“I don’t see his Jaguar behind us. I think we’re safe.”
“You’re an idiot,” the second man said. His voice was deeper, but smooth as silk. “There’s no such thing as safe until we’ve got the money in hand, the woman is back with her rich family and we’re chilling on a beach in Puerto Vallarta. Then and only then will I take the first deep breath I’ve taken in thirty years.”
Jade tried to ease back until she was leaning against the side of the van for some stability. She didn’t make a peep, not wanting to interrupt her captors’ conversation. She intended to memorize every word so when she got out of this mess, she could turn all of it over to Harley and the police.
Provided she actually got out of this. She didn’t know what these guys wanted with her, but it couldn’t be good. One of them had mentioned money, so maybe this was just about ransom. That seemed a stupid choice. Her family didn’t have any money. At least, not the family who had raised her. Maybe these two knew even more about Jade than she did.
“Here’s the turn,” the man with the gravelly voice said.
“I know where the damn turn is. I don’t need you to tell me how to drive. I’ve got this under control.” The van slowed and went over a bump. “I learned my lesson after the last time, when your sister screwed us both.”
“Screwed us? She’s the one who died, not you.”
“Yeah, well, if she was feeling so guilty that she was thinking about doing something like that, she should’ve turned over some crucial information first. Like which damn baby was which. We’ve sat on our hands for three decades because of her stupid conscience and I’m not taking that risk a second time. I want my money and I want this done.”
“Do you think they’ll pay for her? They don’t even know who she is.”
“She’s their blood. They’ll pay. And if not, well, maybe we go after the big guy. Did you see how long he ran after us? Like he was gonna catch the van. That dope is in love. I’m willing to bet he’ll shell out whatever we ask.”
Jade’s breath caught in her throat. They had to be talking about Harley. She hadn’t seen him outside. Had he followed her out in time to see the men take her? She hoped so. He’d chased after her. She didn’t know if she could take these thug’s word for it, but they seemed to think Harley was in love with her. She couldn’t believe it.
They’d better hope they were wrong. If he did love her, these men better pray the cops found them first.
She heard the sound of a metal garage door going up as the van came to a stop. The vehicle inched forward and finally the engine shut off. The metal door started creaking again, likely closing this time, trapping her in whatever garage or warehouse they’d chosen to take cover from the cops.
They’d probably be headed to the back of the van to deal with her soon. Jade took a deep breath and hoped she had the strength to get through this. To see Harley and her parents again. Her real parents. The Steeles might be lovely people, but the faces she wanted to see belonged to Arthur and Carolyn Nolan.
“All right, we’re here,” the driver said. “It’s time to make the call.”
* * *
Harley marched back into the ballroom, and casting aside any pretense of being a normal guest or donor, went straight up to Trevor and Patricia Steele. “Are you behind this?” he asked, unable to keep the anger from his voice.
The couple turned to him with wide, surprised eyes. They didn’t look as though people took that tone with them very often. “Are we behind what, sir?” Trevor asked, with a sharp edge to his voice.
“Someone just abducted Jade from your driveway. If you’re behind this, tell me now.”
“Abducted?” Patricia said, bringing a hand to her chest in dismay. “Jade who?”
“Your daughter, Jade. The one I’ve been trying to call you about for the last week.”
They looked genuinely confused by the entire conversation. As much as he wanted to leap ahead, it seemed as though he’d have to go backward. “My name is Harley Dalton, with Dalton Security. I’ve been calling you both repeatedly this week about a case at St. Francis Hospital. Did you not get any of my messages?”
“No,” Trevor said, looking mildly irritated, albeit not with Harley. “Although the week leading up to the gala is usually so hectic. My staff might’ve been remiss in passing your messages along. They tend to filter out what they deem unnecessary when we’re so busy. We get a lot of calls. You’re working for St. Francis Hospital, you say?”
“Yes, where your wife gave birth to a daughter during Hurricane Hugo in 1989.”
“Our daughter, Morgan, is right over there.” Patricia gestured to her. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Harley didn’t want to be the one to say this, but the sooner they all got on the same page the better. “That is not your biological child. Two of the infants in the nursery were switched during the storm. Your daughter was raised by the Nolan family, who recently uncovered the mix-up during DNA testing. The woman you know as your daughter, Morgan, is actually their daughter, Jade.”
Harley watched Trevor Steele’s face blanch for a moment as he absorbed the news. Before he could gauge any more of their reactions, a man ran up to the two of them with a wild-eyed expression on his face. “Mr. Steele, the police are here. They said they got a call about an abduction.”
Harley was about to step in, but Trevor collected himself and beat him to it. The CEO instantly began barking orders at everyone around him. “See them into the library, please. We will be there momentarily.” He turned to his wife. “Patricia, go get Morgan and meet us in the libr
ary. I’ll have the boys clear out the room. The party is over.”
Harley breathed a sigh of relief that the family was taking this seriously. He watched as Patricia escorted a confused-looking Morgan out of the ballroom, while her father went in search of his sons to handle the other guests. Trevor appeared at Harley’s side a moment later. “I’m sorry that we didn’t get in touch with you sooner, Mr. Dalton. I will be having words with my staff once this is cleared up. Let’s head over to the library. A flood of people are about to come through here once my oldest makes the announcement.”