Jennifer shook her head. “Where did you get this?”
Now both the clerks were behind the desk and each exchanged a confused glance with the other. “Someone left it here this morning,” said the newcomer. “I was going to toss it but it looked cool.”
Jennifer took a step back. Mel had been here then. She’d been here and she’d left this for Jennifer. Maybe that meant there was hope.
Something touched her shoulder; she jumped at the shock and turned around. Austin looked down at her with a concerned look on his face. He wore his white, now coffee-stained, shirt. There was water around the brown stain, showing that the girls really had been trying to help him clean it. He didn’t say anything, but his questioning raised brow told her that he didn’t know whether he was supposed to be in character.
It didn’t matter anymore. She’d gotten all the information she needed to from DriveRite. “I’ll give you a ride,” she said, barely convincingly. “Come on.”
She turned and led the way out as Austin said a quick thanks to the women and followed her. “Hey,” he said once the door had closed, but she didn’t stop.
“We need to get to Isobel. How far away are they?”
By then they’d reached the SUV and she allowed Austin to drive because she didn’t know where they were going.
“Should be about twenty minutes from here.” He obligingly started the car and backed out before he asked the question he had probably really wanted to ask. “What was that card you found? Why did it freak you out?”
Jennifer took a deep breath. “It didn’t freak me out,” she admitted as she flipped the card over in her hand. “It gave me hope. I looked in the computer. Mel never picked up her car, but this is proof she was here. Blonde number 1 said she found this outside, so Mel might never have made it in the building or the clerks were in on it, but she was here.”
“How do you know she dropped it? What does the card say?”
“It’s a website.” The card was very simple. Black background and big red text: tonihateseverything.com.
“What does that mean to you?”
“I think I know who Toni is. And I think that if Mel dropped this, she wanted me to find it.”
“All right, tell me what I’m missing.”
“Toni is my other sister. If Mel is in danger, this is her telling me that Toni might be able to help us find her.”
Austin would pay a lot of money to hear the conversation between Isobel and Hart while he’d been gone. The cop and the con woman couldn’t have had that much to talk about.
But whatever awkward silence there had been at the hotel room Hart had procured was cut short when Austin knocked on the door and Isobel saw Jennifer. Mother and daughter ran to each other and exchanged a tight hug.
“Mom, I don’t know where Mel is. She never picked up the car and she hasn’t returned any of my calls.”
Isobel didn’t hide the worry that crossed her face. She was dressed similar to Jennifer, in loose jeans and a denim shirt that was completely different from the put-together person he’d seen at Stranger’s vineyard. Her hair was in a messy bun and, like Jennifer, she wore makeup designed to make her look worse, not better.
Not surprising that she and Jennifer used the same techniques considering Isobel had most likely taught Jennifer everything she knew. It was a strange fact, but crime families tended to stick together. The illicit activities either drove a wedge between family forever or bonded families in ways that square families would never know.
Austin had no family, so he couldn’t comment.
Isobel cupped Jennifer’s face and looked her in the eye. “We’ll get through this, okay? We’re going to find your sister and get her back. Our friends are going to help us.” She glanced back to where Scott Hart leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
“We’re helping you?” asked Austin.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” said Hart. “You did your job to the best of your abilities. If you want to sit back and do nothing while Stranger and Sterling kill Melody, that’s on you.”
Austin clenched his jaw. “I need to talk to you in private.”
“We’ll be right back,” said Hart as he and Austin walked into the hallway of the hotel. It was a cheap place that didn’t look as if it had been redecorated since the eighties, but it probably took cash, which was good enough.
“What the fuck?” he snapped when the door was shut.
“You’re the one who wanted to find your girlfriend. Now that I’m offering to help her, you’re mad?”
“You didn’t care about them a few hours ago. What did Isobel say to you? Hart, I know you’re new to this, but she manipulates people for a living. It’s what she does.”
“I’m not being manipulated. Believe it or not, I just don’t want Sterling to be responsible for the death of another innocent woman.”
“Melody Murray isn’t innocent.” But that’s not what caught his attention the most. Hart had said “another.” Who else did Sterling kill? That was the reason for this whole thing, wasn’t it? Hart wanted his revenge. “I already did my job. You can’t keep me here.” He wasn’t going to be Hart’s errand boy any longer.
“You’re right,” he said, somehow being more annoying as he agreed with Austin. “You’re free to go right now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re a thief. No one is expecting you to stay and help the greater good. Take that USB drive, make some money off it and then move on to your next job. No one here will think less of you.”
“If I walk out of here right now, it will be because I’m smart. If Stranger or Sterling has that girl, it’s already too late. People don’t go against him and live. We’re lucky we got away and I’m still not sure we’re in the clear.”
“Then go. I need to get in there with them and help formulate a plan.” Without saying anything else, Hart turned and went back into the room. Except the son of a bitch didn’t just shut the door. He flipped the silver bolt mechanism out so it held the door.
No. He’d gone after Jennifer this morning because he’d felt some sort of bond with her. A camaraderie. But picking her up from the airport was very different from going on the offense. Even if she gave Stranger and Sterling back that necklace, there was no guarantee that they’d ever get Melody back. And if they did, there was no telling how many pieces she’d come in.
And that wasn’t his problem. The second they learned who they were stealing from, they knew the risks. Hell, if Austin had known who Stranger was involved with, he never would’ve stuck around as long as he had. But he had what he came for and Hart was off his back. There was absolutely no reason for him to walk through that door and offer his services.
“Fuck me,” he muttered under his breath as he walked back into the hotel room. Isobel gave him a long measuring glance while Jennifer seemed surprised to see him. No more surprised than he was.
“So what are we doing then? We have no idea where Melody is or where to start looking.”
“That’s not true,” said Hart. “That card wasn’t left by accident. If Melody left her sister’s card as she was being kidnapped, there should be a reason.”
“Okay. Let’s call Toni then.”
Jennifer and Isobel exchanged an uneasy glance. “That’s easier said than done.”
“Why?”
“Because Toni is completely off grid. After a job went bad a few years back, she, um, erased herself.”
Hart let out a laugh. “You can’t erase yourself. There are records everywhere for—”
“You don’t know Toni like I do,” said Isobel. “You give that girl a computer and she can delete you from existence or make you fifteen new identities.”
“If she’s so good, why wasn’t she invited to your wedding then?” asked Austin. Isobel didn’t say anything, but the way her gaze averted to the ground was telling. “She was invited but she didn’t show up,” he said as he got it.
/> “She’s a hard woman to get a hold of,” snapped Isobel.
Jennifer held up the card. “This is a message. I bet that if we go to this site, we can find her. Or at least give her a way to find us.”
“That’s good,” said Hart. “If we’re going to get Melody back, we’re going to need new faces. People no one has seen.”
“Like you?” said Austin.
“I want to have more than just me at hand. Do you know anyone?” he asked Austin.
“Me? You’re the ringleader here. Who do you know?”
“I know a lot of cops and most of them aren’t my biggest fan right now.”
“I’m shocked,” said Austin dryly. “There’s one guy who could be of some use to us. Lives in the desert outside of Reno. I crossed paths with him on a job once and I did him a solid. For a price, we could get him on board.”
“Money won’t be a problem,” said Isobel.
“Good. Who’s the guy?” asked Hart.
“James Weston.”
Hart’s brows drew together. “That name sounds fake as shit. Who is James Weston?”
“He’s the one you call in to do the dirty work.”
“No. When we get Sterling, I plan on doing all the dirty work. I’m not going to sit back and keep my hands clean in this.”
“Fine. Then he’s the one shooting at Sterling’s guards while you do the dirty work yourself. Either way, he’s necessary.”
“All right. You call him. If we can get Toni and Weston, I’ll feel more comfortable. By my count, we should be getting a call from Stranger any minute now about Melody. He’s going to want to arrange an exchange. I know Jennifer played her part, but this is going to be personal to Stranger. He’s going to want to speak to you, Isobel. I want to stick close to you. Miles, Jennifer, you two can break off and go get this Weston guy. If they do set up an exchange, we’ll want to do it fast.”
“If Toni gets here before the call is made, she might be able to trace it to find out where Mel is,” said Jennifer.
Hart shook his head. “She’ll know where the caller is. I doubt he’ll be in the same location because I don’t think this is the first kidnapping Sterling has done.”
“It’s probably Greg’s,” said Isobel. “He’s not the type to get his hands dirty.”
Hart nodded. “That’s a good point. Stranger is hurting and he’s emotional and he’s inexperienced. I’m not saying he’s not dangerous, but he will be easier to manage if we have to choose.”
“The pissed-off jilted lover doesn’t usually make a predictable mark,” said Austin.
Hart looked up and his hard eyes met Austin’s. “More predictable than a sociopath who kills without question.”
The room fell silent as it sunk in that Melody was alone with those guys. Austin had barely talked to the girl, but for Jennifer and Isobel, this had to be terrifying. “Weston has a place out in the middle of the desert last I checked. If we want to get there and back today, we’re going to have to leave now.”
“I don’t have to leave.” Jennifer faced Isobel. “I can stay and help with Toni—”
Isobel shook her head. “Our new friends are offering to help but they don’t know Mel like we do. You need to be there to make sure this Weston helps us.”
“We still don’t know if we need him, Mom, and—”
“If we go after Stranger, we’re going to need all the help we can get. Go. Scott and I can handle things on this end. If we’re going to do this, we need more than one new player.”
Jennifer let out a deep breath before she hugged her mother and stood, looking right at Austin. “I guess it’s you and me then.”
The first thing Melody noticed was pain. Pain everywhere, but at the moment there was a throbbing in her head that was all-encompassing. As she slowly came back into consciousness, other aches and pains became evident: Her shoulder, which was pressed into cold concrete. Her ankles, which were bound so tightly with something that she guessed there would be bruises. And then her arms, which were bound with something similar to what was holding her ankles. She supposed she should be grateful that her hands weren’t tied behind her back. Hopefully she could avoid irreparable damage to her shoulder joints.
Before she opened her eyes, she adjusted herself ever so slightly to test the bonds. No luck, though. They were tight as hell and didn’t have any give at all.
But there were two things that were both good and bad that stuck out to her. She wasn’t gagged, which was great for her comfort level, but it meant that even if she screamed, no one would hear her.
And she wasn’t blindfolded. Which meant no one was worried about her giving the cops a description.
If she got out of this, she and Isobel were going to have words. A wedding. That’s what all this was for. A honest, no-drama wedding. One thrown by rich people, so she could get some good food and wine out of the deal, something she’d been lacking for the last year, ever since she’d left Ben.
Now she was probably going to die. It didn’t matter how good the filet mignon was; it wasn’t worth this. No, she couldn’t completely blame her mother. She’d had the chance to walk away when Isobel had pitched the idea. It would’ve looked strange, but it wouldn’t be the first mother-daughter fight right before a wedding.
Melody forced herself out of the past. If she was going to get out of here, she was going to need to focus on the present. So she opened her eyes. The bare light bulb in the room was dim, but it was still momentarily blinding as she tried to come back to the land of the living. The room was about the size of a janitor’s closet, but without any of the supplies. Which meant there was nothing she could use to break her binding.
The floor was smooth concrete, with an intimidating drain in the middle. She didn’t want to think about what that was used to drain. The room was lined with cinderblock and that was it. No jagged edges, not even a bucket to go to the bathroom in.
But cinderblock was hardly the most perfect building tool. Maybe she could find an outcrop or something. It didn’t have to be huge. As long as she had the time, the smallest little nub would allow her to break free. Except getting the binds, which she could now tell were industrial zip ties, off was only step one. Step two would be getting through the steel door in front of her and she was betting it wasn’t conveniently unlocked.
She was just about to get her feet underneath her when the door swung open. She backed up against the wall as she prepared herself for what was about to come through.
Two guys, one blond and one bald. But after a quick second, recognition hit. “You’re from Stranger’s place.”
Blondie was quiet and his eyes hard. He was the one Jennifer had said was watching her. Jennifer had thought he liked her, but it was impossible to tell from the cold way he looked at her now. Baldie, on the other hand, had a pause in his gaze. The momentary shock of seeing a helpless woman bound on the floor. Good. If she was going to get either one of them to help her, she’d need all the sympathy she could get.
“Are... Are you going to hurt me?” She pushed her voice up a bit higher than normal. Putting the tremor of fear in wasn’t too hard because she was genuinely terrified.
Baldie started to say something but Blondie started first. “We’re here for your bathroom break. You get one every twelve hours and you’d better hold it between them. I’m not here to clean up any more messes than I need to.”
She tilted her head. “Is that what I am? A mess that needs to be cleaned up?”
They had traded their suits from the last time she’d seen them for black t-shirts and utility pants that held any number of weapons. Would they be able to feel if she got her hand into one of those side pockets? For that, she’d need her hands free...
“Stand up. Let’s go.”
Not that it was easy to stand up, but she made a show of struggling. When she fell back to the floor, Baldie stepped forward to help her, but Blondie stopped him. “No,” he ordered. “You don’t talk to her except necessary. You don’t help her exc
ept necessary. Understand?”
Well, she knew who was the boss, at least. She finally got herself up on her feet and Blondie roughly grabbed her arm. Maybe she needed to rethink the nickname. His hair was just long enough to be pulled into a ponytail, but he wore it slicked back, and his goatee gave his face a rough edge.
But then he squeezed her arm a tad harder and she winced in more pain. Nope. Blondie, it was.
And when she got out of here, he was going to be the first one she paid back.
“Are you sure you can’t just call this guy?” asked Jennifer as they passed the marker into Nevada. It had been over three hours of tense silence and her anxiously looking at her phone. If they hadn’t called to make the exchange yet, what were they waiting for?
“You want him to drop what he’s doing to risk his neck for us? We’re going to need a bit more than a phone call to sway him.”
Austin was probably right, but every mile that separated them from San Francisco felt like one more nail that Jennifer was pounding into Melody’s coffin.
“I know guys like this. If we just show up, who’s to say he isn’t going to shoot us on sight?”
“Like I said, he knows me. Besides, you’re here.”
“What difference does that make?”
“Weston likes women and you’re hot. He’s not going to shoot you without at least getting a name.”
Great. A hornball with a rifle. This was someone who was going to have her sister’s life in his hands. She really wished she knew more people on the West Coast. If they were in New York, she would’ve had an entire book of contacts she could bring in. Now she was stuck with Austin and he wasn’t even letting her drive. If she didn’t have something she could use soon, she was going to—
Austin’s hand fell on her knee and gave a quick squeeze. “Hang in there. We’re going to figure this out.”
And then there was the matter of Austin... She studied human behavior. Once you knew what made people tick, you could get them to do anything for you. But Austin was here helping her and she had no idea why. She assumed it was so he could get his hands on the Dragon Heart, but he hadn’t asked about it once since he’d grabbed her at the airport.
The Cocky Thief (Stolen Hearts Book 1) Page 10