He killed the engine, grabbed the thin box off the passenger seat, and took the steps two at a time before knocking on the back door. Footsteps pounded quicklyacross the floor inside—then the lock clicked, and the door flew open.
Andy stood there.
The kid’s face was pale and drawn, his eyes wide and glassy, like he was fighting not to bolt or break down. His hoodie was twisted tight around one elbow—the fabric stretched and wrinkled as if it had been yanked, then wrapped around again and again. His breathing was shallow, his chest rising too fast, and his free hand hovered near the doorframe like he didn’t know what to do with it.
Every instinct Brian had went from casual to razor-sharp.
“Hey,” he said slowly. “You okay?”
“No.” Andy’s voice cracked on the single syllable. “Something’s wrong.Verywrong. With Tess.”
Cold slid down Brian’s spine. He stepped inside, letting the door swing shut behind him, and tossed the box on the dining table. “What do you mean? Where is she?”
“I don’t know,” Andy said, the words tumbling out as he ran his fingers through his already unruly hair. “She called—then someone else called—and I didn’t know what to do and?—”
A jolt of terror hit his chest, sharp and immediate. He locked it down because he had to figure out what the hell was going on. “Andy. Slow down. Start with Tess.”
The kid nodded, his breath stuttering. “She calledfrom an unknown number. She didn’t say where she was—she couldn’t. She just said, ‘Do what they say, Andy.Don’tcall the police.’” His voice wavered. “She sounded scared. Like she was forcing herself to stay calm. And then I heard a man in the background, and the call just... dropped.”
The room seemed to tilt. Brian grounded himself—feet planted, breath steady.Unknown number. Short call. No police. Male voice in the background.He focused on the details and refused to panic. That wouldn’t help Tess.
He tried to keep the fear out of his voice—her brother didn’t need to hear it. “Okay. What happened next?”
“My phone rang again,” Andy rushed on. “From a different number. It was Diego. He said he has her. Said if I want her back, I have to do exactly what he tells me. No cops. Not even you.”
Diego.
The name slammed into Brian’s chest, sharp and immediate. His pulse spiked hard enough to feel in his throat. He swallowed hard. “Did he say where she is?”
“No. Just that she’s alive. For now.” Andy shoved his phone toward him. “Both numbers came up unknown. I tried calling back, but nobody picked up.”
Brian took the phone, eyes scanning the screen.
Unknown Caller—0:32
Unknown Caller—1:58
He handed it back, already sorting the timeline. “What else?” he said. “Tell me everything. Start from the first call. Don’t skip anything.”
Andy nodded, desperate. “Okay.”
Brian stayed where he was, still and focused, holding the fear behind his ribs where it couldn’t touch his voice.
Andy dragged in a shaky breath. “He said he had Tess. Or his people did.” His eyes filled up with tears. “He called her my weak spot. Said if I did what he wanted, she’d go home. If I didn’t?—”
He couldn’t finish.
Brian didn’t need him to.
A thought settled in, cold and unwelcome—this hadn’t been impulsive. Diego had thought this through. But none of it made sense.
“Why you?” he asked. “What’s his connection to you? You said you barely knew him that day in the interview room.”
Andy’s shoulders curled inward. “That was true—then. But he knows me somehow.” He swallowed. “He knows I’m good with computers.”
Tess had mentioned that more than once—the kid was a whiz. What mattered was how Diego had decided to use that bit of knowledge. Brian was almost afraid to find out.
“He asked me to do something for him a couple of weeks ago,” Andy rushed on. “He paid me cash to reroute an IP. That was it. Simple.” His voice cracked. “Simple and stupid. I thought it was harmless. But Inever did anything else for him. I blocked his number and stayed away from him after that. I swear.”
