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My phone rang, making me jump in my seat. I hit the speaker button without taking my eyes off the road.
“Lauren. It’s Levi.” He sounded very clipped. “Our team’s in place. Is Gabe behind you?”
“Yes. He’s with a guard, and there are two other cars. There are five men total in his security detail.”
“Does he have the address for where he’s going to wait?” Levi asked. Levi had spent more than an hour on the phone with me earlier, coaching me and running over the final details. But Gabe hadn’t spoken with him—probably so Levi couldn’t try to talk him out of following me.
“Once we get to the airport exit, he’s going to turn into one of the first office parks. He promised.”
“He’d better do it.” Levi grunted. “The area is clear so far. The FBI checked in. They set up at an alternate site. They haven’t seen anything suspicious—there’s no sign of Li Na’s crew yet.”
My mouth had gone dry. “Okay.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you or your sister. You need to get her into the car, okay? Just like we talked about.”
I swallowed hard. “I know. I will.”
“Let’s run through it one last time,” Levi continued. “As soon as Hannah’s inside the car, tell Li Na’s security that you have the keys in your pocket, that you forgot to leave them for her. Show them the keys so they believe you. And then walk to the driver’s side to approach your sister. If they try to get her back out of the car to get the keys, give them hell. Tell them you don’t want her to be vulnerable. That’s when we’ll come out. As soon as you see us or if you hear gunfire, get in that car with Hannah and get the hell out of there. Don’t even look back. We’ll have a team waiting to follow you out. Get to Gabe, okay?”
I nodded, mostly to reassure myself. “Got it. Have you been to the actual office park yet? Is anyone there?”
“We’re here. It’s empty. The offices are closed today, so the parking lot’s vacant. The FBI’s around, like I said, but they set up their own surveillance spot. They haven’t seen anything either.”
I gripped the steering wheel, my palms sweaty. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
“If everything goes according to plan, you won’t see me until we’re back at your place, having a celebratory drink with your sister.”
He hung up, and I checked the GPS. Twenty more minutes—almost there.
Fifteen minutes later, my phone rang again—it was Levi. “They’re here. I’m not going to get in touch again, because I’m going to be on the ground. There’re two cars. Two armed men, that I can see.”
“And Hannah? Can you see her?”
“They haven’t brought her out. Stick to the plan, Lauren. You won’t see me, but I’ll be out there—don’t be afraid.”
I followed the signs to Oakland International Airport. I checked my rearview mirror and could still plainly see Gabe’s silver sports car, flanked by the rest of his team. By the next time I checked, they were gone. I took a deep, shaky breath as I maneuvered the car down the road to the airport, carefully reading the signs, looking for Langham Place.
Before I felt ready, the exit came into view. I pulled into the massive, mostly empty parking lot and headed for Building 900. Two cars were parked in the lot over to the side. Heart pounding, I headed for them. I checked my mirrors again. Gabe had kept his word. He wasn’t following me. And as promised, Levi and his team were completely out of sight.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Two men stood outside the parked cars. Both were tall and thickly built. I squinted at the cars as I stopped and shifted mine into Park, desperate to get a glimpse of Hannah. The tinted car windows prevented me from seeing anything inside. Dammit. Was she even in there? Was this a trap?
I parked and jumped out of my car, far enough away from the men that I had to raise my voice. “Where’s Hannah?” My voice was shaking, my whole body thrumming with the rush of adrenaline.
One of the guards, who had a reddish beard, jerked his thumb toward the cars. “In there, Ms. Taylor. You need to get in too.”
I shook my head. “Not until she’s out of there and safely in my car. That was the deal I made with your boss.” Li Na hadn’t specifically agreed to anything, but I refused to accept anything less. “Before I leave with you, she needs to be driving out of here. Alone.”
The bearded guard nodded at the other one, who opened the car door. He pulled my sister out. I watched as she fought his touch, clearly trying to get his meaty hands off her.
“Hannah!” I yelled. “Stop!”
Our eyes met for a split second—but then she ignored me, trying to push the guard away. He grabbed her roughly. Then he took out his gun and shoved it against her rib cage.
That didn’t slow Hannah down a bit. She struggled against him, an enraged look on her face. “Get off me!” she yelled.
I watched as the guard pulled her against him, ramming the gun into her side.
