The Hookup (Moonlight and Motor Oil #1)(109)

“Text your sister, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Get her to send a picture of Kent.”

She nodded and dug her phone out of her pocket.

“The guy was redheaded,” Zach, the other cop, muttered. He was a man Johnny knew from having the occasional beer with him at Home but he was younger, younger than Toby, so he didn’t know him well.

Jesus, Izzy’s creepy ex kidnapped her fucking nephew.

Jesus, now he had to stop himself from murdering Izzy’s crazy fucking ex who had kidnapped Brooks.

“Johnny, can I have a sec?” Cary asked.

Johnny looked at him and did it closely.

What he saw made him turn back to Addie. “Gonna have a chat, sweetheart. You get that text, you show this man, yeah? I’ll be right back.”

She nodded again.

He curled his fingers around the back of her neck, gave it a squeeze, and hoped to Christ Toby was quick with closing that bay so someone would be with her that wasn’t a cop.

Then he followed Cary down a hall under the gaze of hovering staff members of the daycare center, most of their eyes red, all of them terrified.

When they were out of earshot, Cary stopped and turned to Johnny in a way that Johnny didn’t like because he had his back to Addie.

Cary didn’t fuck around.

“Because of her concern about the car seat, the lady took note of the make and model of the car and she got a partial plate. We ran what she got and the car that popped up was reported stolen in Missouri two weeks ago.”

Shit.

Was Izzy’s creepy ex that crazy?

“Also, Johnny,” Cary continued, “the description of the man given describes Stu.”

Johnny felt his gut drop, his heart constrict, his throat close and his hands form into fists.

Even though he couldn’t see most of it, Cary didn’t miss any of this.

“Keep it tight, Johnny,” he warned.

Stu.

Stuart.

Stuart Bray.

Shandra’s brother.

“You hear from him?” Cary asked.

“No,” Johnny forced out.

“Seen him?” Cary went on.

“No,” Johnny repeated tightly.

“Shandra?” Cary continued.

Johnny gave his head a short shake.

“Guy’s always been trouble,” Cary noted.

“Ransom,” he pushed out and saw Cary perk up.

“Say again?”

“He knows I got money. More than once Shandra came to me to get his ass out of a sling. I didn’t see him but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t out there, watching me. Half the time, before you step on it, you don’t see the snake in the grass. It’s only when you get too close does the copperhead give you warning.”

“That’s your girl’s sister. Her son—”

“Her son’s gonna grow up my nephew,” Johnny cut him off to say. “So yeah, he means something to me. He’s family. That would be hard to miss. We all go out together. We were out at JerryJack’s Diner for burgers just this last Thursday, me, Tobe, Iz, Addie and Brooks.”

They were.

Toby had Brooks most the time so Addie could eat.

But Johnny and Izzy had had him too.

He wasn’t passed around, as such. He crawled around because he could get away with that because he was a baby with four adults who thought he turned the world.

Cary’s eyes had wandered and Johnny twisted at the waist to see Toby was there and had Addie tucked tight to his body, her face buried in his chest.

“I see,” Cary muttered, and Johnny twisted back.

“She needs to get home and we need to get out there looking for him,” Johnny stated, and Cary’s gaze cut back to him.

“Johnny, take her home and let us worry about this.”

“Your nephew was kidnapped would you stay home with his mother?”

“I’m a cop,” Cary pointed out.

“And as such you would have no business working a case that personally involves you but you’d do it anyway, wouldn’t you?”

Cary gave him a squinty-eyed look, it cleared and he muttered, “Fuck.”

Johnny turned on his boot and stalked to his brother and Addie.

“You take her home. I’ll call Iz and Deanna and tell them to reroute there. Then I’ll call Dave and Margot to come over.”

“You wanna give me the lowdown?” Toby formed a question that was a demand.

“At Izzy’s. Let’s get her somewhere safe and familiar.”

Toby gave him a glower before he nodded and started to move Addie.

She stood solid and grabbed on to Toby’s tee. “What if they bring him back here?”

“They’re not gonna bring him back here, honey,” Toby whispered. “When he comes home, he’ll come home so let’s get you home. Yeah?”

She stared at him, her face searching then it set, and Johnny knew she was going to dig in but then it went slack and she said, “Yeah, Toby.”

Toby gave Johnny a look and led her out.

Johnny yanked his phone out of his jeans and followed them.



He made his first two calls quick, on the road, tailing Toby and Addie.

The last call he made, they were out of town, close to Izzy’s, and he pulled off to the shoulder to do it.