Page 17 of The Captive
Terror swept through her like a flash flood.“Who from?”
“I don’t know.”Her husband sounded so distressed she had to fight a spark of sympathy.“Whoever it was, he said he’s got Lana.I didn’t believe him at first, but I’ve been calling around and I can’t find her, damn it!Her landlordsaid she hasn’t been back at her flat, her professors haven’t heard from her…it’s like she vanished into thin air.”
A chill shuddered through Sarah’s body.“I knew something was wrong,” she whispered.“When she didn’t call…Ifeltsomething was wrong.Oh, God.Hank, who could have taken her?”
Another beat.“We both know I have a lot of enemies, darling.”
Anger exploded in her stomach, not just because he’d called her darling, when, at the moment, he had no right to call heranythingof the sort, but because she knew if Lana had disappeared, it was all Hank Kelley’s fault.
“What enemies?”she demanded.“Who has her?”
“I…don’t know.”
He was lying to her.Sarah had given this man more than thirty years of her life.She knew him better than he knew himself.And shealwaysknew when he was lying.
“What did you do?”she asked coldly.
He sounded dismayed.“Darling, I—”
“Don’t you daredarlingme!Tell me, what kind of mess have you gotten yourself into this time, and what does it have to do with our daughter?”
“It’s…complicated.”
“Complicated?”She was practically roaring now, but was far too upset to lower her voice.Vivienne’s bedroom was on the floor above hers, and she prayed she didn’t wake her long-time friend.“Our daughter has disappeared, and you know something about it!So you betteruncomplicate it and tell me the damn truth.What exactly did the caller say?”
“I told you, just that he has Lana, and that if we call the police, there will be repercussions.”
Sarah paled.“They’ll kill her?”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”He hesitated.“We can’t contact the police yet, not until the man calls back.”
Sarah gave an unladylike curse.“So you want to sit around and wait?”
“I’m going to get her back, Sarah.”
The confidence ringing in his tone made her want to hit something.“Sure you will,” she spat out.“You constantly bring all these problems on our family, promise to take care of them and, in the end, you only cause a greater rift between us.Cole can barely look at you!Chase refuses to have any contact with us, depriving me of my only grandchildren!And now Lana is gone.”
Sarah fought for breath.She was suddenly seeing stars, the turmoil of the past few weeks finally beginning to take its toll on her.Her husband had cheated on her, after she’d given him years and years of devotion, and now, because of some foolhardy decision he’d made, their only daughter was missing.
“You had better get her back,” she warned, her hands shaking so badly she could barely hold the phone steady anymore.“Do you hear me, Hank Kelley?You’ve done a lot of awful things in your lifetime.You’ve hurt me more than I can ever say.But I swear to you, Hank, if anything happens to our baby girl, I will never forgive you for this.Never.”
CHAPTER 5
Four days.Lana could barely comprehend how four days had passed and she was still being kept against her will in a desolate cabin in northern California.Why hadn’t the kidnappers contacted her family yet?Or maybe they had, and her family was refusing to negotiate with them….
She forced the scary thought from her mind, fixing her gaze out the small rusted window in the bedroom.No, her father would never stand for this.Hank Kelley, despite his many flaws, would never allow his daughter to be held captive for a second longer than necessary.Maybe Le Clair was the one stalling.He could always be holding out for more money.
More money for what, though?What was this even about?A straight-up ransom thing?Or did it have to do with her dad’s recent scandal?Could Le Clair be blackmailing Hank—maybe threatening to reveal some more damaging information?None of this made sense to her.There were no answers, no clarity.Just the knowledge that she was a prisoner.
Moving to the window of the bedroom, Lana examined the barren land through the dirty windowpane.Her pulse quickened when she caught sight of Charlie standing several yards away, a rifle slung over his shoulder and his shaved head gleaming in the pale afternoon sun.The man’s dark gaze was sharp as a hawk’s, moving left and right in a practiced sweep of the area.She suspected the others had taken up similar positions to guard the cabin.
To make sure nobody approached unseen—and that she couldn’t escape.
Trapped.She was utterly trapped, and a rush of pure helplessness hit her body.Her hands slid down to her still-flat belly, stroking it protectively.
“It’s okay, baby,” she whispered.“We’re going to get out of this.”
She’d begun talking to the baby often over the days.She hoped he or she was finding her voice reassuring.It reassured her, too, despite the fact that she’d never been prone to talking to herself.
