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“How bad does it look?”
“Bad, there was barely enough room for us to pass. I had to do some tricky maneuvering.”
“These storms happen every year, and there’s always a damn slide,” Nick grunted. “Do you have anything to report?”
“We’ve only seen two men at the house you told us to watch. As far as we can tell, there’s no one else in any of the other homes or on the beach.”
“That road closure will be a blessing,” Nick remarked. “They won’t be able to get any backup, assuming they even have any. But it’s time for me to shake the tree and see what falls out. I’ve just arrived and I’m pulling into the home I’ve rented. I’ll swing by to brief you in detail in a little while. This is not your run-of-the-mill case.”
“Okay, boss. See you soon.”
Stopping at the beautiful Cape Cod house, Nick opened the bag Cindy had left on the passenger seat and retrieved the remote control, but paused. If Matt or Tony had heard him arriving, Nick wanted to make sure they knew it was him. Climbing out, he opened the back of the Porsche as if checking for something, then climbed back behind the wheel. As the garage door rolled up, he drove forward and closed it behind him.
* * *
Standing on the second floor terrace of the neighboring house and staring at the ocean, Matteus Anderson was trying to control the panic rippling through his body. He’d been paid fifty thousand dollars to kidnap Bianca, with the promise of $2.5 million when the $25 million bounty was successfully collected. But now Bianca was gone, and Matt was at a loss.
The offer to abduct her had come in the form of a packet of money left at his back door, along with a burner phone and instructions. Abducting Lorenzo’s daughter was a huge risk, but when he’d received a text asking if he was in or out, starting a new life in the tropics with $2.5 million in his pocket had been too tempting for him to turn down. It was only a few minutes later that he’d broken into a grin, and decided to go after the full $25 million himself.
He had to arrange for the squad car, van, and weapons, but that hadn’t been a problem, and on the night in question, he’d received the details of Bianca’s movements. It had been a piece of cake, but now he was in quicksand and sinking fast. He had to come up with an exit strategy and disappear.
“He’s here, he’s here!” Tony shouted urgently, jolting Matt from this deep pondering.
“Who’s here?” Matt demanded, an alarming tightness seizing his chest.
“That guy you think took Bianca,” Tony exclaimed, flapping his arms excitedly. “He’s here!”
“What do you mean—here? Is he back at his house?”
“No, he just drove into the garage next door.”
“Next door? What the fuck?” Matt stammered, shocked by the news. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m totally sure. I saw him get out of his Porsche.”
“This makes no sense. He has to be the one who helped her get away.”
“Then why is he back here, and in the fucking house next door?” Tony asked anxiously. “I don’t like this, Matt, I don’t like this one bit.”
“Tony, calm down. Let’s think about this for a minute. Maybe he has her tucked away somewhere and he’s come back here to throw us off.”
“But why next door?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
“You mean, you’re going over there?” Tony asked nervously. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Have you got a better one?” Matt snapped as he marched away. “Stay here.”
“What if—”
“Just fucking do as I say.”
But as he hurried down the stairs, Matt caught himself. He couldn’t bang on the neighbor’s door hurling accusations. Feeling an uncomfortable tightness in his chest, he slowed his step and popped one of his pills. Suddenly thinking it might be better to approach the neighbor’s home from the beach rather than the back door by the garage, he headed out onto the patio, only to see Nick Vincelli near the water’s edge. Trotting down the steps onto the sand, he walked as quickly as he dared, but as he drew close, Nick waded into the mild surf.
“Hey, Nick, wait.”
Watching Nick turn around, Matt was slightly taken aback. The handsome man looked stronger and more muscled than he remembered.
