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“You drove me so you could sell me, didn’t you?”
“Did it work?”
He was a wary man, but he was a man who knew damn well a good deal when it was sitting in front of him. “I was serious about the physical training. If I’m going to be her cover, then I need to be her backup, too. And turn this fucking car around. I’m not leaving without her.”
Charlotte swerved across two lanes to take the exit that would bring them back into the heart of Sydney. “I’ll have to call Ian and let him know persuasion won. I’ll take you back to the safe house. Call Tasha and let her know you’ll meet her there in the morning.”
He pulled his cell out and dialed her number.
“Hello, Dare.”
That wasn’t Tasha’s voice.
“Who is this?”
Charlotte kept driving, but her hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“Who do you think it is, boy?” The man had a thick Australian accent.
“Oakley. What are you doing with Tasha’s phone?”
He heard Charlotte curse under her breath, and she pulled over at the first parking lot she could find.
Dare put the phone on speaker.
“Well, I sent my friends there to pick you up, but they only found your girlfriend. She’s already here. I had her brought to me by helicopter,” Oakley said. “You can come to my place and trade yourself for her or I can kill her.”
Terror wound around his heart. He’d taken Tasha? What had happened to Zach? “I’ll come. I need to know where it is.”
“I’m sending you an address,” Oakley replied. “I expect you to be there in an hour, and if I get a hint that you’re not alone, I’ll put a bullet in your bitch. Is that clear? You can make it through this. If your father gives me what I need, I’ll send you on your way. But she won’t live if you don’t show. Am I plain?”
“Yes. I’ll be there.”
The phone call disconnected.
Charlotte was immediately on her cell, calling her husband.
“Charlie, baby, I have to call you back. We’ve got a situation,” he said. “Someone jammed the wireless at the hotel. I don’t like it. I’m making my way over now, but traffic sucks and I can’t get Tash on the line.”
“Because Oakley has her.” He didn’t wait for Charlotte to speak. She was Tasha’s mom, but he was going to be her husband. He had to take the lead on this. Not when it came to planning. He would leave that to the experts, but he had to make it plain that he wouldn’t be left out. “He’ll trade her for me, but you need to send an ambulance because I can’t imagine Zach let her go without a fight. If he isn’t already…”
Had Tasha been forced to watch her friend die? He’d done that. He’d insisted Zach be the one to stay with Tasha. He’d fucking done it because he’d known Zach would do anything for her.
“Kenzie sent police to the hotel the minute we realized someone was jamming the place,” Ian admitted. “I’m going to find out what happened. You get back to the safe house.”
“I can’t. I have to be in the Blue Mountains in an hour. Oakley is willing to exchange Tasha for me, but I can’t bring anyone with me.” Now that he was thinking about it, that part made no sense. Unless Oakley had other plans. “He’s going to kill Tash no matter what, isn’t he?”
It made his blood run cold.
“Yes, and when you’re sitting there telling yourself you shouldn’t have left her, understand if you hadn’t, she would likely already be dead. You’re a prize to trade back to your father. They don’t need Tasha except to draw you in. They will keep her alive until they’re sure they have you,” Ian explained. “Once they have you, there’s no reason to keep her alive.”
“Dare, you have to know we can’t let you go alone,” Charlotte began.
Did she think he was dumb? He’d learned. “I won’t be. I suspect my pack can take this asshole down. But you should know Tasha comes first. No matter what happens. Tash comes first.”
“I’m not letting my first son-in-law die,” Ian said. “You’re the first time she’s had good taste. I’m not risking another Chet. Charlie, baby, start driving. I’ll send you a meet spot. Be careful.”
“I love you,” she said and hung up.
Dare programmed the address from Oakley’s text into the vehicle’s GPS and sat back, his heart still thudding in his chest.
“Hold on. I think we can make it, but it’s going to be tight,” Charlotte said and started out of the parking lot. “The good news is Kala is already there. She and Lou went out to his cabin this afternoon. If Kala can get her out, she will.”
And if she couldn’t, it would be up to him.
