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Kyle was out cold when Travis got to him with a handful of extra zip ties he’d secreted away after securing lids on crates of weapons earlier. He found a roll of duct tape beneath the seat. It felt good to toss Kyle, bound and gagged, into the back of the truck. Now he could implement his plan, but first, he needed to update his partner.
Travis dialed the satellite phone, but Coop’s cell went straight to voice mail, which meant he was somewhere with no service. Had he already been to the church in Mitchell and seen the blood? Did he think the worst? Travis had wanted to leave his friend a message, but there hadn’t been time or opportunity.
When the recorded greeting beeped, he left a voice mail. “Coop, Alex Halstead is dead. I’m on my way to Halstead’s ranch. It’s a long story, but they’re holding Jordan and planning to kill her. I can’t let that happen, so I have to get her out. William Mann is also there; he goes byLiam. He was Alex’s bodyguard, and he’s neck-deep in this. Needless to say, Senator Mann won’t be happy. Gotta go, but I’ll try to catch up with you later...if my plan works.”
Now, if he could only find the number he needed. He scrolled through the contacts. NoHalsteadlisted, but there was aRanchnumber, and Travis would bet it wasn’t a coincidence. He was right.
“I’ve got something you might be interested in.” He threw out the bait as soon as Halstead answered the phone.
“Yeah? Who is this?”
“Does it matter? Just shut up and listen.” Travis gladly dropped the bonds of his cover, done with playing nice. “I’ve got your truck, loaded with bombs and illegal weapons. I’m going to deliver it to the local authorities along with one of your boys who, I’m betting, would roll over on his grandmother to stay out of jail.”
Halstead scoffed, and his you-don’t-know-who-you’re-dealing-with attitude came through loud and clear. “Who the hell are you, and what do you want?”
Travis bit back a laugh. He’d apparently hit a nerve. “The woman, without a scratch on her.”
Halstead’s two heartbeats of silence were telling. Travis had gotten his attention.
“I see. You’re Brody’sexpendable, and he should have gotten rid of you when he packed up and moved the camp. Obviously, pretty little Jordan is a better liar than I thought.”
Travis winced. Apparently, Jordan was still covering for him, and now that he’d proven her a liar, Halstead had one more reason to get rid of her. “I can’t believe you trusted Brody after your nephew died on his watch.” Travis wasn’t above sewing a few seeds of malcontent. If the ensuing silence was any indication, he’d hit the mark. He resisted the urge to fill the lull, remaining quiet and allowing Halstead time to think it through.
“That’s all you want? Sounds like I’d be getting the better end of the deal. Just for the sake of argument, what keeps you from going to the police after I give up the woman?”
“Once we make the exchange, I don’t have any evidence, and I won’t have your man as a witness to connect you with the weapons.”
“You’d have the girl.”
“All she knows is what she’s been told. She hasn’t seen anything except a secluded camp and some Neanderthals running around with guns. It’s her word against yours, and who will believe her? The DA has no case.” If that wasn’t enough, the district attorney and half the city’s police department were likely on Halstead’s payroll.
“You have a point. Let me think about it.”
“Either we make the trade tonight, or I park the truck in front of the cop shop and spill my guts.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something? You’ll go down too.”
Travis could almost see the smug look on Halstead’s face. “To get you, I’m betting they’ll have a nice little get-out-of-jail-free card for me.”
“All right,boy.” All the pretense fled from Halstead’s voice, leaving only fury. “If you’ve got the balls to drive up to my front gate, we’ll trade.”
Travis laughed. “Sounds like suicide. Why would I do something so detrimental to my health?”
“Your proposition. My terms. Take it or leave it.”
Travis hesitated long enough to assure Halstead he wasn’t happy with his request. He had to let the man win something. “Midnight.” Travis pressed the red button on his phone’s screen before the other man had a chance to offer another option.
*****
“Liam!”
Coop heard someone yell for the senator’s wayward son, who’d asked him to wait a few minutes ago and then disappeared. Liam rushed by the open study doorway, and his heavy footsteps moved along the corridor. Coop’s hunch to follow the Jeep driven by the man he’d recognized as William Mann had led him to Joseph Halstead’s ranch headquarters. His impromptu plan to introduce himself as a friend of Alex’s in hopes of securing employment was about to pay off. Coop stood, silently striding to the door, and peered down the hallway to where it made a ninety-degree turn.
“There’s been a change of plans. One of our problems comes to us at midnight, wanting to trade.” The gruff male voice raised in anger.
“You want me to keep the girl alive for a little longer, right?” That was Liam, and he must be talking with Joseph Halstead, the owner of this fortress.
“On the contrary. I want her deadbeforemidnight.” Halstead punctuated his demand with a slamming drawer.
