Read Online The Ransom by Chris Taylor - Free Book Online Page B

security footage we obtained from Myer, we’ve managed to locate a man entering the store shortly before the attack that matches the description given by Brittany. He’s dressed in the standard biker gear.”
    Clayton’s voice sharpened. “Have you identified him?”
    “No, we’re still working on it, but hopefully it won’t take us long. This is the strongest lead we’ve had. The AG gave me some information that supports the idea that the perpetrator could be a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang.”
    “Why, what did he tell you? Just because someone’s wearing a leather jacket doesn’t make them a biker.”
    “You’re right. What you don’t know is that the AG received a threatening phone call last night. Although he couldn’t identify the caller, the gist of the threat related to his recent quest to tighten controls on these gangs. The papers have been full of it. It’s no surprise it’s pissed some of them off.”
    “Fuck.” Clayton mulled over the implications. A few moments later, he said, “Do you believe him?”
    “About the phone call?”
    “Yes.”
    Lane sighed. “I have no reason not to.”
    “That’s not what I asked.”
    “It’s as good as I can give you right now. Dowton’s been more than cooperative. Until he proves himself untrustworthy, believing him is all we can do and you have to admit, it makes sense.”
    “Maybe. What happens now?”
    “We’re putting together a photo line-up to show Brittany which will include all five of our tattoo-wearing suspects. With a bit of luck, she might identify one of them. It might help us narrow down our search for the abductor.”
    “Call me as soon as you know anything. I want to be involved as much as I can. If you send me what you have, I can start putting together a profile. Something. Anything. This sitting around, just waiting, is killing me.”
    There was a pause on the other end of the line, almost as if Lane could feel the weight of Clayton’s pain. And then Lane spoke again, his voice low but full of feeling.
    “I understand, Clay and I appreciate your offer, but we need you right where you are. You want to be there if a call comes through for the ransom.” Lane paused again. “And you need to be there for Ellie.”
    Clayton’s shoulders slumped on a heavy sigh and he collapsed into the nearest chair. “You’re right, Lane, and thanks. For everything.”
    “We’ll find her, Clay. We’ve done it before.”
    Memories washed over Clayton and he bit his lip against a surge of emotion. Three years earlier, Tom’s daughter, Cassie had been abducted. Thankfully, she’d been found in less than twenty-four hours, alive and relatively unharmed.
    Lane was right. He had to trust the police. They’d done it once; they could do it again. They could find his daughter and bring her back to him, safe and sound.
    After ending the call, he immediately dialed his brother’s number. Tom would come over and help him. Tom would know what to do.
    * * *
    Zara tenderly brushed the hair off her sister’s forehead, her heart filling with love and gratitude. For all that her heart ached for Olivia’s parents, she was selfishly glad Brittany had escaped unharmed. Zara’s relationship with Brittany’s mother might be less than ideal, but she’d never felt anything but an overwhelming sense of love for and from her baby sister.
    From the moment Allison and her father returned home with the squalling bundle wrapped securely in a fluffy, pink-and-white blanket, Zara had been in love. Most fifteen-year-olds were too self-absorbed to notice or care about a newcomer to the family, but for Zara, the feelings generated inside her by the tiny, red-faced infant with the swirl of velvet-soft golden curls couldn’t have been more different.
    That first night, alone with Brittany in the nursery, she’d vowed to protect her baby sister with everything she had. It was a promise she’d meant and had kept over the past ten years and although the little girl