AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“This is all so touching,” a voice said in the darkness. “Listening to the two of you get reacquainted. It’s too bad Grange isn’t around to hear it. It would only add to his guilt. But don’t worry. I recorded it all and I’ll make sure to play it for him.”
Pete. Elena’s blood boiled at the thought of the torment he’d put her mother through. “Pete, let my mother go. You can keep me as a hostage. Grange will do whatever you want.”
Pete laughed. “Why would I let either of you go? I have both of you now, and you mean everything to him. And now that you’ve got that new boyfriend, the two of them will go crazy trying to save you. And they’ll both fail.”
“Let my daughter go,” her mother said. “You can do whatever you want to me. Let Elena go.”
“How sweet that you’re both willing to sacrifice yourselves to save the other. Too bad Grange wasn’t so noble. He’ll likely let you both die before he puts his own ass on the line.”
He went silent.
“Pete?” Elena asked. “Pete!”
She would not let her mother die. She didn’t plan on dying, either. Whatever plan Pete had, she wasn’t going to go along willingly. No matter what it took, she was going to fight.
FOURTEEN
Jed entered the restaurant where Carla had allegedly used her credit card. He flashed his I.D. and asked to speak to the manager, then reviewed the video surveillance of everyone who’d been at the restaurant during the time period her card had been swiped.
No one matching her description had eaten or had a drink there. The person using the card was a middle-aged woman with sunglasses and brown hair. She’d worn a scarf, but made no effort to hide her face from video surveillance. She’d stopped at the bar, had a cocktail, used the card and left.
But it wasn’t Carla. She had the same build and hair color, but it wasn’t Carla.
He’d called Grange, who reported the same thing at the retail store where her card had been used. A woman with the same type of description had bought two blouses, used the card and left the store.
“So two women fitting Carla’s description both use her card for small purchases, make no effort to hide from video surveillance then leave,” Jed said. “Smells like a setup to me.”
“Agreed,” Grange said. “It’s like someone wanted us to go on these wild-goose chases. Why?”
It hit Jed right away. “To separate us from Elena.”
“We need to get in touch with Pete right aw
ay. We have to warn him. I’ll meet you at the helicopter pad.”
Jed broke speeding records on his way to the helicopter pad. When he got there, his heart fell to his feet. The look on Grange’s face was grim.
“What?” he asked.
“Pete’s not answering his phone. And I can’t get in touch with the copter pilot. I’ve made arrangements to get another helo here pronto. ETA is thirty minutes.”
When every second counted, thirty minutes just didn’t seem fast enough.
Jed paced, ran his fingers through his hair, watched the sky and paced some more, trying to formulate a battle plan. While he walked in one direction, Grange went in another, neither of them saying anything to the other. When Jed heard the whir of rotor blades, he almost yelled in triumph. As soon as the helicopter landed, they were airborne again and heading to the island.
He hoped they would find the other helicopter standing by and Pete waiting for them with an explanation of cell trouble.
His hopes were dashed when he saw the helicopter gone and no Pete standing there wondering why the hell there was another helo landing on his island. Because if Pete were able, he should be waiting there with a gun in his hand ready to fire on an intruder.
Grange and Jed pulled out their weapons and ran through the jungle.
“I’ll take the right, you take the left. Shoot anybody that isn’t Elena or Pete.”
That was Jed’s plan anyway. By the time they got to the house, Jed already knew Elena was in deep trouble. Maybe they were connected in some emotional way, because he knew she was gone. He didn’t feel her nearby.
She wasn’t in the house. Neither was Pete.
“We tear this island apart,” Grange said.
