Every minute passed like an eternity, though Tina knew it hadn’t been that long since she’d come back from the bathroom. Mr. Bad Dude had given her some bottled water, and she guided it to her lips, taking small sips. She wasn’t worried about it being poisoned. If he’d wanted her dead, she’d already be lying somewhere six feet deep.
Jared was behind this, she knew it. Somehow, he’d found out she was in Texas and tracked her to Shiloh Springs. Why couldn’t he get it: she wasn’t coming back. All those bridges were burned, not even a splinter left behind.
Setting the bottle of water beside her thigh, she twisted her hands until the rusty nail was between her thumb and her forefinger. She’d watched a video once that showed how to get out of zip ties, and one of the ways was to use something small and metal to force the clasp part loose enough to slide it up, and she’d be able to get her wrists free. She could do the same with the one on her ankles.
The biggest problem? How to do it without Mr. Bad Dude seeing her. With the blindfold on, she’d basically be working at a disadvantage, because she couldn’t see. She’d managed to move it up a little, so she could see a bit underneath it, like the dirty floor beneath her, but she had no idea where her kidnapper was in the space, or even where she was. Or if there was anybody else around, like a second bad guy.
Going by feel alone, she maneuvered the tip of the nail into the slide mechanism of the zip tie around her wrist. It had already taken several precious minutes of maneuvering the slide end around her wrists to get it into a position where she could reach the clasp.
Wiggling the nail back and forth, she thought she felt it loosen the smallest amount. She tugged more and realized she could slide a thumb free. Not enough to get them off easily, but it was a start. Of course, it’d be a whole lot easier if she could slide the blindfold up and see what she was doing, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Pulling her legs up, she placed her hands against her bent knees, hoping her bent legs would obscure her movements. She knew she’d only have one shot at getting away, and she needed to be ready.
She froze when she heard Mr. Bad Dude’s cell phone peel. He answered on the first ring, and she listened intently, knowing whoever was on the other end was the one responsible for her being in this lousy situation. Hands shaking so hard she almost dropped the nail, she clenched it tighter, listening closely.
“I thought you were on your way. How long is this going to take? I didn’t sign on to be a babysitter. This was supposed to be a simple snatch and grab, then turn her over to you.”
Huh, guess things aren’t going quite to plan. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Whoever was on the phone must have talked for a while because Mr. Bad Dude hadn’t said another word. The silence was killing her. It took everything she had to not try and make a break for it. He might be distracted enough by the call for her to get a head start. But she had to play things smart. She might only get the one chance, and she couldn’t afford to blow it.
“I don’t like this. The price for the job just doubled.”
Heartbeat racing, adrenaline coursed through her veins as she realized something just happened to send this situation spiraling out of control. She felt like a pawn in a chess game, with no way to determine who was the grand master of this private tournament. All she knew was if things went south, she was the disposable piece in this scenario.
“That’s not what I agreed to when you contracted my services. I have performed the services required, and now you want to change the terms. Therefore, the financial terms need to be renegotiated. The price is now double.”
The silence stretched out, and with it the blood pounded in her brain like a metronome, each beat deep and ominous. What the heck was happening? She wouldn’t put it past Jared to hire somebody to grab her and then not want to pay when the bill came due. Trust him to leave her in the hands of a hired killer and try to nickel and dime him to death.
“I’m glad you understand the situation. When will you be arriving to take delivery of the package?”
Mr. Bad Dude’s voice never rose in volume, but Tina had goosebumps along her skin from the total lack of emotion he displayed. This whole situation was nothing more than a contracted job for him, a quid pro quo, a service for compensation. Too bad she was caught in the middle of negotiations, when her very life lay on the line.
“You’ve got twelve hours. That’s more than enough time for you to get here and take possession of the package.”
Package? Is that all I am, a commodity, a package for delivery?
“I’ll text directions as soon as you arrive in the state.”
Tina heard footsteps drawing closer, and she slid the nail into her palm, fisting her hand around it. She pulled her wrists slightly apart and turned them until the zip tie bit into her skin, making them appear taut. Mr. Bad Dude stopped directly in front of her, and she held her breath, wondering what he’d do.
“You hungry?”
The question surprised her because it was the last thing she’d expected.
“Not really.”
“Alright. If you change your mind, let me know. I don’t have much, but I’ve got the basics, like peanut butter and jelly and chips.”
“Comfort foods, gotta love it.”
He chuckled. “I know, I eat like a kindergartener. We’ve got a bit of a wait; you might as well try and get comfortable.”
When he walked away, Tina blew out a soft breath and went back to work on the zip tie. She needed to be ready, because when the moment presented itself, she was out of here.
It probably took less than two minutes to run from Rafe’s office to Daisy’s place, but it felt like his feet were dragging through wet cement. Every step felt weighted, keeping him from finding Tina. Rafe rushed through Daisy’s front door first, Chance on his heels. Dusty stood off to the far right, in front of the hallway that led to the restrooms and also the door leading to the back alley. A dark-haired woman stood with him, speaking softly. Wringing her hands, she kept making the nervous gesture over and over, and Chance finally recognized her as the new waitress Daisy hired a couple of weeks earlier.
Dusty spotted them and motioned for them the minute they got through the door. Chance’s stomach knotted, and he fought the anxiety attempting to morph into a giant monster, ready to consume him whole. He couldn’t give in to emotion, not now. Once Tina was home safe and sound, then he could fall apart. Until then, he needed to be a rock.
“Boss, this is Jackie Gilbert. Jackie is the new waitress here. She was here when Tina disappeared. Jackie, why don’t you tell Sheriff Boudreau what you saw?”
Jackie took a deep breath, and Chance again noticed her shaking hands. The paleness of her face was another dead giveaway she was scared.
“I’m not sure what I saw. I had been on shift for almost four hours, and since the rush had petered out, Daisy told me I could take my break. I figured I’d go out back for a quick smoke break.” Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a disposable lighter. “I’ve been trying to quit, but every once in a while, I get a craving, and this morning I gave in. I do remember when I went to go outside, the door to the alley was unlocked. I told myself to remember to mention it to Daisy, because with it unlocked, anybody could slip out without paying their tab.” She gestured toward the back door. “I noticed right away, because you have to manually unlock it for it to stay unlocked. It’s a little tricky.”
Chance fisted his hands to keep from grabbing Jackie by the shoulders and shaking her, wanting to yell for her to get to the point. But this was his brother’s gig, and he’d let him do his job. If he didn’t get all the answers, Chance had no problem jumping in and asking questions himself.
“That’s a good observation, Jackie.” Rafe gave her an encouraging smile. “Was there anybody in the hall, or going in or out of the restrooms? Somebody stand out, a stranger maybe?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, nothing like that. I slipped out through the door and lit up. That’s when I saw a car parked in the alley. It wasn’t directly outside the door, actually down several feet. I figured it was somebody making a delivery for one of the shops, dropping it off at their back door. I saw a tall man closing the front passenger door, then walk around and get into the driver’s side. Honestly, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention. I did notice the passenger side occupant was a lot smaller. I guess what caught my attention was the driver reached across and did up the seatbelt for the passenger, which seemed odd. I mean, whenever I ride with somebody, I put on my own seatbelt, right?”
“Another good catch, Jackie. You’re really helping us. Think carefully about the man. Can you remember anything about him? Was he tall? Short? Young? Anything you can tell us will help.”
“Honestly, Sheriff, I wished I’d paid more attention.” She screwed her eyes closed, rubbing at her temples, and Chance worried she wouldn’t be of any more help. With his legal training, he knew how important it was to treat witnesses with kid gloves, and Rafe’s technique was flawless. But it felt like a waste of time, because she hadn’t been able to tell them much they didn’t know already.
“I can’t tell you much about the guy, but I can tell you about his car.”
Chance drew himself upright at Jackie’s declaration. “What about his car?”
Rafe shot him a glare, as if to say let me handle my own investigation, thank you very much. Chance returned his glare with his own you’re taking too long, get to the point stare.
“A 2017 Toyota Avalon. White. Dark interior. Rental sticker in the right rear window.” At the men’s surprised looks, she replied, “I was kind of a grease monkey growing up, hung around with the car guys. I know cars.”
“Did you recognize the rental sticker, what company?”
“Sure did,” she answered, and spouted off the name of a national rental company. Might or might not help, because it could have been rented anywhere, but it was more than they’d had an hour ago. Chance’s hand started to reach for his phone, intent on getting Ridge and Destiny working on the tip, but Rafe stayed his hand.
“Anything else you think might help, Jackie? Anything at all?”
“I can’t be positive, because like I said, I thought it was just somebody making a delivery, but I think the person in the passenger seat was a brunette. Does that help?”
“Yes, thank you, Jackie. I’m going to let Deputy Sinclair get the rest of your statement.” Rafe pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Jackie. “If you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to call me. No matter what time, day or night, call. I appreciate your help.”
“I wish I could have told you more.”
Chance reached forward and laid his hand lightly on her shoulder. “You’ve helped a lot. Thank you, Jackie.”
Spinning on his heel, Chance headed toward the door, Rafe hard on his heels. He’d barely made it through the door before his brother grabbed his arm, spinning him around.
“Don’t go off halfcocked, bro. You’ve got to get a handle on this right now, or I’m gonna have to—”
“Have to what? How would you react if it was Tessa who was missing? I remember how you reacted when she was held hostage by two men with guns. Seems to me you were right in the thick of things. I can’t—I can’t stand by and do nothing.”
“I know. But I can see the gleam in your eye, and you’re getting ready to do something stupid. Let’s take two minutes to make a couple of calls, starting with the car rental place. Maybe we’ll catch a break.”
“I keep thinking of her in the hands of some low life thug that Webster hired to grab her.”
“You can’t think like that; all it will do is keep you from making the right choices. Tina’s strong and she’s smart. She had to be to stay one step ahead of her ex all this time. She’s not going to suddenly sit back and play the damsel in distress, waiting for somebody to ride to her rescue. Think about who we’re talking about. You told me the first time you met, she brained you with an ice bucket. Do you think she’s going to do less to somebody who snatched her away from her family and friends—from you?”
Chance drew in a long, shuddering breath. “Yeah, you’re right. I just feel helpless. Tina’s somewhere in the hands of somebody willing to kidnap her in broad daylight, with a diner full of people. He’s either a professional or stupid. Either way, that puts her in a heap of trouble, and I’m sitting here twisting in the wind.”
“Again, I doubt Tina is meekly sitting around, allowing any man to tell her what to do. I bet she’s plotting and scheming a way to get free, and I’d bet my next year’s salary the first place she’ll head is straight to you.”
Chance started walking as he digested Rafe’s words. “You think so?”
“I swear. Now come on, let’s go make a few calls and find your gal.”