Page 58 of Billion-Dollar Ransom

Still, Two did not flinch. “Like you said, maybe I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Only then did she stop squeezing and finally allow her lips to be kissed again. Two did so eagerly, and soon they were exploring each other.My God,Two thought.What is happening?Had he lost his mind?

The banter was fun at first and not a bad way to pass the long hours between the abduction and eventual release. But maybe this was something more. Something neither of them expected.

And if all this was so Boo Schraeder could make some kind of move to escape… Two had to admit that he didn’t care much. His life had been in free fall for so long that a taste of something thisrandom,thisreal,was exhilarating.

Boo’s free hand was now on a downward trajectory that led straight to his belt buckle.

Okay, this was actually happening. They were going to have sex.

What are you thinking, what are you thinking, what are you thinking…

She had his belt loosened (so easy for her to pull it from his waist and use it to choke him) and the button of his jeans undone (even easier for her to grab hold of sensitive flesh and twist) before Two realized he needed to respond in kind; he began liberating his captive from some of her clothes.

Two almost had her shirt unbuttoned when a buzz went off in his pants, surprising them both.

Damn. His burner phone.

Boo locked eyes with him. “You should probably…”

“Get that, yeah.”

CHAPTER 63

“THIS IS TWO,” he said as he’d been instructed.

“Two, this is One.”

Oh.

Oh, shit.

Two had not anticipated this call yet. He wasn’t supposed to hear from anyone until the ransom had been safely delivered, at which point he would be told to initiate the sequence that would return his captive to freedom. And Two hadn’t expected One to be personally delivering the instructions.

One had implied it would most likely take at least forty-eight hours, given the logistics of such a large transfer of money. It wasn’t as if Old Man Schraeder had bags of cash just sitting around.

It had been barely a day. This seemedtoosoon.

Now would be one hell of a time to part ways.

“Go ahead, One,” Two said.

“We will be reaching our objective soon, Two. The time is coming.”

“I understand, One.”

“There is a SWAT team en route to this location. You must exit immediately with the package. When you receive word from me, and only me, you will close the account. Do you understand?”

A jolt coursed through Two’s nervous system. At that moment, Boo was studying him closely, as if trying puzzle out the other half of the conversation.

If she could, she wouldn’t like it very much.

One had told them in their briefing sessions that there were only two possible outcomes. If they were successful and the ransom was safely delivered, the abductors would be told to complete the transaction. If not, the order would be to close the account.

Close the accountmeant “kill the hostage.” Quickly, cleanly, with no preamble or debate.Done.

Two fought back the shock. This didn’t make any sense. Did it mean the ransom had not been delivered? Was it possible that One’s meticulous plans had unraveled so quickly? Or had that cranky old bastard simply refused to even consider a ransom for his wife and children?