“No,” Michael said, at the same time Nicole said, “Yes.”

  “No,” he said firmly, ignoring the look Nicole shot him. It took effort to make himself sound reasonable, when every instinct was screaming at him to hunt this bastard down and strangle him with his bare hands. “I’ll accept the picture as sufficient proof of life. But I’m not agreeing to the terms of the exchange. Not without some caveats. Once you’ve got us all in one place, how do I know that any of us are getting out of it alive? Do you really expect me to believe that you’ll let me and Grant just walk away?”

  “Actually, I expect you to drive away. You never get out of the car. You and I both know that shooting someone in a moving car isn’t as easy as they make it seem in the movies. Besides, you’re not part of my contract. I gain nothing by killing you. As long as you and young Mr. Zito cooperate, you should both be just fine. You’ll only face danger if you attempt to interfere with the actions I take to secure Ms. Zito. And if you do interfere, it won’t end well. Not for you. Not for the boy. And most certainly not for Ms. Zito. I need her alive—for now at least. I don’t particularly care whether or not she’s uninjured. She’ll be close enough for me to shoot quite easily, even if she tries to run. You should know, I’m an excellent shot. Is all of that understood?”

  Michael ground his teeth. “Yeah.”

  There was a soft click as Payson ended the call. A second later, Michael’s phone chimed. It was a picture of Grant—he looked frightened but didn’t appear to be injured. Beside him, Nicole sagged, pressing her face into his shoulder for a moment. “He’s okay,” she breathed.

  “Yeah.” Michael closed his eyes for a moment at the relief rushing through him. “And we’re going to get him back.”

  Another text came right on its heels, with an address, and the words Remember, you have thirty minutes. Don’t be late. He tossed Jed his phone, nodding to his computer on the kitchen table. “Check out that address,” Michael ordered, as he went to the small closet by the desk, pulled a lockbox off the highest shelf.

  “What’s the plan?” Jed asked.

  “I’m working on that.” Michael pressed his fingerprint to the scanner, waited for the box to unlatch. Inside was a pistol, the same make and model as he’d been used to in the military. Michael wished briefly that he’d brought more firepower, but he’d prioritized packing up surveillance equipment in the short time he’d had to prep.

  There was an alert from his computer. “GPS is online,” Jed called out.

  Thank you, Sam, Michael thought, as Nicole rushed over to the kitchen table, bending over the computer next to Jed. Destroyer followed, close on her heels.

  “Looks like it’s heading to the address he sent you,” Jed continued as Michael strode over to them. Jed tapped the map. “There. Seems to be an abandoned convenience store. It’s a good location,” he admitted. “Unoccupied and out of the way, so it’s not likely that anyone will come by and interrupt, but it’s an open space, so he’ll have a clear view of you from the moment your car comes into sight.”

  “I remember that place,” Nicole said, peered at the screen. “We passed by it on our way up here. I could’ve sworn I saw another road, right behind it. But it’s not here.”

  Michael nodded. “You’re right—there is another road. It’s just a small access road, not open to local traffic. I don’t think it’s on any of the recent maps. It was mainly used by this one logging company in the area, but they closed down last year.”

  “That’s it.” Nicole stood, facing him, her dark eyes shining with determination. “I know what we need to do. You’re not going to like this, but hear me out. Whatever the two of you are planning, you can’t just go in there guns blazing. Not if Grant could get caught in the middle.”

  He had a bad feeling about this. “What are you suggesting?”

  “I think that we go through with the exchange. Me for Grant.” Nicole held up her hands, talking quickly before Michael could object. “Jed drives me to the rendezvous. I know Payson’s expecting you, but if we stick a ballcap on Jed, and Payson won’t know the difference—it’s not like he’ll let Jed close enough to ID him one way or the other. Payson will believe it’s you because that’s what he’s expecting. He said himself that we don’t have time to call for backup. That means he doesn’t know that backup is already here.” Michael nodded, conceding the point.

  Nicole continued. “I hand myself over—” Ignoring Michael’s immediate protests, she kept talking right over him, “—and Jed gets Grant away from there as you come up the back road. If this road is closed, and it’s not on any of the maps, then this Payson guy, whoever he is, he might not know about it. Even if he sees it, he won’t think to watch it. He’s got no reason to expect anyone other than ‘you’ and me, coming in a car on the main road. When his eyes are on us, he’ll never see you coming up behind him. You can surprise him.”

  “No.” She reached out to him, but Michael jerked away. “I am not going to let you do that. If this guy is working for the mob, then he is here to kill you, and if he gets the chance, he is not going to hesitate. I don’t want you within a mile of him.”

  “I’m willing to take that risk.”

  “I’m not.” He tried to ignore the voice in the back of his head that said she was right. That it was probably the best plan they were going to get. The only way to get Payson distracted enough to take him out was to make him think he was getting exactly what he wanted. But it meant Nicole walking into a situation, alone, that she might not be able to walk out of. “I can’t lose you.” Not again.

  Her fingers dug into his back, holding him close. “You’re not going to. You’re going to save me, just like I’m going to save my son.” She pulled back to look at him, her eyes beseeching. “Please, Michael. Trust me.”

  Michael clenched his jaw, biting back the words that wanted to spill out as frustration and fear churned away in his gut. He couldn't put her in harm’s way. He couldn’t let her hand herself over to that man. If he couldn't get there in time, if he couldn’t take out the threat before Nicole was dragged off to God knew where—if there was even a second where Payson realized what they were truly up to, and decided to abandon his plans and come out shooting—anything could happen.

  Michael looked at Jed. “What do you think?”

  Jed gave a small shrug. “It’s your operation.”

  “And I’m asking what you think.” But Michael already knew what he was going to say.

  He saw Maloney’s posture relax a fraction, and Jed met his eyes. “It’s a good plan.”

  “Yeah.” Michael pushed past the acidic taste of fear and nodded at Nicole. “You’re right.” She was trusting him. Now he needed to trust her. Because, like it or not, this was the best chance they had of capturing the killer on their trail and getting them all out of this alive.

  20

  The convenience store was dark when they arrived, the one streetlight from the road casting menacing shadows over the front. Jed put the car in park, but he kept the engine running, the headlights illuminating the front of the store. In the glare of the artificial lights, it looked like a ghost house—gloomy, abandoned, more than a little decrepit. Michael said it had closed five years earlier, and the passing time had not been kind to it—nor had the local teenagers who apparently used it as an occasional party spot. It looked deserted right now, though. As far as Nicole could see, there wasn’t another car anywhere out front, but the little blip on the GPS lingered just over this spot. That was good, she told herself. Payson had to have a car somewhere, which meant once she handed herself over, they were going to have to get to it. Which meant more time for Michael to find them.

  Unless Payson planned on just killing her here, and leaving her to rot. As much as Nicole tried not to think it, it looked like a good location for a body dump.

  Pushing that thought aside, Nicole snapped off her seatbelt. Whatever happened to her, the important thing was getting Grant out of there.

  It was odd; she should be frantic. She should feel terrified, but instead she was calm, certain—absolutely certain she was doing the right thing. Even her hands were completely steady—no trembling in sight. It was a slightly eerie feeling. She remembered the dark, bottomless despair that had overwhelmed her at the cabin. And Michael’s arms, holding her close, keeping her together as she fell apart. Having him be there for her like that, it felt like something inside of her had settled. There was the sharp buzz of nerves just under her skin, but she could keep it at bay. She knew Michael would be there.

  Nicole glanced at Jed. He’d been silent the whole ride, barely having said ten words since he arrived. But she liked him instinctively—his calm steadiness, his gentleness with Destroyer, his absolute willingness to follow Michael’s lead, despite the former tension between them. “Whatever else happens, just make sure my son is safe.”

  Jed gave her a brief nod. The scars on the one side of his face were illuminated by the dashboard lights. “Yes, ma’am. You’re going to be okay,” he went on as she gripped the door handle. “Rinaldi’s the toughest son of a bitch I know. He’s not going to let anything happen to you or your son.”

  “I know,” Nicole said, certain.

  She stepped out of the car. And, slowly, started walking towards the store, putting her hands up for good measure. It was unnervingly quiet, with only the soft echo of her footsteps against the asphalt. The light from the headlights streaming at her back, making it impossible for her to see if there was any movement around the front of the store.

  When she was halfway to the store’s entrance, the front door opened, and Grant stepped out. Disheveled and missing a shoe. In the poor lighting, she couldn’t see if he was bruised or not, but he seemed whole and was moving without any signs of pain. For a moment, he peered against the headlights—and then he saw her. “Mommy!”

  Nicole ran the last few steps as Grant bolted towards her, and she caught him in a fierce hug. She felt her heart thundering in her chest, relief nearly as strong as the grief had been earlier. Grant’s arms wound around her neck, holding on for dear life, as she rocked him. “It’s okay, I’m here. Mommy’s here.” She pulled back just enough to take a look at him, running her hands over his hair, arms, looking for injuries. “Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”

  “I’m okay.” Grant sniffed. There were tears streaking down his face, but he scrubbed his nose, defiant. “I wasn’t scared.”

  “Of course you weren’t, baby. You are so brave.” Nicole pulled him into another hug, her heart breaking as he held on fast. “Listen. I need you to be brave a little longer. For Mommy.”

  Grant nodded, fresh tears spilling over.

  “Mommy’s friend is in the car right behind me. I need you to go with him right now, and not ask any questions, okay? He’s going to take you somewhere safe. Can you do that for me, please?”

  “But…” There was a devastating break in her son’s voice that hit her like a punch in the gut. “…you’re coming with me, aren’t you?”

  Fighting for control, she managed to say, “I can’t, baby. I have to stay. But it’ll be okay. I promise. I swear.” She couldn’t tell him anything else—not when Payson might be close enough to hear. “I need you to trust me and Michael right now.”

  She hoped that would get through to him, because she knew he did trust Michael—trusted that Michael would keep them safe, no matter what.

  There was a long pause. And then, in a quiet voice, Grant said, “Okay.”

  She hugged him again, tighter. “Love you so much.”

  “Love you much,” he murmured into her shoulder.

  Everything in her screamed against it, but Nicole eased her son back, out of her arms, and sent him towards the car. Grant glanced at her uncertainly, but she saw him set his small shoulders and march on. Nicole stayed there, watching as Grant climbed inside, and then Jed flashed the lights, and then the car pulled away. She watched it disappear down the road into the dark.

  When she turned around, the door to the convenience store was still open, but whoever was holding it was hidden in the shadows. Then that same pleasant voice from the phone called out. “Please step inside, Ms. Zito.”

  Nicole took a deep breath. Whatever else happened, Grant was safe. That was what mattered. Now she just had to stay alive until Michael got there.

  The streetlight from the road faintly illuminated the rows of empty shelves and bits of trash scattered on the floor as Nicole stepped inside. A slim, sandy-haired man stood by the door. He was tall, with blandly pleasant features and very pale blue eyes. His clothes said bespoke tailoring, and judging from the expensive shoes, being a hit man clearly paid well. Nicole noted the one sleeve he had rolled up, all the way to the elbow, and the hasty bandage wrapped around his left arm. Good boy, Nicole thought. If she got out of this alive, she was giving that dog an entire plate of bacon.

  The gun he was holding on her looked expensive, too. The way he was holding it on her clearly said he had plenty of experience using it. “Payson, I presume?”

  He inclined his head. “Thank you for being so cooperative, Ms. Zito. I hope, for your sake, that you continue to be so.”

  Nicole thought about Michael. They had left at the same time, which meant he had to be close by now. He’d given her strict instructions to stay calm and compliant—to not give Payson any reason to hurt her. “Thank you for not hurting my son.”

  “I’m a businessman, not a sadist,” Payson replied coolly. “I’m paid very well for certain services. Those don’t include hurting children. Usually.” The pale hitman gestured towards the back of the shop, to a back door. “If you wouldn’t mind. I’d rather not be here when your friend comes back.”

  Nicole hesitated. She needed to give Michael time, as much as she could. But refusing to move wouldn’t do anything other than give Payson a reason to hurt her to force her to comply. Payson was watching her, the gun steady in his grip. “Okay.” She moved slowly towards the back of the store, one step at a time. Where was he? “Where are we going?”

  “Somewhere a little more private and secure, where we can take as much time as we need.”

  Fear coiled in her, a dark, sickening dread. “What are you going to do to me?” She couldn’t entirely keep the tremors out of her voice.

  “Only what you make me do,” Payson said, his tone utterly reasonable. “I need some information from you. And, I assure you, you will tell me. Eventually.” She felt the barrel of the gun dig into her back. “A little faster, if you don’t mind.”

  Nicole stopped, glancing back at him. It was a gamble to risk annoying him with additional questions, but they were almost to the back door. If Payson had a vehicle waiting out there, and she was almost certain he did, then she needed to make sure they didn’t get into it. Turning this situation into a car chase would raise the chance of problems exponentially. Michael, where are you? “What kind of information?”

  Payson stopped as well, raised a pale eyebrow. “Are you going to be reasonable?”

  Nicole swallowed, trying to moisten a dry throat. “Depends on what you want to know.”

  “I need to know where Ms. Yee is.” There was a slight smile as she recoiled. “Unreasonable it is, then. I suspected as much. As I said, this might take some time.”

  “Screw you,” Nicole spat, anger slicing through her caution. “I’m not going to tell you anything that might hurt my friends. You’re going to have to kill me first.”

  “No. Not first,” Payson told her. “I will kill you eventually—but not until you’ve told me everything I need to know. I don’t enjoy causing pain, but I assure you, I am very good at it. This can be quick and painless—or not. The choice is yours.” He nodded to the back door. “No more stalling.”

  There was the soft click of a gun cocking just behind them. Michael loomed in the doorway, suddenly there, as if he’d simply appeared out of the shadows.

  Immediately, Payson’s hand was on her throat, and he jerked Nicole back, pinning her between him and Michael. His arm was like a steel band, so much stronger than she would’ve expected, considering his slim stature. “Stop right there.”

  “Let her go.” There was something dark and more than a little dangerous in Michael’s expression as he stared down Payson.

  “I will kill her,” Payson returned. For the first time there was an edge to his words, as if he was finally starting to lose his temper. Apparently, their bait-and-switch truly had surprised him. “Tell me where Holly Yee is.” Nicole tried not to wince as she felt the barrel of the gun dig into her temple. “Now.”

  “You kill her, I drop you,” Michael growled.

  “I don’t doubt it. But she’ll still be dead. Holly Yee,” Payson repeated. “The man who hired me doesn’t tolerate failure, so please believe that I will do whatever I have to, to get that information.”

  “Don’t tell him,” Nicole said, not taking her eyes off Michael. “He’s just going to kill me anyway.”

  Michael’s eyes flicked to hers. He looked at her for a long moment. Nicole expected to see frustration, anger, even fear. But she saw—trust.

  He was planning something.

  “All right,” Michael said, his gaze still on her. “Don’t twist yourself into a knot. This isn’t a yoga class.”

  Yoga? Nicole’s mind snapped to that day at the cabin, and Michael’s impromptu self-defense lesson. The way Payson was holding her…

  She nodded her understanding, trying to make it slight enough that Payson wouldn’t notice.

  “They’re at a remote safe house,” Michael began.

  “Where?” Payson demanded.

  “Vancouver. It’s an apartment on Jackson Avenue. Number four-sixty-eight, apartment three. But they’ll be on the lookout, and they’ll have surveillance equipment set up. You’re going to have to go in a special way, if you want to get the drop on them.”