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Connor squeezed my arm and held up his phone. Harlow?
Fuck. Right. I’d completely forgotten about the woman who’d been instrumental in the kidnapping. “Wait a minute, Janet. I need to know something. What does Harlow Sterling have to do with all of this?”
“Harlow? You mean my daughter, Helena?”
All the pieces finally slid into place. No wonder Helena had looked familiar when I’d seen her mugshot. She’d been working for us for over a year. How could I not have seen it? I knew I was being too hard on myself. She looked nothing like her photo. Her hair was a different color and she’d obviously had some work done on her face.
Bile rose in my throat. That treacherous bitch had access to our company records, privileged information not available to many. I glanced up at my head of security and his face had gone white. Fuck. How had he missed making the connection? Connor was personally responsible for background checks on all staff in management.
I pushed the thought out of my mind. It wasn’t important right now. Getting Emilia back safely was the only thing that mattered.
I didn’t know how to respond.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, Jason.” Janet’s tone was almost soothing. “Let’s just agree to an arrangement so you can have Emilia back in your arms.”
“Fine. Send through your bank account details and I’ll have the money wired through.”
Her laugh set my teeth on edge. “What do you think I am, stupid? You’ll get me the cash in unmarked, nonsequential bills.”
I thought quickly, trying to see how long I could draw it out for. “I’ll need time to arrange that. My bank isn’t going to release that kind of money without running some checks. I’ll need at least twenty-four hours. Same goes for the helicopter and jet.”
“I understand. You’ve got twenty-four hours from now to have everything ready for me. And, Jason?”
I gritted my teeth. “Yes?”
“If you want Emilia back alive and in one piece, don’t even think of involving the police or the F.B.I. I’ll be watching.”
The call ended before I could respond.
Seconds later, my phone pinged with a message from Emilia’s phone. I opened it and there was no text, only a photo.
A photo of my fiancée, distress etched into her face. It was clear she’d been crying. She was tied to a chair in what looked like some sort of warehouse. An open kitchen was behind her, but the walls and floor made it obvious.
The sound I made had Connor moving to stand next to me, gazing over my shoulder. I couldn’t stop staring at it, desperately wishing there was some clue as to her location.
“Jason, can I take a look?”
I handed him the phone and watched as he zoomed in on something. “What is it?”
His shaky breath made my gut churn. “Emilia looks injured.” Pointing to the screen, I saw what he’d observed. She had traces of blood around her mouth and the ring finger on her left hand looked swollen. Possibly broken. I noticed her engagement ring was gone.
The rage that had been simmering deep inside rose within me, and I wanted to slam my fist into the nearest wall.
“I know this is hard, but Emilia’s going to need you when we rescue her. You probably want to punch a wall right now, but it’s not going to help anybody if you’re hurt, too.”
I knew he was right, so I took a few deep breaths to control my anger. “What next?”
Connor suggested we set up base back at the office, where he had access to all of his security equipment, and the car ride back to it left me numb. I hated leaving the last place Emilia had been, but it made sense.
Marian was frantic upon my return, and I instantly felt bad. With everything that had happened, I’d neglected to call her and let her know what was going on. She rushed over to me as soon as Connor and I stepped out of the elevator.
“Did you find her? Is she okay?”
I shook my head, my face grave. “She’s been taken, Marian. She was gone when I got there, but her handbag was still there.” The expensive designer bag was hanging from my hand, and I handed it over to Connor just as Marian embraced me.
I put my arms around her and felt the tears she was shedding on my shirt. “We’ll get her back, Jason.”
“Yes, we will.” I released her and she wiped her face, trying to give me a smile. I kissed her cheek. “I’m going to need your help.”
