Chapter Fifty-Two
She probably broke a number of traffic laws racing to the Fairegrounds. The whole way there, she kept praying that her cell phone would ring and Rika would tell her that the twins had been found. The phone stayed silent. Rika would be calling the cops any minute now, if she hadn’t already.
She parked with a screech of tires at the first spot she found, and began jogging towards Staff Childcare.
The cell phone started ringing, and her heart leapt with relief.Oh, thank God.It must be Rika. The phone said “No Caller ID”, which was odd, but she answered quickly.
“Rika?” she said hopefully.
A man’s voice answered, oozing with menace and glee. “Hello, Katie. Or should I say Lily?”
She sucked in a horrified breath. It was him. The older man from the lingerie shop. How the hell did he have her number? How did he know her name? Well, that was the least of her problems right now.
“Missing something?” the man continued. “Or, a couple of somethings? A matching set?”
“You have the kids? You son of a bitch, my friends will end you!” she cried out, her hands trembling with fury.
“Katie? I’m scared!” She heard a child cry out in the background. Oh, God. That revolting, sadistic psychopath had the twins.
“If you want to see them again in one piece, you will shut up and listen to me.”
Tears welled in her eyes as he recited his terms. She would exchange her self for the children, and she had to meet him at 2 p.m. He described the location where she would meet him. Every minute that she was late, the children would lose a body part.
She had to come alone, and tell no one.
Or else.
And then he hung up.
She looked at the watch on her wrist. She had forty-two minutes left to get there. She guessed she would need every single minute of them.
And then the phone started to heat in her fingers. Suddenly it was so hot that she couldn’t hold it any more, and as she dropped it, it burst into flames.
That phone would have been her lifeline! She could have used it to call for help, they could have used it to track her!
“Damn it!” she screamed out loud, pushing all theHow is this even possiblequestions to the bottom of her to-do list. She couldn’t afford that brainpower right now.
Forty one minutes left.
She turned and ran. Her rubbery legs were going like they were on a cartoon spinning wheel, and it still wasn’t fast enough even to close the distance to the car. How was she going to get to where the kids were by 2pm? She’d be gunning the motor on that little red Subaru as fast as it could go — Too bad it wasn’t a racing car—
Racing car. Like the ones in the “Steeds Through the Ages” display. Simon’s collection of sports cars alongside models of horses dressed for jousting or warfare.
And who should she see walking towards her now but the head of Ops. Puma. The very one that Simon had promised would give her any car help she needed.
“Please,” Lily said. “The sports cars on display. Are they already gassed up?”
Puma looked at her. “Yes. We keep them fully maintained in case Simon wants to take any of them out for a spin.”
“Give me the keys to whichever can get out the quickest.” Lily was aware she was shouting, and lowered her voice. “Please. It’s life and death.”
She could tell Puma had tons of questions, but the note was very clear.Tell No One. Or Else.She wasn’t going to argue with anything that could make itself disappear. Or if kids were involved.
Shit. The clock was ticking.
Thirty nine minutes. It felt longer. But Puma silently reached for the massive key ring hanging off his left hip, detaching a set that had a very recognizable logo on it. He was probably moving with his usual efficiency, but to Lily it was like slow motion.
“Thanks. I’ll explain later, Puma.” If there was a later. But she wasn’t going to think about that now.
