“Gracie’s been kidnapped and it’s my fault.”
Ms. Patti moved to Nick and took his face between her hands. “Sweetheart, whatever’s happened, it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of whoever took her. You haven’t done anything wrong except love her. Somebody wants to use that as a weapon. Don’t let them. We’ll all work together to get Gracie back, because we love her too. She’s important to you and to this family.”
“Momma’s right. We need to figure out how we’re going to handle this when Cassandra calls back.”
“Who’s Cassandra?”
“Dad, can you fill her in? We need to deal with the fallout.”
Douglas drew his wife aside and whispered to her, catching her up to speed. Rafe and the others headed down the hall to the conference room.
When the next call came, they’d be ready. Nick wasn’t going to be allowed to sacrifice himself for Gracie. There had to be another way and they’d figure it out.
And bring Gracie home.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Gracie struggled againstthe ropes binding her hands behind her back. Her ankles were tied as well, and she’d been sitting in a hard wooden chair ever since they’d brought her into the dingy motel room. They’d driven over an hour with her unconscious part of the way and still wearing the black hood when she awoke. Although they’d started out in a southerly direction, they could have changed course while she was out cold, and at the moment she had no idea where they were or how many others might have joined her two kidnappers.
The television set was turned on, the sound muted. Gracie split her attention between the TV screen and the two people who’d been in the car. The blonde woman who had forced her at gunpoint to come with her, and the dark-haired man who had been the driver, were the only two people in the room with her.
“Do you really think Nick Vincent will trade himself for her?” The man jerked his thumb in Gracie’s direction, voice filled with doubt. “He barely knows her, for crying out loud. He hasn’t even slept with her yet. What makes you think he’d give himself up for a piece of tail? I mean, yeah, she’s kind of cute, but he’s never involved with a woman for more than a week or two. She’s just the latest one in a long line of losers.”
“And that’s why I’m the brains behind this operation. You haven’t seen the way he looks at her. Trust me, the man’s totally gone for her. Besides, he’s the Superman type; he’ll want to save the poor damsel in distress, even if it means his life.”
“Which it does. Have you talked with Alex today?”
The blonde nodded. “She’s at the hospital waiting for Uncle Simon’s signal. With the time difference, it’s practically the middle of the night there. She’s in place and ready to execute her end of the plan.”
“You know how she is, cousin. She’s a total klutz and kind of an idiot. I’m telling you, she’s going to screw this up for all of us.” The male stood and started pacing. Watching him walk back and forth was making Gracie dizzy.
“Shut up, Jesse. Everything is going to go off without a hitch. Uncle Simon played his part to perfection. The infirmary doc decided the money was good enough to give Uncle Simon the medications, making it look like he was in a coma. After the fake fight in the prison yard, he got banged up and bruised enough for it to be believable, and the doc pushed for the transfer. After that, it was simple to get him sent to the trauma center, just like we planned. He’s in ICU, in the bed closest to the exit. Alex has the tranquilizer for the guard, Uncle Simon’s special wheelchair, and the helicopter scheduled. We simply need to do our part.”
Gracie soaked up every word, knowing she’d have to remember each key detail to relate to the authorities as soon as she got out of here. And she would. She trusted Rafe and the rest of the Boudreaus, knew they’d be doing everything possible to find her. But more importantly, she knew Nick would come for her.
It was the one thing she hoped and prayed for, and yet she also wanted him to stay away. He couldn’t allow Cassandra and this Jesse fellow to get their hands on him. From the look in Cassandra’s eyes when she talked about Nick, she wouldn’t have a single problem putting a bullet between Nick’s eyes. Cold and calculating, she reminded Gracie of a viper about to strike.
She hadn’t been able to get a read on Jesse. He’d barely spoken while he’d been driving them away from her shop. When she’d awakened, he’d been humming softly, tunes she didn’t recognize, but he hadn’t talked much until they’d gotten into the room.
A splash of color on the TV caught her eye. It looked familiar and she winced when she realized she was back where she’d started.
San Antonio. The city where her family lived. Where her past had been horribly ripped to shreds when she got involved with Jeremy Brewster. She’d cut ties with everybody in San Antonio, first because Jeremy had smothered and isolated her from everyone she knew. Distanced her from her friends, the people she’d worked with at the fast food place. Kept her within his own little world, until he’d become the center of her universe, and then destroyed it.
But there was a bright side. She knew San Antonio, having lived here most of her life. Knew the back streets, the best places to hide. If she could get to Alvarez or the district attorney, they could help her. First though, she needed to get out of this room and away from her kidnappers.
The ropes around her wrists were tight, and there wasn’t any way to reach the knots with her fingers almost numb. Feeling along the back of the chair, she couldn’t find anything to snag the rope. There were no exposed nails or slivers of wood to rub against to try to cut the rope.
“Don’t even think about it.” Cassandra strode over to her and checked the ties on her wrists, pulling hard enough to elicit a scream. The rope scratched against her tender skin, and Cassandra simply smiled. “I considered duct tape, but that’s too easy to break. Don’t worry, I’m sure Nick will do the honorable thing and save you, precious.”
“Stop taunting her, Cas.”
Turning away from her, Cassandra studied the television screen, scowling. “I hate waiting. Jesse, check the tracker, see where Nick is.”
Reaching into a backpack Gracie hadn’t noticed before, Jesse pulled out a laptop and looked at the screen. Trying to see over his shoulder wasn’t easy, because he blocked most of the screen, but what little she could make out showed what looked like a map.
“He’s still at the sheriff’s station.”
“Huh. I figured he’d immediately hop in his car and try to find his girlfriend.”
