Chapter 14
SETH
Landon ends the call. Damiano and I both fit our earpieces into our ears, ready. My heart thuds rapidly. I need to act, to move. I need to rush to Madison and protect her.
A second later, Landon’s voice comes through our earpieces. “We’re heading downstairs. Option One.”
When we chose that hotel resort for Madison, we mapped out over five different escape routes in case Erich Pointer discovered Madison’s whereabouts.
Option One will take Landon and Madison to the harbor, where they’ll get on a boat to meet us at a separate resort.
They already have a reservation set up there, just in case it’s needed.
“Fuck,” Landon mutters. “Abort Option One. Moving to Option Four.”
Madison is quiet, and I wish we’d thought to give her a comm device of her own. I want some indication that she’s all right. I want a direct method to communicate and reassure her that we will find Erich Pointer and keep her safe.
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
“We’re on our way,” Damiano says into his comm.
Madison’s voice comes through faintly. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you soon,” Landon says. “We need to get you to safety, first.”
Damiano and I move down our hallway and stop at our employee, Hannah’s, door. She steps out, already changed from her recent disguise as a Madison look-alike and into her black cargo pants and matching shirt. Her earpiece is in place.
“Where do you want me?” she asks.
“Straight to Option Four,” Damiano says. “Landon may need back-up.”
She nods and jogs toward the exit on the east side. Damiano and I exchange a look.
“Should you try one more time?” he asks.
“That’s what I’m wondering.” Sighing, I pick up my phone and dial. We’ve been trying to reach Erich Pointer for days. Hell, we tried calling him when he had my parents. He never answers; he just sends our calls straight to voicemail.
But this time, he answers. “Well, if it isn’t Seth fucking Colton.”
I mouth, “Shit,” to Damiano and point at my phone. I put it on speaker.
“Erich. So glad I could get in touch with you finally.”
“Eh, I’ve been busy.”
“Busy trying to fuck us over.”
He chuckles like an amused villain. “My men are watching your girl. Not the fake one you brought with you—the real one you sent with that giant.”
He saw through our plans. Fuck.
Damiano’s fists are clenched so tight, his knuckles have turned white.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“I want your company. You can sign it over to me and go into early retirement. The two of you starting Nove fucked my plans for the future of Point Ops. It’s time I get things back on track. Or you might not see your pretty little girlfriend in her pretty yellow dress ever again.”
He mentioned the yellow dress to prove he has eyes on Madison, because that’s what she’s wearing tonight.
Shaking with rage, I clench my phone so hard, I’m surprised it doesn’t snap in half. “You better not lay a fucking hand on her.”
“How about you meet me in person, and we can talk things out? I have some paperwork you can sign, and we can put everything behind us.”
Damiano and I exchange a look. He shrugs, shakes his head. However I want to guide this confrontation, Damiano trusts my instincts.
“Just tell us where,” I say, “and we’ll be there.”
MADISON
Landon winds me through hallways, all the way downstairs, and then outside into a giant courtyard.
Our resort is huge, comprised of three large, multistory buildings forming a triangle around this courtyard with multiple swimming pools and bars.
I preferred to hang out on the beach, so I never spent a lot of time in this area.
Nobody from the pool or bars seems to notice us. Maybe to the casual observer, we look like a normal couple, out for a stroll.
“Where are we going?” I whisper.
“Shh.”
I don’t like him shushing me, especially when there’s no danger that I can see. He keeps me to one side of him as we hurry along a walkway, blocking me from the pools and lounge areas, which are filled with late-night guests. With so many people around, why don’t we simply ask for help?
Unless he doesn’t want help.
What if he’s working with Point Ops? What if Seth and Damiano trusted the wrong guy?
I feel as if I’m choking. Air is trapped in my throat.
“Hurry up,” Landon barks. “You can panic later—right now, we have somewhere to be.”
I nod and try to suck in a deep breath. He could be rushing me because he needs to get me to Point Ops. I could be like Seth’s parents, tied up with a black bag over my head, used as collateral to get Seth and Damiano to comply with whatever Erich Pointer wants.
“Along here.” Landon puts his hand on my lower back, guiding me forward. “Try to stick to the edge of the building.”
Is he saying this because he’s trying to guard me with his body, or because he wants to keep me out of sight of witnesses? It’s impossible to tell.
I can’t do this. I want Seth and Damiano, not Landon. Everything is too uncertain. He could be dangerous.
If he’s dangerous, I need to get away from him.
I walk quietly, my brain suddenly calm. A plan forms in my head. There’s no time to waste.
I pretend to stumble, putting me just behind Landon for the briefest moment. Reaching forward, I grab the gun from his holster.
“Hey!” he shouts in surprise.
I back away from him, my nerves jittery, my hands going numb around the weapon. “Don’t touch me.”
“What the fuck?” He holds his hands up, palms out. “Madison, what are you doing?”
Even though he terrifies me, even though he could be the enemy, I can’t point the gun at him. I would never be able to shoot. There’s a higher chance he’ll wrest it from my hands and use it against me instead.
So I throw it outward, into the darkness. Then I break into a run.
“Madison—fuck—”
He chases after me. My heart pounds. I wanted to trust him—I thought I could trust him. Damiano and Seth do, and I trust them. But everything is happening too fast.
“Madison, take my comm device,” he calls. “You can talk to Seth and Damiano.”
I turn around, uncertain. If he weren’t trustworthy, why would he let me talk to them?
“Here.” He takes something from his ear and holds out his hand. “I’ll slide it to you, okay? I won’t get close.”
If he’s really on Seth and Damiano’s side, I’ll hear their voices reassuring me.
If he isn’t, he could use my distraction to overpower me.
He’s big enough to haul me over his shoulder and carry me somewhere.
Yeah, I’ll scream the entire time, but he might knock me unconscious, say I drank too much and passed out—there are many ways he could get me off the resort and away from help.
“Here.” He slides it forward, along the tiled floor. Then he backs even farther away, down the hall. “Just try to stay low. Someone from Point Ops could be watching from the pool.”
I send a panicked glance toward the guests relaxing in the water. Are any of them staring this way? It’s impossible to tell—the pool lights are dim. All I can see are peoples’ shapes, not their faces or eyes.
It seems if anyone was watching us us, they would’ve seen me with the gun. But nobody has said a word.
“Don’t come any closer,” I say to Landon. “Or I swear, I’ll run.”
“I won’t.” He looks physically pained. “I promise. Please hurry, though.”
It’s the urgency in his voice that gets to me. He’s not just in a hurry—he’s worried.
I’m starting to think I made a huge fucking mistake.
I dart forward, staying as low to the floor as possible, and retrieve the tiny, black earpiece. I hold it next to my ear.
“Madison, talk to me.” Seth’s frantic tone puts me on edge.
“I’m here, but…I’m scared. I thought Landon was trying to take me somewhere—I thought maybe he’s working for Erich Pointer.”
“No, baby.” He pauses. “Did you run from him?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.” I don’t have time to cry, so I blink back my tears. “I threw his gun.”
Damiano’s voice comes through the earpiece. “That would have been very smart if he were betraying us. But we trust Landon, Madison. You can go with him. We have several points where we can come to get you, and he’s keeping us posted. He might change the plans, depending on who’s around.”
“Okay. I’m really sorry I freaked out.” I feel so stupid, but honestly, what was I supposed to believe when this guy I met three days ago starts hauling me around the resort?
“It’s our fault for not communicating better,” Seth says. “Hang tight, okay? We’re fifteen minutes away.”
“Fifteen minutes away?” I turn to look at Landon in confusion. “How?”