Chapter 30

CHAPTER

THIRTY

Heidi wandered down the cracked sidewalk of the town time had forgotten.

She hadn't crossed paths with anyone—which didn't surprise her.

Instead, she scanned the various storefronts—an old restaurant, a furniture store, a general mercantile. But most of those places looked abandoned.

The pawn shop on the corner of town seemed her best option. She'd just seen a man leave the business and walk in the opposite direction, so the place must be open.

Here goes nothing.

She released some of the control she tried to exert over her emotions and instead let her trembles emerge. The tremors were real, and there was no need to hide them anymore. They'd only help sell her cover story.

She jogged toward the pawn shop, flung the door open, and tumbled inside. "Please . . . I need help."

A man in his sixties with frizzy, white hair and a pot belly rushed around the counter toward her. "Are you okay, ma'am?"

She knelt on the gritty carpet. "I . . . I need to use a phone. It's urgent. Please."

"Of course. You can use mine." The man paused. "Do you want me to call the police?"

"No!" she said sharply before softening her voice. "I have someone who can pick me up. I just need to call him. I don't want other people to get involved. It's . . . it's complicated."

"Of course." He grabbed a phone from behind the counter and handed it to her.

She pushed herself up to her feet and dialed Rafferty's number. Only a few people had his direct line, and she prayed he answered so she wouldn't have to put up this current act much longer.

"Who is this?" a deep voice barked a few seconds later.

Relief washed through her. "Rafferty . . . it's me. Heidi."

"Heidi?" His voice softened. "I've been trying to find you. I didn't know what happened."

"Donald . . ." As the man's image filled her mind, so did the thought of him dying. A cry lodged in her throat, one that was totally authentic. "We were run off the road. He died. Then some men grabbed me."

"What?" His voice rose. "Who?"

She glanced at the pawn shop employee and saw him listening. She needed to be careful what she shared. Otherwise, he really might call the police, which could ruin their whole plan.

"I don't know who they were," Heidi said. "I managed to get away. But now I don't know what to do. I need your help. Please."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Tennessee, I think." She looked at the pawn shop employee. "What's the name of this town?"

He rattled it off.

"I'm at a pawn shop in Norton." Desperation cracked her voice. "Can you pick me up?"

"I'll send my men. It might take a while, but I'll have them there to get you. Okay?"

"Yes. Yes . . . thank you."

"Just stay where you are."

"I will." Heidi ended the call, deleted the number she'd just dialed from the recent calls, and thanked the man for letting her use the phone.

He stared at her, his shaggy eyebrows knit together with concern. "Are you sure I can't call the police for you?"

That was the last thing she wanted. "No, I'll be fine. Believe me. It's better this way—it's better for you too. You don't want to mess with these people."

Fear flashed in his gaze, and he nodded. "Got it."

Using her thumb, she pointed over her shoulder. "I'm just going to wait outside for my ride. But thank you so much for your help."

"Of course."

"Please . . . forget you ever saw me. For both of our sakes." Then Heidi stepped outside.

This just might be the longest wait of her life.

It gave her too much time to think. To question herself. To doubt her decisions.

But she could do this. She could pull off this charade.

She glanced across the town to a street in the distance. Stephen and Gage's SUV was parked there.

She knew they were watching, which did make her feel better. But she also knew that once Rafferty picked her up, she'd be on her own.

Unless she cried overwhelmed. She hoped it didn't come down to that. She was the best chance they had for finding out the information they needed. She didn't want to blow this.

Finally, more than two hours later, a black van squealed to a stop in front of her.

Her heart thumped harder as she stared at the vehicle.

Were these Rafferty's guys? Or were these the people who'd killed Donald and Beau? Were those people one and the same?

She froze at the thought.

How could she be sure?

Before she had time to figure it out, the door slid open.

Two men she'd never seen jumped out. Grabbed her arms. Threw her in the van.

Her elbow hit the floor, and pain climbed through her arm.

But she didn't have time to think about her discomfort.

The door slammed shut.

Tires squealed as they accelerated from the pawn shop, headed . . . headed who knows where.

Their plan had worked. So far, so good.

But now would come the toughest part.

Stephen tensed as he stared at the van.

The vehicle blocked his view of Heidi. Blocked his view of seeing what was happening.

Then it had taken off.

With Heidi in it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Heidi's voice came through the speakers on his laptop. "Ouch! You're hurting me."

Stephen's hands fisted. He wanted to jump out of the SUV. To find her. To pull her away from those men.

But it was too late. The plan had been set in motion.

Rafferty's men—whoever these new guys were—had her. Stephen had a feeling these were the guys who'd flunked out of Project Elevate. Larchmont had suspicions that Rafferty had kept them close at hand, just in case.

Most of them had failed because they'd been loose cannons.

That made them even more dangerous now.

He knew what these people were capable of, and he couldn't stomach the thought.

"When I asked Rafferty to have someone pick me up, I didn't mean I wanted someone to manhandle me," Heidi complained.

"Shut up. This isn't a time for conversation. This is an extraction."

Extraction? Maybe those guys really were with Rafferty.

Stephen wasn't sure if that made him feel better or not.

"Where are we going?" Heidi's voice sounded thin with fear.

"It's not important," the man said. "Now sit back. This isn't a therapy session. I don't want to talk."

Stephen fisted his hands. He didn't like the way this guy was speaking to Heidi.

"She's okay," Gage told him. "Just take a deep breath. Getting angry won't get us anywhere."

Gage was right. Stephen breathed in and out, trying to douse the fire flaring to life inside him. He had to stay focused.

He glanced at the laptop in his lap, at the beacon indicating Heidi's location.

In a few minutes, he and Gage would follow behind the van. They needed to be careful not to be spotted and blow this operation.

Heidi's life depended on it.