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Fighting back the bile rising in her throat, she spoke in low, demure tones. "I'm sorry. I made a mistake."
"No, Evelyn dear. A mistake is forgetting to have my suit cleaned in time for a big event. This," he pressed the knife deeper into her skin, and she felt a warm trickle of blood snaking down her neck, "this was deliberate sabotage. You can't imagine the punishments I have in mind for your disloyalty."
"Just don't hurt my parents." She put as much plea into her voice as she could. He'd always loved to hear her beg. "Please."
"I have no intention of hurting them. I need them, to make sure our plan is carried out flawlessly."
"What plan?" Keep him talking. She had to keep him talking until she could figure out how to get her parents to safety.
"The plan to ensure I don't lose my place in the governor's mansion. That little stunt you pulled could cost me everything I've worked so hard for."
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."
The hand around her arm tightened. She knew from experience, there would be more bruises. "Oh, I think you were. But there will be time to discuss it at home." He loosened his hold on her when the sound of her mother's footsteps on the stairs reached them.
"Evelyn? Oh, God." Her mother was halfway to them when she stopped short. Her eyes went wide for a second before her lip curled up in a snarl that seemed as out of place on her elegant, cultured face as the wildly out of control hair was. "Let her go! You promised!"
"As I told your husband, I have every intention of keeping my promises. Once we've worked out our stories and agreed on how to proceed from here."
"Let go of my daughter, you sick son of a bitch!" Rage shone brightly on her mother's face, and Evie felt a swell of pride.
Branson's chuckle was cold and humorless. "No. I think I'll keep her nice and close. Think of it as collateral. Shall we retire to the living room for our discussion?"
* * *
"Can'tthis rig move any faster?" Teagan paced the small space in the back of the van.
"We're going as fast as we can, darlin'." Tugging on her arm, Luca pulled her onto his lap. "We won't do her any favors getting pulled over."
"I know that. But we don't know what kind of head start she has."
The fear in her voice sliced straight through Jason. Doing his best to ignore it and her, he focused on the screens in front of him. Luca's car had an anti-theft device on it, and he was in the process of trying to locate it without getting the police involved. Thank God he'd finally talked Luca into investing in some higher end equipment for the van. He was so close. If he could just—
"Got her!" The blinking white light on the screen filled him with hope.
Teagan and Luca were behind him in half a second, with Teagan leaning over his shoulder trying to read the screens. "Where is she?"
"She only has about twenty minutes on us." It was a relief, but only a small one. A lot could happen in twenty minutes.
"Shit. I bet her leaving the house was what woke me up." Luca squeezed Jason's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jay. I should have caught her."
"You didn't know, boss. None of us did."I should have known. I'm her Daddy; I should have known.
"Stop that." Teagan punctuated the order with a slap to the back of his head.
"Ow! What the hell, Teagan?"
"You're blaming yourself." She jabbed a finger into his shoulder. "Stop it."
Rubbing the back of his head, he glared up at her. "I thought that telepathy thing only worked with your sisters."
"I don't need a telepathic link to know you're blaming yourself for sleeping through her snooping on your computer. Cut it out."
"Get your girl under control, DeLuca."
"Teagan Anne. I can't believe I have to tell you to keep your hands to yourself." He punctuated the short lecture with a loud swat that drew a hiss from Teagan before Luca turned back to Jason. "But she's not wrong," he said with a shrug. "Sitting around feeling guilty isn't going to help Evie. Can you track the burner he used to contact her father?"
"I tried. I don't know if he destroyed it or if it's just turned off, but I can't find it."
