nick's smile faded when he heard about his grandson. "How are your father and Caitlin?"
"Dad's doing pretty well, but Caitlin's falling apart."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"You're helping a lot. Maddie, be good. I love you, sweet girl." She hugged her daughter goodbye and went back to Caitlin's apartment.
Caitlin walked into the living room while Nash and Harvey ordered takeout. "Joe."
"Yeah?"
"Go home. Go see Inger and Lucia."
He studied her. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Nash and I talked about it. Jerry's with Anna; Cassidy decided she'd rather stay here. We wanted all of you to go home if you wanted." All five of the cops were parents: Joe had Lucia, 5, Cassidy had Maddie, 1, and Harvey had Jerry, 3.
"If you're sure…call us if there's anything you need." She nodded, he whispered something to Nash, then left.
As they ate Chinese and waited for another phone call, Nash thought about the day that his son was born. Caitlin still lived in Washington and he'd been on the way home in his yellow Barracuda when the phone rang. By the time he called Joe and his family, caught a flight, and sped to the hospital, they were ready to take her to a delivery room. He would never forget the look on her face when he'd arrived or the first time he saw their child, Nathaniel, or Bubba as almost everyone called him now.
"So what are you going to do?" Caitlin asked Nash that night.
"I don't have a choice."
"Harvey's right, you know? What if they do try to kill you?"
"What am I supposed to do, Caitlin? Leave him there? If we can figure out who's doing this, then the whole thing will be moot, but until then, we're working off the assumption that the next time he calls, it will be to set up a meeting. It'll be a relief to meet this son of a bitch face to face, actually."
"So tomorrow I will either lose you or our son, maybe both. What's to keep him from killing you both?" Caitlin was crying and he held her again. "Damn it, I just wish he'd call, you know? Let us know that Bubba's all right."
"He'll be fine, Caitlin. Don't worry, all right?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
"You don't want me to answer that right now. Why don't you lie down and get some rest? Cass or I will wake you up if we get a call." He stood and walked back into the living room where Harvey and Cassidy were playing cards.
"I'm going to go call Jerry before he goes to bed." Harvey walked out onto the balcony and Nash looked at his daughter.
"How's Nick?"
"Worried about you two and Bubba."
He looked up at her. "Cass, you're staying with Caitlin when we find this guy. She needs someone and I don't want to lose another child."
She knew better than to argue with him when he had that look on his face. "All right." Harvey came back and the three of them played cards for the rest of the night, none of them wanting to sleep.