Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
F ear dogged her footsteps the whole way to her apartment. Walking to her parents’ car, she looked inside and saw it was empty. Then she heard a car door open and close.
Jerking around, she saw the man who had come to the restaurant for the money Marty owed him.
“You didn’t expect me to keep them out here in the parking lot, did you?”
“Where are my parents?” she managed to get out through her fear-clogged throat.
“Safe and sound for now. You ditch the boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
“Good move. Someone is waiting to blow his brains out if he shows.”
“I did what you wanted.”
“I want something else.”
“I told you I don’t have two hundred thousand dollars.”
He clicked his tongue at her. “Then we’re at a stonewall.” The man leaned back against the car behind him.
She started crying, terrified for her parents, that Jody might have ignored her and could show up at any minute and be killed.
“I don’t even know anyone with that kind of money.”
“Luckily for you, I’m willing to take something Marty was holding as a replacement.”
Her eyes widened. “What? I received none of Marty’s personal possessions.”
“This was in the restaurant. I saw it for myself when I came in.”
She stared at him in confusion.
“I want the clock hanging on the wall.”
Dumbfounded, she could only stare at him. Why did he want the clock? He had kidnapped her parents for a clock?
“Get in my car. We’re going to the restaurant, and you’re going to bring it out to me. When I have the clock, I’ll call and have your parents released, and you won’t see me again. Simple, huh?”
Tell him it’s not working, that it’s in Jody’s trailer.
A sudden breeze made her spin around, hearing Silas talking to her. Silas wasn’t there, though. No one was.
Slowly turning around, she saw the man had straightened from the car and was watching her warily. Had fear made her imagine hearing Silas’ voice? How was she able to hear him in her head when he wasn’t there?
About to ignore the voice, she heard it again.
Trust me. Bring him here.
There was no way she was going to jeopardize the Colemans, not even for her parents’ safety. She didn’t believe the man in front of her was going to let any of them live.
The wind blew stronger, blowing more forcefully, and a discarded cup whipped between their feet.
We are prepared. Trust us.
It was inexplicable that she was hearing Silas’ voice as if he were standing beside her. If she went with the man who had kidnapped her parents to the restaurant, they would be facing certain death, but if she did what Silas wanted her to do, they might have a chance. If she was really hearing Silas.
“The clock stopped working a couple of days ago. I took it to where I’m staying. Jody was going to fix it for me, but he hasn’t had the time.”
“You’re lying!” The man’s face had turned ruddy with anger.
“ No , I wouldn’t lie to you.” She shook her head vehemently. “I don’t want you to hurt my parents. You can stay here, and I’ll go get the clock and come back.”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’re lying about it not being in the restaurant.”
“I’m not. We can go to the restaurant, and I can prove to you it isn’t there.”
“Fuck!”
Turning to his side, he opened his car door. The wind blew again.
Roll the window down when you’re inside.
“Get inside.”
Petrified, she moved to get in the car. As she started to slide inside, the man punched her in her stomach, knocking her inside the car.
She held her stomach while he slammed the car door; her lungs felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Gasping for breath, she was afraid she was going to pass out.
He started the car and turned toward her. “This better not be a trick. Your parents won’t make it through the next hour if you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying,” she gasped out, feeling as if her stomach was on fire. Ignoring the pain, she pressed the button to lower the window.
He immediately raised it back.
“I’m … having … breathing…”
He lowered the window halfway.
Raising her hand, she pointed to the exit of the parking lot. “You can go—”
“I know where I’m going. You think I haven’t been keeping my eye on you? I know every move you’ve made since you came to town.”
“Why didn’t you just break into the restaurant and take the clock? You didn’t have to involve me or my parents.”
“You stupid bitch, the restaurant is across the street from the sheriff’s office.”
“All you had to do was ask me for the clock when you came to the restaurant, and I would have given it to you.”
He didn’t respond.
Clasping her hands together in fear, she knew from his lack of response why—he didn’t want her telling anyone he had wanted something from inside the restaurant. Without saying it outright, she knew he was going to kill her.
She was clenching her hands together so hard they started to go numb.
They were still a few miles away from the turn into the Colemans’ property when he turned into a parking lot.
“Why are you …?”
He struck her across the face before she could jerk away.
“Shut the fuck up.”
Holding her cheek, she watched him take out his phone.
“There’s been a change of plan.”
She sat in fear as he told the other person on the phone about the clock being on the Colemans’ property.
“We’re going to do it the same way. I’ll park close to where she’s staying, and she can go in and get the clock. I stopped at the bar before the Colemans’ place. If I don’t call you back in ten minutes, kill them.”
“It will take me that long to walk to the trailer on foot. At least give me twenty minutes,” she begged him, keeping her head close to the window in case he backhanded her again.
He repeated what she said in the phone. Then, after closing the phone, the man drove back onto the road.
Afraid to press her luck any further, she remained quiet the rest of the way.
Have him turn into my driveway.
“The turn is coming.”
The man shot her a menacing look. “This isn’t the turn you make when you come and go.”
“This way is closer. I take the other turn because there is more parking there. This way is closer to where I’ve been staying.”
“Bitch, if you’re lying—”
“I’m not going to do anything that will get my parents hurt.”
Panic started throbbing through her veins as he made the turn into the long driveway leading toward Silas’ house.
He pulled to the side of the driveway and onto the grass when Silas’ house came within view.
“Hurry, bitch, time’s wasting.”
She got out of the car and started running up the driveway, not knowing if she should run to Silas’ house or the trailer. The problem was solved for her when she heard a pain-filled yell behind her. Spinning, she saw the man being dragged out of the car. She didn’t know whether to cry in relief or be terror-stricken for her parents.
An arm went around her waist, pulling her against a warm body. Releasing a scream, she turned her head to see it was Jody. She turned around and hugged him, breaking into tears.
“Someone has my parents,” she sobbed into his shoulder.
Jody’s arms closed around her. “Are you hurt?”
“No.”
He lifted her face to his. “He hit you.” Fury filled his face.
“It doesn’t hurt.” Trembling, she averted her gaze when Silas and Matthew dragged the stranger past her. “Should we call the police? He said if he doesn’t call whoever is keeping my parents in twenty minutes, they will be killed.”
“Don’t worry; we’re going to make sure your parents are okay. We’ll find out where they were stashed. Go inside the house. Reaper and Ginny are waiting for you.”
Nodding, she forced herself to release him when his arms dropped away from her.
“Jody, he told me he would kill you if he saw me with you,” she started trying to explain haltingly why she had been so mean to him. “I was trying to protect you.”
“Baby, I’m not mad. I understand what you were doing. What you failed to understand is I don’t need your protection.”