Comes the Night by Cathy Marlowe | eBook

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Comes the Night

An Out of Darkness Novel

By Cathy Marlowe, Terese Ramin, Anne Lucy Clark

Entangled Publishing, LLC

CHAPTER 1

Westchester County, New York

Zach Weston scattered a last handful of salt on the cobblestone walk and brushed off his gloves to dislodge any loose grains. As he hurried back inside, the howling wind practically pushed him through the entrance to his home.

He stuffed his gloves in his pocket and locked the door against the bitter storm. Rubbing his hands together to warm them, he surveyed the family room. Red roses and crystal flutes adorned the oak coffee table. Sparkling fruit juice chilled in the sterling ice bucket, and his wife's favorite music drifted from the speakers. A cozy fire crackled in the fireplace. It was warm, romantic, comfortable—perfect. Lizzie would love it.

Anxious for her to be home before the worst of the storm hit, he glanced at his watch. She should arrive any minute. As he returned to the entryway to hang up his coat, a startled cry sounded from the nursery monitor. Heading for the stairs, Zach frowned. The terror of weeks spent in the neonatal intensive care unit with their premature son had faded, and ever since Daniel started to gain much-needed weight, he'd slept soundly. He shouldn't be waking until time for his late-night feeding.

As the cry intensified, he took the stairs two at a time. His little guy was upset.

He pushed the door open and froze. His squalling son dangled awkwardly from a burly man's arm. The stranger's free hand pointed a gun at Zach's chest.

"Hey, kid, look, it's Daddy." The man was of average height with short black hair and nondescript features. The only thing memorable about him was the malice in his eyes.

"Daniel." A panicked whisper escaped Zach's lips.

The intruder held Daniel tightly, pinning the baby so that only Daniel's tear-stained, red face and small arms showed above the sleeve of his overcoat. How the hell did he get into the house?

Struggling to think past the pounding of his heart, Zach spread his arms, turned his palms up, and said calmly, "If it's money you want, I have plenty. Just put the baby back in the crib. Anything you want, it's yours." He forced himself to breathe evenly as his son's cries quieted to ragged whimpers. The man had one foot in his grave. He just didn't know it yet.

The intruder sneered. Harsh laughter accompanied a sharp prod to Zach's kidney, propelling him forward. He whipped his head around to see a second man enter the room. This one was at least a head taller than Zach's six-foot frame. He had blond hair, cut military style. His gray eyes shone with amusement as he poked Zach with the Taser he held.

"What I want is for you to have a seat in the rocker and I'll explain exactly what's going to happen." When Zach hesitated, Tall Man raised the Taser to eye level. "If I have to use this, I won't be using it on you." He grinned and tapped Daniel's face, allowing the tip of the weapon to rest against the baby's wet cheek.

Zach's heart raced with fear. Clenching his jaw, he sat.

Three minutes later, he stared in disbelief at the note they'd forced him to write. The pen— ironically, one of his company pens, boasting the Weston Security logo—dangled loosely from his fingers. He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe until his rapid pulse slowed and only icy calm remained.

Tall Man snatched the note and pen from his hands. Zach rose from his chair, frowning at the sight of the Taser CAM mounted on the X26, a professional video mount used by law enforcement. Someone wanted to record their kidnapping—or perhaps was watching even now.

Noting the diaper and duffel bags next to the door, he said in a subdued tone, "Here, let me hold the baby." With an outward display of submission, he reached for Daniel. Although the odds had worsened with the arrival of the second man, his muscles tensed in anticipation of any opportunity to seize control.

Tall Man smacked him hard with the grip of the Taser.

"Can't you see Al here has a way with kids?"

Startled by the harsh voice, Daniel began to cry again. His accusing eyes never left Zach's face.

"Shut up!" Keeping the gun on Zach, Al jostled the baby. "Get the kid that damned bear from the crib and let's go."

Zach swallowed hard at Tall Man's willingness to call his accomplice by name. Not good. He reached into the crib and pulled a fluffy yellow lamb from the far corner. "He prefers the lamb." He flipped the lamb's on switch.

"It's a Small World" began to play.

"Hell no. I hate that song. Throw it back in the crib." When Zach hesitated, turning the lamb over and over in his hands, Tall Man took a menacing step forward.

A voice squawked from the phone on his belt. "The woman just started the detour and turned onto the outer road."

Tall Man jabbed Zach. "If your wife gets home before we leave, I shoot her and she dies before your eyes." He glanced at his watch, and then raised cold eyes to Zach and smiled. "She's expendable. You understand what that means?"

Icy sweat trickled between Zach's shoulder blades. He knew exactly what it meant.

Tall Man gestured toward the door. "Grab the bags and get going."

Zach dropped the lamb back in the crib and did as he'd been told. Al left the room with Daniel, who continued to whimper softly. He followed, the Taser maintaining intermittent pressure on his back.

When they reached the entryway, a third man joined them, carrying a large trash bag. A glance into the family room revealed that the roses and drinks were gone. The fire no longer burned cheerily.

As the group entered the garage, the faint tinkle of music drifted mockingly behind them.

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, Alistair Forrester ran one finger along the rim of his crystal tumbler and listened as his men reported in. The timing had been perfect, the small, manufactured construction delay slowing Lizzie's arrival just long enough for his men to finish their work.

He regretted not being there in person to watch his men stun Zach with the Taser and then inject him with the narcotic that was one of Alistair's favorite little cocktails. He hung up the phone and refilled his glass as he watched the video image on his computer screen.

Fear and disbelief flitted across Zach's face with such speed that a less observant man might have missed the tantalizing play of emotions. It was the eyes that gave him away, telling Alistair that Zach knew even as the drugs sent him rocketing into darkness.

He clipped the video. Leaning back in his chair, he enjoyed that precious moment as it ran in an unending loop. He raised his glass in a silent toast.

The prodigal son was coming home.

CHAPTER 2

Elizabeth Louise Weston, you're late!

Lizzie pounded one hand against the steering wheel and then gripped it again. She peered through the icy rain, relieved to see the end-of-detour sign in the deepening night. The rhythmic swish of the wipers ticked off the passing moments.

Late ... swish ... late ... swish ... late ...

She eased the car to a stop at a red light and inhaled a calming breath. Everything was fine—great, really. Tonight they were celebrating their baby's triumph over his early birth, while their daughter spent the night with her biological father. She glanced at the shopping bag in the passenger seat and pushed speed dial on the car phone. Instead of reaching her husband, the call went to voicemail.

"Hey, Zach. I guess you and Daniel are busy right now. There was a stupid construction detour I didn't know about, but I'm almost home. I ... I have a surprise for tonight! Well, I hope everything's okay. See you in a few minutes." She forced enthusiasm into her voice, but it was unlike him not to answer her call, especially when the weather was bad. She took another long breath to calm the pounding in her chest. Elizabeth Louise, everything is fine—Zach would call if there were a problem.

Fear flew back on fevered wings. What if the doctor had missed something? What if Daniel wasn't okay?

Five minutes later, she pulled to a stop in the driveway, not wanting to waste the extra minute it would take to pull into the garage at the back of the house. She walked gingerly along the curving front walkway, clutching her purchases in her hand. When she realized Zach had already salted the stone path, she relaxed a little. Maybe he'd been outside when she called. She punched the security code to unlock the door.

"Zach? I'm home." Surprised to find a silent house, she called his name again. She locked the door behind her before checking the family room, study, and kitchen. The faint sound of music caught her ear. Frowning, she headed upstairs to the nursery.

"It's a Small World" grew louder with each step.

She entered the room and stopped. They never played the lamb. It had been an expensive gift from her Aunt Louise, a woman known for both her good heart and her bad taste in presents. Deceptively charming in appearance, the lamb played a high-pitched "It's a Small World" for thirty minutes straight. The first night they played it for Daniel, they'd immediately found the off switch and never turned it on again.

She bit her lower lip and clenched the handle of the shopping bag so tightly her nails left indentations in her palm. Swallowing hard, she approached the crib. Her hand hovered over the toy while the lamb's music tinkled ominously in the room. Fingers shaking, she flipped the switch off. She lifted the lamb from the crib, the rasp of her breathing unnaturally loud in the sudden quiet.

They never played the lamb.

With the cuddly toy in one hand and her bag in the other, she fled the nursery.

"Zach?" She darted in and out of the other bedrooms. "Zach?" Finding no one, she hurried back down the stairs and dropped her purchases in the entryway as she headed to the garage.

His car was gone.

Thirty minutes later, the desperate hope that he'd made a quick trip to the grocery store and left his phone in the car died a pitiful death. She knew the truth. He never forgot his phone—and he would never take Daniel out unnecessarily in this weather. She made another trip through the house, looking for a note she might have overlooked, chewing her lower lip as she retraced her steps.

It was too soon to call the police. With trembling fingers, she dialed the phone.

Ring ... ring ... ring. Please, Grant, please—

"Hello," a distracted male voice answered the phone.

In the background, music from Sesame Street played. Her little girl's voice shouted, "Daaaad, your turn." Sam. Lizzie released her breath. Her daughter was safe at her father's home.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Grant. It's Lizzie. Have you ..." She swallowed. "Have you seen Zach?" She tapped her fingers against her chin. Please ... please ...

"Zach? Yeah, I saw Zach. Four hours ago when I picked up Sam."

"Did he say anything? Anything about ..." Her words drifted into nothing. Did he say anything about what? About having late-night plans that didn't involve her? About taking Daniel out in a winter storm?

"Lizzie? What's going on?"

"Zach's gone. With Daniel." Once she forced out the words, everything tumbled in a rush. "I was running late and I got home and Zach and Daniel weren't here. There's no note and Zach's not answering his phone. I was late." Her voice broke on a sob.

Silence expanded on the phone line, a great yawning emptiness that fueled her anxiety further.

"You think Zach's gone because you were late?" She strained to hear Grant's response. It sounded somehow ominous, like the lamb. She shook off the ridiculous thought.

"No, no, that's not what I meant." What had she meant? "I'm just scared. This isn't like Zach. He wouldn't just leave and let me worry, not after everything we've been through."

"Daa-aaad!" Sam's impatient voice brought a hint of a smile to her face. They must be playing a game. Sam hated delays.

Grant's muffled response trickled through the phone. "Sam. I'm talking to your mommy. Wait just a minute." She couldn't quite make out Sam's reply. "Do you want me to bring Sam back and wait with you?

"No ... no, that's silly. I'm sure Zach just ran to the store. He'll be back soon." She took a deep breath. "I just, well, it's not like him to leave with Daniel and not let me know. And there's a storm. It's good to know Sam is safe with you."

"Well then." His clipped tone held none of his previous concern. "If you change your mind, I'm here."

"I'll call you. Thanks, Grant."

She barely noticed him hang up before she finished talking. She hit speed dial and listened to the fruitless ringing.

"You've reached Zach Weston. Leave a message ..." She slammed her phone shut.

Voicemail again.

CHAPTER 3

By the time Zach and Daniel had been missing for two hours, Lizzie was frantic, having sped right past worried more than an hour before. She'd called the security desk at Zach's company, Weston Security, the sitter, her brother Kyle, her great-aunt Sophie, the doctor, the hospital, and finally the police.

She'd been comforted, questioned, patronized, and dismissed, in various combinations.

"Now, Mrs. Weston, your husband's only been gone for a couple of hours." The detective's attempt to calm her had infuriated instead. "We can't file a missing persons report. Unless—do you have reason to believe he would have taken the baby?"

The idiot. Zach would never leave her and Sam, never take Daniel and disappear. Their family meant everything to him.

Uncertain what to do next, she wandered into the family room, the heart of their home. She straightened the already-tidy play area by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking their wooded property. Then, still clutching the lamb, she curled up in the corner of the couch.

Music broke the silence. She jumped from the sofa and sprinted toward the front door. The melody pursued her into the entryway, where she skidded to a stop. She lifted a trembling hand to reveal the determined lamb, its cheery song rebounding off the entryway walls. She'd accidently tripped its on switch.

A lone tear trickled down her cheek.

She flipped the switch off again and slumped against the door, the whistling wind and her pounding heart once again the only sounds in the house.

Chimes startled her. Zach! She threw the lock on the front door, prepared to give him hell. The wind shoved the front door inward. Her heart plummeted at the sight of her brother, his broad shoulders shielding Aunt Sophie from the storm.

Not Zach and Daniel. What was she thinking? They would have come through the garage.

She attempted a smile. "Thanks for coming."

Kyle ushered Aunt Sophie inside. "I'm sorry it took so long. I went straight to Sophie's from the office. The streets are a mess." He shut and locked the door.

"Lizzie, sweetheart." Aunt Sophie's voice quavered with emotion. Lizzie gave up trying to control her tears and hugged her great-aunt, the wonderful old woman who'd come to their rescue when their parents died in a car crash the week after Lizzie's thirteenth birthday.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She sought control with shuddering breaths.

Tears never solve anything. Funny how her mother's words, the mantra of her youth, brought her strength now, when they'd made her so crazy growing up. She linked her arm through Sophie's. With Kyle on the other side of the older woman, they walked into the family room and settled on the couch. Lizzie set the lamb on the table.

She shared what little she knew, ending in an unsteady voice, "And we never play the lamb."

Silence grew as everyone stared at the cuddly toy. Then, Kyle began a thorough search of the house and garage, looking for anything Lizzie might have missed, while Sophie prepared a light meal.

Lizzie retrieved her shopping bag from the entryway and carried it to the bedroom. She cradled it, reluctant to put away the contents.

Removing the sexy nightgown and scented candles, she tucked them in the dresser, running her hand over the ruby-red silk before closing the top drawer. She walked through the house for the third time, looking more closely for anything that would indicate where her husband and baby were. That's when she noticed Zach's overnight bag was missing.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Comes the Night by Cathy Marlowe, Terese Ramin, Anne Lucy Clark. Copyright © 2014 Cathy Morrison. Excerpted by permission of Entangled Publishing, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Comes the Night

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An Out of Darkness Novel

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Comes the Night

eBook

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Comes the Night

An Out of Darkness Novel

Entangled Publishing, LLC

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