Page 92 of Cooper’s Passion

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In shock, Anita stared at her cellphone, digesting what she had just seen and heard, when a message chimed: the location of where the suspect was keeping Cooper.

She showed the display to Nicholas. “Where is this?”

While Nicholas typed the location info into his computer, her father put her hand on her shoulder. “You can’t possibly do what that perp is demanding! That’s suicide!”

Her eyes tearing, she shook her head. “It’s love. I’m not going to let him die.”

“But he said himself that you shouldn’t follow those demands.”

“Your father is right,” Luther interjected. “Nobody expects you to make the exchange. It’s too dangerous.”

“I’m already working on how else to get him out of there,” Thomas said without looking over his shoulder, hacking away on his keyboard. “We’ll find a way.”

“Not in time!” Anita pointed to her cellphone. “You all saw it yourselves! He shot Cooper with a silver bullet.” She looked at Vanessa. “Tell me the truth: will it really kill him in half an hour?”

Vanessa quickly glanced at the others in the room, but then nodded. “Yes, and it’s not a painless death.”

A sob tore from Anita’s throat, but she choked it back down. “Then I have no choice. I love him. I have to save him.”

“Damn it, Anita!” her father grunted. “Don’t do this! Think what that monster did to your mother. And now you want him to do the same to you? No! I forbid it!”

“You don’t have a say in this, Dad. It’s my life.” She looked at the other people in the room. “Does anybody here have a convertible?”

Nicholas looked over his shoulder. “Amaury’s Porsche 911 is in the garage. We have the spare keys.” He already rose and hurried to a cupboard, ripping it open.

Anita nodded, then caught Virginia’s gaze on her.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” Virginia said.

It took her one second to understand Virginia’s words. Her heart beat excitedly. “You’re right.” She reached for the key that Nicholas was handing her.

“Level P1, right outside the elevator.”

“How do I get the bullet out of Cooper’s thigh?” Anita asked, looking at the assembled.

“Knife,” Virginia said. “I have one on me.” She pointed to her boot. “Where are the silver chains?”

Luther jumped up to open another closet. “Help yourself.”

Virginia grabbed what she needed.

“Good.” Then Anita thought of something else. Something that might help with actually pulling this off. “Does anybody have perfume I can borrow?”

“Perfume?” her father asked. “What the—”

“I do,” Vanessa interrupted, and dug into her handbag, pulling out a small bottle. “This should do. Use double what you think will be enough.”

Anita snatched it. “Virginia, let’s go!” She was already hurrying to the door.

“By the time you’re in the car, I will have programmed the Porsche’s GPS system to lead you straight to the address,” Nicholas called after her.

In the elevator, Anita sprayed a liberal amount of perfume all over herself, and Virginia did the same. It took them almost a minute to reach parking level P1.

“There it is,” Virginia pointed out. “You’ve got this, girl.”

Anita unlocked the car remotely, and jumped in. Moments later, the car shot out of the garage, and she followed the instructions the navigation system provided her with. She had no time to marvel at the efficiency with which every member of the Scanguards team had instantly jumped into action. Instead, she concentrated on the street ahead of her, and kicked the gas pedal down. There was virtually no traffic this time of night, and the further she drove, the more industrial the area became. Her heart beat into her throat, and her palms were covered in cold sweat.