by Jinni James
A high-pitched laugh rattles over the phone. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. You know as well as I do that you don’t have to show up at the meetings. Hell, if I was you, I wouldn’t even work. I would be on a beach somewhere.”
I glance at the clock one more time. 5:35 p.m. How are we going to pull all this off? Unwilling to discuss my work habits with the monster who abducted my sister, I decide to cut right to the chase and address his demands.
“We need more time, Bob. It takes time to do everything you’ve asked me to do. I’ll especially need more time to get that much money. You can’t just walk into a bank and write a check for a million dollars. Most banks don’t even keep that much money on hand. I—”
Mark grab’s the phone out of my hand.
“Listen here, asshole, I want to talk to Becca before we start doing anything for your ass.”
From my vantage point on the sofa, I observe Mark’s shaking hands and red face, and my first thought is that this man really, really cares for my little sister. The second thought that runs through my mind is that he’s also very pissed off, and Bob better watch his ass.
“As you wish.” We hear a rustling noise, and then finally, Becca comes on the line.
“Elizabeth? What’s going on?”
She sounds horrible, like she hasn’t had a thing to drink in days, even though it’s only been hours. She has no doubt been crying.
“Becca, we are all here—me, Alex, and Mark. Don’t worry; we’ll get you back.” I hurry to reassure her.
Mark turns away a little, taking the phone with him.
“Honey? We’re on it, okay? Just don’t do anything stupid. We’ll find you. I love you.”
The sound of Becca sobbing softly causes my stomach to tighten. That son of a bitch; I could kill Bob for upsetting my sister like this.
“I love you too, Mark.” She whispers. “Be careful, Lizzy!”
Before we can say another word, Bob comes back on the line.
“You only have about four hours. I suggest you get on it. Oh, and to answer your earlier question, you can thank your assistant.”
With those last words the phone went silent.
My assistant? What does he mean by that? Natalie? I recall her asking me several times about my schedule and Becca’s graduation. Has Natalie been working with Bob? I grab my purse, and snatch my phone out of Mark’s hand, and then run toward the door. I make it as far as the front foyer, when Alex calls out to me.
“Elizabeth! Where are you going?”
“To find Natalie!”
Chapter Twelve
“Wait. Why are you going to look for Natalie?” Mark asks.
He and Alex have joined me near the front door.
“Because she’s the one who told Bob where we were. She told him about Becca’s graduation. She’s the reason that bastard had an opportunity to kidnap my sister!”
Alex looks at me then looks at Mark. “Okay then. Let’s go.”
“Wait one sec. I have to talk to my men.”
Alex and I wait while Mark goes back into the dining area to speak with the other officers. A few moments later, he rejoins us, and we all head out to the elevator. Once we’re in the car, I dial Natalie’s number, but her roommate says she’s still at work. Perfect. Instead of calling her there, or getting ahold of her on her cell, we decide to surprise her at the office. On the ride there, I can’t help but imagine what I’m going to say to her. I mean, how dare she! After everything I’ve done for her. Right after she graduated I took her under my wing. I taught her everything I know about running a publishing business over the past couple years. How dare she betray me this way! Now, because of her, my sister might die. My blood is boiling. I don’t think I’ve ever been this mad. I lost my parents; there’s no way in hell I’m going to lose my sister too. That bitch is going to pay but only after telling me where I can find Bob. She has to know. I refuse to believe she’s not in on his entire plan.
By the time we make it to my office, I’m jumping out of my skin. I leap out of the car, expecting Alex and Mark will follow, and race up the stairs as fast as my feet will carry me. Natalie’s not at her desk, so I turn and head back down the hallway in the opposite direction, only pausing to put a finger to my lips, indicating to Mark and Alex that we should be quiet. Moving as quickly as possible without causing my heels to clatter on the tiles, I head toward the conference room, peering through every open doorway. Where the heck is she? I stop and look behind me, raising a brow at the guys. Mark shrugs, and Alex nods toward the open conference room door and mouths the word “listen.”
I cock my head and do as he says, and after a brief silence, I hear quiet voices coming from the conference room. Who would be in there with her? Could it be Bob with my sister? The thought sends me running, full speed ahead, straight into the conference room. Alex and Mark follow along right behind me. The three of us come to a stumbling halt just inside the door.
Several moments pass while my brain tries to process the scene before me. Natalie is tied up to a chair. Towering over her, wearing a look of rage on her coldly beautiful face is Christina. What the hell is going on here?
Alex’s former employee turns to look at me. At first, she seems surprised, but then an evil smile spreads across her face.
“What a nice surprise, Miss Hamilton.”
I can’t talk yet; I’m still too stunned at this sudden turn of events. My gut told me Christina was up to no good, but I never considered she might be involved with Bob’s latest scheme. Truthfully, I’d pretty much forgotten all about her until now, so seeing her here has really thrown me for a loop.
From behind me, Alex speaks up.
“What are you doing, Christina?”
She shifts her gaze to him, but her wicked grin doesn’t falter. A second later, she pulls a gun out from behind her back.
“Well, Alexander, the same could be asked of you. What are you doing with Miss Hamilton, here? I thought she was just a project, but then all of a sudden, your plans change, and now what? You are with her? It doesn’t make any sense.”
She’s not making a lot of sense… At least, not to me. And why would him being with me cause her to become so upset? She continues her rant as she walks around the conference table.
“We could have done something great with this company. Hamilton Publishing could have been known worldwide had you let us come in here, but no... Little Miss Hamilton thinks she can do it all by herself. Thinks she knows everything and doesn’t need our help. But it seems you don’t refuse help when it comes to Alexander, who up until recently was a happily single man. I was the only woman he needed by his side. That is where I belonged, until you came along.”
Still jabbering, she walks toward us, waving the gun around. Natalie is wiggling around, obviously trying to get out of the duct tape that binds her to the chair, but it won’t budge. Throughout all of this, only one question comes to mind, and I finally find my voice and ask.
“Why?”
“Why? Are you seriously asking me why?” Christina sneers. “From the minute you two met, I became an outsider. Alexander only had eyes for you. My opinions, my work, my loyalty…all of it meant nothing. I was his right hand, and then suddenly, you were! You took my place! This company was supposed to be mine!”
Christina’s anger seems to grow with every word she utters. All of this, because of me. Because I wouldn’t sell my company, or because I am with Alex, or both. She is obviously a woman scorned, and based on her behavior, hell definitely hath no fury... She lifts the gun and points it at Alex. On impulse, I jump in front of him.
“No, Christina. I’m the one you’re mad at. Don’t take it out on Alex.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mark saddle up to stand beside me.
“Are you crazy?” He whispers in my ear.
I nod. Yeah, I must be. Yup. Certifiably crazy. Out of my damn mind crazy. My life was going just fine before all of this. I had my company; I had my beautifu
l sister, my apartment, my lovely, predictable, daily routine, that in this moment, I miss terribly. I had it all, until I walked into Bob’s office and met Alex. The man has turned my entire world upside down, and what do I do? I jump in front of a gun for him! So, yes, I am certifiably crazy.
I no sooner complete my thought, than Alex rushes out from behind me. He takes three big steps, putting him on the opposite side of the room, drawing Christina’s attention—and her pointed gun—in his direction.
“No! Christina, listen to me. I never replaced you. Elizabeth never took your place. But we’ve always had a professional relationship. I can’t get into a personal relationship with someone who works with me. You know this. But I have always valued your opinion.”
Christina appears to soften for a moment, but her expression quickly hardens, and she turns right back toward me.
“You did until she came along. You even allow her to call you Alex! I could never call you that! She has taken everything from me, so now I will take everything from her!”
For a moment, nobody moves, and then a loud bang shatters the silence. Instinctively, I hit the ground. Although I don’t feel any pain or see any blood, I’m certain she’s shot me. Mark, Alex, and Christina are all yelling at once. I look over and gasp. Mark is lying beside me, holding his chest. Beyond him, Alex is wrestling with Christina, trying to get the gun, and Natalie—still in the chair—is wiggling furiously, trying like hell to get out. Christina smacks Alex in the head with the gun, and he stumbles back a few steps, obviously stunned. I jump up and race across the room. Christina points the gun in my general direction and lets off another shot, but the bullet misses me. I grab her arm and slam it against my knee. The gun goes falling to the floor, and Alex scrambles to get it.
No longer threatened by a firearm, I ball my fist, draw back my arm, and then punch Christina in the face as hard as I can. A sense of elation fills me, as blood pours from her nose and she falls back against the wall. I grab her by the shoulders and hold her there.
“Okay, Elizabeth. You can let her go. She isn’t going to go anywhere now. Go check on Mark.”
I turn to see Alex has the gun trained on Christina. Immediately, I release her, and run over to Mark. He’s still lying on the floor, his hand pressed to his chest.
“Mark, are you okay? Can you hear me? Let me see.”
“Relax. I’m fine. I’m wearing a vest. It just smarts, that’s all. Go untie Natalie.”
Slowly, I get to my feet and turn to face Natalie. Should I untie her? Apparently, she’s not working with Christina, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t plot with Bob. I decide I’ll take the gag from her mouth first, before I release her from her bindings.
“Oh my God, Elizabeth; I am so sorry!” Natalie cries, the moment I pull the gag from between her lips. “They threatened to kill my parents if I didn’t tell them where you and Rebecca were. I feel awful.”
Tears fill her eyes and roll down her face like twin waterfalls. She had to tell them. She had no choice. The information fills me with a huge sense of relief. I yank at the tape until I’ve managed to get her free, and then she jumps up and wraps her arms around me so tightly, I fear she might break a rib or two.
“It’s okay.” I tell her. “I completely understand. Come on; let’s help Mark and Alex.”
Alex has already called the police, and he’s just hanging up as Natalie goes over to see how she can help him. I help Mark get to his feet. I’ve heard that even if you’re wearing a vest, it still hurts if you get shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if the bullet cracked a rib. But Mark doesn’t pause to check his injuries. Instead, he strides over and gets right in Christina’s face.
“Where is Becca?” Mark’s voice shakes; he’s obviously livid.
“With Bob, of course.”
“Christina, I am not messing around here. I want to know where Becca and Bob are, and I want to know right fucking now!”
Thank heavens I’ve never been on the receiving end of Mark’s anger. I never would have guessed him capable of such extreme rage. He looks mad enough to kill, and if I didn’t know him better, I’d fear for Christina’s life.
“I’m not telling you shit.”
Damn…girl has balls of steel. But like Mark, I’m getting angrier with every passing moment. If Christina doesn’t give up what she knows soon, I might throttle her.
Christina’s stone cold expression suddenly cracks, and she starts laughing like a loon. She has this crazy look in her eyes, a look I’ve never seen before, except maybe in some movie about a psycho killer, and I realize I’m gazing into the face of a crazy person.
“Okay, everybody…stay right where you are.”
Three police officers enter the room, weapons drawn. One of them turns and aims at Alex, who is still holding Christina at gunpoint, and I gasp. Dear God, are they going to shoot him?
“You. Put down that gun and get your hands up!” The officer yells at Alex.
The man has no way of knowing what’s going on or what he’s just walked into, so I can’t blame him for being overly cautious. Alex must be thinking the same thing, because he cooperates immediately, placing the gun on the floor and then lifting his arms to show he’s unarmed. The minute his hands are in the air, the police move in, snatch up the gun, and begin to put both Alex and Christina in handcuffs. Oh, no… I move to intercede, but Mark is one step ahead of me.
“Hang on, guys,” he says, digging in the back pocket of his jeans. He pulls out his shield and hands it to the nearest officer. “I’m one of the good guys, here, and I can vouch for this man. It’s her you want to cuff.”
His lip curls and he nods toward Christina, and I sigh when the cops heed Mark’s words. Everything seems to speed up after that, and before I know it, they’re walking Christina out the door, but I can’t let them leave with her without trying one more time to make her give us some information we can use.
“Please, Christina, tell me where my sister is. I didn’t mean to hurt you; I swear I didn’t. I’m sorry Alex wants to be with me. My sister shouldn’t suffer because of our choices. She’s all the family I have left. Please, tell me where we can find her.”
Christina turns to me, and a soft smile parts her lips. My heart races. Have I manage to reach her? Touch some human part of her; make her feel something for my sister’s plight?
“Find her yourself, you stupid bitch.” Christina snarls, and then she swings back around and walks out the door.
Damn. All the air leaves my lungs, and I feel deflated, like a balloon someone popped with a sharp needle. I had one chance, and I blew it.
The police clear out, and I turn to Alex and fall into his arms. Hot tears scald my cheeks. Dear God, please…I just want my sister back in one piece. I think of last night, when she and I actually got to spend some time together again and how I realized how much I’ve missed those moments when it’s just her and me. I can’t imagine not having her around anymore. I can’t bear the thought.
Alex holds me for a few moments, but I don’t wallow in self-pity for long. Time is running out, so I lift my head, dry my eyes, and pull myself together.
“Are you okay?” he asks, and then shakes his head. “Never mind. Stupid question.”
Yes, it is, but that’s okay. At least he cares enough to ask.
“I’ll be a lot better once we find my little sister,” I tell him.
“Let’s go back to your place. When Bob calls back, we’ll trace the call.” Mark puts a hand on my shoulder. “We’re not giving up; we will save her.”
I nod wearily, and the four of us—including Natalie—head back down the hallway toward the front of the building.
* * * * *
When we get back to the apartment, Mark fills in the other officers, telling them what happened with Christina, and then letting them know our new game plan. I fall onto the couch with Alex and Natalie, totally exhausted and drained. Thoughts of what Becca must be experiencing at the hands of that monster keep running through my mind, m
aking my stomach clench. I stand, and move around the room, restless and anxious. I can’t just sit here. I have to do something. Something productive.
“Hey,” Mark says, “why don’t you come over here and we’ll go over the plan.”
Grateful for something else to focus on, I join him and his fellow cops at the dining room table, and Mark explains what I’ll need to do. The plan is pretty simple, really. I have to tell Bob I’ll give him what he wants, but that I need more time, and then I have to try to keep him on the phone as long as possible. With a little luck, they’ll be able to trace the call, and then we can track them down. If it were possible, I’d actually fulfill all Bob’s demands—anything to get Becca back, unharmed. But the fact is, Bob is obviously delusional, because there’s no way in hell to come up with that much money in only a few hours, and things like signing over stock in a company require lawyers and paperwork and filings with the government. Not that any of this makes much difference, because in my heart, I know that even if I fulfilled every single one of his requests, Bob would still kill her. He’s nuts…just like Christina, and the minute he got what he wanted, he’d kill Becca and take off.
The phone’s blaring ringtone startles me from my morbid thoughts. I race over and snatch up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Elizabeth. Do you have what I need?”
He sounds hoarse or tired, hell, he’s probably a little of both, not that I give two shits. I wish he would drop dead, but I fight back my anger. I have to sound willing and compliant; I have to keep him on the phone and get him to agree to give us more time.
“Bob,” I say, and my voice cracks. I clear my throat and try again. “Bob, I need more time. I told you before…it takes more than a few hours to gather that much money and draw up papers so I can transfer my fifty one percent of Neo Corp to you. I had to track down the attorney. Please, just a little more time.”
