Chapter 20
Celine kept her gaze fixed outside the passenger side window, memorizing every turn Kevin made as he zipped out of town. The further he drove the more confused she was by their location.
The starless sky didn’t help. The world beyond the headlights remained hidden in the shadows. The street signs close to invisible as they whipped by.
Silence settled over the car like a scratchy blanket—awkward and uncomfortable. She searched for something she could say to make Kevin see reason. To change his mind, turn the car around, and leave her out of this.
Curiosity got the best of her, and she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “I still don’t understand what I have to do with any of this. You said these goons came after me to show you they’d hurt the people you love, right?”
Kevin tightened his grip on the steering wheel and nodded. “Yep.”
“Then they, what, kidnapped you? Took you somewhere to beat the crap out of you then just let you go?”
“You’ve always been a smart one, haven’t you?”
She rolled her eyes but kept pressing. “Then what’s the point of taking me now?
I don’t have any money. No assets. Hell, my house is a rental.
I didn’t get a penny from you, never asked for a damn thing after I left.
So what’s the point of hauling me out of Lane’s house at gunpoint and shoving me in your car? ”
Nothing but the whoosh of tires over the asphalt and silence answered her.
“Dammit, Kevin! Tell me what you want from me!” She slapped her palm against the dashboard, angry with being at his mercy.
Lifting his hand, he aimed the gun her way. “Stop it! Stop yelling and asking so many damn questions. It doesn’t matter now. All that matters is I figured a way out of this, and you’re the key. Now keep your mouth shut.”
Tears streamed down her face. She bit into her bottom lip to keep from saying more. A whimper leaked from her mouth, but she couldn’t chance pissing him off enough that he’d shoot her in the car. Kill her before she had a chance to come up with an escape plan.
Minutes rolled into miles and her heart ached with each passing second. So much distance between her and Parker—her and Lane. The reality that she might never make it back to them crushed her like a ton of bricks.
No. She couldn’t think like that. Couldn’t go to that dark part of her mind where defeat was imminent. She would find a way back home to her family.
Family.
She closed her eyes as her breath hitched high in her throat. She finally had a family. A man she loved, who seemed hellbent on showing her that he wanted her in his life. A child she adored more than life itself.
And come hell or high water, she’d find a way to get back to them.
The vehicle slowed and jostled, alerting her to the change of terrain under the wheels. Her body bounced with the motion, and she squinted out the window. The outline of the mountains dominated the horizon and a blast of lights sparkled in the distance.
“Is that the casino?” A new fear spiked in her chest. If Kevin brought her somewhere that was just the two of them, she might find a way out. But the casino? If he was hand delivering her to the goons he needed to pay off, her chances of surviving this grew slimmer and slimmer.
Kevin didn’t even spare her a glance. Just kept staring out the front window, kept driving.
“What? You can’t pay them so I’m the payment? Hand me over and it’ll wipe your slate clean?” Hysteria spiraled out of control inside her, looping her insides into a jumbled bunch of strobing panic.
Another turn led them away from the glimmering lights, but it did nothing to release the pressure threatening to blow like an active volcano.
Oh God, what would they do with her? It’d be better to take a bullet to the head than endure whatever a bunch of criminals planned.
Memories of her attacker laying on top of her flashed in her mind. Her stomach heaved. No, she couldn’t go through that. Not again.
A surge of adrenaline blasted her veins. She chanced a quick peek at Kevin. One hand held tight to the steering wheel, the gun stayed glued in the other. But his grip had loosened, his focus fixed squarely on the narrow gravel lane ahead.
Sweat dotted the back of her neck, and she inched her fingers toward the door handle. She’d rather die hurling herself from a moving vehicle or be shot down like prey than endure whatever horrors waited for her.
As if sensing her intention, Kevin tapped the barrel of the gun against her arm. “We’re almost there.”
She stilled, her heart in her throat. She’d wait just a little bit longer until the car slowed then make a mad dash. The wide-open space outside her window didn’t boast many places to hide, but anything was better than being trapped in the vehicle with a gun at her.
Another turn slowed the car further. The tires crept along, and Kevin craned his neck as he looked out the driver’s side window. The cold metal of the gun slipped from her skin.
Summoning all her courage, she shoved open the door and launched herself from the car.
Her body slammed against the sharp stones, the jagged edges piercing her skin and drawing blood.
Tucking herself into a ball, she rolled a few feet before jumping up and sprinted in the opposite direction of Kevin’s car.
Her lungs burned and the muscles in her legs screamed.
But she pushed harder, ran faster. She searched for a place to hide, a house to find help, but only a long stretch of land surrounded her.
The road back to Hillmore was to her right, but she zagged to the left, not wanting Kevin to drive back to catch her.
Her only hope was that he was too banged up to overtake her.
The sound of heavy breathing reached her ears and spiked her adrenaline. She fought the instinct to glance over her shoulder. Kevin was behind her, that’s all she needed to know. She forced her legs to move faster and her mind to stay focused.
The breathing got louder. Footsteps pounded the ground, shaking her very soul. A hard yank on her hair pulled her to the ground. Her feet flew out from under her, and she landed on her back. Pain exploded inside her and all the air left her lungs.
Kevin stood over her. He scowled, sweat and blood running down his face. “You had to be stupid. I planned to make this as quick as possible, but now I might take my time.”
Rough hands grabbed at her arms and dragged her to her feet. The hard barrel of the gun pressed against the small of her back and edged her forward. Walking back the way she’d come, she noticed a small house on the other side of Kevin’s car.
Confusion mixed with the throbbing in her head, making her dizzy. No lights shone from the small structure. No other vehicles waited for their arrival. Then his words slammed against her.
“You’re going to kill me? Why? How does that help you?”
He pressed his lips to her ear. “Because you’re the ticket to my freedom. I just have to kill you first.”
Nervous energy surged through Lane’s system as he paced on the front porch. He needed to act, needed to move, needed to go out there and find Celine. But with no leads and no idea where Kevin would take her, he was in a chokehold.
Suzy’s sedan pulled up the driveway followed by a deputy cruiser.
Duke stood beside him. “As soon as Suzy gets inside, we head to Kevin’s place no matter what Spencer says.”
Lane nodded. He and Duke had strategized while they’d waited. He and Celine had found information pointing toward the casino the last time they were there. Maybe Kevin had left something else behind to help us figure out where he could take her.
Dammit, it still didn’t make sense why he’d take her in the first place. They’d circled the thought countless times to no avail. Right now, why wasn’t as important as where.
Suzy parked and ran up the steps before hurling herself in Lane’s arms. “I’m so sorry. I’ve got Parker while you figure this out.”
He held his sister tight. “Thank you. He’s asleep, but if I’m not back by the time he wakes up there’s milk in the fridge.”
She pulled back and waved a hand. “Go. I don’t need instructions on how to take care of my nephew. He’s safe with me.”
Appreciation lodged in his throat. “Head inside and lock up. Set the alarm and call if anything seems unsettling or out of place.”
“I will.” She aimed a tight smile at Duke then hurried inside, closing the door behind her.
Spencer climbed out of his car.
Lane held up a hand to stop him from going any further. “There’s nothing here. We need to head to Kevin’s. Talk to his friends and family. Find out if he owns property somewhere else. Staying here a second longer’s just a waste of time.” He jogged to his truck with Duke a step behind him.
“Deputy Timkon is en route to the Koffman house now, and law enforcement all over the county are on the lookout for Kevin’s vehicle,” Spencer said. “We’ll find her.”
Without bothering to respond, Lane jumped in his truck and peeled off toward the road.
He kept his mouth shut and grip on the wheel tight.
Memories played on repeat in his mind, and he tried to recall any information that could lead to Celine.
The miles stretched on longer than ever.
When he reached Celine’s old house, he swore ten hours had passed and not minutes.
A cruiser sat in the driveway. A sliver of hope pushed through his fear. Maybe the deputies had already found a lead.
Shutting off the engine, he jumped down and ran to the front door. He knocked twice before letting himself in.
A frowning Deputy Maddie Timkon poked her head out into the hall from the office. “Hello?”
He jogged her way. “Find anything?”
Sighing, she disappeared back into the room. She fisted her hands on her hips and stared at a stack of files she’d pulled from the nearby cabinet. “Not yet. He’s got a lot of crap saved in here.”
Whistling, Duke scratched the back of his neck. “That’s a hell of a lot of paperwork. You get through any of it earlier today? When this guy was labeled a missing person?”
“Some of it,” Maddie said. “But we focused more on financial records since we were trying to find his connection to the mob. Now I’m sifting through the personal.”
Lane walked to the cabinet and pulled out the second drawer. The tabs on the files were all labeled with surnames. “Looks like client files.” He shut the door and went on to the next one. Names of banks and businesses stared up at him. He pulled one of the banking files.
Maddie glanced over. “I’ve searched that drawer already. Banking accounts are practically dry. A few assets but no properties. Insurance information in there as well.”
Interest piqued, he tossed the manila folder and went back to the drawer. “Anything interesting in the insurance file?” Thumbing through the tabs, he found one from a well-known company and yanked it out.
She shrugged. “Everything’s insured that should be. Nothing crucial stood out.”
“What about life insurance?” Lane asked. “Does he have any?”
“A small sum, but again, didn’t seem like relevant information.”
Duke stalked over and studied what was left in the drawer. “What about Celine? Any insurance on her?”
“My thought exactly.” Lane flipped through the paperwork. Celine’s name wasn’t listed on anything. “Nothing here. Check the other cabinet. See if there’s anything with Celine’s name on it.”
Duke pivoted to the other cabinet and went through the drawers. “More clients in here. Work information. 401(k) and retirement accounts. Well, well, well, this one looks a little out of place.” He snatched a file and held it up for Lane to see.
Squinting, Lane made out the name hand-written on the tab—not neatly typed like the rest of the labels.
The words Ungrateful Whore scrawled across the top boiled his blood.
He flipped through the contents. “Marriage license, divorce paperwork. Old bank accounts they were both listed on that were closed. And what looks like a life insurance policy for Celine.”
Maddie held out her hand. “Let me see that.”
Duke frowned. “Wouldn’t Kevin be taken off anything related to Celine after their divorce.”
“Not necessarily,” Maddie said as she read through the paper. “Looks like the policy was taken out through his work and he’s a benefactor. If she forgot about it, his name would be left on there.”
The pieces started clicking together. “How much?”
Maddie glanced up with wide eyes. “Two million dollars.”
“Shit,” Duke said. “He wants the money so he can pay off his debt. But doesn’t he know he won’t get a dime if he’s the one who kills her?”
The question stole all the air from Lane’s lungs, and he doubled over, forearms on his thighs.
“He’s going to make it look like someone else killed her.
” He squeezed his eyes shut to steady his nerves as much as possible.
“He’d take her somewhere the police would think the cops would find the mob. Someplace connected to the gambling.”
Spencer ran into the office. “I just got off the phone with the sheriff. A deputy in the next county saw Kevin’s vehicle a couple miles from the casino. They sent out a drone and found a house that’s been under surveillance by the FBI for a while. Celine’s there.”
Lane didn’t need to hear another word. He sprinted toward the front door and prayed he wouldn’t be too late.