Once Lucas is safe at summer camp, I’ll be able to focus on Caleb. Just another couple of days.
Taylor dropped Lucas off at the hotel. He was polite but awkward. He handed me flowers and a card from Caleb that said he was sorry.
I kept Lucas close all weekend.
“Mama, are you going to be okay?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine once you’re at camp,” I told him, hugging him hard. He had almost lost me because of my heart. He couldn’t lose me now because of Jeremy. It was a situation he didn’t know anything about, and one I didn’t want to tell him about and scare him needlessly. I would make sure it was taken care of before he got back.
Reiterating to his teachers that under no circumstances should he go with anyone but Caleb or me, I gave them the burner phone number.
When the bus pulled away, I waved until it disappeared. I was not going to run anymore. I was not going to hide.
I waited for the dreadful call.
For what would come next, preparing myself both physically and mentally.
41
NYAH
Imet Taylor at a coffee shop near the hotel, choosing a corner where no one would notice us. My hands were clenched around my cup, the coffee untouched.
“You need to take extra special care of Caleb at all times,” I said, keeping my voice level despite the fear tightening my chest. When his brow furrowed, I leaned in. “Please just trust me when I say he could be in danger.” I swallowed hard, hating that I couldn’t explain more without risking Caleb.“Please,” I added. “Just take care of him.”
Taylor met my gaze. “Nothing will happen to him. There’s security at the office, and I’m with him otherwise.”
I sighed, knowing I’d done all I could. I missed Caleb with an intensity that caught me off guard—the quiet comfort of his presence. My fingers turned the ring he’d given me, its weight grounding me even as it reminded me of everything that was still broken between us.
Time passed slowly.The last three weeks had been endless, each day stretching into the next with no release. I had thought of all the possible scenarios and prepared for them, running them through my mind until I knew them by heart.
It was July 21st, on Saturday at 5 p.m., when I finally answered the ghastly call I had been waiting for.
“I thought I told you to patch things up with your boyfriend, Jiya,” Jeremy said. He exhaled heavily on the phone, the sound making my skin crawl. “You didn’t do as I instructed, you bitch, and now I have become irascible.”
“What have you done, Jeremy?” I asked, dread pooling in my stomach.
“Well, I need you and two million dollars, so I’ve decided to take a different approach.”
I could feel him smiling while he uttered those words, and unease rippled through me.What did he mean? What different approach?
“Would you like to guess who’s with me right now?” he murmured on the phone.
I heard muffled screams, growing louder as he walked toward the source of the sound.
“Who are you talking about?” I demanded. “Lucas is far away from your clutches. You can’t get to him.” I scoffed, clinging to that certainty.
“You’re right. He is far away, and I don’t know where,” he said casually, “but I do know where Caleb’s nieces are, and boy, oh boy.” His voice darkened with cruel delight. “These two little girls… let me see what their identity tags say… Michelle and Malaika. They remind me so much of you—feisty and full of spunk!”
My grip tightened on the phone as my heart began to race.How did he get to them?
“They are going to be real beauties when they grow up… if they grow up, I should say,” Jeremy tittered. “They are such gullible little children. I kidnapped their chauffeur and changed into his clothes. I told them their parents had sent me to pick them up from their ballet class. Was really kind of disappointed by how easy it was.”
He kidnapped the chauffeur?My thoughts spiralled into chaos. “Don’t you dare touch them!” I said through clenched teeth. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on them. I’ll get you what you want. Just don’t touch them.” My mind raced as I tried to figure out where I could get that much money.
“Well, darling, this is the plan, and I need you to stick to it,” he said, his tone smug. “I’ve already made contact with their parents and told them to have the money ready. You are going to be the one to deliver it to me.”
Two birds, one stone.Calls started coming through from Caleb’s family almost immediately. Messages popped up one after another.Do they know the connection between Jeremy and me?
