Page 109 of Fatal Betrayal

"Hannah was sick when we took her. She developed a high fever and a rash and the family she was supposed to go to wouldn't take her when they realized she had medical issues, so we took care of her until she was better. And then…" Kim's lips tightened. "The woman taking care of her didn't want to let her go, so she kept her. She was well-treated. I have nothing to feel guilty about."

She doubted the narcissistic Kim ever felt guilty about anything. "You're an evil person, Kim."

"I'm not evil. I'm a businesswoman. I had no other choice. I had two small kids and a lousy husband who ran up gambling debts so high I was going to lose everything. All I had to do was get a few girls into the country, a few poor, desperate girls, who could have a better life by providing a baby to a couple who were also desperate to be parents. It was a win-win."

"It wasn't a win for the Montgomerys. Why did you take Hannah if you were bringing pregnant girls into the country?"

"There were a couple of instances where a deal fell through, and there was a lot of money on the line, so we had to improvise. Find a child who was the same age, with the same features. Blonde, blue-eyed children are very popular."

"Hannah was an improvisation? Was Elisa Benedict as well?"

"Yes."

"Is TJ part of this?"

"No, my youngest son is adorable but a complete idiot and often too stoned to know what he's saying."

"I can't believe he doesn't know."

"I don't care what you believe. And we're done talking, Andi. Soon, you'll smell smoke. The room will get hotter. You'll wonder if anyone will notice that there's a fire burning. Maybe you'll even think someone will rescue you, but that won't happen. You're not going to survive, Andi. Not this time. This is your last case."

Kim pulled out a small device of some kind and hit a button.

As she did so, Andi heard the sudden sound of a ticking clock.

"You have about eighteen minutes to figure the rest out," Kim said, with a dark smile.

* * *

Cooper parked in front of Wave Studios, disappointed to see no lights on in the building. He tried the front door, but it was locked. The blinds were closed.

Andi could still be in there. But it felt wrong. He'd made a mistake. She wasn't here. His heart sank. She'd already been gone an hour, and he didn't like her chances of surviving anything that went on too long.

His gaze swept the industrial area, which was comprised of big stone buildings, one a tile company, another with bathroom fixtures, and a third belonging to a printer. There was a large warehouse a block away with a sign that read Pacific Coast Staging, and he remembered the flyer he'd seen on Andi's father's desk, that Lassiter Realty was a full-service company, with staging services provided by Pacific Coast Staging. It couldn't be a coincidence that it was on the same block as TJ's sound studio. TJ had mentioned that his mother had helped him find the perfect studio space.

He started down the street, thinking a warehouse would be the perfect place to hide someone. He'd no sooner taken a few steps when a figure came running around the corner, barreling into him. As he grabbed her arms, he looked into her face and got another shock. The blonde woman in front of him was Natasha, but she didn't look like the young woman he'd seen earlier. Her clothes were ripped and dirty, and there was blood on her face and on her arms.

"Natasha? Are you all right?"

"You're her boyfriend or something, aren't you?" Natasha asked.

"I'm Cooper. Do you know where Andi is?"

"Yes, but there's no time. Hurry." She ran toward the staging warehouse and as they moved around the side of it, he saw flames dancing in a window. "They set a fire on the first floor, and there's a bomb on the second floor. It's going to go off soon." The words flew out of her mouth in a panicked rush.

"Where is Andi?"

"On the second floor. She's tied up. She told me who I was. I didn't want to believe her. But I know she's right. I'm Hannah."

"We're going to talk about that, but I need to get Andi out first."

He yanked open the door, and they ran into the smoky building. A fire had been started a few feet away, and it was getting bigger by the second. They were in a huge furniture warehouse with plenty of fuel, but he couldn’t worry about that now. "Where is she?"

Natasha turned on the flashlight on her phone and led him to the stairs. He turned on his light, as it was dark and smoky and difficult to see. But when they reached the second floor, he was relieved to see there was no fire here—not yet.

The door in front of him was locked, but that wasn't going to stop him. "Stand back," he said. He gave himself a little space and then kicked the door. It didn't budge, so he threw his whole body against it until it flew open. He ran into the room, his light dancing off more furniture until it found the woman on the bed.

Andi stared at him in shock and fear. Her hands were tied together and cuffed to the metal bed frame.

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