Page 75 of Unravel You

Did she know he didn’t have Max when their picture was taken? I unlocked my phone, expecting to see the image of the two of them. My heartbeat quickened, pumping hot blood and acid through me. Was that Bridget’s endgame? Did she want me to get rid of Alex so she wouldn’t have to share the loot with him? I had to assume so. Bridget never took a step without knowing the next three moves.

“What about Bridget? Are we letting her walk away?”

“That’s your call.” Tyler came to stand next to me, blinking fast against the bright sunrays that filtered through the treetops.

The last time I let Bridget walk away, it gave her the idea that she had carte blanche to come after me anytime she felt like it. We were in this mess because I went easy on her before. What would she do for her next trick, after the money ran out, after she gambled it all away?

“I don’t want to do anything to put Valentina in the crossfire. What are my options?”

“The FBI is ready to give chase as soon as Valentina is in custody. They are no guarantees there. But make no mistake, Bridget will spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. This is a serious crime.”

Bridget, no doubt, had a plan to move to a different country and start over. “I want her and Alex in jail, not looking over their shoulders.”

“We can only do so much.”

“So, basically, my option is to wait. Wait until Bridget decides to bring Valentina back. Wait until the FBI finds Bridget and Alex. I can’t sit here and take that.”

If I stayed here another minute, I would lose my mind. The FBI didn’t know what was at stake here. They had their protocols and procedures, but they had no sense of urgency. They didn’t understand what Valentina was going through. What this would do to her the longer she stayed there.

I reached for the phone again. My guys better have a lead I can use, one that would put me on track to find Valentina.

The head of security picked up on the first ring. “I was about to call you.”

“What do you have?” The blood drained to my feet. Come morning, the time Bridget had given us to deliver the money would expire. Then it would all be out of my hands. I couldn’t let Bridget keep calling the shots.

“Got Alex at a gas station a few miles outside of Savannah. That was about eighteen hours ago. Worth looking into though, don’t you think?”

“Yes. Do it.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll get out there immediately. I’m leaving a couple of the guys behind in case you need them.”

“No need. I’m coming with you. Get the chopper ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

I hung up and walked around my desk. Tyler jerked into step behind me. “Where are you going?”

“To Savannah. I’m done hiding in this study, waiting for someone to bring me answers. I’m going there myself.” If anything, to get a sense that I was moving forward, doing something to get Valentina back.

“I’m coming with you.” Tyler ran up the stairs next to me. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”

I glanced at him. Backup would be nice because I had no idea how far gone Bridget was with this mad plan of hers. “Meet me out front in ten minutes. We’re driving to the office and flying from there.”

Chapter21

You Can't Make Someone Love You

Valentina

“Ah!” Blood trickled down my arm.

A serrated knife wasn’t exactly the right tool to strip a wire. I sucked on my finger to make the bleeding stop and then stabbed the waxy sleeve again. After it was riddled with tiny holes, I pulled it off to reveal the copper wires. This plan had to work. I couldn’t let Derek pay millions because I’d decided to come after Max.

All this was on me. I had to find a way out on my own. The house was on complete lockdown, but this small cry for help might just do the trick. Sending an alarm signal to the call center was a huge assumption. The owner of the house wasn’t required to keep up with their security system. If they had decided to stop making payments to the monitoring call center, I’d be back to square one.

Minutes had gone by since I pulled the red wire from its socket. If the system was beeping upstairs, would Bridget or Alex know where to go to check on it? I made quick work of the brown wire and twisted it around the red one before I shoved the spliced copper into the red slot. A fiery spark of protest was all I got. No dial tone or a response back. I replaced the metal cover on the box and returned to the bottom of the stairs where the lighting was better.

Normally, the call center would respond within seconds. But it was up to the owner to check in on his renters or send the cops to investigate. I stuffed my hands into my hair and let the tears flow.Get up. Get up. This isn’t the time to feel sorry for yourself.

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