“How about two?”
“Without a thought,” Evan said it this time.
“I’m going to see if they’ll pay five. Give me your number, Miss Storm, and if they answer the phone, you might live until tomorrow.”
Chapter 27
“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-”