by Leanne Tyler
“I do?”
“Your dad’s lawyer’s office.”
“Finally!” She wrapped the towel around her and hopped out.
“I left your phone by the bed.”
“Okay.”
Running out of the bathroom, she went around the corner, through the open French doors into the bedroom. Sitting down on the bed, she picked up her cellphone. “Hello, this is Simone.”
“Miss Reid, this is Phoebe Dandridge. We spoke briefly Monday afternoon.”
“Yes, I remember. I told you I needed to speak to Mr. Whittenbrier immediately that it was a matter of life and death and you said he’d return my call the next day. He still hasn’t returned my call, by the way.”
“That is why I’m calling you. I feel terrible about that. He usually checks in, but he didn’t, which is highly irregular,” Phoebe’s voice broke off and she sounded like she was crying. “I’m sorry, please forgive me, but I thought you should know that Mr. Whittenbrier will not be getting in touch with you because he was found…he was found floating in the Chicago River.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. Oh, you poor woman. Where?”
“Southbank, near the river walk. It’s close to our offices. He always liked to walk there after leaving work in the evenings. An investigation has been opened up. I really don’t know anymore, but if you are needing his services you’ll want to be speaking to another attorney here at Whittenbrier and Lambert.”
“Thank you. I will call back if I do need further assistance. I appreciate it.” She hung up the call and looked at Liam, standing in the doorway, wearing his lounging pants.
“What was that about?”
“Whittenbrier is dead. His body was found in the Southbank of the Chicago River near his office building. That’s the reason he hasn’t returned my call.”
“Damn. That throws a wrench in my theory that he was behind this. I’m calling Hawkeye to see what he can tell me about his murder.”
“You’ll keep me posted throughout the day on what you find?” She went to the closet and pulled out an outfit before going back to the bathroom.
“Sure.”
Liam’s tone made her feel like she had already lost his interest. He was preoccupied with the murder of Whittenbrier and how that possibly fit in with her father’s kidnapping or not. So be it.
She finished getting ready, gathered her things and left for Webster-Reynolds within half an hour, telling him she’d see him later. Whether he heard her or not, he didn’t acknowledge her.
The metro was crowded and she was lucky to squeeze into the car she got on without having to wait for the next one.
“Would you like my seat?” a young lawyer type asked. “I think I can handle the jerks and stops better than you in those shoes you’re wearing.”
Simone glanced down and noticed she’d put on the wrong heels for work. In her haste to get out the door, she’d slipped on the evening pumps instead of the business heels she’d brought. “Thank you.”
He stood and as he moved away from the seat, she stepped forward before someone decided to be rude sit down in her place.
“Out of towner?” the young man asked.
“That obvious?”
He held up his hand, positioning his index finger and thumb a small distance apart. “Just a fraction.”
“I’m on business. Running late, as usual, this week because my normal hotel had to reassign me three blocks away from where I work.”
“I’m on business too, but I come every other week so I feel like a regular these days. I asked my employer if I shouldn’t just move here and save them on travel expenses, but they said living expenses and moving would come to more than the travel.”
Simone nodded as the tram slowed for her stop. “This is me. I thank you for the seat and the conversation. It took my mind off of my morning.”
“It’s my stop too. Care to walk together?”
“I might slow you down in these heels,” she warned, not certain she liked the idea of having him tag along with her. He seemed nice enough and walking down the street to their different destinations couldn’t really hurt anything. For all she knew he could be going in one direction and she could be going in another when they reached street level.
“I don’t mind. I’m an hour early as it is anyway.”
Great. Just my luck that I can’t get rid of him because he is an early bird.
“Lead the way then,” she said.
They walked through the turnstile and followed the flow of traffic outside into the morning sunshine. She headed toward the streetlight at the corner and so did he. There was nothing she could do, but smile. They crossed with the other pedestrians when the walk signal lit up and she headed straight down the block. At the next corner, they were stopped by another light.
“I’m going right here,” he said. “No chance you do as well?”
“Afraid not, I go straight.”
“Maybe we’ll run into each other again tomorrow morning?”
“We might.”
“I’m Douglas, by the way.”
“Simone.”
“Have a great day, Simone.”
“You too, Douglas.”
When the signal turned for him to go his way, she felt relief yet foolish. He was just being a nice guy. Still she’d become all apprehensive because he’d wanted to walk with her, which as a single female she should be because one could never be too cautious.
The signal finally tuned for her to cross the street. On the other side, she passed a few store fronts and went into the coffee shop where she had been stopping every morning before going into Webster-Reynolds. It was her normal routine.
The girl at the counter smiled, nodded, and asked. “Do you want your usual?”
“Yes, please.”
She rang her up, while the barista started on her java.
Simone dug out her money from her bag and paid, picked up the steaming beverage, and headed out the door. She’d gotten two doors down when a nondescript white service van pulled out of an alleyway, blocking her progression. The side door opened and two men dressed in all black jumped out and grabbed her, making her drop her java, and threw her inside. Jumping in after her, they slammed the door back and the van sped away.
Chapter 14
Simone fought against the men, kicking and elbowing. “You made me drop my coffee and I lost a shoe, you creeps! Let me go!”
“Shut up.”
The voice sounded familiar. Douglas?
She knew she shouldn’t have walked with him, seemingly nice or not. Look where it had landed her. And why? What good would abducting her do them? She was upset her and she wasn’t about to sit still like a docile rag doll.
She kicked one of the masked men in the groin. He doubled over, cursing. The other, whom she assumed was Douglas, if that really was his name, came after her, but she elbowed him in the gut and did a backward fist pop to his mouth and nose.
“Get her tied up and gagged. What’s taking you so long back there?” the driver of the van inquired.
“She’s not making it easy,” the bent over guy panted.
Simone scrambled away from Douglas, trying to get to the side van door. Her objective was to reach it by the time the van got stopped at the next light so she could jump out and get lost in the throng of pedestrians. With one pump that wasn’t going to be easy, but she’d lose it too if it made running easier. Maybe she’d get lucky and there would be a cab behind the van that she could easily jump into and it could speed away down a side street. Taxi drivers knew all the shortcuts in a city. So as farfetched as it sounded, it could happen and work out for her.
She’d reached the door, but bent-over-guy had recovered enough to leap toward her before she got the door open. He pulled her backwards and held her arms behind her back while Douglas secured her wrists with what felt like hard plastic. Then he slapped a wide piece of gray duct tape over her mouth.
“That should keep you quiet.”
She g
lared at him.
“Too bad things had to work out this way for you, Simone. I think we could have enjoyed riding the metro together.”
She felt a small prick at her arm and turned her head in time to catch the other guy removing a needle from her arm. What had he given her? Whatever it was it sure had a potency. She immediately felt drowsy. Her eyes started fluttering and she slumped over against the guy.
Simone opened her eyes slowly, feeling groggy. Her eyes fluttered closed and then opened again. She blinked several times trying to wake fully, not recognizing where she was with each small glimpse of the dark room she was in. Had they had to change hotel rooms again and she forgot? Her new anxiety medicine was having a strange effect on her.
Liam.
She tried to speak, but no sound came out. Or had it? She couldn’t tell. She felt like she was down a well or a long tunnel.
“Simone! Simone! Are you awake, honey? It’s your father.”
“Daddy. Oh, Daddy. I lost you and couldn’t find you.” She imagined she was a little girl skipping in the yard at their house to him and he caught her in his arms hugging her tight.
“Oh baby. I’m so sorry this had to happen to you. I told them to leave you alone, that you knew nothing, but they wouldn’t listen.”
Simone blinked, inhaling her father’s scent. She clung to him tightly as her senses came fully awake. Then she slowly pulled away, looking at him, fully taking him in.
“Oh my God, it really is you. How? Wh-what is going on?”
“It’s a long story, honey.”
“One I think you need to tell me, don’t you?” She looked around the dark room, taking in her surroundings. The room looked very much like the one her father had been in on the video that was sent to during the ransom demand. She looked down and saw she was sitting on a full mattress set. She cleared her throat and coughed, then leaned closer to him so she could speak softer. “And you can start by explaining why your background is classified confidential with the FBI.”
Her father was silent for several minutes, just looking at her, before he finally said, “How the hell did you find that out?”
“Like you, I have my secrets.”
He shook his head. “You were snooping around. That’s why they grabbed you.”
“I thought it was because I didn’t pay the one million dollar ransom like they wanted. But I couldn’t get to the money. I called Whittenbrier on Monday to get the power of attorney changed so I could get access like you always told me if something should happen to you, but he was out of the office. I called again on Tuesday without any luck either. I never heard back about paying the ransom. Which was so strange. Then his assistant called this morning. Whittenbrier is dead.”
Her dad nodded. “Doesn’t surprise me. I told them you couldn’t get to my money without going to him. They must have grabbed him instead and he couldn’t give it up.”
“Are you sure he wasn’t involved? He’s got a shady file, dad. His background… you need to be more careful who you pick for an attorney in the future.”
“Simone, where are you getting this information?”
“I have my sources. You just tell me what I need to know about how you got here. What did you do? Why did I have a gang member point a gun at me but there was no bullet when he pulled the trigger? Your kidnappers got video of it and sent this to mom after she wouldn’t pay the five million they demanded in ransom for you. They made her think that I had been killed.”
“I’ve seen the video, Simone. They used that same video to lure me to an isolated location so they could abduct me. But then they showed me a clip of you and your friend Carly going into Chicago Med the next day once I got here so I knew you were okay.”
“They what?!” Simone jumped up off the mattress, but her legs felt like jelly and she was right back down on it in a matter of seconds. “Oh, that wasn’t a smart move. I don’t know what kind of shot they gave me, but it was a doozy.”
“It’s best if you sit still, try to stay calm.”
“What do these people want?” she asked.
“Retribution. I sold some bad weapons to them. Military grade that I got from a company I deal with on a regular basis.”
“Let me guess, Lincler Technologies and Securities?”
“How do you know that?”
“Again, my source.”
“Are you sure you don’t have something you need to tell me, little girl? Have you switched from sales with Robert Cranston and gone into undercover work?”
She grinned. “I’m still working for Cranston. In fact I’m in DC for the second week making up where I flubbed up the first week with a client because I spent too much time searching for you. So Cranston sent me back. Now I’ve been abducted, but at least I’ve found you this time.”
She leaned in and hugged him and he hugged her back. “I just hope that mom and Leland are safe at the Willard and they aren’t found in DC and end up getting abducted too.”
“You mom and Leland are coming to the city? Why?” Her dad released her.
“Because mom was frantic to see me after that video the kidnappers sent. She wouldn’t listen to reason that I was fine and they were on the next flight out.”
“That is so Gloria. Surely Leland can keep her safe while they are here.”
Simone looked by the mattress set for her purse or computer bag. “They took my bags. If mom calls my cell they’ll find out she’s in town.”
“They might just turn the phone off.”
“I hope not. The GPS tracker will help Liam locate us if he finds out I didn’t show up at Webster-Reynolds.”
“Who is Liam?” Clayton asked.
Simone felt her cheeks warm and she was smiling in spite of herself at the way her father asked that question.
“He’s my source.”
“Tell me about him.”
“What do you want to know?”
“For starters how does Liam have access to all this information?”
She leaned closer to him. “This room isn’t bugged, is it?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t had anyone to talk to the whole time I’ve been here.”
“I can trust you, daddy. Right? You aren’t really with these guys.”
“Simone! Why would you even ask a question like that?”
She sat back away from him and swallowed. “It’s hard to know who to trust after you’ve been shot at, and abducted off the street. And find out that your father has been keeping secrets from you all of his life. And still hasn’t explained why his file is classified confidential.”
“Which this Liam person has access to, so he is obviously someone you trust more than me right now.” Her dad looked hurt, like he was losing her. “I get it, kiddo.”
“My life has been turned upside down, daddy. I’ve been prescribed anti-anxiety medication because of it. I’ve been having panic attacks. Too much to deal with.”
“I’m sorry, honey, but the truth is I don’t know why my background is marked classified confidential with the FBI. Maybe your friend Liam pulled up the wrong profile.”
“It was the right one. I gave him your date of birth, mother’s maiden name. He wasn’t just putting in a name and state to do the search.”
“Well, who knows then? Maybe I’m a wanted man. And once I get out of this, the FBI might come knocking at my door.”
“Don’t be glib about it. This is serious.”
“First things first though, this Liam guy. Who is he?”
Simone explained about Liam and how he came to be assigned to her after the shooting at the bar, and how he’d helped her get passed her meltdown once they’d gotten back to her apartment that night.
“He came to DC with you?”
“Yes.”
“Sharing the same hotel room?”
“Yes, but only because the connecting rooms at the hotel I booked didn’t get transferred when we were reassigned at the last minute. But we’re making it work.”
“I don’t
like it.”
“Daddy, it’s not like I’m a virgin. You knew that.”
“I still don’t like it, Simone. He’s a stranger.”
“Not anymore.”
“Simone!”
“Well. You know me and a good looking man. If I set my eye on him I’m going to find a way to get him…”
Clayton shook his head, holding up a hand to stop her from speaking. “Don’t say more. I don’t want to have images of the two of you together in my head when I meet him…if I meet him.”
“Oh, you’ll meet him,” Simone said. “We just have to figure out a way to get out of here.”
Chapter 15
Liam hung up the phone with Hawkeye, stood up and stretched. He packed up his laptop and hung his tactical bag on his shoulder before he headed out of the hotel suite. He wasn’t sure where he’d go, but he needed to get out of there so the maid service could come in and clean.
Stepping off the elevator at lobby level, his cell rang. It was Hawkeye calling him back.
“Hey, did you find something out already?” Liam asked, walking over to a sitting area in the atrium of the hotel.
“No. I just got off the phone with a Robert Cranston. He said he is Simone Reid’s boss here in Chicago. He’d received a call from Webster-Reynolds there in DC, the client she was supposed to have met with this morning. She never showed. Cranston has been trying to reach Simone on her cell all morning, but it goes to voice mail. Since the man didn’t have your number he called here and the switchboard put him through to me.”
“Damn. I’ve screwed up…She left for work hours ago. We’ve been on and off the phone since she left, working on putting pieces together with Whittenbrier and Lincler. Simone could be anywhere in the DC area or halfway across the US by now if they put her on a flight.”
“Liam—”
“I’ve screwed up big time here. I should have went with her this morning.”
“Liam—”
“After we got the ransom demand on her father, I should have had the forethought to have realized she could have been next.”
“Liam! Listen. You can’t blame yourself. You have been with her twenty-four seven. You are one man. While she took care of business you were trying to track down her father for her.”
