Sighing, Gavin sat on the edge of the bed. He couldn’t either. Shelley would never forgive him. “That’s why we have to hand over the diamonds, or at least make them think we’re going to.”
Nick clenched his fists. “That might save Carlie, but not Shelley. They’ll still kill her. You must realize that. We have to keep the diamonds away from them and find a different way.” He pointed to Jenessa. “Call Dan.”
“I already sent him a text, sir. He’s on his way.”
Gavin’s heart sank. It seemed Nick agreed with his fears. Shelley crossed S.A.T.O. They called her a traitor. Paul Billings wouldn’t give her a pass, not even for the diamonds. “There has to be a way.”
The three of them stared at each other, but no one spoke. A plan didn’t spring to Gavin’s mind, and apparently Nick and Jenessa could think of nothing either.
A jingling of music startled Gavin from his bleak thoughts. “What’s that?”
Jenessa pulled her phone from her pocket, a frown on her face. “It’s Ken Travers. Why would he call me?”
“Answer it,” Nick ordered.
With a shrug, Jenessa lifted the phone. “Agent Jones.”
Gavin watched her intently, seeing her face go from skeptical to confused. He wished he knew what Ken was saying.
“And you expect us to believe you’re not involved?” she asked, voice heavy with scorn. After a few more moments, she lowered the phone and looked at Nick. “Sergeant Travers wants to meet with you, sir. He says he can help.”
“Tell him to come here,” Nick said. As Jenessa returned to her conversation, Nick glanced at Gavin and grinned. “Don’t look so shocked. You have a lot to learn if you’re going to work for me. Even our enemies can help us.”
It wasn’t like they had much choice. They were out of ideas.
***
Shelley piled the blankets on top of Emma. The poor girl couldn’t quit shivering. Whether that was from cold or fear, Shelley wasn’t entirely certain.
“Don’t worry, Emma. My friend will find us.”
She pouted from beneath her nest of covers. “He hit you!”
This had been a longstanding complaint for the last hour. “I’m okay, sweetling. I know how to take a punch. I’m a fighter, so don’t worry about me.”
“But your leg hurts,” she pointed out with the practicality of a six year old. “He should take it easy on you.”
Shelley forced a smile, though she felt rather sad at the way S.A.T.O. had stripped Emma’s innocence away. The poor girl was quickly learning life wasn’t fair. People didn’t take it easy on you when you were hurt. That treatment only happened for very small children, under the protection of their parents.
If Shelley had that sort of protection longer, her life might have turned out differently. She wondered what kind of lasting effect this experience would have on Emma, assuming they managed to get out alive. Would she get out of control once she hit her teen years, as Shelley had?
Without proper guidance, she might. Shelley hoped her father would stop spending so much time on his business, leaving Emma under the care of nannies. Now that he’d almost lost her, hopefully it would make him realize what was important in life.
She looked down at Emma, deciding the girl deserved the truth. “Bad men don’t take it easy on anyone, even if they’re hurt.”
Emma nodded and her eyes grew watery. “They hurt Rose. It’s not fair. When will I see her again?”
Shelley sighed, pulling Emma to her side and smoothing her hair back. Rose was a parent to Emma. Her loss would be hard on the girl. “I’m not sure you’ll be able to see her anymore. I think Rose is with your mom. But that also means she’s better now, and the bad men can’t hurt her anymore.”
Snaking her hand from beneath the blankets, Emma gripped Shelley’s fingers. “But you’re going to be my mommy now, right? You won’t let the bad men send me to my real mom and Rose?”
She couldn’t let that delusion persist, as much as she hated to hurt the girl. “Emma, I’m not your mom. I’m not anyone’s mom. But I promise to help you and keep you safe.”
Emma dropped her hand and pulled away. “You don’t want to love me?” Her lower lip quivered. “Who will? Daddy hates me. Rose was my only friend.” Her quivering lips got worse and tears rolled down her face. “I’m scared.”
Shelley gathered her back into her arms, kissing her forehead. “Shhh... it’s okay. Your daddy doesn’t hate you, he’s working hard to get you back. And I love you, even if I’m not your mom.”
Though she meant the words only for comfort, Shelley realized it was true. Something about this girl’s sad story pulled at her heartstrings. She did love the child. She’d do whatever she could to protect her.
Emma cried into Shelley’s shoulder, likely wearing herself out further. Shelley hoped she’d fall asleep again. This kind of stress was not good on her.
There was one thing she wished she could ask Emma, but didn’t dare. Why did the girl think her dad hated her?
***
Ken Travers took the chair next to Nick, looking distinctly uncomfortable at Nick’s glowering stare.
“What do you have to tell us?” Nick was a big man, which would intimidate anyone. The way he leaned into Ken’s personal space had to make the man nervous.
Ken blew out a breath in an obvious attempt to calm himself. “I think my brother-in-law’s working with S.A.T.O.”
Gavin’s short, bitter laugh couldn’t be contained. “You’re the one working with them. I heard what Terrance said.”
Ken glared at Gavin, and Nick didn’t seem too happy at his outburst either. Gavin forced himself to bite his tongue. Nick thought Ken could help them, but they needed to convince him they trusted him to get him to talk. Gavin understood the theory, but all he wanted to do was beat Ken and force him to talk. Torture might be illegal, but Gavin wasn’t above doing anything at this point.
“Terrance knocked me out,” Ken said. “From what Jenessa said about that drug, it could have killed me. Why do you think I’d work with them?”
“He has a point,” Jenessa said. “And Shelley always believed he was a jerk, but a good cop and not corrupt.”
Though Gavin wished he didn’t have to give a slime ball—who tried repeatedly to sleep with his woman—the benefit of the doubt, Jenessa was right. Shelley came around to his way of thinking when they were trapped, believing they would die soon, but she always had faith in Ken before that.
“Fine.” Gavin nodded his acceptance to go along with the conversation, at least for now. “What makes you think Brent’s involved? They kidnapped his daughter for shit sakes!”
Nick shook his head in obvious disapproval. “A good agent controls his personal emotions.”
Gavin threw his hands up. “I’m not a good agent. I’m a man going out of my mind because the love of my life is in danger.”
Nick didn’t appear to have a response for that, and Gavin didn’t really care. This job didn’t matter as much as Shelley did. He’d work at a fast food restaurant if he had to, as long as he could share his life with her.
Jenessa leaned forward, drawing everyone’s attention. “Do tell us, Ken, what makes you sure Brent’s behind this?”
“He’s happy.” Ken spread his hands wide and his lip curled with distaste. “I can’t figure it out. The man is going around smiling, making dates with women and spending money. When I asked him about it, he laughed and said all his problems would soon be over.”
“Maybe he’s just sure he’ll get Emma back,” Jenessa said, though her voice hitched slightly as if she didn’t believe that. After all, S.A.T.O. hadn’t given him much reason to believe that would happen.
“No, I don’t think that’s it. Brent has real money troubles. His business is on the brink of bankruptcy, and he’s been trying to keep that knowledge from the clients trusting him with their money.”
“Wait.” Gavin shook his head. “He took out five million dollars. How can it be bankrupt?”
&nb
sp; “I don’t think he’s been exactly honest with where he’s putting client’s money the last few months. It was too easy for him to liquidate all those assets, and I wondered all along how he got that much money so fast. Then again, I was worried about Emma so didn’t question it too closely.”
Well, this family was just full of sleazes. Wonderful!
When no one commented, Ken went on, “He’s been real stressed out. Two years ago, Emma’s original nanny quit because she wanted more money and he couldn’t pay. I’ve been funding Rose’s salary so Emma would have someone to look after her.” Ken stared at his hands, seeming reluctant to continue. “The worst part, though, is that there’s something Brent didn’t tell Gavin about the K and R insurance.”
Nick leaned toward Ken, regarding him intently. “What’s that?”
Ken’s blue eyes darted around the room, settling on Gavin’s before he whispered, “If Emma dies during the recovery attempt, Brent gets three million dollars for himself on top of the five million he borrowed from the company.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Shelley struggled to roll off the mattress, not wanting to wake Emma but needing a drink. She had no clue how long it had been since the train ride. The sensation in her knee had gone past localized pain to an all over ache. Shelley awkwardly crawled on her good knee and hands to the counter in the back. Shooting pain bolted through her when her right knee accidentally brushed the ground and she bit back a scream.
She had to do something, and soon. Time was hard to factor down here. Paul said she and Gavin had been in that room for a day, and then she was drugged with MG-37. That knocked people out for an entire day or longer. Though it felt like an eternity since Stephen was last in the room, he gave Nick a four-hour time limit. She guessed he’d be back to beat her some more when that passed and he didn’t have the diamonds.
Somehow, she needed to find a way to fight, even with the knee pain. Emma could build up the blankets so it looked like she was still in bed. If Shelley propped herself against the wall behind the door, she could attack Stephen next time he entered. Assuming he came in by himself again, she could surprise him, knocking him out before he figured out she wasn’t in the bed where he expected.
Anything was worth a try. Even though she’d tried to reassure Emma, Shelley was certain Nick wouldn’t give in to S.A.T.O.’s demands. Though Gavin would search for her, she didn’t even know where they were. How could she expect Gavin to find them?
Shelley finally reached the counter and used her arms to pull herself upright. Even though she wasn’t in great shape after being shot, she still had a lot of upper body strength. Nick once had the opportunity to snap Stephen’s neck and passed on it, saying it would be harder than it looked in the movies. Shelley wondered if she had the strength. In theory, she knew how to accomplish it. The practice was probably quite different.
After taking a long swig of water, Shelley hopped around to face the doorway. It was a long way from where she stood, but she could lean against the wall once she made it there and stabilize herself.
Within a few bouncing steps, she questioned her ability to make it all the way. Each hop caused more pain than Shelley would have guessed, but she needed to be on her feet in order to get Stephen. She gritted her teeth, making a few more hops.
She had made it back to the bed when the sound of a key turning the lock echoed through the room.
“Damn it!” Shelley jumped as fast as she could, but she knew she left her plan too late.
The door flung open, but it wasn’t Stephen standing there.
“I see you’re up and about.” Paul’s ice blue eyes pinned Shelley to the spot she stood in. “Glad you haven’t completely given up. I was afraid you’d lost your will to fight.”
***
Jenessa stood next to Gavin in the dark hallway at Walker Investments. Disabling the security system before they went in had been child’s play for her. Gavin had done his part to sneak them inside from the roof through the ventilation system into the main hallway. Now he had to prove himself again.
“It would be too much to hope he left this door unlocked, huh?” Gavin asked.
“Can you get through it?”
Pulling the set of lock picks from his pocket, Gavin nodded. “I’m a bit out of practice, but I was one of the best as a kid.”
He tried the door first, just in case, but it was locked as expected. Shrugging at Jenessa, he inserted the tension wrench into the bottom of the lock and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he picked a lock, but he instinctively remembered the correct pressure to apply to the wrench. He stuck the pick into the top, gently probing for each pin inside.
“Hurry,” Jenessa urged.
Within a few seconds, Gavin picked all four pins and the lock shifted. He grinned at her and opened the door. “I’ve still got it.”
“Admirable,” she said in a sarcastic tone, brushing past him to enter the office. “Nothing makes you feel safer about your privacy than hanging out with a thief.”
He snorted. “Or a hacker. Let’s get this done.”
Jenessa headed for Brent’s desk, powering up the computer, while Gavin turned to the file cabinets along the wall.
There was no indication on the outside of the cabinets what they contained, and Gavin opened the first drawer. He quickly flipped through the files, noting they all seemed to deal with clients of the investment firm. Each subsequent drawer revealed the same thing. “I don’t know if I’ll find anything useful here. Assuming Ken even told the truth.”
“Yeah,” Jenessa agreed. “The moron doesn’t even have his computer password protected. He saved files to the desktop, probably so he can find them easier. He sure doesn’t seem like a man with something to hide.”
“We have to keep searching. Stephen probably called Nick by now, and I don’t want to think about what’s happening to Shelley. If there is a slightest chance Brent knows anything, we have to find it.”
They were both quiet for a while as they continued looking.
“Ah ha!” Jenessa smiled over at Gavin. “I think I figured it out.”
Rushing to her side, Gavin looked at the computer screen. It held an email with a picture of a cat on it. “This is what you found? We aren’t missing a freakin’ cat.”
“No, but this cat and some of his buddies were hiding inside a folder that was inside another folder. His business documents were all laid out there for me to see. Why hide pictures of cats?”
“Maybe he knew he’d get made fun of if someone saw them.”
Jenessa grimaced and typed something into a box on the screen. “Why would anyone do that? You have a problem with cats?”
“Just tell me what you think you found.”
She hit enter, and suddenly a new document opened on the screen. “I knew it. They imbedded their conversations in the pictures. Clever, but not enough to fool me.”
Gavin scanned the short message.
The girl is where you suggested we take her. Get us Shelley Daniels, and your money problems will disappear.
“Bastard.” Gavin punched the top of the desk. “He isn’t just working with them on Emma’s kidnapping, he gave them Shelley.”
“Looks that way.” Jenessa sounded more distracted than upset, and Gavin struggled to reign in his anger. They had to keep levelheaded and figure out where Brent ‘suggested’ they take Emma. They probably had Shelley there too.
Jenessa pulled up another cat photo, entered her code, and a new message appeared on the screen. Five million is only monetary. We need more than that to kill a child. Another cat and another message. Farmland would be ideal. Send a map.
“These all seem to be messages from S.A.T.O.” Gavin rubbed at his chin, confused. “Why did Brent keep these? They point to him helping kidnap his own kid, plus it is clear he asked them to kill her.” That last made Gavin’s stomach turn. No matter how shitty Shelley’s dad had been, he’d never arranged to have her killed. What kind of sadistic asshole were the
y really dealing with?
“He left all other files in plain sight, and I’m sure he assumed no one would dig further and find these,” Jenessa answered. “The insurance company certainly wouldn’t, and it sounds like getting his hands on that money is Brent’s major concern. He probably thought he could squeeze more money from S.A.T.O. somehow by using these messages against them. Guys like him are never satisfied.” Her voice finally reflected some of the disgust Gavin felt. “What an ass.”
Gavin pulled out the replacement cell phone Nick had given him, dialing his number. When Nick answered, Gavin didn’t waste any time. “Have Ken help you find his in-law. Brent is guilty. He handed Shelley over to S.A.T.O. as payment for them to kill Emma.”
“That’s disgusting. I’ll handle Brent personally. Ken and I are already watching him. We hunted him down right after I sent Agent Worth to secure the diamonds. That’s one less thing to worry about, at least.” Nick paused and muffled the phone, likely speaking to Ken.
Gavin tried not to feel frustrated that they could no longer use the diamonds as a bargaining chip. Despite what Nick said, they might have been able to save Shelley with them. Now they had to figure out what Brent had done.
The phone line cleared. “Is there any clue about where the girls are?” Nick asked.
“One message said something about farmland. Jenessa and I are still searching.”
“Good. I’ll see if that means anything to Ken, but don’t worry. I’ll make Brent talk. After we grab him, we’ll bring him there.”
Gavin stuffed the phone in his pocket and turned back to the filing cabinet. If Brent hid things like that on his computer, maybe there were incriminating files mixed in with all the innocent-seeming ones.
***
Paul gestured behind him and Terrance entered, carrying two folding chairs. He set them up, nodded at Paul, and exited the room.
“Come, sit. Rest that leg of yours.” Paul gestured to the chairs and sat in the one facing her. “We have things to talk about before I decide what to do. You realize that Nick refused to hand over the diamonds to save you?”
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