Page 7 of Room Ten: Praise Times Three

“Whose phone is a mile away?”

“Leti’s.”

Twenty minutes later, we’re talking to Lee, Case, and Porter as they drive to the house. They are two minutes behind us, so it’s no surprise when they pull over with us where Soren says Leti’s cell phone signal is the strongest.

We all climb out of our vehicles and search the sides of the road.

“We got tire tracks here,” Lee points out, a set of wide tires performing multiple U-turns in the middle of the road.

“Call her phone. Maybe she’s that one person who leaves her ringer on.”

Soren pulls out his phone and dials the number. We wait with bated breath, but sure as shit, the phone rings in a bush closest to Caiden. He jumps down the little gully and takes a few steps forward, way too far off the road to have fallen from her pocket.

He picks up the phone and turns to us with a look on his face that does not bode well for Ms. Krushner. “We have signs of a struggle. Multiple broken branches on this little landscaper’s dream. The rest of the shrubs are in perfect condition. This is indicative of someone being thrown into this bush.”

I sigh. “Let’s get to the house.”

Victor is waiting for us outside when we pull up. I hand him Leti’s phone and give him a thirty-second rundown of what we found and then shut my trap once all six of us are standing in front of him.

“Here’s what we got. Mr. Krushner, the girl’s father, received a phone call around six-forty this morning demanding a ransom for Epi Krushner. The perpetrators said they would call back later with more details, but wanted to give him a heads up so he had time to amass the thirty million they were demanding. Mr. Krushner called the FBI, his lawyers, and then me.”

I glance down at my watch. “It’s almost one o’clock now. Why are we just getting here?”

Victor slides his eyes my way. “Because I only received a call ninety minutes ago.”

Caiden interjects. “Evidence points to Leti as the one who is missing, so why are they asking for Epi, which I assume is short for Epiphany?”

Lee asks at the same time, “Has the father contact his other daughter?”

Victor sighs. “Apparently, the father doesn’t know Epi’s current phone number. I figured you’d have it by the time you got here.”

Soren nods, typing something on his iPad. “I got it right here, and it is on the property.”

“No shit?” Victor sighs. “I get the impression the father doesn’t have the closest relationship with his daughters, although he seems genuinely upset. Lee, you and your team are on Epiphany. Reese and team, you’ve got Leti. Let’s get inside and see if we can get at least one of the two daughters secured.”

We walk into one of the nicer houses I’ve ever been in, a grand staircase greeting us in the middle of a giant marble foyer. There’s a lot of activity going on to the right, which appears to be an office where the FBI is setting up a bunch of equipment. Soren sneaks in behind us, so I take the opportunity to introduce myself to the lead agent, ensuring I piss him off and distract his men at the same time. It only takes about thirty-seconds for him to dismiss me, telling me to go fuck myself in the most politically correct manner possible.

I hate working with the FBI, but it’s a necessary evil sometimes, and it gives Soren a chance to tap into their recording equipment. I rejoin the rest of the men in the foyer, while Victor talks to the father, giving him the number Soren provided for Epiphany.

Taking in the decor, the house has a very cold and staged vibe to it. It looks like something out of a magazine and not something lived in. Everything is white and gray and even the wood has an ash tone to it, giving it a museum quality. There are no pictures or any other indication a family lives here.

Seriously, hotels have more welcoming warmth to them than this house.

Lee leans in, keeping his voice low. “What have you guys been up to?”

I cup my hand and shake it like I’m jerking off. “A lot of this.”

Lee chuckles and shakes his head. “Yeah, us too.”

Epiphany Krushner comes running into the house from behind the staircase, wearing what I can only describe as an itsy-bitsy bikini. The woman is beyond beautiful, stacked like a centerfold and curvy in all the right places.

“Holy shit,” I hear Caiden whisper, while someone else coughs.

“Epiphany Krushner?” Victor steps forward to acknowledge her.

“Who are you?” Her eyes drift over all of us, then go back to him. If she’s self-conscious in any way, she hides it well. I would think running into a room full of large men would be intimidating fully clothed, but this barely dressed hellcat doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything.

“I’m Victor Townsend, owner of Townsend Security. These men are members of my team.”

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