Riptide

"It's all
    right," she said again. "Let me get you untied, then we'll go upstairs
    and I'll make you some hot chocolate and wrap you up in a real
    warm blanket."
    He didn't say anything more, not that she expected him to. She
    got his ankles and wrists untied and lifted him in her arms. When

she got back into the kitchen, she sat down with him and began
    rubbing the feeling back into his wrists and ankles. "It will be all
    right now, Sam. Do you hurt anywhere else?"
    He shook his head. Then he said,"I was scared, Becca, real scared."
    "I know, baby, I know. But you're with me now. I'm not going
    to let you out of my sight." She carried him into the living room
    and wrapped him in an afghan. Then she went back to the kitchen,
    sat him down in a chair, the blanket firmly wrapped around him.
    "Now some hot chocolate. You hungry, Sam?"
    He shook his head. "I want Rachel. My tummy feels weird. She
    knows what to do."
    "Mine would, too, if I'd been through what you have. I'll tell
    your dad that you want Rachel." While the water heated, she
    poured the cocoa mix into a cup. Then she held Sam close again,
    telling him how brave he was, how everything was all right now,
    how she would call his father. While Sam was drinking the chocolate,
    Becca, not taking her eyes off him, pulled out her cell phone
    and called Tyler. "I've got him. He's safe."
    "Thank God. Where are you?"
    "At home. Krimakov put him in the basement. He's all right,
    Tyler."
    "I'll be right there."
    Obviously they'd all heard her but had waited to see if Krimakov
    was going to show himself. But no longer. Sam was safe. Still, there
    wasn't a sign of Krimakov. She'd forgotten to tell Tyler to get
    Rachel.
    Adam came through the back door like an avenging angel. Then
    he saw Sam's white face, saw that the little kid was all wrapped up
    in a pale-green afghan. He wanted to kill Krimakov with his bare
    hands.
    He slowed down, pinned a big smile on his face. He came down

on his haunches beside him. "Hi, Sam. You're the youngest hero
    I've ever known."
    Sam stared at him for a minute, then he smiled, a really big smile.
    "Really?"
    Adam was surprised to hear even that one short word out of
    him. "Really. The youngest. Boy, am I impressed. Do you think
    you could tell Becca and me what happened?"
    Tyler came running through the front door. He stopped cold
    when he saw the three of them, but his eyes were on Becca first,
    then slowly he looked at his son.
    He didn't say another word, just scooped up Sam in his arms
    and sat down with him. He rocked him back and forth. Becca
    thought the contact was more for Tyler than to comfort his son.
    Finally, he raised his head and said quietly, "Tell me what happened."
    Becca told him, short, stripped sentences, no emotion in them,
    stark facts, no details.
    "But why did this Krimakov take Sam when all he did was get
    you here then tell you he was here in the house?"
    "I don't know. Adam, did any of you see him? Did you see anything
    at all?"
    Adam shook his head. "We've been looking, behind every
    damned tree."
    She wished then that she hadn't reminded Tyler that Adam was
    here. His eyes narrowed, he hugged Sam more tightly to him. "You
    bastard, this is all your fault."
    "Get a grip, McBride. Your son is all right. Now, if you don't
    mind, let's see if Sam can tell us anything about the guy who took
    him. You know it's important. You don't want Krimakov to get
    Becca again, do you?"
    Tyler said, "Sam rarely says anything, you know that."

"He had a thick sock over his head. I never saw him. He gave
    me potato chips to eat. I was real hungry, but he told me to be
    quiet, that Becca would come for me soon enough."
    Everyone stared at Sam. He looked quite pleased with himself.
    He grinned at Becca.
    "Sam, that's great." Becca came down on her knees beside him.
    "I did come for you, didn't I? That's right, sweetie. Take another
    drink of your hot chocolate. It's good, isn't it? Now, tell us what
    you were doing when he got you."
    But Sam didn't say anything more. He looked once at his father,
    yawned, and shut down. It was the strangest thing she'd ever seen.
    Sam just shut his eyes and went to sleep, slumping against Tyler's
    chest. One minute smiling, then just gone.
    "He's a very brave little kid," Adam said, rising. "If it's okay with
    you, McBride, can we speak to him in the morning? At least try?"
    Tyler looked like he wanted to shoot all of them, but in the end,
    he slowly nodded. "I'm taking him home now."
    Adam