Chapter 7
I jumped out of bed, running to the front door, screaming Jake’s name.
Jake was up in a second, his gun drawn, Rio right behind him, both of them moving fast to the windows.
“Someone was outside,” I said, handing Jake my phone. “Took a photo of me in the bedroom. Texted it to me.”
Jake looked at the text, his face turning white with rage.
“Son of a bitch,” he said. “They found us. How the hell did they find us?”
Rio checked the security system, shaking her head. “No alarms tripped. No signs of a break-in. They must have put a tracker on one of the cars last night. When we stopped for gas.”
Jake cursed, kicking the coffee table so hard the coffee mugs rattled.
“Okay,” he said, turning to all of us. “New plan. We leave right now. We don’t wait for 8 a.m. Rio, you call the US Attorney, tell him we’re coming in early, we need a SWAT team waiting at the garage. Jesse, you take Mia, Emily, and Noah in your truck. Take the back roads to Evanston, get on the Kennedy, drive downtown. Lila and I will take my car, lead them away from you. We’ll meet you at the garage in thirty minutes.”
Emily stood up, holding Noah tight, her face pale. “What about the text? He said if we don’t meet him, he’ll kill Noah.”
Jake shook his head. “It’s a bluff. He wants the ledger. If he kills us, he can’t get it. He’ll follow us, try to run us off the road, but he won’t kill us until he has what he wants. We just have to stay one step ahead of him.”
We split up, moving fast.
Jesse, Mia, Emily, and Noah left first, pulling out of the driveway in Jesse’s truck, turning left toward Evanston.
Jake and I left two minutes later, turning right, toward the diner.
As soon as we pulled onto the main road, I saw it.
The black Suburban.
Two cars behind us.
“Got him,” Jake said, looking in the rearview mirror. “He’s following us. Good. That means he’s not following Jesse.”
Jake floored the gas, his car roaring down the road, weaving in and out of traffic. The Suburban followed, never more than two cars behind.
“Call Rio,” Jake said, taking a corner so fast my head hit the window. “Tell her we’re leading him toward the diner. Tell her to send SWAT there. We’ll trap him.”
I called Rio, telling her what was happening. She said SWAT was five minutes out.
We pulled into the diner parking lot at 7:58 a.m.
Jake parked the car, turning to me, his face serious. “Listen to me. When we go in there, you stay behind me. No matter what he says, no matter what he does, don’t move. Don’t hand over the ledger. We just need to keep him talking until SWAT gets here. Got it?”
I nodded, my mouth too dry to speak.
We got out of the car, walking into the diner.
It was almost empty. Just a few truckers drinking coffee, a waitress wiping down the counter.
Hale was sitting in the back booth, by the window.
He was wearing an expensive suit, his hair perfectly combed, a cup of coffee in front of him. He smiled when he saw us, waving us over.
Jake walked ahead of me, his hand on his gun under his jacket.
We sat down across from Hale.
“Detective Marlow,” Hale said, his voice smooth. “I should have known Lila would run to you. How’s the ex-girlfriend, by the way? Still throwing coffee mugs when she’s angry?”
Jake didn’t smile. “You’re under arrest, Hale. For embezzlement, attempted murder, kidnapping, conspiracy. SWAT is two minutes away. You’re going away for the rest of your life.”
Hale laughed, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Am I?” He pulled a small remote from his pocket, holding it up between his fingers. “See this? I have a man parked outside the Evanston cottage with a sniper rifle. If I press this button, he puts a bullet in the little boy’s head before anyone can stop him. Then he goes after the rest of them. The sister. The security guard. Emily. All dead before SWAT even gets here.”
My blood ran cold.
Jake’s face didn’t change, but I saw his hand tighten on his gun.
“You’re bluffing,” Jake said.
“Am I?” Hale pressed a button on his phone, sliding it across the table toward us.
It was a live video feed.
Of Jesse’s truck, driving down the Kennedy Expressway.
A crosshair was centered on the back window. Right where Noah was sitting.
“One press,” Hale said, smiling. “That’s all it takes. Now. Hand over the ledger and the money. And Lila comes with me. You let us walk out of here, and I don’t press the button. You have ten seconds to decide.”
Jake looked at me. His eyes said I’m sorry.
I nodded.
He pulled the manila folder and USB drive from his jacket, sliding them across the table to Hale.
“The money is in the trunk of my car,” I said.
Hale smiled, picking up the ledger, flipping through it to make sure it was real.
“Good,” he said, standing up, tucking the remote in his pocket. “Let’s go, Lila. Say goodbye to your boyfriend.”
I stood up, my legs shaking. I looked at Jake. He gave me a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
I walked out of the diner with Hale, his hand gripping my arm so tight it would leave a bruise.
He led me to the Suburban, opening the back door.
Sarah was sitting in the driver’s seat. Tony was in the passenger seat, holding a gun.
“Get in,” Hale said, shoving me into the back seat.
He got in next to me, slamming the door.
Sarah floored the gas, peeling out of the parking lot.
May you like
Hale turned to me, smiling, holding up the remote.
“Now,” he said. “Let’s go get my son.”
