Page 94 of Elusive Promise

"Got it," she said, her hand on the door.

She split her gaze between Anika and the bus coming up behind them. As it lumbered past them, she jumped out and ran down the street, hiding behind a large tree, two houses down from Anika's location. On the other side, she could see Jared squatting behind a parked car, even closer to the house than she was.

She forced herself to breathe as seconds passed. She really hoped no one was watching her or Jared from one of the other houses. The last thing they needed was a neighbor coming out to investigate.

She was beginning to wonder if anything was going to happen when Anika suddenly opened her car door. She stepped onto the driveway but didn't make any attempt to close her door. In fact, she seemed to be using the car as a barrier between her and the house.

The door to the home slowly opened, and a woman stepped out on the porch. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and tucked under a Yankees baseball cap. She had dark glasses covering her eyes and wore jeans and a New York Yankees sweatshirt.

There was no weapon visible, and the woman didn't look at all threatening, but Parisa had learned a long time ago that appearances could be deceiving. The woman motioned to Anika to come to the porch. Anika shook her head. It didn't appear that they knew each other. They were both wary.

Was Anika waiting to see her sister?

She turned her head at the sound of an engine. A minivan was coming down the street. She used it once again for cover, jogging down to the next house, the next tree. She could hear Anika speaking now.

"My sister or I leave," Anika said.

Her heart raced at Anika's words.Jasmine had to be in the house.

The woman walked over to the open door and said something to someone inside.

While the woman had her back turned, she saw Jared move behind the short brick wall that lined the driveway. He was only a few feet from Anika now.

Her gaze returned to the front of the house. Another woman was shoved through the door, her hands tied behind her back.

Jasmine!Her heart leapt with joy. Jasmine was alive!

She seemed to be crying, her shoulders shaking, her long hair tumbling around her face. She was still wearing the dress she'd had on at the engagement party. A man stood in the doorway behind Jasmine, holding her arm with one hand, a gun in the other.

"Put the bag on the porch," the man ordered.

Anika grabbed the duffel bag from the passenger seat and then walked around the front of the car. She set the bag at the bottom of the steps.

"Open it," the man said. "Show me what's inside."

Anika unzipped the bag and pulled the sides open. "It's all there. Let go of Jasmine."

"Get the bag, Sara," the man told the woman in the baseball cap.

Sara, Ben's girlfriend. The man holding Jasmine was probably Isaac Naru.

She could only imagine what Jared was thinking right now. He'd want to act. He'd want to take down Sara and Isaac, two people who were responsible for the death of his friend. But Jasmine needed to be out of the line of fire. She trusted Jared would wait.

As Sara moved toward the bag, Anika suddenly grabbed it, holding it like a shield in front of her. "Let go of my sister," she said. "Then you get the money."

Parisa frowned. Anika was acting with a lot of courage, but the kidnappers could shoot her, grab the bag, and kill Jasmine.

"Hand the bag over," the man ordered. "Or you both die."

"Do what he says," Sara said, a pleading note in her voice. "He will kill you."

"Let my sister go," Anika said again. "You don't need her anymore."

"Isaac, please," Sara said, giving the man a pleading look. "She's right. We don’t need Jasmine."

Isaac suddenly shoved Jasmine forward—so hard she stumbled, falling to her knees and then halfway down the stairs, knocking Sara backward against the rail in the process. Anika dropped the bag of money and reached for her sister.

The duffel bag was in the clear. All Sara had to do was grab it. But that didn't seem to be good enough for Isaac. He raised his gun, pointing it at the Kumar sisters.

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