Bound To Love (21 page)

His hands shook and a muscle twitched in the corner of his jaw.

‘They’ve put up helicopters but they don’t even know what he’s driving.’

The room buzzed with busy workers. An investigation team ran wires from the phone to the desk, and set up a large whiteboard next to it. Smith handed them Tempest’s phone, briefing them on the message. Jake’s phone rang, and the room quietened instantly as he answered it. He spoke rapidly then closed the phone, repressed anger coming off him in waves.

‘Paul was holed up in my apartment while we were away. That was the parking garage, they’ve just realized my car’s not there.’

He relayed the car’s details to the detectives who immediately got onto the radio and passed it to the search teams. The ringing of the telephone silenced everyone.

‘Wait Daniel.’ Smith switched on the recording equipment. ‘Now.’

‘This is Daniel Adams.’

‘Yes, I expect it is. Is Jake Forrester there yet?’

‘I want to talk to my wife.’

‘I know you do. She’s busy right now, and I don’t care about what you want, I want to talk to Forrester.’

****

‘Jake.’ Daniel passed the phone over. Jake angled the receiver so Daniel could hear.

‘Keep him talking.’ Smith mouthed.

‘This is Jake Forrester.’

Paul’s manic laughter made Jake’s blood run cold. He’d underestimated his old friend. Had never thought he’d go so far as to snatch Skye. Now Daniel was paying the price for his stupidity. Paul had completely lost it.

‘At last. I got ya, Jake. I gave you the chance to settle your debts with me, but you turned me down. Now,’ his voice sobered. ‘If you want your lady to see her sister again, you’ll do exactly as I say.’

‘What do you want?’ Jake asked as a heavy weight settled in his gut. Not getting Skye back safe wasn’t an option. And Paul would know that.

Paul spoke slowly and deliberately. ‘I want three million. And I want it tonight.’

‘Paul, three million, I…’

‘You can get it, so don’t try to snow me. I’m not in the mood, am I, honey?’

Jake heard a woman’s voice in the background, but couldn’t make out her words. Daniel stiffened next to him, and his hands clenched into fists. He was in agony. An agony Jake had brought to their door. Guilt slammed into him.

Paul’s tone was syrupy sweet. ‘When I get the money, I’ll let her go.’

He had the upper hand and was playing it for all it was worth.

Anger welled up and Jake bit it down. He had to keep his head, for Skye’s sake. He needed to stay calm.

‘I’ll get it, just don’t hurt her. Where do you want me to deliver it?’

‘Get the money by six. I’ll call you at six-thirty and let you know where the exchange is going to take place.’

Smith pointed at his watch. They needed more time to trace the call.

‘Paul, I…’

‘I don’t want to talk to you any more Jake. Just do what I tell you. Oh, and Jake, I hope Tempest is with you?’

Jake’s silence told him what he wanted to know more eloquently than words ever could.

‘Because she’s going to be delivering the money. Not you.’ 

There was a click then he was gone.

Smith ripped off the earphones. Cursing. ‘He must have been timing it, if we’d have two more minutes…’

‘What did he say?’ Tempest demanded.

Jake led her to the sofa, then sat down beside her. ‘He has Skye, and he wants three million by six o’clock. He’s going to phone again to arrange the switch.’

Daniel’s tone was determined. ‘I’ll take it.’

Jake was going to have one hell of a job persuading the other man that he couldn’t rescue his wife.

‘He wants Tempest to do it.’

Jake’s stomach clenched and bile rose up in his throat. He couldn’t let her go. Paul might try to snatch her instead of Skye. Might even kill her; just to destroy Jake. He reached for her hand and held on for dear life. Not on his watch. There was no way in hell.

Tempest pulled her hand away and stood up. ‘I’m ready.’

Her back was straight and her shoulders pushed back. There was no trace of the beaten woman on the airplane; this Tempest had a mission she was determined to fulfil. She placed a hand on Daniel’s arm.

‘I can do it, Dan. I brought all this trouble into your house, when I told Jake to fly the helicopter here. Shoot, even before that when I got involved in this.’ She reached up to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. ‘I’m sorry.’ She forced a tight smile at the two men who sat on the sofa. ‘You get the money together, and I’ll take it, and bring Skye home.’

****

Tempest made it as far as the bathroom, fingers shaking so hard that she barely managed to shoot the bolt closed to lock it. She leant against it for support as tears ran down her face. Would he kill Skye? She’d only had a dream like that once before, when her father was killed. Would her sister be lying in a coffin too, before this was all over, no matter what she did? Her body cramped in pain, her face prickled and an iron band crushed her chest as she struggled for breath.

It couldn’t end like this, it just couldn’t.

She soaked a flannel in water and placed it over her face, breathing through the wet towelling, forcing the panic down. There was a swift rap on the door.

‘Red? You OK in there?’

Jake
. When he’d learned she was right dismay was written all over his face. She couldn’t deal with his feelings right now. Hell, she was barely holding it together as it was. Skye was depending on her. She wiped the cloth quickly over her face, then reached for the door, and shot back the bolt.

Jake slid inside instantly. He locked the door behind him, and perched on the side of the tub. ‘This is as good a place to talk as any. There are police everywhere and I want to talk to you alone.’

She blew her nose, and sat on the closed toilet seat.

‘Paul wants you to take the money, but I don’t trust him. I’m coming with you.’

His eyes blazed, and his jaw was set in a line that brooked no argument.
Tough
. He was about to get one.

She shook her head. ‘He’s clever, Jake, but I think he’s unstable. If you do anything that deviates from the plan he could hurt Skye.’

She shivered. An image replayed in her mind, the image of her sister’s name blazing. That wasn’t going to happen. If she did exactly what Paul told her to, she could prevent it. She
had
to prevent it.

‘I have to do exactly what he says, take him the money, and exchange it for Skye. When he rang you before, he wanted money. Money is his primary motivation, and this is just his latest way of getting it. If we do exactly as he says, he has no reason not to take the money and leave.’

Jake was worried enough without her sharing her fears. And if he suspected for a moment that Paul had more sinister intentions he might stop her going. Her heart faltered. Skye needed her.

Jake pulled her into his arms, trembling as he held her tightly.

His voice was low and husky, the words forced out. ‘I didn’t believe you. I thought you must be having some sort of a breakdown or something.’

‘I don’t blame you. I must have sounded crazy.’

He pulled back, his hands tracing the outline of her face tenderly. ‘I can’t let you walk into danger. There must be something we can do.’

‘It’s not your choice to make Jake, it’s mine. And I’ve already made it.’ She pulled out of his arms and squeezed past him to unlock the door. ‘There is something we can do, and we’re doing it.’

Chapter Thirteen

The house was filled with people and noise. All of them busy, all with a purpose. Tempest walked to where Jake was huddled with Daniel.

‘Give me Céleste’s number, I’ll call her.’

Jake stood and held her. His green eyes flickered over her face. ‘How are you holding up?’ His fingers dusted over her cheekbone. ‘The money’s on its way. We’re just sorting out the final details.’

Stress and dread had Tempest firmly in their grip, but she tried not to show it. ‘I’m OK; I just want to do something.’

Jake forced a tight smile. ‘Use my phone, the house number is saved under Jean Luc. I’ll find you in a few minutes.’ He handed her his mobile.

Then Jake lowered his head and kissed her gently on the mouth, so tenderly Tempest wanted to lay her head on his shoulder and wish the world away. She indulged herself for a moment, then stiffened in his arms and pulled away.

She took the mobile with a weary smile and walked into Skye’s bedroom to make the call. In brief moments she’d imparted the news of Skye’s capture.

‘You sound calm,’ Céleste said, on answering the call. ‘How are you?’

‘A lot better than I was before, that’s for sure.’

As Tempest voiced the words they became true. This was destiny. Kismet. She couldn’t do anything while they were in France, and the lack of action had almost destroyed her. Now Skye’s fate lay in her hands. And she knew what she had to do. Determination gave her strength.

Tempest sat down on the bed, picked up the pillow and hugged it to her. ‘I was going mad in the farmhouse, knowing Skye was in trouble and not being able to convince anyone.’

Céleste’s voice was quiet. ‘Jake was very worried about you. He needs to feel in control, and he didn’t know what he could do to help.’

Tempest’s gaze fell to the bedside table. Skye’s reading glasses. Pain flowed over her in an unstoppable wave. She squeezed her hands into tight fists, and looked away quickly, unable to bear the bleak reminder of the loss of her sister.

She croaked out an answer. ‘I’m grateful that Jake came with me. I know he was desperate to stay with Jean Luc.’

She heard Céleste’s quick intake of breath. ‘We all misjudged you, Tempest, and I’m sorry. You were right, even though I know that you would have preferred to be wrong. How is your brother-in-law coping?’

‘He’s holding up. They’re working to assemble the ransom money. Being busy is keeping him together.’ Tempest’s voice faltered and cracked. ‘My sister is a lucky woman; she has a man who truly loves her.’

‘I think you also have such a man. Jake cares for you deeply.’

Céleste was right. Jake cared. But still Tempest couldn’t banish the awful evening in France from her thoughts. She’d bared her soul to him, reached out frantically explaining what her instincts were telling her, and had read the disbelief in his eyes.

The words were difficult to force out. ‘I’m not the right person for him, Céleste and I’m not sure he’s the right person for me. I care for him, but I need someone who can accept me as I am, and I don’t think Jake can.’

Her bruised heart ached as she faced the truth she’d avoided since they arrived back in England. Sometimes love wasn’t enough. ‘I’m glad to hear Jean Luc is feeling better. Jake will phone you later. I’ve got to go.’

Unable to talk to Céleste any longer, she hung up, as something inside cracked and broke into pieces.

The bedroom door opened.

‘The money’s here.’ Jake pushed a hand through his hair as he stalked towards her. ‘And we’ve come up with a plan. Come on, you’ve only a couple of hours, you need to eat something.’

Tempest trailed after Jake into the kitchen. She glanced at her watch. Soon Paul would call and tell her where to take the money, and she would be with her sister again. She reached for a sandwich from the plate on the table, and chewed the cold bread, washing it down with a mouthful of coffee. It was dry, and tasted like sawdust, but she forced herself to swallow. She’d need all her strength for what was to come.

She passed Jake’s phone back to him. ‘I spoke to Céleste. Jean Luc is much better and will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. She’s going in to see him this evening and she’ll fill him in.’

Jake nodded. ‘It’s too dangerous for you to go to the drop alone.’ He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down. She’d seen that expression on his face before, when he refused to let anyone go with him to see Carter.

Tempest’s voice was no louder than a whisper. ‘Paul said he’d hurt Skye.’

His large hand covered hers. ‘I know.’ His eyes softened. ‘But we’ll be careful. At least listen to the plan before you dismiss it.’

Tempest nodded.

‘We have a team assembled. When Paul gives us the location, we’re going to stake it out. I’ll be with them. Five men, and two snipers, who’ll have the scene covered.’ Jake’s mouth tightened. ‘It’s not ideal, I’d like to put a bug on you, but…’

Tempest pitched her voice soft and low. ‘We’ve been through this Jake; he’d expect that from you, wouldn’t he?’

Jake frowned, but she didn’t turn away, and eventually he nodded. She was right, and his mutinous expression revealed that he didn’t like it one bit. He still wasn’t willing to let it go though.

‘I’ve put you in this position.’ His mouth tightened. ‘I should have given him the money when he rang. I should have known he wasn’t fooling around. He’s a logical man; he’s got to know that the odds of getting away with this are slim to none. Paul always judges a situation carefully.’

He ran his hand through his hair and a look of utter despair transformed his face. ‘I never for one moment thought he’d do something like this.’

‘I know. It’s not logical.’

‘I wish things were back the way they were before Jean Luc had his heart attack.’

‘But they’re not, and right now isn’t the time to talk about it. I’m frightened, Jake, frightened for Skye. I need to stay calm and focused so that I can do this. I can’t think about our relationship now.’ She frowned, willing him to understand.

‘OK, we’ll talk about it when this is all over.’

Jake’s hand covered hers, and squeezed tightly. ‘I’ve known Paul longer than any of my friends, I was born in New York, and I thought I’d spend my whole life there. I met Paul when I was eight, at school, where I was a typical New Yorker.’

His tight smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. His healthy tan was washed out to pale. He looked like a man at war, with Paul and with himself. His voice was laced with strain as he continued. ‘Everything changed when I was twelve. My father was murdered. I’ve never really talked about it.’

‘What happened?’ Tempest whispered.