I nod, but I’m not about to go take a nap when Caleb’s life is in danger. Raphael’s little empire has just fallen apart. I can’t image he’ll be calm or reasonable about it. One part of me hopes Caleb escaped on his own, but I know better. He’d never abandon Jade. “Is Jade here?”
“Yeah,” Lloyd says. “She’s fine. Well, a bit shaken, and she refuses to say anything, but hopefully she’ll see we’re not going to hurt her.”
“What about Raphael? Do you know anything about him? His real name, address, anything?”
Lloyd licks his lips. “Not yet, but...”
“Cassandra, please take me to my parents’ house,” I say, then turn to Lloyd. “Thanks. Just call me if you find out anything.”
“Sure.” He inclines his head and lets go of me. “Don’t forget to pick up your things.”
After Cassandra and I finish all we have to and walk out of the building, I stop and look around. “Actually, take me to Katherine’s place. I need to talk to her.”
“Okay,” she says, her brow creasing. “But isn’t it safer to go...?”
“No, I need a friend. My parents would be too worried and ask too many questions. Just call them and tell them I’m fine. They can send a bodyguard for me, okay?”
“Yeah,” she says.
“Good. Let’s go.”
“You two need to tell me everything you know about Raphael’s hideouts,” I say as I stride into Katherine’s apartment. She just stares at me, still at the door, her mouth hanging open. Isaac jumps up from the couch and approaches me.
“What happened?” he asks.
“I put that video of Raphael up on the Internet and made a deal with the cops. They arrested everyone and found Raphael’s accomplices, but he and Caleb are missing. We need to find them,” I blurt out. “If you know where they could be, you have to tell me.”
“Fuck.” Isaac runs both hands through his hair. “He went after him. Fuck.” He turns to me. “What about Jade?”
“She’s fine. She’s with the cops,” I say. “The others, too. The cops found the places where he held his victims, but he wasn’t there, so...”
“He has friends. He could be anywhere,” Katherine says, hugging herself. “If your video is still up, someone will recognize him and contact the cops.”
“Yeah, and that might take days!” I’m not sure if we have that much time. How will Raphael react? Will he take his anger out on Caleb? I take a deep breath. I can’t let panic overtake me. “Look, he’s out there somewhere, and while we wait, he can take Caleb God knows where.”
“He won’t.” Katherine shakes her head. “Everyone will be looking for him.”
She and Isaac share a look and I wish I knew if they know something they don’t want to tell me. Or maybe they just don’t know what to do with the madwoman who barged into the apartment and demands answers they don’t have. Shit.
“I’m sorry. Not knowing anything drives me crazy,” I say.
“I know.” Katherine places her hand on my shoulder, her eyes softening. “I wish we could help you. We want to find Caleb, too, but we’d need to make contacts and that takes time. And I’m sure everyone’s heard about this so they’re keeping a low profile.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.” My phone starts to ring and I dig it out of my pocket. “Yeah?”
“We haven’t found him yet,” Lloyd says, “but one of the women... Helen... She said Raphael was using them as a shield and then slipped away through a hidden doorway in the wall. But before that he sent one of his guards to get Caleb. They held him at gunpoint.”
“Why wasn’t anyone guarding it?” I do my best not to raise my voice, because I’m sure everyone was trying to do their best.
“We didn’t know about it. The tunnel was dug recently. Maybe a week or so ago. It leads to old tunnels under the building. We hope we’ll...” He lowers his voice. “I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but...”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll call you later.” I can hear voices from the other end of the line, but I can’t understand what they’re saying.
I slip the phone back into my pocket. “It looks like Caleb didn’t go after Raphael to stop him from escaping. Raphael used the others as his shield and forced Caleb to come with him. Why would he do that?”
“Maybe he wanted to use him as a shield in case the cops were in the tunnels,” Katherine says.
“But he could’ve taken anyone else! From what Lloyd told me, Caleb wasn’t the closest one. Raphael specifically risked a guard and sent him to fetch Caleb. Why him?” I’m chewing on my fingernails as we all try to come up with a plausible explanation.
“Raphael’s always liked Caleb more than anyone else,” Isaac says. “Maybe he didn’t want to lose him.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “So you’re saying Raphael took him because he cares?”
Isaac’s lips twist into a grimace. “Yeah, he cares about himself.”
“You think he’s going to try to restart his business using Caleb?” Katherine asks.
“What?” I say. “No! That would mean he’ll go into hiding and get as far as possible from here.” And we’ll never find them. The thought resonates through my mind, and this time I have to sit down.
“I doubt he was thinking that far ahead when he was running for his life,” Isaac says, rubbing his face. “He had something else in mind. I just don’t know what.”
“We don’t know what he’s up to, so let’s not drive ourselves insane with assumptions, okay?” Katherine says. “It’s not going to help.”
“You’re right,” I say. “But we at least know Caleb’s alive, right? Raphael needs him alive.”
“Yeah,” Isaac says. “Otherwise why take him? It doesn’t make sense.”
I nod. With all my heart, I have to believe that Caleb is fine, and wherever he is, I’m going to find him.
The days pass in a haze. When my burner phone rings, I immediately answer, expecting it to be Lloyd.
“Hello, Lilith,” the voice on the other end of the line says, and a frown line creases my brow.
“Who is this?” I ask, but I already know the answer. My hand gripping the phone, I hold my breath. How did he get this number?
“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me?” Raphael laughs.
“What do you want?” No matter how much I want to ask about Caleb, I’m not sure if Raphael knows about my involvement in his downfall. Maybe he’s just calling me for help or something.
“Fifty million dollars would be a good start,” he says.
“What?” I make my way across the room, hoping to find my other phone and contact Lloyd, although I don’t know if Raphael will be talking long enough to trace the call.
“I want fifty million dollars and you’ll give it to me.” There’s an edge to his voice.
“You can’t ask for that much for that stupid video!” I hiss.
“Oh, it’s not for the video. It’s for Caleb.”
I stop breathing. “What do you mean?”
“Stop pretending. I know you want him. Get your daddy’s fifty million and bring it to the old Wrinston factory in three hours. If you contact the cops or anyone else, I’m going to kill your favorite boy toy, understood? Come alone.”
The call ends before I can say anything. Oh God. I run my hand through my hair. Does this mean Raphael knows what I did? But then some of his henchmen are still out there, right under everyone’s noses and still contacting him. Shit. But even if he’s just guessing about Caleb and me, I still can’t just wait to see what will happen. How do I even get fifty million? I could try to speak to Lloyd, but I don’t want to risk Caleb’s life. Raphael’s spies could be everywhere.
The only people I might be able to tell are my parents. I can’t get so much money unless I talk to Dad. Raphael has to know that or he wouldn’t ask me for such a sum. Rushing to grab my coat and purse, I pray Caleb will be fine.
“Wait, what? Fifty million?” My father gape
s at me. “No way. You’re not going alone to meet some psychopath who won’t hesitate to kill you.”
“Honey,” my mom says. “You’re not going anywhere. We’re going to increase the security and no one will be able to get to you.”
“I can’t let that man kill Caleb!” I knew it would be difficult to convince my parents to let me go, but I’m not about to go meet with Raphael without anyone at least knowing about it. “He has contacts everywhere. Someone is probably monitoring this house right now. You can’t call anyone. They’ll know.”
My mom crosses her arms. “You should worry about your own life. Whatever that boy did to get himself involved with a psycho is his own fault. Let him get out of his mess on his own.”
I ignore my mom, and turn to my dad, who looks pensive.
“You say we can’t contact anyone?” he asks.
“Yeah, Raphael’s men could be monitoring everything. One wrong move, and he’ll either kill Caleb or take him somewhere far away and do God knows what to him.”
“I could probably get a message out without anyone seeing anything suspicious,” he says. “But it would take time. When did he tell you to meet him?”
“In three hours, at the old Wrinston factory.”
My dad mumbles under his breath. “That’s too soon. And that factory is too far away from here. You’d need at least two hours to get there and there’s nothing around it that could hide anyone we send with you.”
“Yeah, all I can do is go to the bank with you and I’m out of time.”
“You’re not actually considering this insanity!” my mom raises her voice. “What’s gotten into you? It’s not worth risking your life for that man. You are my daughter. I won’t... I won’t allow it!”
“Mom, I can’t let him die. Would you let Dad die if he were taken?”
She swallows, averting her gaze. “That’s different... Your father and I...”
“No, it’s not different. I love him, okay? I won’t be able to live with myself.”
“You said he was a sex slave. I don’t even know how you got in contact with such...” She curls her lip.
“That’s enough,” my dad says, gently placing his hands on my mom’s shoulders. “You’re distracting us. We need to come up with a plan so our daughter and her boyfriend return safe, okay?”
“You’re not actually going to...” my mom yells, then crosses her arms and takes a seat in one of the chairs. “Fine. Come up with your plan. I’m sure it will be brilliant.”
“So how are we going to make this work?” I ask.
“About that Raphael guy... Are you sure he’s going to kill Caleb if you don’t come up with the money?”
“I don’t know, but he’s certainly capable of it.” No matter how much Raphael seems to care about Caleb, I assume his concern is more of an owner toward his property. I don’t think Raphael knows anything about truly loving anyone. He’s hurt Caleb for so many years that I believe he could kill him if it turns out that he can’t use him for what he wants.
“Does he know that you released that video of him and worked with the cops?” My dad’s eyes are intent on mine.
“He might. I don’t know.” I wonder if Raphael forced Caleb to tell him what he knows. I doubt Caleb would willingly betray me, but who knows how Raphael threatened him and what he’s done to him?
“If he knows, that means he’s very likely to try to kill you when you arrive. I don’t think he’d let you walk away if he thinks you’re responsible for everything that has happened.”
“Yeah, I thought about it, too. That’s why I don’t know what to do.”
“It would be useful to know how many men are with him.” My dad scratches his chin, then glances at his watch. “We’re going to be late to the bank. I’ll get my bodyguard to check for any bugs in the car.”
“Okay. But we still don’t have any plans.”
“We will. Just leave those things to me.”
I nod, trusting my dad to come up with something. His bodyguards have some military training and might be able to help us with this. I just hope that no one will tip off Raphael that something is wrong.
I tap my foot against the floor as my father and I sit in the bank. At least one of Raphael’s men is outside, waiting and observing, but my father said it was better not to engage him in case an attack on the man triggered some kind of alarm.
A young woman strolls in, a heavy dark blue bag on her arm, her eyes hidden behind huge sunglasses. I’m about to ask what is she doing here, when she drops the bag to the ground and offers a smile to my father.
“I came as quickly as I could,” she says, taking off the sunglasses and revealing eyes as blue as mine.
“Victoria, meet my daughter Lilith,” my dad says. “Lilith, this is Victoria. Tim’s girlfriend.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say automatically, unsure what my dad’s bodyguard’s girlfriend is doing here. I know my father hires only people with special skills, knowledge, or connections, but I don’t see how she could help. Her gaze travels up and down my body, then she crouches next to the bag and opens it.
“What...?” I ask, frowning when Victoria takes out a wig that looks nearly identical to my hair and puts it over her natural black.
“Tim called Victoria, because she used to work for a secret agency and now... she does private work. Since Tim is her boyfriend, there was nothing suspicious about their conversation, at least not to the outsiders.” My dad winks at me. “She’ll go instead of you to meet Raphael.”
“What?” I grip the armrests, my eyes wide. “But Raphael will see she’s not me!”
“Not until he gets close,” he says.
Victoria is expertly putting on makeup, and I see a gun peeking from the bag. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ve done this before.”
“But... what if they realize she’s not me too soon? Or if Caleb gets caught in the crossfire?”
“Victoria’s team will make sure that doesn’t happen,” my dad says confidently.
“Team? But Raphael’s men will see them coming...”
“No, they won’t,” Victoria says.
“Then I’m going with you,” I say. “Or do you think I’m going to stay trapped here in the bank?”
“Honey...” my father starts, but Victoria cuts him off.
“You can come. It might be helpful if I can contact you. Tim will give you all the instructions.”
“Won’t Raphael’s men be able to detect the signal?”
“It’s a special frequency. Only a few people use it, so it should be safe. It’s highly unlikely Raphael knows anyone like that.”
“Wait a minute...” My dad shakes his head. “That’s a terrible idea. My daughter has absolutely no experience...”
“Doesn’t matter.” She turns to me. “You’ll stay close, but not close enough that they spot you or hurt you, okay?”
“Sure.” I bob my head.
“Look, I understand how nerve-racking it is not to know what’s going on, but whatever happens, do not come out from your hiding place.” She gives me a stern look.
“Of course.”
My father sighs, then pulls me into a hug, planting a kiss on the top of my head. “Stay safe, honey.”
“I will.”
Victoria tosses the almost empty bag to me. “You can’t walk out of here like this. There’s a black wig inside. Make sure you look like me. My car is right across the street. Use the key and you won’t miss it. No matter what, follow Tim’s instructions. Oh, and give me your phone or anything else Raphael might use to track you or identify you.”
I grab the bag and pull out the wig. “I really hope this works.”
“Don’t worry,” she says. “It will.”
When I’m done applying makeup, I look at myself in the mirror and realize I seem like a completely another person. This better work or I don’t know what I’ll do.
I thread through the tall grass, careful not to be seen. Sweat is trickling down my back und
er my protective vest, but I do my best to ignore it. In front of me, I can see an old building with dilapidated walls surrounded by tall grass and trees. Four men who have come with me are silently and quickly wading through the grass. Their plan is to take out Raphael’s guards without alerting anyone while Victoria deals with Raphael.
I just hope that Raphael will assume that I’m not crazy enough to get anyone else involved with this and that I want Caleb enough to risk my own life. Or maybe he thinks I’m stupid and arrogant enough to come on my own thinking that money will protect me and that he won’t harm me. Well, if it hadn’t been for my father’s idea, maybe that’s exactly what I would’ve done... except I’d bring my father’s guns, too.
There’s absolutely no movement anywhere around the building, but I’ve never done this before, so chances are I’m not that good at spotting their hideouts. A click in my ear makes me pause, and I know Victoria has turned on her device. She has or is about enter the building, judging by the loud scrape of metal.
“There you are,” I hear Raphael’s voice. “I almost thought you weren’t coming.”
“Well, I’m here now,” she says. “Let’s get this over with.”
I wish I could see them, but since I don’t hear any shots, I guess she doesn’t have a clean target just yet. Or maybe Caleb is in there too.
“Your voice sounds a little... raspy,” he says.
“Really? You’re going to comment on my voice? That’s not why we’re here.”
“Indeed. Search her.”
“Nuh uh,” she says. “Don’t come anywhere near me. Just send Caleb over and I’ll give you the money.”
Victoria has to be standing far enough from Raphael, or maybe in a dark spot, or he would’ve already realized she isn’t me.
“Sir, we have company,” someone yells, and I swear under my breath.
“Who did you bring with you?” Raphael demands.
“No one. I guess you should’ve kept an eye on your enemies instead of me.”
Hold Me Page 17