with a rabid wolf much less two young, innocent girls.
And had Matilda Bastion been half as trustworthy as Hadley and her mother believed, she’d have never conned Janice into paying for a funeral for a man who was not only breathing but out beating up women.
Adam cracked a few eggs and beat them with a vengeance. If Detective Lane didn’t find Quinton by morning, he would. Or at least he’d give it his best shot—inside and outside the law.
No way he could sit back and do nothing while Hadley’s daughters were in the hands of a man devoid of morals. A madman playing games with Hadley’s mind with his taunting.
Ransom note or not, Adam didn’t trust him to keep the girls safe or alive.
* * *
M ARY N ELL FINGERED the wiry hair of the doll that Lila held clutched to her chest. “Look how cute they look all snuggled up in the bed together and sound asleep,” she whispered.
“Five million dollars worth of cute.”
She moved away from the bed. “When do we get the money? I can’t wait to be rich.”
“As soon as I get all the details for getting out of the country worked out.”
“Maybe we could go to Paris to live. I always wanted to see that Eiffel Tower.”
“Forget that. I’m not going to no friggin’ France. Besides we’d lose too much money when we exchanged our good old American dollars for euros.”
“I could go topless on one of them Riviera beaches.”
“You can go topless anywhere we end up, baby, anytime I say.”
“I wish you’d stay with me and the girls tonight.”
“You know I can’t do that. I gotta be present and accounted for when the cops come calling.”
“So what do I do if the cops show up here?”
“They won’t. But don’t get too attached to those red-headed brats. They get me a ticket to freedom or they get to fly around with the angels. They ain’t staying with me.”
“You mean with us? ”
“Sure, baby. You know I wouldn’t leave you stranded.”
He pinched her nipples hard, ran his tongue down her throat and left. It seemed she was taking all the risks. But it was better this way. She’d take care of the girls—no matter what.
Five million dollars. That would take them anywhere they wanted to go. The good life was practically theirs.
* * *
W EARINESS NOT ONLY weighed heavy on Shelton Lane’s shoulders, it seemed to settle in his bones. Worse, a dull ache was attacking at the base of his skull.
It was always like this when a child went missing. The pressure never let up. He’d seen too many of the cases turn out bad. That kind of thing stayed with a cop all his life.
Sometimes you knew going in that the chance of a happy ending was slim to none. Most time you didn’t. But you always knew time was of the essence.
This case really had him puzzled. Hadley O’Sullivan had been on the edge of complete hysteria when he’d arrived this morning. He hadn’t figured that for an act. But the evidence all pointed to the fact that this was some kind of inside job, especially the ransom note sent even before the abduction took place.
Looked to him like it was sent just to throw off the cops and make them think the crime was about money. He wouldn’t be shocked if that was the last message they received from the kidnapper.
Which left Hadley O’Sullivan as the one with the most likely motive and plenty of opportunity and means. If the girls were out of the picture, she could go on with her life unencumbered with lover Adam Dalton.
Shelton definitely didn’t buy the friend story. All he had to do was look at them together to know that there was more going on between them than that. The guy might be a tough-as-nails former marine, but he had his heart on his sleeve where Hadley was concerned.
Shelton turned onto the I-20 entrance ramp. He’d love to go home and crash in his bed. But even if he fell asleep, it wouldn’t stick more than a few minutes. The first twenty-four hours of an abduction case were the most urgent. This one was going on
And had Matilda Bastion been half as trustworthy as Hadley and her mother believed, she’d have never conned Janice into paying for a funeral for a man who was not only breathing but out beating up women.
Adam cracked a few eggs and beat them with a vengeance. If Detective Lane didn’t find Quinton by morning, he would. Or at least he’d give it his best shot—inside and outside the law.
No way he could sit back and do nothing while Hadley’s daughters were in the hands of a man devoid of morals. A madman playing games with Hadley’s mind with his taunting.
Ransom note or not, Adam didn’t trust him to keep the girls safe or alive.
* * *
M ARY N ELL FINGERED the wiry hair of the doll that Lila held clutched to her chest. “Look how cute they look all snuggled up in the bed together and sound asleep,” she whispered.
“Five million dollars worth of cute.”
She moved away from the bed. “When do we get the money? I can’t wait to be rich.”
“As soon as I get all the details for getting out of the country worked out.”
“Maybe we could go to Paris to live. I always wanted to see that Eiffel Tower.”
“Forget that. I’m not going to no friggin’ France. Besides we’d lose too much money when we exchanged our good old American dollars for euros.”
“I could go topless on one of them Riviera beaches.”
“You can go topless anywhere we end up, baby, anytime I say.”
“I wish you’d stay with me and the girls tonight.”
“You know I can’t do that. I gotta be present and accounted for when the cops come calling.”
“So what do I do if the cops show up here?”
“They won’t. But don’t get too attached to those red-headed brats. They get me a ticket to freedom or they get to fly around with the angels. They ain’t staying with me.”
“You mean with us? ”
“Sure, baby. You know I wouldn’t leave you stranded.”
He pinched her nipples hard, ran his tongue down her throat and left. It seemed she was taking all the risks. But it was better this way. She’d take care of the girls—no matter what.
Five million dollars. That would take them anywhere they wanted to go. The good life was practically theirs.
* * *
W EARINESS NOT ONLY weighed heavy on Shelton Lane’s shoulders, it seemed to settle in his bones. Worse, a dull ache was attacking at the base of his skull.
It was always like this when a child went missing. The pressure never let up. He’d seen too many of the cases turn out bad. That kind of thing stayed with a cop all his life.
Sometimes you knew going in that the chance of a happy ending was slim to none. Most time you didn’t. But you always knew time was of the essence.
This case really had him puzzled. Hadley O’Sullivan had been on the edge of complete hysteria when he’d arrived this morning. He hadn’t figured that for an act. But the evidence all pointed to the fact that this was some kind of inside job, especially the ransom note sent even before the abduction took place.
Looked to him like it was sent just to throw off the cops and make them think the crime was about money. He wouldn’t be shocked if that was the last message they received from the kidnapper.
Which left Hadley O’Sullivan as the one with the most likely motive and plenty of opportunity and means. If the girls were out of the picture, she could go on with her life unencumbered with lover Adam Dalton.
Shelton definitely didn’t buy the friend story. All he had to do was look at them together to know that there was more going on between them than that. The guy might be a tough-as-nails former marine, but he had his heart on his sleeve where Hadley was concerned.
Shelton turned onto the I-20 entrance ramp. He’d love to go home and crash in his bed. But even if he fell asleep, it wouldn’t stick more than a few minutes. The first twenty-four hours of an abduction case were the most urgent. This one was going on
Similar Books
