“I need to stay, Lincoln.” Alexis sighed. He was getting more and more pushy, the longer he was here. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to leave.” The FBI didn’t want her anywhere near this investigation. And she wanted them focused on finding Rachel, not proving her guilt.
“You’ll be safer with me than shut up in this crap hole you call an apartment.”
What was she supposed to say to that? “I just don’t think—”
“That’s your problem.” His lips curled up on one side, but it didn’t look like he was amused. “Thinking too much.”
“I should stop thinking?”
“If you’re making stupid decisions, yeah. I mean, the FBI thinks you’re behind all this.”
She regretted telling him that.
“You’re letting it cloud your judgment. Acting like you have something to hide.” He paused. “Do you have something to hide?”
First she was stupid for thinking, and now she was keeping secrets? Alexis pressed her lips together in a thin line. “Does it matter?” She never wanted him to know the truth.
“If it’ll save Rachel’s life, you should broadcast it from the rooftops.”
She shook her head. “One has nothing to do with the other.”
“Don’t brush me off. I don’t like it when people do that.”
“I’m sorry.” She knew how his father treated him—like nothing he did was ever good enough, or worth anything. But plenty of people had tough backgrounds. Why did he have to get so worked up about it all?
“No, you’re not,” he snapped. “Don’t pretend.”
That wasn’t fair. “I’m just trying to explain why I should stay here.”
He huffed again. “This is all your fault, you know. And I think maybe the FBI are right.”
“I would never hurt Rachel!” Why did she keep having to tell people that? Wasn’t it obvious that Rachel was her best friend, even now? They’d all bought the line that her “behavior” had been exposed finally, and Rachel had to brush her off as a liability. Did that have to change how Alexis treated her?
“But you did hurt Rachel, didn’t you? And now she’s been kidnapped.”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with me. For a second I actually thought it was you who did it when they told me the ransom video came from my computer. You were the one that was here when it was sent.”
“So now you’re going to push this all off on me.”
“I’m not trying to hurt you. I—”
His open palm hit her.
Alexis took a step back and held her hand to her cheek. That seriously hurt. “What—” Never would she have thought Lincoln—of all people—would hit her. “Do you treat all your friends this way? Just snap, and suddenly slap them?”
“You think we’re friends?”
“We aren’t anymore. Not after that.” She wanted to walk away, but this was her home. “You should leave. Now.”
“I don’t think Rachel wants that.”
She gasped, her cheek still hot and stinging. She whispered, “So, you are involved.”
He leaned close and said, “You would know.” Lincoln’s face had twisted, losing the façade of nice. She didn’t even know people could actually do that. She’d been so blind. He said, “After all, this whole situation is on you. You’re behind it all.”
“What did I do?” She asked, took shocked to do anything but speak in a low voice. She sounded hurt, but couldn’t help it.
He huffed. “I think you know.”
She lifted both hands. “I have no clue why Rachel was kidnapped, except for her money. Where is she?” Alexis moved closer to him. “Tell me where she is.”
If he told her, then she could let the FBI know. Or they could haul him in to questioning the way they’d done with her. Lincoln would tell them.
Where was her phone?
The FBI still had it. Why hadn’t she gotten a landline? Right, she had no money for a landline. Did money matter when Rachel’s life was in danger? There had to be something Alexis could do to help her friend.
“I mean it, Lincoln. Tell me where she is or…” She didn’t know what.
His laugh was a low, dark chuckle. “I’m so scared, Lex.”
“Don’t call me that. You’re the one who said we’re not friends. So get out of my apartment.” Then she could ask one of her neighbors to let her use their phone to get ahold of the FBI. Walker had to listen. He had to. Lincoln was part of this. “I said, get out.”
He reached for her elbow. “You’re coming with me.”
She tried to step back, but he was faster than her. “No. I’m not. Let go of me!”
Why was he acting like this? Sure, he’d been pushy earlier, but this was way past that. She wanted to believe in her friend, but was he involved in Rachel’s kidnapping? And now he was trying to take her as well. Was this really just for the money, or could it actually be about what had happened as well?
“Let’s move.”
“I don’t have shoes on!” It wasn’t the most important thing, but it was the first thing she thought of. He stalled, long enough for her to slip on some sneakers she kept laced up, then dragged her to the hall.
“Nice and easy.” He left the door of her apartment open. “We’re going to walk nice and easy past those feds outside.”
There were feds outside?
“Not one peep from you. Two friends going out, no problem. You’re going to do everything I say, or I make one phone call and Rachel gets a bullet between her eyes.”
“Bradley won’t give you anything if you kill her.”
“He’ll give me whatever I want. He doesn’t have to know she’s dead.”
Alexis blinked away tears as they reached the base of the stairs and the empty lobby. Why was no one here? God, please let someone see us. The feds wouldn’t let Lincoln take her with him, would they? They should have looked into him when they went through her phone. Why hadn’t they?
He’d covered his tracks. That was the only explanation. And now he expected to get away with this.
“Why are you taking me?”
The truth was, she actually wanted to go to Rachel. To be with her friend. That would be the first thing in all this she’d be able to do that might help. Support her friend. Keep her from being so scared. With the added bonus that the FBI could follow her and Lincoln to where Rachel was being held.
Still, she had to know. Lincoln had a plan, and she wanted him to tell her what it was.
“Tell me why you’re dragging me out here.”
“You’re gonna make things right.” He squeezed her arm so hard she could feel the bruise forming. “And then I’m going to cut off your fingers until Rachel signs that paper.”
Her friend wouldn’t give up her money? “You don’t need her signature. Bradley will give you all of it.”
He pushed the front door open and said, “You still think this is just about the money?”
She looked around, trying to see where the FBI were.
“Act normal.” He muttered a curse. “You’re supposed to want to go with me, remember?”
“I should scream the whole street down.”
“Rachel would die.”
“Not if the feds got you before you could make that call—”
He grabbed her jaw, his palm over her mouth, and squeezed her mouth so hard those gathering tears fell.
“I see you get me.” He let go and started walking again.
“I won’t be leverage for you to hurt Rachel.”
“Then I’ll just kill you. Or give you to someone who will have fun with you, then they’ll kill you.”
“What kind of monster are you?”
“It’s survival of the fittest. That’s why I’m so sure you’re going to die. You’ll quickly outlive your usefulness, Alexis. In my world, being useful and making sure people owe you is how you stay alive.”
“This is America.”
“Maybe not the America you know.”
She knew there was an underbelly to any society. Those who lived and died in the dark, killers or victims. It was easy to want to live above it all. To keep herself safe and protected from anything—or let Bradley do that for her. But how did knowing about it now help her situation?
Bradley. She wanted him to swoop in and rescue her, but he wasn’t going to. He was safe with the FBI and she was going to Rachel. That was good. She’d see her friend. Hug her. Tell her they were going to get out of this, even though she didn’t have the first clue how that was going to happen.
“FBI, freeze!”
Lincoln swung her around to face the approaching agents. Two of them, guns drawn.
Alexis lifted her hands. A reflex even before her brain spun with thoughts and questions. Lincoln’s arm wrapped around her neck and the cold metal of a gun pressed against her head. “Don’t come any closer or I’ll kill her.”
She couldn’t think well enough to get out any words. All that emerged from her mouth was a strangled noise.
They stepped closer. “Drop the gun and let her go.”
She figured they just didn’t want her dead on a city street. Walker probably wouldn’t have cared what happened to her—except the loss of a possible suspect. These guys didn’t care anything about her. It wasn’t shocking to them that she was about to die.
Or they were trained not to show any empathy. Maybe that was it…and why was she thinking about this?
“Lincoln, let me go and leave.” She focused on one of the agents. “They’ll let you go, right guys?”
He took a step back, hauling her with him. The pressure of his arm across her throat threatened to choke her. As it was, she could hardly swallow. The two agents moved toward them.
“Lincoln.” She breathed. “Please, let go.”
“Back off!” He yelled at the agents. “No one gets near me.” He took another step back. Toward his car? What was he going to do? They had guns on him, but he probably figured they weren’t going to fire if it meant they could hit her. She didn’t want to be protected like that. She wanted to go to Rachel.
“Lex!” Bradley’s voice.
He was here? She tried to look around, but Lincoln’s hold on her kept her head only at one angle. “Bradley!”
He was going to try and save her.
“Let her go, Lincoln. Now!”
“Everyone just back up,” one of the agents called out. “Give them some space.”
“My finger’s getting tired,” Lincoln told them. “If you want her to live, you’ll let me get in my car.”
“That isn’t happening.” Bradley.
“Let him go,” she argued. They could follow him to where Rachel was, right? Then Bradley would be able to get her back.
The whole ransom demand, and Bradley going to turn over the money in exchange for his sister, was all dissolving into ruins. Lincoln had to go—with or without her. He shouldn’t have tried to take her, especially knowing the feds were outside. Why had he, except because of whatever personal grudge he had against her?
What was so desperate to warrant his actions? She didn’t think she wanted to know, but she had to figure it out. A disagreement? A shot in the dark to complete the paperwork for the money?
She couldn’t help thinking this might not just have to do with the money, but something else entirely. Lincoln seemed to think this was all on her. Like she was responsible for Rachel being kidnapped. How was that even possible when she had nothing to do with it?
Alexis prayed they’d find her friend, prayed the truth would come out. She swallowed. Maybe not all of it. There was enough fallout in her life without the public also knowing the story they’d been fed was wrong. But Lincoln—he needed to be seen for what he really was.
“Let me go, and go.”
“Enough.” The voice came from behind them.
Lincoln spun her and she saw Walker for a second, before he swung them back. Bile rose in her stomach as the dizziness spun her equilibrium.
“Drop the gun and put your hands on your head. You’re not a killer, son. Don’t make this any worse than it’s gonna be.”
Lincoln’s heart raced in the wrist pressed against her throat. She was going to pass out in a second if she didn’t get any air.
“Everyone, back off.” The gun moved, then pressed harder against her head.
She winced, and more tears fell.
“There’s nowhere to go now,” Walker said. “You make one move except to lay down that weapon and we’ll shoot. You don’t wanna die, so this only ends one way. You let the woman go and set it on the ground.” His voice was hard and full of authority. A man used to giving orders that were obeyed.
Alexis’s gaze wouldn’t settle. It just flicked over the scene, desperately grasping for a sight of someone who would give her hope. Bradley. Where was he? She needed him, but knew Rachel needed her family—Alexis or Bradley—even more than she. Her friend was all alone.
God, help her.
The tension in Lincoln’s body had eased, even if only in a small part. Was he going to drop the gun? He exhaled, his breath warm on the back of her neck. He’d resigned himself to something. She wished she knew what that was.
His fingers moved on her shoulder and he grasped a handful of her shirt. Pulled her forward, away from his body. She swayed with the motion and nearly fell forward before she caught herself and stumbled.
Someone grabbed her. Bradley’s scent enveloped her just as as her face landed against his chest. She took hold of the sides of his shirt, by his hips, and spun. “Lincoln.”
This wasn’t right. He was supposed to lay the gun down.
He still held it.
“Put it down!”
“Drop it!”
Lincoln’s gaze came to her, and he lifted the weapon. Bradley sprang into action, moving her away from the crowd faster than her feet could move her.
Gunshots rang out.
She turned to look, but he pulled her face into his chest and said, “Don’t.”
Alexis shook her head. “He knows where Rachel is.”
She turned and saw Lincoln lying on the pavement in a pool of blood. His eyes, dead. “He could have told us.”
“It’s too late now.” Bradley’s hold on her didn’t let up. “He knew what was going to happen. He chose to die.”
“Then Rachel is going to die, too.”