Page 152 of Call Back

Belinda lifted the gun to my temple. “Text him!”

Colt, obviously panicking, took a step toward us before he stopped himself. “Okay. Okay. Please. I’ll text him. But I want you to swear to me you won’t hurt her!”

Belinda didn’t answer, and at that moment I wasn’t sure I believed her earlier promise that I was safe.

“I’m getting out my phone,” Colt said. “Okay?”

“Don’t try anything, or I’ll kill her, Colt.”

“I believe you. Just tell me what you want it to say.” He slowly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone.

“I want to see the text before you send it,” she said. “Tell him that he has ten minutes to show up or Magnolia dies.”

“Text?” Rowena said, sounding disgusted. “Why doesn’t he just call?”

“Because he doesn’t answer the phone,” Belinda said. “Does he, Colt? He hides behind his blocked number.”

The blood rushed from my head. Was he the serial killer? My knees started to buckle, but Belinda jerked my arm, helping me regain my senses.

Bill looked confused. “How do you know that, Belinda?”

She didn’t answer.

Colt had already been tapping on his phone and held it up. “Here. It’s ready, but he might not be close enough to meet the deadline. I promise you he’ll come. You know she’s important to him, but he might be too far away.”

Belinda shook her head. “No. He knows this is going down. He’ll be close. In fact, I suspect he’s closer than any of you realize.” She nodded to Colt. “Send the text.”

He looked up at me with fear in his eyes as he pressed the screen.

“Now that that task has been accomplished,” Rowena said in a satisfied voice, “I’ll need the bag of gold, Mr. Austin.”

Colt slowly backed up, moving partially behind the pillar before he reemerged with the small canvas bag we’d taken from that basement in Chattanooga. It looked heavy from the way the straps strained against his hand.

“Set it down in front of Kent,” she said, gesturing to the man at her side.

Colt did as instructed, then slowly backed up.

After handing his gun to Rowena, the henchman squatted in front of the bag and searched through it.

“Is it all there?” Rowena asked.

“It appears to be,” he said. Sure enough, I recognized the gravelly voice from that rainy night at the industrial park, but I wasn’t so sure it was the man in Bill James’s office.

“You got your gold,” Colt said. “So go.”

“No,” she said with a tight smile. “I’ll wait to greet our special guest.” Then her grin spread.

Lord only knew what would happen then. There was nowhere to hide if it turned into a gun battle.

Colt’s gaze landed on the purse still tucked under my arm.

He had a gun, and from the look on his face, he would do whatever it took to protect me. I suspected that included shooting Belinda if he thought she was going to kill me.

“Belinda,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm and soothing. “Colt sent the text. He’ll show up. You can put the gun away now and wait.”

“Do you even know who he sent the text to?”

Tears filled my eyes, but I shook my head. “No.”

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