Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
GRANT
G rant shifted his weight as the numbers descended far too slowly for his taste. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, blowing out a trembling breath. Lydia had finally lost it completely.
And Julia may pay the price for it. Thoughts tumbled through his mind unbidden, making the ride even more tense than it already was.
His jaw ached from clenching it so hard as recollections of tender moments with Julia mixed with the fear he’d just witnessed on her delicate features.
He flexed his hands into fists to stop them from shaking. He’d give Lydia the flash drive. Whatever it took to get Julia back. He couldn’t be the reason anything happened to her.
But what assurances did he have that his crazed ex-wife would let her go? He had to be smart about his next move.
His thoughts swirled in a dizzying array as he imagined tragedy striking. He couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to Julia. He had to save her. There was no other option.
The elevator chimed, and the doors whooshed open. He stumbled out, the room spinning around him. Gala-goers flitted around him, chattering and laughing, their night going along as though nothing had happened. Meanwhile, his world crashed around him.
“Dad?” The voice sounded far away as he focused on the front desk.
Kyle’s face floated in front of him. “Dad? What happened? Where’s Julia?”
Grant shook his head as he pulled his mind to the present and focused on Kyle’s features.
Kyle’s brows knitted as he leaned closer. “Hello?” Kyle snapped his fingers in his face. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I…”
“Yeah?” Kyle asked.
Grant sucked in a breath, blinking his eyes rapidly as he tried to force his mind to say the words.
“Dad, where’s Julia?”
“She’s with Lydia.”
“Okay?” Kyle asked. “And you left her there?”
The haze finally left his mind as it snapped into action mode. “I had to. I…”
He shook his head as he dragged Kyle toward a corner of the lobby. “Lydia’s finally lost it. She has Julia at gunpoint.”
“What?” Kyle shouted.
“Shh,” Grant hushed him, “don’t give us away.”
His eyes scanned the room as he hurriedly passed along more information. “Lydia wants the flash drive with the top-secret Harrington Global project. She says she’ll give me Julia back if I give it to her.”
“You’re not considering not giving it to her, are you?”
“Of course not,” Grant said with a shake of his head, “but…”
“But what? This is Julia’s life. I can’t believe you’d even say that word.”
Grant shook his head, his eyebrows pinching. “This is Lydia. We can’t trust her. We need a backup plan. What if I give her the flash drive, and she takes Julia with her?”
“Good point. We can’t chance it. Should we call the police?”
“There’s no time for that. And I’m afraid of what Lydia will do if she thinks we called them.”
“I think we should at least notify them. What are her instructions?”
Grant swallowed hard. “Take the flash drive to the roof. She said something about leaving.”
“She’s got a helicopter coming. Unbelievable. She could definitely force Julia onto that. This is a nightmare.” Kyle ran a hand through his hair.
“I know. And we don’t have much time. I can’t keep her waiting too long, or she’s going to get suspicious.”
A shadow hovered over them as Luke approached. “Hey, did you find Julia?”
“I did, you bastard,” Grant spat at him. He grasped the lapels of his tuxedo and slammed his against the wall. “Did you know about this?”
Luke held his hands up as Grant smashed him against the wall. “Know about what? What happened?”
Kyle clapped his hand on Grant’s shoulder as his eyes darted around. “Easy, Dad, the last thing we need is more attention on this.”
Grant let go of the man, straightening his own jacket as he stretched his neck. “Your good friend, Lydia, has Julia hostage and is demanding a top-secret project from my company to let her go.”
Luke’s eyes went wide. “What? No, there must be–”
“Some mistake? I doubt it. Lydia’s been trying to destroy me and everyone around me for almost two years. And if Julia becomes collateral damage…”
“That’s not happening,” Kyle said. “We need a plan and fast.”
“I want to help,” Luke answered.
“No,” Grant and Kyle said at the same time.
“Look, I know we’re not usually on the same side, but Julia’s important to me, too. I’d never let anything happen to her. I can help.”
“How do you figure that?” Grant asked.
“Maybe I can talk to Lydia. She didn’t seem unhinged during any of our conversations. A little strange, sure, but not crazy enough to take Julia hostage.”
Grant shook his head at the words. “No, because she wanted you to do something for her.”
Luke lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
“Oh, come on, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? She wanted you here to drive a wedge between me and Julia.”
Kyle wagged a finger at him. “And you fell right into her trap. And now we’re all paying the price.”
“Fine, okay, I fell into her trap. But that doesn’t help Julia. We need a plan. What did the police say?”
“We haven’t called them.”
“Haven’t…” Luke huffed out a sigh. “Are you kidding me?”
“Sorry, the last time we dealt with cops they weren’t so great,” Kyle shot back. “Julia’s sister is the reason people don’t like police.”
“Ally was just doing what she thought was best, okay? Look, that’s beside the point. Ally doesn’t work for the New Orleans PD.”
“Fine,” Grant said with a slice of his hand through the air. “Then you call them. That’ll be your contribution. Just…don’t let them ruin my chance of getting Julia back.”
“Speaking of, you should go get the flash drive,” Kyle said. “Oh, before you go…what does the roof look like? Is the door visible from the helipad, or can we all sneak up there?”
Grant shook his head. “I don’t know. I think you can see it. I’m going to get the flash drive.”
He ran a still-trembling hand through his hair as he approached the front desk and made his request. He drummed his fingers against the marble top as he waited for the woman to return. What was taking her so long?
“We’re going up with you. We’ll wait in the stairwell if we have to, but if something goes down, it’s better to have backup,” Kyle said as the clerk finally returned with his prized possession.
He stared at the small black piece of plastic for a moment. He didn’t care what was on it as long as it held the key to Julia’s freedom.
“Fine, just…stay out of sight unless things get…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish that statement. “Don’t do anything that’ll make this worse or endanger Julia’s life.”
“No,” Kyle said, “we’re just there for backup. There is no way I’m letting Lydia hurt Julia.”
Grant bobbed his head as he slid the flash drive into his pocket. “Roof access is on the thirtieth floor. Come on.”
They followed him to the elevator. The seconds it took for the doors to open after he pressed the button stretched for an eternity. His breathing came in shallow gasps as his chest constricted. Time slowed as the elevator finally pulled them upward.
He slid from the car before the doors even opened fully, hurrying down the hall toward the marked staircase. He pushed into it and pounded up the concrete stairs to the metal door at the top.
With no window, it was impossible to tell what he was walking into. His hand grasped the cold metal of the doorknob, but before he could open it, Kyle pressed a hand against the door.
“Wait, we have no idea how this is going to go. We need a signal or something.”
“What signal?” Grant asked.
“A certain word or…phrase. Maybe a bird sound.”
Grant’s forehead scrunched. “What? No, just…leave the door open a crack and if things take a turn for the worse, run out.”
“Oh, right. Okay, that might work,” Kyle said with a nod.
“Stay back. I don’t want Lydia spotting either of you.”
Kyle and Luke shifted out of the way as Grant slid the door open an inch and stared through the crack. A helicopter sat on the helipad, its blades spinning slowly.
Lydia stood near it, her fingers wrapped tightly around Julia’s arm and a gun still leveled at her.
His stomach clenched at the sight, and his knees wobbled, but he forced himself through the door onto the windy rooftop.
“Hands up!” Lydia shouted at him, waving her gun.
He raised his hands in the air as he slowly approached them.
“Do you have what I asked for?”
“I do. It’s in my pocket.”
“Get it out,” Lydia snapped. “Slowly. And no tricks, Grant, or the little cupcake gets it.”
“Easy, Lydia. I’m not going to try anything,” he answered, trying desperately to keep his voice steady.
“Grant, you can’t give it to her,” Julia insisted.
“Shut up, you little goody-goody,” Lydia retorted, giving her a hard shake.
Grant slid the small device from his pocket and held it in the air. “Here it is. See? No tricks. Just…let Julia go, and I’ll toss it over, okay?”
“No way, Grant. I’m not letting her go until I’ve got the flash drive.”
Grant shifted his weight, cocking his head. “Well, now, we have a problem. Because I can’t give this to you until you let her go.”
“I’m in control here!” Lydia shouted as she poked the gun into Julia’s side.
“I can see that, but…neither of us trust each other. Which I guess makes sense, because…we had a really bad breakup.” If he could just keep her talking, maybe he could figure something out.
“Can it, Grant. I’m not interested in your psychobabble that you think will lull me into a false sense of security to do something stupid.”
“I’m not…trying to do that, Lydia. I’m just trying to understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Why you would hurt an innocent woman just to get at me.”
Lydia let out a harsh cackle. “She’s hardly innocent in all of this.”
“How do you figure that?” Grant asked. “Her only crime is marrying me.”
“That’s enough. Now, stop talking, put the flash drive on the ground, and slide it over.”
Grant licked his lips as he tried to come up with another solution. If he let go of the tiny piece of plastic he held in his hand, he had nothing to bargain with. The little stick was his only bargaining chip.
“How about if you let me switch places with Julia? I’ll come to you with the flash drive. You let her go. Then I hand it over, okay?”
“No,” Julia said with a shake of her head.
“Aw, that’s sweet. Little Miss Perfect doesn’t want you to do that. And neither do I. I don’t want you anywhere near me. Do what I asked, or I can put a bullet in her.”
His eyes slid closed for a second as he tried to steady himself. “Okay.”
He slowly bent toward the ground and placed the flash drive on it before he shoved it forward. It skittered across the rough surface of the roof and stopped a few feet in front of Lydia and Julia.
“Idiot,” Lydia huffed as she forced Julia forward. “Pick it up.”
Lydia kept a tight grip on her arm as Julia leaned forward to snatch the flash drive from the ground. A tear fell to her cheek as she rose.
His heart broke, but he forced his voice to remain steady. “You have what you want. Now, let her go.”
“Hmmm, so tempting, but I think I’ll keep her with me to ensure a clean getaway. Come on, Sweet Cheeks, we’ve got a helicopter ride to take.”
“No!” Grant shouted, his eyes going wide as Lydia tugged Julia back toward the chopper. “Lydia, let her go!”
Behind him, the door burst open, and Kyle and Luke spilled onto the roof. The sudden movement caught Lydia off guard. She paused for a moment. Julia took advantage of her temporary surprise and elbowed her.
Lydia, stunned, stumbled back a step, struggling to keep hold of both Julia and the gun. She reached for her with her gun-toting hand, but Julia smacked her, sending the gun skittering across the roof and toward the edge.
Both women froze, staring after it before Lydia leaned in its direction. Julia lunged for it, too, trying to prevent her from reaching it first.
They landed a few feet away from it in a tangled heap. Their momentum carried them toward the edge of the roof.
If they didn’t stop soon, they’d both plunge over the edge.
Grant’s heart thundered in his chest, and adrenaline surged through his veins, igniting every nerve. Without conscious thought, his feet propelled him forward in a desperate dash toward them.
The two women stopped short of the edge, landing separately and climbing to their feet as Grant barreled toward them. Lydia shoved Julia backward toward the edge before she dove for the gun again.
Julia stumbled back a step, her arms flailing as she struggled to regain her balance. But she couldn’t recover from the shove. As she lost her footing, ready to plunge over the edge, Grant reached her. He grabbed hold of her hand and yanked her toward him. She fell against him, and he wrapped her in his arms, holding her as tightly as he could.
Her chest heaved against his as she stood frozen. Her heart pounded against his chest as he stroked her hair, squeezing her close. “It’s okay, Julia, I got you. I got you.”
A sob escaped her as she flung her arms around his neck.
He wrapped her in his embrace again as he stroked her hair. “I got you.”
She leaned back to look up at him, her eyes a mix of fear and relief. “Thank you.”
“Are you okay?”
She bobbed her head up and down though no words came out. Instead, she leaned against him again, clinging to his arms.
Next to him, Luke wrangled the gun from Lydia’s hands before he hauled her to her feet. She tried to make a run for the helicopter that started a lazy lift into the air, but Luke kept a firm hold on her. “I don’t think so.”
“Julia, are you okay?” Kyle asked.
She pulled back from Grant, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Yes, I think so.”
She removed her arms from around Grant’s neck and reached to squeeze Kyle’s hand. “Thank you both.”
Any other conversation was interrupted by the burst of police onto the rooftop. Chaos surrounded them for a few moments before paramedics descended on Julia to attend to the scrapes and bruises she’d sustained during her ordeal.
Grant stayed close to her, still shaky from the experience that had nearly ripped her from him.
As the police slapped handcuffs on Lydia and led her away, she lunged toward Grant, restrained by one of the officers. “This isn’t over, Grant. You’ll regret crossing me. I’m far from being finished with you.”
He played it off as the words of a desperate woman, but something about the fire in her eyes when she said it sent a shiver down his spine. Could she possibly have anything else up her sleeve?