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“Right,” Bobby drawled. “Fine. I’ll sleep outside. But call me if anything happens.”
“I will.” Corey watched Bobby make his way around to the back of the house where the hammock was strung between two trees. Then he closed the door, wishing he could rest, too. But he needed to stay awake until he’d dealt with Bella Butler.
After that, I’ll find a beach and I’ll sleep for a week.
It had been about an hour since he’d given Cardozo his deadline. Maybe it was time to up the ante a bit. Taking his phone, he went into the bedroom where they’d put Feldman and the blonde. He crouched beside the reporter and pressed two fingers to her throat.
Her pulse was even slower now. She didn’t have long. Dammit. He was going to have to hunt for Allyson without having Feldman as bait, and he didn’t have Ed to help him search.
He turned to the blonde. She kept her eyes closed, but her body was tight, like she was coiled and ready to spring. Corey wasn’t too worried since she was restrained, but he wasn’t taking any unnecessary risks.
“I know you’re awake. Best open your eyes and say cheese.” Her eyes remained closed. “Fine. Suit yourself.” He dialed the number Bobby had gotten from Drysdale—Cardozo’s personal cell. Putting it on speaker, he waited for the man to pick up.
“Cardozo,” the prosecutor bit out.
Corey smiled when the blonde twitched. “You find Bella? You’ve only got an hour left.”
“Not yet,” Cardozo said, his tone clipped. Anxious. Terrified. “I have a lead, but I need more time.”
Corey’s smile broadened at the man’s fear. “I’m sending you a photo. She’s alive but refuses to open her eyes.” He snapped a photo of Val and texted it. “She is unhurt.”
Cardozo made a noise like a strangled puppy. “Her face is covered in blood.”
“Head wounds,” Corey said. “Bleed like a bitch. Whatcha gonna do?”
“Let me talk to her.”
“She’s gagged. She’s not going to be doing any talking. What she will be doing is reliving past traumas if you don’t hand over Bella Butler.”
Cardozo was silent for a long moment. “What does that mean?” he asked quietly.
“It means that we know what happened to your girl over there. In the sandbox. Three big guys, taking turns with her. We only have two big guys left thanks to your bitch, but Bobby and I’ll make her wish that those other guys had killed her when they had the chance. Do you understand?”
“You sonofabitch.”
“Do you understand?”
“Let me talk to her,” Cardozo snarled.
“Ball’s in your court, Cardozo. Give me Bella, you get your woman back. One hour.” He ended the call and gave the blonde a swift kick in the hip. To her credit, she didn’t move. She didn’t even flinch. Had it not been for that tiny twitch when she had heard Cardozo’s voice, he might have believed she was unconscious. She was good. Very good.
I’m better. “Sit tight. I’ll be back in an hour.”
Then, if Cardozo hadn’t coughed up Bella’s location, he’d start the hard stuff. He’d let Bobby have five minutes with her while he sent Cardozo the live video. But he didn’t think he’d have to. Just the threat of it would be enough to get Cardozo to break.
He went back out to the common room and lowered himself into a chair, suddenly exhausted. He had an hour. He could close his eyes for that long.
He laid his head on the table and was almost asleep when Bobby’s phone began to ring. Instantly alert, Corey grabbed it. Phone in hand, he ran to the hammock and poked Bobby in his good arm. “Wake up. Your phone’s ringing. It’s Drysdale.”
Bobby lay sprawled, snoring loud enough to wake the dead, but unfortunately not loudly enough to wake himself. The bottle of whiskey was mostly gone.
Bobby was passed out drunk.
Corey wanted to kill him, especially when the phone stopped ringing. He grabbed the collar of Bobby’s shirt with his good hand and shook, but Bobby didn’t wake up. The fucking little baby. He couldn’t take a little pain.
I’ll show him a little pain.
But then the phone began to ring again and Corey answered it. “Yeah?”
