Page 105 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
“That’s a shame. He thinks very highly of you.”
“He’s lucky Liam didn’t kill him.”
“That is something, isn’t it? Two armed men, both excellent marksmen, facing off in a single room, and yet no one is dead?” Michael made a noise as if he were thinking. “Sounds suspicious. You should really question things more, Jamison.”
She didn’t know how to process what he was implying. Bruce was ex-military—more than comfortable with weapons—and Liam definitely was. So why had only one of them walked away with a minor injury?
Meeting Liam’s hard stare, she searched for a sign that what Michael was suggesting couldn’t possibly be true.
“Did Liam tell you what Bruce said?” Michael asked.
“No, he didn’t. But how about you and I discuss something?”
“I’m all ears, baby. What do you want to know?”
“Where are Madison and Claudia?”
That sick chuckle of his scraped across her nerves. “You only want to know about Madison and Claudia? Jeez, I bet poor Emily and Damon will be pissed to hear their cousin wasn’t at all concerned about them.”
Jamison’s eyes went wide. She flapped a hand at Liam, who moved closer to listen.
“Madison is safe,” Michael said, his tone turning less casual as Liam joined. “Hello, Mr. Cohen. It’s nice to talk to you finally.”
Liam grabbed the phone, switching it to speaker. “Where’s Madison?”
There was shuffling on the line, and Michael’s tone turned soft again. “Hey, Mads, can you say hi?”
“Hi,” Madison’s sweet voice came through the speaker. “Mama?”
Time stopped. Jamison forgot how to breathe. Michael Sinclair had Madison. Right there. Right next to him, he had Claudia’s little girl.
Vomit burned in her throat, and she swallowed a few times so she wouldn’t spew it all over the floor. “Don’t you dare hurt her.”
“Madi, am I going to hurt you?”
Madison let out a high-pitched squeal, as if being tickled. “No!”
“That’s my girl,” Michael said. “Now go play.”
Liam stayed silent, his head lowered as he listened and gathered information. The only background noise coming through now was the occasional whisper of wind, which meant Michael was walking around outside.
Or he could be standing by an open window. Or perhaps playing decoy ambient noises to throw them off.
Frustrated by all the possibilities, Jamison spouted off the first thing that came to mind. “You’re a monster.”
She could hear the bastard grinning. “I’m not a monster.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Eh, yeah. Maybe I am. However, I won’t hurt her.”
Breathing in through her mouth and out through her nose, Jamison forced herself to ask the unthinkable. “Is Claudia dead?”
“Nah. She’s too mean to die. I’ve got her locked in a cage, so she can’t hurt anyone. Same for Damon, though his cage has more cushion,” Michael said, amused. “Those two are surprisingly vicious. Damon nearly bit one of my guy’s ears off.”
“Good.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d be proud.”
