Tears of impotent fury ran down her pale cheeks. She had to do something! She couldn’t just sit in her office and hope Morris would suddenly come to his senses and let the boy go. Kidnapping was a federal offense. He’d go up for life if they caught him at it. She could call the FBI. But Morris could just hide Tad. Or make him disappear, as her grandfather had disappeared. He’d already mentioned that.

She put her face in her hands and wiped away the tears. Her mind refused to think. She was devastated.

While she was cursing her own fate, her cell phone went off. She fumbled it to her ear. “Morris?” she asked at once.

“Sis?”

It was Tad! “Oh my God, are you all right? Has he still got you? Has he hurt you?” she burst out, frantic.

“He and his friends are stoned,” he said, his voice a little shaky. “I opened the window in the room Morris locked me in. I had my cell phone in my pocket, so I called that cab driver who’s always so nice. He’s bringing me to your office. You still there?”

“Oh yes,” she sobbed. “Yes, I am Oh, Tad!”

“We’re almost there. Don’t cry, sis. I’m okay. Really.”

She swallowed down a dozen fears. “All right. I’ll be waiting when you get here. It’s quitting time anyway.”

“The cab can take us on to the shelter, right?”

She didn’t argue. She had just enough to pay him, with a tip, and a little of her check would be left over for food. “Yes, he can,” she said softly. “Oh yes.”

She locked up with shaking hands, thanking God over and over again for returning her brother to her.

The cab pulled up at the sidewalk. Tad opened the door and she almost dragged him out and hugged him and hugged him until she embarrassed him.

“Sorry,” she said as she let him go. “Muscle spasm.”

He smiled gently. “If you say so.”

She looked him over critically. He had a couple of bruises, which made her angry, but he was otherwise unharmed apparently. “Okay. Let’s go home.”

She climbed in the cab with him and thanked the driver profusely for picking him up so quickly.

“It was nothing,” he said easily. “He’s a good kid. Where you going?”

She told him.

He grimaced. “Such a sad place. There are apartments all over town.”

“Apartments cost money,” she said with a smile and a sigh. “We’re poor.”

His face tautened. “As so many of us are,” he agreed quietly.

“It’s not so bad,” she said, ruffling Tad’s hair affectionately. “We have family. That’s worth more than gold.”

“You are very wise,” the cab driver said with a smile. “Very wise, indeed.”