aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire) (8 page)

Firbin
grunted.

Agent
Kelly turned to him with narrowed eyes. “Do you have something to say?”

“They
do not sound like very experienced kidnappers if they cannot decide how much
money they want. Are you certain they have the boys?”

“We’ve
asked to speak to the boys, but they’ve refused.”

“That
is not a good sign.”

Nikki
gasped. “You don’t think Gates is alive.”

Firbin
crossed his arms. “It is possible.”

The
world started to spin. Selena felt her legs give way and she would have fallen
if
Firbin
hadn’t put his arm around her. He eased her
into a chair. Until now she had refused to believe that something horrible
might happen.

“
Tarrin
is alive. I still feel him with me.” Her voice was
weak, but
Firbin
heard her.

“We
need to make certain before the ransom is given.”

Agent
Kelly cleared her voice. “This is not our first kidnapping. We have asked for a
proof of life and they have agreed. So you both can stop thinking the worse.
Once we have the proof, then we will agree to the drop.”

“What
is the proof?”
Firbin
asked.

“We
need a picture of the boys with today’s newspaper.” Agent Kelly’s voice was
stern. “They will be sending that to us shortly.”

“How
will it be delivered?”

“They’ll
be emailing it to the FBI.”

Firbin
nodded. “We will need time to get the drop site ready.”

“You’re
not invited.” Agent Kelly turned away from
Firbin
,
but before she could speak the door of the living room opened.

Catal
and Partlan walked in.

“I
told you to leave.” Agent Kelly clenched her fists. “This is an FBI
investigation.”

“The
FBI are waiting for proof of life.” Selena’s voice was faint. “They’ve given
them a ransom demand.”

“I’m
not telling you where the exchange is taking place.” Agent Kelly’s eyes
narrowed as she turned to Selena. “You are to have no further contact with
these men. I don’t want them finding out anything else.”

“We
don’t need your information. The drop site is at
Greystone
Park.”
Partlan’s
voice echoed through the room. “We
already have two men stationed there.”

“How
the hell do you know that?” Agent Kelly’s raised voice reverberated through the
room.

Partlan
crossed his arms. “I told you that we are determined. We broke into your system
hours ago.”

Agent
Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll have you arrested.”

“You
could try.” Partlan turned to Nikki and Steve. “Do you have the money?”

“No.”
Steve’s shoulders slumped. “It’s Saturday and the bank will be closed. Besides,
that kind of cash is difficult to get together. We might look as if we’ve got
plenty, but we spend it. It takes a lot of money to keep up to Hollywood
standards. I still need a bit of time to raise all of it.”

Selena
sagged against the back of her chair. “We’ve known for a week. I thought you’d
made arrangements to have the money on standby.”

Catal
moved to her. He clasped her hand in his and squeezed. “We’ll make certain the
money is there. There will be no excuse for the boys not to be exchanged.”

“How
do you plan to do that?” Steve’s voice was belligerent. “I’ve been trying to
raise the cash for a week.”

“We
have our share now.”
Partlan’s
voice was cold. “We do
not waste time on such trivialities when the lives of children are involved.”

“You’re
lying.” Steve stabbed his finger at Partlan. “No one can raise that kind of
cash in a few hours.”

Partlan
motioned behind him and
Breanon
walked in with a
black sports bag in his hands. He passed the bag to Partlan, who threw it at
the feet of Agent Kelly. She bent and opened the bag. Bundles of green bills
came into view.

“You
can count it. There is the ten million that we promised.”

The
tight grip on Selena’s chest loosened. She took a deep breath and looked at
Catal. He was looking down at her with unblinking eyes. A surge of calm and
tranquility flowed through her. She fought back tears of relief. She heaved a
sigh and turned back to the others.

Agent
Kelly zipped the bag shut and stood. “This doesn’t mean that you can come to
the drop site. We’ll have the area covered. I won’t stand for your
interference.”

“We
brought the ransom money.” Partlan raised an eyebrow. “We deserve to hear the
details.”

“I’m
in charge here.” Agent Kelly shook her head. “I’ll have you guys locked up. By
the time you get out, we’ll have the boys back home.”

Partlan
crossed his arms. “It would be easier if you stopped wasting time and let us
help.”

Agent
Kelly frowned. She seemed to consider it for a few seconds and then shook her
head. “No. Bakker get these men out of here.”

Catal
released her hand. “I’ll contact you when we have more information.”

Serenity
eased through her. She knew that the Hunters wouldn’t leave it to the FBI.
That’s why she’d contacted them in the first place. They would use whatever
means possible to be at the drop site.

Partlan
shrugged off Bakker’s hand and left the room, followed by the other three
Hunters. There were a tense silence once they were gone. Nikki gave her an
accusatory look before turning her attention back to the FBI.

“What
is the plan?” Nikki’s voice was matter of fact. “I assume that you will leave
the money once we know that Gates is alive.”

Selena’s
stomach sank.

“The
money was given by the men I hired.” Selena forced her voice to stay firm. “I
need to know that
Tarrin
is alive too.”

“Of
course.” Nikki waved aside her objections. “We want both of the boys alive.”

Agent
Kelly looked at Nikki. “We will do everything we can, but I have to warn you
that these exchanges are not always straight forward.”

“What
do you mean?” Selena’s voice caught in her throat. “Are you saying the boys
won’t be given back?”

Agent
Kelly raised her hands in a conciliatory motion. “I’m saying that the drop may
happen first, and the boys returned later. Our goal is to follow whoever picks
up the money. They should lead us to the boys.”

“What
if they don’t go to the boys or you lose track of the kidnappers?” Selena’s
voice was a whisper. She fought down nausea and straightened her shoulders.

“Then
we wait until they keep their part of the bargain.”

Silence
followed Agent Kelly’s words.

“Is
that the best plan you have?” Nikki’s eyes were narrowed. “Wait and see?”

“We
could have done that ourselves.” Steve crossed his arms. “We risked Gates’ life
just by calling in the FBI.”

“You
were right to call us, Mr. Walters.” Agent Kelly lifted her chin. “We’ve done
this many times. You have to trust us. The best chance you have of getting the
boys back safely, is with us.”

Agent
Kelly turned on her heels and left the room. The rest of her agents followed.
There was an eerie silence after the FBI left. Agent Kelly’s words hadn’t
inspired hope. The authorities had their procedures to follow, but surely they
had a better plan for getting the boys back.

Selena
cleared her throat. “Now you know why I called in outside help.”

“Let’s
just hope they don’t mess things up.” Nikki turned and walked to the fireplace.
“Gates is all we have in the world. I couldn’t bear to lose him.”

“It’s
no different for me.” Selena pushed back her pain. “Both of the boys have to be
saved.”

“It
won’t be because of anything you did.” Steve’s tone was an insult.

Selena
looked at the two people she had considered friends. It was insane that they
should think she had something to do with this kidnapping. She loved Gates. She’d
die if anything happened to
Tarrin
. A wave of
weariness washed over her. Suddenly, she was too tired to deal with anymore
accusations.

“You
called in the FBI and I didn’t object or doubt your decision. Show me the same
courtesy.” Selena stood. “If it wasn’t for the Hunters, we wouldn’t even have
the ransom money. We can rely on them to get the boys back alive.”

“Are
you suggesting I’m not reliable?” Steve jumped off the couch, his face
contorted with rage. “I’m not the one with a criminal brother. I’ve done
everything possible to get the boys back.”

“You’re
the reason they were taken in the first place.”

The
words were out of Selena’s mouth before she could stop them. The past week had
been hell. She had tried hard not to blame Steve for leaving the children
alone, but when all was said and done, he had failed. He had let his career
come before the welfare of the boys.

“You
bitch.” Steve spat the words at her. “If Nikki hadn’t taken you in where would
you be today?”

“Nikki
has been a true friend.” Selena nodded. “This wouldn’t have happened if you had
picked the boys up from the soccer game on time.”

“None
of us are free of blame here.” Nikki stood between Selena and Steve. “We all
could have taken better care where the boys were concerned. Selena could have
trusted us with her past, and we should have taken better precautions. Children
of famous people are always targets for kidnapping.”

Steve’s
shoulders sagged and he flopped back on the couch. “I never thought something
like this could happen.”

“None
of us did.” Nikki turned to Selena. “We know you love Gates. If we had known
about your background that might have influenced the steps we took to protect
the boys.”

Selena’s
chest tightened. She recognized the look Nikki was giving her. Her beautiful
face was poised in lines of remorse, but her chin was lifted high. The tone of
her voice dripped regret. Selena had seen this act before. It was one that
Nikki used when she was preparing to fire one of her assistants. The years of
friendship counted for nothing. Once the boys were brought home, she’d be
expected to pack and leave.

“I
told you I was running from my past when we first met.” Selena’s voice was
defensive. “You knew that there were things I couldn’t talk about.”

“True,
but I thought I could trust you.” Nikki shook her head. “I let you take care of
my baby and gave you a home to live in. The least you could have done was be
truthful.”

“I
was honest.” Selena’s voice shook. “I told you I had escaped from a horrible
life in Columbia. You said you didn’t want to hear about it.”

Nikki
shrugged. “You made it sound as if you were the victim. I was already upset
enough about having to leave Gates with a nanny. If I’d known you were one of
the perpetrators I would never have let you in my home.”

“I’m
not guilty of what the FBI is accusing me of.” Selena’s voice rose as she put
emphasis on each word. “I never hurt anyone.”

“What
about
Tarrin’s
father?” Nikki’s words hung in the
room for a few seconds before she continued. “You swear you were an innocent,
but you lived in your brother’s home. That means the only men you would have
met were those that worked for him.”

Selena’s
breath caught in her throat. “Why are you asking me this now?”

“Maybe
Tarrin’s
father is ruthless enough to kidnap him.”

“He
doesn’t know he has a son.”

Selena’s
voice was low. The memory of the torment she’d gone through when she’d found
herself pregnant threatened to overwhelm her. She was alone and without a job.
Nikki’s offer of employment had been heaven sent. Nikki and Steve were just starting
out in their careers and lived quietly. The fame and paparazzi had come later.

“Who
is he?” Nikki’s voice was strident. “We need to know so the FBI can investigate
him.”

“I
suppose the FBI has already suggested him as a suspect?”

“They’re
very thorough.” Steve spoke from the couch. “Especially when it comes to
background checks. I’ve learned a lot from them.”

“He
betrayed me and I left. I found out I was pregnant after I was living here. He
doesn’t have any idea about
Tarrin
. If he did, he
would be here helping to find him.”

“I
suppose we’ll have to take your word for that.” Nikki crossed her arms. “Did
you have any enemies in Columbia?”

“Everyone
is fighting each other.” Selena sighed. “Do you really want to know about the
life I lived in Columbia? I’ll tell you every detail, but I can promise that
neither Juan, nor
Tarrin’s
father, had anything to do
with this abduction.”