by Mandy Baxter
Their conversation had come full circle. Jack was so confident he could pull all of this off. He wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box, which was why he hadn’t advanced within the syndicate. “Noah’s got three brothers,” Naomi said. “You don’t think he’s going to tell one of them what’s going on?”
“Not if he wants you back in one piece.”
The threat inherent in his tone sent a spike of fear through her chest. She didn’t doubt for a second that he’d take off a finger or two in the next couple of days just to prove to Noah how serious he was. “Jack, you don’t have to do this.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I do.”
He walked up to Naomi. Every step placed on the concrete floor echoed deep in Naomi’s chest. She swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat as Jack leaned down to eye level. “Take the sixty grand and let me go,” Naomi said through the thickness in her throat. “I’ll deal with Duane, get my debt to him paid by the end of the month, and you’ve got a nice little nest egg while you work your way up the ranks. I won’t tell anyone about it, I promise.”
“I’ve got shit to do tonight. Gotta make a living, right? In the meantime, you sit tight. I’ve got eyes and ears on the house. Try anything while I’m gone, and I’ll put a bullet in your boyfriend’s head. Understand?”
There was no swaying Jack. He’d made up his mind and nothing Naomi said or did would change it. She couldn’t bear the thought of Noah being hurt. If he tried to buy her freedom, Jack would kill them both. “I won’t try anything,” she choked out. “I promise.”
Jack gave her a pat on the head. “Good girl.” He turned and his footsteps faded into silence as he climbed the basement stairs and left.
Was there anything she could do to protect Noah from this world she’d been drawn back into? She’d told him he was too good for her and she’d meant it. Because he’d loved her, wanted to help her, he was going to die.
“I’m sorry, Noah,” Naomi whispered into the dark. “I’m so sorry.”
TEN
“You’re not seriously going to pay that asshole, are you?”
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. His brother Nate had done nothing but shout and swear for the past five minutes. If he would let Noah get a word in edgewise, maybe they could avoid one of them having a stroke tonight.
“I don’t care about the money, Nate.”
“This isn’t about the money and you know it.”
Deep down, Noah did know it. None of his three brothers gave a shit about their wealth. They’d been raised to work for what they wanted and over the course of their lives had proven themselves independent of their family name and fortune. The money was more of a burden than a gift. And now more than ever, Noah wished he could shuck the Christensen name as well as the wealth. If he’d been a poor city cop, Jackson Fletcher wouldn’t have considered the possibility of taking Naomi hostage.
“I love her, Nate.” He’d disregarded the notion that Naomi was somehow in on the scam from the moment he heard her voice on the phone. She’d tried to hide her fear and worry but the tremor that vibrated behind each word had sparked Noah’s protective instinct. “Even if I didn’t love her, I’d do whatever the hell was in my power to help her.”
“Let me hire a private security team,” Nate replied. “I don’t know if I trust local law enforcement to take care of this.”
One of the things Noah had always hated about being the youngest was that his brothers treated him like he was the youngest. He was twenty-seven years old and already the managing sheriff in Sanger. That wasn’t a ladder easily climbed even in a small town. He had to have done something right, but instead of trusting him to manage the situation, Nate wanted to hire someone to take care of it for him. “You do realize that I’m local law enforcement, right?”
“I’m not saying you’re incompetent,” Nate said, exasperated.
“Oh, good.” Noah couldn’t keep the snark from his tone. “Because there for a second, I was a little confused.”
“Damn it, Noah, you know I don’t mean that you’re incompetent.”
Noah swallowed down a snort.
“At least let me come with you,” Nate said. “You shouldn’t do this alone.”
As a former Navy SEAL, Nate was more than qualified. Hell, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to take him along. That didn’t mean Noah would, though. He’d worked out a plan and it was solid. All he needed Nate for was help getting the cash together.
“I’ve got this,” Noah said. “But I appreciate the offer.”
“If you change your mind…” Nate said.
“I know. You’ve got my back.”
Nate chuckled. “Damn straight. You know, it’s ridiculous that you even need me to get your hands on the money. I need to talk to my lawyer and figure out how to change the terms of the trust.”
Noah didn’t give a shit about the trust. He had access to an account with a half million that had been set aside for “living expenses” and he hadn’t touched the damn thing until he’d written Naomi the check to cover her loan.
“Nah, don’t worry about that,” Noah said. “You know I wouldn’t even be bothering with the trust if I didn’t need it.”
“I know,” Nate said. “But I still don’t think you should give that son of a bitch a red cent.”
Noah wasn’t planning to. “I’ll see you Tuesday at the bank.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you then. Later, brother.”
“Later,” Noah said, and ended the call.
Ten million in cash wasn’t exactly easy to gather up. Without the considerable strings Nate was pulling, there’s no way Noah could get the cash within Fletcher’s timetable.
“We’re all set?”
Noah turned to John Quinn, the head of the FBI’s kidnapping and missing persons task force in Dallas. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Dallas PD, but he knew that Duane Parker had eyes everywhere. The implication of a sting operation to get Naomi back was already risky. There was no point in attracting the attention of one of the city’s most notorious crime syndicates in the process.
“Ready to roll,” Noah replied. He sat down at his desk and cracked each one of his knuckles. “You guys still think Fletcher went rogue?”
“Parker’s got millions of his own. He’s one of the most successful—not to mention hard to prosecute—traffickers in the country. There’s no way he’d bring this sort of heat on his organization for ransom money. Especially by extorting cash from one of the state’s most famous families.”
Famous families. The words weighed down Noah’s shoulders and pushed them toward the floor. “None of this sits well with me.” Not knowing where Naomi was or if she was okay, killed him. And the two-day wait to get the money together wasted precious time.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Quinn replied. “Obviously Jackson Fletcher isn’t a criminal mastermind. But arresting him would be a boon to our investigation into Parker’s operation. With any luck, he’ll flip.”
That’s what Noah was afraid of. “And what if he does and Parker comes after Naomi because of it?”
Quinn fixed Noah with a contemplative stare. “I don’t see that happening. Think about it, Noah. This is Fletcher’s fuck-up. Period. Parker will know that.”
Noah wasn’t so sure. But he planned to make sure that Naomi was off the hook with the bastard, regardless. He couldn’t leave anything to chance. The FBI would do everything in their power to make sure Naomi got out alive, but their priority was Fletcher. Noah didn’t care if that son of a bitch burned. If he so much as scratched Naomi, Noah vowed to make him pay.
“We’ll meet Tuesday morning and go over the details one last time before we meet Fletcher.” Quinn packed up the files he’d brought along and stuffed them in his briefcase. “You have nothing to worry about, Noah. This is going to go off without a hitch.”
He gave Quinn a nod of acknowledgment. “Yeah.”
Quinn’s parting words barely register
ed as he left Noah’s office. His brain buzzed, his heart pounded, and his gut churned like an angry sea. He hadn’t slept a single minute since yesterday’s conversation with Fletcher and now, he had two long days to sit and wait and do absolutely fucking nothing to help the woman he loved.
Noah had never felt so helpless in his entire life. The lack of control he had in the situation galled him. If he had any idea where Naomi was, not Nate or the FBI or anyone could stop him from going to her right now. He wanted to pummel Jackson Fletcher. Make him bleed. Terrify him in the way Naomi was no doubt terrified.
Naomi was tough, though. Tougher even than Noah. Tougher than anyone he’d ever known. She’d get through this. And when he got her back, he wasn’t ever letting her go.
* * *
Naomi worked her wrists back and forth as she tried to loosen the zip tie Jack had bound her with. Another tie bound her ankles and she used all of the force she could muster to spread her ankles apart and stretch the thick plastic. She bit down on her lip to keep from crying out as the zip ties bit into her ankles. Wet warmth trickled over her skin. Pain radiated from her wrists; she knew they weren’t in much better shape.
The son of a bitch had done a damned good job of making sure she wouldn’t be able to free herself.
Every muscle in Naomi’s body bunched and ached. She rolled her shoulders, stretched her neck from side to side. The act did little to relieve her discomfort and she let out a frustrated gust of breath. The least Jack could have done was let her lie down. Two days spent sitting upright with little sleep would kill her long before he had a chance to.
Hunger gnawed at Naomi’s stomach. Thirst scratched at her throat. Her chapped lips burned and her head pounded. Of all of the shitty situations she’d found herself in over the years, this was by far the shittiest.
“Son of a bitch!”
Her frustrated shriek echoed in the basement Jack had stuffed her in. A chill settled over her sweat dampened skin and she shuddered. A single bulb illuminated the tiny corner of the room that had been her jail cell for the past few days. Naomi had lost track of time, but she was pretty sure sunrise wasn’t too far off. That would make today Tuesday. The day that Noah was supposed to pay her ransom. She was both hopeful he’d get her out of this mess and terrified he’d even try.
Deep down, she knew he’d never abandon her. Damn it, Noah. Why do you have to be so goddamned honorable?
Naomi continued to work her wrists in the zip ties. The thought of how far Noah was willing to go to protect her washed over her in a wave of warm emotion. She thought about the many months they’d known each other. Every conversation they’d shared had endeared him to her more. Every smile wormed its way deeper into her heart.
Naomi had known very few good men. And even fewer selfless men. Noah trumped them all.
She was in love with him.
The realization sucked the air from her lungs. She’d suspected that her feelings for him ran far deeper than she was willing to admit to herself. It had taken her swallowing her pride and admitting to Noah that she was a class-A screwup to realize it. He accepted her for who she was. Unconditionally. He forgave her for the mistakes that she’d been unable to forgive herself for. Even now, he was willing to pay an ungodly amount of money to a gangster to get her back. If that didn’t prove how much Noah loved her in return, she didn’t know what did. There was no way she was going to let him sacrifice anything for her. She’d get herself out of this mess. She couldn’t let Noah think that the only thing she needed him for was rescuing.
If she could just get her damned feet free, at least she’d be mobile.
It was tough to plan an escape and at the same time be quiet. If she woke Jack up, she’d be screwed. Naomi brought her knees up. As forcefully as she could, she brought her feet down to the floor while spreading her ankles to put tension on the zip tie. The plastic cut deep into her skin and Naomi swallowed down the shout that threatened to burst from her lips. She brought her knees up again and slammed her feet down hard on the cement floor. The rubber soles of her Chucks slapped down and Naomi winced. She repeated the motion again and again until tears spilled over her lids and down her cheeks.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Naomi brought her knees up one last time. Her breath sawed in and out of her chest and her muscles burned. Her feet made contact with the cement floor and a shock of pain radiated from the balls of her feet up the length of her shins.
Snap.
She nearly toppled forward when the zip tie broke. Her legs flew open and Naomi braced her feet wide apart as she reveled in the freedom of movement. Yes! Relief flooded her. Freeing her feet was a small victory, but it was a step in the right direction.
It took several more minutes for Naomi to work the knot loose that wound around the zip tie and secured her wrists to the back of the chair. Jack was an idiot to have tied the knot within her reach but she wasn’t going to complain. After that, it took a moment for Naomi to get her bearings. Pins and needles pricked her calves and thighs and she wobbled as she put weight on her feet for the first time in two days. She stretched for a long, luxurious moment before she sat back down on the floor with her arms tucked beneath her thighs. After a couple of tries, she managed to shimmy her legs through her arms so her hands were no longer behind her back. A sigh of blissful relief escaped from between her lips. Her shoulders were so damned stiff that every tiny movement hurt.
She wasn’t out of the woods yet, though.
Mobility was a huge step in the right direction. When she was sure she wouldn’t fall over trying to walk, she made her way up the steep basement steps. Each creak of the old wooden steps made her cringe. Hopefully, the basement was soundproof. When she got to the door, Naomi said a silent prayer before taking the doorknob in her bound hands and turning. The knob moved an eighth of an inch before it met with resistance. Damn it! Naomi swallowed her disappointment. It was silly to have thought that Jackson would leave the door unlocked.
Okay, so the door was a no-go. But maybe the window would prove more fruitful.
Naomi pushed the chair to the window at the top of the far wall. If her ass fit through the tiny rectangle it would be a miracle. Her booty might just be her undoing, but even so, she vowed to give up cornbread when they pried it from her cold, dead hands.
A sound somewhere on the floor above her drew Naomi’s attention. Her heart leapt into her throat and her pulse shifted into high gear. She hopped up on the chair and released the latch on the window before swinging it open. Though tall, Naomi wasn’t quite tall enough. With her fingers gripping the sill, she stepped up on the back of the chair to give her a little extra height. A precarious perch to be sure, but if she managed to get through the window, it would all be worth it.
She pushed off with her feet. The chair crashed to the floor but it gave her the necessary leverage to propel herself upward. A grunt left her lips as Naomi squeezed her head and shoulders through the window. Almost home free! Just a few feet more and she’d be out—
Whoof!
The air left Naomi’s lungs in a rush as she was hauled out and down from the window. She kicked out with her legs, tried to wriggle free of the unyielding grip on her torso. “Let me go!” she shrieked. “Jack, you asshole!”
The freedom she’d grasped slipped through Naomi’s fingers as Jack hauled her down and tossed her over his shoulder. With one foot, he set the chair upright that she’d used to climb up to the window and deposited her on the hard wooden surface none too gently.
“You’re lucky I don’t beat the shit out of you!” he growled close to her ear.
“Do it!” Naomi seethed. Jack seized her ankles and slammed them together as he secured them once again with a zip tie. “Lay a single finger on me and see what happens.”
Jack let out a derisive snort as he secured her ankles. “Your boyfriend gonna lay into me if I do?”
“No,” Naomi said. “I will.”
Jack chuckled. “I bet you would.” He let out a slow br
eath as he tested the lock on the zip tie. “You just sit tight for a few more hours and you won’t have anything to worry about. As long as your boyfriend shows up with the cash, that is.”
Naomi sneered. “Like I’m supposed to believe that you’re not going to kill us both, either way?”
Jackson’s leering smile confirmed what she already knew. He went to the far end of the basement and dug through some boxes until he found a longer bundle of rope. He tied Naomi to the chair, making it impossible for her to free herself again.
“You’ve got a few more hours to wait,” he said. “You try to pull anything again, and I’ll send you back to Christensen in pieces. Understand?”
Naomi swallowed down the fear that rose in her throat like bile. She was going to die and she’d never get to tell Noah how she truly felt about him. “I understand.”
“Good.” Jack finished tying the rope into knots. He gave Naomi one last apprising look before he headed for the stairs. “You’re about to make me a very rich man,” he remarked. “Thanks for that.”
“Go to hell.”
His answering laughter was the last thing she heard before the door closed to once again shut her up in dark silence.
ELEVEN
“You ready?”
Noah glanced over at John Quinn. He’d been ready since the night Fletcher had called to tell him he had Naomi. Now that he was close to getting her away from that asshole, Noah had to beat back the nervous anticipation that skittered up his spine. He’d been in his fair share of dicey situations, but this was different. Noah had never been responsible for the safety of someone he loved before.
“Yeah,” he said after a moment. “I’m ready.”
“Good. Don’t worry, Noah. We know what we’re doing.”
He wasn’t worried. Not about the FBI or the handoff. What had Noah’s gut churning was that Fletcher had to be pretty damned desperate to ruin the good thing he had going with Parker to kidnap Naomi. Desperate men had nothing to lose. And right now, Noah had everything to lose.
They waited in the parking lot of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Cell service sucked in the area right now due to the large concentration of people attending Dallas Comic Con. It was smart, really, to have arranged the handoff here. The crowds would offer Fletcher a buffer, not to mention an escape route. It was obvious that he didn’t trust Noah to keep up his end of the bargain no matter the threats he’d made against Naomi.