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She had to shove the poignant memories aside. She needed to believe Joey would play again in the park, as soon as they got him away from the kidnappers.
“This is it,” Nick said, as he pulled up into the driveway. There was a large wreath on the door and she could see the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree through the window. “Are you ready?”
She nodded and slowly climbed out of the car. She rang the doorbell and braced herself as Gerry swung open the door. He looked surprised to see Nick standing beside her. “Hi, Rachel, come on in.”
She stepped across the threshold and then turned to make introductions. But before she could speak, Nick thrust his hand out. “Gerry, my name is Nick and I’m a good friend of Rachel’s. I’m so glad we finally have a chance to meet in person, after all I’ve heard about you.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she quickly closed it again. Nick’s message was clear—he did not want to be introduced as a detective.
Gerry accepted Nick’s handshake. “Nice to meet you, too,” he said, throwing a suspicious gaze at Rachel. “I have to say, Nick, you have the advantage here, because Rachel hasn’t mentioned you to me at all.”
The reproach in his tone was obvious and she swallowed hard, already hating the way she wasn’t being completely up-front and honest with Gerry.
“Gerry, I’m sorry to bother you,” Rachel said abruptly. “I’m in trouble. Financial trouble.”
His eyebrows furrowed together as he gestured for them to come in and sit down in the living room. “What do you mean by financial trouble?”
She twisted her hands in her lap, unable to hide her nervousness. This was extremely important and she couldn’t afford to have Gerry refuse her request. “I can’t tell you, so please don’t ask. I need a lot of money, and I’m hoping you’ll be willing to buy my shares of stock in the company.”
The stunned expression on Gerry’s face would have been comical if the situation wasn’t so grim. “Rachel, I’m happy to loan you whatever you need. There’s no reason to sell your stock.”
His offer was humbling, but she knew she couldn’t take him up on it. Gerry was in his late forties and his two sons were currently enrolled in college. She couldn’t take advantage of his generosity. “I insist on selling them to you. That way, if anything happens...” She couldn’t bring herself to finish her thought. “It’s just better this way, because I need ten million dollars.”
“Are you kidding me?” Gerry leaped to his feet and began to pace. “Rachel, that just about covers all your stock! And how are you going to get the bank to give you that much money?”
“I’m hoping Edward Callahan, the bank manager, will bend a few rules for me,” she said. “He knows the company is worth far more than that.”
Gerry let out his breath in a huff and then turned to glare at Nick. “Can’t you talk her out of this nonsense?” he demanded.
“I’m afraid not. Rachel is the one in charge here. I’m just helping her out as a good friend.”
Gerry’s gaze narrowed and he threw up his hands. “All right, fine. I’ll help you. But, Rachel, please reconsider taking a simple loan. There’s no reason to sell off your stock from your father’s company.”
His offer was generous, but she shook her head stubbornly. She’d never sleep at night with that heavy a debt hanging over her head. “I need you to buy the stock, Gerry. I want everything legal. Please don’t fight me on this.”
She couldn’t explain that the likelihood of getting the money back was slim to none. And besides, if something happened to her during the exchange, she wanted the company to be in good hands. Gerry would be able to pick up where she’d left off without any trouble.
And even if she did survive, she knew full well that, after this was all said and done, she and Joey would have to start over, with a new job and maybe even a new house.
A price she was willing to pay if it meant getting her son back safe.
SIX
Nick watched the interchange between Gerald Ashton and Rachel with interest. There was no denying the gentleman, who he guessed was roughly ten years their senior, seemed to care about Rachel. There was a casual familiarity between them as they ironed out the details of obtaining the money. While they worked, he swept a curious gaze around the room.
