Entranced (The ROGUES Billionaire #1) - Tracie Delaney Page 0,79

mine. I nodded. This was the right approach to take and, apart from me, there wasn’t a tougher negotiator in the room.

The line went dead.

“Shit,” Elliot gritted out. “Did I just fuck up?”

“No,” I replied. “I’d have done the same. He’s probably considering your request and figuring out the right thing to do.”

“I hope so.”

Fifteen torturously long minutes passed before Elliot’s phone rang again and Athena’s wavering voice came over the line.

“Elliot.”

“Athena! God, are you okay? Has he hurt you?”

“No.”

A sob broke from her throat, the sound tearing a fucking great hole in my heart. I tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t form.

“I want to come home.”

“You’re coming home,” Elliot said. “You hear me, little sis?”

“The money, or she dies.”

Once again, the line went dead.

Elliot leaped to his feet and roared, the sound bringing Judy, Karl, and the police rushing into the living room.

“What’s the matter?” Judy cried. “Is it Athena?”

“No,” I interjected, cutting Elliot off. Last thing we needed was the cops figuring out we’d spoken to the kidnapper again. “We had a small work issue, that’s all, and Elliot overreacted.”

Judy’s face crumpled, and her shoulders drooped. “Oh.”

“Sorry, Mom,” Elliot said, coming across to hug her. He kissed the top of her head.

“No news then?” Detective Peterson asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

“There’s still time,” Peterson said. “We’re only sixteen or so hours in.”

“Indeed.” I fiddled with my cufflink, my gaze steady on the detective’s.

“We’ll leave you to it, then.”

The cops filed out as Elliot’s phone dinged with a text. I set my eyes on him, my message clear: get rid of your parents. He caught my drift, walking his mother to the door.

“I’d love something to eat, Mom. Do you think you could rustle up some sandwiches for us?”

“Of course, sweetheart. You will call me if you hear anything, won’t you?”

“You got it, Mom.”

The second Judy and Karl left, Elliot grabbed his phone. “Unknown number.” He tapped the screen. “It’s banking details.”

“The drop,” I said.

“Yep. We’ve got an hour to send the money.”

“Send me those details.”

He tapped on his phone. “Done. You set up the transfer. I’m going to see if I can trace the origin of this account.”

“You won’t be able to,” I said. “Unless this is the dumbest kidnapper in history.”

Elliot shrugged. “Gotta start somewhere. If this fucker thinks I’ll just let it go, he’s sadly mistaken.”

Amen to that, brother. Amen to that.

27

Athena

I grabbed a fistful of my hair and screamed as my abductor walked away with the lifeline to my family. Hearing Elliot’s voice, so near and yet so far, had cut me deeply. Had Ryker been with him? Did Elliot know about us? I needed more time to talk to them, to hear their voices, but that bastard denied me.

Despite the futility of my situation, a glimmer of hope sparked within me. If it was within Elliot’s and Ryker’s power to pull the money together, they would. And if they paid him, he might let me go. I wasn’t stupid. There was a distinct possibility they’d pay the ransom and I’d still end up dead. I pitied the bastard if he chose that path. He’d spend the rest of his life on the run. Elliot wouldn’t rest until he’d been found and punished, and neither would Ryker.

Not long after he allowed me to speak to Elliot, the door to my underground prison opened once more. As he entered, my eyes immediately went to the syringe in his right hand. I backed up, yanking furiously on my chains.

“No!”

“Don’t you want to go home?” he asked, his slimy demeanor sending a shiver down my spine.

I nodded. Of course I wanted to go home. I did not want to be drugged again. Maybe I could disarm him and stab that needle into his neck… he must be keeping the keys for my restraints on him.

“Then you’ll be a good girl, won’t you, Athena?”

No.

“Yes.”

“Turn around,” he ordered. “Face the wall. Nice and close. That’s it.”

His hand landed on my shoulder. Spinning around, I lunged for the needle. He skipped back, out of my reach.

“Oh dear, dear, Athena. Such spunk. Such fire. Such futility.”

A jolt of fear sent a tingling sensation roaring through my body. I shouldn’t have done that. Why had I when I’d been on the cusp of going home? At least that was what he’d said. For all I knew, he could be planning to drug me, then rape and kill me.

I didn’t buy it, though. Not once on the four occasions I’d been in his