23

The nearly disastrous scene unfolded as if in a movie.

He felt foolish because he’d allowed Nikki to trick him so easily and terrified she would kill herself trying to get to Cassie. She surged past cars as if they were sitting still. Then she was gone. The kidnappers had told her to come alone, and that was exactly what she planned to do.

He should have known she wouldn’t give up that quickly. He slammed a fist on his hood. Not that he blamed her. He’d have done the same thing if they’d contacted him. But he wasn’t letting her face those kidnappers alone. It was time she had someone she could count on.

She’d been alone and afraid at Cassie’s birth because he hadn’t been man enough. He hadn’t been there when she needed him the most, but he’d be there this time. He’d find her one way or another.

Getting in his car, he waited for the traffic to clear. At least he knew the general direction she was going. She must not have been thinking clearly when she told him where they wanted her to go. Or maybe she had been thinking clearly. Just maybe, she’d told him wrong. It didn’t matter. It was his only chance, so he’d take it and hope for the best. He pulled onto the road, trying to figure out his next move—or actually Nikki’s next.

Guide me, God…

After passing more cars than he could count, he realized Nikki was gone. The question now was how to find her.

His phone rang.

Maybe she’d had a change of heart and decided to include him. As he picked up the phone, he knew that wasn’t the case. “Hello, Elizabeth.”

“Lucas, what’s going on? I got your message, but it wasn’t very clear. What’s wrong?”

“Nikki’s niece was kidnapped. I want you to hire a K & R expert and get them down to Maiden as soon as possible.”

“A kidnap and ransom expert? Are you sure about that? After all, you told me she’d gone all the way to Florida without her parents’ permission. What…when did this happen?”

“I’m sure. I don’t have time to explain. Contact Agent Sarah Goode from the Charlotte FBI office. She can give you any information you need. Just get those K & R experts down here. Cost is not a factor.”

“Of course, I’ll do anything I can to help.”

“One other thing. I need you to track a phone number and tell me where it is.”

“Why?”

“No time to explain. Can you do it?”

There was a long pause before Elizabeth answered, “Of course I can do it. Well, actually, I can’t, but I know someone who can.”

“Good enough. And please don’t tell anyone else about it. This is between you and me. Call me back as soon as you know where the phone is.”

“Lucas, where are you? Please, don’t do anything dangerous. Let the police handle this.”

“Don’t worry about me. Just hurry and get the location of that phone. I need it right away.” He rattled off the number and pulled over. He prayed, begged God to keep them both safe.

The phone rang. “Hello.”

“Lucas, this is Agent Sarah Goode.”

“Yes, Agent Goode.”

“Where are you? What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on. Why would you ask that?”

“Because you and Nikki Kent disappeared.”

“We’re driving around.” That technically was true. Even though they weren’t driving around together. “She couldn’t sit in that house another second. We’re looking for dark-colored vans.” All true.

“With all due respect, that’s my job, not yours.”

“I know that, and if we find one, we’ll contact you right away. It’s just that Nikki had to do something.” That was certainly true.

“I can believe that. I get the feeling she’s not one to sit on the sidelines.”

“That’s for sure.”

****

By now, Lucas was far behind. Nikki couldn’t let him catch up. Keeping her gaze on the speedometer and her foot on the gas, she moved through the traffic. Fast enough to stay ahead of traffic, slow enough not to get stopped by another state patrol. Moving to the slow lane, she waited for the next exit to come up. She couldn’t take the chance of Lucas catching up. He wouldn’t be as gullible next time.

Her phone rang. “Hello.”

“Where are you now?”

“I’m getting very tired of this cat-and-mouse game. Tell me where you want me to go and I’ll go. And let me talk to Cassie. If I don’t know she’s…a…” Her voice faltered, not even wanting to say the words aloud, but she took a breath. “If I don’t know she’s alive, I’m done.”

There was a long pause. “Fine. Hold on.”

Another long pause. “Aunt Nikki, I’m—”

“Satisfied. Now follow my instructions. Take 21 South to Charlotte. Get off the first Charlotte exit and go to the corner restaurant. When you get there, go to the trashcan, leave your phone, and you’ll find an envelope under the trashcan with your final instructions. That’s how you’ll find your daughter.”

21 South. That was the road she’d told Lucas. Totally ridiculous. By telling Lucas the opposite direction, she’d inadvertently told him the right way. Well, that couldn’t be helped now. She could only hope he was far enough ahead of her that they wouldn’t run into each other.

Someone could be following her, tracking her every move. There were any number of ways they could do that these days. Depending on what sort of resources they had. And obviously, these people had resources. She drove back on the highway, watching for Lucas and anyone else who might be following her. “My daughter.”

The kidnapper had called Cassie her daughter.

Nobody knew that. Well, almost nobody. Lucas and his mother now knew the truth, but they would never do anything like this. Had they told someone else about her? Not likely. Had someone else seen Cassie and realized she was Lucas’s daughter?

That had to be what happened. And that meant this wasn’t about Cassie or a ransom. Cassie’s kidnapping had something to do with Lucas and the assassination attempt on his life. If that was the case, and Nikki was pretty sure it was, then Lucas was still in danger.

But that didn’t make sense.

If this was about Lucas, why would they have called her and not Lucas?

He would have done exactly what she was doing. Followed their instructions to get to Cassie, and then they could have killed him and Cassie. Why hadn’t they called Lucas?

Even as she drove faster than she should, she forced her mind to slow down. Think like an investigator. She sifted through the events of the past week.

According to Lucas, the picture they’d sent of her office showed they’d known Lucas had come to her for help. The night at the cabin, Lucas had been an easy target, but she’d been the one shot. Then she’d been mugged and warned to go back to Florida to stay away from Lucas.

They knew Kathryn Rites was responsible for the stalking, but she’d maintained her innocence of the assassination attempt. Agent Goode and Lucas both thought she was telling the truth, especially after Nikki had been mugged.

Someone else was obviously involved. Someone who didn’t want Nikki anywhere near Lucas.

Nikki pulled into the restaurant parking lot. She hated giving up her cell phone. It was her lifeline, but it couldn’t be helped. She was at the kidnapper’s mercy. She usually kept a burner phone in her car when she was working, but she hadn’t put one in when she’d headed to Maiden with Cassie. She’d assumed she wouldn’t need one. Boy, had she been wrong about that. Too late to worry about it now. She picked it up and opened the car door.

Stepping out, she scanned the area for trashcans. Three of them outside. One at each of the doors and one in front of the building. Going to the first one, she lifted it up. No envelope. Same at the second. Of course the envelope was at the last one. After scooping it out, she held up her cell phone for a moment and then tossed it into the trashcan. She waited until she was back in her car before ripping open the envelope.

It was empty. They’d lied to her. They had no intentions of taking her to Cassie. It had all been a ruse to get her out of the house.

Tears trickled down her cheeks. What was she supposed to do now?

They’d never intended for Nikki to find Cassie. Maybe that was the point. Maybe it was about money. In that case, perhaps Bethany and Ray had been contacted.

And Lucas was willing to give them whatever amount they needed. Lucas should be there with Bethany and Ray. But she was sure Lucas was out there looking for her. He was as stubborn as she was.

It was time to call Bethany and Ray to find out what was happening. And admit her own failure. She stepped out of her car and went to retrieve her phone. She tried not to think of all the germs as she stuck her hand in the trashcan. She may not be a germophobe like her sister, but…

A vehicle approached.

“Get in, now.”

She turned to see an open door on a black van. Without a moment’s hesitation, she climbed in. She felt a sharp jab in her arm and then her body relaxed.

****

Nikki took an envelope out of the trash and then threw her phone in the garbage can. She walked back to her car with the envelope. A moment later, she hopped back out. She fished around in the trashcan again. The kidnappers had obviously told her to get rid of her phone.

Someone was probably watching.

A van pulled up, blocking his view. Move. He hated losing sight of her, even for a minute.

The van drove away.

Nikki was gone. Had she gone inside? She’d have had to cross right in front of him to do that. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t in there.

The van. The black van.

Of course. Cassie had been dragged into a dark-colored van. Nikki must have gotten in the van. She would do anything to keep Cassie safe, even letting herself be kidnapped. That van would lead him to Nikki and to Cassie.

He prayed it wouldn’t be too late. He pulled through the parking lot, the same direction the van had gone. He turned right. No taillights. Where had it gone?

His phone rang.

Elizabeth. He ignored the ringing but then realized that was a mistake. If Elizabeth tracked his phone, she could send the FBI to him. “Elizabeth.”

“We finally got a track on that phone. It’s at a restaurant in Charlotte. I’ll give you the address.”

“I don’t need the address. I’m in the parking lot. What I need you to do is track my phone and then have the FBI find me. I’m on the trail of Cassie’s kidnappers.” At least, he prayed that was the case.

“The kidnappers? Lucas, you shouldn’t put yourself in danger. Where are you? Stay there and I’ll have the FBI come to you. Don’t get involved in this.”

His daughter was involved. The woman he loved was involved. That meant he was involved. “No time. Just have them find me.”

“But—”

“Just have the FBI follow me. Gotta go.” He ended the call and put the car in gear, determined to find Nikki and their daughter.

He drove down one street then the other, searching. As he drove, he realized the craziness of what he was doing. He wasn’t a trained investigator or a police officer. He didn’t have a clue how to find them. And even if he found them, he had no weapon. How was he supposed to protect them without a gun?

Did Nikki have her gun with her? If they took her to Cassie, she’d have some protection.

Maybe he should go back to Nikki’s car and see if the gun was in there. But that would take time and he had to find them right now.

Before something happened.