Billionaire Ghost Tour - Stephanie Fowers Page 0,37
hardened into coals. “Lies. You think I would’ve resorted to this if he’d just given me the time of day?” He felt like she was having a mental breakdown. Taking such drastic measures over alimony didn’t make sense. “I think I’ve found a way to make Freddy change his tune.”
His father would call the FBI—that’s what he’d do. After his flight into town tonight, the elderly patriarch of the family would have quite the surprise waiting for him. “Okay,” the words felt thick in Janson’s throat as he tried to get them out. “Let me call him. I’ll give you the phone.”
“You think I’m an idiot?” She swept her hand through the air as if cutting off his trickery. “Oh no! You and I are going to have a little heart-to-heart before he hears from his favorite son.” Favorite son? Is that what she thought Janson was? Poor Harry—not only did his mother use him as a pawn, but she’d better not be telling him that nonsense. “You’ll say everything I want you to say. You saw how easily I bought out your security. You try to turn on me, and you’ll regret it.” Janson was losing what she was saying in a fog of pain and confusion. He felt more trapped than ever—her rigid body standing between the exit was worse than a door. “You’re going to tell your father that you want to meet up with him at the Basin Park Hotel an hour before the parade starts. We definitely don’t want to get stuck in a big zombie fest. What a nightmare.” She glanced over at Vin. “Twelve?”
“The parade starts at twelve,” Mollie snapped.
Katherine twisted like a snake to glare at the captive who had been beneath her notice until this moment. Even her Botox couldn’t erase frown lines that deep. Her lips firmed. “Hmm, such a good, cooperative girl,” she purred. She lifted her shoulder at Janson. “Tell your father to meet me at eleven.”
Janson doubted he’d be able to get out anything intelligent over the phone, wasn’t sure if he wanted to. This whole thing felt wrong, but his brain felt like it was on fire. He couldn’t think straight. “No.” He shook his head. “Not until you tell me why.”
“Oh, no, no.” Katherine’s laugh hurt his ears. “You don’t get to call the shots.” She called Vin over, motioning at Mollie. “Hurt that girl until Janson does what I say.”
Janson wasn’t about to see if they were serious. “Okay, okay, I’ll make the call.” He dug out his phone with the hand that still worked, remembering too late that it was dead. “Katherine.” He hoped she’d see reason. “My phone fell in the water.”
She snatched it out of his hand, her tight face stretching into an annoyed grimace. She clawed down on the button, muttering all sorts of incoherent sounds, until it turned on again. “I guess your phone is more resilient than you thought,” she snarled. “Good thing—you probably paid a fortune for it.” He kept back his groans, wishing he’d had her witchlike powers earlier when he’d figured out what was happening. “Now, call your father and tell him what I said,” she ordered, insultingly slow, each word lingering on her tongue like it was made of chocolate.
He had to do what she said if he wanted Mollie to be safe. He could fix this later. With his eyes on Mollie, he made the call.
His father answered on the last ring. “What do you want, Janson?”
“Um.” His mind raced over the possibilities of how he could twist this call to make his father understand that he was under duress, but the two had never worked out a code, never expected anything like this to happen. Vin pulled out his gun and clutched Mollie’s arm. The words choked out of Janson, “Dad, let’s meet for lunch tomorrow at the Basin Park Hotel.”
“How did you know that’s where I was staying?”
Janson’s eyes shot to his stepmother. That was no accident. “I thought you mentioned it.”
“I’m not sure lunch is a good idea.” His father sipped a drink on the other end while he thought it over, a low engine humming behind him. He was still on the plane. “I don’t think I can. I’m meeting up with Ralph from SimplPharma at two. We’re signing that agreement tomorrow. It’s a big deal—we’re announcing the contract at a press meeting after.”
“You’re meeting with SimplPharma,” he repeated that for Katherine’s sake. Her squabbles over money was nothing