ChasingShadows (27 page)

Alex didn’t think it odd she mentioned only Lisette. He
sensed she knew she’d never see her son alive again.

* * * * *

Back in the war room, Alex and James pored over a county
plot. Lochhaven Drive was located in a rural area outside suburban Almaden.
Juliana’s guess that the house sat in the country was dead-on.

The county recorder’s office verified the end parcel
belonged to Nicholas Hastings. The land included a three thousand square foot
ranch home and a four-horse barn. The homestead sprawled among fruit orchards
on all sides.

Why would Hastings purchase the property if he planned to
leave the United States? Maybe he just figured he’d be long gone before we
caught up to him. Either he was stupid or Machiavellian.
Alex factored both
into the equation for their plan of attack.

Sterling rushed into the room in a flurry of noise. “Gilbert
reported in. No ransom call.”

The call was two hours late. Alex fingered his pulsing scar
with a sense of foreboding. He had the uneasy feeling that something was very
wrong and that Juliana was stuck in the middle of it.

Chapter Fifteen

Nicholas returned an hour later and tied Juliana’s wrists
behind her back with a silk scarf. Although her wrists still stung from the
duct tape, the tightly wound scarf was bearable.

Silently, he led her into the living room and pressed her
down on a leather couch. The large room boasted a vaulted ceiling, with cobwebs
hanging from the thick exposed beams. A black leather couch and a pair of
square oak end tables barely filled the middle of the room. An ornate gilt-framed
mirror hung on the wall next to the double front door. The mirror that once
reflected her eyes.

Juliana slumped onto the couch, watching Nicholas warily.
The man certainly lived spartanly, belying the money he flaunted in his upper
Manhattan penthouse. Money was evident in the car he drove and in his designer
clothing.

He crossed the room and leaned back against the mantel above
a large granite fireplace. Studying her, he said, “I’ve decided to accept your
offer.” He lifted an autographed baseball off the mantel and held it
reverently. Tossing it above his head, he caught it in his palm. “With a twist.
First, tell me how you propose to get into your safety deposit box without a
key.”

By the look on his face, a plan had already formed in his
warped mind. If she played her cards right, she’d remain at least a half step
ahead.

Juliana wrinkled her nose. The sofa smelled strongly of
leather. “The key’s at my house.” It was still in a tiny envelope with the
bank’s name and address written on it. She’d never gotten around to putting it
in a safer place.

Nicholas twisted around to return the baseball to the
mantel. She quickly surveyed the room before he faced her again. “Lieutenant
MacKenzie at the PD has a key to my house. Let me call him, and I’ll have him
drop it wherever you want.” She suffered a dull ache of longing for Alex.

Curiosity glittered in Nicholas’ eyes. “Why does MacKenzie
have a key to your house?”

“It’s the way the police and I operate.” She gave him a
vacant stare as she worked her wrists, but the tight scarf barred escape. “I’ve
worked with the police before.”

His mouth edged up at one corner. “No doubt.”

Juliana dug her fingers between the cushion and sofa back on
a hunting expedition. “If I get the bonds, you’ll free us?”

Nicholas replied in a low, condescending voice, “Now why
would I do that? There’s another three mil at stake.”

Nicholas stepped away from the fireplace and approached her.

She froze her useless groping between the couch cushions.
“You seem to know a lot about Chamber. Are you sure he cares enough about his
granddaughter to—”

Fury flitted across his face before he masked it. “Don’t
tell me what I know. Keep your pretty little mouth shut and do as I tell you.”

The flare of anger ripped an opening in his mind. She seized
full advantage and eagerly glommed onto his thoughts. Nicholas’ relationship
with Grantham Chamber spanned years. It was volatile—one he vowed Chamber would
pay for in spades.

He wanted more than money. He sought revenge.
Who the
hell are you, Nicholas Hastings? Why pick on a defenseless child?

Fear for Lisette’s safety mounted inside her.

Juliana sat stiff-backed on the leather sofa and stared out
the huge picture window. The view gave way to a barren backyard, desolate
except for a few scattered oaks. Two hundred feet away, beyond the immediate
backyard, the oleander hedges grew in a straight line, a natural barrier from
neighboring property.

“What do you want me to do?” Juliana tilted her head.

“You’ll make the call.” He closed the span between them.
“Tell MacKenzie where to find the key. You’ll call back later today with a
drop-off location. We’ll follow with further instructions on the original
ransom demand. Can you remember, or should I write it down?”

Her qualms increased by the second. A sense of doom descended
on her.
Be strong. Lisette’s life is at stake.
“I can remember.”

“Excellent.” He pulled her to her feet, his face inches from
hers. “I’ll time the call, so keep it short. And I’ll be on an extension.”

* * * * *

“Lieutenant, line one!” Sterling shouted from the hall.
“Juliana Westwood.”

“Trace it!” James yelled.

Alex pushed past James and seized the phone from the messy
war room table. He motioned for everyone but James to clear the room before he
punched the speaker button.

Juliana was alive. Relief rushed through him like a balmy
breeze.

“Juliana.” Alex exhaled, rubbing at the muscle jerking in
his jaw. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice cracking.

His heart swelled at the sound of her voice. “Where are
you?”

“The kidnapper has me.” In a rush, she said, “Is Andrea with
you?”

Andrea? Why the hell did she think Andrea was at the PD?
“No. Is Lisette with you?”

“Yes. Alex, open up and let Andrea in on the investigation.”

In a heartbeat, he knew where she was driving. Exhilaration
rolled through him.

If you can read me, say “I’m okay, but I wouldn’t pass up
a ginger ale”,
Alex told her in his thoughts
.
“Are you hurt?” he
asked out loud.

“I’m okay. But I wouldn’t pass up a ginger ale.” Rushed
panic flooded her voice. No other telltale sounds in the background gave her
location away. “I need you to get my safety deposit key.”

“Okay. Is Lisette okay?”
Say Lisette’s okay, all blonde
hair and blue eyes, if it’s Nicholas Hastings.

She repeated the words and added, “The key’s in my
nightstand drawer.”

We know where he lives. Repeat where the key is if you’re
at a ranch house surrounded by orchards.

“Again, the key’s in a bank envelope in my nightstand
drawer.”

“Got it.” Alex etched the information on his brain.

“I’ve got to go. I’ll call back with a drop-off spot later
today and tell you when and where to leave the ransom.” Juliana spoke rapidly,
and Alex assumed she was being timed.

Jewel, I love you.

The phone clicked off.

“No trace,” Sterling shouted through the door.

“I didn’t expect one.” Alex slammed the phone down and
rested his clenched fists on the table. “He knows what he’s doing.”

James shoved aside a tray of half-eaten sandwiches and eased
a hip on the table. “What’s in the box?”

“No idea.” Alex strode to the door, stopping on the
threshold. “Whatever it is, she’s convinced him it’s worth the risk.”

* * * * *

Alex loved her. After everything, he still loved her. She
wanted to cry out with the joy that energized her and propelled her fear out of
sight. But she forced herself to block her thoughts, to concentrate on Nicholas
and her situation.

“You did well.” Nicholas gripped her arm and led her back to
the locked bedroom.

Her curiosity bubbled to the surface while she considered
the options that had kept her awake most of the night. “Where’s Jasmine?”

“Sleeping. I kept her busy last night,” he drawled as he
brought her to a halt in front of the white bedroom door. His charming smile
was deceptive. “Would you like to keep me busy tonight?”

“I’d rather sleep with vipers.”
Get angry, you bastard.

No such luck. He laughed instead.

Nicholas canted his head. “You
will
change your mind.
I promise,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear as he brushed his lips
over her cheek.

His touch sent revulsion surging through her, buckling her
knees. She would have fallen without his firm grip on her arm.

“Don’t bet the ranch on it.” With steely resolve, she
straightened and shrugged. “I’d rather die than let you touch me.”

Abruptly, he pressed his soft, dry lips on her forehead in a
disgustingly possessive kiss. His tangy sandalwood aftershave invaded her
sinuses. The scent would have been pleasant if not for the man who wore it.

She suppressed a shudder as she taunted him, “I thought you
only screwed willing partners.”

“If I told you I’d kill Lisette if you didn’t sleep with me,
wouldn’t you be willing?”

A growing horror began to take root within her and she felt
the blood drain from her face.

He chuckled nastily. “That’s what I thought.” He kissed the
tip of her nose. “You really are too beautiful to pass up.”

If it meant saving Lisette. Juliana couldn’t suppress a
shudder as she felt her blood drain down to her toes.

“Nicky. What’s going on?” Jasmine’s shrill voice shattered
the interlude as she appeared behind Nicholas. If Jasmine had claws, they’d be
sharp and extended.

Perfect timing. Juliana set Plan B in action. Quickly, she
wound her free arm around Nicholas’ neck, seeking his lips with her own. She
closed her eyes and endured the repellent kiss. As his tongue forced her lips
open, she couldn’t curb a reflexive gag. But Nicholas didn’t seem to notice as
the kiss deepened and grew intimate. His tongue lashed against hers, his hard
lips crushingly cruel in his swelling lust. It took all the courage and mind
control Juliana possessed not to push him away, not to bite down on his lips,
not to crash her knee into the erection pulsing against her stomach.

After what seemed like an eternity of horror, Nicholas
pulled his mouth free, grinning. Sans the colored contacts, the aroused
steel-gray eyes of her dream man met her gaze. She splayed a trembling hand on
the front of his jeans and pressed his hard arousal. The violent urge to
squeeze his life out through his penis nearly took Juliana over the precipice.

Jasmine’s screeching brought him back to the present.

“Jaz! Shut the fuck up. You do
not
own me.” He
backhanded her across the face, slamming her against the wall. She sagged to
the floor and sobs racked her body.

Juliana glanced at Jasmine sympathetically. Regardless of
the girl’s troubles, score one for Juliana.

“Get in there,” Nicholas said harshly. He unlocked the
bedroom door and shoved Juliana inside the room.

* * * * *

Alex and James waited in James’ truck at the street opening
to Hastings’ driveway. Unmarked cars bearing Sterling, Gilbert and SWAT team
members waited behind them. All potential land exits surrounding the area were
blocked and SWAT and patrolmen were posted along the hedges bordering the
property. Choppers hovered in the distance, waiting for their signal.

The rush continued unabated inside Alex, replacing the
tension that had held him hostage for days. He loved fieldwork. His intense
concern for Lisette and Juliana’s safety during the siege kept him more
determined and focused than ever.

* * * * *

“You hear that noise?” Jasmine had worked Nicholas into a
lust-filled frenzy.

Hotter than ever, she was a tiger when she was mad. She
rode him hard and deep. Twisting her head to the side, her body stiffened. His
upward thrusts quickened and intensified.

“I hear something.” She pursed her swollen lips.

“You hear nothing,” Nicholas snapped. He squeezed her
hips and pressed her down onto his shaft.

“I’m serious.” Before he could stop her, she lifted off
him and ran naked to the sliding glass door in the dining room. “Don’t you hear
that?”

Nicholas froze. He did hear an odd noise, and he didn’t
like the sound of it. Leaping off the couch, he pulled his pants up and made a
dash for the open door. “Shit! Of all the worst luck in Monte Carlo.”

Green eyes followed him around the room while he
scrambled into his clothes.

His face contorted in fury. “Juliana, I’ll kill you if
you do that again!”

* * * * *

A delicate touch on Juliana’s face drew her out of the
dream. Lisette patted her cheek. Muffled strains of Nicholas shouting urged her
into full alertness. A dull throb began in her head. She didn’t think she had
slept more than a few minutes.

Frightened, Lisette reached for her, and she sat up to
comfort the child. A bit of solace swamped her as Lisette’s tiny arms clung to
her neck.

Monte Carlo? The name nagged at her like an old buried
memory scratching for the surface.

Snuggling Lisette closer, Juliana recalled the dream.
Helicopters? Could it mean the police—Alex—were on their way?

A slow smile stretched Juliana’s mouth. She had attempted to
read Nicholas all day with no luck. But as soon as Jasmine sheathed him, his
mind opened like a cracked egg. Obviously, sex created a stronger force than
his own mental blockade.

A loud banging on the door startled them, followed by
Nicholas’ rushed, angry voice. “Stand back.” The door flew open, and he rushed
in with a roll of duct tape in his hands.

Heart in her mouth, Juliana recoiled from the crazed
expression on his face. She held steadfast as he bound her wrists in front of
her and discreetly sighed when he left Lisette unbound.

Shrinking from the cold gray of his eyes, Juliana’s mind
floundered for a new escape plan. Nicholas shoved her toward the door, the
nine-millimeter once again in his grip. Lisette scrambled toward the bed.
“Fluffy!” she cried.

“Lisette!” Nicholas yelled. “Get over here!”

“Lisette, leave it!” Juliana cried through gritted teeth.
But Lisette managed to snag the stuffed bunny and glued herself to Juliana’s
side before Nicholas posed a further threat.

Jasmine entered the room, and her long fingernails bit into
Juliana’s arm. Juliana ignored the sting as Nicholas led them into the
backyard.

Bright sunlight blinded Juliana. She quickly recovered and
scanned her surroundings. Feeling desolate, she noticed the orchards
surrounding them. No help in sight. She listened intently for the helicopters,
but heard nothing remotely like the whirl of blades.

The living oleander fence separated the yard from the
nearest orchard. The thick bushes shielded the car hidden on the other side.
The acrid scent of oleander blooms filled her nostrils, and she stifled a gag.