The Billionaire's Secret (Tycoon Billionaires 5)

“Well, you’d really better find that rich guy, huh?” Jake said.

Clara shrugged. “I don’t need a man.”

Jake gazed at her for a moment. “Maybe not for everything, but for making babies – Clara, didn’t mom and dad explain this?”

“Very funny. But I was thinking I could do it alone. Find some gorgeous hunk and spend the night with him…”

Jake shook his head and tucked into some waffles. “I hope you know what you’re doing…”

“Let’s argue about this another time. You’ve got a rescue mission to plan...”

After Astrid had showered, Clara took them on a tour of the campus. It was so peaceful here – Astrid could understand why Clara loved it so much. And there seemed to be significantly more male students in the Life Sciences Dept than female. Clara would be in her element – she’d have her pick of potential handsome, intelligent sperm donors.

They sat under a tree in the autumn sunshine, and Astrid allowed herself to relax and enjoy the moment. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the only traffic around was the occasional car, crawling down the wide campus road at ten miles-an-hour.

They chatted for a while about how different it was here, compared to the city, listing the pros and cons. Astrid felt connected to both the Quinlan twins, and she almost forgot what they were here for.

But the sound of her ringing phone pulled her back to reality with a thud. She answered with a frantic, “Yes?”

A meek female voice spoke. “Astrid, it’s Emma...”

“Emma!” She stood up and braced herself. “Are you okay?”

Jake stood too. “Put her on speakerphone.”

“Where are you?” Astrid asked. “Just tell me and we’ll come get you.”

Emma sounded terrified. “I can’t speak long. The guy who’s holding me says you need to come to North Christopher Columbus Boulevard tomorrow evening at seven, or he’ll kill me! There’s a disused warehouse, with a massive Stars and Stripes painted on the side. It’s near the harbor. The man who’s holding me says he can jump in his boat and get away after you’ve dropped off the money. He doesn’t want any fuss, just you and the money. Please bring fifty thousand dollars. He says no cops this time… He really means it, Astrid.”

Astrid tried to focus her racing mind. “Emma, are you hurt? Tell Simon from me he’d better not harm you, because I’ll –”

The line went dead.

Fear pounded in Astrid’s heart, making her head swim with nauseating terror. “What now?” she asked Jake, voice trembling.

He remained calm. “We’ll go there.”

“Where are we going to get fifty grand?”

“I told you, we’re not giving him any money. We’ll get her back safely, I promise.”

He wrapped Astrid in his arms and she extracted warmth from him, biting back the tears that were scratching her throat.

“I’ll call my contact at the telecoms company and see if he can track the location of the kidnapper,” Jake said.

Clara frowned with confusion. “But Emma just gave you the address.”

“That’s where he’s luring us to,” Jake said. “But it might not be where they currently are. If we can get to Emma – and the kidnapper – at a different time and place to the one he’s setting, we’ll have the element of surprise.”

Astrid opened her mouth to suggest they contact the telecoms guy straight away, but the sound of a twig breaking behind them made them all look around. It was Daniel, with his gun drawn, pointing directly at Jake.

Astrid’s chest squeezed with shock and irritation. Why did he have to keep arriving and ruining everything?

“I thought I’d find you here,” Daniel said, holding his gun in Jake’s direction. The guys at surveillance told me they’d seen your Ferrari headed this way. I did some phoning around and discovered your sister’s a visiting fellow at this college. Unlucky for you I’m a good detective too, huh?”

Astrid appealed to him. “Daniel, are you going to help us find Emma?”

“Yes I am. And I’m going to find her faster than you. I’m gonna beat you, Jake.”