When She's Gone

by Palmer, Jane;

  Ara didn’t like it. For all they knew, Kat had been in on the plan to kidnap Sam. She might’ve known where Sam was this whole time and never said anything. If nothing else, she knew more about Nick than she’d told them. The thought of it, of her watching them chase their tails while she held back critical information, made Ara’s blood boil.

  And now Luke was offering Kat a new life, a clean slate.

  Focus on Sam. On the big picture.

  It was down to the wire now. The kidnappers would be calling within the hour to arrange the drop-off. They needed information, and as much of it as they could get. Which was exactly why Luke was willing to give Kat a second chance, despite her indiscretions. When looking at the big picture, it made sense. But it still didn’t feel good.

  Maybe after they got Sam back, it would.

  “I want the deal in writing.” Chin trembling, Kat lifted her face to look at Luke. “I’ll tell you everything I know, but I won’t do it unless the deal is in writing.”

  “Awfully demanding, aren’t you?” The words popped out of her mouth before Ara could stop them.

  Luke’s mouth twitched. He didn’t want to be doing this any more than she did, and Ara was making it worse. Kat glared at her and snapped, “Do you want the information or not?”

  “We want it.” Luke pulled out a premade contract. He reached inside his jacket pocket for a pen. “This contract states that the FBI will provide you with a new life, new identification, and immediate protection. In exchange, you will tell me everything you know, right down to your bra size, should I require it. If you hold anything back—and I mean anything—I will find out. And then the deal will be null and void.”

  “Understood.”

  When Kat reached for the pen, he smoothly moved it slightly out of her reach. “I don’t have time for games. Don’t test me, Kat. Lie to me and you really will be a dead woman walking. I’ll turn you out without a second glance.”

  She hesitated, and Ara bit back a curse. They didn’t have time for this.

  The moments passed, long and uninterrupted. Luke barely blinked, and his gaze never moved from Kat’s face. She looked away, studying the grain in the wooden table, weighing her options. Not that she had that many.

  Then her gaze fell on the image of Marcus, and with a well-manicured finger, she pulled it out from underneath the one of Sam. Her mouth hardened at the sight of his battered and broken face, the visible slit along his throat. She dropped the picture and reached for the pen in Luke’s outstretched hand.

  She scrawled her name along the dotted line and pushed the paper back toward him. “I wear a size 34D. What else do you want to know?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “Where is Sam?” Ara asked immediately.

  “I don’t know,” Kat replied. She gathered up the photographs, placing the one of Marcus behind the smiling Sam, and gave them a tap on the table to line them up. She passed them over to Luke. “Put these away, please. I don’t think we need them any longer.”

  Ara grabbed them from her outstretched hand before Luke could and threw them across the room. “Where is Sam?”

  Kat blinked. “I told you, I don’t know.”

  Luke passed a glance of warning toward Ara before turning to Kat. “You knew about the kidnapping?”

  “Only after the fact. I knew he would do something about her because she’d figured out what we were up to but . . . I didn’t know about the kidnapping plan until later.”

  “Back up,” Luke cautioned. “Start from the beginning. You say you knew he would do something. Who is he?”

  “Dmitri Grishnokov.”

  “The owner of Mist,” Ara said, thinking aloud.

  “He owns a lot of things,” Kat replied. “A lot of people. And he doesn’t take betrayal well. If he finds out I spoke to you about any of this, well, what they did to Marcus will look merciful.”

  “How did Sam get involved with him?”

  “She didn’t. Sam was just too damn smart for her own good.” Kat sighed. “She had no idea, the poor girl.”

  “The art scheme,” Ara said. “She figured out how the art scheme worked.” The pieces began fitting into place, sending Ara’s mind whirling. “You sold the paintings out of the gallery, but Nick was delivering the forgeries he painted.”

  Kat nodded. “Exactly. Then his cousin Eddie would take the original painting to Dmitri, who used it as currency.”

  “And if you ran into a problem, if a customer suspected or asked for an evaluation,” Ara said, “you would send them Marcus.”

  “He would assure them that the painting they had was not only authentic but worth more than they’d paid for it.”

  “That’s risky,” Luke noted. “What if the customer didn’t use Marcus?”

  Kat smirked. “Dmitri’s smart. He found one of the best evaluators, one of the most reputable, and put him on the payroll. Anyone who did a search on Marcus would find it difficult to justify not using him.”

  “How did Sam figure out what you were doing?”

  “I’m not sure, exactly. Nick and Sam started dating, and it’s possible Nick let too much slip. Or maybe Sam realized the painting in her room was a fake and told Nick about it. She’d obviously put two and two together.”

  “So you kidnapped her?” Ara asked. “How would that fix the problem?”

  “Eddie was in a lot of trouble with Dmitri. He’d lost him a lot of money in a deal that went badly.” Kat waved her hand dismissively in the air. “He came up with this idea to kidnap Sam, get the money he’d lost, and then hand her and the money over to Dmitri as payment for his mistakes. That way, Eddie killed two birds with one stone. He got Dmitri the money and he got rid of the one outsider who knew about our scheme.”

  “He convinced Sam to kidnap herself,” Ara said.

  “Yes,” said Kat. “She had no idea he was planning to turn her over to Dmitri. She thought it was just a game to get back at the Boones.”

  “Eddie got Nick to help him. And Gina, his girlfriend.”

  Kat nodded. “They all had a vested interest in keeping Dmitri happy. They also knew that once he figured out Sam knew about the paintings, they were all dead. Better to sacrifice Sam and save their own necks.”

  “They took her to the warehouse,” Luke said. “And when they handed her over to Dmitri’s men, something went wrong. Gina ended up dead.”

  “Gina’s dead?” Shock rippled across Kat’s face. “What about Nick? And Eddie?”

  “We only found Gina,” Ara replied.

  “You were probably next on his list. I saved your life by having you arrested.” Luke stared at her. “They tore Marcus’s house apart looking for something. What did he have that Dmitri wanted?”

  “The warehouse code,” Kat replied. “He had changed the password a while ago, hoping that it would give him some leverage with Dmitri. Idiot. It only got the shit beaten out of him before he died.”

  “What warehouse?”

  “It’s in a shipyard. It’s what Dmitri uses to hold the originals before he has them crated and shipped out of the country.”

  “She’s there,” Ara said to Luke. “It’s isolated, quiet, and they would be able to dump her body in the water. They took Sam there.”

  “Where is it? What shipyard?”

  Kat shook her head. “I don’t know exactly. I was never privy to that information. I just know it exists.”

  Luke’s cell phone beeped and he pulled it from his jacket pocket. Scanning the screen, he cursed. “The kidnappers have made contact.” He rose to his feet and quickly gathered his papers. “Ara, we have to go. Now.”

  “What about me?” Kat asked.

  “Wait here.” He was already halfway to the door. “I may need more information.”

  “Luke, one more question,” Ara turned back toward Kat. “Why? Why did you get involved in the scheme?”

  Kat’s mouth twisted into a smile. “Money, of course.”

  “You couldn’t have earned it?”

/>   The other woman snorted. “Not the kind of money Dmitri was paying me. When he found me, I was in over my head in debt, about to lose everything I had. He gave me the kind of life I could only dream about.”

  Ara shook her head. “I hope it was worth it. Because it’s cost at least two people their lives.”

  “They knew the risk,” Kat said coldly. “We all did.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Sam jerked awake, her heart racing. Her eyes blinked several times, but they didn’t adjust to the dark. It took her a moment to remember. She was wearing a blindfold. Tape over her mouth. Chains.

  Oh God. She was still here. Her heart fluttered faster as the memories flooded over her. Sleep, evasive and fitful, had at least given her one gift—the ability to forget.

  Faced with harsh reality, Sam breathed through the overwhelming emotions. The strong, acrid scent of body odor mingled with the coppery smell of dried blood. The hard floor beneath her was painful to her sore muscles, and they screamed in protest as she tried to move.

  There. There it was again. The noise that had woken her. Someone was moaning.

  Her heart stopped. Had something happened to Nick? She ignored her achy muscles and stretched out a foot, searching. It hit rubber, and the person jolted, startled by her sudden touch, before pushing against her.

  Another moan.

  She ducked her head. Clumps of tangled hair swung next to her cheeks. Her hands were bound in front of her, the chains just long enough that if she . . . Yes. Her fingers found the smooth cloth of the blindfold.

  She hesitated.

  If Maksim or Sasha caught her with the blindfold down, she couldn’t begin to imagine what they would do to her. And if Nick was hurt, there was nothing she could do for him. She was still chained to the floor.

  If he’s hurt, it’s because of you. It’s all your fault.

  The painful whimper drifting across the room made her decision. Sam pulled down the blindfold.

  She squinted, her eyes struggling to adjust to their sudden sight. The room came into focus bit by bit. A concrete floor and walls. A water heater. Wooden staircase. The sole light came from a weak bulb hanging from a rafter in the ceiling.

  A basement. Just as she had suspected.

  The chains holding her arms and legs were thick, the interconnecting loops reaching down to a metal circle bolted to the floor. Blood spatter still stained her arms, and the image of Gina’s head exploding flashed in her mind.

  “Sam.”

  The whispered sound of her name pulled her out of the flashback. She followed it, past the chains holding her down, to another set just out of her reach. Her heart leapt as her gaze traveled over his body, unmarked and blissfully whole. Nick.

  Thank God.

  He was still wearing the ripped jeans and black T-shirt from two days ago. His normally tan skin looked pale in the light, his face gaunt and drawn.

  Their eyes met, and Nick gave her a weak smile.

  It took her a moment to realize his blindfold was down around his neck. He’d also removed the tape from his mouth. It hung, by a small section, to the side of his cheek.

  The urge to speak to him was overwhelming. It took over, frantic and needy, and she tugged at her own tape, wincing as she peeled it away.

  Oh . . . Sudden tears filled her eyes as she licked her cracked lips. It was painful. It was freeing. She never thought she’d be so happy to do such a simple thing as licking her lips.

  Another moan reached her ears. She peered into the darkness, saw a lump huddled two arms’ length away from Nick. She could only make out the curve of a back, the tangle of chains also holding the person down.

  “It’s Eddie,” Nick whispered. “They fucked him up pretty bad.”

  Sam closed her eyes briefly. Despite herself, she felt pity for Eddie. But more than that, she felt awful for Nick. The pained expression on his face, the wince he didn’t try to hide as his cousin moaned again—they were terrible for Sam to watch. Nick and Eddie were as close as brothers, and she knew that with every bit of pain Eddie felt, Nick felt it, too.

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice cracked. Her throat was dry and it was painful to speak, but Sam had to say it. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t,” Nick whispered. “Don’t apologize. I knew Eddie was in with some bad people. I’ve been trying to get us out of the forgeries for a long time.”

  “I should’ve told you what we were planning. Maybe . . .”

  “I could’ve stopped you.” Nick’s gaze swept over her. “It’s not all your fault. Eddie gave you this idiot idea. You didn’t know enough not to go along with it.”

  But Nick would’ve. Sam knew enough to know that. It was part of the reason she’d kept him in the dark about the plan until it was already under way. Although Eddie was the older of the two, Nick was far smarter. He’d been taking care of his cousin, trying to keep him out of trouble, for most of his life. He felt responsible for Eddie.

  He’d also felt responsible to her.

  You have no idea what you’re dealing with.

  “You tried to warn me.” Sam’s voice caught on the words. “Even after you agreed to help. I should’ve listened—”

  The jingling of keys struck terror and panic in Sam’s veins. Nick held up his finger to his lips before placing the tape back over his mouth. She did the same and quickly lifted the blindfold.

  The lock clicked open.

  The cloth over her eyes was a little loose, and Sam could still see out of a small sliver. The blood rushed in her ears, and she swallowed hard against the terror biting its way through her stomach. Expensive, suede dress shoes came down the stairs and the jingling of keys grew louder. Sam ducked her head, afraid Maksim would notice her blindfold had slipped.

  He stopped in front of her. She flinched as he touched her hair, his fingers tangling in the strands.

  “Okay, little one—show time.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The Boone mansion was quiet when Ara and Luke walked through the front door, but the dining room, in contrast to the rest of the house, was controlled chaos. A few agents were on their phones, several on their computers. Oliver sat in a corner of the room, his face lined with exhaustion, dark circles shadowing the pale skin under his eyes. When he spotted them, he jumped to his feet and headed in their direction.

  “Any news?”

  “We have some leads.”

  Thomas approached and didn’t even pause to greet them. “You made it just in time. We should all move to Oliver’s office.”

  He led the group out of the room and down the hall. “They contacted us an hour ago and said they would call at four o’clock to provide us with drop-off instructions.”

  He twisted the knob on the heavy wooden door and pushed it open. Inside were two more agents, along with the equipment necessary for tracing and recording phone calls.

  “Have we found the cargo ship warehouse yet?” Luke asked, sweeping into the office.

  “No.” Thomas ran a hand through his short hair. “I’ve got every man on it, but there are a lot of commercial warehouses around the port. Going through each of them, following the paper trails—that takes time. It would be better if we had boots on the ground.”

  Luke shook his head. “Don’t have the manpower for all of them. Besides, we can’t run the risk. Sam might not even be held there, and I don’t want to tip our hand. So far, Dmitri has no idea we’ve connected him to the kidnapping.”

  “So you’re more interested in catching the kidnapper than in getting Sam back.” Oliver crossed his arms over his chest and bounced on the balls of his feet. “How quickly the story changes.”

  “No,” Luke said, glaring at him. “If Dmitri knows we’ve discovered him, then he will kill Sam and disappear into the wind. We’ll have no chance to get her back alive.”

  “The best case scenario,” Ara explained gently, “is to find the specific warehouse and send in a small team.”

  “But we’re running out of time.�
�� Luke glanced at his watch. “The kidnappers won’t give us much more. Damn it, we’re so close.”

  His frustration fed Ara’s own. Given another few hours, things could be different.

  The phone rang, cutting off her thoughts. The room flew into frantic activity. Ara and Luke pulled on headsets, which would allow them to listen in on the conversation. The agent manning the computer sat at attention. Luke jerked his thumb, clearing the room of unnecessary people.

  Oliver sucked in a breath and then reached for phone as it gave the third shrill ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Do you have the money?” The same distorted voice as before.

  “It’s ready to go,” Oliver answered. “I want to talk to Sam.”

  “No.” The answer was firm and without hesitation. “You’ll see her soon. The exchange will happen on the west side of the Bethesda Terrace in two hours.”

  “What about Sam?”

  “Follow our instructions exactly and she’ll be fine.” A slight pause. “Ara is the only one we will allow to recover Sam. She is to come to the meeting point alone.”

  She froze in surprise, her hands tightening on the ears of the headset. Why did they want her?

  Luke’s jaw tightened, and he glanced in her direction. The same question was in his eyes, along with a whisper of mistrust.

  “Why Ara?” Oliver asked. “I’ll do it.”

  “You will follow my instructions or we will kill Sam. Ara, and only Ara, is to come to do the exchange. You have two hours.”

  The kidnapper slammed the phone down, the silence deafening.

  Oliver hung up the phone, spinning to face Ara. “Why are they asking for you to do it?”

  “I don’t know.” She removed her headset slowly, confusion muddling her brain. “Maybe because Sam asked for me in the last phone call.”

  Oliver nodded, appeased by her answer. Luke, on the other hand, was studying her with quiet consideration. Something was working in his mind, and Ara felt the bite of his silent questions. The trust she’d worked so hard to gain with him seemed, with a single phone call, to have disappeared.