“She must know we’re listening. She gave Kane’s number,” Evan said as soon as the phone lit up in Kane’s hand.
“Step outside so they don’t hear their own echo from this phone,” Braden told him.
Kane walked outside and tried to remain calm. He needed to play it off like he didn’t know she was missing and without sounding like a man ready to murder the first caller, the twisted individual who had his woman.
Stephen picked the wrong damn girl-a Cartwell through and through.
“Kane Cartwell,” he said.
“Mr. Cartwell, you don’t know me but…”
“Then why the hell are you calling me?”
Silence. Damn. He fucked up.
“I have your girl. If not yours, then one of your brothers.”
“Peyton?”
“Pretty little blond hair, blue-eyed girl. Tight ass, big tits? She belong to you?”
“Who is this?”
“I said…” He did something to Peyton and she screamed. “Does she belong to you?”
Kane’s fury raged on. “You’re damn straight she does.”
“Wanna buy her back?”
“Listen, you son-of-a-bitch, you lay one hand on her and you’ll suffer the consequences. If you think that son-of-a-bitch who slaughtered all those people over at Mountain High School led people to a cruel and violent death, let me explain something to you. I have no conscience when it comes to Peyton.”
“No conscience? None?”
“None.”
“Good, then we have one thing in common.”
“What’s your price?” Kane bit out. “Name it. Name your terms. I’ll meet them.”
“Five million.”
“Done.”
“Get the money. I’ll call back in two hours.”
Kane cringed. In two hours, Peyton could be dead or worse, wishing for it. “I’ve got the money.”
“On hand?”
“In hand. I’m walking toward my truck. Where do I meet you?”
“Keep five million on hand and happen to have it on you?”
“Call it your lucky day. I have a cashier’s check in my brief case. I can make a stop at the bank before four o’clock closing and meet you afterwards.”
“You don’t mess around, Mr. Cartwell.”
“I will hand it to you with no questions asked but we have to have an understanding.”
“What’s that?”
“I hand it to you and you hand me Peyton. If I see one scratch on her, one tear, I leave.”
“Leave her with me?”
“You got it.”
“Now why would you pay someone five million dollars for a woman but refuse to follow through if she had a few scratches or tears?”
“I know what I’m looking for. If she’s hurt or you’ve had a piece of her, just keep right on going. I’ll hunt you down and gut you. Then, I’ll leave pieces of you all over the country. If you’ve got family, I’ll send them your head. Understand?”
Evan opened the door and shook his head in disgust. Braden barreled out of the house and grabbed the phone from Kane.
“Sir! Sir! This here is Braden Cartwell. My brother lacks communication skills. Let me just offer to pay you the five million dollars, and we’ll call it a day. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like Peyton has a little too much fun with you boys, if you want to know the truth. See, I saw her with the younger one at Clink. Now, your brother Kane tells me she is his woman but from the sounds of it, you’re kind of sweet on her too.”
“We’re her guardians.”
“Guardians, huh?”
“Yes. Now tell us your terms.”
Peyton knew the Cartwells had the money to pay the ransom. She cringed once she realized who Stephen wanted to deliver it. Kane wouldn’t hand it over without a fight.
“Why did you want Kane to bring the money?” she asked.
“I have my reasons,” he said.
“You’re going to kill him,” she said.
“I am indeed,” he said. “He’s the reason my father never made it out of that gym and because of him, we didn’t finish what we started. Kane Cartwell had to play the hero role and now we’re going to test him. Let’s see if he can be your hero now.”
She focused on the present. “What would you consider a fair trade for his life?”
“Yours.”
“Then you can have it.” She answered too quickly.
“How will this work then? I can’t get the money if I don’t hand you over to them.”
“I’ll help you if you let them live,” she said. She already realized her initial call was successful. She heard Kane’s roaring anger coming through the phone when Stephen called him. If anyone understood Kane and his moods, she did. She knew what made him tick, and he was on a timer when Stephen called him. It was why she chose his number to dial instead of Evan or Braden’s phone.
She didn’t want to bend down over her purse to check but if her battery life still existed, then they were still following her every move. The only chance any of them had now was if she thought ahead, planned ahead and said things to help their situation, give them an advantage.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Pee your pants.”
“You want to smell pee in the car?” she asked.
“I don’t care. I’m not stopping.”
“How far are we from the hotel?”
“Fifteen minutes max.”
“Kane stays at the Hampton all the time. Evan at the Holiday Inn. Braden won’t let them bring their women home with me in the house. They know everyone at both hotels.”
He sneered as he ran his hand up her inner thigh. She flinched. “Is that right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re willing to do anything you can to help me when that Cartwell’s neck is on the line, huh?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Even die for him?”
“We’ve established I’ll die for him, and you’ve stated you want me to. So what else do you want me to say?”
“Will you fuck me in front of him to save him?”
She closed her eyes and nodded.
“I told you back at the school. When I speak to you, then you answer. Yes or no. It’s not complicated.” His hand squeezed her knee.
“Yes, I’ll fuck you in front of him.”
“Perfect. Then I know where we’re headed.” He tossed his phone in her lap. “Hit redial and tell lover boy to meet us at the overlook five miles down the road from Picturesque Inn.”
She closed her eyes tightly and did what he told her to do.
Braden was on his way to the bank. Evan stayed home with Vicky, waiting and listening. Kane took the farm phone and kept Evan on the line. He knew she was calling before it rang.
“Peyton?” He wanted her to know he expected to hear her on the other end of the phone.
“Kane. He wants me to tell you to meet him at the overlook five miles down the road from the Picturesque Inn. He says he’ll call you with further instructions or meet you there in one hour.”
“Baby, I’ll be there. Peyton?”
“I love you, Kane.”
The line went dead. He didn’t get to tell her he loved her enough to die for her He didn’t get to tell her he’d die before he’d let anything happen to her.
He tossed the phone on the seat beside him and gunned it. He flew past a cop running radar and never even saw him there. “Damn! Damn! Damn!” He held the other phone to his ear and told Evan. “I’ve got company.”
“Pull over and tell him what’s going on but warn we have to play things our way. Who is it?”
“Dunno. It looks like it might be that guy you went to school with.”
“Pete?”
“Yeah, him.”
Kane pulled over and sure enough, Pete got out of the car.
“Kane, where the hell are you going like a bat out of hell?”
“Pete, we got some trouble. Here’s Evan. He’s gonna explain things to you.”
Pete took Kane’s phone and began shaking his head. “I know Evan but we can handle this. You have to understand, every cop in the county is looking for him. What him and his daddy did to all those people and the volleyball coach. Yeah. I understand. I just can’t let him handle it on his own. Yeah, well, this is a matter for the police. I know. I-”
Kane didn’t even have to ask. Evan was paying him hush money. By the expression on Pete’s face, a lot of it. He’d guess Pete just became a millionaire or close to it.
“Five hundred thousand is plenty enough. More than generous.”
Close to it worked for him.
Pete handed him the phone back. “I’m riding over with you. Give me one second.” Pete went back to his vehicle, grabbed a few things, including his gun and jumped in Kane’s truck.
“What do you know?” He pulled back on the road and hit the speaker function so Pete stayed abreast of what they had so far.
Evan filled them in again. “As soon as the call disconnected, Peyton took a slap for telling you she loved you. Then he told her they were going to the Picturesque Inn. Vicky used to work there. She says there are fifty rooms, all of them offer an adjoining room feature. They usually have about a fifty percent occupancy rate which means for what Stephen has in mind, we need luck on our side to get in the room next to theirs.”
Pete started dialing. “I happen to know the gals up there. I can get us what we need.”
“Leave Vicky there. Tell her to lock the doors. Get up here now, Evan.”
“Kane, listen. He’s going to leave the windows open and fuck her while you watch.”
“You mean rape her?”
“Yeah. He’s going to call you and tell you to meet them there instead of the overlook. He plans to have her tied to the bed by the time you get there. He’s going to ask you to leave the money in her car, and he’s still sketchy on the rest. This could go bad. Real bad.”
“Not if we’re in the room next to him,” Pete said.
“Did you hear that?” Kane asked.
“Yeah. It doesn’t matter. Kane… no mistakes.”
“Don’t worry little brother. Those picture windows allow for an incredible view but I won’t be on the outside looking in. I’ll promise you.”
Braden had the money, in case they needed it. They wouldn’t. The front desk called about the time Evan slipped into the room. Pete and Kane were armed and ready.
The girls at the desk managed to get housekeeping in the room they assigned just in time to unlock the door. If by chance Stephen noticed the lock wasn’t bolted, they had the master key to get in there. Either way, Stephen’s plans were now shot to hell.
They heard the door bang against the wall and realized right away, plans were going better than expected. The older hotel had thin walls, and every peep made in the rooms was shared between the two.
Kane realized it placed them at a disadvantage too and quickly put his cell on silent but he held it in his palm waiting for the call. Realizing the second the call was made, Peyton faced immediate danger.
“I don’t like this,” Evan said. “He may rape her before he makes the call. Sick bastard might-”
“Keep your ear to the wall,” Kane said. “She’s not going to get raped today.” Hell, she might later tonight. ‘Course Kane realized where she was concerned it would be the willing who raped the willing.
Kane heard them talking back and forth. “What are they saying?” “Peyton is provoking him,” Braden said. “What the fuck is she doing?” “I don’t know, but it’s not good,” Pete chimed in, and Evan gripped his gun tighter. Evan frowned. “If she doesn’t watch herself, the only cock we’re going to need to worry about is the one heard from a gun.”