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Chris livedin a large condo on top of a hill. It was close enough to the city that the pawnshop was only a ten-minute drive away, yet it was tucked away and private.
I walked into the condo, trying not to be amazed at all the clear opulence in the crystal chandeliers and contemporary interior. Abstract sculptures stood at the corners of the room, like watchful angels overseeing the open living space concept. To my surprise, I liked his home. It was the first time seeing something so extravagant yet so tastefully done.
“Just so we’re clear,” he said as he shut the door behind us and hung the key in a golden key holder. “I’m acknowledging your rules of engagement, as I said, but you have to abide by mine too.”
Of course, there would be a catch. This would be too easy otherwise.
“Which would be?” I asked cautiously.
“I won’t touch you if you don’t want," he said, amused. “But we will sleep in the same bed together and eat meals together at least twice a day. We will also spend time together indoors, and you will stay here the majority of the time.”
“Oh.” I frowned at him. “What good would that do? Isn’t this whole thing a scam anyway?”
“Just indulge me,” he said. “Let me know what it feels like.”
“What it feels like to what?”
He shook his head. “To have a nice, normal American family.”
And with that puzzling statement, he went upstairs and left me alone.
14
CHRIS
I should have been satisfied.
I was well on my way to getting just about everything I wanted. Emily didn’t know about the contents of the will and had married me, unknowingly giving me some stake in her father’s shares. I’d also managed to convince her of the police’s betrayal and convert her to my side.
Well, no, not completely for that last part. I did not doubt she didn’t trust me, and whatever submission she showed was only temporary. I knew, at some point, she would try to betray me after thoroughly searching for any evidence of weakness she could use against me.
She would find nothing, but I was already expecting it. Right now, she owed me no loyalty, and she didn’t yet trust that I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. So it only made sense that she would be looking out for herself.
I didn’t mind. It was all part of the game, anyway.
Still, I had gotten most of what I wanted, and it was time to set the rest of my plan in motion.
But, at the same time, there was a gnawing dissatisfaction in my belly as I walked out of the door and headed to the car where Ferro and Doper were waiting.
“Drive around a little,” I said as I got in, and they nodded. I said this for two reasons. I wanted to give her time to herself to come to terms with her situation, and I also wanted somewhere private to call Ansel.
“Did she take the bait?” he asked in that deadpan voice of his.
“She did,” I responded. “And now I need you to do something else. You know how you managed to block the cop’s number from receiving any calls?”
After I took her phone, I copied the most frequently called number, knowing it would be her FBI contact. Then, I sent it over to Ansel and told him to mess with the cop’s signal so he couldn’t receive any calls until I caught up to Emily and got her to marry me.
“Yeah?” Ansel asked.
“Is there any way you can break into the phone and track its movement?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m pretty sure they put a tracker in her phone, but I want you to reverse engineer the signal so you can follow their movements instead. That way, I’ll know if they’re getting close.”
Ansel whistled. “That’s not going to be easy, boss.”
“I didn’t say it would be. I asked you if you could do it.”
