by Ivy Layne
My phone rang, discordantly loud in the quiet room. I glanced at the screen before I answered and froze. Unknown number. My thumb hovered over the red ‘call’ button, debating what to do as it rang in my hand over and over.
My heart trying to pound its way out of my chest, I punched my thumb at the button and hoped for the best.
“Hello?”
“Sophie,” Anthony's familiar cool tone sounded in my ear. “You were so unfriendly yesterday, I almost didn't recognize my own wife.”
“I have a restraining order,” I said, surprised at how calm I sounded. My breath was strangled in my chest, but my voice was level when I said, “You're not allowed to come near me, or call me, or contact me in any way.”
“You're my wife,” Anthony said, unruffled. “No one can tell me I can't call my own wife. Now, I've got a problem, and I think you can help me with it. I have an unwanted guest. I'd like to trade her for you.”
A cold ball of horror gathered in my chest as I heard Amelia's voice echo in the background over the phone. “Don't listen to him, Sophie. Stay where you are and don't listen to him. Don't you dare—”
The smack of flesh on flesh sounded over the phone and Amelia fell silent. I knew that sound, knew it too well. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to think.
Anthony said, “I don't have any interest in harming the old woman, but I will if I have to. You have an hour. I'll text you the address. Don't be late or I'll slit her throat.”
He hung up. A few seconds later my phone chirped with a text message. An address I didn't recognize. I sat staring at my phone, frozen in indecision. Panic told me to run for the car keys and go after Amelia. Every muscle in my body strained to leap off the couch and move, but I stayed where I was.
If I showed up there by myself, not only would Anthony get me, he would almost certainly kill Amelia. If I did nothing, he would kill Amelia. I was reaching for my phone when it rang, startling me so badly I almost fell off the couch.
“Hello?”
A familiar voice said, “Sophie, Cooper. We caught Armstrong's call. I've got a team on the way to that address. We'll get eyes on Amelia. You stay put for now.”
“He said if I'm not there in an hour, he'll kill her,” I said. “Are your guys going to get her out?”
“Uncertain at this point,” he said, his tone businesslike as if he weren't discussing the life and possible death of a woman he'd known since birth. “We’re going to get eyes on her and assess the situation. I'm headed in your direction. Gage and Aiden will meet me there. The address isn't far. We have time for a game plan.”
All I could say was, “Hurry.”
I paced the front hall, the minutes after Cooper's call stretching, distorting, until every heartbeat felt an hour long. The clock was ticking. Anthony had Amelia. He hadn’t mentioned Mrs. W.
I didn't know where he’d grabbed Amelia. From the car? From the doctor's office? Had he hurt Mrs. W? I didn't know. I didn't know anything. I was walking in circles in the front hall of the house, alone, and I didn't know anything.
Anthony had Amelia.
Just the thought of it had nausea rolling in my stomach. Amelia. She was my job, my patient, but in the last six months, she’d been more a mother to me than anyone since my own had died when I was a teenager. I wouldn't let Anthony hurt her. I could live with a lot of things, but not that.
The front door finally opened, and Cooper strode in, his eyes scanning the room. “Aiden and Gage aren't here yet,” he said, stating the obvious. “They should be right behind me.”
“He wants to trade me for her,” I said. “We can't let him hurt her.”
Cooper gave a brusque nod. “I heard the call. We'll have a report from my team in the next five minutes. The address he gave wasn't far.”
“You have a plan?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and hugging myself.
“I have a few options in mind,” he said. I’d only met Cooper once before, and I'd thought he was all business then, but I saw now I'd been wrong. Cooper was a cipher, his face betraying nothing. If he was worried about Amelia, it didn’t show. When I looked at him, all I saw was focus.
The door swung open again, and Aiden entered, followed by Gage. I was momentarily struck dumb at the sight of Gage in a suit. I hadn't quite gotten used to it yet. He was handsome enough in a T-shirt and cargo pants. In a custom-tailored grey suit and starched white shirt, he made my heart skip a beat.
For the shortest second, I forgot my fear and almost smiled. Then he was at my side, pulling me close and dropping his head to mine. “We'll get her back, I swear, Sophie.”
Cooper's phone rang, and he answered it with a quick, “Report.” He stood in the middle of the carpet in the front hall, motionless, his entire being concentrated on the words pouring into his ear. I heard him say, “Anything you can do to improve the line of sight?” Then, a minute later, “Okay. Okay. No, not yet. We don't want to spook him while we still have time. Hold your position.”
Cooper hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket. “He's got her in a building that used to be a garage, out by the airport. There are empty lots on either side, wide open in three directions. The two front windows are papered over, no visibility. He's got cameras on the outside, so we can't get close enough for a good view through the uncovered windows on the sides, but one of my guys was able to get to a small window in the back without being seen. He verified that Amelia is tied up and gagged but uninjured.”
“Did he get eyes on Armstrong?” Gage asked. Cooper shook his head.
“Briefly. Armstrong’s smart. We can't get a line of sight on him. A few quick glimpses. Enough to see that he's armed, but not long enough to get our own shot. We can't take him out unless he moves. With those cameras live, our options are limited.”
“What about your guy at the back?” Gage asked.
“The windows are too small for entry, and anything we could introduce that might disable Armstrong would endanger Amelia.”
“Then what do we do?” I asked. He'd said he had options in mind. I wanted to know what they were.
Cooper studied me for a long moment, then turned his dark gaze to Aiden and Gage. I got the feeling he was weighing their mood before he spoke.
“I have an idea that might solve all of our problems,” he said, slowly. “But I don't think you're going to like it.”
Gage went still. Aiden narrowed his eyes on Cooper and said, “What is it?”
“We put a vest on Sophie, wire her, and send her in. She draws Armstrong into position, and we shoot him.”
Gage exploded. “No fucking way. Are you fucking insane? We're not sending Sophie in there. No fucking way, Cooper. Think of something else.”
Aiden jumped in with his own protest. “Unacceptable, Cooper. We can't put Sophie at risk.”
“He has Amelia,” I said. “He'll kill her. He's not bluffing. Anthony doesn't bluff. He told me he'd slit her throat and he meant it. We’re running out of time.”
“Sophie, no,” Gage said.
I stepped back, pulling myself from his arms and looked him in the eye. “I can do this, Gage.”
“No,” he said again. “I swore to you I would keep you safe from him.”
“I'll be wearing a bullet proof vest,” I said, looking from Gage to Aiden, who was shaking his head.
Gage let out a bitter half laugh. “You think a vest is going to do you any good when he shoots you in the head? And forget about armor piercing bullets. A vest is barely safer than nothing at all. No. It's too dangerous, Sophie.”
“He's not going to shoot me,” I said.
“You don't know that,” Gage shouted, and I flinched.
He wasn't angry at me. He was scared. We were all scared. And he liked the idea of me walking into a room with an armed madman about as much as I would like it if he offered to do the same. I took a deep breath and let it out.
“I do know that, Gage. Anthony had guns when we were married. There was always one nearby, but he never on
ce threatened me with a weapon. If he's going to kill me, he'll do it with his hands, not a bullet.”
“Sophie, no,” Gage said, his eyes searching my face, anguished and furious.
“If I can get him to move into the right spot, your guys can shoot him?” I asked Cooper.
“Yes,” he confirmed, sending a wary look at Gage.
Gage let out a frustrated growl and stepped back, his fists clenched at his side. Without another sound he turned on his heel and stormed out the front door, slamming it so hard it shook in the frame.
Aiden looked at us both. “Sophie, I think this is a shit idea. I'm not going to try to stop you but—”
“Aiden, we don't have time for this,” Cooper reminded him.
“I know. Give me a minute with Gage.” He looked to me, then to Cooper. “Get her suited up. I'll get Gage on board, and then we'll go.” He walked out the front door, leaving me alone with Cooper.
“For the record,” Cooper said, “I don't like this idea much better than they do. But we need some help to take him down. And if anyone else goes in there, he'll shoot on sight.”
“I can't let him hurt Amelia,” I said. “I can live with a lot, but I can't live with that.”
“Then let's get to work,” he said, scanning me from head to toe. I wore a long sleeve button-down, jeans, and a pair of white canvas sneakers. “Go change into a sweater. Something thick and loose fitting. Be fast.”
I took off down the hall to my room, unbuttoning my shirt as I ran. By the time I got back to the front hall, Aiden and Gage had returned, and Cooper had a long black duffel bag open on the floor. He pulled out a stiff black thing that I guessed was the bulletproof vest and handed it to Gage. “Get this on her. The wire is already attached.”
Without a word Gage crowded me into the corner of the front hall, shielding my body from view with his bigger frame and said, “Pull your arms out of your sleeves, and lift up your sweater.”
I did as he instructed and stood still, letting him fasten the vest over my shoulders and around my torso with efficient motions that told me he’d done this more than once.
I opened my mouth twice to say something. Anything. No words came out. Gage couldn't seem to look at me.
When he was done, he tugged my sweater back into place and turned to join the others. I followed, surprised to hear him say, “I'm taking the shot.”
“Gage, I've got a guy in position –”
“I'm taking the shot, Cooper. You're not sending her in there and leaving me sitting in a van two blocks away. Fuck that. I'm taking the shot. You don't have a single guy on your team better than me.”
“You're not a sniper,” Cooper argued.
“You don't need a sniper. You need a guy who can take a shot through a window at medium-range without endangering hostages. What the fuck do you think I've been doing for the last ten years?”
Cooper lifted his chin in the direction of the stairs and said, “Change out of that rig and grab what you need. The clock is ticking. Meet us in the car.”
Gage flew up the stairs. I barely had my seatbelt on when he came out the front door and slid into the backseat of Cooper's oversize SUV beside Aiden. He'd changed into a muddy green, long-sleeved T-shirt, khaki cargo pants, and was carrying a gun.
Gage didn't say a word as he buckled his own seatbelt. Cooper had me sitting in the front so he could spend the drive giving me instructions, most of which revolved around not getting myself killed.
Aiden and Gage sat in the backseat in silence, the weight of their disapproval pressing on me. My chest ached, worse every time Gage refused to meet my eyes in the rearview mirror. I didn’t know if he’d forgive me for this.
If I were in his shoes, I’d be furious. I don't know if I’d understand. I'd like to think I would, but the idea of Gage putting himself in danger turned my stomach. I understood why he was angry, why he might not forgive me, but I had to do it.
I couldn't let Anthony hurt Amelia any more than he already had. Maybe he would shoot me. It was possible, but I was pretty sure that wasn't his plan. I doubted he'd guess I'd called for help. Anthony would think I'd done as I was told, too scared and too stupid to defy him.
I was scared, but I wasn't stupid. And I was done with doing what I was told.
Amelia had been right. I'd endured, and I'd waited for a chance. My patience had been rewarded, and I'd gotten that chance when Anthony had played dead. I wasn't giving it up.
If Anthony wanted me back badly enough to kidnap Amelia Winters, he wasn't going to stop. This had to end now, and I wouldn't let it end with Amelia's death. Not if I could help it.
My hands were shaking, and I felt sick to my stomach, but I knew what I had to do. I looked down at the tablet Cooper had shoved into my hands. On it was a rough sketch of the garage, showing the lines of sight from the windows and Amelia's position.
The rear window, where Cooper's guy kept watch on Amelia, was the only one without a camera. Probably because the approach was blocked by another building and the window was high on the wall. Anthony must have assumed no one could get up there anyway.
Gage would. As I studied the sketch, I saw exactly where I needed to move Anthony so Gage could take his shot.
We got there with thirteen minutes to spare. Cooper stopped the SUV two blocks away, behind a midsize tan sedan. A man dressed in black combat gear got out of the sedan and walked to the driver side door of Cooper's SUV.
Cooper rolled down the window and accepted a set of keys and the man in combat gear jogged off. Cooper handed me the keys and said, “We can’t approach from the front. We’re going to leave you here. Get in the sedan, count to a hundred, and drive up two blocks. The garage will be on your right. Number fifteen eighty-two.”
I nodded and took the keys, unfastening my seatbelt. I turned to face Gage before I got out. His eyes finally met mine, and their remote expression chilled my aching heart.
“I love you,” I whispered.
He didn't answer. Tears pricked the back of my eyes, and I blinked, forcing them back. This wasn't the time. I could fall apart later. First, I had to save Amelia and hopefully, myself.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Sophie
I climbed down from Cooper's tall SUV, going through his instructions in my head as I walked calmly to the beige sedan and climbed behind the wheel. I counted slowly, hearing the SUV pull back into the street and drive away.
I reached one hundred and turned the key, my heart pounding but my hands steady.
The engine turned over smoothly, and I drove down the street. Exactly as Cooper had said, number fifteen eighty-two was on my right, an abandoned garage, the bays closed, the front windows papered over, weeds growing through the cracks in the parking lot.
I parked the sedan and left it unlocked, gripping the keys tightly in my hand. Knowing I was being watched, I straightened my spine and marched to the front door.
It helped knowing that Cooper's men were somewhere nearby. That Gage might already be in position. A car passed on the street behind me, reminding me that while the area wasn't heavily trafficked, neither was it deserted. Anthony would want me inside the garage. Maybe I could use that to get Amelia out.
I knocked on the door. No answer. I pushed the heavy glass door open and propped it with my foot, keeping the other foot outside, squinting into the dimly lit room. With the glass door and front windows papered over, the only light came from the bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling and the small, square window high on the back wall. Amelia sat duct taped to a folding chair in the center of the room.
Anthony stood a few feet behind her, pointing a gun at the back of her head. When she saw me, Amelia's expression shifted from scared to irritated. I was sure that if Anthony hadn’t taped her mouth shut, she would've started yelling at me. As far as I could tell, she was unharmed except for swelling on the side of her cheek.
“Come in, and shut the door,” Anthony commanded. I shook my head.
I held up the car keys
and tossed them into the parking lot. They landed with a click of metal on pavement and skidded across the cracked surface, the winter sun catching the grooves and flashing in my eyes. I looked at Anthony and said, “Let her go, and I'll come inside.”
“You come inside, and I'll let her go.”
I couldn't pull off casual. I was too scared, and Anthony could smell fear like a shark could smell blood. I shrugged anyway. Now that I was inside, the layout wasn't exactly like the sketch Cooper’s men had sent him, but it was close enough.
Amelia was just inside target range, and, standing behind her, Anthony was out of sight. If he moved toward me, he'd be right where Gage wanted him.
“I'll let her go when I'm ready,” Anthony said. “Step inside and shut that door or I'll slit her throat right in front of you.”
His free hand slipped into the pocket of his dress pants, and he withdrew something long and black. Pressing a button on the side, a blade snicked up, the metal gleaming in the light from the bulb over Anthony's head. I stepped into the garage and let go of the door.
“I don't understand why you're making this so difficult, Sophie,” he said in his cool, even voice.
He stood there in dark dress pants and a tailored shirt, his shoes immaculate, not a hair out of place, and threatened to kill Amelia right in front of me. How had I been unable to see the monster lurking inside his polished exterior?
Two months he’d courted me, and I'd never realized what he was.
“You don't understand why I’m making this difficult?” I asked. “Are you serious?”
Caution screamed at me to be quiet. Not to aggravate him. Not to set him off. I didn't have a choice. I needed him to come for me, and following his orders wouldn't do the job.
“Sophie,” he said, his voice patient but his eyes hard, “your place is at my side. I need you to come home.”
“We don't have a home. I sold it when you died.”
