Page 56 of Intoxicating Pursuit

The hollow, sick echo of Bobby’s voice rang against the tile walls. “You better pull that hand out of your purse real slow, and it better be empty, or I’ll blow it right off your wrist.”

I froze. The gun pointed at my face looked as big as a cannon. My heart caught in my throat, but my training kicked in, and I managed to speak. “It’s okay. It’ll be alright. We’ll get you what you need.”

“Just get your hand out of your fucking purse!” he screamed. “That’s what I need!” His brown eyes, which had seemed so helpless on our last Zoom call, now blazed with paranoid rage.

I withdrew my hand as carefully as I could, my fingers trembling, and put my hands in the air. I nodded at Meghan to do the same.

“Give me your fucking purse. Nice and slow.”

I did as he instructed, trying to focus on keeping him calm. On just one thing at a time.

“Smart watch, too. Same for you, junior. Phone and watch.”

Meghan looked over at me, hesitating.

“ Now, goddamnit! Don’t fucking make me wait.”

She unclasped her watch and fished her phone from her pocket, then handed them both to Bobby.

“Now get up. We’re going back to my office, and we’re gonna try this again.”

He kept the gun level with my chest and forced us down the prep hall, through the galley kitchen, and into his cluttered office. He motioned for us to sit, then locked the door and sat opposite us at his desk.

His face jerked suddenly to the door, his eyes tracing paths across the ceiling and walls. He clearly heard something we didn’t.

When he snapped his attention back to us, a deranged grin spread across his face.

“ You , Sammy McCallum, must be the dumbest cunt alive. I can’t believe you just strolled in here.

I’ve never seen a fly so desperate to get trapped in the spider’s web in my life.

” He swirled his finger through the powder on his desk and rubbed it on his gums.

“You know, when you tried to shut down my little HopNBrew racket, I panicked. ’Cause let me tell you lady, you sure as shit don’t pay me enough to cover my needs.

” He rubbed his nose impatiently. “But then, I’m at one of those stupid Commerce Tours you make us attend to ‘build relationships and get ideas.’ And lo and behold.

. . you show up all lovey dovey with Gabriel.

Fucking. Walker. I mean, that gave me so many ideas I didn’t know where to begin.

But sneaking back on-site to get a few pictures for the tabloids seemed like a good start. ”

He grinned broadly, his bloodshot eyes focusing on me finally.

“But my my, Sammy. . . you little slut. You dropped the biggest gift ever in my lap. You fuck him right there in the open, for all the world to see. And I have to tell you, those pictures are very special. I’ve spent many nights with them. ”

Meghan’s panicked eyes darted between Bobby and me, confusion written across her face.

Bobby followed her gaze, and his smile twisted wickedly.

“Oh. . . I see. You didn’t tell your little girl, huh?

” Bobby walked around the desk toward us.

“Would you like to see what Mommy does while the rest of us are working for a living?” He paused and ogled Meghan, his head tilting, his eyes narrowing sickly.

“Or maybe I could just show you.” He reached out and traced a bony finger along her jawline.

“You’re a fresh, pretty, little thing, aren’t you? That would be a nice treat.”

The air disappeared from the room instantly. My heart galloped in a frenzy. A whoosh of lightheadedness left me gripping the desk for support.

No. No, no, no. . . This can’t happen now.

Meghan needed me. I had to hold it together—had to get us to safety.

What’s real, Sammy? Take stock.

I tried to center myself, but when I looked around, all I saw was the gun, the deranged man. . . the cocaine and chaos. He was completely real—and a living nightmare.

His head jerked up again, his eyes searching the room. “Shut the hell up! Both of you!”

He stumbled back behind the desk, his focus scattered.

He dug in my purse, held my phone up to my face to unlock it, then set it on the desk.

“Okay. Okay.” He scratched at his mangy beard.

“Listen! You’re gonna do what I say, got it?

” He tilted the gun in Meghan’s direction and looked back at me, his focus returning, his face scrawled with cruelty and exhilaration. “Do I have your attention, bitch ?”

I nodded frantically. Tried to respond but couldn’t get oxygen. Tears burned my eyes, but I fought them like hell. I couldn’t afford to crumble. Meghan needed me whole.

“Good. So, here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re going to call your little boyfriend and tell him exactly what I say.” He put the gun’s muzzle closer to Meghan’s forehead and waited.

I put my trembling hands on the desk by my phone, trying to breathe, trying to think. I fumbled with the phone. The screen was full of notifications. Missed calls. From Gabe. I touched one and his contact came up. Somehow, I managed to press the call button.

Gabe picked up after one ring. His voice filled the room in a sudden flood of words. “ Oh, thank God, Sammy. Listen to me! Don’t go anywhere near your Charlotte brewery, understand? It’s not safe.” He paused, waiting for a response. “Sammy? Sammy?”

“Oh, she’s already here,” Bobby said coolly. “Thanks for picking up.” He pointed the gun at me now. “Alright, Sammy, tell him you’re here with me. Go on.”

My hands quivered uncontrollably on the desk, and I couldn’t form words. My heartbeat jackhammered in my ears. My lungs were collapsing.

As blackout closed in, a streak of motion flashed before my eyes, and Bobby smashed the butt of the gun across my fingers, breaking them cleanly. A scream ripped from my throat as white-hot pain exploded through my hand.

“ Mom! Oh my God, Mom!” Meghan shrieked. “What did you do ? What did you do to her?”

Meghan was screaming and sobbing uncontrollably, and I couldn’t stop crying in anguish—it was impossible. The pain was shocking, pulsing up from my hand in sharp, horrible, jolts.

“ Hey! Do you hear me?” Gabe shouted over the chaos. “ You have me on the phone! I’ll get you what you need! Please, dear God, don’t hurt anyone! Stop!”

“Ahhh, he finally gives a shit,” Bobby announced over the fray.

“At least I know what gets your attention now. But don't worry, she’s got at least seven more fingers I can work with if you ignore me, asshole. So, try to listen ,” he hissed.

“The million-dollar price tag for those photos just went up considerably. If you want to see either of these pretty women alive again, bring your jet to an abandoned airstrip called Henderson Pawley. The runway’s a little fucked up, but if the drug planes can land there, you can too.

When you arrive, I want at least five million bucks on that plane for me, and your pilot’s gonna fly me wherever the hell I tell him.

Got it? And if I catch so much as a whiff of police, I will waste your girlfriend and her precious little daughter. Am I clear?”

“You’re clear. We’ll do it. Please, please don’t hurt anyone.”

“Good, because I’m pretty pissed you didn’t just pay me when I asked.” He swirled his finger around on the desk, stuck it by his nostril and sniffed. “You have four hours.”

“Wait!” Gabe objected. “I can do everything you asked, but it can’t happen in four hours. Just assembling that much cash will take longer.”

“Oh, you’ll fucking figure out how to get it done!

” Bobby walked around the desk and put his finger on Meghan’s jaw again.

“In fact, I’m sort of thinking for every hour you're late, I’ll take a little piece of innocence away from your girlfriend's mini-me, here. You should see her Gabriel. She’s luscious.

You’re definitely riding the outdated model. ”

“You’re not to lay a finger on either one of them! Got it? In fact, you’re gonna get Sammy medical attention for whatever the hell you did to her, and if there’s so much as a blemish on either of them, you get nothing !”

Bobby backhanded me across the jaw, jarring my whole body. I screamed out, the pain from my wrecked hand ripping through me like fire.

“ You’re not fucking in charge, asshole !

Understand? These girls are mine , and unless I get everything I want, in very short order, you’re going to find them in pieces!

So, hurry the fuck up!” He paused and turned his insanity back to Meghan again.

“Actually, maybe don’t hurry. I think I’d rather enjoy having a taste of this one. ”

Meghan’s crying got louder, and her red face contorted in fear.

Bobby disconnected the line and took a last greedy look at Meghan before opening a desk drawer and pulling out fat zip ties.

“Hold still, got it? I don’t want to break your pretty faces right yet.

” He bound Meghan’s wrists together first, then pulled her to her feet and shoved her to the wall. He turned to me. “Get up!”

I lifted myself out of the chair carefully, trying to brace my shattered hand.

“Quit being a fucking baby.” He grabbed my wrists and yanked me his way, sending blazing shocks of pain up my arm. He bound me up tightly, then ushered us out, at gunpoint, into the August heat. “Get in the car.”

We bumbled our way into the back seat, our bound hands making it difficult to move.

He shut the doors and slid into the driver’s seat before turning to face us.

“I don’t want to see a single stray movement or sound out of either of you, and I hope you understand by now that I am more than happy to fuck you up if you don’t comply. ”

“Please don’t hurt anyone,” I managed to blurt out. “We’ll do whatever you want.”

“Good. But if you need me to drive a point home, just give me the chance. I bet a well-placed shot could draw a lot of blood without killing you. Might be a fun experiment.”

He turned back around and put the car in drive, then sped off down the road.