Rules of Survival(18)

“Aww,” he said, flashing me a smile that made my stomach flutter just a little. “What’s the matter? Being so close to me make you nervous?”

I returned the smile and tugged him toward the door. “More like sick.”





Chapter Seven


By early afternoon, the allure of small towns wore off big-time. “How can there be no hardware store in this damned town?”

Shaun shrugged but didn’t seem overly concerned. We were standing in front of a small strip mall, a few blocks over from the post office. He pointed to a pay phone a few feet away. “No idea, but there’s a phone. Lemme try Pat again.”

Without waiting for me to follow, he started forward and nearly ripped my arm from its socket. If we didn’t get these cuffs off soon, one of us was going to lose a limb. And possibly other appendages we’d need down the line. And by one of us, I was thinking Shaun…

I angled myself closer as he dialed, determined to hear both sides of the conversation. He smelled like the jacket. Peppermint and leather. It was just a little distracting, and I found myself leaning closer than I needed to.

It rang five times before someone picked up.

“Pat?” Shaun asked. The relief in his voice was unmistakable and gave me a small smidgeon of hope. He had been worried. And if he was worried, then a small part of him believed me.

“Shaun?” Pat growled. In the background a horn blared. “Where the hell are you?”

“We were ambushed. Needed to bail.”

“I can see that,” Pat responded drily. “Heard about it, too. You made one hell of a scene getting out. When I said stay inconspicuous, jumping from the third floor into the hotel swimming pool isn’t what I meant.”

Shaun’s jaw tensed. “We didn’t necessarily jump… Things got hot, Pat. Those guys didn’t drop in for a round of fantasy football. They were there for blood.”

Patrick sighed. “Are you all right? Is the kid still with you?”

“I’m fine. It was tight, though. Whoever they are, these guys mean business.” He adjusted the phone, trying to lean away from me. “And yeah. I’ve got her. How did the meeting go? Did you find out anything about these people?”

I ignored his subtle attempt at privacy and leaned close again. This involved me—more than it involved him. I’d be damned if I was getting shut out.

“Jaffe says they weren’t his.”

Shaun’s eyes met mine. For a second, he said nothing. Then, with a sigh, asked, “And you believe him?”

“What reason would he have to lie? He hired me to bring her in safely. I’ll admit some things have come to light that make me believe this case isn’t as simple as I originally thought, though.”

“Not as simple? What did you find out? And did this Jaffe guy say why?”

On the other end of the line, Patrick hesitated. “Why, what?”

“What he wants with Kayla?”

“Kayla?” Patrick groaned. “Oh, man. What did I tell you about using first names? I leave you alone with her for a few hours and she gets under your skin?”

“What? No!” Shaun snapped defensively. He turned to me, cheeks flushed, then quickly looked away. “I’ve almost had my ass handed to me twice now. Once at the cabin, then again at the hotel. We’re out to make a buck, but we’re not killers, Pat. I wanna make sure this guy is on the up. If not, we can flip her over to the cops. Money won’t be as good, but I checked when you left the hotel earlier. There is a reward.”

I clenched my fists and bit down on the inside of my tongue to keep from screaming. What a bastard! It was all about the money, right? Always the damned money. Bringing my sneaker up, I kicked him hard in the shin. To his credit, he cringed but didn’t make a sound.

Another horn, and the sound of squealing brakes. “Tell me exactly where you are so I can come get you.”

Shaun scanned the area, then adjusted the phone. “We’re—”

I kicked him again. “Don’t give him this location! Idiot…”

“Stop doing that!” he said, snapping the chain. My left arm jerked sideways. “And why the hell not?”

“You pick a neutral location. This way you can arrive and scope things out first. Be sure it’s safe.” I snorted. “God. You’re such an amateur.”

“Are you insane? I told you, Pat is safe.”

“Pick another place,” I insisted, scanning the area. It was going on mid-afternoon on a weekday, but there were a few people on the street. One was a police officer writing a ticket for a double-parked minivan across the street. I inclined my head in the officer’s direction. “Or I’m going to start screaming my head off.”

He switched the phone to his other shoulder, covering the receiver, and followed my gaze. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Giving him my sweetest smile, I said, “Officer, please help me. This sicko is kidnapping me. See? He’s got me chained, and he said he’s going to lock me away in his basement.” I let my voice rise a bit. “He’s going to…do stuff to me.”

His eyes got impossibly wide, gaze alternating between the officer and me. “You’re a twisted chick, you know that?”

“Shaun?” Patrick snapped. “Tell me where you are!”