Page 26 of Holiday Hostage
“Payton. It’s good to hear your voice.” He sounded close to tears.
The thought caused my own to fall. “Yours too. I thought they were going to kill me.” I cupped a hand around my mouth. “Can you describe the men you sent to get me?”
“Why?” He barked out the question with such harshness that I trembled.
“I want to make sure I’m with the right people.” I kept an eye on all three of them.
Reed’s low laugh sent that same flurry of butterflies dancing in my stomach.
Maverick and Tarron shook their heads at Reed.
Dad blew out a long sigh.
“Payton, the man who called is Maverick. He’s the one I gave the phone to.” He gave a description of each man, all the way down to the tattoos on Reed’s arm. “I only met Maverick in person, but I ran full checks on all three men.”
“You trust them?” I’d never had to be so suspicious before. I hated it.
“I sent them after you, the most precious person in the world to me. I trust them more than I’ve trusted anyone except for you.”
From Dad, that was a ringing endorsement.
“Now, answer me. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” The wounds I’d suffered were nothing compared to what they could have been. Dad didn’t need to hear about any of that. “I was so scared. They didn’t hurt me, though. They wanted to ransom me because they thought some arms dealer was my dad.”
Tarron snapped his head around to look at Maverick, whose eyebrows had drawn down into a hard V.
The windows rattled with another howl of wind, and static crackled across the phone.
“Payton? What’s going on?” Worry laced Dad’s voice.
“We’re in the middle of a storm.” I made my way around the room, taking in the rustic and slightly outdated furniture.
The cabinets held an assortment of canned goods that were probably expired.
Thick flannel curtains bracketed the windows.
I stopped in front of one and peered into the gloomy darkness.
Ice hammered into the glass and obscured my vision of anything further than an inch away. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
“This was not your fault. Don’t you ever apologize for the sins of others.” His voice cracked. “I’m glad you’re okay. You’re the only thing in this world I can’t bear to lose.”
“I love you, too.” I placed my palm against the window and let the cold seep into my skin.
It grounded me to the threat that lingered out of reach. We still had to get out of Alaska. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Let me talk to Maverick.” The clear order told me he’d recovered from the shock of losing me and was ready to move on to the next step.
I held out the phone to Maverick without moving away from the window.
His reflection appeared in the window behind me, his height and the breadth of his shoulders making me look small.
I almost grinned at the thought, but held it back.
Maverick put the phone to his ear and met my gaze in the glass. “Yes, sir, I’m here.” He nodded. “Our timeline has changed a bit. We’re facing some complications.”
“Complications? Like what?” Dad had never been subtle.
