Page 52 of Secret Revenge

I’d hidden the flash drive containing the stolen data on Ross Industries in the same place. I hesitated, then snapped it up between my fingers. If I didn’t bring Jonathan the data, things might get violent.

“Hey what’s taking so long?” the armed goon demanded, just a few feet away.

“Haven’t you ever waited for a woman to get dressed?” I hissed back at him, then opened a new drawer and started pulling on a pair of jeans.

My pulse thundered in my ears, a frantic drumbeat, as I was marched back into the living room. The sight of Travis, standing stoically with three menacing barrels aimed at him, sent a fresh wave of fear coursing through me.

Please, please don’t let me get him killed.

I took a deep breath and held the flash drive out to Jonathan. “Here. Now you can let him go.”

Jonathan’s hand shot out, snatching the flash drive with a triumphant sneer. His laugh, cold and devoid of humanity, echoed ominously in the cramped space.” “Oh, this? This is justa bonus,” he said, pocketing the drive. “Your dearTravis, on the other hand, he’s the real jackpot – and now so are you.”

Damn it,I exhaled sharply, the bitter taste of desperation filled my mouth.Hurry, Michael.

Hurry.

25

EMILY

There was no fear in Travis’s eyes as he stood with the three guns pointed at him. Not until he saw the fourth man point his gun at me.

“She took long enough,” Jonathan said, turning to Travis. scowling. “Let’s go. And I don’t need to tell you that any sudden moves on your part will earn a bullet in the back of her head.”

The police. Michael. Where are they?

Travis glared at him, then gave a sharp nod. He looked like he would have throttled Jonathan himself if he could get his hands on him.

One of the henchmen peered out the door, then stuffed his gun into the back of his pants before waving us forward. Travis and I were herded out of the house like cattle, stuffed in between Jonathan and the second goon.

We bustled towards an unmarked SUV parked on the street, where we were dumped unceremoniously into the backseat. Jonathan and a goon sat on either side of us, while the third jumped into the driver’s seat and Jonathan sat in the passenger seat.

I looked around for any leverage.If I could threaten Jonathan, would that stop the others?I glanced around the car.Probably not,I decided. They had to know that Travis was worth hundreds of millions as a hostage, and if something happened to Jonathan that just meant the goons could claim the payday themselves.

The SUV’s tires shrieked against the asphalt, tearing into the night. Soon as we were underway, Jonathan produced a pair of restraints. “Tie them up,” he instructed his goons shortly.

The henchmen fastened our hands behind our backs, making them tighter than was necessary. I winced quietly and Jonathan glared at me.

I struggled to accept that he was the same fatherly-seeming man that I had worked for so many months. He seemed a different person from the one who had hunched over his desk for long hours, offering me tea when I visited his office.

I caught Travis watching me. Even in this situation, his eyes were intoxicating. But I couldn’t let anything happen to him. Nothing could happen to Travis Ross. It just couldn’t.

His expression was unreadable. That he was probably thinking the same thing about me was no comfort. It might cause him to put himself in danger, trying to protect me.

I tried to memorize the streets, tried to figure out where we were going. Jonathan noticed me glancing out the window and frowned. He rummaged through a satchel and produced some hoods.

It looks like these guys are used to kidnapping people.

The hoods were pulled over our heads and I was thrown into a world of disorienting blackness. My heart pounded in my chest as I imagined how many other people had been dragged off by Blackwell’s men in the past.

How are you going to get out of this, Emily?

Panic swelled in my chest. I felt a wave of claustrophobia and bit my lip to avoid hyperventilating. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on counting seconds as they passed. The movement of the car made me nauseous and I tasted bile in my mouth. The longer the ride lasted, the more terrified I became.

Would either of us walk out of here alive?

After what seemed like an eternity, the car jerked to a halt. Rough hands pulled me out of the vehicle by my arm. I heard voices and I squirmed wildly, blind and bound.