CHAPTER 24
BROOKE

I tossed and turned all night, trying to ready myself for the morning. Things with Kevin had been tense since he placed that call and I did my best to avoid him. I knew I was doing what was right. This was going to help us find Sydney. But I was scared. I sipped on a mug of coffee as a knock came at the door. Kevin let the police in and they found me in the kitchen. The entire island was still asleep as the waves crashed along the shoreline. The blackness of night mirrored the mood I felt brewing in my soul. Today, I would figure out whether Sydney was still alive. I had no idea what I was going to do if they’d hurt her, but I knew I’d do everything in my power to make them pay.

Even if it meant going to jail myself.

A sack of money was dropped at my side and I turned my head. I was met with Kevin’s bold stare, his eyes darting up and down my body. I set my mug of coffee down and stood so the tech officer could wire me. They were weaving beads that contained a small tracking device into a lock of my hair. It would look like I’d simply gotten my hair beaded like a lot of tourists did on the island, and wouldn’t cause any unwanted suspicion.

“You can still back out of this, you know,” he said. “You don’t have to do it.”

“They won’t take you if you go,” I said. “You know that. Plus, you’ve already told them I’m coming. If you take my place, there’s no telling what they’ll do.”

“Okay, the device is planted,” the officer said.

“I put the money in two separate bags,” Kevin said. “One for each hand. See if you can carry them.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll make it work. If I struggle with them, it will look more real,” I said.

I looked up into his eyes one last time before the sun slowly began to rise. It was time, and I was late. I picked up the bags and the police hunkered down in the house with their gear ready to track me. Their cars were out of sight and the shades in the house were pulled. Thankfully Daniel was still asleep.

He didn’t need to witness what was about to happen.

I reached down for the bags and heaved them up, one on each side. Holy hell. One hundred million dollars was heavy. I took one last look at Kevin and I could see the battle raging behind his eyes. He was torn between letting me go get his daughter and demanding I not leave. But I knew I had to do this. I knew this was our only chance. We had to find a way to track Sydney, and fast.

Which meant that bait was our only option.

I started out the front door and closed it behind me. The bags were heavy and sweat was already dripping down my back. I walked out toward the edge of the beach where I’d seen the man before. My eyes scanned the horizon one last time, taking in the beauty and the relaxation before darkness settled over me again.

Suddenly, tires squealed on the pavement to my left and a car door was thrown open.

I saw a familiar face coming at me with something I couldn’t make out in his hand. I tried to dodge him, telling him I had the money and that I wanted Sydney back. I was screaming. My heart was slamming against my chest and I was clawing at the man’s face. I felt someone rip the bags from my arms as something heavy came down on my back, taking me to my knees.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see through my tears.

And then, my world was black.

The smell of dampness was the first thing to hit my nose when I came to. I was scared to death, but the plan had worked. They had taken me somewhere, which meant the police knew where I was.

I was shivering, cold, and wet. And my head was throbbing.

I sat back on my ass and leaned against a wall. My vision was still focusing, but I could feel someone looming over me. Goosebumps were percolating over my body and dust was flying around my head.

I coughed to try and right myself as I felt a small hand slip into mine.

“Miss Brooke?”

Tears rose to my eyes as I turned. Sydney.

“Why are you naked?” she asked.

I looked down and my eyes widened in horror. No wonder I was so fucking cold. I was wearing nothing but my bra and panties. I pulled Sydney into my body and cradled her close. I reached up to my throbbing head and realized with horror that the beaded lock of hair was gone, pulled from my head by the roots.

“And you thought you were so clever.”

“Make him go away,” Sydney said, with a whisper.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’m right here,” I said.

“Did you really think you would get away with it?” the man asked.

I looked up into the eyes of the man looming over us. My vision slowly began to focus, and a familiar face came into view.

“You’ll never get away with this,” I said. “I won’t let you.”

“And what are you going to do?” he asked. “Run naked through the streets with the kid?”

I pulled Sydney close to my body as I tried to give a fierce look to our captor that didn’t show him just how terrified I was. I turned my gaze to Sydney, looking for any signs that she’d been mistreated.

Thankfully, she appeared to be unhurt.

“Don’t worry, I’m not in the business of hurting kids. But you, on the other hand. You, I wouldn’t bat an eyelash about,” he snarled.

Sydney was whimpering and crying. Shaking against me and trying to wrap herself around me. I pulled her into my lap and curled my legs up. I cradled Sydney’s face in the crook of my neck and shushed her, telling her it was going to be okay and that I was going to find us a way out of there.

But the man looming over us simply grinned.

“Are you done playing with your toys?”

I whipped my head up as a pair of footsteps moved toward us. I scooted us closer to the wall. I gripped Sydney as hard as I could and tried to shield her from all of them.

The other man came into view and I recognized him immediately. Gianni Russo. The asshole behind all this. He grinned down at me and I felt a wave of murderous rage fly up my spine. I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and wring him dry until he begged for mercy. He was the most disgusting creature I’d ever seen.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Simple. We want more money,” Gianni said.

“And how much is the billionaire’s girlfriend worth?” I asked.

“Four hundred million more than we were asking for,” he said.

“You want five hundred million dollars?”

“Oh, yes. And if I can get my hands on that little boy, I’ll want a hell of a lot more.”

“You’ll never touch Daniel,” I said. “I’ll kill you before that happens.”

“Did you hear that?” he asked with a chuckle. “This woman thinks she can kill me.”

“I will, don’t you worry.”

“How about this? We make a phone call and you tell your precious billionaire boyfriend that if we get our five hundred million dollars, we’ll go away and never bother anyone again.”

“After you threatened his son? Not a chance,” I said.

“That’s fine. If you don’t make the call, I’m sure Sydney would love a room of her own.”

“Don’t leave me,” Sydney said.

“You’re not putting your hands on this girl.”

“Then this is how it’s going to go,” the man said with a growl. “You’re going to make the fucking call or I’m going to start with your toes. My friend here will break them one by one while Sydney listens to you scream. And when you pass out from pain, we’ll put her in another room to wonder what’s happening to you.”

Bile was rising in my throat as Sydney sobbed into the crook of my neck.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, then you’ll comply. Simple as that,” Gianni said.

“You’re a sick, disgusting, twisted excuse for a human,” I said. “You were Kevin’s friend for twenty years.”

“And then he crossed me. People pay the price when they cross me,” he said.

“Your company deserves to go under,” I said. “And I can’t wait to see them haul you away in handcuffs.”

Gianni nodded to the man standing beside him and he reached for Sydney. I turned my body against him and cradled her toward the wall. I felt him wrap his hands in my hair and wrench me backwards, dragging me away from the crying girl. Gianni stepped in front of her as she tried to scramble towards me and I screamed out for her.

“Sydney! No! What are you doing? Let me go!”

“Shut up, you stupid bitch.”

The man cracked his hand against my cheek so hard he knocked me back to the floor. I was panting, my palms pressed into the moldy carpet. It hurt to move. To breathe. To think. I dragged myself over to Sydney as Gianni stepped to the side, laughing at us maniacally as I wrapped my body around the terrified little girl.

I listened as their footsteps fell back to the other side of the room. I shielded Sydney with my body, even though it hissed with pain. My vision blurred with tears as I pressed myself back into the wall, heaving the trembling girl onto my lap.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said. “They’re coming after us, okay?”

“I want my Daddy.”

“I know you do. And you’ll see him soon.”

“Please don’t leave again.”

“I won’t,” I said.

The door slammed shut, leaving us alone in the dark, dank, desolate basement no bigger than the half bathroom on the main level of Kevin’s home. Sydney was shaking violently, and I could feel the pain in my head trying to take me under. But I couldn't allow myself to succumb to the darkness. I couldn't allow myself to be swallowed up by it. No matter how bad things seemed and no matter how hopeless the situation was, I had to stay alert.

I had to make sure they didn’t hurt Sydney.

No matter what it meant for me.