“I want all twenty-five million.”
Every head in the room snaps to Declan, but he doesn’t skip a beat as he says, “Fine. Tell us where you are right now, and I’ll wire the money when you give us Autumn.”
“I’ll send you a location in the morning. And no cops. Otherwise, your precious Autumn will no longer exist in this world.”
The line goes dead, and we all sit in silence for a beat.
“Twenty-five million dollars?” Becca screeches. “You have that kind of money?”
Declan’s cheeks tinge pink. “It was an inheritance I received when I turned thirty. I haven’t touched it, though, so it’s just sitting there in my bank account.”
“Well, I’ll be. You’re buying us all a round at the bar when this is over,” Becca says.
“How did Brad get access to that kind of information?” Jordan asks.
Lucas tells us, “It’s not that hard. If you know someone who is willing to bend the rules, you can find out almost anything about a person nowadays.”
“So, what are we going to do?” Jordan chimes in.
“It’s up to you, Penny,” Lucas says, “The fact that he’s demanding money means he’s desperate.”
“I’ll give him every cent as long as he keeps his word,” Declan cuts in.
When I look at him, it’s clear he’s serious. He would do anything, including giving away an exorbitant amount of money, just to get Autumn back.
“I don’t know,” I shake my head, “I can’t ask you to give up that kind of money, Declan. It’s not fair.”
His eyes harden. “You’re not asking. If he wants the money in exchange for Autumn, he can have it. It means nothing to me, Penny.”
I search his eyes and fall even more in love with him. “Okay,” I whisper. I turn to Lucas. “No cops. I’m not risking my daughter’s life. If you think he’s desperate, that means his threat could be real.”
He nods his head. “Okay. Now we just wait for him to call in the morning.”
“Let’s take a shower and lie down. Maybe try to get a few minutes of rest,” Declan says to me.
I nod my head. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Jordan and Lucas promise to come back in the morning before dawn, and Becca heads out too.
When the door finally shuts, and Declan and I are the only two left, he grabs my hand and leads me to the bedroom. He takes his time stripping me out of my t-shirt and jean shorts, and then strips out of his clothes as well.
He pulls the covers down, and we both climb in, naked and facing each other.
His eyes search my face, and then he grabs a strand of my hair, twirling it around his finger.
“I don’t think I told you, but I love your short hair. It suits you.”
I search his face for the lie but come up empty. “Really? You like it? Most guys like long hair, though. That’s why I haven’t cut it again.”
He shakes his head. “I like the way the short haircut shows off your neck, and I love how it draws attention to your eyes.”
“Our hair is almost the same length, though. It doesn’t bother you?”
He moves his hand and tangles his fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck, moving to lay his body over mine. “Nope. Not at all. You look sexy,”kiss, “hot,”kiss,“and you look like you’re mine,” he says, kissing all over my face.
His free hand slides down the front of my body, and his fingers start to work my bundle of nerves.
“Tell me what you need, baby. Tell me what my good little slut needs from me.”
