Page 97 of Emergency Exit
“What?”
Ash switched to speaker and pulled up the text.
This is Piper on Harper’s phone. Harper’s been kidnapped. We called the cops. Well, we ALSO called the cops because Cooper wants to press charges against Harper, so he called them too. It was that skank bitch ex-girlfriend of yours—Emma.
“Uh…” Ash realized he was making the vocal equivalent of static.
“Ash,” said Mason firmly. “Harper is fine. For now.”
“For now? What the fuck did Emma do?” demanded Ash.
“Ash, it’s kind of a fluid situation.”
“Fluid? What is fluid about kidnapping my girlfriend?”
“Stop freaking out,” said Mason, and Ash had never wanted to punch anyone more.
Seriously, you’re leaving me on read?
“We can take care of this. It’s not that big of a deal,” Mason continued.
I’m talking to her kidnapper!
Oh! Shit.
“Mason, what the fuck are you talking about? Kidnapping is a felony.”
“She’s not kidnapped,” said Mason. “She’s… taking a scenic tour of the harbor with Emma and Steph. It’s fine. It’s for her own good.”
Ash took a breath. If Mason knew where Harper was, then Ash could talk him out of whatever bullshit Emma had cooked up. Mason was his friend. He was a reasonable person.
“Explain to me how this is for anyone’s good,” said Ash.
He remembered attending some Van Lanken summer party on a yacht. Ash had looked into buying one for himself but then aborted when he realized they cost two million, needed to be staffed, and came with moorage fees. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it—it was just a waste of money for something he’d only use twice a year. But apparently, the Van Lankens thought it was worth the price.
“Look, I know things have been weird between you and Emma.”
“She was stealing and selling proprietary research,” said Ash icily. “She put my reputation and my company at risk. She’s lucky I didn’t pursue charges against her.”
The cops want to talk to you. Detective Caine says you need to call her ASAP.
“But that would have meant telling everyone you got scammed, and no one wants to do that,” said Mason easily. “And the same is true here. We don’t want things to go public. We want to handle this privately.”
Would love to. Still on phone with Mason.
“OK,” said Ash. “Privately. Sounds great.”
She wants to know if you can record the phone call?
What was he—James Bond? He had no gadgets. He was not prepared for kidnapping.
No.
“Here’s the thing,” said Mason, and Ash’s instincts flared to life. Mason was about to try and convince him to pay double the asking price on something. “We need the Miller Project.”
Never ask why. Ask what.
“What’s driving this, Mason?” asked Ash. “What do you really need?”
