Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 68006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Racine came into some money five years ago. About six months after Kelly was taken. It’s a lot of money, Mr. Smith. Two million paid over the course of a year. She won’t divulge how she got it, but I have the best investigators on it, and we will find out.”
“I wouldn’t know anything about that. I do know that Racine’s not hurting for money right now.”
“That’s right. She’s not. Thanks to that two mill and some estate from a childless aunt. So why does she want your money?”
Smith’s lips curve slightly upward. “With all due respect, I have a lot more money than she does.”
“Why didn’t you use your money to try to find your daughter when she disappeared?”
“Who says I didn’t?”
He could be telling the truth. Others exhausted their resources looking for those women. Derek Wolfe made sure they were untraceable. Still, I’m not buying.
I’m tempted to draw my gun, but if the man is truly facing dementia, he may be just as happy to go quickly.
I need to check on Kelly anyway.
“Could you excuse me for a moment?”
“Of course—” He rises, but then he loses his footing.
I grab his arm for support. “Are you all right?”
His hands tremble. “Yes, yes. I’m fine. Could you just get me some water please?”
“Of course.”
29
KELLY
He catches me, as he always does.
And then he hovers on top of me, scooting my dress up my thighs until I’m exposed to him.
The mask covers his face, but his dark eyes bore into me.
The cool steel of the knife against my neck is oddly pleasurable. After being chased in a tropical climate, anything cool feels good.
He scrapes it against my skin.
I have a knife and a penis, and one of them is going inside you tonight.
I close my eyes.
“Open your eyes,” he demands.
I open them, and—
I jerk upward, still on the couch. The subtle sound of the lock on the door being engaged.
My heart is pumping wildly. “Leif?”
Thank God he’s back.
The door opens, and I rise—
“No!”
A masked man dressed all in black charges me, and I—
We’re on a high floor.
I have nowhere to go.
But I run anyway. I run as if I’m on the island, being hunted.
I run toward the window—
Strong arms grab me from behind and then a poke to my neck—
And everything fades to black.
30
LEIF
Whoever the hell this man is, he’s taking forever to drink this water.
He takes a sip, and then he closes his eyes, breathes in and breathes out.
Then he opens his eyes, another sip.
I need to get to Kelly. Check on her.
I grab my phone, text her quickly.
Just checking in.
I expect her to text right back, and when I don’t get one, worry pulses through me.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I say, “I need to leave for a moment.”
“Yes, I’m fine. I just need to sit here a bit.”
“Sure, of course.” I walk to the cupboard by the bar, grab the glass with his DNA on it because yeah, I don’t trust the guy, and then leave and walk a few doors down to the room where Kelly is.
“Kelly, it’s me,” I say as I knock softly. “I’m coming in now.”
I let the key card hover over the lock, and the green light clicks on. I walk in.
“Kelly? Baby?”
Perhaps she went to bed.
But she’s not in the bed.
She’s not in the bathroom either.
No sign of a struggle.
This is Kelly. Kelly, who doesn’t always follow orders. Who probably just went down the hallway to get some ice.
Kelly, who—
Except my blood is running cold, like ice water in my veins. My pulse is racing, and I know…
I know she didn’t leave this room of her own volition.
Kelly, where are you?
An image surges into my mind. An image of that poor girl, Brindley, on the bed, blood oozing from her, her skin already turning yellowish in death
Only it’s not Brindley lying there.
It’s my Kelly.
I’ve learned never to ignore my hunches. I don’t know if this man claiming to be her father is the person who killed Brindley, but I know he’s involved in some way.
I just need to figure out how.
“Oh, Kelly,” I choke back a tear. “I was supposed to protect you. How could I have failed you?”
I got cocky. That’s what it was.
I’m Phoenix. Phoenix always rises from the ashes.
Except I’m not a mythical bird, and I’d do well to remember that.
Now I know how Buck felt when he couldn’t protect Amira in Afghanistan. How Ace felt when he lost his woman.
My God, a knife has sliced my heart in two.
But I don’t have time to dwell on it. I get on the phone, call 911 and report the situation. Then I call Reid.
“You left her alone?” Reid says.
“In a hotel room. Secure. And somehow—”
“We didn’t give you any authority to meet with this guy.”
“I don’t take orders from you. Kelly is my responsibility, and I wanted to find out what was going on.”