Lindsey. I’ll call Arthur, and you can give him specific wiring instructions.”
“Thanks, Pop-Pop.”
“Tell Dave it’s a privilege.”
“I did, sir.”
“You always know the right thing to say and do. I’m proud of you.”
Lindsey smiled. “Thank you. You made my day, dear.”
He hung up and called Merced Marketo, father to Paris, alpha of the Marketo pack, and another person who owed Dave his ass.
“I’m happy to help, Lindsey. It will take me a couple days to raise it since so much of my money is invested in pack businesses.”
“That’s all right, sir. My family will front the money, but I thought it would be an opportunity for you and Landon to return a serious favor without having to get too political or public about it.”
“Excellent idea. I’ll talk to Landon and Cole as well.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for thinking of it. There’s not many ways for us to repay debts without revealing too much.”
Lindsey slipped the phone into the breast pocket of his suit coat and then sniffed. Oh my. He turned and gazed eye to eye with Seth Zakowsky. Amber gold. Wow. So few humans had eyes that color.
Zakowsky gestured toward the phone.
Lindsey nodded. “The money will be wired wherever we say, whenever we say.”
“Good. And by the way, while I know the governor trusts you and I respect that, there is no ‘we.’ You need to stay out of this, Mr. Vanessen. You could get hurt or get one of us hurt trying to protect you.”
Lindsey raised an eyebrow. “Like you, for example?”
“Or anyone from the FBI. This is no game. Lives are at stake, not corporate dividends.”
Hmm? Punch his lights out or back off? Backing off gave Lindsey more options. “Of course, darling. Why on earth would I want to get too close to this messy business? I’m here to support my friend, not to get in your way. My God, it exhausts me just thinking of what you do.” He fluttered his lavender ascot. There, that should have lulled him nicely.
Zakowsky’s expression warred between suspicious and convinced with a touch of derision. “Good. I appreciate that.” He turned and stalked back to some of the FBI guys.
Lindsey walked to Dave, who sat staring out the big windows in the dining room. Lindsey perched beside him and took his hand. “The money is ready whenever we need it.”
“Thank you so much, Lindsey. Please tell your whole family I’ll work forever to pay it back.”
“Ta, darling. No need. Let’s just concentrate on getting Carla back.”
The phone rang and everyone froze. The man who seemed to head the FBI contingent signaled to Dave to come to the phone. Lindsey squeezed his hand and stood beside him. Dave hurried over and, at the FBI’s signal, picked up the phone.
The disguised voice said, “Go to your computer. You’ll see what you’re looking for.”
The FBI guy clicked on the computer. An instant message appeared with a link and he followed it. A video feed appeared of some kind of warehouse. In the center of the scene, a young girl sat tied to a chair, blindfolded.
Dave leaped toward the screen. “Carla!”
Lindsey forced his eyes away from the girl and inspected the room. It seemed oddly familiar.
The voice on the phone said, “She can’t hear you, but you can hear her.” Inside the room on the screen, a male voice said, “Say something so your father can hear it’s you, Carla.”
The girl’s voice quavered, but there was determination too. “I’m fine, Daddy. Don’t let these assholes get to you. Catch them and see they all go to prison.” The sound clicked off.
The voice said, “If you share that attitude with your daughter, you’ll never see her again.”
Dave fell back on the chair like he’d been slapped. Lindsey dug his fingers into the man’s shoulder. “Easy. They have nothing to gain by hurting her.” He stared at the computer and inspected every detail of the scene. The screen went black.
The voice sneered, “Your friend is very wise, but our patience only stretches so far. You have your proof of life. Wire the money and we’ll have her back to you tomorrow.”
Zakowsky stood opposite Dave. He shook his head slightly and wrote quickly on a notepad. Dave looked at it. It said stall til tomorrow on money.
“Uh, I can have the money tomorrow. I’ll wire it wherever you say.” He glanced at Seth, who nodded. “I want to see my daughter before the money leaves my hands. It’s all my family has.”
Seth smiled grimly.
The voice snarled, “Saving your daughter’s