Chapter 14
Franklin Graves had nothing to say to the man who sat in his passenger seat, but if he screwed this up, his wife and son would
be dead. So he told Garrett Reid the truth.
“The FBI is following us.” His voice was raw, the adrenaline from his court performance giving way to the cold fear that his
family was in danger.
“Doesn’t matter,” Garrett said. He was grinning, his fingers tapping a silent rhythm on his leg.
“They’re going to charge you with murder.” His voice cracked. He cleared his throat, his chest tight. The nightmare had started
three days ago, and Franklin didn’t know when it would end.
“Nope. Didn’t do it because there’s no evidence. No evidence means not guilty. They have nothing on me. Nothing!” Garrett
chuckled. He was enjoying himself, the sick bastard.
“You attempted to kidnap two federal agents.”
“It won’t stick.” He ran a hand over his hair. “Just call me Teflon.”
Franklin swallowed nervously. What would happen if he couldn’t get the charges dropped? Would his family die?
Garrett glanced at him. “What’s your problem? You did good.”
“I’m not a criminal defense lawyer, not anymore.”
“Doesn’t matter. You did what you needed to do, and soon we’ll be out of your hair.”
“You have to be in court on Monday.”
“I’ll be long gone.”
“They froze your passport.”
He laughed. “Ye of little faith.”
“They’re dead, aren’t they?” Franklin said, his voice a whisper.
“They’d better be dead,” Garrett said. “I wanted to be gone by now, but Audrey was still having fun. Damn feds. Serves them
right.”
Franklin was thinking about his family, not the federal agents. He decided not to say anything else. In the three hours he
had known this man, Franklin realized two things: Garrett Reid was both smart and ruthless. And, maybe, crazy. He had to be
crazy to think he could get away with murder when the cops were already onto him!
“Why me?” he asked. He didn’t mean to say it out loud, but it came out anyway, so he kept talking. “There’re other lawyers,
better lawyers, people with experience who would be able to do a better job. Why me? Why my family?”
“Because Audrey knows you,” Garrett said matter-of-factly.
Franklin almost said he didn’t know anyone named Audrey, but decided to keep it to himself.
Garrett glanced at him with a frown. “What’s your problem, Franklin? We’re going to pay you. Don’t tell me you have some warped
sense of ethics. You’re a fucking lawyer, you got off drug dealers all the time in Miami.”
That was a long time ago, before he had a crisis of conscience.
He didn’t want or expect money from these people. He just wanted his wife and son back, alive and well.
On Saturday, he’d gone to his office to catch up on some work; when he came home his wife and son weren’t there. At first, he wasn’t worried. Nathan had batting practice that afternoon and they could have gone shopping after. He called Lily; no answer.
When they weren’t home by dinner, he became worried. He called Lily again; again no answer. Nathan didn’t have a phone. He
was about to call the batting coach to find out what time they left, when his phone rang; Lily My Love popped up on screen and he smiled.
“Hello, I was getting worried.”
“Hello, Franklin,” a woman said. Not his wife.
“Who is this?” he demanded.
“I can’t believe you don’t remember me,” she said. “You will. But for now, your wife and stepson are just fine. They will
stay fine as long as you do what I say.”
He immediately thought that they were being held for ransom. He wasn’t rich, but he had some money from the years he worked
in criminal law, which he’d put in two trusts, one for his daughter, and one for Nathan’s education. He’d do whatever he could
to get his family back. But he also wasn’t positive that this wasn’t some sort of prank. He’d heard how sophisticated scammers
were, that there were computer programs that could spoof a loved one’s voice. Maybe this was a twist on that cruel con.
“What do you want?” he demanded.
“Right to the climax,” she said, oddly.
“I’d like to speak to my wife. I can’t take your word that she is okay.”
“You’ll have to.”
“Then I’ll call the police.”
They could trace her phone, find her.
“You call the police, they both die, and it won’t be pretty.”
It was the tone more than the words that had Franklin believing this woman was serious.
“I need proof of life,” he said quietly. “Please.”
“Please, that’s a nice touch. Say pretty please.”
He straightened. Was she serious?
“Pretty please,” he whispered. The woman laughed.
A few seconds later, he heard Lily’s voice. She stuttered, “F-Franklin?”
“Are you okay? Is Nathan okay?”
“We’re fine. Nathan is in a cage and I—”
“That’s enough,” Franklin heard in the background, and then the woman came back on the phone. “They’re alive. They’ll remain
alive unless you disobey. I’ll contact you tomorrow with instructions.”
“How much do you want? What—” But she’d already hung up.
Franklin eased his sedan into the narrow lot behind his townhouse, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror out of habit.
He’d told Dotty not to come in for the next couple of days. She only worked part-time, so it didn’t raise eyebrows. He didn’t
want her anywhere near this.
“Nice office,” Garrett said, stepping out and glancing around. “Classy, but not ostentatious. I like it.”
Franklin unlocked the back door. As soon as they walked in through the break room that had once been a kitchen, a woman leapt
up from the couch in the waiting room, tossing aside a fashion magazine. “Garrett!” she squealed, launching herself into his
arms.
They kissed—deeply, hungrily—and then Garrett spun her, pinning her to the wall. She laughed, breathless.
Franklin froze in the doorway, staring. He knew her. That face. Those eyes. But the name Garrett used—Audrey—didn’t match the one in his memory. He couldn’t quite place
her, even though he recognized her. Not yet.
She turned and smiled directly at him, her fingers pressed playfully to her lips as if sharing a secret. Then she crossed
the room with eerie calm, kissed Franklin on the cheek. He shivered.
“I need you for just a minute,” she said, pulling out a phone. Snap. “Say cheese!” Snap. “Perfect.” Her tone shifted. “Now go upstairs while Mommy and Daddy talk.”
She gave him a gentle push toward the stairs. Garrett didn’t say a word as he watched the exchange. Did he look confused?
Or bemused? Franklin couldn’t tell.
“My wife—” Franklin began, but she cut him off sharply.
“Shut up, Franklin.” Her eyes turned from playful to cold in a blink. “Go.”
His instincts screamed at him to stay, to demand answers—but something in her voice, her smile, chilled him.
He passed his office then turned up the stairs to the second floor where he had a spare office for his occasional intern and
a small conference room that housed his law book collection. He sat at the long table, his hands trembling. The silence below
seemed unnatural, then he heard a crash and moan and laugh. Her laugh.
Who was she? Where had they met?
He hadn’t represented her—he was sure of that. But he’d met her. Somewhere. She was unforgettable. Beautiful. Deadly. A siren.
His should call the police. Or the FBI. Or someone—anyone—who might help. But what if that was exactly what they were waiting for? One wrong move, and—
Because Audrey knows you.
The name rattled in his head like a marble in a glass. Audrey. Audrey. No. That wasn’t it. That wasn’t her name.
Her real name surfaced like a corpse breaking water.
Amber.
Los Angeles. Seven years ago.
He’d just proposed to Lily. She’d said yes.
He was flying high, invincible. He hadn’t wanted to leave for the legal conference, but because he was changing from criminal to civil law, he felt it would be helpful.
After having dinner with an old friend, he didn’t want to stay in his room.
He sat in the bar and did a little work on his phone when Amber appeared. Young, stunning, relentless.
She’d propositioned him. Offered him a drink; he didn’t drink. Only soda water with lime. He told her he was engaged. She
told him no one had to know.
He told her no. Maybe he’d said something else . . . something rude. He couldn’t quite remember. She’d leaned over to kiss him and he recoiled
in surprise and anger.
Then he caught her dumping something into his drink. She realized he’d seen her; she rose and started to walk away.
Ten feet from him, she turned with a smile that never touched her eyes. “We’ll meet again, Franklin. Someday when you least
expect it.”
The next morning he found a cryptic note under his door.
Now, Franklin stood, dizzy, grabbing at the table to stop himself from falling, then settling back into the chair. His hand
shook.
Why now? Why her?
He picked up the phone, put it to his ear, stared at the numbers on the push-pad. Stared, trying to think. He wanted to go
to the police. But if he did . . .
He saw Lily. Nathan. Two people he loved more than life itself. He couldn’t risk their lives.
He put the receiver down.
What do these people want?
And why had they chosen him?
First, they had sex. Then Garrett listened as Audrey told him how she’d tranquilized the two agents and transported them.
He was impressed, and said so.
She beamed. “I was afraid I dosed them too heavily, but even though they were restrained, I didn’t want them waking up in
the van. It would have complicated things.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter how they died.”
She didn’t say anything, and he felt her body tense in that way that told him she had done something stupid.
“You did kill them, correct?” he asked calmly.
“Noooo,” she said. “We already set up the factory for them. I wasn’t going to let the new game go to waste!”
“They’re cops. This isn’t like the others. Shit, Audrey!”
“Don’t swear at me,” she pouted.
“I’m sorry,” he said, though he was so frustrated he wanted to take out his anger on someone. But with Audrey, he had to be