Madeline and Nick staggered to a halt as a blaze consumed the interior of the building’s west side. Heat surged from the broken windows, exploding the remaining panes, but her blood chilled.
If the timing had been different—two minutes, maybe less—they would’ve both been inside. She risked her life on a regular basis—that came with the territory. But this had been a close call.
Too close.
Fire licked the air through the shattered opening. Gray smoke billowed out across the water.
Madeline looked over her shoulder.
Jackson stood aghast, gaping at the building. At the ruins of his pet project. His baby.
Madeline holstered her weapon and went to him.
His eyes were glassy with horror. His skin, his coloring was too pale. The same paralyzing fear she’d seen on countless other parents rolled off him in waves.
She put a hand on his shoulder. “The fire department will be here shortly. They’ll search the building and confirm if it was empty.”
For a long moment, she wondered if he’d heard her. Even Nick gave her a concerned glance that had her regretting the fact that she’d allowed Jackson to come along.
“Thank you,” Jackson said in a low voice, still staring at the fire.
She let out a small breath of relief that he’d spoken. “For what?”
Finally, his gaze met hers. “Not asking me if I’m all right.”
It was obvious he wasn’t. In a few short hours, everything that mattered most to him had been taken away. This man was suffering from a pain beyond what the physical could inflict and it was etched all over his face.
“You said that you don’t have any enemies, but...” Madeline took a second, needing to find the right words. “This was well-timed. Meticulously executed. I need you to think hard about who might want to target you in this way.”
He stepped back, shrugging off her hand. “If I knew something that could be useful, anything that might help me get my daughter back, don’t you think I’d tell you in a heartbeat? I have no idea who did this.” He threw a hand up at the building. “No idea why.”
The kidnapper hadn’t asked for ransom money. Only his resignation. Which meant that Jackson did know who was responsible. He just couldn’t see it yet.
“What about Andrew Phillips?” Nick asked. “Your assistant told me that in the event you step down, he’d be the one to fill in for you. Or how about Charles Albrecht, the CEO of AlbrechTech? I overheard the chairman mention that you two have a combative rivalry.”
“That’s true. There’s been infighting between me and Andrew since day one. And as for Chuck, combative is putting it mildly.” Jackson’s cheeks turned a mottled shade of red. “But to think that either of them would go to such lengths...” He glanced at the fiery ruins of his project. “It’s unimaginable.”
Nick rocked back on his heels and peered up at the sky. “Well, what do we have here?”
Madeline followed the direction he pointed in, spotting the whirring device at once. A small quadcopter drone fitted with a camera hovered above the parking lot.
How long had it been there?
She couldn’t hear the rotor blades due to the roar of the fire, but if the drone had been overhead when they stepped out of the vehicle, she would’ve noticed the noise.
“We’re being watched.” Nick hiked his chin up.
“By the person who kidnapped Emma?” Jackson asked.
“Safe assumption,” Madeline said. Her gut told her any other explanation would be too much of a coincidence, and she didn’t believe in those.
“Why use a drone?” Jackson asked. “Did the sick bastard want to watch the explosion?” He glared up at the quadcopter, fists at his sides. “I’ll give you whatever you want! Just release my little girl! Please. Let Emma go.”
“They’re usually only equipped with video, no audio,” Nick said.
Dropping his head, Jackson slapped the hood of the SUV and muttered a curse.
Madeline got the sense he was a man used to being in total and complete control, of himself, of everything in his orbit. Even now, looking on the verge of falling apart, he was working hard to hold it together.
She turned to Nick. “See if you can shoot the drone down.” It was within range and Nick was a good shot. “We might get lucky. Pull a set of prints.” Everyone made mistakes sooner or later. Maybe the kidnapper got sloppy, hadn’t considered this possibility. If so, they could use it to their advantage.
“Sure.”
While Nick quickly took aim, Madeline opened the front passenger door and ushered Jackson inside the vehicle. Fortunately, he sat without a fight. Giving whoever was watching the video more footage of Jackson unraveling wouldn’t help the situation. If anything, it’d only feed the perpetrator’s ego.
Madeline stayed between the door and the frame.
A pair of gunshots rang out, making Jackson flinch. She was used to the sharp sound, but the loud report always came as a surprise to most civilians.
Nick had managed to drop the quadcopter to the ground on the second shot. He grabbed an evidence bag from the trunk and tugged on gloves before retrieving it.
“I know commercial drones aren’t equipped with audio.” Jackson loosened his tie and pulled it off over his head. His tailored suit did nothing to hide the bulk of his muscles or the unbearable weight he was carrying. “If it were, at two hundred feet high, it’d capture very little audio from the ground. Factor in prop noise and it’d be useless.” His shoulders slumped forward, his brow creasing as a hand jerked the top button on his collar open. “No point in screaming at it the way I did. Like an idiot. I think I’m in shock from it all.”
There was something in his voice, a deep, dark underlying sadness that caught her breath. That made her soften in a way she hadn’t for a long time.
The desire to comfort him was startling in its intensity. She clenched her hand to keep from touching him. The rest of the BAU team thought the impact on the parents was never her concern, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. The reason she kept her distance from the victims’ loved ones, normally letting Caitlyn handle the support role instead, was that she understood their suffering all too well. The closer she got to the family, the easier it was to get caught in the emotional undertow. Then how would she be able to save the victim?
She swallowed to clear her throat. “What you’re feeling is only natural. To be expected.”
Sirens wailed in the distance. It was convenient the fire department had already been called and was on the way. They might be able to get the blaze under control quickly.
“Did he hit the drone?” Jackson asked.
“Yes.” She gave an encouraging nod. Any glimmer of hope she could offer she would gladly give. Not only for Jackson’s sake, but for her own as well. Far too many kidnapping cases, like the one involving her sister, didn’t have a happy ending. The families were left devastated. Broken. Sometimes beyond repair. She shook herself, refusing to let ugly memories distract her. “It’s pretty much intact. We’ll have it dusted.”
She glanced back at Nick, who was sealing the evidence bag.
Movement in the sky snatched her gaze. Another drone was following, and a second. Oh, no. Whoever planned this had indeed taken into consideration the prospect of losing one. Slim odds they’d find any prints. There went a possible lead.
Her heart sank.
“What is it now?” Jackson asked.
Madeline chided herself for reacting and wiped the expression from her face which had given away that something else was wrong. “More drones.”
The sirens grew louder from the approaching fire trucks.
Jackson’s phone chimed. He fished his cell from his inner jacket pocket.
“Another text, from an unknown number.” He swiped the screen and read the message out loud.
“Behold the demonstration of my resolve. Appreciate the mercy shown to your employees. Understand the FBI can’t help you. Resign on camera when the press arrives. Fail and your daughter pays the ultimate price.”
Unease twisted Madeline’s stomach into a knot. The carbon monoxide alarm had been deliberately triggered. This was all a ploy to evacuate the building and spare the workers’ lives. “Let me see it.” After reading it once, she’d have the text committed to memory.
Jackson handed it over. “I bet this time it won’t be traceable.”
She was inclined to agree, but she knew better than to voice the concern. “Our team will still try everything possible.”
“What won’t be traceable?” Nick set the bagged drone down in the trunk.
“Second text message,” Madeline said. “Further demands.”
Nick closed the door and came around the side of the vehicle. She passed him the cell phone.
Two fire trucks pulled through the gate as Nick read the message. “Another doozy. Let’s see if the number will receive a text.” He thumbed a few quick words. A second later, he shook his head. “Message delivery failed. One-way communication.”
Jackson buttoned his collar, put his tie on and adjusted it.
“What are you doing?” Madeline asked.
“Preparing to go on camera.” He combed back his blond hair with his fingers, not leaving a strand out of place. Within seconds, he appeared polished and poised. “Resign like the kidnapper wants. The press will be here any minute.”
There was no doubt in Madeline’s mind that every local news station had received an anonymous tip about the explosion, ensuring full press coverage would be imminent.
As if on cue, a KIRO 7 Eyewitness News chopper zipped through the sky, taking a position over the water with a prime vantage point of the blazing inferno.
The kidnapper was smart and miles ahead of them, tightening their control of the situation at a brutal pace. Madeline had to change the dynamic, shift the balance of power somehow and buy them time, even just a little. “You can’t resign. It’s the only card you have to play.”
“Can’t?” Jackson’s eyes narrowed, growing cold. He got out of the SUV, towering over her and sucking up the air with his fury.
Madeline stood her ground. Jackson was a distraught parent. Terrified. Angry. Frantic. Although the whirlwind of emotion raging inside him was directed at her, it wasn’t because of her. “You shouldn’t resign. It’s not the right play.”
“I don’t have a choice.” He pushed past her and Nick.
“Please listen to me.” She kept her voice calm and firm despite the panic welling in her gut. “I do think you should go on camera.”
Jackson stopped and turned. “And say what?”
“Demand proof of life. A video of Emma telling you something only she would know. Maybe the name of her favorite toy. Footage could reveal clues to help us find her, and the kidnapper won’t expect it.” There were no guarantees, but she was fairly certain Jackson issuing a demand would throw the unsub—unknown subject—off-kilter. Emma’s captor wanted to avoid direct confrontation and expected everyone to play by their rules. Perhaps that’s why the demands were sent via text. A phone call invited discussion, negotiation. A one-way text left no opportunity for debate.
“Which also means not doing as I was told might antagonize him,” Jackson said. “Provoke the psycho to lash out. Retaliate.”
A point she couldn’t deny. “I’m well aware of the risks. But this is worth taking the chance. Her abductor, whoever it is, has thought this out. He’s prepared. Even worse, he’s changed the terms as he sees fit, according to his timetable. First you had twenty-four hours to resign and now you’ve got, what? Twenty minutes before there are camera crews out front. We need time to catch up. I’m right about this.” She was sure of it.
“I don’t know.” Jackson shook his head. “Sounds too risky.”
“You should listen to her,” Nick said. “She’s the best kidnapping expert I’ve ever seen. She knows how to handle an unsub. If anyone can get Emma back with the least possible risk, it’s Madeline. You need to trust her judgment.”
Jackson’s steely gaze bounced between them before settling on her a beat. He stroked a hand over his mouth, the troubled expression on his face not fading. He was assessing her, deliberating. His silence signified he didn’t trust her. Not that she would let that rattle her.
Faith in self was essential in this business. She needed the unshakable kind that would get Emma home safely.
Given the chance, her plan would work and prove to Jackson that he could rely on her expertise. But if it backfired, she could have an emotional parent going rogue to contend with.
She had to convince him. “The kidnapper made sure to evacuate the building and detonate the bomb before we went inside,” Madeline said, closing the gap between them. “This person doesn’t want the situation to escalate to murder. When you’re on camera, talk about Emma, use her name a lot. You have to humanize her to her abductor.”
“I’ll need my phone back,” Jackson said. “To show the press a few pictures.”
“Good idea.” Madeline gestured to Nick and he gave the phone to Jackson. “Remember, winning a negotiation requires patience and keeping our heads. But whatever you do, don’t resign. Not yet. As grim as it might sound, we need to know that Emma is alive. Then and only then should you comply with the demand.”
GUILT THRUMMED THROUGH Jackson faster and hotter than the blood in his veins as he stood in front of a gaggle of reporters. Cameras and mics were pointed at him. Everyone waited for him to make a statement after the communications liaison, Caitlyn, had explained the circumstances regarding the kidnapping and the explosion.
Everything was on the line. Emma’s life. His own life because he wouldn’t survive losing his only child.
It was his fault she had been taken in the first place. He’d let down his guard, looked away for a moment too long, brushed aside his daughter’s eagerness to see a puppy.
No more mistakes.
“I appreciate the assistance from local law enforcement and the FBI.” Jackson swallowed in an attempt to clear the emotion thickening his throat. “I’d like to address the person holding my daughter captive. Whoever you are, I beg you not to hurt Emma.” He held up a picture of her on his cell phone, giving the cameramen an opportunity to zoom in on the photo of her taken this morning, posing in her pantsuit, before he swiped to the next one of her. “She gets cold easily and is allergic to strawberries. She’s a sweet, loving child. Creative. Spirited. Kind. She has the biggest heart.”
A favorite image of Emma—curly blond halo of hair and her face lighting up when he had surprised her with her first horseback riding lesson, the way she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed—rose in his mind like an apparition.
Pure joy bled into stark fear.
Proof of life.
Madeline was right. He needed to know his daughter was still alive, but at what cost?
The kidnapper had been startlingly persuasive with that fiery demonstration. Someone who was willing to kidnap an innocent child and blow up a building was capable of anything.
More images flooded him, holidays, birthdays, breakfasts, bedtime. He struggled to stem the tide.
Fail and your daughter pays the ultimate price.
His mind spun, but tremors erupted in his heart. They spread down his arms, tingling in his fingers. The phone shook in his hand.
No matter what happened to him, he only wanted Emma to be safe. To grow up and live a long, happy life. No sacrifice on his part was too great.
“Per your demands, I hereby resign as CEO from ETC effective immediately. But I need to know that my daughter is okay. That you haven’t hurt her. I need to see her, do you understand? Send me a video of Emma showing that she hasn’t been harmed and in it have her tell you what she wished for on her last birthday. Once you do, ETC will release a press statement confirming that my resignation is officially binding and permanent.”
Jackson turned his back on the press and stalked away from the flurry of questions the press hurled at him and made his way back through the Duwamish gate.
The fire was being contained. Gray smoke filled the sky above the building. Nick was busy coordinating with the fire department while Madeline was on an intercept course with Jackson.
He kept walking toward the SUV.
Though he could no longer see her behind him, he was aware that she was hot on his heels.
“What was that?” Madeline asked once they were out of earshot of the press and employees.
He stopped and faced her. “I’m sure you’re good at your job. Hell, you might even be the best, but I haven’t vetted you. I don’t know your track record, if there are any red flags, what’s your success-to-failure ratio, the number of hostages who haven’t been rescued. The only thing I know for certain is that every instinct I have is screaming that compliance was the right call. And I always trust my gut.”
“I can understand that. Respect it even. I always trust mine as well. But vetted or not, I am an expert for a reason. I’ve been through this many times. What you did was in direct opposition of the play I advised.”
“With all due respect, this isn’t a game. You may be a kidnapping expert, but the one thing I specialize in is risk assessment. This is my daughter we’re talking about here, and it was too risky to antagonize the person who has her. I will not take unnecessary chances when it comes to Emma.”
“Kidnapping situations can go wrong. There have been casualties in my previous cases, but none of them a victim. I have never lost someone.”
“Not yet.” No one had a perfect record forever.
She drew herself up, standing taller, and stared him dead in the eye. “I don’t intend to let Emma be my first.”
“Do you have children, Madeline?”
A flicker of emotion slashed across her face before she tensed and staggered back a step as though the question had been a physical blow. Then she went completely still. “No.” All the strength that had been in her voice a moment ago was gone. “I don’t.”
“Then you can’t possibly understand my position. For all your effort and good intentions, you and the rest of the FBI will walk away from this case once it’s done and move on to the next. But this is my life. And this was my choice to make. One only I have to live with.” Strip away the credentials, the experience, sense of duty, and this boiled down to something far more organic. A parent’s love. “I will not, under any circumstances, gamble with my daughter’s life.”