[26]
Daniel aimed the plane toward home. Anxiety pounded through him. Fear for Riley, shock at Martin’s betrayal. “Still can’t get Haley?” he asked Katie.
“No.”
“Plug that cable into the phone. Since our headsets are linked, you’ll be able to hear as well.” She did as instructed and then dialed again.
They listened to it ring. And another line beep in. “It’s Riley,” Daniel said.
Katie switched over. “Riley?”
“No, unfortunately Riley is a bit indisposed right now. This is Martin. I have Riley and her friend, and if you want to see them alive, bring me the coin. And if I see any cops, I will kill Steve or Riley. And I haven’t decided which one yet. But I’ve killed before and I don’t mind doing it again.”
Daniel paled. “So it’s been you all along. All we’ve been through together? This is what it comes to?”
“Save it. All I’m interested in is the coin. With three ex-wives, I don’t have much left. I’m about to lose the house and—” A sigh. “Never mind. That coin is my ticket out. Give me the security code for the restaurant on Elmwood.”
“What? No.”
“Do it or I’ll beat it out of Riley.”
“7625.”
Martin hung up.
Daniel slapped the dash. “See if you can get him again, will you?”
She tried, but it went to voice mail each time. “He’s cut the phone off.”
“Try his cell number.” He rattled it off to her and she dialed.
The mechanical voice said, “We’re sorry, this number has been disconnected—”
Daniel hung up. “All right, we’ll do this another way. Can you find the app on my phone that says ‘Security Monitoring’ and pull it up.”
“Okay. Got it. What next?”
“Scroll down until you see the Elmwood store. Tap it and then start clicking through the different rooms. Once he’s there, we should be able to see where they are and what’s going on.”
She followed his instructions while his heart beat like a hummingbird’s wings in his chest. He’d been in dangerous situations before. He’d dodged bombs and been in hand-to-hand combat with enemies as skilled as he. But nothing had scared him like knowing Riley was in danger.
Katie kept tapping.
“What do you see?” he asked.
“I can see all of the rooms except the basement. That screen is just black.”
“Then that’s where they are.”
“I’m going to try and check on Haley again, if that’s all right.”
“If Martin beeps in, I’ll switch.”
He nodded, his mind churning. He heard her voice, registered someone answering her, but didn’t process the words. He was too busy trying to figure out his next move.
She hung up and pressed her fingers to her lips.
“How is she?”
“You weren’t listening.”
“No, sorry. It’s not that I don’t care, I do. I just . . . was thinking about Riley. I’m scared.” There, he’d said it out loud.
“Being scared for someone you love is normal,” she said. “I’m worried and scared too, but we’re going to do our best to make sure she’s all right.”
“I know. Thanks.”
“And Haley’s going to be fine. It was a flesh wound. She managed to trip him to give them some extra time. He kicked her in the face and she may have a broken nose, but at least she’s alive. She said she closed her eyes and played dead. He was too intent on going after Riley and Steve that he left her alone.”
Relief swept him. “Good, that’s great news.” He drummed his fingers on the wheel and thought, even while his adrenaline raced and worry for Riley and Steve tore at him. “I know Martin.” He gave a low, humorless chuckle. “Or at least I thought I did.” He drew in a deep breath. “Okay, I’ve got to think like him.”
“How does he think?”
“Right now, he’s thinking like a criminal. How to survive. How to get the coin and get out of the country. That coin is worth around four million dollars. He knows he’ll never sell it legally while I’m alive, but he also knows he can sell it on the black market for at least half.”
“And that’s still a pretty good haul.”
“Yes. He’s not leaving without it.”
“Do you think he killed Armstrong?” Katie asked.
“I don’t know. What reason would he have?”
“It’s crazy, I’ll admit. Maybe it was just some stupid, random thing?”
Daniel shook his head. “Maybe, but if Martin killed Armstrong, not only do I wonder what Armstrong was doing there, but what was Martin doing there?”
“Those are questions only Martin can answer, I’m afraid.”
“Yeah. We’re going to need backup. Can your friend Bree go to the restaurant and scope it without him seeing her?”
“Of course.”
“Tell her to call me and stay on the line. I want to see what she’s seeing.” He rubbed a hand down his cheek while she phoned Bree. He heard her fill the detective in and extract a promise not to do anything that would alert Martin to her presence.
She looked at him. “We really need to get a team on standby in case we need to go in fast.”
He shook his head. “Martin’s serious. He’ll kill one of them if he sees any sign of cops. He’s former military. He knows how cops think and he doesn’t need two hostages.”
She gave a slow nod.
“And if he finds out that Riley’s had the coin the entire time, she’s dead too.”
Katie didn’t respond, and when he looked at her, she had her eyes closed, lips moving slightly. She was praying. For Riley. For them. For him?
The lump in his throat took him by surprise. He reached over and wrapped his fingers around hers, and for the first time since his brother and sister-in-law had been killed, Daniel found himself praying. Please, God, don’t take Riley too.
Katie squeezed his hand and looked up. “He answers prayers.”
“Yes, but will it be the answer I want?”
“I don’t know, but that’s where faith comes in.”
His jaw ached and he realized he was clenching it. He made the effort to relax it. “Yeah, that’s what Riley keeps telling me.”
“She’s a smart girl.”
“I know.” Daniel cleared his throat and pointed. “We’re coming up on my neighborhood. We’ll land and drive straight to the restaurant.”
“I’m ready when you are.”
Riley’s head pounded and her right eye hurt. The gun had gotten her solidly on the cheek and grazed her eyelid. The side of her face felt sticky and tight and she assumed it was from dried blood.
A chill that was part weather and part fear sent tremors through her. Her hands were bound behind her and he’d duct-taped her to a column in the basement of her uncle’s restaurant. She sat with her back against the column and could feel Steve’s hands against hers, felt the heat of his body warming hers. She hadn’t been down here since her uncle had found Maurice hanging from the pipe. She swallowed and tried not to throw up from the pain in her head. She just couldn’t add that humiliation to her misery and terror.
“Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“Where’d he go?”
“I don’t know.”
“How’s your leg?”
“It hurts, but I think it’s just a sprain, not broken.”
His monotone worried her. “Do you know what time it is?”
“No.” Silence fell between them. “He took my phone,” Steve finally added.
A door slammed and Riley tensed. “Hey! Who’s there?”
Martin rounded the corner, carrying a bag. “Be quiet, Riley. I don’t want to have to tape your mouth shut.”
She bit her lip. He looked so . . . normal. He wore a long-sleeved sweatshirt, khaki cargo jeans, and tennis shoes. “Why are you doing this, Martin? Uncle Daniel’s your best friend. You’ve been like another uncle to me.”
A pained look crossed his face, then his features hardened. “I know, Riley. And I truly never meant for things to turn out this way.” He set the bag on the floor and pulled out several items.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting for Daniel to get here.”
“Okay, never mind the first question. What is that stuff for?”
“You might call it an insurance policy.”
“Quit playing with words. What is it?”
“A bomb,” Steve said. “It’s a bomb. He’s going to blow us up.”
Riley sucked in a deep breath. “Martin?” she whispered.
He dropped his head and sighed. “I’m sorry, Riley, I really am.”
Her heart fluttered in her chest like a trapped bird. Was this really happening? “Then stop!”
He shook his head. “I can’t. Daniel’s going to give me that coin or this building is going to go boom.”
Riley’s chest tightened. Should she just give him the coin? Tell him it was in her pocket? But then he would have no reason to keep them alive. He had no choice but to kill them at this point. “Everyone knows it’s you.”
“Well, the original plan was to just use the coin for fame and sell off some of the other artifacts. Altogether I’ve probably uncovered a good three million dollars’ worth of artifacts. I didn’t need the coin, but now there’s no way I can move those things and get the money, because now I have to deal with this situation. Because of you and your uncle and those bodyguards, nothing has gone according to the plan.”
She wanted to yell, “Good!” but held it in. She didn’t figure that would help the situation. When he wrapped a wire around her throat, she shook her head. “What are you doing?”
“This is linked to the bomb. If you try to take it off, you will detonate the bomb. Understand? Your boyfriend’s going to have one too. So both of you need to sit real still. I just need to get away. Then someone will come in and rescue you.”
He was lying. She knew it. She met his eyes for a brief second and saw that he knew she knew it. Tears welled, then streamed down her cheeks. “Please, Martin, please don’t do this.”
“Sorry, Riley.” He almost sounded like he meant it, but they both knew he didn’t.
She wanted to release the scream building in her throat. Instead, she clamped down on the wail and began to pray.
Daniel landed the plane without a hitch and taxied to his drive. Katie raced into the hangar and stopped at the blood on the cement. “She’s going to be all right,” she murmured.
“Come on, Katie, let’s go.”
She spun to find Daniel waiting beside her Jeep. She hurried toward him, pulling the keys from her pocket. He climbed into the passenger seat and she hauled herself into the driver’s. Within seconds, they were racing down the drive toward the restaurant. His silence worried her. “What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I’m winging it.”
“That could be deadly. I think we need to stop and come up with a plan. If we go charging in there, someone’s going to get hurt.”
“As long as it’s Martin, I’m okay with that.”
She heard the vicious threat in his voice. She got on her Bluetooth and dialed Maddy. The woman answered on the second ring. “Are you up to working?”
“Of course. I’m just being Snow White and sitting here with Grumpy. What do you need?”
Katie filled her in. “Bree’s there now. She’s scoping the area.”
“I’m on the way. Should I call Haley and Olivia?”
Katie paused. Of course Maddy wouldn’t know. “Haley’s been shot.” At Maddy’s gasp, Katie hurried to reassure her. “She’ll be all right. It was a through and through and didn’t hit anything vital, but she’s got a broken nose and lacerated cheek from where the attacker kicked her. She’s in the hospital where you are, but you can check on her later. We need you and your surveillance equipment.”
“What about Charlie and Lizzie?”
“Yes, call them.” The restaurant came into sight and Katie hung up. “Maddy’s on the way. She’s former FBI, so her presence might come in handy. She’s also had hostage negotiation training.”
“Is there anything your team can’t do?”
“Not really. But let’s not use this situation to find out.”
“I’m good with that.”