Heartbreaker

by B. J Daniels

Helen smiled wanly. “He definitely was surprised, but I’m not sure he still cares. Clearly, he’d never mentioned me to you.”

  “No, but I don’t think it’s too late.”

  She laughed at that as she rose to go stand by the window. “You should know William better than that. He swore he could never forgive me. I believe him.”

  “That was youth talking,” Franklin assured her. “Even someone like Willie can mellow with the years.”

  Helen turned to look at him. “I wish that were true. I still care about him.”

  “I can see that. Maybe you being here is fate. Maybe this is the beginning of a second chance for the two of you. It’s never too late.”

  “I’m sure people said the same thing to you after your wife died, and yet here you are, alone in this huge house,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Easier to give advice than take it, but in your case, what do you have to lose?”

  She smiled at that but said no more as they waited for Willie to return with the headband.

  * * *

  JJ WAS SURPRISED when the judge entered the café with a young man carrying a laptop. The two slid into the booth across from her and Thorn.

  “This is Zip,” WT said as the young man opened the laptop and set it on the table as the waitress approached. “Just coffee for me. Black.” He glanced over at Zip who only shook his head.

  JJ and Thorn ordered breakfast, and as soon as the waitress left, Zip looked at her and said, “Let me see your phone.”

  She blinked in surprise, but dug out her phone and handed it to him.

  “This the number from the burner that’s been calling you?” the young man asked. She nodded and watched as he went to work on his laptop.

  The waitress brought her and Thorn’s meals. They ate to the sound of Zip’s quick strokes on the laptop keys before he was on her phone again, his thumbs moving even quicker.

  The judge sipped his coffee and said nothing.

  “Want to tell us what this is about?” Thorn finally asked. He’d finished his meal, JJ had already eaten all she could of hers and the waitress had taken away their dishes.

  “Zip says there is a way to trace the next call that comes in from the burner phone,” WT said. “It won’t be precise, but it will give you a location area that might help.”

  JJ glanced at the young man again. “Is he even out of high school?” she asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt Zip’s train of thought.

  “I’ll be a junior next year,” Zip said without stopping what he was doing.

  The judge smiled across the table at them. “Once Zip is out of high school, he’s agreed to letting me take him under my wing.”

  “Boot camp,” Thorn said, and shook his head. “What did he do?”

  “He had quite a business going manipulating grades in the school’s computer system,” WT said. “He was saving his money to go to an Ivy League college.”

  “That’s admirable,” Thorn said facetiously, making the judge grunt.

  After a moment, Zip handed JJ back her phone and began to give the two of them instructions that went over JJ’s head.

  The judge must have seen her confusion. “What he’s saying is that when you hit that button, with luck you should be able to pinpoint where the call is coming from. It’s worth a try.”

  “Is there any other news?” JJ asked, not sure how much the judge had told Zip about why they needed to find the caller.

  “Nothing yet. I’ll let you both know.” With that Zip put away his laptop, and he and the judge excused themselves and left.

  “Now we just wait for Geneva to call,” she said as she watched the two leave. If she called again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  AS THEY LEFT the café, the sun already dipping toward the west, JJ suddenly stopped walking. She’d had her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, but now pulled them out to turn to him.

  “I forgot about this,” she said as she opened her palm to show him.

  He stared at the matchbook from the local bar that she’d found in Zac’s apartment. “Where is this bar?” She told him it was in the mountains to the west of the Flathead by quite a few miles. “By the time we get there, we might be ready for a beer. What do you say?”

  “Someone else could have dropped the matchbook. Or he could have stopped there on his way to town and has never been back.”

  “All a possibility,” Thorn agreed. “I say we give it a try since right now we have no other leads.”

  She nodded. He could tell she was anxious. The ransom drop was scheduled for tonight. As far as he knew, the kidnappers hadn’t called with directions yet. Meanwhile, all they could do was hope Geneva would call again.

  They talked little on the drive to the out-of-the-way bar. The sun moved across the cloudless blue sky, the heat of the day giving way to a cool evening breeze.

  The bar was located in the middle of nowhere along a two-lane highway in the mountains. From the outside, it looked like a dive. Music blared from the old speaker system as they stepped in. The place was small, just a hole in the wall with a scarred bar, a few tables off to the side and an even smaller dance floor. It smelled of stale beer and floor cleaner.

  “Let’s sit at the bar,” Thorn suggested since there was only the bartender and an older couple at the other end. The couple gave them a smile and a nod as Thorn and JJ pulled up stools at the opposite end of the bar.

  “What can I get you?” The bartender, a dark-haired man in his late fifties with a bulbous nose and watery blue eyes, set down two cocktail napkins.

  “Beers?” Thorn asked JJ. She nodded, and he told the man to pour them a couple of drafts.

  Another song came on, a slow country tune that Thorn hadn’t heard in years.

  “I love this song,” JJ said.

  On impulse he reached for her hand. “Dance with me.”

  There was a moment of surprise before she smiled, and he pulled her off her stool and into his arms as they stepped onto the tiny dance floor.

  * * *

  JJ COULDN’T REMEMBER the last time she’d danced. Thorn pulled her close, his hand low on the hollow of her back. She melted into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder. Like their lovemaking, they fit together perfectly as they swayed to the music. She breathed in his scent, filled with a contentment she’d never felt before.

  She’d always been striving to stay alive when she was living with her mother, to be the perfect daughter when she was living with her father, and since his death, striving to pay off his medical bills and keep her head above water.

  Now, she moved to the music with Thorn, the two of them thrown together in the most unexpected way. She wanted to pocket this memory, tuck every last moment of it away. The song, the run-down bar, Thorn’s male scent and the warm, secure feel of his body in rhythm with her own.

  As the final notes of the song played, she raised her head to look into his eyes, not wanting this to end. Not the song, not the two of them. He drew her close again and whispered in her ear. “I’m crazy about you.”

  “Crazy being the key word.”

  “I’m serious, JJ.” He drew back a little to look at her. His gray gaze met hers and held it as the last few beats of the song hung in the air. She could see that he was serious. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.

  And then he kissed her, dragging her even closer. She clung to him, wanting desperately never to leave his arms.

  Then, as if hearing the old couple clapping in the silence after the song ended, Thorn released her before taking her hand and leading her back to their beers.

  JJ looked down the bar at the couple and gave them a smile before climbing onto her stool and picking up her glass of beer. She felt shaken and yet warm all over. Stealing a glance at Thorn, she told herself all of this was too fast. She couldn’t t
rust it. This wasn’t real life and when it was over and they went back to their lives...

  Her cell phone rang, making her nearly spill her beer. She looked at the screen and recognized the number. “It’s her.”

  * * *

  FRANKLIN STARED AT the briefcase at his feet. He’d had to buy an extra-large one to get all the money to fit. Ten million dollars in unmarked large bills. Now he thought he would lose his mind waiting for the call for instructions.

  Had he been one to pray, he knew now was the time. Geneva had been alive as recently as this morning. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that he would hand over the money and he would get his granddaughter back—especially if she was truly behind all this. Worse if she wasn’t.

  What terrified him was that once her boyfriend or whoever she was working with had the money, the kidnapper might not need Geneva anymore. In fact, she might be a liability. Why couldn’t Geneva understand that? Maybe that’s why she had looked so terrified in the text photo he’d received.

  He looked up as the judge came into the den. Helen and Curtis were down in the kitchen. He tried to read the judge’s expression. “What’s happened now?”

  “I have someone looking into Zac Judson and his family,” Willie said as he took a chair across from him. “I don’t have the whole picture yet, but it appears Zac senior spent a small fortune trying to prop up his son only to have Zac junior lose it all in one bad scheme after another. His father finally cut him off. Zac junior doesn’t have any money.”

  Franklin nodded, not surprised. “We already figured that, but thanks for all your help. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” He looked again at the briefcase. “I just wish they would call. I want this over with.” He raised his gaze. “At least I think I do. If it was just Geneva behind this, I’d gladly hand over ten million to her, right or wrong. But I fear...” He couldn’t say his fear out loud, and saw that he didn’t have to. Willie knew because he shared the same fear.

  His cell phone rang. He felt himself start as he pulled it out and checked the screen, looked up and nodded. He took a breath, let it out and tried to stay calm as he answered the kidnapper’s call.

  * * *

  GENEVA SOUNDED BREATHLESS. “Listen, I only have a minute. Please, I need your help.”

  “Tell me where you are and I’ll—”

  “You need to tell my grandfather to pay the ransom. No police. I’m begging you, don’t let him do something crazy. I know how he is. He could get us all killed if he doesn’t do exactly what he’s told to do. Please.”

  “Geneva—” But the woman’s connection was broken.

  She handed her phone to Thorn, who quickly tried to trace it. But she saw by his expression that the call hadn’t been long enough.

  He handed back her phone. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Once outside, she took large gulps of the summer air and tried not to cry. She feared for Geneva’s safety even as she feared that the woman might be behind this whole thing. Like before, Geneva had sounded scared. But she was reminded that Thorn suspected it was all an act.

  If true, then the young woman had been using her from the start—and still was with these phone calls.

  Thorn took out his phone. “I’ll let the judge know.” When the call went straight to voice mail, he said, “Call me. We heard from Geneva. She wanted JJ to make sure that Franklin pays the ransom.”

  * * *

  WT STOOD NEXT to Franklin to listen to the altered voice giving instructions as to the ransom drop. He typed into his notes on his phone, “Demand that Geneva is there and that she’s part of the trade” and held it up for Franklin. His friend read it and hesitated, his face reddening in anger before he repeated the demand and closed his eyes as if afraid that this might be the demand that got his granddaughter killed.

  “You are in no position to make demands. I should hang up right now and kill your granddaughter.”

  “How do I know you haven’t already?” Franklin said, reading what WT instructed. “You want the ten million or not? I have to see my granddaughter at the ransom drop or there will be no money.”

  The judge nodded even though Franklin had changed the last part a little. There was silence on the other end of the line. He could see his friend beginning to sweat, fear adding years to the media mogul’s face.

  “All right, but this is the last demand you make. I will bring your granddaughter, but if you don’t bring the money or if you bring the cops or anyone else, I’ll kill her right before your eyes. Is that understood?”

  “Tell me where and what time,” Franklin said. “I’ll bring the money.”

  WT looked out the closest window. It would be getting dark soon. He figured that was exactly what the kidnappers wanted, the cloak of darkness.

  “Start driving south now. I’ll give you more directions as you need them.” With that the kidnapper was gone.

  Franklin disconnected, visibly shaking. His gaze came up to meet Willie’s. “I’m scared.”

  The judge nodded. “I’m going with you.”

  “No! You heard what he said.”

  “I’ll be in the back of your car. Don’t worry, I’ll stay down. I’ll be able to call for help if things—”

  “No, on this I am adamant,” Franklin said. “It’s just money.”

  “Even if the kidnapper brings Geneva with him, it doesn’t mean he’ll turn her over after he gets the money. The only way to keep that from happening—”

  “I’ve made up my mind, and you know I can be just as stubborn as you.”

  The judge did know that. “It’s Geneva’s life if anything goes wrong.”

  “Exactly. That’s why I’m going alone with the money.”

  Helen had been listening from where she was seated. “It has to be his choice, William,” she said, as if seeing that the two of them had reached an impasse.

  WT knew it wasn’t up to him. If it had been, he would be in the back seat, calling for backup if needed. “Okay.” There was nothing else he could do. “You should get going then.”

  As Franklin turned, the judge saw the pistol beneath his jacket. “No!” WT said, grabbing his friend’s shoulder to keep him from leaving with the gun. “You’re not taking a gun. I can’t let you get killed and jeopardize Geneva’s life, as well. Like you said, it’s only money.”

  “You know that bastard boyfriend is behind this,” Franklin said between gritted teeth. “If he gets away with the ten million—”

  “The FBI will track him down. He won’t be able to leave the country. He’ll do time, I promise you. But right now, we have no idea who’s behind this. What your granddaughter doesn’t need right now is you in jail. Give me the gun.”

  “Franklin, he’s right,” Helen stated.

  Franklin hesitated and then swore as he pulled the weapon and slapped it down in WT’s palm. “I’ll kill him with my bare hands if I have to.”

  “Just get Geneva to safety. That’s the priority here. Going in this angry isn’t going to help. I want you to call the moment it’s over and you have Geneva.”

  His friend nodded. “I’m okay. I’ll calm down on the way. No one wants this over more than me.” He picked up the briefcase and headed for the door.

  “I should be going with him,” WT said as the man left.

  “He’ll be fine,” Helen said as she laid a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks, but I need to make a call.”

  Her fingers tightened on his shoulder, stopping him from turning away. “You didn’t put a tracking device on his car or the briefcase, did you, William? You didn’t jeopardize his granddaughter for the sake of justice. Tell me you didn’t.”

  WT didn’t answer as he looked around the room. “Where’s Curtis?”

  It took Helen a moment. Like him, she g
lanced around, before saying, “I don’t know. Now that you mention it, he left right after Franklin got the call. I vaguely remember him saying he had something he had to do.”

  * * *

  ON THE DRIVE back to Miguel’s, Thorn put his arm around JJ and pulled her over on the bench seat next to him. She felt small and vulnerable. He was reminded of her in his arms on the dance floor and what he’d said to her. He’d meant those words. He was crazy about her. But what now?

  He tried not to think about it as he drove back toward the lake. “Are you okay?” He glanced over at her.

  She nodded, looking close to tears. This had been an emotional roller-coaster ride for all of them. He realized that he had crossed some invisible barrier with this woman. That’s when he knew he was going to tell her about Bethany.

  “I want to tell you about Bethany.” He felt her stiffen next to him for a moment. He took a breath and was about to say more when his cell phone rang. He swore under his breath. He’d finally wanted to tell her...

  He held up a finger as he pulled over, grabbed his cell phone and took the judge’s call.

  “Franklin has gone to pay the ransom,” the judge told him.

  Thorn frowned. “You sound worried.”

  “I am. I’ll let you know when I hear something.” And the judge was gone.

  Thorn repeated what the judge had told him as he pocketed his phone before he pulled back onto the road toward the Flathead Valley.

  JJ had moved over a little earlier to give him space to pull out his phone. She didn’t move back as he drove. “You don’t have to tell me about your wife.”

  “I want to. The judge knows, but I haven’t told anyone else.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “I thought she was the love of my life. Funny how things look in hindsight. I can see what I missed, what I ignored, those red flags that seemed like nothing at the time and yet later are so glaring.”

  He glanced over at her. She was frowning, no doubt as confused as he’d been before the end. “I thought I was the one who went after her.” He chuckled, staring at the road ahead as he drove—and reliving the first time he’d laid eyes on Bethany. “But later I realized she’d planned it all, our first meeting, everything. She feigned surprise, but she knew exactly who I was and what I did in the military. She lassoed me and roped me in, and I went like a bum calf.”