“Natalie, don’t—”
“Enough,”a different man said, his voice distant over the line.Closer now—and without distortion—he said, “You have your proof.If you want to see your brother again, follow my instructions.”
“Why are you doing this?”Natalie asked.
A man and woman passed by holding hands, and the woman gave her an odd look.Natalie forced a bland smile and turned to face the dark water.
“Because I want your network.”Mace’s voice hardened.“I want the names of everyone you’re working with to discredit hardworking businessmen like me—all the informants and investigators you work with—I want you to cease all further operations, and Iwant my money back.”
“Oh, is that all?”Not a chance in hell.“You already know about Emma.That’s it.”Emma had been with her in Lucerne.There was no way to keep her out of this.“I don’t have your money.”Truth, regardless of his identity.“There’s nothing more to tell.”
“Bullshit.”The man on the phone huffed impatiently.“How stupid do you thinkIam?”
Colossally.But smart enough to figure out how to get her here, so… “I don’t know, Mace.Or should I call you Harrison?”
There was a sharp intake of breath.Bullseye.Several heartbeats passed before he finally spoke again.“I’m tired of this game,” he said, his voice flat and deadly.“Here’s what you’re going to do.”He laid out his directions.“If you have any weapons or tracking devices, now’s the time to ditch them.And start thinking hard about your answers to my questions, because if you don’t give me the information I want, your parents will lose both of their children tonight.For real this time.”
Ford was going to lose his ever-loving mind.While Natalie had raced off to meet up with God-knew-who, he’d ridden with Emma and Jason to Jason’s apartment, only a mile down the beach from the Redondo Pier.
So close, but it might as well have been across the ocean.They couldn’t risk going to the pier, especially since they’d been followed by a team of at least two cars, maybe more.No way would they jeopardize Natalie or her brother by blatantly disregarding the kidnapper’s instructions.
Nor would they let her walk into a trap without backup.
Ford stood in the living room and tried not to spin out.Thankfully, Jason had been hiring like crazy the last few months to ramp up Steele Security’s LA presence.He had half a dozen people in place around the pier before Nat even parked her car.Supposedly they were blending, working in pairs or small groups to look like locals or tourists out late.Ford had to trust that they knew their job.Not easy.
“What can I do?”His veins buzzed.Despite Jason’s stellar qualifications and reputation, letting the other man take the reins didn’t sit well, especially with Natalie’s life on the line.
But this was Jason’s territory,histeam that could respond so quickly, and the man had a vested interest in protecting Nat.He wanted to repay his debt for leaving her behind in Lucerne, and he felt an obligation to do everything he could to keep his girlfriend’s partner safe.He also had a sense of duty a mile wide—something Ford could relate to and respect, even if their paths had been very different.
Jason handed him a laptop open to a blank page.“Take note of anything important as it’s reported.”He pulled out a dining chair and rapped the back with his knuckles.“I’m sure you know the drill.Positions, people, times, locations, etc.Whatever you hear.”
Ford sat, grateful to have a purpose and something to focus on.
A few minutes later, Emma set a mug of steaming water and a basket of assorted teas in front of him.“Do you like milk or sugar in yours?”
“Thank you, no.”He plucked a bag of mint tea from the selection—he hardly needed caffeine right now—and dunked it in the water, absently toying with the string as Jason handed him a small earbud.
“I don’t know if you’re familiar with this model.”He demonstrated as he said, “Just swipe up or down on the flat side to adjust the volume.Press and hold if you need to talk.Don’t worry, the teams’ equipment is less conspicuous and it’s set up for automatic two-way audio.”
Ford nodded.He knew the brand even though he used a different one in Europe.As soon as he stuck the device in his ear, reports from multiple low voices began to filter in, and he swiped up to hear better.
“She’s on the phone,” a woman said softly, the audio quality crystal clear, no wind or wave noises filling the airwaves between speakers.“Skater turned south.Coming your way, Finn.”
“Eyes on.”This voice was deeper and raspier.
A bit breathless, another man said, “Nat left the cell phone behind and is heading back toward the garage.”
Jason chimed in, the sound of his voice disorienting as it rumbled live into Ford’s left ear, and then came through tinnier and on the slightest delay in his right.“Finn, you and Brendan track the skater.Don’t stop him until he’s at least half a mile away, and make sure he’s not being tailed.If he stays close, just watch until I give the word.”
“Copy that.”
For lack of anything better to do, Ford wrote down “Skater.”
Emma sat at the round dining table with her own mug of something steaming and adjusted her earpiece.She gave him a tight smile as they both listened to the play-by-play, her shoulders rigid, fingers gone white where she gripped the handle of her hot drink.
Jason pulled a chair close and sat down with his arm around her, a painful reminder that Ford couldn’t do the same to the woman he loved right now.He wasn’t sure she knew it yet, but if she’d have him, he was all in, full stop.
He hoped like hell he got the chance to ask.
