by Rye Hart
CHAPTER 22
BROOKE
I didn’t sleep all night. Between working on my book and being sick with guilt, sleep couldn't reach me. I was disgusted with myself. With my inability to keep focus. Instead of worrying about Sydney and trying to come up with clues to help the police, I fucked her father on the kitchen counter.
How pathetic was that? I was such a sorry excuse for a nanny. Paid to watch children, I couldn't even keep them safe. It made me sick to think about how much I’d still enjoyed it. My body shivered every time I relived the moment, and it only served to make me hate myself more.
I was enjoying myself, and Sydney was off somewhere in the dark. Scared and crying for us while we screwed around in the fucking house she would give anything to be safe in.
We were both pathetic.
Throwing the covers off my body, I made my way into the kitchen. I pulled out the disinfectant wipes and cleaned every surface, scrubbing my hands raw until I was satisfied with it. I pulled out things to make Daniel some breakfast, but the thought of eating made me nauseous. I scrambled some eggs with cheese and made a few biscuits, trying hard to keep from heaving at the smell.
I heard Daniel’s fast footfalls as he bounded down the stairs. I heard him pull out his chair as I plated his food. I sat it in front of him and went to grab him some milk, but as I turned to walk away, I felt his hand slip into mine.
“Wanna sit with me?” he asked.
He was such a sweet boy.
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll sit with you.”
“I slept in Sydney’s bed.”
“You did?” I asked.
“Yeah. I miss her.”
I felt my heart shatter as I reached out for his hand.
“I know you do, kiddo. I miss her too. And as soon as she comes home, we’ll run and play and eat as much chocolate as you want,” I said.
He smiled up at me with a mouthful of biscuit and I reached over to dust his mouth off. He giggled for the first time in five days and I felt a grin slide across my cheeks. I smoothed the rest of the crumbs off and cupped the boy’s cheek, my thumb slowly running over his skin. He nuzzled into my touch, closing his eyes. I reveled in the warmth. He smiled broadly as tears rose to my eyes, and I lost myself in the beauty of his little face.
Hearing a door fly open in the distance, I let my hand fall from his cheek. I encouraged Daniel to keep eating as I went to stand in the hallway. I was going to intercept Kevin before he could get into the kitchen.
If he was still in as bad shape as he’d been the night before, I didn’t want Daniel to see him that way. Kevin shuffled around the corner and it was obvious he was hungover. He was shielding his eyes from the sun, pulling curtains closed whenever he passed a window. His beard was long enough to be pointing in every direction, and his hairline was reflecting the grease on his skin. He braced himself against the wall, steadying himself with his hand as he walked down the hallway.
“Morning,” he said gruffly.
“Turn around,” I said.
“What?” Kevin asked.
“You need to take a shower.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. I could smell you coming before you rounded the corner.”
“No, I don’t. I can’t afford to miss anything. Phone calls and stuff. I’ve got too much to do.”
“And that’s why I’m here,” I said. “If something happens, I can be here to handle it. But you need a shower. It’s been five days. Enough is enough.”
“No. I’m going to have breakfast with my son.”
“I didn’t make you any.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“I’ll make you breakfast while you shower. And if I hear anything, I’ll come to your door immediately. But you’re showering, and that’s the end of that discussion, Daniel does not need to see you this way.”
“You don’t get to tell me what we do and do not talk about.”
“At least you still have some fight left in you,” I said. “But if you aren’t taking care of yourself, you’ll be in no shape to take care of your daughter when she comes back through those doors.”
I watched the fire recede from Kevin’s eyes as he nodded.
“Fine,” he said.
He turned around and shuffled back upstairs. The house was still a wreck, and I kept Daniel in my eyesight as I began to clean. The water ran for much longer than I expected. Thirty minutes passed by before Kevin was back down the stairs. I’d managed to clean up the living room and tidy up the mess in the hallway, and I was working on cleaning up Daniel from breakfast as Kevin walked in.
“Still no breakfast?” he asked.
I pointed to the pan on the stove.
“Eggs, bacon, and biscuits,” I said.
“Have you eaten?” he asked.
“I don’t need to eat.”
“That’s not what I felt last night.”
I slowly panned my gaze up to his eyes and took stock of him. He had taken the time to shave. His smooth skin was back, and that determined jaw was set. His eyes were hard on me and a refreshing scent was wafting from his body. His skin seemed luminescent and his arms were pulsing with bulging veins.
I lowered my gaze and wiped Daniel’s face one last time before he ran off to play.
“How much did you drink last night?” I asked.
“Before or after you went to bed?”
I just looked at him. “About a bottle and a half of whiskey,” he said.
I nodded my head as I walked over to the stove. I slid all the food onto a plate before pulling a bottle of water out of the fridge. I set it all down on the kitchen table and motioned for him to sit, and he stared at me before he made a move. He pulled a chair out beside him and pointed, ordering me to sit beside him.
Then he handed me a piece of bacon that made my stomach roll.
“Just one,” he said.
“I’m not lecturing you on a bottle and a half of whiskey,” I said.
“But at least I’m putting something in my body. Now eat,” he said.
I took small bites of the bacon, wishing I could toss it out onto the porch instead.
Every time Daniel fell silent, we called out his name. Waiting for him to make a sound before one of us went to check on him. He was playing quietly on the floor of the television room with The Jungle Book on in the background. Eventually, he fell asleep with Sydney’s blanket wrapped around him and his head on a pillow on the floor.
“He misses her,” Kevin said.
“I know. He slept in her bed last night,” I said.
“Where are the fucking police?” he asked. “Shouldn’t they have something by now?”
And, like clockwork, there came a knock at the door.
Kevin sprinted to the front door and yanked it open to find the Chief of Police standing there. I was behind him, peeking around his mountainous form as Daniel slept on the floor in the adjacent room. I stood in the doorway while Kevin stepped out onto the porch, and I could see the determination in the man’s eyes.
“You found something, didn’t you?” I asked.
“I have a few questions. Just answer them to the best of your ability,” the chief said.
“I can do that. What’s going on?” Kevin asked.
“Mr. Spencer, is this your first trip with your children to the Caribbean?”
“It is. Why?” he asked.
“Ma’am, have you ever met his children up until this point?” he asked me.
“No. I haven’t. Where is this leading?” I asked.
“Just bear with me. Are you familiar with Gianni Russo’s business tactics?”
“I know they aren’t always trustworthy,” Kevin said.
“We looked into Gianni’s business and it’s apparently going under. But you knew that, didn’t you?”
“Yes. When he approached me wanting to strike up a business deal, I found out,” Kevin said.
“One hundred million dollars happens to be the exact amount of m
oney Gianni Russo needs to get his company out of the red,” the chief said. “I mean, down to the dime.”
“So, he is the one who took my daughter,” Kevin said.
I could see the anger fill his eyes as his hands clenched at his sides.
“All circumstantial evidence points that way, yes. We identified the man in the picture as well. Are you familiar with a man by the name of Jonathan Chiani?” the chief asked.
I watched Kevin narrow his eyes as realization washed over his face.
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Kevin said.
“What?” I asked. “What is it?”
“The man you identified in the picture, ma’am. His name is Jonathan Chiani. Better known as Johnny Eightball. He’s a mob enforcer.”
“I knew that son of a bitch had something to do with this,” Kevin said.
“We got the picture your security team sent us, Mr. Spencer. That’s how we connected the dots.”
“Will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?”
I was shaking and couldn’t catch my breath. Trembling with frustration and exhaustion. They were all talking over my head and I was missing something.
Something important.
“Brooke, look at me.”
My eyes panned over to Kevin as he turned his body to mine.
“My team found a photo they pulled off a traffic cam of Gianni shaking hands with Johnny Eightball. That man is the man who was following you guys around at the museums. The man on the beach.”
“Oh my gosh,” I said breathlessly.
“We can tie Gianni to this but, at this point, we have no idea what he’s capable of. He’s obviously desperate if he’s kidnapped your daughter to get the money he needs to save his company, so we have to tread lightly,” the chief said.
“Where do we go from here? Is there a warrant out for his arrest?” I asked.
“We’re working on it. The evidence is being put in front of a judge as we speak. But if Gianni’s working with the mob, we’ve got no idea who to trust. We have to keep this under wraps if we’re going to get your daughter home safely.”
“So, you have no idea where she is,” I said.
“We’re working on it,” the chief said.
I knew this was good news, and I could feel Kevin hugging me. We finally had a solid lead. But as my eyes locked with the Chief of Police, I could see the anxiety still behind his eyes.
This was far from over, and I didn’t want to rejoice until it was.
Until Sydney was home.
CHAPTER 23
KEVIN
I was flipping through various conspiracy theory articles on Gianni and the mob when I heard my son’s voice ripple around the corner. He and Brooke were playing in the other room and the sound of his laughter was comforting. I had no idea what Brooke was doing, but whatever it was, it was working. I clicked around and scanned articles, trying to latch onto anything that might be helpful for the police.
“Miss Brooke, I love you.”
My ears perked up at the statement as I turned around in my chair.
“Oh, Daniel. I love you too, buddy,” Brooke said.
“I’m sorry about the house,” my son said. “When me and Sydney messed it up.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I understand. You were upset. But there are better ways to deal with your anger than destroying things or making a mess.”
“I don’t like it when you’re gone.”
“Well, I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere until your sister is back,” she said.
“Will you stay after she’s back?” he asked.
I hung onto the silence before Brooke cleared her throat.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“I want you to.”
I heard Brooke sigh as they resumed playing, but the conversation stuck with me. The idea of Daniel wanting her to stay with us filled my heart with something I hadn’t felt in days.
Joy.
A smile slid across my aching cheeks as I relaxed back in my chair. Daniel brought up a good point. Would Brooke stay once Sydney was back with us? I wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea. She seemed a bit on the fence about it, like she didn’t know if she wanted to stay or not. But she was good with the kids. Really good, in fact. She had a way of talking with them and teaching them lessons without needless discipline. She had the energy to run around with them and put smiles on their faces and pump them up about the smallest of things. She was a comfort to them. To me.
To us.
But was that something I could ask of her? After everything we were currently weathering—and with our past—was it fair of me to ask her to stay?
My phone rang, pulling me from my reverie. I looked down at the screen, but the number wasn’t familiar. Adrenaline coursed through my veins.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Do you have my money?” a disguised voice sounded in my ear, making all the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“I can get it,” I said.
“You have twelve hours. Call this number when you have it.” The phone disconnected.
I stood up and paced around the room. I started to dial Owen’s number, but Brooke’s voice stopped me.
“Kevin?”
I turned around and saw Brooke in the doorway. The look on my face must have clued her in to the fact that something was wrong.
“What is it?” she asked, rushing to my side.
“They called. The kidnappers. They told me I had twelve hours to get them the money.”
“I think I have an idea of how to get Sydney back.”
I furrowed my brow and slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans.
“Yeah, fuck what the police say, I’m going to give them the money,” I said.
“No, Kevin, not like that. The Chief of Police said something today that struck me.”
“What was it?”
“The thing about the one hundred million. About it being the exact amount Gianni needed.”
“Yeah?”
“What if we gave him a reason to ask for more?”
“I’m not following,” I said.
“If he took someone else, he’d have reason to ask for more money, right? Two girls are more than one, and with Gianni as desperate as he seems to save his company, he’d go for it. Right?”
“No way,” I said.
“You haven’t even heard me out.”
“No, this isn’t happening,” I said.
“Kevin, just let me get it out.”
“I’m not putting you in the line of fire. That isn’t happening.”
“Kevin, think about it. I can be bait, especially since Gianni thinks I’m your girlfriend. Right?”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“It’s the relationship. You don’t care about your nanny, but you do care about your girlfriend, right? We have a ransom note. I could take the money, wear a tracking device, and make myself an easy target. They take me, track me, and the police find me and Sydney.”
“No,” I said.
“It’s all we’ve got,” she said.
“It’s not. There’s another way. We flush him out the way the police would.”
“And how long will that take?” she asked. “Another five days? Two weeks? A month? Kevin, we don’t even know if she’s alive.”
“You shut the hell up!” I said, jumping up.
“Well, it’s the truth, Kevin!” she said, her voice cracking. “We know nothing except some names and a possible connection! But this, Kevin. It gets us everything. And soon.”
“I’m not losing you again,” I said. “I can’t.”
“You’re not. I’ll be tracked. They could take me, ask for more ransom, and boom—the police descend. It happens all the time.”
“And how do you know this?” I asked.
“Isn’t that what the FBI does all the time? Bait and switch?”
“You watch too much television.”
&n
bsp; “I also write too many books. But you know it’s our only shot.”
“If it was, they would have mentioned it to us.”
“Kevin.”
“What?” I asked.
“Call the police,” Brooke said.
I didn’t like this. Not one fucking bit. But what I hated more was that she was right. It would work. It made me sick and brought me hope at the same time.
What the fuck had my life become?
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I called the police. They came over to the house and we all discussed the plan. Apparently, it hadn’t been mentioned because they figured we wouldn’t go for it. Not after losing one member of our family already. They pulled Brooke off to the side and as they started walking her through everything, I could tell she was listening intently. She was truly engaged for the first time since this entire shit storm started.
She was ready.
And I had to be.
Because I no longer had a choice.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed the number as everyone fell silent around me.
“You ready?” the voice asked.
“Yes,” I said. “One hundred million dollars to be delivered by my girlfriend.”
“Your girlfriend?”
“Yep. Because if I see you, I’ll kill you, and I’m not letting my son out of my sight,” I said.
“No police?”
“We’re telling them to back down as we speak. I just want my daughter back.”
“We get our money and you will,” the voice said. “Tomorrow morning. Sunrise. On the beach where I was standing. Leave her there with the money. Any hint of police interference, she gets a bullet in her skull.”
Then the call went dead, leaving me with no other option.
CHAPTER 24
BROOKE
I tossed and turned all night, trying to ready myself for the morning. Things with Kevin had been tense since he placed that call and I did my best to avoid him. I knew I was doing what was right. This was going to help us find Sydney. But I was scared. I sipped on a mug of coffee as a knock came at the door. Kevin let the police in and they found me in the kitchen. The entire island was still asleep as the waves crashed along the shoreline. The blackness of night mirrored the mood I felt brewing in my soul. Today, I would figure out whether Sydney was still alive. I had no idea what I was going to do if they’d hurt her, but I knew I’d do everything in my power to make them pay.
