“And if you do? What happens to our boy then?”
“Clayton swears he will let him go, but I know he won’t.” Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away. “I haven’t been able to get him out. He’s guarded twenty-four seven.”
“By how many?” Zach asked, a plan forming in his mind.
“Just one. He is chained in the basement.”
“Do they let you down there to see him?”
“Yes. Clayton thinks it’s good motivation.” She clenched her fists at her sides.
“Do you know where he is keeping the device that can read that?” he asked, gesturing to her bracelet.
“Yes. I saw him use it the other day. It’s in his office.”
“Okay, I have a plan.” Zach ran his hand over his face. “But we have to act fast.”
She nodded. “Tell me what to do.”
* * *
NORAH CREPT UPSTAIRS and into Clayton’s lavish office. She closed the door gently behind her and breathed a sigh of relief when no one came running up after her. Clayton didn’t seem to think she was capable of much, and she couldn’t wait for him to realize he had underestimated her.
She stared at his office for a moment. She remembered being so impressed when he had shown it to her the first time. His large mahogany desk had hand-carved designs in the legs, and the plush chairs that sat opposite of it had been where she had had spent some late nights reading while he worked on what he had told her was charity business.
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She had been such a fool to believe him. She crossed the room to his desk, moving quickly.
Zach was distracting him with questions downstairs, but she wanted out of his house as quickly as possible. She couldn’t wait to free Harley so they could get the bracelet and reader handed over to the authorities and finally take Clayton and Tom down.
She found the device and connector cable quickly and headed for the door, ready for the night to be over with.
* * *
“THERE’S MY BEAUTIFUL fiancée,” Clayton said when Norah crossed the room to where he and Zach were standing. “Enjoying the party, darling?” he asked, kissing her cheek.
“Yes, I am.” She smiled at him.
“I was just telling the nice detective that he will have to be on the lookout for a wedding invitation.”
“Yes, of course.” She kept her tone light and interested in order to hide the excitement behind it.
Clayton looked around Zach at Carl, who waved at him. “Excuse me,” he said lightly, and walked away.
Zach smiled at her. “Did you get it?” he whispered.
“I did.” She patted her clutch.
“Let’s go. Go on down to the basement, I’ll be right behind you.”
Norah nodded and ignored the anticipation. She had to be smart, not act any differently. She grabbed a plate of finger foods off a waiter’s tray and headed for the basement.
“Bringing me a snack?” A large man stood at the entrance to the basement, his arrogant face twisted into a smile.
“No. It’s for Harley.”
“Don’t know why you bother,” he said sarcastically.
“It’s called manners,” Zach said from behind her, and she moved out of the way just in time to avoid being in the middle of the fight.
“What the he—” the man started right before Zach’s fist collided with his face.
Norah had to be impressed as she watched Zach take the man down. He had easily outweighed the detective by at least fifty pounds, but Zach had him unconscious in a matter of seconds.
“We need to move fast,” he said as he dragged the guard’s body through the basement door.
“Norah?” Harley’s weak voice sounded from the corner and made Norah’s heart break a little. He looked so weak. New bruises covered his face, and his eyes were bloodshot.
“You look rough,” Zach said as he made quick work of the restraints.
“Thanks, man, good to see you too.” Harley tried to laugh, but it came out on a cough.
“Let’s get the hell out of here, shall we?”
The door burst open, and Norah grabbed the gun from the waistband of the unconscious guard’s pants.
“Not so fast,” Clayton said as he, Tom, Carl, and two other men walked into the room.
Norah trained her gun on Clayton. “You will let us leave or I swear I will put a hole in you,” she said. “I wouldn’t,” she warned one of the men as he reached for his weapon. “I’m a damn good shot, and I will have killed Clayton before you can even pull that weapon out.”
“You are really going to shoot me, Norah? With all the press currently enjoying our party upstairs?”
“Oh, I really will, Clayton.” She smiled angrily. “I have been looking forward to putting a bullet in you since the day I found out what a bastard you are.”
“Oh, please, Norah.” Tom dismissed her. “We all know you don’t have it in you to pull that trigger.”
He reached for his gun, and Norah pointed it at him and pulled the trigger. He cried out as the bullet ripped through his shoulder.
“Fuck!” Zach yelled, clearly impressed.
“You bitch!” Tom yelled, glaring at her.
“Reach for that gun again and it goes through your forehead.”
“Let them go,” Clayton growled, and moved out of the way.
“Clay—” Tom said, holding his arm.
“You heard what I said, Tom. Let them go. We don’t need any more gunshots going off, and we certainly don’t need you to have any more holes.” Norah watched as the men moved out of the way.
Once they were far enough away, she gestured for Zach and Harley to go in front of her, since Zach was holding most of Harley’s weight along with his own weapon. They passed by the men, and Norah walked slowly behind them.
Relief surged through her as they made their way outside. She turned to say something to Zach and felt arms grab her from behind.
“Not you, my lovely fiancée.” Norah felt the cool barrel pressed to her temple.
“Let her go!” both Harley and Zach yelled.
“No. You two can go, but know that you have nothing on me. Nothing. I run this city, and it will be only a matter of time before I find where you are holed up. If I catch your scent anywhere near me or my property again, I will put a bullet in her pretty head.” He pulled her closer and she threw her clutch at Harley.
“Something to remember me by,” she said as tears filled her eyes and she was pulled back into her own personal hell.
* * *
“GET IN THE fucking, car Harley,” Zach urged, pushing him into the passenger’s seat of his sedan.
“We can’t just leave her!”
“You think I don’t know that? The fucked-up truth is that if we go back there now, he is going to not only kill her, but us as well. We have no backup, and I doubt the eight rounds in my gun are going to do the trick against his dozens of men.”
“He is going to kill her, Zach. Regardless of what we do.”
“She is safe for tonight. The house is full of press, which means we at least have a few hours. Add to that the fact that if she goes missing it will make a huge stink for him, I think it’s safe to say we have at least forty-eight hours.”
“Why forty-eight hours?”
“Because that’s when he is going to be meeting to expand his business.”