Page 63 of Lethal Deceit

Well, too bad.

I’m not a nice person. Never claimed to be. And if he expected something else, that’s on him. Not me.

Still... I don’t look at him again.

Adena finally loses patience. “Whatever spy crap it is you’re pulling, quit it. We don’t have much time?—”

A knock interrupts her diatribe, and she stomps across the room and yanks the door open. The driver from last night appears there, yawning, carrying a Starbucks coffee, and looking like he crawled out of the sewer.

Luke is the first to speak, gaining his attention. “There’s a situation. Caleb’s on his way.”

I wince. I needfewerpeople here, not the big hulking brute from last night who looked like he could rip the door off its hinges.

Luke’s phone rings, and he raises a finger, apologizing. “Give me a minute. It’s Chloe.”

He turns slightly, his back offering him privacy and meaning he’s distracted just as Adena pulls her phone out and dials as she speaks to Mick. “I’m calling Reese. He’ll have to hang around for a while longer while we figure this out.”

Mick’s phone chirps, and everyone freezes, all eyes on him as they wait for the next demand to be made.

It has to be now.

Slowly, I unfurl my legs from the chair and clamp my hand over my mouth. “I need the bathroom.”

When Adena just waves her hand at me, too distracted to care, I steal the opportunity and dash out of the room.

Mick

My heart stammers in my chest as I hold my phone, terrified of answering it and terrified not to.

“All phones other than Mick’s on silent,” Luke says. “I’ll go intercept Caleb.”

I’m glad he’s thought of it, when I’m unable to think of anything other than what my sister is going through, and Adena and Jake hastily mute their phones as Luke exits via the front door.

I take a breath, breathe out, and press the speaker so everyone can hear. “Hello?”

“They want me to talk, but I’m only allowed to say what they allow me to.”

Brooke. At least she’s alive.

My voice cracks as I think of her swollen lip. “How badly are you hurt?”

“I’m fine… but… they say it won’t stay that way if you don’t give them exactly what they want.”

I swallow hard. “Tell me what they need, and I’ll make sure they get it.”

Caleb enters the room swiftly and silently, with Luke on his heels. Luke has a notepad, and he has written down questions for me to ask.

“They want Samantha and five hundred thousand,” Brooke says.

Luke gestures to the pad, and I read it verbatim. “We have the woman you want, but we need time to get the cash together.”

“You have until midnight.”

The phone call is cut off before I can ask any more of Luke’s questions.

All the energy drains out of me, and I slump against the countertop, unable to meet Caleb’s eye as he approaches. But rather than an “I told you so” expression, he’s wearing a look of genuine concern. He slaps his meaty hand on my shoulder and squeezes.

“We’ll do everything in our power to bring her home again.”

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