Page 80 of Honor ’N’ Duty

Kade shoved the pad in front of her face.

Tell them you won’t cooperate until you hear Rosa’s voice. Be strong.

He was right. If she lost control, she might say the wrong thing. “I won’t give you anything until you let me talk to my daughter.” Her demand was met with a moment of silence, one that stretched into seconds so agonizing she had to roll her lips inward or scream. “Did you hear me?”

Shuffling sounds came through the speaker, then, “Mommy?”

“Oh, thank God.” The relief coursing through her was so overwhelming she nearly passed out. Kade’s arm around her shoulders was the only thing keeping her vertical. “Rosa? Sweetheart, it’s Mommy. Are you all right? Tell me you’re all right.”

“I’m okay,” came the sleepy, sweet little voice she’d recognize anywhere. “They gave me pizza. Pineapple, my favorite.”

Laia looked at the plastic evidence bag the young cop had put on the credenza. “I know.” Bastards. Again, begging the question: how had they known?

Again, Kade shoved the pad in front of her.

Keep Rosa talking.

“I’m coming to get you, baby. Be brave for me. Can you do—”

“That’s enough,” the computer voice said.

“I’ll give you the book and the money,” Laia cried. “Tell me where to bring them.”

“We’ll call you back tomorrow with a time and place. Remember what I said. No police, or she dies. No FBI, or she dies.”

“No, wait!” But the call had ended.

Laia vacillated between numbness and a total and complete meltdown. She stared at the screen. This phone was the only lifeline to her daughter.

Kade took the phone from her trembling hand and touched his finger to the screen. “No caller ID.” To Laia, he said softly, “You did good.”

“Good?” she shrieked, jerking her phone back and pointing to it. “This is not good. This is anything but good. This is…”

A nightmare that could not be happening. But it was.

Vaguely, she registered Kade’s arms coming around her, holding her tightly against his chest while her body began shaking violently first, then wracked with uncontrollable sobs.

“We’ll get her back,” he said firmly. “We will get her back.”

She pushed away and sniffled, wiping the tears from her face. “Of course, we will. They said ‘no police’ and ‘no FBI,’ so all we have to do is get the ledger from the evidence room and the money from the bank box. As soon as they call me back with the time and place, I’ll bring it to them, and they’ll give me Rosa.”

Kade’s expression was grim. She turned to find Jamie with the same foreboding look. The two men were speaking to each other, communicating silently in some language only the two of them understood.

“What?” She grabbed Kade’s arm. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Sweetheart.” He touched two fingers to her cheek. “It’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is.” She swatted his hand away, not understanding why they weren’t already halfway to the DHS office to retrieve the ledger and the key to the safe deposit box.

His jaw went hard. “We can’t just hand over the ledger.”

She shook her head, her disbelief growing by the second. “Why not?”

“It’s original evidence,” he said.

“Then make a copy, and give me the original.”

He shook his head. “With Josh gone, there’s no one to authenticate a copy. Even if we verify it’s his handwriting, the AUSA will still demand we retain the original.”