by Morgan James
“I can’t get a hold of Maggie. Can we get someone over there to check on her?”
There was a beat of silence on his end. “Are you sure we should be chasing that right now?”
Anger engulfed me. “If someone thought Maggie knew where Jana was, what’s to say they didn’t go after her, too?”
“All right, I’ll get someone on it,” Con promised. “Keep trying her and see if she’s just tied up.”
I made a face. It was a poor choice of words, considering the mental images flashing through my brain. “I can’t fucking sit here with nothing to do. Tell me how we can find Jana.”
“I don’t know, Ink.” Con’s voice was uncharacteristically softened by sympathy. “Rutland will take care of it. I spoke with him just before you called back. He’s got the island locked down, so no one’s getting in or out without being checked over. They’ve got guys on patrol, too. They’ll find her.”
“Right.” I ended the call and dropped my chin to my chest. I wished I could be as confident as he sounded. But this was Jana we were talking about. My girl was missing, and I needed to find her before that crazy fuck hurt her.
I swore I would find whoever was responsible for this—then I’d bring all kinds of hell down on them.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jana
I glared at Carl as he tightened the duct tape around my waist, securing me to the chair. My hands were bound again, behind me this time, and my ankles were duct taped to each leg of the chair.
“There.” He stood and threw a look over his shoulder at Maggie, who sat on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, watching us impassively. “I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”
He disappeared out the front door, and I willed Maggie to look at me. Finally, she did. I cursed behind the tape covering my mouth, and she let out a cold laugh. “Poor Jana. Can’t sweet talk your way out of this, can you?”
What the hell are you talking about? Why are you doing this? I screamed the words from behind my gag, but Maggie just glared at me, her foot bouncing impatiently in the air.
“Is that supposed to make me feel bad for you?” She stared at me for a long moment before hopping to her feet and shoving her face in front of mine. “After everything you've done, you deserve this and so much worse.”
My eyes widened in question. What the hell did I ever do to her? I voiced the question in my mind, but my words were muffled once again behind the tape. Maggie's eyes dropped to my mouth, and she grabbed a corner, then ripped it off with no finesse.
I jerked back, pain exploding over my face. Damn it. The first time had sucked, and the second time wasn’t any better. “Why are you doing this?” I choked out through numb lips.
Maggie grabbed an oak chair from the table beside us and spun it around, straddling the seat so she was facing me. “Your life, everything you've done over the past two years”—her eyes bored into mine—“that should be me. I was on track to be Magnolia Way’s next top star before you showed up.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You said you wanted out, that you—”
“I lied,” she snapped. “The second they looked at you, listened to you sing, they threw my ass right out the door.”
“I—If I’d known—” The music industry was cutthroat; she knew that. I wasn’t honestly sure there was anything I could have done differently. It wasn’t as if I were the one to turn her down.
“As if that wasn’t bad enough,” she snapped, “then you had to steal Jackson, too.”
I gaped at her. “Jackson Meyers?”
“He was mine!” She screamed, her index finger jabbing inches from my face. “You took everything from me!”
I shook my head. “Maggie, I swear—I never wanted—”
“Don't give me that,” she barked. “I despised you the moment I laid eyes on you. So pretty and perfect, exactly what they wanted. I lost everything because of you.” She glared at me. “We’ll see how much you like it when I take away everything that matters most to you.”
My stomach revolted at the thought. I couldn't believe that Maggie, the woman I'd considered my closest friend for the past two years, was capable of something so heinous. I glared at her. “How could you do this? We were friends!”
“We were never friends,” she scoffed.
Her revelation stunned me. “You offered to be my assistant. Said you still want to be involved!”
She left out a peal of laughter. “So I could be close to you, you idiot. I had to use any opportunity available to me to make your life miserable.”
“Don’t be stupid,” I warned. “You’re going to get caught, and you’re going to take that guy”—I used my head to gesture toward the door—“down with you.”
“Oh, no. He’s looking forward to this just as much as I am.” She smirked. “Funny how fate has a way of sending people your way exactly when you need them.”
I racked my brain, trying to figure out if I knew the man but came up blank. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Dismissing it for the moment, I changed tacks.
“So, what? You kill me. Then what happens?” I lifted a brow at her. “You've been out of the game too long. Do you really think Magnolia Way will pick you up again? They won’t want to invest that kind of time and money in you. They didn't want to do it the first time. What makes you think they'll do it now?”
I knew I had hit her where it hurt the most, because her eyes darkened with fury, and she let out a hiss. “You evil bitch.”
I laughed. “Awfully ironic, coming from you. You’re the one willing to commit murder because you weren't talented enough.”
“I swear—” Her hand flew out and wrapped around my throat, her nails digging into my skin. I winced and tried to jerk back, but my body was hampered, tied to the chair. “I won't miss having you gone,” she snapped. “Being your fucking gopher, keeping track of your phone calls and appointments. I deserve so much more than this.”
Releasing me, she sat back in her chair and rolled her neck from side to side, like she was trying to relieve the tension from her muscles. She drew a deep breath, and centered her gaze on me again. “But none of that matters now. Since you decided to take everything away from me, I found a way to get it back.”
The way she said it sent a little chill down my spine. “What do you mean?”
A smirk lifted the corner of her mouth. “Does Carl look familiar to you?”
I hadn't paid much attention before, but now I drew his face into focus, paying attention to each detail of his face. She was right; there was something familiar about his blue eyes. What was it? “I know him,” I whispered. I could feel it in my bones.
Maggie made a little sound in the back of her throat. “You don't know him, exactly. But he knows you—rather, he knew of you. Ever hear of the six degrees of separation?”
I nodded slowly, warily, and she continued. “After that whole ordeal with Jackson, I found myself at a bar one night, debating what to do. I was so furious with you, and I couldn’t help but vent to the man next to me. Turns out Carl”—a huge smile stretched over her face—“spent some time in Kentucky a couple decades ago.”
I felt like I was floundering. I would have been a kid; how the hell would I have known him back then? Cold suddenly settled over me as memories of Mama’s men came flashing back in rapid succession. Dozens of nameless faces that I rarely paid attention to.
“Shame that your mom was such a slut.” Maggie tsked. “She really should've made sure you knew who your daddy was.”
The implication slammed into me like a lightning bolt, throwing me back in the chair and temporarily stealing my breath. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” she spoke slowly, “it was incredibly fortunate that you never changed your will. With your mother in jail, guess who has access to your life insurance payout?”
I blinked several times, my mind working furiously. The last time Mama and I had spoken, she had told me she was no longer seeing Burt. In
stead, she was back with my father. Carl. “Did he...?”
“Set her up? Like it was hard to have her arrested.” Maggie rolled her eyes. “Why would the cops believe her, given her history?”
Anger burned through me. “And my car? That was you, too?”
“You made it so easy.” She shook her head almost bemusedly. “You were too lazy to use actual keys for your house, so they just sat in the drawer. You know”—she sat forward, her intense stare pinning me in place—“I kept them for almost a week, just to see if you’d notice. You never did.” She shook her head as she stared at me. “I mean, really. How stupid are you?”
A combination of rage and humiliation curled in my gut, turning my body hot. “You know Vince won't let it go until justice has been served. They’ll find you.”
“They’ll find someone.” Maggie shrugged again, completely unconcerned. “With that idiot sending the stupid love notes, I figured that was as good a way as any to get rid of you for once and for all.” She let out a little laugh. “I thought those recipes were a nice touch, didn’t you?”
My stomach twisted in disgust. It only proved how absolutely insane she was. “You hate me this much—to kill me and risk going to jail?”
“Yes—and we won’t be going to jail.” She waved a hand in the air. “They’ll look at the man who sent you notes, just like we intended. They’ll arrest him, and that will be that.”
They would send an innocent man to jail? Of course they would, I thought bitterly. They planned to kill me for money; they wouldn’t hesitate to take down anyone in their way. “How the hell will you explain being here?” Something else occurred to me in that moment, too. “And how did you know where I was?”
“Well, that’s an easy one. You called me.”
“So?” What the hell did that matter?
“So...” She dragged out the word. “I’ve had one of those tracker apps on your phone for months now. When you finally turned your phone back on...”
She trailed off, and angry tears stung my eyes. In turning to her for advice, I’d unwittingly led her straight to us. “I hope you enjoy it while it lasts,” I snapped. “Money isn’t everything.”
“No, it’s not.” Maggie tipped her head to one side. “But it sure as hell makes life a little better.”
“You’re—” Fear ricocheted through me as I heard the scrape of heavy feet against the pavement outside. Maggie slapped the tape over my mouth once more, then moved toward the kitchen just as the door swung open.
Carl stepped inside, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away as he closed the door behind him and met my gaze. I still couldn’t believe this man was my father. Now that I looked at him—really looked at him—I saw the similarities. The same blue eyes, the same basic facial structure. I’d never before realized how little I resembled Mama. Maybe that was why she’d despised me so much. It had to be hell on her to have a little girl who looked exactly like the man who’d skipped out on her.
Tears clouded my vision. It was ironic, almost. I’d spent a good portion of my life wondering about my father; this was the first and last time I would ever see him. I knew he had absolutely no emotional connection to me whatsoever, but how the hell could any parent do this to their child—and for money? I’d cut Mama off because of her greed and self-sabotaging ways. But Carl—the father I’d never known—felt zero compunction killing me for a hundred thousand dollars. I wanted to demand answers, but the tape over my mouth prevented me from doing so.
His cold eyes jumped between Maggie and me, then back to her. “Everything good here?”
I twisted my head to look at Maggie as she held up a bottle of cleaning fluid. “Yep. Just getting rid of the fingerprints.”
Fury streamed through my veins at the injustice of it all. I’d finally found a man who truly cared about me. I’d found something with him I’d been searching for my whole life—acceptance, understanding. Love. I’d wasted so much time in the beginning trying to seal him out of my heart for fear of being hurt. Now I would never have the opportunity to tell him how much he meant to me.
I glared at Maggie through watery eyes as she swabbed the duct tape covering my hands, ankles, and mouth, obliterating any lingering evidence. My eyes widened as Carl stepped forward, a dark gleam in his eyes.
“We gotta move before the police show up.”
Maggie’s gaze snapped to his, her fear barely concealed in her honey-colored eyes. “They’re here?”
“Close.” Carl gestured to me. “Someone must have called about her screaming her head off. They’re questioning the neighbors a couple streets over.”
Maggie hopped to her feet, then ran to the door and shoved her head outside. A moment later, she tipped her chin toward Carl. “All clear.”
He braced one hand behind my back, the other behind my knees, then lifted me against his chest. My arms ached from being bound behind me, and Carl had taped my ankles together again. We stepped outside, and my heart leaped with hope as I saw the red and blue lights flashing through the palm fronds dancing in the breeze. God, help was close—so close. If I could just somehow get them to hear me, see me...
The strobing lights were extinguished along with my hopes as Carl tightened his hold then slipped around the building and deeper into the dark. “All right, girl. Let’s get this over with.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Vince
The sound of sirens met my ears, and I glanced out the window as at least two police cruisers flew past on the main road, their red and blue lights piercing the dark sky. My heart kicked up in my chest, and a mixture of hope and fear swirled in my stomach. Had they found Jana? Sitting here, just waiting for something to happen, went against every fiber of my being. I needed to be out there. I needed to find my girl and bring her home safe.
I didn't bother to lock the door behind me as I burst out of the house and jogged down the sidewalk, following the red and blue lights up ahead. My phone rang, and I dug it from my back pocket as I slowed to a walk.
Con’s name filled the screen, and I tapped my phone to connect the call. “Yeah?”
Con didn't bother to beat around the bush. “We have a problem, Ink.”
“What did you find? Is Maggie okay?”
A heavy sigh filled the phone. “We haven't been able to locate her. Her home is dark, and her car appears to be missing.”
“Have the police put out a BOLO?” My heart clenched, and I picked up my pace, still following the police cruisers. The lights seemed to be stationary now, maybe half a mile ahead. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing; all I knew was I couldn’t sit in that damn silent, empty house any longer wondering where the fuck Jana was and if she was okay.
“Not much they can do at this point,” he replied. “They spoke with Harvey, who said he was last in contact with her yesterday morning. If she doesn't respond within another 24 hours, we can review our options. But until then...”
“That's bullshit!” I exploded. “Maggie’s missing and my wife was kidnapped. By tomorrow it could be too fucking late.”
Silence fell before Con spoke. “This is more than a job to you, isn't it?”
“She was never a job,” I choked out. “Con... I've gotta find her.”
“We will.” His voice was firm and so much more optimistic than I was at the moment. “We’ll do everything we can,” he reiterated. “That’s why I called you. Jason pulled up Jana’s phone and was going through some of her recent messages and phone log. There was a call made from Jana’s phone to Maggie’s four days ago, and the call lasted just under six minutes.”
I let out another curse. Had someone managed to intercept the call? Or maybe Jana had slipped and mentioned to Maggie where she was. I seriously doubted that was the case, but Maggie was her closest friend. I could see how she might confide in her, especially as tumultuous as our relationship was at that point. It was more imperative than ever that we find Maggie. “What do we do now?”
“Since the PD’s hands are tied, we’ll ha
ve to keep trying her. Jana takes precedence at the moment, so I’m not pulling him off that.”
“No, no, of course not,” I agreed.
He paused for a beat. “Ink, I need you to listen when I tell you this.”
My feet halted of their own accord, feeling as if they’d turned to cement in my shoes. “What?”
“There was a ping off one of the towers down there just a few minutes ago.”
My heart slammed against my ribcage as my gaze darted toward the red and blue lights up ahead. “Where?”
“Northern part of the island. We contacted Rutland, and his guys are tracing it now.”
My heart rate doubled as I watched the lights strobe against the sky. Had they found her?
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Con said softly. “Even if they find the phone...”
There was a good chance they wouldn’t find her with it. Or if they did... Helplessness rose up, thickening in my throat, threatening to choke me. I had to be strong for her; I had to believe that we would find her.
“I know.”
“I’ll keep you posted,” Con said.
I disconnected the call and forced myself to think as I stowed my phone in my back pocket. Most everyone knew that, given the right resources, any phone could be traced as long as it was active. If Jana’s abductor had found her phone, he almost certainly would have disposed of it. Likely—but not a certainty. I needed to know exactly what Rutland’s men had found.
Shoving away my macabre thoughts, I allowed anger to well up in their place, hot and fierce. I embraced it as I kicked into a run again, and my muscles burned as I pushed myself harder and faster in the direction of the red and blue lights.
The sound of an engine on the main road caught my attention, and I watched a third set of lights whiz past. I cut across to across to the main drag, and two police cruisers came into view parked outside a small beach plaza housing a series of small, touristy shops. I slowed to a walk a block away, drawing in lungfuls of the humid evening air.
