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Thanks to not having a top on the jeep, I caught Sammy frown at Kinsley, then shake his head. He must have gotten lost. Not surprising, considering he was maybe six years old.
Kinsley looked back at me, and I could see the frustration in her eyes, but when she turned back to Sammy, she was smiling again as if everything was okay.
How could anyone have thought this woman would pass for a murdering witch? That had been Johnathon’s first mistake. His second had been trying to trick me into doing his dirty work.
I glanced back at the guy I had tied to the metal floor of the van. “Where did you take the kid from?”
“I’ll tell you if you promise to kill me quickly,” he pleaded, snot and tears covering his face.
Fucking hell. Johnathon clearly wasn’t as powerful as he’d portrayed through that well-crafted message if he was hiring pathetic men like this.
I nodded. “Sure. We can work that out, but first, we want to get the boy back where he belongs.”
His sigh of relief was like nails on a chalkboard for my ears.
“I found him playing at a park near Seventh and Peach,” he answered, then he closed his eyes. “I’m ready.”
I chuckled darkly. “You’re fucking out of your mind if you think I’m going to show you any mercy.”
I got out of the van, leaving him bound to the floor while I went to tell Kinsley and Lia what he’d shared.
My head shook. Peach Street. Humans and the things they named. I never understood why they used food names for roads. It was fucking weird.
“He isn’t sure which way to go from here,” Kinsley said when I approached her side of the jeep.
I patted Sammy’s shoulders. “It’s okay, little man. I figured out where the park is. Does that help?”
He brushed his tears away. “I think.”
His big lips still trembled, so I offered him a smile. “I’m sure your family is there looking for you right now.”
Sammy frowned. “My daddy is going to be so mad at that bad man.”
Kinsley’s stare met mine, and I was certain we were both thinking that was an interesting thing for a kid to say. Maybe we’d stumbled on to something more than we’d yet realized.
“Follow me,” I said to Lia before getting back in the van.
The street we were currently parked on was Second Ave, so we didn’t have much farther to go. Though when we got to Seventh, I wasn’t sure if we should turn left or right, given I couldn’t see a park from the intersection.
I glanced back at the jeep, and Kinsley was pointing left, so that was where I went. Sure enough, within five blocks, there was a park and a nicer neighborhood that was surrounded by fences with barbed wire circling the top.
Up ahead was a group of about twenty shifters, all dressed in black combat clothing. Their eyes locked on me in the van when I stopped, and I held my hands up as I got out of the driver’s seat.
“Are you looking for someone?” I asked calmly, and a man pushed through the center of them. He wasn’t dressed for combat, but instead, was wearing a crisp, charcoal-colored suit with a white shirt and black tie.
His hazel eyes narrowed on me, and his blond hair was nearly identical to that of the boy behind me.
“Daddy!” Sammy called out.
The approaching man stared behind me briefly, and then he pointed at me. “You’re going to fucking wish you’d never touched my son.”
His voice was menacing, but I didn’t try to reason with him. There was no point until he had hands on his child. I might not have been a parent, but I’d still loved Addie fiercely. I could understand the fury he was undoubtedly feeling.
After he stomped past me, Kinsley was helping Sammy from the jeep and the boy ran right into his father’s arms. “I’m sorry, Daddy. The bad man tricked me. I didn’t mean to leave the swings.”
“It’s okay, Sammy,” he said softly. “I’ve got you now and Daddy’s going to take care of the bad man.”
Sammy pointed to the van. “He’s in there.”
