A car door closed, and Riley put the pieces together. “You slept in your van?”
“I have a heater hooked up to the battery.”
Riley had to admire the guy. “Where’s Gabe?”
“Inside the house.” Dylan must have slept in his boots because his feet pounded on some wooden steps. A knock sounded, and the door creaked open a moment later. “We need to check on Ceci. It’s Riley.”
“Hey. What’s up?” Dylan had handed Gabe the phone.
He told him about the ransom call.
“Holy shit. No, no one has been inside here.”
“You sure?” He doubted he was sleeping in Ceci’s room. Gabe was probably on her sofa while Dylan watched outside. Riley wanted to strangle both of them. “Can you look and see?”
“Dylan went into her room. She there?”
He heard Dylan’s voice say she was and the tension eased out of his body. “Don’t leave her side for any reason.”
“Got it.”
Riley disconnected. He looked up at Brooke, who hadn’t moved. “Ceci is fine.”
Her hands still shook and Riley cradled her to his chest.
She sniffled. “Then why call and tell me to bring money? Did he think I wouldn’t check?” Her fingers still clasped the sheets in a wad.
His mind raced back to another kidnapping case they had in Denver. His gut roiled at what happened to that girl. “Maybe they have the wrong girl.” What other explanation could there be?
He picked up her phone. “Caller ID says Sarah Jacobsen. Do you know who she is?”
Brooke clamped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, my God. That’s Ceci’s best friend.”
Her pain speared him. “Are you friends with her, too?”
She shook her head and relief seeped in.
“Not really. I know her since she hangs with Ceci, but we don’t go out together or anything. I have her number because about a year ago she had computer problems. I couldn’t fix her computer right away because I needed to order a new motherboard. She called me several times to check on the progress.”
“What does she look like?”
Her brows furrowed. “Tall, blonde—” She gasped. “Just like my sister.”
He shook his head. “I need to speak with Ceci.”
Her cheeks sagged. “She’ll be frantic.”
Riley kissed her. “Get dressed. We’re going back to town.”
She jumped up and was quick about pulling herself together. He had to hand it to her. No matter the situation, when things looked bleak, Brooke held it together. He dressed before she did, so while he waited for her to gather her gear, he called Gavin and told him what happened.
“Shit. I’ll head over to her house now.”
“Meet you there.”
* * * *
Gavin called Gabe to let him know he was on his way over. If the killer’s goal was to get Brooke alone in a field so he could take her out, then he had another thing coming. Gavin wasn’t sure of his plan yet, but knowing Brooke, she’d insist on taking part. Too bad he couldn’t let her put her life in jeopardy.
The drive to Brooke’s sister’s house was a short one. When he arrived, Dylan’s van was parked a block down the road, and he pulled in behind him. Gavin checked inside the cab, but the van was vacant.
How could the kidnappers have mistaken the two girls? Oh, Christ. Had Riley even called Sarah to see if perhaps she was still snug in bed? He needed to get her phone number from Brooke’s sister.
Gavin raced up the wooden steps. Before he could pound on the door, Gabe pulled it open and ushered him inside.
Ceci was on the sofa clutching her sweater. Dylan sat next to her with his arm around her shoulders. She jumped up. “How’s my sister?”
“Brooke is fine. I want to ask about Sarah Jacobsen.”
Her brows pinched. “What about her?”
He inhaled. Delivering bad news was never easy. He glanced first to Gabe then to Dylan. “You didn’t tell her?” They both shook their head. He inhaled. “This morning your sister received a phone call.” He told her about her own supposed kidnapping.
“Sarah’s my best friend. Oh, my God. Is she okay?”
This was the hard part. “I don’t know. Maybe you could call her.”
Ceci rushed over to her dining room table and picked up her phone.
“Wait!” Ceci froze. “Use my phone. We don’t need the kidnapper realizing he has the wrong girl.”
She wiped her nose with a tissue, grabbed his cell, and dialed her best friend’s number. She paced and shook her head. She mouthed voicemail.
“Don’t tell her who you are.”
She nodded. “Hey, Ceci. It’s Sarah.” She looked up at him and raised her brows. He nodded. “Call me when you get this message.”
He was impressed with her sharp mind. She disconnected and handed him back the phone.
“So now what?” she asked.
“Come sit down. We need to figure that part out.” All four of them remained in the living room. “When was the last time you saw Sarah?”
She blew out a breath and glanced to the ceiling. “Maybe three days ago? We were at the Mountain View having lunch.”
“Brooke said you two look alike.”
Her lips wobbled. “Yeah. Everyone says Brooke and Sarah got mixed up at birth.” She stood again. “Let me show you.” She retrieved her phone and searched her photos. “Here’s one of the two of us together.”
Gavin whistled. “I can see why they’d confused her for you.”
“Oh, shit.”
“What?”
“I had a dentist appointment and needed to pick up some dry cleaning. Sarah said she was going by the place and would pick up my suit for me. Maybe the person overheard her use my name.”
“I trust the people at the dry cleaners would know she wasn’t you.”
“Yes, so whoever did this must not be from here.”
She was as smart as her sister. Gavin needed to get back to the house. “Thanks. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, but don’t leave. If you need something, send one of these goons out for it.”
Her smile wobbled. “What about the money? Do you need to me to get some cash?”
“I’ll contact the FBI and see if they can help.”
She clutched his hand. “Find Sarah.”
“We will.”
“And keep my sister safe.”
Gavin nodded and hurried out. He was angry that another innocent life was at stake. He called Riley back and told him what Ceci had said. “What’s your ETA getting back to town?”
“An hour.”
“I’ll meet you at the house.” He disconnected and headed for the sheriff’s office to ask Justin to help coordinate the money with the FBI.
Before he returned home, he needed to take care of one other detail. While both he and Riley had flak jackets, he wanted to borrow one for Brooke. He had an idea that he hoped would work.
* * * *
Brooke planted herself in front of the men. Yes, she desired to be their submissive and do what they asked, but that surely didn’t extend to kidnapping cases. She wasn’t going to let Riley decide what she could and couldn’t do.
“I’m going with you. The man said for me to deliver the money in exchange for Ceci. I mean Sarah.”
Riley stepped in front of her. “We’re trained for this sort of thing, so we’ll decide what you do.” He held up his hand. “Don’t think this has anything to do with being a Dom. It has to do with me wanting to keep you safe.”
Even though what he said made sense, she wanted to punch him. “If that person doesn’t see me”—she tapped her chest—“he’ll kill Sarah.”
Gavin rubbed his chin as he moved between the table and the kitchen island. “She’s right, you know.”
Finally, one of them had some sense. Riley balled his hands into fists and pounded on the table. “I hate this.” He faced her. “But we do it our way.”
She held up a palm. “Absolutely.”
Gavin turned to her. “You will be wearing a flak jacket, but we still need you to do exactly as we say. We’ll have an ambulance not too far from the field in case we need emergency care for Sarah. I’ll be close with my sniper weapon aimed on whoever is holding her. Riley will be in the trunk of your car ready to pop out and take aim, too.”
Riley gritted his teeth. “Thanks, buddy.” His tone, mercifully, came out light.
She didn’t like that poor Riley would be stuck in the confined space, but she could offer no other option.
She inhaled and let out a long, slow breath. Now that she’d volunteered to deliver the money, her bravery was beginning to deteriorate.
Gavin pulled her into his arms. “It’ll be okay, baby.”
She trusted her men. It was the other guys that scared the shit out of her.
He kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to head out now. I want to get into position before the men arrive.”
“You don’t mind sitting outside for hours?”
He smiled. “Baby, if you knew the shit we went through in the war, this is a cake walk.”
“Be careful.”
He winked.
She watched him put on his vest and gather his sniper rifle. As soon as he left, she faced Riley. “Now what?”
“We wait.”
Chapter Fourteen
Brooke couldn’t believe the bastard had called right before they were to leave for the rendezvous to change locations.
“Remember. No police or your sister dies.” His voice had been electronically altered.
She swallowed hard, as fear spiked her pulse enough to blur her vision. This wasn’t what Gavin and Riley had planned to happen. Brooke had no choice but to agree to the ransom demand. “Okay. I’ll be there.” Grr.
As soon as the man disconnected, she faced Riley. “He moved the drop point.”
“Fuck. Where to?”
“We’re to meet him at the intersection of State Road 126 and the entrance to the National Park.”
Riley’s gaze stayed lasered on her face. “What does the terrain look like there?”
She wiggled her fingers trying to picture the exact lot where he told her to park. “Flat. It overlooks a large field I think.”
“You did the right thing, sugar.” He called Gavin to deliver the bad news. “I’m about to check Google Maps right now to study the terrain.” Riley walked over to the living room where he’d left his computer running. He tapped a few keys while cushioning his phone between his ear and shoulder. “Seems there are a few trees bordering the field, so we might get lucky. Okay.” He disconnected.
She held her breath, hoping their plan could still work. “Will Gavin be able to hide?”
“Let’s hope. You know exactly where they want to meet?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.”
Her body armor added a ton of weight. She didn’t know how police officers moved around wearing this stuff. They took her car as instructed. She didn’t want to think how they knew what she drove. As they neared the destination, Riley told her to pull over.
“I’m going to crawl into the trunk, so drive carefully.”
“I’ll take it slow.” Assuming I can control my racing heart.
“Try not to look suspicious.”
“About what?”
“That I’m in the trunk and Gavin has his gun aimed at the kidnapper’s head. Act scared.”
Her chuckle held no glee. “No worries there.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “Good luck. Stay cool.”
She popped the trunk, and he climbed in. She hoped he knew what he was doing. Gavin hadn’t called back so she figured he was able to figure something out and make the needed changes. Riley said someone from the sheriff’s office would be nearby should they need assistance.
As much as she appreciated Justin’s and Tom’s help, if what she saw on television had a shred of realism, by the time they reached the scene, the shit would have already hit the fan.
During the entire drive to the park, she kept telling herself this was the only way to save Sarah. Her sister’s best friend had done nothing to deserve this. The more she talked to herself, the more pissed she became about how emptying the trash had escalated to running for her life and trying to save another’s. Her anger, though, helped defuse the fear coursing through her body. She turned off the heat. Her pits were damp enough and her hands clammy.
She slowed as she turned off the road toward the National Park. Because it was winter, the park was closed. That meant no innocent bystanders would be around. At least one thing was in her favor.
“You can do this.”
She headed toward the spot where the kidnapper had instructed. She stopped and scanned the tree line. Was Gavin hiding in one of them? Or was he standing behind a tree? The evergreens would give him some coverage.
Don’t look around.
She waited in her car, not wanting them to have an advantage and shoot her when she got out. The sound of a helicopter droned above her. Oh, shit. Her pulse raced. Everyone had drilled her on what to do when the men drove in. No one had mentioned anything about the kidnapper coming by air.
Snow fluttered on the field as the chopper landed. As if on autopilot, she grabbed the case with the counterfeit money and got out of the car. Her face froze as did her ears, but her mind wasn’t on her discomfort but rather on saving Sarah.
Her stomach tumbled and her blood pressure soared. She wasn’t cut out for this espionage shit. The urge to call for Riley was great, but she straightened her shoulders and sucked up her courage. Remaining by the car, she waited for the man to show her Sarah before she handed over the money.
The chopper landed. A second later, a black man exited. Was he the same one who’d shot Gavin? He reached back and grabbed Sarah, who was blindfolded and bound. The poor girl was shivering and sobbing, and it broke Brooke’s heart. They hadn’t even the decency to let her wear a coat or shoes.
The man moved away from the beating blades and stopped a hundred feet from her.
“Hand over the money,” he shouted.
Oh, shit. Now what? Gavin said to play it by ear and to do what they said. Should she insist he bring Sarah to her first? If she moved too near the chopper, he could grab her and be gone before her men could do anything.
She slowly inched her way forward and stopped halfway. If she knew where Gavin was located, she’d make sure she wasn’t in his line of fire.
She set down the money. “Send my sister over.”
The man shoved the girl. Being blindfolded, she didn’t know which way to go. Sarah stumbled and dropped to her knees. A sob escaped.
Her gaze had been on Sarah until movement caught her eye. She shifted her gaze to the horrible man. He lifted his weapon and aimed his gun at Brooke.
A shot rang out. Almost instantly, a force knocked her onto her ass, and the blast sent a pain deep into her chest. Oh, my God. I’ve been shot. With the breath knocked out of her, her body refused to move.
The man raced toward her. Another shot rang out, and he stumbled then dropped to his knees twenty feet in front of her. Fear clawed its way up her body as she tried to take it all in.
Bullets ripped into the helicopter drawing her attention away from the downed man. Glass shattered as the blades picked up speed. Seconds later, the helicopter lifted off the ground and flew away.
“Help me.” Sarah’s voice cut through Brooke’s mind.
She wanted to go to Sarah, but she couldn’t get her body to respond.
Using all her strength, Brooke pushed aside the ache in her body and started to get up. A hand stayed her. She looked up to see Riley looming over her.
“Stay down.”
“Help Sarah.”
Riley took off as more footsteps sounded. Sirens sped in from every direction then Gavin appeared at her side and knelt. “Are you okay, baby?” He gathered her in his arms.
“It hurts.” Everything assaulted her at once�
�the pain, the fear, and not knowing what happened.
“I know.”
“I was shot.” Her mind fuzzed.
“The vest stopped the bullet.”
It didn’t feel like it. “How do you know?”
“His gun wasn’t powerful enough.” He placed a hand over the hole in her jacket. “I’ll have to buy you a new coat, too.”
That made her smile. Riley gathered Sarah in his arms, pulled the tape from her mouth, and removed the blindfold. Two ambulances pulled into the lot and Riley hustled Sarah toward them. Thank God Sarah was now safe and would be given care.
Gavin helped her to her feet. Now that the scare was over, she felt better. The man Gavin had shot was still on the ground. “What about him?”
“He’ll live.”
She sniffled and wiped her nose on her ruined sleeve. The sheriff and his deputy pulled in behind the ambulances. Justin, Tom, and two paramedics ran toward the shooter. After placing him on a stretcher, and cuffing him, they put him in one of the ambulances. Tom went with the kidnapper while Justin went back to the field, probably to check out the scene.
A second paramedic rushed over to her.
“Come on over to the ambulance. I need to check you out.”
Gavin wrapped an arm around her and escorted her to the back of the ambulance, where Riley was helping with Sarah. The paramedic asked Brooke a lot of questions, then asked her to take off her vest so he could check her possible wound. She happily obliged.
She had to take off her coat and unzip her sweater for him to see the red mark. Relief slammed into her when she spotted only a red circle of skin instead of a bloody mess.
He pressed the area lightly. “You’ll be bruised for a while, but you should be good in a few days. Take some aspirin for the pain, and use ice to help with the swelling.”
She blew out a breath at the good prognosis. Riley jumped down from the back.
“You good, sugar?” She nodded. “When I heard that gunshot, my heart stopped.”
“You think you were scared? I thought I was dead.”
He encircled her in his arms and kissed her forehead. “I need to take you home.”
“Can I wait a few more minutes? I want to make sure Sarah is okay.” Her paramedic was checking her out from head to toe. No telling what the kidnappers had done to her before they arrived.
Monroe, Melody Snow - Bodyguards of Pleasure [Pleasure, Montana 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 14