“Grant, I’m so scared.”
“I’m going to find you, baby. I swear I’m not going to let them—”
A rattle cuts me off, followed by a choking gasp, then the robotic voice is back, slicing straight into my ear. “There. Now transfer thefuckingmoney!”
And I do.
Chapter7
GRANT
But not all of the money.
“It’s done,” I say.
A cold silence fills the line. Then: “This isn’t the amount we agreed on.”
“We didn’t agree on anything,” I hiss.
“Your wife is dead.”
A wave of pure terror rolls down my spine. “Wait—wait!”I plead. “I’ll give you the rest, but not before I get Avery back alive.” It’s a gamble. A hedge they don’t actually have the long list of abduction targets lined up they say they do. Compared to my wife, the money means absolutely nothing. I’d gladly transfer every dollar if it meant getting Avery back safe—which is the problem. Thatif.Gunn is right. There’s no guarantee that will happen. And now that I’ve given them a million and a half, they know I’ll play ball. They’ll want the rest.
Sweat beads on my forehead as I wait for his reply. My entire world will come down to what he says next.
After what feels like an eternity, he speaks. “Fine. We are not unreasonable people. We will provide you with a location. You will meet us at this location in exactly thirty minutes. Once you are there, you will transfer the remainder of your account to us. If you give usthe money, we will return your wife unharmed.”
The floor rocks beneath my feet, and I nearly topple over. It worked.
“But listen carefully,” the voice drones, impossibly deep. “The same rules apply. If you tell anyone about this, if you contact the authorities or try to seek help in any way, your wife dies. If you don’t transfer the rest of the money when you get to the location we provide, your wife will die. If you’re late to the exchange, your wife dies. This time, there will be no second chances.”
“Hold on,” I say, trying to stall, but it’s too late; the line is already dead.
Gunn is staring at me when I look up, the corners of his eyes creased with concern. “You need to level with me right now.”
I take a deep breath and attempt to swallow my panic. At this point there’s no longer any reason to lie, not when he’s already involved. I speak rapidly, moving through the day as quickly as I can, starting with the van. I tell him about the men inside and how they assaulted me and took Avery. I tell him how they told me to return here within an hour and then made it next to impossible by shooting out the front tire of my Jeep. And then I tell him how they forbade me to talk to the police.
“Which is why I lied to you in the first place,” I finish. “You aren’t supposed to know any of this.”
His mouth widens in reply, but before he can speak the phone vibrates in my palm. I glance at the screen. A text message. It’s a location pin. I tap it, and Google Maps opens to a blue and green square full of topography and squiggled roads. I pass the phone to Gunn. “Where is this?”
He studies it for a moment, flattening his lips in concentration. “Mason’s Quarry. I know the place. It’s condemned. A party spot for the kids.” He hands the phone back to me and it buzzes with another text. Two words: Thirty minutes. It’s two o’clock on the nose. I show Gunn. Then I start past him.
He grabs my elbow. “Wait. I need to call this in first.”
I shake free, heat flooding my cheeks. “Did you not hear a word I said? You can’t do that!”
“I already did.”
“When?” I ask, stunned.
“When I saw your front door was kicked in. But one extra cop won’t be enough to handle a situation like this.”
“They’ll kill her for sure.” I suddenly feel unsteady on my feet.
Gunn claps his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, stay with me. They won’t. These guys aren’t that sophisticated. Think about it. If they were, they’d already know I was here. But they didn’t. Which means no one has eyes on us right now. And they damaged your car, which made it more difficult for you to do what they wanted. They obviously haven’t fully thought this through. They sound like amateurs. But amateurs can still be dangerous. We need backup.”
“We don’t have time to wait for backup!”
