“According to Tab, Black Sand Oil and Gas is in financial trouble. Maybe Arthur owes the casino boys money he can’t repay.”
“Same thought we had,” Reese said. “Could be, getting the company back on track is the only way to generate the capital he needs to repay his debt. Black Sand Oil and Gas never made an offer on the Poseidon, but owning it would be a real game changer.”
“Makes sense—which is why I’m on my way to Shreveport. I’ve got connections there. Might be able to find out if Haines owes money to the mob. If he does, good chance he’s involved in everything that’s been going on. I’ll let you know what I come up with.”
“We really appreciate your help,” Kenzie said, tears creeping back into her voice.
Hawk’s deep voice softened. “Try to stay positive till I get back to you, okay, Kenzie?”
She swallowed. “Okay.” The line went dead and she wiped tears from her cheeks. Pushing wearily up from her chair, she paced restlessly around the kitchen. “We need to talk to Arthur. Force him to tell us what’s going on.”
“It’s risky,” Reese said. Though he could imagine putting his hands around Arthur’s neck and squeezing the information out of him. “If Arthur’s involved in the kidnapping, it could put Griff’s life in danger.”
Kenzie turned, looked him straight in the face. “You’re right. We can’t trust Arthur. But Lee’s dead and now Griff’s been kidnapped. Arthur has to be the key. We have to talk to him. We don’t have any choice.”
Reese scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling the rough growth along his unshaven jaw. He was tired, yet worry kept his adrenaline pumping. Kenzie was right. Griff’s time was running out. Arthur could have the answers they so desperately needed. There was no other choice.
“All right,” he said. “We’ll see what Arthur has to say.”
Griff curled up on the king-size bed. He was lying on a fancy spread, silky and kind of smooth, but the curtains were drawn, so he couldn’t tell the color. He could move around a little, but one of his wrists was handcuffed to the headboard so he couldn’t get far.
He didn’t remember how he got there. He didn’t remember anything about last night. Just going to bed, then waking up in this room. His eyes burned but he had already cried too much when the men weren’t around.
He checked the digital clock on the nightstand. Every hour, one of them came in to check on him. They brought him food or took him to the bathroom, which was also fancy, with lots of mirrors and one of those big Jacuzzi tubs.
The men wore black ski masks so he couldn’t see their faces, but one of them turned on the TV and set it to the Disney channel, which was better than just staring at the walls. He had a feeling he was in some fancy hotel. He didn’t know where, but he hoped it was in Dallas so it wouldn’t take long for him to get home.
His throat tightened as fear slithered through him. So far the men were treating him okay, but the short one was constantly bitching about having to babysit a kid. The bigger one was nicer, but he could tell the man didn’t really want to be there.
Neither did he. Even school was better than being locked up in some weird place with no idea when they would let him go.
His throat ached. What if they killed him instead of letting him go? It seemed like it would be a lot easier and they wouldn’t have to worry about getting caught.
He reminded himself that Reese was with his mom. Reese had said they were going to bring him home. It was like a promise. Reese was rich and smart, and Griff could tell Reese liked his mom a lot. If the men wanted money, he was sure Reese would give it to them.
He hung on to the thought as he waited for another hour to pass. Reese and his mom would give the men what they wanted and they would let him go.
In the meantime, he wasn’t a baby. He wasn’t going to cry in front of them. No way was he letting them see how scared he really was.
As he glanced at the clock, he thought of his mom and Gran and how much he wanted to go home. One of the men would be coming in soon. He wondered what Reese would do if he’d been kidnapped. It was the first time the thought had actually formed in his head.
He was pretty sure he knew what Reese would do.
Reese would try to escape.
As the mother of Arthur’s grandchild, Kenzie calling Arthur’s office wasn’t out of the ordinary. She identified herself, and his assistant, a young man named Jonathan O’Neill, informed her that his boss wasn’t feeling well and had taken the day off.
“Mr. Haines is home recovering,” Jonathan said. “If you need him, you should be able to reach him there.”
“I have that number. Thanks for your help.” Kenzie wondered if he’d heard the rumors that she was responsible for Arthur’s son’s murder, though his tone betrayed nothing.
Kenzie turned to Reese, who sat next to her at the kitchen table. “Arthur’s at home. His assistant said he took the day off.”
“Better for us,” Reese said, a hard edge in his voice. “No witnesses.”
Kenzie cut him a sharp glance but he was already out of his chair and moving toward the door.
“I need to check around the area before we leave,” he said. “Make sure no one is watching. Hang on till I get back.”
