Logan

by Theodora Lane

  “Right. When the kidnappers contact us again, you’ll just have to convince them we can’t get that much.”

  “What if they won’t take it? Will they kill him?” She couldn’t keep the hitch out of her voice. Logan cupped her cheek and looked her straight in the eye.

  “I don’t think so. I’d think they’d get as much for him as possible. They couldn’t get the company to back off, and now they’re resorting to the money. Killing him would be stupid.”

  Logan made sense. Her dad was worth money alive, not dead. She nodded and stepped back, breaking contact but wanting to just stand in the circle of his arms or rest her head against his broad chest.

  “Come on. Let’s go back to your seat. We’re going to land sooner than we planned, and we have a lot to do once we arrive.” Logan put his hand on her elbow and turned her toward the front of the plane. Shae allowed him to get her moving. If not, she might have stood there for the rest of the flight just breathing him in.

  “The pilot was okay with the change?”

  “Sure. He radioed ahead, contacted a landing strip away from the city. Everything is going to be fine.”

  She reached her seat and buckled in. “Thanks, Logan.”

  “Anything for you.” He gave her a somber nod and moved forward to his seat across from Max. She believed him. He would do anything for her, and that scared the hell out of her. So would her father.

  And her father hated Logan. Oh God, what had she gotten into here? At some point, things would get ugly, and she really didn’t know what she’d do or which side to pick. Because if she knew her dad, he’d demand she make a choice.

  And at this moment, she had no idea what she would do then.

  Max and Logan conferred, head to head, and then Max nodded. Shae had no idea what they talked about, probably about the fact she didn’t have enough money.

  She’d transferred all the money she had to the joint account she shared with her father. It was his account, but she had access in case of an emergency. Her small addition of funds didn’t do much, but at least it crossed the total amount to over five hundred thousand. There was nowhere else to get the rest of the cash.

  This definitely was an emergency.

  It would wipe out the account and still wouldn’t be enough for those bastards.

  Shae leaned back in her seat, racking her brain over the extra needed funds. Asking the company was out; they’d made that quite clear. Maddie was optimistic but unrealistic. They could never just scrape together that much money. And unless her father could contact the investment firm, his money wasn’t in play.

  Her head throbbed. She pulled her backpack over and searched for the bottle of pain relievers. Taking a couple, she downed them with a swig of water from the bottle, closed her eyes, and tried to empty her thoughts.

  Two hours until they landed.

  Seven hours until the kidnapper contacted her.

  How many hours after that would she have to endure before she paid the ransom and saw her father again? And if she didn’t? How could she ever live with herself if she failed?

  Shae dug down deep inside and put any thoughts of not getting him back alive and well out of her head.

  This mission would be a success.

  No matter what she had to do to insure it.

  »»•««

  Logan sat in his seat and leaned back.

  “Everything okay?” Max stared at the tablet in his lap.

  “Fine. She’s just a little shook up.” Logan rubbed his temple. “It’s too much money.”

  “I get that.” Max turned off the tablet and put it on the seat beside him. “Look, you’re too close to this. When it comes time to negotiate, I want you to let me do it.”

  “But Shae trusts me—”

  “She’ll have to trust me, Logan. We don’t know who we’re dealing with, and until we do, we need someone who isn’t wrapped up in emotions handling this. It has to be business.”

  “I get that.” Logan exhaled. “I’ll talk to Shae tonight about it.”

  “Good.” Max checked his watch. “We’ll be landing soon. Is the hotel set up?”

  “Yeah, Travis made new reservations. Everything’s set. The guys just need to drive the Navigator off the plane, we load up, and hit the road.”

  Max stood. “I’m going to let the guys know about the change in plans.” He gave Logan a small pat on the shoulder and then moved off toward the rear of the transport.

  Logan didn’t think Shae would object to Max handling things.

  »»•««

  “Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars?” Walter shook his head. “She can’t get all that money. No way.”

  Marco stared at him. “If she wants you back, she will find it, no?”

  “No. It’s not that easy. We’re not that rich. Not in cash.”

  Marco stood and waved at him as if shooing the biting flies that plagued them. “You are rich. Corporate big shot.”

  “Yes, but I’m no millionaire. I don’t have that kind of cash just lying around. She can get her hands on about five hundred thousand, I told you that before. Most of my money is tied up in investments. Shae can’t reach them, just me.” Walter slouched. “It’s impossible. The company won’t pay. And she has nowhere else to go.”

  “She’ll find it. If she wants you back. Alive.” Marco’s insistence irritated Walter, but pushing him could prove painful. For now, Walter decided to end the discussion.

  At least they were negotiating. It was better than marching around this fucking jungle with no hope of freedom. At least Shae knew he was alive. For now.

  The thought of her being terrified he had died…it killed him inside. He hated Marco for doing this to Shae and to him.

  If he ever got out of here, he’d do his damn best to destroy these people, and Marco in particular.

  Then he’d quit his company. Retire or go to one of their competitors. Maybe sue them. Whatever he did, the one thing he’d certainly do was to leave this damned country and never come back.

  »»•««

  Shae must have fallen asleep because she opened her eyes when the captain came over the speakers to announce they were preparing to land. She leaned over into the aisle to check on Logan and Max.

  Not much movement up there. She turned her head to check on the guys behind her. Nothing seemed to be happening. They looked bored. Shae guessed they’d done this a lot. Hurry up and wait.

  Their ease made her feel better about doing this. Going in all military with these men. They were professionals, even if they worked in a garage. Logan had told her they were all Special Forces, and weren’t those men supposed to be the best?

  The plane’s altitude dropped, and Shae clutched the hand rest. She hated the taking off and landing part. The wheels lowered, vibrating the huge plane. She glanced out of the window, but clouds whipped past, obscuring any signs of the jungle.

  She closed her eyes and leaned back, trying to act like the others. Calm. Cool. Nonchalant.

  Inside her guts danced. Not a smooth tango but a wild jitterbug. This was it. Brazil. And in a few hours, she’d have to deal with the kidnappers again. Shae swallowed. She could do this. For her dad, she’d traipse through jungles, deal with criminals, and even…well, she didn’t want to think about killing anyone.

  Shae knew it was all big talk until you faced that situation. Shooting a person was very different from shooting a deer; her father had told her that much. He’d also told her never to aim a gun unless you were prepared to use it.

  Thank God she had Logan and the guys. With them around, it would never come to that for her.

  The plane touched down and braked hard, pressing her against the seat belt. She put her hand out to brace herself as the plane slowed. It stopped, and Shae exhaled. As the plane turned and taxied to the hangar, Shae unsnapped her belt and gathered up her belongings. The guys were standing up, stretching, getting their bags, and chatting with each other.

  As if they were on a commercial fli
ght.

  Logan caught her eye and jerked his head for her to come forward.

  Shae grabbed her backpack and carried it up to the front of the plane as she used the backs of the seats to steady herself.

  “Hey. What’s up?” Shae looked from Logan to Max.

  “If you need to make a pit stop, there’s one in the hangar. Once the vehicle is off the plane, we’re out of here. Don’t waste time.” Max shrugged on his backpack as he spoke.

  Shae did a salute. “Yes, sir!”

  Max raised an eyebrow. Logan chuckled. Over Max’s head, he winked at her. She couldn’t help but smile back at him, impossible for her not to respond to him.

  The plane came to a stop, and the copilot came out of the cabin and opened the door to the plane. Hot, humid air filled the main cabin, hitting Shae in the face like a wet towel.

  Below, men in tan sweat-stained jumpsuits pushed a set of stairs that had seen better days into position. Behind Shae, in the aisle, the other men waited. Max moved first, sticking his head out, surveying for what, Shae didn’t know. He signaled with a jerk of his hand for the others to move.

  Logan followed Max, she followed Logan, and the others trailed behind as they clomped down the metal steps. Once they stepped onto the tarmac, Shae looked around at where they’d landed. It wasn’t a major airport. Far from it. Probably something out of town, meant for cargo transport, and probably nothing legal.

  She stood on worn and crumbling asphalt, its paint nearly worn off. The hangar was one of three off to the side. No emblems or logos marked them. Several more men in those bland jumpsuits leaned against the one their plane was parked in front of, but she didn’t want to leave the safety of their group to try the bathroom. She took Logan by the arm, and he turned to her.

  “Any idea how long to the hotel?”

  He shrugged. “No more than an hour, I guess.”

  Shae nodded. “Okay. I’ll wait.”

  Logan smiled at her. God, would she ever tire of the way he looked at her? He cared for her, it was clear in his eyes. Did he see the same thing when he looked at her?

  He turned away. “I need to check on the SUV.” Logan walked off, leaving Shae wondering if she’d permanently damaged things between them or why she even cared.

  Shae sighed and tossed her backpack over her shoulder.

  The rear end of the plane lowered, her men scrambled up the ramp, and before she could count to ten, they backed the vehicle down. It cleared the plane and pulled up to her. Her men? She swallowed a chuckle.

  Max drove, Logan in the shotgun seat. Travis trotted along the side of the car. She could see the others already in their seats. Travis opened the door for her, and she climbed in, wedging once again between Rowdy and Travis.

  Looking at the group of men, Shae could imagine them riding in a Humvee, rifles leaning against their chests, helmets on, dirty and dusty and on alert. This is what these men lived for—what they were born to do. Fight. Rescue. Kill.

  It hit her. No one had checked their passports or their luggage. Or searched the SUV for weapons.

  Yes. This is why she needed these men. Her men.

  Shae sank back into her seat. This was happening. They would get her father back.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jungle whipped past the windows of the SUV as they drove away from the airport. Shae watched, taking it in, just not really responding to it all. In another place and time, she might have oohed and ahhed over the brightly colored birds, laughed at the monkeys playing in the trees, even the dampness of the air.

  But none of that reached her. All she could think about was her father and getting him back alive. She hadn’t lied to Logan about not being able to get more money. Without access to her father’s accounts, she was busted.

  Whoever these militant eco-terrorists were, they wanted more than just the end of drilling; they wanted money. They’d been willing to kidnap her father and use him as a pawn in their attempt to stop the oil company. But when that failed, they’d turned to plain old kidnapping for ransom.

  She replayed the video of her dad in her mind. He’d looked alive and well, if dirty and a little frightened. She’d only seen that look on his face one other time. The day Billy left for boot camp. She’d always wondered if he’d had some premonition of how it would end for Billy.

  Now, did he know how it would end for him? Was that what she saw in his eyes?

  Shae resisted the urge to pull out her phone and watch the kidnapper’s video of her father again, just to see. To be sure. Instead, she reached into her pocket and held the phone in her hand, ensuring it was still there, still holding the image of her father.

  Around her, the men muttered to each other, the conversations nearly impossible to hear clear enough to follow. Occasionally, someone would laugh, loud and jarring, but she never got the jokes.

  The jungle thinned. The SUV slowed, stopped, and then moved forward, turning off the rutted dirt road and onto concrete. Shae looked out the window.

  They were on what probably passed as a highway here, moving toward a city in the near distance.

  They rolled on, passing signs that told her they were almost to Belem, a city on the edge of the jungle and on the southern edge of the Amazon delta. Shae Googled it to be sure she understood where they were heading.

  Belem was a large city, with a population of over two million. It sat on the edge of the Amazon and near the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Shae leaned back and closed her eyes. Such a big city. How in the world would they find her father there?

  More and more, it looked like the best she could hope for was to make the swap, the money for her father.

  She Googled her father’s bank and found an office in Belem. Thank God he’d used an international bank, since his life spanned two continents. She’d have to go there soon and empty the account into cash she could use for the ransom.

  Would the bank be a problem? Would they want to know what she needed the money for? Would they have enough cash to give her? A real estate deal was the reason most likely to be accepted. Most were done using cash, and most of those were money laundering transactions. Property for dirty money and then sell the property for clean cash.

  Shae’s head started throbbing again, but she didn’t want to take any more pain killers; she wanted to save them for later. In case her father needed them.

  When she got him back.

  When they rescued him.

  Alive.

  »»•««

  The road turned into highway, and they entered the outskirts of the city. Before long, they pulled onto a smaller road. They passed houses, small businesses, and a few churches in a not too badly rundown neighborhood.

  Max pulled into the driveway of a small hotel.

  “It’s not the Ritz, but we don’t want to draw too much attention. It’s got interior halls, so no one can see us moving about. I’ll try to get us all on the same floor, maybe adjoining rooms, but no promises.”

  Everyone nodded, including Shae. At the edge of exhaustion, she’d just be glad to fall into a bed, any bed. She didn’t care about room service. Hunger wasn’t a priority now.

  They parked and got out, the guys unloading their bags. Logan handed Shae her carry-on as she shrugged into her backpack.

  “Okay, we’re eco tourists here to see the Amazon, got it?” Max spoke low so only the group could hear. They nodded and followed Max inside.

  He strode to the reservation desk while the others filled the lobby, sitting down on the two couches and a few of the chairs. It was clean but dated. Shae figured it could be worse.

  Although she’d never been to Belem, mostly to the larger cities like Brasília and Rio de Janeiro, she knew not to expect much.

  Max’s voice grew loud. Shae inched closer to hear the conversation between the desk clerk and Max. Max spoke English, the clerk Portuguese, and neither could understand the other.

  She moved next to Max and cleared her throat. When the two men stopped talking, or trying to talk, s
he jumped in, speaking fluent Portuguese. After all, this is why she was here, to communicate with the kidnappers.

  Both men looked relieved. Between the clerk’s broken English and Max’s limited knowledge of Portuguese, they were just butting heads.

  Turning to Max, she asked, “How many rooms? One to a room?”

  “Right. Try to get them adjoining if you can. Same floor.”

  “Got it.” She leaned on the desk and told the clerk what they needed. After a bit of haggling, she signed the forms, handed over her credit card, and received seven room card keys.

  “He says they are paired adjoining rooms, but up and down the same hall.” She handed over the cards, keeping one for herself. “Room number’s written on the paper sleeve.”

  “That will work.” Max nodded. “Good job, Shae.” He looked them over and then handed them out to the others. “If you don’t like your room, deal with it. Let’s go.” Max picked up his bag and headed to the stairs. No elevator. “Gunnar, check out the exits, scout the exterior, and get back to me.”

  “Got it, boss.” Gunner grinned. They reached the second floor, and he peeled off to the right where the exit sign flickered at the end of the hall.

  The rest of them turned left, searching for their rooms. The clerk had done a good job. Most of the rooms were across the hall from each other, with only one pair a few doors down.

  “Everyone get some rest. In two hours, we assemble in my room for a briefing.” Max stood at the door to his room.

  “Roger.” “’Kay.” “Sure.” The answers came back as the men found their rooms.

  Shae’s room was toward the end of the hall. She trudged to the door, opened it, and flicked on the light.

  Next to her, Logan opened his door.

  “Adjoining rooms.” He looked at her, one eyebrow cocked up.

  “It’s fine.” Shae shrugged. She was too tired to fight about it.

  “We can keep it locked if you want. But usually, we leave them open. In case.”

  “I don’t care. I just want to lie down. Really, it’s cool.” Shae gave him a tired smile and went inside, closed the door, and locked it. Then she tossed her bag on the low table and dropped her backpack to the floor.