“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you knock,” I said ignorantly.
“What did Van Wilkerson and Niles Harris want?” she asked, moving closer to where I was standing. “Who are they going to hurt now?”
I was speechless. I told myself that I had to stop keeping things from her. So, instead of lying to her, I decided to only tell her about the call and leave out the fact that Van and Niles were my brothers. “Wilkerson and Harris took Gretta and are holding her hostage in exchange for you. If I don’t do what they ask, they said they would kill her.”
“No. Not again. Not Gretta. You aren’t going to do what they want, are you?” Kenzi's worried eyes met mine as her head shook back and forth in disbelief.
That was the million-dollar question. I sure as shit couldn’t comply with their demand by basically trading one life for another. “Of course not. I’m not letting anything happen to either of you.”
“Maybe if you gave them money, they would let her go.” Kenzi stepped closer. Her body was completely drained of all hope.
Money would be the answer to everything. When it came to my brothers, everything they did was because of money. That and greed. No amount of money was ever enough. It didn’t matter whose life they ruined. As long as they came on top, nothing was off limits.
Pulling Kenzi toward me, I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her on the forehead. “At this point, I’m willing to try anything.”
“How much time do you have to hand me over?”
“Twenty-four hours,” I replied as I ran my hands through my thick hair.
“Maybe you should have left me at the river. At least then you wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“Never think that, sweetheart. I have never felt more alive than the day you came into my life.”
Kenzi looked up at me, and I could see her tears form. The second I pulled her close, the floodgates opened, and the tears fell by the bucketful. “It’s not fair that you have to choose. Why do bad things keep happening?” she cried, her tears soaking my shirt.
Before I called my brother, I waited for her to leave the study. I wasn’t sure what the price would be to get Gretta back, but no amount was as important as her safety.
It only took one ring for Van to answer. “I hope this call includes a meeting place for the exchange,” he answered arrogantly.
“There will be an exchange, but not Kenzi for Gretta. How does ten million sound? You can leave the States and live comfortably in the Bahamas or wherever the fuck you two want to go.”
Van’s laugh was contemptuous. It was clear my offer wouldn’t work. Either I needed to offer more money or he wasn’t willing to play. To my surprise, he stopped laughing and said, “Fifty million. Each.”
Fuck.One hundred million was a lot of money. Kenzi’s and Gretta’s lives were worth much more. As much as I hated giving my loser brothers any money, I had no choice. “Deal. Where do you want to meet?”
~
I hated having to leave Kenzi at the penthouse while I went to the bank to transfer fifty million into an offshore account. Once it was verified that the funds had been transferred, Van would call and give me the location where we could meet. When Gretta was in my custody, one call to the bank and the remaining fifty million would be transferred. It was the one stipulation Van had to agree to if he wanted the rest of his money.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew my brothers well. Nothing went without a hitch where they were concerned. As an added precaution, in case they tried something stupid, I loaded the magazine to my Glock and placed it beneath the waistband of my jeans at my back. I also wasn’t stupid enough to leave Kenzi alone. Even though my penthouse was secure, a little added protection wouldn’t hurt. I had a security team on staff at Triage and requested two of my best men to stand guard at the elevator door to my penthouse.
Before I left, Kenzi needed to be aware of a few ground rules. The last thing I needed was for her to get ambitious and leave the penthouse. My security team would arrive shortly, which didn’t give me much time to explain everything before they arrived. As I entered the bedroom, Kenzi was sitting on the bed with her hands resting on her lap. Her head was lowered, but when she heard me enter, her focus was on me.
The guilt of what I had put her through ran high in my thoughts as I walked to the bed. I took a seat next to her and took hold of her hands. The way she looked at me made me wonder if rescuing her from the woods and taking her hostage was the best thing for her. It was my own selfishness that had put us in this position.
Bringing her hand to my lips, I placed my lips against the soft skin and said, “Van has agreed to take money in exchange for Gretta’s life. I have requested two of my security men to make sure nothing happens to you while I make the exchange.”
“Wait. Why can’t I go with you?” Kenzi pulled her hand free from my grasp and turned to face me. “I promise I won’t get in the way and I’ll do everything you say.”
“It isn’t a matter of you getting in the way. It is a matter of keeping you safe, and the only way I can do that is if you remain here. You of all people know how unstable Van and Niles are. There is no way I’m going to risk you getting hurt.”
I pulled Kenzi close and wrapped my arms around her. If I could make this day go away, I would. I would much rather stay here with Kenzi in my arms. When I heard the elevator alarm go off, my time was up. I stood from the bed and took hold of Kenzi’s hand. “My security men are here. It’s best you know who will be protecting you while I’m gone.”
Nodding her head, Kenzi stood, and we headed out of the bedroom. When we reached the living area, Mark and Brian were standing near the elevator. The pair were the best men I had. Being ex-military gave them an advantage over the rest of my security team. Their instinct for danger was top-notch, allowing them to sense it before it arrived.
As I introduce Kenzi to the men, I sensed her irritation with me. “I don’t know what the big deal is. It’s not like I’m going to leave or anything.”
Gripping her hand tighter, I keep my focus on the men. “Mark and Brian are here to make sure there are no unwanted visitors. If you feel the need to leave, they will take you where you need to go. Hopefully, you won’t.”