Page 52 of Lone Star Hostage

So did Joe and Victoria. They’d stood, their attention pinned to what was playing out in Presley’s driveway.

“No,” Victoria blurted, and she turned as if to run outside, but Joe slipped his arm around her to stop her.

“I can’t let him hurt Olivia,” Victoria insisted.

“It might not be Olivia he wants to hurt,” Presley said from over his shoulder. “You could be the target.”

With her eyes wide now, Victoria stopped struggling, and a hoarse sob clawed its way past her throat. “Stop him, Presley. Don’t let him kill her.”

Billie knew Presley would do everything to stop that from happening, but they weren’t even sure what they were dealing with here.

“Put away your gun, Ari,” Presley ordered. “Olivia, get down on the ground.”

Neither obeyed.

Ari spared Presley an annoyed glance, but he kept his Glock aimed at Olivia—who stayed put. “She stole the diamonds,” he snarled. “She probably has them on her right now.”

Olivia frantically shook her head. “I didn’t take them. I swear, I didn’t.”

“You did,” he spat out. “I saw you on the security cam. You went into the vault and took them.”

More of that frantic headshaking, and Olivia shot a pleading look at Presley. “Please help me. I did go into the vault because I got a text from an unknown number saying the diamonds weren’t there. I wanted to check for myself, and they were missing.”

Billie had no idea if the woman was telling the truth about the text or the diamonds, but one thing was obvious. Olivia was terrified. That was a reasonable response since the person she believed was her brother seemed more than ready to kill her.

“I can show you the text,” Olivia added, fishing through her pocket to come up with a phone that she then waved in the air.

“Down on the ground now, Olivia,” Presley insisted.

And this time the woman listened. Sort of. Olivia didn’t actually drop to her belly, but she did scramble toward the front of her car, ducking down behind the hood.

“The diamonds were there yesterday,” Ari went on, his voice increasing in both volume and rage. “And only two people went in the vault after I verified they were there. My father and Olivia. Since Dad wouldn’t do this, that leaves mydear, sweet sister.”

That last part was definitely not a term of endearment. His voice dripped with venom.

“I didn’t take them!” Olivia shouted, and she made another of those shrieking sobs. She was crying now. Or else pretending to anyway. “I think Victoria did it. She must have altered the security feed or something.”

Victoria made a slight gasp. “I didn’t,” she muttered. “I have no reason to steal those diamonds.”

Billie didn’t say it out loud, but the woman did have a possible motive. If Victoria blamed Ari and Jesep for her kidnapping, she might have wanted to get back at them like this. Still, Billie couldn’t see that happening. If Victoria truly wanted revenge, there were likely easier ways to do it.

“Give me the diamonds now,” Ari yelled, and he moved away from his car, making a beeline toward his sister.

“Ari, stand down,” Presley snarled.

The man didn’t listen. He just kept storming toward Olivia.

Presley muttered some profanity under his breath, stepped out onto the porch and fired a warning shot. Not at Ari but over the man’s head.

That got a reaction all right from both Olivia and Ari. Olivia started screaming at the top of her lungs. Ari made a garbled sound of surprise, and his attention flew toward Presley. He moved to shift his gun, to take aim at Presley.

Billie groaned and stepped out onto the porch with Presley. So did Angel. And they all pointed their guns at Ari.

“The next time I fire, it won’t be a warning shot,” Presley snapped.

Ari stood there, glaring at them. But what he didn’t do was turn his Glock toward them. “Just give me the diamonds, and I’ll leave my idiot sister for you. Oh, right. She’s your idiot sister. My sympathies. My advice? Save yourself some future misery and put a bullet in her brain. In her bitch mother’s brain, too.”

“Ari,” Victoria murmured, causing Presley, Angel, and Billie to all curse again.

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