Chapter 5
I shot up from the booth.
“Anna’s in trouble. Marcus is there.”
Richard was on his feet before I finished the sentence.
“GO! I’m right behind you!”
We ran out of the coffee shop and sprinted the three blocks to the apartment building.
My lungs burned.
My heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to break out.
Please God, don’t let anything happen to them.
Please.
We burst through the front door of the building and up the stairs three at a time.
Third floor.
3B.
The door was slightly ajar.
I pushed it open and drew in a sharp breath.
The living room was destroyed.
The couch overturned.
The TV smashed.
Books scattered everywhere.
“ANNA!” I screamed.
No answer.
I ran toward the bedroom.
The door was off its hinges.
The bed was stripped.
Empty.
“LILY!”
Nothing.
Then I heard a soft whimper.
Coming from the closet.
I ran over and wrenched the door open.
Lily was curled into a ball in the back, clutching her flute, shaking so hard her teeth chattered.
I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms.
“Lily, baby, it’s okay. It’s Charlotte. You’re safe now. Where’s your mommy? Where’s Anna?”
She pointed a trembling finger toward the fire escape window.
“T-the bad man. He took her. He said if she didn’t come with him, he’d hurt me. Mommy made me hide in the closet. She told me not to come out until you came.”
I held her tighter.
“It’s okay, baby. You were so brave. So brave.”
Richard was standing by the window, looking out at the fire escape.
“There’s a black SUV parked out back,” he said, his voice flat and dangerous. “It’s gone now. But I know where he’s taking her.”
“Where?”
“His warehouse down by the docks. He uses it for… meetings. Private ones. I’ve had it under surveillance for three months.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
I started toward the door, still holding Lily.
Richard blocked my path.
“No. You’re not coming.”
“WHAT? Richard, that’s our sister—”
“And that’s exactly why you’re staying here. With Lily. If we both go and something happens to us, who takes care of her? Huh? Who protects Lily if we’re both dead or in jail?”
He had a point.
A terrible, horrible point.
“Richard, I can’t just sit here—”
“You have to. Please, Charlotte. I’m begging you. Keep Lily safe. That’s the most important thing right now. I’ll get Anna. I promise. I’ll bring her home.”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a handgun.
I stared at it.
“Richard… where did you get that?”
“Doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m going to end this. Tonight. Once and for all.”
“Richard, please—don’t do anything stupid. Call the police. Let them handle it.”
A bitter laugh escaped him.
“The police? Charlotte, half the cops in this city are on Marcus’s payroll. We call them, and by tomorrow we’ll all be at the bottom of the ocean. No. This ends between me and Marcus. The way it should’ve ended eight years ago.”
He looked at Lily, still crying in my arms.
“Hey, kiddo.”
She peeked up at him.
“Your mommy’s gonna be okay. I promise. I’m gonna bring her back to you. But you have to be brave for your Aunt Charlotte, okay? Can you do that?”
Lily nodded slowly.
“Good girl.”
He looked back at me.
“If I’m not back in two hours… take Lily and go to the airport. Buy tickets to anywhere. Just get out of LA. Don’t call anyone. Don’t leave a note. Just go. Remember the safety deposit box in Seattle. ‘Taxes 2019.’ Okay?”
“Richard—”
“Promise me, Charlotte.”
Tears burned my eyes.
“I promise.”
He turned and ran out the door.
I heard his footsteps thundering down the stairs.
Then silence.
I held Lily for a long time, rocking her back and forth, whispering that everything would be okay.
Even though I didn’t believe it myself.
After about twenty minutes, Lily fell asleep from exhaustion.
I laid her on the only piece of furniture still intact—a beat-up armchair in the corner—and covered her with my jacket.
Then I started pacing.
One hour passed.
Then another.
No Richard.
No Anna.
No phone calls.
Nothing.
I checked my watch.
Two hours exactly.
The time limit Richard had given me.
My hands shook as I pulled out my phone.
I should call the police.
I should take Lily and run.
I should do something.
Then my phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
A text message.
One photo.
And my world shattered all over again.
It was Richard.
Tied to a chair in what looked like a dark warehouse.
His face was a mess of blood and bruises.
His eyes were swollen shut.
May you like
And beneath the photo, a message.
You want your brother and sister back? Come alone. Bring the girl. One hour. The old cannery at Pier 47. Come alone, or I start sending body parts.
