Page 39 of Dirty Gambit

He ignored her and went on. “Hostage lets us go.”

“Already told you, that wasn’t going to happen, so move on.”

“And I’m not going to let some nut job with that much money just vanish withmy sister.”

She ignored his emphases onmy sisterand snorted. “You have that much money. Possibly more. Why should I leavemy familywith you?”

“We didn’t kidnap her,” he exclaimed, making the cuffs rattle when he attempted to throw his hands up.

“Didn’t you?” she mimicked, lifting an eyebrow. “What do you call it when a child is ripped away from her mother and sold to a pack of rich people?”

“It was for her own good.”

Lena scoffed. “Said every rich man who stole what didn’t belong to him.”

“You can believe whatever you want, but it won’t change the fact that my parents and I love Jessie and it never once mattered where she came from.”

Tiring of the conversation, Lena reached for the radio knob and flipped it on. The space was immediately filled with the sound of static that gave way with a few swift turns to a news station. She’d always hated the news, hated all the bad stuff they seemed to thrive on until it was no longer deemed important in their eyes, but this was the one time she left it to plug the space between her and the man taking up too much room.

“This just in!”the announcer blurted, cutting himself off mid-statement.“The carnage and damage of the last three days have escalated to astronomical proportions as authorities try to solve the horrors that have taken the lives of over twenty-eight people. What started as several warehouse fires has quickly become a manhunt for the person, or persons responsible for the slaughter of yet another family on the south side. The escalation of violence followed by the rampant disregard for human life has authorities scratching their heads. The public is asked to remain vigilant and come forward if they know anything—”

Lena snapped the radio off. Cold sweat slickened her palms around the wheel. Her stomach danced with barely suppressed terror.

Travis.

It had to be him. Lena had known he would eventually find out the drop was missing. She had guessed he would demand answers. She hadn’t known he would slaughter an entire family to get his money back. But she should have. She knew he had no moral compass, no conscience, no soul. He was evil to the core. His money and drugs, his entire empire meant more to him than a single human life. But how many more would he kill until he had his duffle back? Would he eventually give up looking and accept his losses? She doubted it.

Her gaze jumped to the time on the dashboard. The proof of just how off track they have sent another spasm of panic cascading down her spine. She clutched the wheel tighter as if that might make the vehicle go faster. She contemplated driving through the night. She could make up a large part of the loss, but at what cost? Jessie would be miserable. Then there was the third day plan to release Jaxon. She couldn’t delay on that. He needed to get home, needed to make sure his parents had heeded her warning and left. Travis would be on their doorstep and he didn’t leave witnesses. The only thing protecting them now was the fact that Travis was too busy searching for his money and not for his daughter, but that wouldn’t last much longer once he realized both were in the same place.

Lena glanced at the clock again. Not much time had passed. Not enough. Their next stop wasn’t for another eight hours, but it was the stop they were supposed to make the previous night. The one after was thirteen hours away. That was where they should have been by now.

She groaned deep in her throat and resisted the urge to plant her forehead on the horn.

“What?”

Jaxon was watching her, maybe a little too closely. His pale eyes bore into her, taking in everything without fail.

“Nothing,” she muttered, forcing herself to compose her features.

“You’re lying.”

“And you’re being a pain in the ass!” she snapped. “This isn’t a partnership so stop trying to understand what’s happening.”

They drove in a remarkable silence. Even when she pulled into a rundown gas station and filled the tank, he remained tight-lipped. Lena would have been suspicious, except she had her own troubles and his silence was her only peace of mind.

She changed and fed Jessie in a sleeping station just off the highway. There wasn’t another car in sight, so she let Jaxon stretch his legs and play with Jessie for a few minutes. She watched them, intrigued by his absolute devotion to the girl and her unhesitant trust. They seemed so in sync with each other, so happy and comfortable. It was impossible not to feel the stab of guilt. There wasn’t enough of it to make her change her mind, but it did make her want to rethink sending him home sooner.

“How well connected is your family?” she asked when they were on the road once more.

Jaxon shot her a wary glance. “What?”

Hating to repeat herself, Lena gritted her teeth. “Your parents,” she said slowly. “How connected are they?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Worried they’ll hunt you down?” He smirked, something cold and brittle. “Don’t worry. That’ll be my job.”

Lena scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, get off it. That’s not why I’m asking.”

But she didn’t know how to ask what she really wanted to know, like, was there a way for his family to go underground? Could they change their identities and become a different family? She doubted it. They were too well known. Their entire world was built on their names and faces, and there wasn’t a hole in this world they could hide where Travis wouldn’t find them. It would only be a matter of time. But, maybe, they were powerful enough to withstand the attack. Maybe they were capable of stopping Travis. They could hire the top securities and move somewhere far away.

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