ears only.
“Always.”
She left the same way they’d come in, remembering the dog and switching to the other side of the alley. He marked his watch with a five-minute countdown. In the corner of the yard, he hopped the fence and got to the back of the house without an alarm sounding.
He slid to the side of the kitchen window and had a perfect view of Shauna stacking bundles of cash into a gym bag. And next to the bag, a set of two keys that would fit a much older truck, reminding him of the one his brother still drove. From Shauna’s rich tastes, it didn’t seem likely that either of the Webers would be caught dead driving something that old.
He flattened himself to the brick and listened. Shauna left the room. She’d been barefoot, so they weren’t leaving immediately. He glanced at his watch. Three minutes. One last glance and he was out of the yard the way he’d come. He hid in the shadows behind a telephone pole until Alicia slowly approached. She didn’t come to a full stop as he opened the door and jumped inside.
“My gut was right.”
Chapter Thirteen
I’m tracking my daughter’s kidnapper. How did this happen?
The surrealism of the situation didn’t escape Alicia. She wasn’t qualified. Could only do as she was told. And each time she deviated from John’s instructions, something bad happened. Her shoes were still wet from the dunking she’d received trying to stop an argument between two men who were on her side.
She couldn’t claim to have been doing a wonderful job on her own prior to the kidnapping, but she’d survived. She’d battled all the obstacles of the past four years, and she’d figured it out. Enough that Lauren and she were happy.
I still don’t know what to do now.
A couple of minutes driving around in the subdivision and they found the truck on an empty lot at the end of a cul-de-sac. They parked in view of the subdivision entrance to watch for the truck to leave.
John convinced her to drive, since he had other things to prep. He retrieved his gun, stuffed it into his waistband and texted Dev. He sat next to her, leaning back in the seat, keeping watch and thumbing through screens on the smartphone. She was so anxious to get Lauren back she could hardly think about any of the details he’d been going over.
“Are you playing solitaire? How can you be completely confident this is going to work?” she asked after forty-five minutes.
“I’m never completely confident. Solitaire keeps me from thinking about things that can go—”
“Wrong.” There was a long list of things that could go “south,” as he constantly put it.
John put a hand on her shoulder, deeply massaging the tight muscles. “You’re tense. Relax. The steering wheel can’t possibly escape that death grip of yours.”
Two cars passed and had her leaning forward, jumping to start the car. John’s hand stayed her from turning the key. Her heart beat so quickly she checked the mirror to see if the vein in her throat was bulging. She rubbed her shaking hands up and down her thighs, feeling the adrenaline tremble through her body.
Doubt crammed into her mind and blocked her ability to think straight. She had to know if she was as clueless as she felt.
“Did I miss something? Could I have prevented the kidnapping or bank transfers or any of this from happening?”
“No,” John answered quickly, but stiffened.
“How can you be so certain?” Questioning her movements and decisions was a big part of the apprehension building inside her chest. If he knew something... If he had an answer... Maybe that would ease the tension and allow her to function better.
He shifted uncomfortably. His gaze seemed to drift. Then he looked sad, like a memory he didn’t want to face wouldn’t leave him alone. She’d seen that faraway look a couple of times now. He was physically fit and looked like Brian, so she’d sort of seen him for twelve years. But something big in him had changed. She’d known
“Always.”
She left the same way they’d come in, remembering the dog and switching to the other side of the alley. He marked his watch with a five-minute countdown. In the corner of the yard, he hopped the fence and got to the back of the house without an alarm sounding.
He slid to the side of the kitchen window and had a perfect view of Shauna stacking bundles of cash into a gym bag. And next to the bag, a set of two keys that would fit a much older truck, reminding him of the one his brother still drove. From Shauna’s rich tastes, it didn’t seem likely that either of the Webers would be caught dead driving something that old.
He flattened himself to the brick and listened. Shauna left the room. She’d been barefoot, so they weren’t leaving immediately. He glanced at his watch. Three minutes. One last glance and he was out of the yard the way he’d come. He hid in the shadows behind a telephone pole until Alicia slowly approached. She didn’t come to a full stop as he opened the door and jumped inside.
“My gut was right.”
Chapter Thirteen
I’m tracking my daughter’s kidnapper. How did this happen?
The surrealism of the situation didn’t escape Alicia. She wasn’t qualified. Could only do as she was told. And each time she deviated from John’s instructions, something bad happened. Her shoes were still wet from the dunking she’d received trying to stop an argument between two men who were on her side.
She couldn’t claim to have been doing a wonderful job on her own prior to the kidnapping, but she’d survived. She’d battled all the obstacles of the past four years, and she’d figured it out. Enough that Lauren and she were happy.
I still don’t know what to do now.
A couple of minutes driving around in the subdivision and they found the truck on an empty lot at the end of a cul-de-sac. They parked in view of the subdivision entrance to watch for the truck to leave.
John convinced her to drive, since he had other things to prep. He retrieved his gun, stuffed it into his waistband and texted Dev. He sat next to her, leaning back in the seat, keeping watch and thumbing through screens on the smartphone. She was so anxious to get Lauren back she could hardly think about any of the details he’d been going over.
“Are you playing solitaire? How can you be completely confident this is going to work?” she asked after forty-five minutes.
“I’m never completely confident. Solitaire keeps me from thinking about things that can go—”
“Wrong.” There was a long list of things that could go “south,” as he constantly put it.
John put a hand on her shoulder, deeply massaging the tight muscles. “You’re tense. Relax. The steering wheel can’t possibly escape that death grip of yours.”
Two cars passed and had her leaning forward, jumping to start the car. John’s hand stayed her from turning the key. Her heart beat so quickly she checked the mirror to see if the vein in her throat was bulging. She rubbed her shaking hands up and down her thighs, feeling the adrenaline tremble through her body.
Doubt crammed into her mind and blocked her ability to think straight. She had to know if she was as clueless as she felt.
“Did I miss something? Could I have prevented the kidnapping or bank transfers or any of this from happening?”
“No,” John answered quickly, but stiffened.
“How can you be so certain?” Questioning her movements and decisions was a big part of the apprehension building inside her chest. If he knew something... If he had an answer... Maybe that would ease the tension and allow her to function better.
He shifted uncomfortably. His gaze seemed to drift. Then he looked sad, like a memory he didn’t want to face wouldn’t leave him alone. She’d seen that faraway look a couple of times now. He was physically fit and looked like Brian, so she’d sort of seen him for twelve years. But something big in him had changed. She’d known
Similar Books
