“Anybody hungry?” Savannah asked. “For some reason I woke up with a healthy appetite.”
Asia added, “I’m sure you did.”
“What?” Savannah said innocently.
“You two are something else,” Asia said.
“Asia, drive your car into the garage,” Troy said.
“Why don’t we go in your truck?” Savannah asked.
“No. Whoever the kidnapper is needs to see something familiar. I’m sure he knows your vehicles. Your Mustang is too small for what I need to do.”
Asia followed his directions. While Savannah cooked, Troy set up the equipment in Asia’s car. Asia assisted him with the wiring. “This should do it.”
“I never would have thought to put a tracer on the car.”
“It’ll give us Savannah’s location, just in case he decides to switch the drop-off location at the last minute. In the past it’s happened more times than I can count.”
After they ate a hearty breakfast, Troy went over the plans. “I don’t know what Raymond has planned. Although I don’t think he has anything to do with Montana’s disappearance, I don’t trust him.”
“You can’t be serious. I think he knows exactly where she is.”
“Savannah, I’ve worked on cases like this before, and although he’s a good actor, I honestly don’t feel that he knows.”
“If you say so,” she responded.
“Raymond will have his men doing their thing, but we’ll be doing our own. I’ll set the wire up on you, and you do exactly what the kidnapper tells you. If he tells you to go to another location drop, do so. I have a tracer on your car.”
Asia stated, “We’ll be in Troy’s SUV, so don’t worry.”
“He might even frisk you to see if you have any weapons,” Troy said. He reached into the box and brought out a very small handgun.
“I didn’t know they made anything that small,” Savannah said, taking it from Troy’s hand.
“He’ll never detect this. Put this here.” Troy moved his hand on her waistband. He noticed the concern on Savannah’s face. “Don’t worry. It won’t go off unless you remove the safety. When someone does a pat search, it’ll go undetected.”
Asia said, “Why doesn’t she just put it in her thirtyeight double-D chest? They definitely won’t be able to find it there.”
“Asia!” Savannah yelled.
“Well, you both know I’m telling the truth.”
Troy looked at Savannah. “She does have a point.”
“I am not putting this gun in between my breasts,” she said, swinging the gun from side to side.
“Whoa, Annie Oakley. It’s small, but still lethal,” Troy said as he ducked away from Savannah’s aim.
“I have a choice,” Savannah joked. “If it goes off, I could either lose a boob or my side. Decisions. Decisions.”
“Whatever you decide, do it quickly, because time is winding down.”
Asia looked at the clock. “One o’clock couldn’t come fast enough for me.”
The doorbell rang. Troy went to see who was outside. “It’s Raymond.” He alerted them.
Raymond came in, giving orders. “Troy, I want you working with my men. Savannah, I’ll ride with you. Asia, you stay here, just in case.”
Troy didn’t have to say anything because Savannah had it all under control. “Raymond, I appreciate everything you’re doing, but I’m riding by myself,” she contradicted.
Asia interjected, “And there’s no way I’m staying behind with both of my sisters’ lives in danger.”
“It’s for the best. I’m only thinking of your safety.” Raymond looked at Savannah. “And you have no idea how these things can turn out. You take him the money, and he ends up killing you and her.”
Troy said, “Speaking of money, Savannah said you were providing the cash. Where is it?”
“It’s in my car. I’ll be right back.”
Savannah said a few obscene words. “Who does he think he is? He can’t come in here trying to boss me. Ooh, if I didn’t need that money, I would tell him to kiss my you know what.”
Troy rubbed her shoulders. “We’ll go with our original plan. Let me talk to him. We can use all the eyes we can get.”
Raymond returned with a New Orleans Saints duffel bag. “This is two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He won’t get far, because there’s a tracker at the bottom.”
Asia picked up some of the money and let it fall on the table. “So this is how two hundred and fifty thousand dollars feel. I could sleep on this.”
“Don’t go getting too comfortable,” Savannah said. She took the money from Asia’s hand and placed it back in the duffel bag. She zipped it up and threw the bag on the floor. “Troy, tell Raymond our plan, so we can get this show on the road.”
Troy could tell that Raymond wasn’t too keen on their plan, but knew he had no choice from the look on Savannah and Asia’s faces. He reluctantly agreed. He made a few phone calls and said, “It’s a go. We’re ready to move when you are.”
32
Savannah went to the bathroom, and although everybody probably assumed she was using it, she actually went for some quiet time. Although Raymond and Troy did this kind of drop-off thing all of the time, she didn’t. She was scared. She prayed until she heard the knock on the bathroom door.
Troy’s voice called from the other end, “It’s time.”
“Okay, I’ll be out in a minute.” She wiped her face with a cold towel.
Everybody was waiting for her in the kitchen. “I’ll be fine,” she said.
She placed the tiny handgun on her side, picked up the duffel bag full of money, and went to her car.
Troy said, “We won’t be far behind. Raymond has some men set up at the first drop-off. But I’m sure that’s just a test to see if we’re going to follow. Asia and I won’t be far behind. If you get a second drop-off point, I want you to repeat it so Asia can write it down, okay? Everything you do, you need to make sure you verbally repeat it . . . but don’t be too obvious.”
Savannah sighed. “Got it.”
She turned the radio on but heard Troy’s voice in her ear. “The music drowns out the sounds.”
Savannah responded, “Sorry.” She turned the radio down and drove to her destination. She looked in her rearview mirror to see if she was being followed. She saw Troy and Asia a few cars behind her. She knew they would soon drop off. It was like Troy was reading her mind.
“I don’t see anybody following us. Raymond is meeting his men at their locations, so chill out, dear. We got your back.”
Savannah smiled. She drove on in silence. She could hear the tires’ movement on the road. Each sound was magnified. The cars screeching and horns blowing seemed to be louder than normal. Music usually calmed her; instead, she took deep breaths in and out to calm herself.
She arrived at the busy park at precisely twelve fifty-five. Five minutes before the official drop-off. She looked around to see if she saw any suspicious behavior. Women were playing with their kids. Men and women sat talking. A few people were there by themselves, reading books and magazines. Some were walking their dogs, or the dogs were walking them, depending on how you looked at it.
One o’clock approached, and she checked her phone to make sure the ringer was on. She exited the car and stood by it, as previously instructed. She waited to hear further instructions. A little boy threw a ball in her direction. She bent down to retrieve it, and was about to throw the ball back at him, but the child ran out of sight. In those few seconds her attention was brought back to the ball, and that’s when she saw the message scribbled on it.
Go to the trash can. She read the note a few times. She looked around. No one seemed to be out of place. She got something out of her car, acting as though she was going to throw something away. There was a small envelope with her name on it in the trash can. She picked it up, but she waited until she was back in the car before she opened it to read.
She made sure she spoke out
loud. “‘To be on the safe side, I decided to change the location. Meet me at the outlet mall in Grapevine. Once there, go to the information booth. Ask for directions to Gonzales. Your instructions will be left there in a pamphlet.’”
Savannah threw the note down. She wanted to scream, but she didn’t want to bring more attention to herself. Troy spoke in her earpiece. “I know you’re probably frustrated, but we can catch him still. No worries. Okay, kid? We’ll meet you at the outlet.”
Savannah thought she was going to be stopped for speeding, but both times the police officers only waved at her to signal her to slow down. She did slow down, but as soon as they were outside her view, she sped up.
She didn’t see Troy, or anyone else, but she couldn’t wait for them to arrive. She exited the car and went to the information booth, as instructed. The clerk handed her a pamphlet. She wondered if the clerk was working with the kidnapper. She didn’t open the pamphlet until she was a few feet away. It read: Glad you came alone. Meet me on the pier in fifteen minutes.
She hoped Troy was able to hear her over the background noise of the people talking in the outlet mall. She didn’t get a response in her ear. She took the duffel bag and pretended to be window-shopping. She walked toward the pier. She looked over her shoulders at every sound. I have to calm down. Montana’s life could depend on it, she thought.
Savannah tried to ease her fears by breathing in and out. She could sense that Troy was near, even before he voiced it through her earpiece. “I’m in the mall. Asia and I both are wearing hats. Don’t fear, baby. We got your back.”
Savannah let out the sigh she had been holding in.
Before she realized it, someone had something stuck in her back. “Keep on walking. Act normal. We’re going to take a walk up that way,” the voice said. Savannah recognized that voice, but she couldn’t remember from where. She didn’t resist. She did as instructed.
“Where’s my sister?” Savannah asked.
“You’ll see her soon enough,” he responded.
Where was Troy? Where was her Uncle Raymond? That was all Savannah could think about as they were walking to a remote area of the pier. She had no idea that the building was on the end. She had never walked that far out.
“Don’t turn around. Hand me the duffel bag. Montana is in the boat,” the man said.
Savannah was about to turn around to hand him the money and he shouted, “No! If you turn around, I won’t be able to let you leave.”
“Here. Now go get my sister.”
“You have less than ten minutes. If you don’t get to her, she’ll drown.”
Savannah dropped the duffel bag and ran down the pier. She climbed the stairs that led to a boat. Water was creeping on the boat. She heard something move. She was relieved to see Montana, who was tied up and had something over her mouth. Savannah looked around to see if anyone was coming to help. Where were they? Time wasn’t on her side; the boat was sinking. She tried to untie Montana, but without any good results. She removed the tape covering her sister’s mouth.
“Vanna,” Montana’s weak voice said.
Savannah said, “Shh, I’m going to get you out of here.”
Montana opened her mouth to say something but fainted.
Asia yelled, “Vanna! Where are you?”
“Down here!” Savannah responded.
Asia rushed down the stairs to the boat. “Help me get her up,” Savannah cried out.
Asia and Savannah were able to get Montana off the boat, and Savannah barely had her foot on the last step before the little boat sank.
Raymond rushed over and pulled out a knife and cut the rope. He picked Montana up and rushed her to where some paramedics were waiting.
They paced in front of the ambulance until Montana came to. The medic had placed an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, so she wasn’t able to talk. The tears streaming down Montana’s face tore at Savannah’s heart.
“She’s going to be all right, isn’t she?” Savannah asked the medic.
“Yes. She’s a little dehydrated and probably in shock from the cold water. We need to get her to the nearest hospital.”
“I’m riding with the ambulance,” Asia said.
For the first time Savannah thought to ask about Troy. “Where’s Troy? I didn’t see him.”
“He tackled the kidnapper. I don’t know where he is. I rushed to find you,” Asia responded.
“He’ll have to catch up with us later. I’m just relieved to have Montana back.” Asia and Savannah hugged.
“We have to go,” the medic responded.
“What hospital? Just in case I get lost,” Savannah inquired.
“Metro,” the driver replied.
“Savannah, wait, we need to ask you some questions,” Raymond said.
“Not now, you don’t.” She walked around him and rushed to her car.
She tried her best to keep up with the ambulance but wasn’t able. They were inside the hospital by the time she pulled up. She parked the car in a zone marked NO PARKING because she didn’t have the time to wait for an available spot. She would deal with the ticket later.
Asia met her at the entranceway. “They say she’s going to be okay, but I’m still worried,” Asia said as they rushed to the emergency desk.
“We need one of you to fill out these papers so we can admit her,” the hospital attendant said.
“I’ll do this. Asia, you go check on her,” Savannah stated.
After what seemed like an hour, but was only five minutes, Savannah filled out the form as best as she could. Some of the things she left blank. The attendant seemed to be moving in slow motion as she entered the data in the computer system.
“I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, but I really must go check on my sister. My contact number is on there, which is my cell phone, if you need anything else.”
Savannah didn’t wait for her to respond. She went in search of Montana. She was in one of the makeshift rooms in the emergency area. Asia sat by the bed, holding her hand.
“The nurse said she’s going to be fine. They gave her something to sleep,” Asia said.
“What about the doctor? Has he been in here yet?” she asked.
“Not that I know of.”
Savannah left the room and went to the nurses’ station. “My sister was kidnapped and is suffering from shock, or God knows what. I need a doctor in her room ASAP!”
The head nurse stood up. “Calm down, miss, or we will have to ask you to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere until a doctor sees about my sister.”
“Baby, baby, I got this,” Troy said as he entered through the door.
Savannah watched Troy pull out his wallet, but she couldn’t hear what he told the nurse. A few minutes later she was on the intercom paging a doctor.
Troy wrapped his arm around her and led her away. “It’s going to be all right,” Troy said.
“Where were you? Montana could have drowned in that boat. I could have drowned,” Savannah said. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but the stress was catching up to her. He was the closest thing to her, so he would feel the brunt of her frustrations.
“I was watching you. We couldn’t play our hand or the kidnapper would have bolted. In fact—”
Before Troy could finish, a doctor came around the corner and headed toward Montana’s room. Savannah grabbed his hand. “It’s about time.”
They stood to the side as the doctor examined Montana. She was still out of it and was barely coherent.
“How long will it take for the medicine to wear off?” Troy asked.
“She’ll be like this until tomorrow morning,” the doctor responded. He turned toward Savannah and Asia. “She’s going to need plenty of rest. Her body went into shock being in the water. I understand she was a kidnap victim. We have counselors on staff who can help her with dealing with the aftermath,” he suggested.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Savannah responded.
He pulled out several busin
ess cards from his pocket and handed one to each sister. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
Savannah laid her head on Troy’s chest. He held her. Asia sat down and leaned back. Savannah was glad to have both of her sisters safe and sound.
33
“Let’s talk. But not in here,” Troy said.
Savannah and Asia followed him to the crowded break room. They found a couple of seats near the back. The chairs weren’t meant to be comfortable, but they would do. “The man who kidnapped Montana was taken into custody.”
“Thank God,” Savannah said.
“But it’s not over,” Troy added.
Asia said, “Did he escape?”
“According to him, he was hired by his brother.”
Savannah and Asia looked at each other. Raymond was an only child, so that ruled him out. “I’m lost,” Savannah said.
“He’s Dion’s brother,” Troy blurted out.
“No way,” Asia said as she looked to be digesting the information.
“That can’t be right. Dion? Montana’s ex? Your friend Dion?” Savannah repeated.
“Yes, sweetheart,” Troy said.
“Why?” Asia asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Troy said.
“I’ll kill him,” Savannah said. Her hands were shaking.
“He’s a cop. He’s not a kidnapper. His brother must be on drugs,” Asia said. She kept trying to justify why Dion wasn’t the culprit.
Troy said, “Listen. Dion was obsessed with Montana. According to his brother, when your dad made him break up with her, he ended up marrying that woman he cheated with. Well, I can fill in some of the blanks, because we were in the service together. Well, anyway, fast-forward a few years. His ex-wife cheated on him and ended up giving him HIV.”
Savannah’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
“A part of him blamed Montana. He took this opportunity—an opportunity that I regret I gave him by getting him involved with all of this. . .” Troy’s voice trailed off as he considered his actions.
Savannah snuggled her body closer to his and said, “It’s not your fault. We don’t blame you. Do we?” Savannah looked at Asia.
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