Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“We’ll have to disagree on that one,” I mutter.
“But I think he was keeping an eye, so like I said, he let it be. Until she was taken and shit went sideways.”
“All right.” I lock in on what Naomi is saying because it has to be going somewhere. She’s not one to ramble.
“He was toying with you that day. The killing of the people she lived with was his move. He knew we’d taken Bonte and was pissed. It was to draw someone out. Anyone at that point. Desperation. Whether it be us or the dirty agents to come clean up.”
“The agents came.”
“They did, but at some point, he put together that Bonte wanted to be with you. She was safe, and he gave you a warning.” She taps her cheek. “To keep it that way.”
“I failed.” I drop my head, staring down at my feet.
“We’re not done yet,” Dad tries to reassure me.
“Oh, I’m sure he’s pissed that his daughter slipped through your fingers. But as you said, if he knew where those men were, he’d have killed them, so he doesn’t.” Naomi says.
“You think he knows she’s missing already?"
“Yes, I think he would have stayed close to her. That’s his style. But I also think they’ll want him to know they have his daughter. He knows one way or another.”
“He’ll go after her.” It’s not Bonte they really want. It’s her father. He knows too many of their secrets and their dirty doings. They can’t have that.
“He will.” She nods. Using Bonte as bait has never played out well for anyone. “But he'll come here first.” I stare at Naomi.
“He can’t get on our land without us knowing.” An alarm would go off, and we’d be all over him. We already have extra guards that have been pulled in for patrol.
“I don’t think he’s going to sneak in. He’s going to knock on the door.” Naomi gives a rare smirk, letting me know how sure she is of herself in this. “Well, ring the gate.”
It hits me where she is going.
“He wants to be the bait,” I say.
“Bingo.”
“Because if they have him, they’ll still kill her.” I clench my fist. She too is a loose end. One that they kept tucked away in case they needed her for if or when her father came back out and tried to ruin their lives.
They've been in a holding pattern all this time.
My father’s phone goes off. “One of our men.” He answers, turning it on speaker as he answers. “What do you have?” They wouldn't call unless they had important information.
“We have a man here. He said he needs to speak to you. He's claiming to be the girl's father.”
“Bring him up to the house,” I order, already moving toward the front door.
“I’m going to fill everyone in on what’s going on,” I hear Dad say. I don’t bother to respond, knowing he can handle it. I pull open the front door. Naomi comes to stand next to me.
“Would it be weird if I asked for an autograph?” I don’t know if Naomi is trying to bust a joke to lessen the tension or if she’s being serious. I’m guessing the latter. I glance down at her. "Shit, my board is in the—" Naomi presses her lips together, not finishing her sentence.
"The bunker."
"I don't know what that is, but I'd like him to see my board. To know if I'm right."
"Naomi, you're right." She quickly pieced things together. In another life, she could have been a profiler.
I take a breath when I see them. I don't wait at the door. Right now, every second matters. I have no idea where they have Bonte or what they might do. Did they put her in a dark room? She'd be terrified. They might keep her alive, but I personally know you can inflict things worse than death on a person.
“How do we do this?” I ask to get straight to the point. He pauses, and I can tell from his expression he wants to lay into me, but it’s not that fucking time, and he knows it.
“I’m the bait.”
“I knew it,” I hear Naomi whisper behind me.
“Come on.” I nod toward the house.
I don’t care who her father is or the fucked-up shit he may or may not have done. I’d trade my soul to the devil to get my girl back.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
BONTE
Shit, my back throbs. I try to lift my hands to rub my eyes, but I can’t. My eyes fly open; the duct tape on my wrists has them held in place behind my back.
I’m so stupid. It wasn’t my dad. I so badly wanted to see him that I was blind to everything else. I glance around, trying to see where I am.
These digs are a whole lot better than the last place I landed when I got kidnapped. At least I’m not in the dark. This has to be a record. I mean, I wasn’t the target that first time, but still. I have to be the most kidnappable person on the planet at this point.