After three rings, he picked up. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Shawn?”
“Yes. Who are you?”
“I’m Eva’s boyfriend. I just placed the order from your baby registry. Congratulations, by the way.”
“Oh wow. Thank you. Eva’s so generous and thoughtful.”
“She’s one of a kind, and I love her. I’m having trouble reaching her. Do you know where she is?”
“Umm . . .”
I sensed the hesitation, the fear, and the realization that something else was happening besides gifts for his baby boy. Though Shawn probably had nothing to do with Eva’s kidnapping, he was now involved because he worked forHawthorne’s organization. But if he helped Eva, I could spare his life.
“Do you work for a company that asks you to keep its identity and location private?”
“Yes.” Shawn’s voice lowered. “They’re strict about that.”
“Is Eva safe?” I asked.
“She looked fine when we spoke. Tony seems to like her.”
“Is he managing that area?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Tony Hesselberg’s face formed in my mind. The man I knew was more like a follower, not someone who led and took charge. He did everything Hawthorne asked of him.
I didn’t know if I could trust Shawn, but I had to give it a shot. But if Shawn crossed me, he’d regret it. I was in no mood for deception.
“I need you to listen to me. Eva was kidnapped. I need to know the location of where they have her. Just let me know how to get there.Please.”
Silence hummed on the phone, and I feared he’d hang up on me. Even if he did, I knew where he lived. I didn’t want to threaten him, but I wouldn’t hesitate if it came to that.
“Eva was very nice to me,” Shawn said. “I don’t want anything to happen to her. Go to Ozarrow Woods. There’s a dirt road with a sign that says Employees Only. There’s a gate there with two guards. You need an ID to get in, though.”
“Is it close to the lake?”
“There’s an underground complex beneath the lake. She’s under there with the others.” His voice trembled. “Please say nothing about me. They’ll kill me and my family.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” I said. “My advice is for you to get a new job starting tomorrow. If you need help, call this number and say Mr. Kessler sent you.” I rattled off the warehouse manager for my tattooproducts.
Shawn had given Eva a way to escape, and I was grateful to him.
After I ended the call, I returned to the dining room.
“It’s a manmade lake owned by the Falcone family.” Milo showed me the blueprint of the underground living space. It reminded me of the prison I was trapped in, but this was a lot larger. Hawthorne had years to improve his construction.
“Can you send me the link to my phone?” I gave Milo my number and called Godfrey. “Hey, I know where Eva is, but I need your helicopter. We need to get there fast. Meet you at your building. Send the drones to the lake in Ozarrow Woods, especially the dirt road for employees. There are guards at the gate. We’ll need a team to assist.”
“Got it.”
After calling my security team to update them, they knew the next steps. Hope and fear coursed through me. I didn’t know what to expect at the lake and had to prepare for the worst scenario. For all I knew, we could head into an ambush. How many men were stationed there? Regardless, I had to get Eva out of there, no matter what.
“Thank you, Milo.” I squeezed his shoulder and turned to Harry. “I’ll get her back.”
Harry walked up and embraced me. “Thank you, and be careful.”
