Page 28 of They All Own Me

"A kidnapping?" She lets out a sharp laugh. "Thomas won't pay a dime. He'd probably send a thank you note."

"That's where you're wrong." I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "We're not asking for ransom money… yet. Hopefully his dumbass will fulfill his debts before it gets to that point."

Connor picks up his laptop, fingers flying across the keys. "The plan is we leak the story to the press before Thomas even realizes you're gone. Force his hand."

"The concerned husband act?" Tatum's lips curl into a knowing smirk. "I gotta warn you, he's a terrible actor."

"Doesn't matter." I stand, pacing the length of our living room. "What matters is optics. A senator's wife goes missing? That's front-page news."

"The press will eat it up," Isaac adds. "Young, beautiful political wife vanishes without a trace? They'll camp outside your house for weeks."

"And Thomas will have to play along." Connor spins his laptop around, showing her mock-up news headlines. "He steps one toe out of line, looks anything less than devastated, his whole career goes up in smoke."

"It buys us some time to get some more intel, enough to destroy him, enough… to buy you an out." I say.

"Hm, the perfect husband searching for his beloved wife." Tatum's green eyes spark with interest. "While actually scrambling to cover his ass with your boss."

"Exactly." I stop pacing, catching her gaze. "He'll be too busy juggling press conferences and police interviews to focus on his... other obligations."

"And that's when we squeeze him," Connor says. "While he's distracted, we'll have complete access to everything."

"Plus," Isaac adds with a grin, "you get a mini vacation from playing Stepford wife."

"Hell, when do we start?" The eagerness in Tatum's voice matches the determination in her eyes.

I check my watch. "How's tomorrow sound?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. But where exactly am I staying during this little vacation?" Tatum asks, crossing her legs and leaning back into the couch cushions.

I gesture around us. "Right here. We've got a spare room upstairs."

"You're keeping me in your house?" Her eyebrows shoot up. "Isn't that a bit... risky?"

Connor drops into the chair across from her. "Safest place, actually. No one would think to look for a senator's wife in a townhouse in Brooklyn."

"Plus," Isaac adds, "we can keep an eye on you."

"Still don't trust me?" She shoots him a knowing look. "Seasoned criminals."

I pull up the security feed on my phone. "You'll have free run of the house except for the basement. That's off limits."

"Oh, so the torture chamber is a legit thing?" She says cautiously. It's the first time i've ever seen her sweat, It's quite funny.

"Eh, something like that." I tuck the phone away. "We'll stage the kidnapping tomorrow morning. Make it look like a random grab."

"Thomas knows I take the trash out by seven every morning," she says. "Like clockwork. Otherwise Debbie from next door bitches to the HOA."

Connor nods. "Perfect. We'll have a van waiting down the street. Quick and clean."

"And then what?"

"Then you disappear." I meet her eyes. "No contact with anyone outside this room. Not even your brother."

"How'd you…" She starts to question. "You know what, never mind…"

She holds my gaze for a long moment before adding. "He'll understand. How long?"

"Two weeks, maybe three. However long it takes Thomas to crack under the pressure."

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