Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Just then, the driver turned, faced the camera, and smiled.
And my blood ran cold.
“It’s Juan!” I shouted. I turned to Finn. “He’s fucking alive, and they got her.”
Finn grabbed my shoulders.
“And we’ll get her back.” He shook me. “I fucking promise.”
Around me was chaos. Evan was typing away, trying to find camera angles and search for the signal. Finn phoned Roman, telling him what happened.
“It’s Juan,” he muttered. “He’s alive.”
I heard Roman’s shouted reply. “Jesus fucking Christ! We’re on our way.”
Una showed up, Finn telling her what we had discovered. She burst into tears, collapsing against his chest. He pulled her out of the room.
I was numb.
I promised Anna I would keep her safe. I insisted there was no better place than right here in this hotel. I had her watched. Finn had extra men.
And still, she was taken.
Simply the thought of how terrified she must be caused a chasm to split my chest in two. Knowing what a sick, twisted man Juan was, I was stagnant with fear. I watched the images on the screen over and over. My Anna, my darling, had been shoved into a suitcase and wheeled out of here like yesterday’s soiled laundry heading to the cleaners. My anger began to boil inside me, the rage bringing me to my feet.
“Give me a job. Now.”
Evan looked up just as it happened. My phone lit up. My watch vibrated. In my bag I had flung on the floor when I rushed in, a signal sounded from my laptop.
Anna’s SOS.
“Holy shit, it’s still working,” Evan muttered, grabbing my phone. “It’s weak.”
“Can you locate it?”
“I’ll try.”
He sat down at the computer and started typing. Finn and Una came back, her red-eyed and Finn holding a sheet of paper.
“Una had a thought, Evan.”
“What?” he asked, not looking up.
“When you check in, we require a cell number. I have hers—if it’s real,” Una said.
He held out his hand, and Finn gave him the paper. Evan turned to another colleague. “Ben, check this out.”
Ben grabbed the paper, sitting down and typing fast.
Una came to me. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “She—Heidi—has been taking things to her new place. She said it was full of clothes. I never thought…” She trailed off with a sob.
I hugged her tight. “No one would have. This was planned, and she’s been waiting.”
“Anna was right there, and I didn’t know,” she cried.
I looked at Finn, shaking my head. “It’s not your fault, Una,” I assured her. “We’re going to get her back. We’ve got backup coming—”
My phone and watch lit up again.
“Is that a malfunction?” I asked Evan.
It happened again.
Then again.
He looked up. “I’d say no. She’s sending signals.”
I shut my eyes. Signals were good. It meant she was alive.
“Hold on, mo mhuirnín,” I thought. “We’re coming. I promise.”
Evan looked up. “I need room. And quiet.”
Finn nodded. “We’ll be in my office.”
We headed downstairs, Una tucked into Finn’s side, the occasional sob escaping her mouth. I was quiet, praying, desperately hoping.
In his office, Finn threw back a whiskey and handed me a glass. “You need this.”
“How is he alive?” I muttered. “And who the hell is this Heidi to him?”
Finn rubbed his eyes. “He mustn’t have been as hurt as we thought. He must have killed someone else and made it appear to be him. One of the lab workers, maybe. We didn’t have an accurate count of them.”
“Heidi never said her husband’s name. Do you really think they’re married?” Una asked.
“God knows. But she isn’t who she said she was. I guarantee there’s no condo or job transfer. She’s been trying to get Anna out of the hotel the whole time.” I stopped. “And you.”
“Jesus,” Finn breathed. “Jesus.”
He grabbed Una and held her close.
“Today must have been Plan B. Or maybe it was the plan the whole time. I don’t know.” I scrubbed my face. “He was even more obsessed than we thought.”
Evan walked in, heading straight to Finn’s computer. “We hacked into a few systems and found her carrier. Then we hacked further into her account—”
I cut him off. “And?”
He sighed. “We located the area her phone is in. It matches with the area the tracker is pinging from.” He turned the screen. “Look familiar?”
Finn and I stared at the screen.
“Holy shit.”
Roman and Aldo walked in after Evan had stepped out, both of them serious and angry.
“Any update?”
“We think he’s holding her at the racetrack.”
Roman frowned, stroking his chin. “Good idea. Place is locked up, supposedly deserted.”
“Power is still on for the security systems. We checked,” Finn informed them.
Aldo leaned against the wall, crossing his ankles. “He’d have keys. He’d know how to bypass certain areas. He’s been lying in wait.”
Roman rolled his shoulders. “What’s the plan? I have men on standby. Luca’s away, but we’re here.” He gripped my shoulder. “We’re getting her back. Tonight. He won’t risk waiting.”