wanted to help.
They hadn’t told her that she’d given them a vital piece of information. They’d kept that in their back pocket.
She’d said that Julie had been excited to see her best friend and surprised she hadn’t heard about the pep rally before school. Of course Julie hadn’t heard about the pep rally because there wasn’t one.
Lainey’s cell phone rattled on the coffee table and both Lainey and Brice jumped.
Lainey leaped forward to check it. “It’s a text message from Julie.”
Lainey’s hand shook as she pressed the buttons to open up the message. “1656 Green Street,” she read.
Then, the phone rang. Lainey almost dropped it. “It’s her,” she said in a voice that rose unnaturally high.
She punched the button to connect, and raised the phone to her ear with a shaky hand. “Julie,” her voice quivered with emotion. “Are you okay?”
Brice stepped close to her, placing his ear beside the cell phone so that he could hear Julie’s voice.
“I’m okay.”
Her little girl voice broke his heart. She seemed determined to be strong for Lainey’s sake. They’d probably learned early on that the other was vulnerable to their emotions and were each strong for the other sister.
Lainey’s hand shook so much that he was afraid she would drop the phone and they’d lose the connection. He placed his hand over Lainey’s to steady her.
Julie’s end of the call seemed to be on speakerphone, echoing, so that whoever held Julie could hear both sides of the conversation.
“Has he said when he’s going to let you go, Julie?”
Julie paused as if listening to someone. Brice couldn’t hear anything. Someone could have placed their hand over the speaker or put it on mute.
Then, sound returned to the phone.
“He says he wants something.”
Anger pulsed through Brice. He wanted to yell into the phone. But that might only anger this egotistical monster, excite his male urges to punish.
“He said Sean Moseman needs killing.”
Lainey’s face blanched pale. “Let me speak to him, Julie.”
After a moment, Julie replied, “He says you don’t need to talk. You just need to listen.”
“Okay.”
“He wants you to bring Sean Moseman to him so that he can kill him, since you seem unable to do it.”
Lainey didn’t say anything, her face pale, a jaw muscle working, as if trying to hold back words.
The phone went silent again then Julie’s little voice bleated, “He says you have to do what he says. That you’re not capable of making the right decision so you have to be told the right thing to do.”
Lainey’s mouth quivered, then she tightened her lips. “Julie, I will do whatever it takes to get you back. You will be okay, do you hear me?”
Silence hung on the line for a long moment before the little girl answered, her voice sounding much younger than the twelve years old that Brice knew her to be.
“I know you’ll take care of me, Lainey. You always have.”
A muffled voice said something, then Julie said, “He says you have to go and get Moseman.”
Then, the phone went dead and as if released from a death grip, Lainey crumpled onto the couch. He was afraid to touch her, afraid that if he did, she would collapse totally into an emotional wreck.
She put her head into her hands for just a second, then jerked her head upright. “That text message just before the phone call. It was an address.”
“Let me see.” He sat down beside her and she punched it up again. Mere seconds before she’d called, Julie had somehow managed to fire off a text message. Unless that was from the abductor. There was no way to know.
Either way, they had to act.
He pulled out his cell phone and began dialing. Lainey grabbed the phone from his hands, her expression fierce. “What are you doing?”
“Calling in the SWAT team. We need backup.”
She looked at him like she’d caught him torturing kittens. “Are you crazy?” She grabbed his cell phone and threw it across the room. “Do
They hadn’t told her that she’d given them a vital piece of information. They’d kept that in their back pocket.
She’d said that Julie had been excited to see her best friend and surprised she hadn’t heard about the pep rally before school. Of course Julie hadn’t heard about the pep rally because there wasn’t one.
Lainey’s cell phone rattled on the coffee table and both Lainey and Brice jumped.
Lainey leaped forward to check it. “It’s a text message from Julie.”
Lainey’s hand shook as she pressed the buttons to open up the message. “1656 Green Street,” she read.
Then, the phone rang. Lainey almost dropped it. “It’s her,” she said in a voice that rose unnaturally high.
She punched the button to connect, and raised the phone to her ear with a shaky hand. “Julie,” her voice quivered with emotion. “Are you okay?”
Brice stepped close to her, placing his ear beside the cell phone so that he could hear Julie’s voice.
“I’m okay.”
Her little girl voice broke his heart. She seemed determined to be strong for Lainey’s sake. They’d probably learned early on that the other was vulnerable to their emotions and were each strong for the other sister.
Lainey’s hand shook so much that he was afraid she would drop the phone and they’d lose the connection. He placed his hand over Lainey’s to steady her.
Julie’s end of the call seemed to be on speakerphone, echoing, so that whoever held Julie could hear both sides of the conversation.
“Has he said when he’s going to let you go, Julie?”
Julie paused as if listening to someone. Brice couldn’t hear anything. Someone could have placed their hand over the speaker or put it on mute.
Then, sound returned to the phone.
“He says he wants something.”
Anger pulsed through Brice. He wanted to yell into the phone. But that might only anger this egotistical monster, excite his male urges to punish.
“He said Sean Moseman needs killing.”
Lainey’s face blanched pale. “Let me speak to him, Julie.”
After a moment, Julie replied, “He says you don’t need to talk. You just need to listen.”
“Okay.”
“He wants you to bring Sean Moseman to him so that he can kill him, since you seem unable to do it.”
Lainey didn’t say anything, her face pale, a jaw muscle working, as if trying to hold back words.
The phone went silent again then Julie’s little voice bleated, “He says you have to do what he says. That you’re not capable of making the right decision so you have to be told the right thing to do.”
Lainey’s mouth quivered, then she tightened her lips. “Julie, I will do whatever it takes to get you back. You will be okay, do you hear me?”
Silence hung on the line for a long moment before the little girl answered, her voice sounding much younger than the twelve years old that Brice knew her to be.
“I know you’ll take care of me, Lainey. You always have.”
A muffled voice said something, then Julie said, “He says you have to go and get Moseman.”
Then, the phone went dead and as if released from a death grip, Lainey crumpled onto the couch. He was afraid to touch her, afraid that if he did, she would collapse totally into an emotional wreck.
She put her head into her hands for just a second, then jerked her head upright. “That text message just before the phone call. It was an address.”
“Let me see.” He sat down beside her and she punched it up again. Mere seconds before she’d called, Julie had somehow managed to fire off a text message. Unless that was from the abductor. There was no way to know.
Either way, they had to act.
He pulled out his cell phone and began dialing. Lainey grabbed the phone from his hands, her expression fierce. “What are you doing?”
“Calling in the SWAT team. We need backup.”
She looked at him like she’d caught him torturing kittens. “Are you crazy?” She grabbed his cell phone and threw it across the room. “Do
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