Chapter 5
Callie
When the ambulance slows, my kidnapper opens the back door and shoves the real paramedic into the street. Tires squeal, we skid around a corner, and I try not to roll off by gripping the stretcher’s edge.
Tony Soprano wobbles, reaches for an overhead strap, then glares at the driver in the rear-view mirror. He clenches his fist, prison-tats swelling on his knuckles.
“Slow the fuck down.”
The driver laughs. “Pussy.”
We go for miles while our siren screams and car horns blare their displeasure.
Finally, I can stand it no longer. “What hospital are you taking me to?”
“No need to worry, Mrs. Grayson. We’ll be there soon.”
Wait. He thinks I’m Isabella?Her husband’s net worth is up there with Bill Gates. They’re going to want ransom and when they find out I’m not her…
Oh my God, they’ll kill me.
Do not panic. Remember? The voice in the bathroom said no one was going to be hurt.
Riiight. Obviously, someone was lying.
“Can you call my husband? He’ll be worried.” I put my hands on my belly and rub my little one.
The man pales and moves my blanket aside. “Wait a minute. Who are you?”
“Calliope James. My husband’s a bodyguard. He works for Patten Securities.” With a bravado I don’t feel, I hope to put some fear into the asshole.
“Fucking shit.” He flicks his eyes back to the mirror. “This isn’t Patten’s wife. We need to get rid of her.”
After seeing what they did to the other passenger, I freak. I won’t survive if they push me out the back. I’ve seen their faces and am going to die unless I can convince them otherwise.
Quickly, I twist on the stretcher and catch the driver’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. If what I overheard is true, he was the one who didn’t want to hurt us.
“Wait. Hear me out.”
When neither of the men respond, I almost give up. However, the little life growing within me kicks, reminding me I’m a mom, now. I have to keep trying.
“Please, let me go. I won’t say anything. You didn’t mean for the gas to explode, right?”
The man in the back sneers, clearly in charge.
Rather than hide under my blanket, I make him talk. “Money? If that’s what you’re after, I can get some. My family is quite well-off.”
He snorts. “We wanted Patten’s wife, Isabella.”
“Me and her are close, like family.”Please, please, don’t kill me.
“That so? Can she convince him to back away from a billion-dollar contract?” His brows raise, mouth drawn tight, and my mind spins.
The only contract that big is in Washington, DC. “What’s so important about the Blue Plains project?”
The guy shakes his head. “None of your beeswax.”
“Hey, I worked on the project. Maybe there’s something I can do to help.” A small glimmer of hope creeps into my heart when his eyes go wide, then narrow.
