Kidnapped by Dee Henderson

anything, she wouldn’t have enough breath to get out her next words.
    â€œSharon and Benjamin, Mark—they’re all very late. And I can’t find them.”

Chapter Five
    A s Luke paid for the gas, Jackie joined him at the counter. “What’s wrong?”
    Luke smoothed out his frown. “Caroline called.”
    â€œTrouble?”
    He instinctively shook his head. “No. Sharon and Mark are running late in this traffic and Caroline can’t reach them.” Caroline got jumpy. After dealing with his extra careful sense of security for the last year, he couldn’t blame her. If she overreacted occasionally now, it was as much his fault as hers. They were late, but—
    He glanced over his shoulder at the highway. This traffic could disrupt well-laid plans in any number of ways. “I need to swing by and see her later.”
    â€œThey want the tape at the state lab, and Taylor can drop me off there. Go see Caroline while I walk this through the lab. When we have results in, I’ll give you a call and you can pick me up there.”
    â€œThanks, Jackie.”
    â€œNo problem.” She rested her hand on his arm to pause him. “I’ll have some time to kill while they work on this. If Sharon and Mark are this late—do you want me to call hospitals for you? Just to make sure nothing bad did happen?”
    â€œI’m sure it’s just traffic or car problems.”
    â€œI’m sure it is too, but I could rule it out for you.”
    Luke hesitated, then nodded. “It would be easier than Caroline listening to me make those calls an hour from now.”
    â€œConsider the calls made. Tell Caroline hello for me.”
    * * *
    Nine o’clock. Caroline stirred the Italian beef since the burner had been shut off for the last hour. Wherever Sharon and Benjamin were, her nephew was probably very tired by now. The icemaker dumped ice. The sound broke the silence, startling her, and she dropped the lid against the counter.
    I just want my family to walk through that door. I don’t want a real-life example to illustrate what life is like in a storm, Lord. Just keep them safe and bring them here.
    A very bad car accident topped her list of maybes now. She couldn’t come up with good explanations at this point. Not for both Sharon and Mark being late.
    Luke would know what to do. He had sounded just like he always did, as if the conversation was about everyday matters rather than her sister, her nephew, and his cousin being hours late and unreachable. She hated that calmness even as she depended on that steadiness.
    Knuckles rapped against the front door. She hurried down the hall to unlock it. Please be Sharon or Mark.
    â€œLuke—” her hand tightened on the knob—“thank you for coming.” He leaned against the doorjamb with one hand, the edge of a frown on his brow. She stood straighter.
    â€œStill no word?” The words were oddly gentle for him.
    She shook her head. “I would have called you back. You couldn’t get through to them either?”
    â€œNo.” He stepped into the condo and closed the door behind him. “You’re dripping something, Caroline.”
    She looked down and saw the spoon in her hand. “Oh! I was fixing dinner. Or rather I fixed dinner earlier.” She flushed and hurried back to the kitchen. She dumped the spoon in the sink, grabbed a wet rag to wipe the spots on the kitchen floor, then went to see about the hallway carpet.
    * * *
    Luke stepped out of Caroline’s way. Her color was high and her knuckles white on the rag, her movements a bit jerky. She was attacking the carpet as if it were a grape juice stain rather than a drip. Don’t make a trivial remark next time, he reminded himself, watching her. She finally finished and he didn’t give her a chance to see another spot. He took the rag from her, stepped to the kitchen doorway, and tossed it toward the sink.