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“What money? Haven’t you stolen enough?” I ask.
“That inheritance that I put in your name in case anything happened to me. Now I’m out, and I want every cent back.”
Unbelievable that this man spent nearly a decade in prison, and instead of atoning for what he’d done to so many innocent lives, and the shame he caused our family name, he went right back to his nefarious ways.
“You’re not getting that back. Where is Ava?” I demand.
There’s a pause when the call switches to FaceTime.
The video isn’t the best quality and there’s very little light, but I’m able to make out the white, long-sleeved dress Ava was seen in this morning.
Ava is on her side, hands bound behind her back and feet prone at an unnatural angle. Her dark hair covers most of her face, but it’s definitely her.
Her body appears still, but I try not to think the worst.
“What have you done to her?” I shout.
James angles the camera down and nudges Ava with his booted foot. Her groan is barely audible, but at least she’s still alive.
“I’ll kill you,” I say. My vision goes a crimson as dark as my rage.
“No need for dramatics. Just bring me $10 million, and you’ll have your precious bitch back.”
“Where are you?” I demand.
“You’ll receive a text with the address. I’ll be nice and give you a few hours to get the money.”
I glance at the time. In a few short hours, it will be dark and who knows where he’ll move Ava to in that time.
“You tell me right now, you piece of shit!”
James moves the phone away and resumes the voice call. “Don’t make this any harder on yourself or her. Do as I ask, and no one has to die.”
The beeping tone lets me know that he’s hung up and meant every word of what he said. After all this time, the devil that sired me returned and has Ava.
Kamaya turns at the sound of the door clicking shut. I hope I look more in control than I feel, but based on her stare, I must appear rattled.
She releases a sigh at the sight of me. “Finally, you’re here. What is going on?”
I begin explaining the phone call from my father, not my uncle. Who knows what James did to get is brother’s identity and passport? I can only hope that Jonathan is still alive and not a casualty of his ruthless brother.
“Bree is still on detail in Tribeca, and we got a call from a hospital. Maxwell regained consciousness, according to the nurse I spoke to, and Westin is currently on his way over there now.”
I mutter a curse at Kamaya’s statements. What a day Ava and Maxwell have gone through.
My text alert sounds, and I peek at the text, noting it’s from a blocked number. I open the message, bracing myself for the unknown or, worse, a picture of Ava’s tortured body.
899 VAN RHIJN ST, LONG INSLAND CITY, QUEENS. NO COPS OR ITS HER HEAD. CLOCK IS TICKING.
A picture of Ava follows the text. Ava is laid out on what looks like concrete, and there’s blood all around her. My stomach roils.
“I have to move. Now,” I say, keeping my voice even as I can.
I unlock the safe in my office and reach for the semi-automatic. In an all the years I’ve worked in security, even when I worked for the Security Industry Authority, I rarely discharged my weapon. Now one of the rare times might be on my own father, but I wouldn’t hesitate to save Ava’s life.
Kamaya helps outfit me before I can leave.
“I have this already set to record. All you have to do is make sure nothing obscures the lens,” she says, handing me a shirt from the closet in my office. I put the Kevlar vest on first, then step into the button-down shirt Kamaya is holding out for me.
