Free Mellizo Wolves by Lynde Lakes Page A

calling, “Mommy.”
    She yanked open the door and drew Victoria into her arms.
“Oh my God, baby, are you all right?” she said, raining kisses on the child’s
salty, tearstained face.
    Victoria nodded. Her body was trembling.
    Angela held her closer. “Honey, where’s Valerie?” She
didn’t want to frighten Victoria, but she was unable to keep fear out of her
tone.
    Victoria pointed to the canvas bag on the floor. “Bad man
had two bags. He put her in the other one.”
    An ache rose in Angela’s chest. At least the heavy material
had air holes, but not much air would get through such small ones. Angela
started to tremble. It was crucial to keep her head. Carrying Victoria with
her, she rushed to the phone. While she dialed 911 Damon charged into the room.
    “Damon,” she shouted, “search the house and grounds.
Someone kidnapped Valerie!”
    He spun around and disappeared. In between answering the
911 interviewer’s questions, she kissed her little girl’s sweet face
repeatedly.
    She tried to think logically. It was all on camera. Whoever
did this wouldn’t get away with it. But oh, dear God, her baby was gone, maybe
in the hands of a madman…
    Fifteen minutes later, Angela had set up the security tape
and was about to review it when Damon rushed back into the room. He was
sweating and his hair stood on end. “I couldn’t find Valerie or the kidnapper.”
His words came out in breathless gasps. “I set up a search party. I’ll join the
group as soon as I view the security tape. A good description will help us find
her faster. After the police arrive, you can run it again for them.”
    “I was just about to watch it,” she said, briefly going
into his arms.
    His sweat had the acrid odor of dread. His body was warm,
his sweaty skin icy. He kissed Victoria and took her into his arms. Angela
hated to part with her, even for a second.
    When she ran the tape, it was obvious someone had tampered
with the cameras. All that showed up was a shadowy figure grabbing both girls.
While the kidnapper shoved the screaming Valerie into one of his two large
canvas bags, Victoria kicked him in the shins, grabbed the second bag, and took
off running. First, she leapt up on one of the twin beds, ran across it, and
then crawled under the second one. The alarm kept jangling and Angela could see
the outline of Valerie struggling to escape the bag. Tears filled her eyes.
When the man turned away to get a better hold on the jerking, shifting bag,
little Victoria slipped into the closet and eased the door closed. The man
glanced around the room, swore, and then disappeared from view.
    Damon kissed little Victoria again and said, “I’m proud of
you, baby. You handled yourself just right.” Then he handed her back to Angela
and darted out the door. But not before Angela saw the fluid glistening in his
eyes.
    “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll find her.”
    Angela feared only a miracle would get her child back.
    Later, when Officer Haywood and his men arrived, they found
no evidence of a break-in. “It looks like someone with access to the house took
the child,” he said. After he watched the tape, his expression softened and he
added, “We’ll put a tap on your phone. You may get a ransom call. And we’ll put
out an all-points bulletin. We take kidnapping very seriously, especially when
it’s a child.”
     
    * * *
*
     
    Hugo looked down at his nakedness. His first priority was
to get clothes. A group of men left the mansion. He stayed hidden, not sure
what to do. Then he saw the police come, search the area, and leave. He’d
better make his move now while everyone was gone. He entered the hidden tunnel
into the mansion’s inner walls he knew so well and slipped into Damon’s closet.
He knew not to enter the bedroom. He’d seen the wiring for the security
cameras. Quickly, he borrowed a pair of Damon’s jeans, a v-neck sweater, and a
pair of soft boots. He preferred moccasins, but Damon didn’t have any. He
dressed