Chapter Six

Billie sat in her kitchen, reading through some reports and steeling herself up to face Presley once he came down from his shower. Some steeling up was usually required whenever she was around him.

Blasted attraction .

But she figured she needed an extra boost in her resolve since he'd spent the night in her house. A necessity since they'd needed to work on the investigation. But that necessity came with a high price tag attached.

There was an intimacy having him here, and her body and mind just hadn't allowed her to forget that he had been just across the hall from her in the guest room. Some parts of her body and mind had wanted to go to him. To fall right into his arms and experience, well, everything Presley was capable of doling out in the pleasure department.

In other words—a lot.

The sexual pull had given her some amazing dreams. Thankfully though, those dreams and nudges of heat had been tempered with the reality of what Presley and she were facing.

And had faced.

Having the kidnappers demand they do the ransom exchange. Sending them on a wild goose chase to the murder house. Then, the long, miserable wait to learn Victoria's fate.

Along with that waiting, there'd been the bombshells, including the one about Jesep's will. But that one had been a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to yesterday's other shocker.

Presley had been shaken to the core learning that Victoria was his bio-mother. Shaken once again when the lab had triple-checked and confirmed it. DNA didn't lie, but apparently Victoria had by keeping the secret of her motherhood from her son.

Maybe Victoria had done that because she didn't know where to find Presley. And even if she found him, oh, what a scandal it would have caused. The socialite heiress and wife of…an asshole had given birth at sixteen and abandoned her child. So, Victoria might have been afraid of her secret being revealed.

Was that because she'd been bullied by Jesep?

Or was there something rotten or wrong at Victoria's core?

Billie couldn't judge the woman for giving up her child, but she sure as hell could judge her for abandoning Presley. Victoria could have simply told her doctor that she wanted her child to be adopted, and it would have happened. Of course, maybe there was some underlying reason why Victoria hadn't been able to do that.

The thorough background that Ruby had run on Victoria gave them some glimpses as to those possible underlying reasons. From what Billie had read, Victoria's father had been much like Jesep. Rich, arrogant, and with a my way or the highway attitude. Billie couldn't see a man like that approving of his sixteen-year-old daughter having a baby.

And that had led Billie and Presley to yet more digging.

On his bio-father.

Because, hey, he could be at the center of this. He could want to get back at Victoria for discarding their child and presumably him as well. What better way to do that than to drag Presley into the ransom drop so there could be sort of a warped family reunion?

But that theory didn't feel right to Billie.

Yes, it had to be considered, but she just couldn't see a bio-dad having things play out this way. After all, Presley was being punished, too, by having the bombshell thrown at him, and to a bio-father, Presley would be innocent in what Victoria had done.

The problem was there was no DNA match for his bio-dad so the man couldn't be definitively ruled out as a suspect. That meant more digging. More questions. And still no answers.

Including no answers about Victoria's whereabouts.

The kidnappers hadn't contacted them, and while Billie hated to read too much into that, it could mean that Victoria was dead. She had to shove that aside and get that steeling up in place though when she heard the footsteps and Presley came in.

Great.

Even with what had to be minimal sleep and a mountain of stress, the man still managed to look hot. A cross between his namesake rock star and a Greek god.

Yep, he had her hormonal number, all right.

Presley kept his gaze on her as he went to the coffeemaker and poured himself a cup. "You look…interested," he said.

She figured he meant that in a sexual way, and Billie didn't intend to touch it with a ten-foot pole. Apparently, he did though.

He leaned in and kissed her.

It was just a peck and barely qualified as a kiss. It packed a serious punch, and it took more of that steel for her not to move in and take his mouth as if it were hers for the taking. It wasn't.

Was it?

Billie shoved that stupid question away and put her mind back on the work. Once this investigation was done, then she could maybe do a test drive with Presley to see just where this heat could take them.

"Please tell me we have new information that'll help us," she threw out there. "Help us find Victoria," she added.

That got the rock star expression off his face, and she watched him shift to the tough operative. "Not really. Jesep refused to talk to the cops about his will. Ruby's setting up a meeting for us with Ari and Olivia, and she'll call us as soon as she's got that in place."

The words had no sooner left his mouth when his phone rang, and when he yanked it from his pocket, she saw Ruby's name on the screen.

"Speak of the devil," he muttered, and he took the call.

"You're on speaker," Presley let his boss know. "Give me good news."

"I don't have any about Victoria. Like you, the techs haven't been able to find anything on the traffic cams. My guess is one of the kidnappers sneaked into the house through the greenbelt, left the jar and the message. There's no evidence to prove that Victoria was ever there."

That meshed with what Billie had found as well. Which meant they were at a standstill.

"FYI, neither Jesep nor his kids have given us DNA samples yet," Ruby went on. "Jesep says he's still talking to his lawyer about that."

Billie groaned, and she wondered if Jesep knew that, at best, this made him look uncooperative, and at worst, it made him look like the one who'd orchestrated this kidnapping.

"Yes, I'm not pleased about that either," Ruby murmured, obviously hearing Billie's groan. "But Ari and Olivia have agreed to see you at Olivia's home in forty-five minutes," she went on, rattling off the address. "So, I'm guessing you need to get moving, and we can finish this conversation as you make the half hour drive."

"We're moving," Presley assured her, setting aside his coffee and taking out his keys. Billie and he went to her garage, where he'd left his SUV. "Considering Jesep's will, Olivia and Ari have strong motives for kidnapping their stepmom. Kill Victoria first, and the will won't matter."

"That's one of my working theories, too," Ruby agreed. "It could be just one of them, or they could be working together." She paused. "You shouldn't say anything about Victoria being your bio-mother."

"Got that," Presley was quick to agree as he entered the address into the GPS and then backed out of the garage. "Because that would make me a target. Of course, I could already be one if Ari or Olivia know."

"Yes," Ruby muttered. "Because they could be planning on you dying during the ransom drop. They could be hoping it'll look like a tragic accident of you trying to do your job. That means they could intend for Billie to be collateral damage."

"True," Billie admitted.

And that went back to the notion that she was meant to be a distraction for Presley, to throw him off his game. If that was it, the kidnapper was certainly pushing some buttons here.

"Of course, if Ari and Olivia aren't the kidnappers, then maybe there's another reason the two of you were tapped for the job," Ruby went on. "And that brings me to something I just found out about Hattie."

Everything inside Billie went still. No way had she ruled out Sandy's sister coming after them for revenge for Sandy's murder.

"Hattie worked with a doctor who once boarded at the same school as Victoria," Ruby explained. "I'm tracking her down to see if she told Hattie anything about Victoria being pregnant."

Now, that would be a connection that Billie hadn't considered. But it could fit. If Hattie had learned that Presley was Victoria's son, she could have orchestrated this payback plot. If that was her endgame, then Victoria would likely be murdered.

As would Presley and her. Once they'd suffered enough, that is.

"I'll get back to you on whatever I learn about Hattie," Ruby continued. "And as soon as you finish talking to Ari and Olivia, let me know what they had to say."

"Will do," Presley assured her. He ended the call and glanced at her. "You can see Hattie as a kidnapper and killer?"

Billie didn't even have to give this any thought. "Yes. She's enraged enough to kill. Maybe she decided to get rich in the process by getting the ransom." She paused. "But Ari and Olivia have just as strong of a motive."

He made a sound of agreement. "And Jesep."

"And him," she verified. "The will could be a way for him to make himself look innocent. He loved his wife enough to leave her everything, so there's no way he could be behind her kidnapping."

That was as far as Billie got before she had to stop.

"That theory runs out of juice when looking for a motive," Billie concluded. "I've uncovered no evidence whatsoever that Jesep is having an affair. No evidence either that Victoria is planning on divorcing him or that there's been a serious rift in the marriage."

"Same," Presley said. "But there's the greed angle. Victoria is rich in her own right."

"Yes, and I'm betting she owns a lot of old family jewelry and such that's a worth not so small a fortune."

Her phone rang, cutting off the rest of her speculation, and she winced when she saw her boss' name on the screen.

"Owen," she answered, debating if she should put the call on speaker. Owen made the decision for her.

"I hope Presley is with you because I'm with someone you'd probably like to talk with," Owen said. "Hattie Sinclair."

"Hattie," Billie repeated, switching the call to speaker. It only took a couple of seconds for her phone to pair with the SUV's Bluetooth.

"Yes," Owen went on. "I tracked her down at her vacation cabin, and she's agreed to speak with you."

"No, I've agreed to give them a piece of my mind," she heard Hattie snarl.

"Well, hopefully that'll involve some talking," Owen remarked with his usual unruffled tone.

"What I'll say is this," Hattie snapped. "Don't drag me into the shit you've created in your lives. The cops called me. The cops," she said, the venom going up a notch. "They wanted to know if I had any part in kidnapping that rich bitch, Victoria Wessington. Then, they asked me about you."

"And what did you tell them?" Billie pressed.

"That you two are worthless pieces of shit who could get that woman killed. Just like you got my sister killed."

Billie had known it wouldn't take long for Hattie to work her way around to Sandy. "I'm sorry for your sister's death," Billie said for the umpteenth time. And it was the God's honest truth. She was sorry, but what'd happened had been a tragic accident.

"Yeah, right," Hattie grumbled. "Why the hell do you care so much about finding this rich woman when you didn't care enough to get to my sister in time to save her?"

Billie looked at Presley, and they both frowned. "Do you know Victoria Wessington?" Presley asked.

"No," Hattie spat out. "And that's what I told the cops. I also told them what I'll repeat to you. Keep me out of the shit going on in your lives. I want nothing to do with the two of you."

Moments later, Owen came back on the line. "I'm taking you off speaker at my end." There was a slight click. "Did you get what you wanted from her?"

"I'm not sure," Billie said. "Does she have an alibi for, well, any of this?"

"No," Owen answered. "The trifecta definitely applies here."

Which meant Hattie had means, motive, and opportunity.

"Are you two okay?" Owen asked.

Billie gathered her breath. "We're on our way to see Victoria's stepkids."

"Yeah, Ruby's been sending me copies of the reports." He paused. "Say hello from me next time you see Ruby."

"I will." Billie ended the call and then wondered about her boss' tone. Not his trademark one. This had some…heat in it?

But she had to be wrong about that. Everything she'd ever heard was that Owen and Ruby despised each other.

"Yeah, I picked up on that, too," Presley said when they exchanged a glance. "Ruby doesn't have a lot to say about him." He paused. "But I remember her once calling your boss the DV whisperer. What's that about?"

Billie gathered her breath. "He handles the domestic violence cases. When there's overwhelming evidence that a woman's being abused and she comes to us for help, Owen takes the op pro bono. If the abuser is male, Owen goads the abuser into a fistfight, lets him land the first couple of punches, and then Owen beats the shit out of him. If necessary, he repeats the process until the abuser is either incapable of more abuse or he moves on."

"That doesn't sound very whisper-y," Presley muttered.

"It's Owen," she settled for saying. "And it's effective."

"And what happens when the abuser is a woman?" he asked.

She looked at him. "Then, Owen sends in me, and I'm the one who goads, and wins, the fight."

Presley whistled. "The man must really hate abusers."

"He does. His daughter was killed by one." And she winced a little, recalling that his mother had been murdered.

She didn't get a chance to mutter an apology though because his phone rang again. Not Ruby this time. Unknown Caller popped onto the screen.

"Elvis, record the incoming call and alert Ruby. That's the name for my AI program," he added to Billie. "I want Ruby to tap into this so she can listen." Then he hit answer.

"Presley, Billie," the cartoon voice greeted. "Ready for a new, exciting adventure?"

"Where's Victoria?" Presley demanded.

The kidnapper gave a quick reply. "Good. You're eager. Soon you'll get to see her for yourselves. Come to the old bridge over Comanche Creek."

"What's the address?" Presley wanted to know.

"There's not one. You could say this is out in the sticks. Old bridge. Comanche Creek. About two miles from the out in the sticks town of Outlaw Ridge. You've got one hour. Come alone and all that other blah blah."

Billie immediately used her phone to check the location. Owen lived near Outlaw Ridge so if there was time, she'd get insight about the area from him.

"Scream, baby," the cartoon voice instructed.

And Victoria's blood-curdling scream tore through the SUV. From the corner of her eye, Billie saw every muscle in Presley's jaw turn to iron.

"That was your proof of life," the kidnapper said. "So, get here and save the princess. Oh, and more thing. Don't bother bringing the diamonds. They're fake, aren't they? You don't have to answer that," the kidnapper said before they could respond. "Don't bring them. We have a new demand."

"What?" Presley snapped.

"It's an easy peasy one. You and Billie, you're now the ransom." The kidnapper laughed. "We'll exchange Victoria for the two of you."