Erin shook her head. “No. He’ll only see that Mr. Bain has called him. That’s also what Detective Sokolov will see.”
“Everybody good?” Rafe asked. When everyone nodded, he turned to Bain. “Make your call, please, and good luck. Just breathe and be yourself. The rest of you, come with me. Mr. Bain has allowed us to listen to the call from his sons’ bedroom.”
Rafe answered Bain’s call as he led them to a child’s room with two twin beds and a small student desk. Rafe closed the door, still waiting for Bain to add the bastard to the call.
Gideon slowly lowered himself to the bed with a Pikachu bedspread, feeling a hundred years old. Daisy sat next to him and Frederick sat on the bed covered in a Spider-Man spread while Rafe pulled the desk chair close to him.
Just as Carson Garvey’s voice came from Rafe’s muted phone.
“Hank,” Carson barked. “Where’s my fucking plane?”
Gideon couldn’t suppress the growl that rose from his throat. Daisy rubbed his back comfortingly and Rafe grasped his forearm and squeezed, his expression sympathetic and without a trace of I told you so.
Bain stammered his reply. “I c-can’t get you a plane, Carson. Not this minute,” he rushed to add when Carson started to curse. “The cops are everywhere at the airfield. It’ll be much better if you lay low until I can get you the plane. A day. Two tops.”
“I’m listening,” Carson said warily.
“My neighbor is gone for the whole month. He’s on a job in India. He’s not going to be coming back until the middle of March. I have keys to his car and his house. I can get keys to his cabin in Tahoe from his house. It’s remote and comfortable.”
There was a long, long silence. Then, “All right. Laying low may make more sense. If anyone gives me shit about being in the cabin, I’ll send the pictures to your wife. She’ll find them most illuminating. You really should use protection, Hank. Who knows what you’ve picked up and brought home to her.”
Bain groaned softly. “No!” he cried. “Please don’t.”
“He sounds genuinely distraught,” Rafe murmured, looking impressed. Gideon was, too—unless the guy was acting with them, too.
God, he hoped not. If so, Rafe and Erin were walking into a trap. And Mercy would be caught in the crossfire. And they expect me to sit here, helpless.
“I don’t want your mewling pleas,” Carson said with contempt. “I want you to do what I said and get me a damn plane. If you’re fucking with me, you’ll be begging for forgiveness, not mercy.” Then the bastard chuckled. “Mercy. Get it?”
Gideon bit back another growl but wasn’t entirely successful. Daisy brushed the barest of kisses over his injured shoulder and Rafe squeezed his arm harder.
“I . . . I got it,” Bain said, his voice shaking. “Wh-where are you?”
Another long, long pause. Gideon thought his heart would give out from the stress. But no. It kept on beating until Carson blew out a breath. “Placerville. I’ll call you with the exact coordinates once you’re close.”
“Okay,” Bain whispered. Then asked, “Carson, I’ve got three kids and one on the way. I’m coming home to them, right?”
“Of course you will,” Carson said smoothly. “You’ve got thirty minutes. And if you’re thinking of involving the police, don’t. My leverage is only useful if I have transportation. The cops won’t give me a plane or even a car. I know that. They’ll pretend to negotiate, but they lie. They only want to buy enough time to take me into custody and that’s not going to happen. If I have to make my own way and go on the run, my leverage becomes a liability. I’ll kill her and dump her in your backyard and I’ll find a way to make it look like you did it. Then the police will question you.”
Bain made a strangled noise. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“You have no idea what I’d do,” Carson said ominously.
“Then it is true. You’ve . . . you’ve killed people?” Bain asked with quiet horror.
Gideon figured that Erin must have asked him to ask this so that they could record it.
Carson’s laugh was unpleasant. “Let’s just say that you don’t want anyone to think you’ve been playing with me after hours.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it. Just . . . don’t hurt anyone. Please.”
“Then don’t fuck this up, Hank. You now have twenty-nine minutes. Make them count. See you then.” The call abruptly ended, leaving Gideon more helpless than before. And hopeless.
His emotion must have been clear on his face because Rafe gave his arm a final squeeze. “We’ve got this, brother,” he whispered.
Brother. They always had been. “Yeah,” Gideon managed. “Okay.”
Rafe slid the chair beneath the desk, then held out his hand to pull Gideon up. “Come on. We have a lot to do.”
The four of them found Erin talking on her phone and Bain staring at his own. “He plans to kill me if I show up,” Bain said dully.
“Most likely,” Rafe agreed. “But you’re going to be here. Protected.”
Erin ended her call and stood up, her expression grim. “I just talked to the lieutenant and he’s with Agent Molina. They’re preparing a SWAT team, but ETA to Placerville is an hour.”
Gideon choked back his fear. “He’ll kill her by then.”
Rafe and Erin exchanged a long, long look while Gideon held his breath because he knew they were mentally discussing whether to go or stay. He shuddered out a breath when Erin nodded reluctantly. “I do believe Carson will kill her,” she said quietly. “He really does have nothing to lose.”
“I believe him, too,” Rafe agreed, his expression grim. “We can’t wait an hour. And even if they speed, the field office is still forty-five minutes from Placerville. Anyone SacPD sends might make it in thirty.”
Erin rubbed her forehead wearily. “Let’s start driving to Placerville. We’re thirty minutes out, but we can get there in twenty. We’ll go to the coordinates when Carson gives them to Bain. We won’t act unless it looks like Mercy is in imminent danger.”
“She’s already in imminent danger,” Gideon ground out.
Erin gave him a serious, quelling look. “We are going to do this right. We are not going to knee-jerk our way into a clusterfuck. And you will stay here.” She sighed. “You’re going to have to trust us, Gideon.”
Gideon jerked a nod, knowing she was right. “All right.”
Rafe gave his arm a final squeeze before turning to his partner. “Rhee, let’s go in your car. If we have to approach, I’ll drive, you stay low. I’ll drop you off first so that you can make your approach.”
Erin didn’t move. “How will we know where he is?”
“He said he’d call Mr. Bain when we got close,” Rafe said. “Mr. Bain can call us once he has the location.”
Bain frowned. “I won’t be in the car, though. He’ll hear the difference.”
“Good point,” Rafe allowed. “We’ll ask the officer to drive you around the block until you get the call.”
Bain did not look okay with that. “My neighbors will think I’ve been arrested. It’ll get on the news and my kids will see it.”
“We’ll ask the officer to ride along with you in your own car,” Rafe said. “Nobody will think you’ve been arrested. When you get the call from Carson, just call me or Detective Rhee with whatever coordinates he gives you.”
“I can check the property from Google Earth,” Gideon offered. “Just tell me the coordinates when he gives them to you. I’ll describe the lay of the land so you know how to approach.”
Erin shook her head. “Nice try, Gideon. No cigar.”
“And if he plans to guide you in step by step?” Gideon asked.
“Then we do a three-way call again, just like we did here,” Erin said. “Another nice try. Still no cigar. I’m not involving you. You are staying here.”
Rafe gave him a half hug. “Gid, we’ve got this. Daisy, you wait here for your protection detail. They’re probably already waiting for you at Mom and Dad’s house. I’ll tell them to send your escort here.” Pressing his car key in her hand, he leaned down and hugged her, then whispered something in her ear that Gideon couldn’t hear.
She nodded up at Rafe, then smiled sweetly. “You too.”
Erin paused in the kitchen doorway. “Mr. Bain, one of the officers will come in to escort you. You three”—she pointed at Gideon, Daisy, and Frederick—“stay here.”
Daisy made the Girl Scout sign, like she was vowing on her honor.
When they were gone, Gideon put his hand out. “The key. You stay here.”
“Um, no.” Daisy put the key in her father’s hand instead. “How are your driving skills, Dad? Mine are a little rusty.”
“Mine are good. And yours were awful before they got rusty.”
Daisy went to the front window and made a frustrated noise. “For God’s sake. Erin’s behind the wheel. She’s not letting Rafe drive.”
“Because she knew he’d let us tail him,” Frederick said grimly.
She turned from the window. “Okay, they’re gone. If we’re quick and slick, we can catch up. Let’s go. Dad’s going to drive because you’re tired and terrified and you’ll kill us before we can get to Mercy. I’m going along in case you need a marksman.”