Page 48 of Redeeming Meg

Her heart skipped a beat. Dec moved a step closer to the man. “Who does?”

The driver shrugged, showing them his phone. “Unknown number.”

They read the text that was brief and gave nothing away:

Bring the Americans to the following address. A token of my appreciation will be deposited into your money account. Do not disappoint me, or your family will pay for your negligence.

It was followed with an address. That was it.

“They made the deposit already,” Tomas said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “He didn’t need to threaten my family. Is that what your brother does? Threatens innocent people?”

“How do you know it’s from him?” Dec asked.

“Who else would it be from?”

Meg glanced at Dec. The threat didn’t sound like Tommy, but then, he wasn’t acting like himself. It wasn’t much of a lead, but it was the only one they had.

He nodded in agreement.

Always in sync. She loved that about them.

He opened the door, and she slid into the backseat.” No one’s going to hurt your family. Just drive.”

EIGHTEEN

The address was that of an abandoned mall—a sprawling, decaying husk of what it had once been.

Faded signs, shattered windows, and graffiti-covered walls greeted them as Tomas pulled into an empty parking lot.

The sky had darkened on the way, and rain began to patter against the windows.

“Drive around,” Declan instructed. There were too many entrances, too many places for Tommy or whoever had sent that message to hide.

Too many places that could be traps.

“Just let us out here,” Meg countered.

Even after the events of the previous day, Declan felt reluctant to lead Meg into the place without any backup or assistance. Yet, she was chomping at the bit to bail from the car and stride right in.

The woman was going to give him a stroke.

Normally, he was right beside her when it came to leading the charge, but for a brief moment, he considered hog-tying her and making the driver take her back to the bus stop. “We don’t know what we’re getting into,” he argued. “We need to do surveillance.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t argue. “This is a huge place. Our host could be anywhere.”

There were several broken-down, abandoned cars in various lots as Tomas eased around the gigantic structure. Grass and weeds pushed through the cracks in the asphalt. The once well-manicured trees and bushes in the islands were growing wild.

In what was considered the rear, Declan noted plain employee entrances that led to the individual shops. “Stop here.”

His instincts were on high alert, and he palmed his weapon as he and Meg left their nervous driver with instructions to wait. The first door was locked, and so were the next several.

Rain dampened his clothes. The taxi continued to track their progress as they made their way down the long line of back doors. Eventually, Declan hailed the driver and told him to leave.

“Should I call the police?” Tomas asked.

“No. We’ll handle it.” Declan tapped the open window ledge, glancing up as the rain began to fall in earnest. “It’s best if you go. We’ll call you if we need anything else.”

“Maybe we should have him stay,” Meg said, watching the car slowly drive away.

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