Page 82 of Elusive Promise

"We did find the bartender at the Stone Cellar, who admitted to knowing Isaac," Damon continued. "In fact, Isaac was in the club Thursday night."

Her heart sped up. "So, he's here in the city."

"Yes. The bartender claims he has never seen Isaac outside the club, but he gave us a couple of other locations Isaac mentioned that he likes to go. They're mostly other clubs, but it gives us somewhere to start. He also said that the night Isaac was in the club, he was talking to two guys, who appeared to be Indian. We're looking through surveillance tape from the club."

"Those could be the kidnappers."

"Unfortunately, the club is frequented by a lot of young men who fit that description. We also chased down the IDs of the two waiters that Ben got into the party. Both men were deceased. The identities were stolen."

"That's not unexpected."

"No. We've gone through Ben's phone. There were three calls from a number that is now disconnected. We traced it to a phone purchased from a convenience store a week earlier. It was a cash transaction, and the team is going through security footage obtained from the store and neighboring buildings to see if we can pick up any familiar faces. That's going to take time."

"Time that Jasmine doesn't have. I could take a shot at the Langdons again. Make them see how important it is for Ben to keep talking," she suggested.

"I doubt it would help. You're not Mrs. Langdon's favorite person. She said you owed the family your loyalty, and you betrayed them."

She felt a twinge of guilt at Damon's words. She had betrayed the Langdons, but she'd only done it to save Jasmine's life. She supposed that didn't make a difference to them, since she'd put their son's life on the line to do that.

"I think it's best if you stay out of this, Parisa," Damon continued.

"What about the ransom? Have the kidnappers contacted the Larimers again?"

"No. The drop is set for tomorrow morning at ten o'clock at Shell Park. Now you know what I know. One last thing. Vincent has been pressuring me to bring you in. He claims to be very worried about you. I told him that you are staying off the grid until Jasmine is found. I'd suggest you do just that."

"I want to do more than hide, Damon."

"There's nothing you can do that we're not doing."

"I'll check in with you again later." She ended the call and sat back in her seat. "Looks like you were right, Jared. We might have gotten more information if I hadn't turned Ben over."

"There's no point in looking back. Regrets get us nowhere." He got up. "Do you want coffee?"

"Sure."

He filled two mugs and returned to the table.

She sipped her coffee, immediately appreciating the kick of caffeine. "At least we know Isaac is in New York, although that only makes me worry more. The city is a target-rich environment. And that diamond could buy a lot of explosives."

"It could also buy a lot of weapons to overthrow the Bezikstan government, which is one of the goals of Brothers of the Earth."

"That's true."

"But I'm not discounting a New York target. The group wants to be noticed. They want recruits and the more attention they get, the more people who sign up. We have to stop them."

"I want to do that; I'm just not sure how." She thought for a moment. "Maybe I should call Neil. I didn't speak to him earlier. I could make a case for Ben cooperating with the FBI. He's a reasonable, intelligent person, and I know he cares about Jasmine." She paused. "You still have his phone number, don't you?"

"I do," he said, pulling out his second phone. "It's worth a shot." He read off the number to her, and she punched it into her phone.

She put the call on speaker again. The number rang four times, and then Neil answered. Her heart quickened. She hadn't really thought he'd pick up.

"It's Parisa," she said. "Please don't hang up."

"Do you know what you've done?" Neil asked, anger in his voice.

"I know that Ben is probably the only one who can save Jasmine, and you're not letting him talk to the FBI. I don't understand why."

"As I told Raj, Ben doesn’t know who took Jasmine. He was being threatened by an unknown person. All the information he had, he gave to you."

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