Page 151 of Protecting You
Amazing what a strategic thinker Callan was. Alyssa was good at the tech side of things, but her mind didn’t work the way his did, seeing the entire chess board and all the possible moves in advance.
She prayed Callan wouldn’t miss anything. And prayed she could do her part, little as it might be, to keep them all safe.
That thought was still resonating inside her when her phone rang. She showed Callan the screen, then put it on speaker so he could hear. “Hey, Dad.”
“You need to get back here, now.”
Alyssa was used to her father issuing commands. But she’d never heard that tone. He sounded…afraid.
Her stomach clenched.
Callan snatched the phone. “What happened?”
“Their car was ambushed on the way out of the club. With Evelyn and Brooklynn and…and Peri. Jock is dead. Your daughter… Peri was taken.”
* * *
Alyssa drove much fasterthan was wise on the winding roads.
Beside her, Callan was on the phone. “Now. Take him now!”
Issuing orders to his boss.
Malcolm’s voice was clear and calm over the car’s speakers. “I’ve already contacted law enforcement?—”
“You’re giving him time to prepare!” His shout bounced off the windows and metal in the small car. “Get in there. Get the information.”
“I know what I’m?—”
“This is my daughter!” His voice cracked. “My child. Find her. You have to find her. Do whatever you have to do. Or I’ll do it. He has to tell us where she is.”
Callan was banking on the idea that Ghazi was still in the Brookline house. Malcolm had agents watching the gated entrance. According to them, Ghazi hadn’t left the property.
Malcolm had confirmed that they’d picked up the typical noises from within—the grinding of beans, the steaming of the coffee maker, the ding of the microwave. People’s voices, always talking about nothing important. As if they knew they were being surveilled.
It was that last part that worried her. If Ghazi knew, then would he sit there and wait to be taken into custody?
Alyssa doubted it, but she wasn’t about to say so to Callan, who was already out of his mind with worry. Instead, she drove and prayed hard. She couldn’t stand the thought of sweet little Peri in the hands of those evil, evil men.
It seemed hours had passed since they’d left the country club by the time she whipped the Mustang to the gate. Normally, Dirk would wave her through. This time, he came out of his guard shack, peered into the backseat, then directed her to open the trunk.
He was taking security very seriously, just a little too late.
“We need to get in there.” Callan vibrated with fury and fear. When he reached for the door handle, she slipped her hand around his arm.
“It’s because of Peri. They’re ensuring no other enemies get inside.”
Callan pierced her with a look of murder, with the eyes of a lion whose cub was threatened. Anybody who got between Callan and Peri would not survive.
“I know you’re scared.” She kept her voice low so Dirk wouldn’t hear through the open windows. “But you need to think. Your daughter needs you to think.”
He pulled his lips in, closed his eyes. He shifted to take her hand, gripping it like it was his only hold on sanity.
“You’re all set, Ms. Wright.”
She thanked Dirk and accelerated through the gate and down the long driveway, not letting Callan go. Up ahead, police cars lined the circle drive. She and Callan were about to walk into total pandemonium.
She stopped a hundred yards from the entrance.
