NO ONE TALKS ON THE WAY TO THE MANSION. The smell of rain is in the air, although the sky is clear and the stars burn brightly overhead. I sit in the backseat with Blackwell’s guards, and think about how much Miles looks like his dad. Will he grow up to be like him, I wonder? A businessman so driven by success that he would resort to abducting a teenage girl in order to get what he wants? No. I can’t imagine it.
Blackwell’s not as bad as Avery, I think. The hunter’s use of force goes beyond a show of strength into the realm of threatened violence. I can’t imagine Blackwell actually killing someone to get what he wanted, although driving into the heart of a fortified ranch with his two burly security guards doesn’t seem the most peaceful of statements. But that’s what makes me doubt his intentions are violent. There’s no way he’ll try to strong-arm Avery’s men into giving me and Whit up. He’s counting on talking his way into what he wants. Making Avery’s men an offer while their boss is out of the picture.
My wrists chafe from leaning back against the metal cuffs. I lean forward and flex my fingers to get my circulation going. The guard sitting next to me notices. He gets the keys from O’Donnell and unlocks me, and I massage my wrists with my thumbs.
We drive over a hill, and the house and barracks lie spread before us. In the mansion, the ground floor is lit up as before but two additional lights are on in the top floor. O’Donnell takes us down the drive and around the fountain, parking the car outside the front door. The men pile out, the guard sitting next to me positioning himself behind me as I walk in front of them.
Before we can even get to the door, Whit’s guard steps out, and stands, gun in hands before us, face twisted in anger as he berates O’Donnell. “What’s she doing out here? Where have you been?” He waves his gun toward Blackwell. “And who are they?”
O’Donnell gestures toward Miles’s dad. “This is Mr. Blackwell. Mr. Blackwell, Ben Nursall, Head of Security.”
“What the hell is going on?” Nursall says, taking a step forward. Blackwell’s men do the same, puffing themselves up to look more menacing.
Whit walks out the door behind Nursall. “Blackwell,” he says, his voice steeped in shock.
“You know him?” Nursall asks.
“Let me introduce myself properly and tell you why I’m here,” Blackwell says, raising his hands to show he knows he’s on Nursall’s turf. “It is in my interest to take these two guests of yours with me. Since I hear that your employer is currently indisposed, I will take a rather unfair advantage of the situation to offer you double what Avery is currently paying you to come work for me in L.A., as well as a substantial finder’s fee for handing over Mr. Graves and Miss Newhaven—which is the same deal I have offered your colleague here.”
Nursall looks at O’Donnell, raising an eyebrow as if to ask, “Is this guy for real?” O’Donnell nods.
“I have air transport available for all of us, and am ready to leave immediately,” finishes Blackwell, clasping his hands together and awaiting the burly guard’s response.
Whit speaks up before his guard can respond. “I’m not sure we will be able to work with you, Mr. Blackwell, since we have a very specific deal arranged with Mr. Avery.”
Blackwell fixes Whit with a cynical stare. “Have you seen any of that money yet, Mr. Graves?”
Whit is still for a moment and then shakes his head.
“To be quite frank,” Mr. Blackwell says, “I think Mr. Avery has already gotten what he wants: virtual immortality. I very much doubt his interest was to reproduce and distribute the drug, no matter what he told you.”
I speak up, surprising everyone. “I don’t care about money. I’m not going anywhere while my people are being held prisoner.” As if I have a choice.
Blackwell raises an eyebrow. “Really?” he asks, emphasizing the plain-as-day state of my powerlessness.
“I’ll fight you every step of the way,” I promise, clenching my fists by my side. I know how ridiculous I look. Five foot five and unarmed, up against these giant men with guns. But I give it all I’ve got and exude every ounce of resistance inside me.
Blackwell rolls his eyes, and holds up his hand to Avery’s guards, asking them to excuse us for a moment. They shift uncomfortably. “As I said before, if you had cooperated back in L.A., I would have been happy to help your people escape. But as things are . . .”