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“I’ll be damned if some opportunistic vulture is going to take that away from me,” Quint said, his voice gaining force. “We’re going to find him, and he’s going to pay for what he’s put us through. He’s going to pay for ripping an innocent child from his mother’s arms. I’m not a violent man, Amara, but justice must be done. When we do find him, we have to be sure he’s extradited to the United States. Once we locate him, I’ll get the embassy involved.”
Amara nodded firmly. “Right. Trust me, I’m with you. That bastard has to pay, and pay dearly. I can’t believe he’s managed to stay hidden, but when you have all the money you could ever need, it’s probably nothing to disappear in a city this large.” She downed the rest of her drink. “Mmm. That’s enough for me, I think.”
“You have to admit, though … you can’t beat this view,” he said.
It was obvious that he was eager to move away from the pain of his crash memories and from the frustration of the day, and Amara was more than happy to help. “Nothing like back home. I mean, we have a nice skyline and everything, but these buildings, the docks and the colorful lights downtown.” A warm smile crossed her lips. “Under different circumstances, this could be romantic, you know.”
He simply smiled back before turning his gaze down to the city, watching the sun sink below the horizon. Once the pink had shifted to a strikingly gorgeous red-orange and the sun was out of sight entirely, Quint stood and gathered up the plates, giving a quick jerk of his head toward the condo. “Come on in. It’s still pretty early, and I saw some decent movies in there. Your pick.”
Amara nodded and grabbed the bottle and glasses, giving a sigh so content it surprised even her. She swayed slightly and realized the rum had gone to her head. That was okay. She could use a moment of lightness.
Once Quint placed the dishes in the sink, he emptied his pockets on the marble-top island between the kitchen and the entertainment area and sauntered off to the master bedroom where he’d put his clothes. He called out to her playfully from inside. “Just undressing! There goes the shirt! And the pants!”
Amara giggled, realizing Quint had drunk a glass of rum too many himself. She leaned against the island and waited for him.
She was already comfortable enough, and called back. “Shame! I thought we were watching a movie, and I’m out here missing the real show!”
He laughed heartily, more earnest and genuine than she’d heard since he got back. His phone chimed on the island next to Amara, and he called out. “Grab that for me! Who’s it from?”
When she didn’t respond, he dashed back to the kitchen, half-dressed. He found her with a hand clasped over her mouth, staring down at the phone in horror.
On the lock screen, a single short text was shown from an unknown number:
What’s a billionaire’s baby worth?
Put a dollar value on it
and make me an offer.
I might return your brat
if it’s good enough.
Chapter Twenty Seven
AMARA SLOWLY LOWERED HER HAND. “It’s Frederik.”
Quint motioned for the phone, and she handed it to him with a shaking hand. He re-read the text. “So, he knows I’m Hampton’s father.” His eyes lifted up to Amara. “How could he possibly know that? And how would he have gotten my private number? There’s —”
He stopped mid-sentence and placed the phone on the counter. “Gabriela, perhaps? She has my card.”
“True. But it still leaves the question of how he knows Hampton is yours. This doesn’t make any sense. There’s no way he could know.”
Quint waved a hand, shaking his head slowly. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care how Frederik knows. If I have to hand over every red cent I own, we’ll have our son back as soon as the funds can be transferred. Frederik’s from a wealthy family, so I can’t low-ball him to begin with, but ten million should do.”
“What do you mean? Ten million dollars?” Amara’s eyes were wide, her hand tightening on the edge of the counter-top. “You’re going to give him all that just … just like that?”
Quint turned to her, confusion all over his features. “Of course I am. That’s nothing to me, but from what I know of his personal wealth, it’s enough to at least entice him. If he pushes for more, my coffers are deep. We’re leaving Montevideo with Hampton, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
He hurriedly typed a message and sent it without another word, leaving the phone face up and unlocked for Amara to see the response as he left the room and paced back and forth in front of the TV.
Ten million USD in untraceable bills.
We can all come out of this ahead.
; THE LAST TWO DAYS HAD BEEN more hell than purgatory, but they were both lingering helplessly, waiting for a response from Frederik. He hadn’t contacted them after the initial message, and the single follow-up message Quint sent got no response.
