Chapter 5 #2
Blizzard wandered over and rubbed against Ronan’s leg. Needing the cat a whole lot more than the feline needed him, he pulled Bliz up and into his lap.
Cross continued, his tone sharpening. “I now appeal to Ireland’s abductor or abductors.
Contact me. Let’s resolve this now. You asked me to hand over one hundred million dollars in jewels for Ireland but gave me too little time to comply.
So, I say now, to all, that I stand ready to pay one hundred million dollars to the person or persons who return Ireland safely to us. ”
Pivoting abruptly away from the podium, Cross took his wife’s hand and walked off-screen.
There was a moment of stunned silence. Then the volume of shouted questions became a roar.
The commissioner stepped back into view, her gaze following after Cross.
Her expression was blank, as if she hadn’t yet fully comprehended what had been said.
“Mon Dieu,” Ronan breathed, heart pounding while the rest of him was frozen in place, his fingers tangled in the cat’s silky white hair. “He’s set a bounty on their heads.”
Eva’s relief at returning to the penthouse and escaping the world’s prying eyes had dissipated the moment they walked through the door and faced a condo full of critical gazes.
Now, she felt helpless as she watched her husband stand stoically in the center of the room, his arms crossed and legs firmly planted. His gaze was flat and hard as multiple people shouted at him simultaneously. His mother, Elizabeth, was teetering on the fine edge of hysteria.
But he could not be swayed, Eva knew. Once he decided on a course of action, he committed to it and wouldn’t deviate because he’d already envisioned every possible outcome and found the risks acceptable.
The police commissioner did not agree with him.
Neither did the detectives nor the FBI, who’d quickly offered their assistance.
None of Gideon’s family agreed. Her father wasn’t weighing in because he was in Gideon’s office monitoring the rest of their security team, who were out on the streets hunting.
Eva couldn’t say she agreed, either, only that she trusted her husband and knew that his goal was to end Ireland’s dire situation as soon as possible.
“Take it back!” Elizabeth screamed, her lovely face blotchy and her eyes so red they hurt to look at. “Right now! Get out there and tell the press they misunderstood what you were saying!”
“You’re putting these people in a corner, Gideon,” the commissioner said, her face tense with anger. “You’re giving them a reason to cut bait and run.”
“And my sister’s the bait, Mary?” he asked, in a low, dangerous tone that raised the hair on Eva’s nape.
“Don’t twist my words.”
“Gideon.” Chris Sr. walked up to him. His graying auburn hair was disheveled, his face pale with fatigue. “We need to listen to the authorities and follow their advice.”
“You weren’t on the phone with this person,” Gideon snapped. “You didn’t hear how—”
“Neither were you,” Detective Vega interjected, his crossed arms emphasizing large biceps. As one of the lead detectives assigned to the case, Vega had been hard at work all night. They’d only just met him and his partner, Jang, at the press briefing. Both were hollow-eyed and visibly weary.
“The voice was disguised,” Vega continued. “Maybe, in reality, the message was delivered more seriously, and the program… AI…whatever—”
Gideon talked over him. “The words were not open to interpretation. The inflection is irrelevant. This is a game to them. Fine, I’ll play. But by my rules.”
“This is Ireland we’re talking about!” Elizabeth’s voice was unnaturally high. “It isn’t a challenge for you to win!”
“She’s right,” Detective Jang said. A veteran of the force, she carried herself with authority. Her dark hair was cropped short, which gave her delicate Asian features a pixie-like quality. “Cooperating with the abductors is the proven way to achieve the best possible outcome.”
The commissioner glared at Gideon. “What you’ve set in motion can get innocent people killed. You could be held responsible for whatever comes from inciting the public to take the law into their own hands. There will be consequences, Gideon, that no one can insulate you from.”
“I’m aware.”
“We cannot have vigilantes ambushing random citizens whom they believe match the suspect’s photo!”
“That’s for you to tell the public,” Gideon countered implacably. “Law and order are your business. Getting Ireland back alive and well is mine.”
“You’ve gotta listen to the commish.” Vega’s foot tapped restlessly.
His dress slacks and jacket were slightly different shades of gray, and both garments were heavily wrinkled.
“You’re going about this all wrong. Kidnapping is about establishing control.
Challenging that will only make them unpredictable and desperate. ”
Gideon looked at Hernandez, who sat on the couch. “You said they were taunting me. Toying with me. And you’re right, they are. Someone playing to win takes the game seriously. They’re not.”
Elizabeth barely stifled a raw sob.
“They know I’ll pay,” he went on, “and they’ve given proof they have her, yet they’re not making legitimate arrangements to receive the ransom. So, either Ireland is already gone—”
His mother’s scream was bloodcurdling and rattled Eva to the core. Both Daniel and Chris moved toward her, but Chris stopped after one step, his jaw clenched tightly.
“—and they never had any intention of returning her,” Gideon continued, so self-contained he appeared emotionless, “or this entire ordeal is about torturing us. That’s not going to be as entertaining with a target on their backs.
The only chance in hell they have of living without looking over their shoulders every minute is to get Ireland home. ”
“You don’t know what they’ll do,” Elizabeth cried, her chest heaving with fractured sobs. “You don’t know!”
“We never knew what they were going to do,” Gideon said tightly. “I’ve narrowed their options.”
“I’ll talk to the press.” Elizabeth marched toward the front door. “I’ll tell them you’re distraught, you didn’t mean it.”
The phone rang, and everyone froze.
“Answering,” the tech at the laptop announced.
“Hold on.” Gideon caught and held his mother’s gaze. “You say anything that makes them think we don’t have our shit together, and you’ll do irreparable harm. You trust me to manage everything else. Trust me on this.”
The phone rang again.
“Answer,” he ordered, walking to the dining table with long, quick strides. “This is Cross.”
“You know… It feels like you’re not taking me seriously,” the sweetly innocuous female voice said.
Eva watched her husband’s fists clench at his sides.
“Tell me what you want,” he said. “Then tell me where to find Ireland.”
“You’ve made it very difficult for us to get around. How can we take her anywhere?”
“I simply agreed to your terms in the only way I could reach you.”
The laughter that piped through the speakers made Elizabeth collapse against Daniel’s chest.
“Bullshit,” the modulated voice chirped.
“Name a place,” he snapped. “You leave Ireland there unharmed, and once I have her, I’ll immediately transfer the funds wherever you want and in whatever form you prefer. You can take off to parts unknown with all the money you’ll need in a lifetime.”
“You want me to hand her over first and get paid later? How can I possibly trust you when you’ve put a bounty on our heads?” She tsked.
“Once Ireland’s home safe, something else will dominate the news, and the world will forget about you.”
“The world will,” she agreed merrily. “Your family won’t. Talk soon.”
The line went dead. The room, full of people, was eerily silent.
Eva walked over to him and took his hand in hers. He glanced down at her, and in his eyes, she saw the roiling emotions he kept hidden from everyone else.
There were no doubts about his choice, only despair.
The urge to find the Crosses’ penthouse and storm it for answers was so fierce that Ronan found himself removing expired items from Ireland’s pantry to distract him.
It wouldn’t help his cher to draw attention away from the necessary work being done by making a scene.
That the feeling of inertia and lack of information were driving him mad was his problem, and he wouldn’t make it anyone else’s.
When his phone began ringing in his pocket, he fumbled for it, both hopeful and relieved to have something else to focus on. Seeing Valentin’s contact photo, he answered, "?a va?"
“Ronan.” The urgency in Valentin’s tone was sobering. “Genevieve and I just returned from the Downtown Farmers Market, and our staff told us detectives came looking for you while we were gone.”
“I see.” Removing his glasses, he tucked them into the pocket of his dress shirt.
Tension pressed into his temples and tightened the muscles of his back.
The authorities were far enough into the investigation to locate property he owned in the city.
His own concerns aside, he was relieved to know they were working quickly and thoroughly.
“Why would they want to speak with you?”
He answered with careful neutrality. “I expect they’ll be talking to anyone who has a grudge against the Crosses and Vidals.”
“Maybe it would be best for you to go home. Better to be far away from here for the time being.”
“I have good reason to be here, but I won’t be staying with you or in your building, so if anyone comes by asking for me again, you can tell them that.”
“Where will you be?”
“Where I’m needed. Perhaps the less you know, the better.” Stretching, Ronan attempted to relieve the rigidity in his shoulders. “I’ll make sure the police don’t have a need to bother you again.”
“It’s no bother to us. Our concern is for you.”
“Merci, mon ami. But I promise you, I’ll be fine.”