There were footsteps. The door was unlocked and opened. And Clancey stood there in sweatpants and a thick T-shirt with her mouth open, gaping at him.

TWELVE

Banks was the last person on earth Clancey had expected to find at her door. She couldn’t even find words.

He didn’t seem angry. His dark eyes weren’t exactly friendly, though. “Well?” he asked. “Can I come in?”

“Oh.” She opened the door reluctantly and let him inside. Her phone was ringing. Again. She knew it was Cal. She hadn’t answered it out of fear that he’d found out what had happened earlier. Now that Banks had found her, she had another hint about why Cal was calling.

She wasn’t wearing shoes. She seemed even shorter and more fragile to Banks, who was still wearing his boots with two-inch roping heels on them. He looked down at her coolly.

“You lied,” he said curtly.

She bit her lower lip. She felt sick all over. She drew in a quick breath and started to speak.

Tad came out of his room and saw Banks and actually ran to him. Banks went on one knee to meet the charge and picked the child up.

“I was so scared,” he sobbed into the big man’s chest.

He’d been upset ever since they got to the shelter. He’d put on an act for Clancey with the cab driver, but when they got home, it all caught up with him. He’d been crying on and off ever since.

Banks hugged him. He felt odd. It was really the first time in his life that anybody except Brenda and, later, Grace, had needed him. He rubbed the boy’s back. “Calm down, now. Tell me what happened.”

“Morris took him from the after-school program,” Clancey said miserably. “There was a new woman. She didn’t know that only Cal or I had permission to pick him up. Morris drove him home, locked him in a room and called me to gloat. I tried to trade myself for him, but Morris wouldn’t.” Tears choked her. “I was afraid to call anybody. Morris sounded drugged up and he’s unpredictable. I thought if I called the police and they rushed the house, Tad would be the first to...”

“Then how...?”

Tad pulled back, rubbing his eyes. “Morris was so high that he didn’t take my cell phone away. He locked the room, but he forgot to lock the window. So I opened the window, called a cab driver who’s been nice to me and sis, and he took me to your office. We picked up sis and the cab driver brought us here.”

“You brave kid,” Banks said, with visible admiration.

Tad actually flushed. “I didn’t feel brave. I was scared to death Morris would catch me.”