Page 66 of Save Her Life

“Lakisha’s good. She’ll get the number and track it down. Chin up.”

“Chin up?” She smiled at him, impressed that even though she was sick with worry, he managed to lighten the mood, even if for a moment. But as it passed, the shadows rolled in. There was no forgetting that her daughter was with a madman.

THIRTY-TWO

After Sandra updated Elwood Rowe with the latest, he sent her home. It wasn’t a suggestion but a direct order, which he made abundantly clear. She only relented when he said he’d arrange for other agents to go to Dennis Eaton’s place of employment the moment they opened for the day. She let herself into her penthouse, and Eric came to the door.

“Have you heard anything?” he asked her.

She nodded and fell into his arms. He didn’t prod her to elaborate but let her be. Her dam of emotions burst, and she cried against his chest while he stroked her hair. She eventually pulled back, licking her lips. “I should get some sleep.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

He still wasn’t pushing her, even though he must have been eager to learn more. She told him, “We know who took Olivia now, and they called me.”

“Theydid? There’s more than one?”

Sandra nodded and told him the men’s names.

“Okay, well, that’s a good start, right? Are they looking for a ransom?”

She appreciated why his mind went there. “This doesn’t seem to be about money. Though I don’t even know exactly what itis about.” The admission made her feel so helpless, but that might be Jennings’s intention. Had he simply called to tease her, manipulate her emotions, and make her believe there was a way to get her daughter back when her future was already written? She filled Eric in on the little she had.

Eric was quiet for a few beats. “Huh, so whatever they want from Patton is worth kidnapping a federal agent’s daughter over. But no idea what that is?”

“Not yet, but I’m going to figure it out.”Ransom… worth kidnapping…Her mind was working, and she needed time to explore the chains of thought. But before she could dig in too deep, exhaustion rolled over her.

“I’m sure you will. Want me to stay?”

“I’d like that.”

Eric kissed her forehead, and they sauntered down the hall to her bedroom where they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

For Sandra, it felt like she’d just shut her eyes when her cell phone rang on her night table. It jolted her upright, but she took a few collective breaths. If this was Lonnie Jennings, she’d best serve her purpose by being calm.

“Is it the kidnappers?” Eric had stirred awake beside her.

She looked at the screen. It wasn’t a blocked number, but it was a name that put a knot in the pit of her stomach. She shook her head at Eric, and he settled back again, and she answered, “Nolan.”

“What’s this about Olivia? Sandra, talk to me. I’m her father.”

Her ex, Nolan Copeland, laid into her the moment she picked up. His tactics clearly hadn’t changed over the years. “I would talk if you gave me a second to speak,” she bit back, and then proceeded to tell him everything.

“So you know who took her?” he asked.

She didn’t miss the implication, the personalization, as if Olivia being taken was all her fault. And maybe it was. Jenningshad told her it was her penance. If she hadn’t gone to the parole hearing and spoken against Patton’s release, maybe they wouldn’t be in this position. But how could she not defend her late brother? There was no way she could have seen it coming to this. “Lonnie Jennings and Dennis Eaton. Jennings is the leader. He’s the one who called.”

“He thinks you can get Patton released. Heck, then, let’s get him out.”

Her ex was always a pie-in-the-sky dreamer, who thought anything was possible. If it didn’t come easily, he forced it. “You and I both know that’s not going to happen. And are you forgetting this man killed my brother?”

“I’m sorry, Sandra, but now he could save Olivia. And maybe we don’t really get him out, but make these assholes believe that’s the case. You could set up a meeting between the two, have it surveilled and when it’s the right time, FBI SWAT moves in.”

He really hadn’t changed in their time apart. He was still about brawn over brains. Just one way that made them such different people. “And get Olivia killed in the process?”

“Forget it, Sandra. I’m coming home. We’ll talk when I get there.”

“Where are you?” His job with the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team took him all over the world.

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